"Speak of a drop of water without a leak II - Training Manual

Author: Han Shi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
1. Being able to speak well is a sign of talent. Accurate, fluent, and vivid speech is a basic standard for measuring a person's thinking and expressive abilities, as well as an important indicator of their competitiveness in society. From the perspective of the relationship between language and thinking, thinking is the content of language, and language is the form of thinking. Alternatively, thinking is "internal language," while language is "external thought." Although the two are not entirely equal, their relationship is very close. For example, when you go shopping, you find that prices have risen again. Pork has become 5 yuan per pound. Should you buy it? You need to think about it. This extremely simple thought requires a series of concepts composed of words like "pork," "5 yuan," and "per pound." If you meet an acquaintance on the road and need to discuss an important matter through conversation, you will need to transform the content into complex language and thinking, as well as the ability to provide feedback, adapt to situations, and think on your feet. Without language skills or underdeveloped language abilities, how can we receive information, think, or express ourselves? Therefore, the ancients said, "The brain moves, words convey, and words convey actions." Everything always involves listening, thinking, speaking, and acting. This generally illustrates that developing language skills is the same as developing intelligence and wisdom. As an old Russian riddle goes: What can stick everything together? The answer is "language." Language, as a general concept, includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as various forms and systems of symbolic communication. In daily life, a person needs more and greater skills to have good public speaking abilities than to be a skilled writer, requiring higher qualities, especially good psychological qualities. This is determined by the fundamental characteristics of oral communication and interaction. Oral language must be widely used at any time and in any place, interact with all kinds of people, engage in two-way communication and direct interaction, think on one's feet, adapt to situations, control emotions, and exhibit appropriate and graceful body language. These characteristics inevitably demand that a person's language sensitivity, thinking and imagination, observation and adaptability, and self-control abilities be highly agile and flexible to achieve effective speaking, speak eloquently, and possess charm. Speaking ability is a comprehensive reflection of a person's thinking skills, level of understanding, knowledge base, and more. In many cases, society and organizations gain their understanding of a person, as well as mutual understanding between people, through speech. Ancient thinker Confucius once said, "In the past, when I listened to a person's words, I believed their actions; now, when I listen to a person's words, I observe their actions." When evaluating people, he first focused on "listening to their words." Once, Zilu, Zeng Xi, and Gongxi Hua accompanied Confucius to sit. Confucius said, "You always say, 'You don't understand me!' If someone wants to understand you, what will you do?" The four students eagerly opened the conversation, speaking endlessly. After Zilu, Ran You, and Gongxi Hua left, Zeng Xi stayed behind and asked the teacher, "What do you think of their words?" Confucius replied, "They were just talking about their own aspirations." Zeng Xi then asked, "Why did you smile at Zilu?" Confucius said, "To govern a country, one must observe propriety. Zilu's words were not humble, so I smiled at him." Confucius's understanding of the four students came from their respective conversations, and he made evaluations for each of them. For example, the talented general Han Xin was not employed by the Chu King Xiang Yu and traveled thousands of miles to Sichuan to join Emperor Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty. However, because he had not spoken with Liu Bang, he was not given important roles and was only assigned to manage grain. Later, he fled and was chased back by the Prime Minister Xiao He, who recommended him to Liu Bang. Liu Bang had no choice but to summon him and said, "The Prime Minister has tens of thousands of generals. What advice can you offer me?" Han Xin finally had the chance to express his ideas. He analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the situation between Chu and Han, pointing out that although Liu Bang was weak, he had the conditions to defeat Xiang Yu, speaking convincingly and logically. "Thus, the Emperor was greatly pleased and thought he had met Han too late." He was then appointed as a general and followed his orders blindly. Legend has it that during a casual conversation with his attendants, the Qing Dynasty minister Zeng Guofan once commented on the heroes of the time. He mentioned, "Peng Yulin and Li Hongzhang are great talents, beyond my reach. The only thing I can be proud of is that I am not a flatterer." One of the attendants took up the conversation and said, "Each has their strengths. Peng is fierce, and no one dares to bully him; Li is refined, and no one can bully him." Zeng Guofan then asked, "What do you think of me?" How should he answer? Everyone was speechless for a moment and had to think. At this point, a young man in charge of copying said, "General Zeng is kind, and no one dares to bully him." This sentence made Zeng Guofan realize that he had discovered an invaluable talent, and he later greatly promoted and entrusted important tasks to this eloquent person. Of course, the attendants mostly flattered Zeng Guofan, but when comparing him with Peng and Li, how should one speak? This cannot but depend on a person's wisdom and talent. Zeng Guofan's method of discovering talent, believing that "this person has great talent and cannot be hidden," is very reasonable. In today's society, graduates from various schools, laid-off workers, migrant workers, and those transferred to different jobs generally need to undergo interviews to find employment and be utilized. The main form of the interview is to listen to or engage in conversation with the candidate to gain an understanding of them. Sometimes, discovering talent depends on eloquence, and those who are eloquent are undoubtedly talented. Therefore, we have sufficient reason to conclude that: Not all talented people have eloquence, but those who are eloquent are definitely talented, and they are outstanding talents! P2-4