This morning, I was interviewed by the President of Oporto Toastmasters in Portugal. He asked me a fairly interesting question that made me realize why some speakers are so good, while others are only so-so. Here’s the question he asked:

Even the most advanced speaker has challenges and can improve in some area. What is the public speaking challenge you are working at right now?

It’s not the question per say that got me thinking. It’s the first statement he made.

Francisco is right. Even the most advanced speaker has challenges, just like the rest of us. And what sets them apart from us is this - They never sit on their laurels. No matter how good they are already, they are constantly looking at how to become BETTER, and how to move the bar to the next level.

And that reinforces what my mentor shared me once: “Eric, I know you are good but you are not good enough. In your next speech competition, you got to so good that the question is WHO WILL BE IN SECOND PLACE?”

And that blew my mind.

Because he just shared with me one of the secrets of successful speakers, the same secret that created some of the legends in the world.

And this secret can be formulated into a question that I urge you to ask yourself constantly:

IS THIS THE BEST I CAN DO?

In fact, that’s the same question that Seth Godin asked in his recent blog entry.

In his words…

The objective isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.

So the next time you deliver a speech, ask yourself “IS THIS BEST YOU CAN DO?”

Chances are, there will always be room for more improvement. And your job is to constantly move the bar to the next level… and then to the next.

For me, I am still waiting for someone to tell me how my message has profoundly changed their lives… what about you? What will your best look like?

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S. In case you are curious about my response to his question. Here it is:

Learning how to prepare a solid speech with minimal preparation. We are living in a world where time is a rare commodity. So it is extremely valuable for a speaker if he can prepare a powerful speech off the cuff. Couple of realizations I have made along the way. One, it comes with daily practice. No matter how long or short your speech is, ALWAYS apply the fundamentals. For example, researching about the audience or ensuring there is a structure in your speech or fine-tuning a message that inspires you and your audience. When you keep doing all the basics well, it will come a point in time where they function automatically at the background. Coming up with a memorable speech will thus become second nature.

Two, keep studying the other competent speakers. (Try www.ted.com) The more you listen to their speeches and study their strategies, the more attuned you are to the different possibilities of creating a good speech. And when the time comes to create one, you will have a whole pool of ideas and strategies to tap into.

Three, sharpen your quick thinking skills. Enuff’ said. One way is to watch Whose Line Is It Anyway. Play along with the games because they will help you improve your quick thinking skills. Here’s one you can try. Take one minute to talk about a random object. Keep doing that before every meal. Make sure it is a daily affair. And then once you get a hang of it, link every object you speak about to a certain message like “Life should be lived to the fullest”. At first, you may find it hard but the more you try, the better you get.

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As I am also honing my humor edge, I spent quite a significant amount of time watching comedies and listening to funny speakers like Ellen Degeneres or Darren La Croix (2001 World Champion of Public Speaking). If I were to choose a mentor, it will have to be the funny people from Whose Line Is It Anyway. First in the list is Ryan Stiles. Next will be Russell Peters. Third will be Hossan Leong, straight from Singapore.

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