冗談を説明することの効用

14,431 Comments

冗談を説明する行為は無粋なことと思われがちです。日本でもアメリカでもそれは同じですし、私が知る限りでは、冗談を説明することが面白いとされる文化圏は地球上に存在しません。

そして私は冗談を考えたり言ったりするのが好きなのですが、相手に自分の冗談が伝わらない場合に冗長な説明をしてしまい、無粋な人と思われがちです。今まで、日本でもアメリカでもポーランドでもそうだったので、おそらく私は地球上どこに行っても無粋キャラ認定をされるのだと思います。

そんなグローバル無粋人材の私が、今回は「冗談を説明する習慣は、伝達のためのコミュニケーション能力を高める」という持論を述べさせて頂きたいと思います。「伝達のためのコミュニケーション能力」は「自分の考えを、話を聞く意思のある相手の理解できる形で発信する力」と定義します。結論から言うと、冗談を説明する習慣は（１）相手の前提を常に確認し（２）理解に必要な前提との差分を見極め（３）その差分を埋めて（４）話す、トレーニングになります。

（脱線しますが、コミュニケーション能力が一般に意味するところの、Small Talk や Chitchatと呼ばれるような状況でスムーズに話すタイプの力とは少し違う意味で使っています。例えばパーティーなどで、相手の興味のないトピックを 深追いして説明をしない類いのコミュニケーション能力も大事だと思いますが、今回の趣旨ではありません。）

分野外の人に話をするのは難しいと言われます。例えば、理工系の専門分野を非専門家に説明することは、サイエンスコミュニケーターというような職業もあるくらい、難しいこととされています。そうでなくても、仕事の話を他人にするときに、難しさを感じたことがある人もいるのではないでしょうか。私見ですが、異分野間、異文化間の情報伝達が難しいのは、決して相手の理解力が足らないのではなく、相手が理解するために必要な情報が提示されていないことが主因です。言い換え、例示、簡略化などは、もちろん効果がないとは思いませんが、やや間接的な解決法ではないでしょうか。ここで自分が常に意識するのは、上記の「自分と相手の前提の差分を理解し、それを埋める」ことです。

この「自分と相手の前提の差分を理解し、それを埋める」習慣のために、自分がとりわけ面白いトレーニングだと思うのは、外国人に日本由来の冗談を言って伝わらない経験をして、何故伝わらなかったのかを省みることです。何故「冗談の説明」なのかというと、冗談というのは一般に奇を衒った場合が多く、一方で奇を衒いすぎると全く相手に伝わらないという面白い性質を持つからです。奇を衒うためには相手の前提を理解する必要があるのは言うまでもないのですが、冗談が最も効果的な冗談として成立するためには、さらにその前提の輪郭をはっきりさせる努力が必要になるからです。また、冗談は文化的な不文律に立脚している場合も多く、その不文律を明示的に説明することは、自分が無意識に所与としていた考え方を明らかにする一助になります。

例えば「布団がふっとんだ」というダジャレをドイツ人に言って伝わらないケースを考えましょう。これは簡単でしょうか。日本語の布団とふっとんの音遊びが通じないからか、ベッド好きのドイツ人で布団を知らないかの２択くらいです。

それでは、サウジアラビア人の上司の誘いを断る時に「これ（小指）がこれ（お腹が大きい）でこれ（角）なんですよ」と言ってみたのに、意図が伝わらない場合はどうでしょうか。まずボディーランゲージが通じなかった可能性が検討されます。小指が女性パートナーを意味するのは日本由来でしょうか。角が二本立った生物に怒りを連想する文化圏は東アジア以外にあるでしょうか。別の視点では、サウジアラビア人の感覚で上司の誘いを断るために言い訳は必要でしょうか？あるいは一夫多妻文化圏では妻の妊娠が上司の誘いを断る理由になるでしょうか？そもそもイスラム教徒は表向きは酒を飲まないので、何の誘いだったんでしょうか？

上記のように、コミュニケーションは対話者の持っている前提が違うだけで、非常に複雑になります。シリアスな場面では相手とのギャップを時間を使って埋めることは難しいかもしれません。一方で、軽い冗談を言ってみて、無粋と思われながらも説明を加え反応を見て、相手との前提を少しずつ埋めていくプロセスや、それに伴うものの考え方は、異分野・異文化コミュニケーションのソフトスキルを涵養する一助となるはずです。

PS．なんてことを、アメリカ人の友人の結婚式で突然スピーチを求められて、考えていました。自分は全く準備しておらず、新郎とのエピソードと、「日本の結婚式でよくある話なんだけど・・・」と切り出して、「３つの袋」の話をアレンジして話しました。しかし、例えば「給料袋」のくだりを話すにしても、男性が世帯収入の全てを担うという前提が、伝統的な日本の家族観を共有しない相手にすんなり理解されるかなど、わかりやすいスピーチにするには注意が必要になります。結局自己採点70点くらいでしたが、面白い経験になりました。

外国人の結婚式で、簡潔に面白さや、日本らしさや、何よりも相手を祝福する気持ちが伝わるように、日本のエピソードを交えてどんな乾杯の挨拶を組み立てられるでしょうか、なんてお題を考えるのも面白いですね。妙案あれば共有して下さい！

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