In a couple of hours time, I will be flying on SQ to Sri Lanka for my six months overseas assignment. For those of you who have been loyal supporters of The Public Speaking Blog, you will know that I have only been back in Singapore for one year. The year before was spent in Philadelphia, US where this blog was first created.
Thought it will be good (for me) to reflect on what I have done so far in the past one year before I embark on my next journey to Sri Lanka, the Pearl of India.
Competed in the Toastmasters Evaluation Contest (Division Level) and came in first. Flew to Macau for the finals and won second. The highlight of my trip there was meeting and learning from 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking, Ed Tate! (see pic)
Competed early this year in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest and came in first. Was in cloud nine because I finally had the chance to share the story of the falling eagle to over 150 people. (see post)
Went out of my comfort zone and took part in the first-ever talkfest held in Singapore - Word of Mouth. Went through three rounds before I got into the finals. Alas, it clashed with my exams and I have to opt out. Check out some of us in action –> Word of Mouth Competition
Upon encouragements from my friends, I led my first public workshop on public speaking in Oct and since then, it became a regular affair. This has also led to several training opportunities at Safra, NUS, ECI and MDIS which I am extremely grateful for.
Got invited to train the students on public speaking at some of the top junior colleges in SIngapore (known as high school in US). Had the opportunity to personally coach some of them at competitive level too - which was quite an experience. I remember at some point in the competition, I wanted to get up there to speak!! Haha, I am such a sucker for limelight…
Met Tian Yan, an unassuming gentleman who was part responsible for making this blog such a hit right now on the digital world. He was also the guy who “probed” me to write two ebooks (i) Unleash The Speaker In You and (ii)Unlock The Charisma Equation.
Created my very first DVD on public speaking entitled “From Brown Cow To Purple Cow: What It Takes To Become A Remarkable Speaker”. Sales went so well that we are now into our second production!
Signed up for Irene Ang’s 10 weeks hosting class. Made lots of wonderful friends especially Gabriel (you will see him in Speaker Idol; he was also the guy behind creating the FAQ videos) and Charissa (see Of Hearty Hosting and Daiko Drums). This has also led to a fruitful collaboration with Irene (now my mentor) in the upcoming FAQ book project.
And lastly, creating the FAQ Book on Public Speaking with my second partner - Andrew! Thanks to his never-say-die attitude and quiet support, our baby is finally going to see light!
Come to think of it, this one year has been extremely fruitful. I made a lot of like-minded friends like yourself who never fail to motivate me to write better content. If not for you, my life would have been a tad boring…ok, excruitiatingly boring!
Thank you VERY MUCH for giving me the chance to be listened to. Words of gratitude can’t do justice… I believe the best way to honour you is to continue writing great content. Adieus!
With gratitude and love,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach
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