It has been two months since the launch of my first book The FAQ Book on Public Speaking but it felt like a year, thanks to the flurry of PR events organized by my team.

Till date, we have been featured on most major media publications - Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Team NS magazine (Mar) and Her World magazine (Apr). We were interviewed live on TV by Channel News Asia and on radio by News Radio 93.8 (The Living Room & F Cube)

Borders @ Wheelock

MPH @ Raffles City

This month, we also started our book talks, one at PSA Singapore and the other at DP Architects (today in fact!). Let me rave a little about DP Architects. They are the coolest bunch of people I have ever met. Even with the CEO in the crowd, everyone was spontaneous, warm and fun.

A quick snap from Deanna’s camera.

They even made posters for the event. Take a look at how creative they were!

Promo posters for the book talk (thanks to Christine and Lionel from DP Talkshop!)

See how the poster opens up like a book revealing tips inside!

As the theme for the month was “Structures for Speeches”, I did a mini tutorial on the importance of structures and went on to share with them how to start strong and make their points memorable. Played two games and ended with a Q&A. Here are the questions that were asked, and our response in brief.

1. Most speakers have the tendency to read from their script or cue cards. What can we do to help us remember our speeches without them and still remain conversational?

[Eric] This is where structures come in! If you have a clear structure for your speech, it will be easier for you to move from one point to another. Example of structures include problem/solution, before/after, chronological, analytical and functional.

Every speech has 3 - 5 main points. What you want to do is to find creative ways to illustrate each point. Hint: You can use the SHARP principles. (Story, Humor, Analogy, Reference, Picture). When you tell your story (which is much easier to remember), you will automatically remember the point you want to make. Likewise, you can use visuals to help you bring across the facts and figures, instead of trying to memorize them.

For the second part (being conversational), I will recommend that you record yourself speaking extemporaeously on each key point. Transcribe and then edit. This way, the output is naturally conversational i.e. it is written for the ear, and not the eye.

2. What simple routines can you practice daily to build up your confidence on public speaking?

[Eric] Start a story file. And rehearse different parts of your speech via everyday conversations. Say you have a funny story that you want to use in a speech, test it out over lunch with different friends. Do not tell them you are rehearsing. Just fit it into your everyday conversation (for eg, Jim, I got to tell you this… or Mary, have you heard about the canteen incident? ) Test it many times. Note your friend’s response and then adjust accordingly. When you know very well that the story works, incorporate into your main speech. This will greatly raise your confidence on stage because you know it works!

[Kelvin] When you speak in public, you are connecting with a group of people which can be daunting. Hence it helps if you practice connecting with individuals on a daily basis. Go to a stranger in your company and say hello. When you are at the water cooler, smile at your colleague and make small talk. When you do that often enough, you will realize that speaking in public is no big deal because fundamentally it is about connecting with people.

3. There will be times when you have to sell an idea you are not passionate about. Should you be two-faced and pretend to be passionate about it? If not, what should you do?

[Kelvin] Instead of pretending to be passionate about the idea, you can focus on persuading your client using logic. Even though you may not personally like it, there will bound to be some plus points and benefits about the idea. Focus on them. (There were more that he said but I can’t exactly remember… have to wait for the recording to be out before I can add on)

4. Sometimes I have to led presentations to people who are much older than me. Being a young chap, how do I handle them?

[Eric] Have “flesh time” with your audience before your presentation. In other words, come earlier to the presentation and get to know these people. Through your conversation, you will get a good sense of how they are like, which allows you to calibrate your presentation to their personalities. In addition to that, you will no longer feel like a stranger to them, which helps them to warm up to you. Always a plus point for you!

I will also take note of who are the friendlier people in the audience. And when it is my turn to speak, I will focus my presentation on them. This way, it will take the nervousness out of me.

[Kelvin] If you are young, you are suppose to be humble; you are suppose to keep quiet and do the work. So when you are up on stage, be both. In the case of work, what I mean is making sure you know your stuff, that you can validate everything you say with hard evidence. When you present your audience with your solution, the trick is to make it feel like they were the one who came up with them. This way they will be more willing to accept them.

5. You taught us how to use stories to capture the attention of our audience. However will my story work for all crowds?

[Eric] Well, that’s why it is so important to know your audience. It’s important to not only to know their needs and wants, but also the lingo they speak. This way, you can share stories that they can relate to. Here’s something extra that I do which works like magic. Before my presentation, I will always ask the organizer or representatives the following questions:

- Who are the fun people among the audience?
- What are some of the success stories of your company in the past 6 months
- What are some of the common lingo or jargons that you use

And then use them in your story and speech. This way, they will feel like it is customized for them.

Alright I know this post is getting too long for comfort. So let me make this quick.

What do you do when your powerpoint fails you in the very last minute?

The reason why I am asking this question is because it happened to me! Everything was fine till the final minute. My laptop was connected to the projector but no matter what I do, nothing seem to appear on the screen. I restarted three times. I adjusted my preferences. But nothing works. And everyone was waiting - and getting impatient too… so what do you do?

Firstly, you have to RELAX. Stay calm.

Secondly, you move on WITHOUT the slides. It’s just not professional to keep your audience waiting. So something I learn, always keep a copy of your slides and notes with you in case this happens. If it is a small group, you may even want to print out the slides. And if the projector fails you, you can pass them each a copy of your slides.

Thirdly, always prepare for such flukes. Meaning to say, you have to rehearse your presentation without slides. This way, you will not be held hostage by such technicalities.

Ok end of lesson.

To the DP folks: If you are reading this, here’s a BIG THANK YOU for making today’s session a ball of fun. Hope you learn something and in case you miss the slides, click here to download them. Stay in touch!

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

P.S: I have been invited to Kinokuniya (Taka) and Borders (Wheelock) to conduct book talks. For Kino, it is 12th April, Sat 2 - 3pm. For Borders, it is tentatively set on 26th April, Sat 2 - 3pm. Do come and support me and Kelvin! Complimentary tickets to our public speaking seminar will be given out to early birds on that day as well. Will remind you nearer the date.

P.P.S: For those of you in KL, I will be visiting! Two book talks - one at MPH Mid Valley on 5th April, Sat 2 - 3pm< and the other at MPH 1 Utama on 6th April, Sun 2 - 3pm. Hope to see you then!

P.P.P.S: Psst… something is cooking. Tell you more next week. Meanwhile, check out the pics.

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