Category Archives: article

What does Les Miserables say about public speaking?

Les Miserables is one of the most beautiful musicals around, and while listening to the soundtrack this afternoon, I heard two lines that stood out to me: Marius says, “I don’t know what to say…” to which Cosette replies, “Then … Continue reading

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Don’t be a puppet

“I am not saying that the right gestures and tonal qualities are not important in public speaking, they are, just watch Barack Obama and you will see the power of gesture and tone. What I am saying is when developing … Continue reading

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Impactful impromptu speaking

One of the most challenging areas of speaking is impromptu speaking. You may be asked to speak for 30 seconds, or two minutes, and it could happen at any time. A friend is currently coaching a senior executive in Shanghai … Continue reading

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Don’t bother with the large vocabulary

Last week I heard a compliment of someone having a large vocabulary. Yet the comment they made was not really about vocabulary. They just thought that it was an extensive vocabulary that allowed the speaker to speak precisely. A large … Continue reading

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Congratulations, Yingdan Liu, Wendy Wang and Bill Wang

Yingdan Liu DTM was elected District Governor-elect for District 85 at the District Conference this weekend. Later in the afternoon, Wendy Wang ACB ALB was elected Division Governor for Division D, and Bill Wang ACB was elected Division Governor for … Continue reading

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To nail your presentation, treat it as a performance

It can be hard work to deliver a presentation that is smooth, insightful and ends right on time. One of the speakers who really seems to get it right is Malcolm Gladwell. If you have ever watched him speak (like … Continue reading

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Revisiting The DTM Track

In early 2008, as one of my last speeches before I completed the DTM requirements, I presented a speech at Pudong Toastmasters. This speech explained how you can achieve your DTM, and explored the challenges and steps that you can … Continue reading

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Congratulations Mark Hunter – World Champion of Public Speaking 2009

I remember meeting Mark Hunter when he was preparing for a speech contest in around 1999. My cousin told me that he “had a voice like chocolate” – apparently in contrast to my own. Ten years have passed, and Mark … Continue reading

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Eliminate your mannerisms

It’s always a challenge to weed out our distracting mannerisms. Sometimes it’s a gesture. Or a phrase. And sometimes it’s a facial expression. Last week, I saw an experienced speaker who would poke his tongue out at his audience! It … Continue reading

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The trouble with suggestions

I’ve been hearing so much of the word “suggestions”. One very senior General Evaluator last week used the word at least every minute during their evaluation. “If I could make a suggestion…” “One suggestion that I would have…” “Now onto … Continue reading

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