Imagine walking up on stage in front of a packed house with an objective to make strangers laugh. For most people, this proposition sounds terrifying. For a comedian, it is just another Wednesday night.
想象一下你走上舞台,台下有一堆的观众,而你的目的就是要让这些陌生的观众大笑起来。对于大多数人来说,这个提议听起来很吓人。但是对于喜剧演员来说,这场景不过就是他周三晚上的一个写照。

Comedians are a rare breed of individual, often working odd jobs to make ends meet, spending every night in bars and clubs to tell jokes and seeing the world in a totally different way than what may be considered normal. This lifestyle and career choice might seem drastically different than the path you have chosen. But, believe it or not, comedians can teach you quite a bit about building a successful career.
喜剧演员们是稀有的个体,为了维持生计,他们经常干着稀奇古怪的工作。他们每晚在酒吧和俱乐部中讲笑话,从不以正常的方式看待这个世界。这种生活方式和职业选择看上去似乎和你的选择有较大出入。但是,不管你信不信,喜剧演员们可以教你如何让事业成功。

Hopefully, you can benefit from these concepts without ever having to get on stage. Here are three lessons:
期望你可以无需登台表演就能从这些观点中受益。以下就是喜剧演员教你的3课:

1. Become comfortable with failure.
1.接受失败。

Comedians are taught this lesson from the beginning, and they have an ability to fail, adapt and move forward. In comedy, failure is seen as a rite of passage, you earn your stripes by performing for less-than-excited crowds and overcoming performance obstacles. Everyone has a bad show, no matter who you are. By the time you see a polished hour-long special on Comedy Central or HBO, that comic has likely written three, five or 10 hours of material to develop a set that actually works. It's a difficult process and just like in other careers, enduring the failure makes success far more gratifying.
喜剧演们一开始就被教导接受失败,他们有能力去失败,适应并且继续向前发展。在喜剧中,失败被视为一种转折。在一群毫无兴奋的观众面前表演,克服表演障碍,这都会使你获得经验。每个人都可能演杂。那些在喜剧中心或者HBO电视台看到的精心制作的一小时特别节目,其中的节目段子可能经过了3小时、5小时甚至10小时的创作来保证能够逗笑观众。这是一个非常艰难的过程,就像其他所有的事业,忍受失败会让成功更加让人满足

2. Not everything has to be a competition.
2.不是所有的事情都是竞争。

In business you are conditioned to be exceptionally competitive. In some cases, that mentality serves you well. For instance, if you are going up for a promotion or head-to-head with someone for a new job. However, we tend to turn everything into a competition and it doesn't have to be that way. Surprisingly, comedy is far more collaborative than it is competitive. Through comedy, there is room for all of us to succeed and there is room for everyone to be funny. This is an idea that business folks could benefit from. Be kind to one another and look for ways to build each other up. Ultimately it will have a positive impact for you down the line.
在商界,你习惯于激烈的竞争。有时候,竞争会让你受益,比如在你想要努力获得晋升或者为了一份新工作与他人竞争。不管怎样,我们都倾向于将所有的事情变成竞争,但其实并不需要如此。令人惊讶的是,喜剧的合作性远大于它的竞争性。通过喜剧,我们都可以获得成功和欢乐。这一课可以让商界人士获益匪浅。善待他人,互相扶持。最后你会收获良多。

3. Know your audience.
3.了解你的观众。

In comedy, this one might seem obvious. As a comedian, you have to know your audience and what influences them. In other words, ask yourself, how you can connect with them and get your message to resonate? In business, this idea isn't spoken about nearly as much, but it is just as important. Especially because an audience doesn't have to mean a 200-seat comedy club, your audience could be your colleagues, your customers or your boss. We spend a lot of time talking about our message from our perspective, without thinking about the implications for those around us. For example, if you want a promotion, you may walk into your superior's office and make a case for why you think you deserve it. Instead, try approaching the conversation by laying out reasons why your promotion will help your boss and the organization. Simply considering how your message is going to be received will make it much more effective, no matter your audience.
在喜剧中,这一课非常明显。作为一名喜剧演员,你需要了解你的观众,需要了解观众会被什么所影响。换句话说,问问你自己,你是如何和观众沟通并且获得回应的。在商界中,这并不被经常提起,但这也非常重要。特别是因为观众并一定意味着喜剧俱乐部的200个坐席,你的观众可以是你的同事、你的顾客,甚至你的老板。我们花了大量的时间给观众传达信息,却从不考虑到信息的传达方式。譬如,如果你想要晋升,你可能会走进主管的办公室,向他讲述你应该获得晋升的理由。换一种做法,试试和主管谈谈为什么晋升你会给公司和老板带来益处。无论你的观众是谁,考虑一下你的信息将如何被接收会使事情更有效果。