Like, and I'm not being flip about it.

我並沒有，我不是隨便說說。

Like, I don't understand very complicated things.

我不懂很複雜的東西。

And so I ask a lot of questions so that the person who's telling me something complicated, who's talking in terms as if I understand them.

所以我會問很多問題，這樣對方在跟我講一些複雜的東西時，就會說得好像我聽得懂一樣，

Finance or neuroscience, I don't know what you're talking about and I ask enough questions just so that I understand it.

比如金融或神經科學，我不知道你在說什麼，我就會問足夠多的問題，這樣我就能聽懂了。

So "Is what you're saying this?" "No, that's not what I'm saying."

「你的意思是這樣嗎？」「不是，我不是這個意思。」

Well, what are you...

那你是...

So I, well, most, I mean, I'll give you a perfect example.

所以，我，大多數，我的意思是，我給你舉個很好的例子。

So a long time ago, I had a client, they were a public company and they brought me on to do some work for them.

很久以前，我有一個客戶，他們是一家上市公司，他們讓我為他們做一些工作。

But they invited me to sit in on a meeting from the consultant that they had hired.

但是，他們邀請我旁聽他們聘請的顧問召開的一次會議。

And so all the C-level executives and me and this consultant was giving a presentation about something about marketing.

於是所有的高階主管和我出席了，而這位顧問正在做一個關於市場行銷的演講。

This is when I had my little marketing company.

那是我還開一間間小小的行銷公司的時候。

And every all the C-level executives sitting there nodding and taking notes on the, on the, you know, on the PowerPoint that they had printed up in front of them and I had it as with as well and I didn't understand a freaking word of it.

所有的高階主管都坐在那裡點頭哈腰地記筆記，你知道，他們面前放著打印好的 PowerPoint，我也有，但我一個字都聽不懂。

Right?

對嗎？

I was like, looking around like I'm, and so I raised my hand and say, "I'm really, really sorry."

我環顧四周，然後我舉起手說：「我真的，真的很抱歉。」

"I know I'm the only person in this room without an MBA."

「我知道我是這個房間裡唯一沒有 MBA 的人。」

"But this doesn't make sense like you say, A plus B equals C, but based on your logic, A plus B equals D, can you just say it again, please."

「但這並不合理，就像你說的，A 加 B 等於 C，但根據你的邏輯，A 加 B 等於 D，你可以再說一遍嗎，拜託？」

"I'm really, I'm really sorry to slow the meeting down, everybody."

「各位我真的，真的很抱歉讓會議慢下來。」

You know, and you could see the consultant getting frustrated with me and would try and explain it again.

你可以看到顧問對我感到沮喪，並試圖再次解釋。

I said, "I'm so sorry."

我說：「我很抱歉。」

And one by one, all the C-level executives said, "Yeah, I don't understand it either."

接著所有高階主管一個接一個地說：「是啊，我也不明白。」

Now, if the idiot hadn't spoken up and said "I don't understand," they all would have nodded their heads for fear of looking stupid because they don't understand.

現在，如果那個笨蛋不開口說「我不明白」，他們都會點頭，生怕因為不明白而顯得愚蠢。

And it would have, they would have paid a lot of money for a document they didn't understand and they would never have used it and would have sat on a shelf.

這樣一來，他們就得花大價錢去買一份他們不懂的文件，而且永遠也用不上，只能束之高閣。

And it's because I'm okay being the idiot like that's why I'm not being flip.

因為我覺得當個笨蛋沒關係，所以我不是在開玩笑。

I'm okay.

我可以接受。

Everybody in the room going, oh, because I have to ask questions until I understand it.

房間裡的每個人都會說，哦，因為我必須問問題，直到我理解為止。

But the reality is once I can get to the point where I understand it, I can get it so simple that I understand it and I can say it in simple terms, that means other people understand it too.

但現實是，一旦我能理解它，我能把它變得如此簡單，以至於我理解了它，並且我能用簡單的語言說出來，那就意味著其他人也理解了它。

So there's a lot of value being the idiot.

所以說，當笨蛋還是很有價值的。