Good morning, teachers, and especially to you, young ladies and young men of Saint Andrews Junior College ! YOU ARE NOT HERE BY CHANCE ! So am I.
The reason why I have addressed you as “young ladies” and “young men” and not, “girls and boys”, is because, all of you will become adults soon. You are about to end your teenage journey and start a new journey of adulthood, a journey of new challenges and opportunities.
Is Presenting a chore ?
Let me begin by asking you all a question. Your teacher already warned me not to be surprised that nobody will answer my question ! I am going to ask anyhow. By a show of hands, I like to know how many of you here have addressed an audience of at least 10 people (either standing or sitting down) ?
For those who have not addressed an audience, I presume you have no idea or little idea of the importance of presenting , or speaking in front of an audience.
For those who have , I like to ask you another question – Please raise your hand again, if you feel that speaking or presenting in front of an audience is a chore, a torture or an unpleasant task imposed upon you ?
The reason why I have addressed you as “young ladies” and “young men” and not, “girls and boys”, is because, all of you will become adults soon. You are about to end your teenage journey and start a new journey of adulthood, a journey of new challenges and opportunities.
Is Presenting a chore ?
Let me begin by asking you all a question. Your teacher already warned me not to be surprised that nobody will answer my question ! I am going to ask anyhow. By a show of hands, I like to know how many of you here have addressed an audience of at least 10 people (either standing or sitting down) ?
For those who have not addressed an audience, I presume you have no idea or little idea of the importance of presenting , or speaking in front of an audience.
For those who have , I like to ask you another question – Please raise your hand again, if you feel that speaking or presenting in front of an audience is a chore, a torture or an unpleasant task imposed upon you ?
Great. No hands raised. That means that I can stop talking right now. That means all of you are very enthusiastic in speaking and presenting. There is no need for me to motivate you further.
But, I know , deep inside you, some of you are apprehensive and afraid to speak or present in front of an audience.
Presenting is not about :
· “what have it got to be me ?”
· “why do we have to go through this ?”
· “why is there such a thing called PROJECT WORK ?”
· “I am terribly nervous standing in front of an audience”
· “its not my cup of coffee”.
Presenting is about “an opportunity”. An opportunity to speak or to present to an audience. Presenting is about, sharing your research processes and its findings in an interesting way. Presenting is about educating the audience.
Presenting is about communicating your message to an audience. Its about convincing the audience to do something, or not to do something. It’s about motivating the audience.
It’s about inspiring the audience. It’s about entertaining the audience with witty words and humour.
Do not make the same mistake as me. I have been a mistake for 20 years !
I was a mistake for 20 years because I realized the importance of speaking and presentation skills 20 years late ! No one told me that presentation skills were important when I was much younger. If I have realized the importance 20 years earlier, I would have been a very rich man today.
If you have that opportunity to present or speak to an audience, like, in your upcoming Presentation of your Project Work, grab it , seize it and put up a good show. As the saying goes, “There is no business like show business”. That is the moment of truth. That is YOUR moment of truth.
The difference is in that 5 minutes
If 3 minutes of singing and showmanship by contestants in The Singapore Idol, The American Idol and American got Talent competition can change a person’s life, your 5 minutes of presentation in Project Work Presentation can change yours.
Some singers are born talented; but there are also those who became popular through coaching and training. Similarly, with speakers and presenters.
What you see on the contest stage for only a few minutes by the performer, is the outcome of their many hours, days and months of training, learning and practicing. Be it singing, dancing, speaking or presenting.
How does the school, the university, or your future employer know you can speak really well or present really well ?
First, you have to first learn the skill; then you show it. The more time and commitment you spend on learning the skill, the easier and enjoyable will your presentation delivery .
NO ONE PLANS TO FAIL. MOST PEOPLE FAILED TO PLAN.
If you can present well , if you can speak well, it will make a big difference in your future. Your future in the university, your future in the corporate world, your future as a leader in society.
A nervous speaker produces butterflies in his/her stomach.
A confident speaker converts them to fly in formation.
IQ vs EQ
Yes, you may say I don’t need to speak well or present well to make a living. You may say I have high grades in my academic subjects, so I don’t care whether I can present well. If high grades alone is enough to nurture “boys to men” and “girls to women”, why then, are schools emphasizing the importance of CCAs ?
Why do you think, there is such a thing called, “interview” when companies want to hire new employees ?
If the employer can read from your well-written job application, the grades you have, and make a decision right there to hire you, why do they need to have an interview with job applicants ?
Potential employers want to see how you present yourself ? Sometimes the candidate has to face a panel of interviewers .
Why do beauty and manhunt finalists have to be interviewed on stage with that all-important final question to decide the winner How do you feel if a country’s iconic representative is very pretty but cannot speak intelligently , or a very macho man who is dumb folded when asked an impromptu question?
If there is an opportunity for you to show you can present, speak or lead, seize it!
It is only when you seize this opportunity to learn these skills during this crucial week of training and practising, you will in due course become good presenters and speakers.
Your journey has begun
While my 10-minute journey with you is coming to an end, YOUR JOURNEY in learning and practicing speaking and presentation skills, is just about to begin.
I will leave here with a borrowed quotation :
But, I know , deep inside you, some of you are apprehensive and afraid to speak or present in front of an audience.
Presenting is not about :
· “what have it got to be me ?”
· “why do we have to go through this ?”
· “why is there such a thing called PROJECT WORK ?”
· “I am terribly nervous standing in front of an audience”
· “its not my cup of coffee”.
Presenting is about “an opportunity”. An opportunity to speak or to present to an audience. Presenting is about, sharing your research processes and its findings in an interesting way. Presenting is about educating the audience.
Presenting is about communicating your message to an audience. Its about convincing the audience to do something, or not to do something. It’s about motivating the audience.
It’s about inspiring the audience. It’s about entertaining the audience with witty words and humour.
Do not make the same mistake as me. I have been a mistake for 20 years !
I was a mistake for 20 years because I realized the importance of speaking and presentation skills 20 years late ! No one told me that presentation skills were important when I was much younger. If I have realized the importance 20 years earlier, I would have been a very rich man today.
If you have that opportunity to present or speak to an audience, like, in your upcoming Presentation of your Project Work, grab it , seize it and put up a good show. As the saying goes, “There is no business like show business”. That is the moment of truth. That is YOUR moment of truth.
The difference is in that 5 minutes
If 3 minutes of singing and showmanship by contestants in The Singapore Idol, The American Idol and American got Talent competition can change a person’s life, your 5 minutes of presentation in Project Work Presentation can change yours.
Some singers are born talented; but there are also those who became popular through coaching and training. Similarly, with speakers and presenters.
What you see on the contest stage for only a few minutes by the performer, is the outcome of their many hours, days and months of training, learning and practicing. Be it singing, dancing, speaking or presenting.
How does the school, the university, or your future employer know you can speak really well or present really well ?
First, you have to first learn the skill; then you show it. The more time and commitment you spend on learning the skill, the easier and enjoyable will your presentation delivery .
NO ONE PLANS TO FAIL. MOST PEOPLE FAILED TO PLAN.
If you can present well , if you can speak well, it will make a big difference in your future. Your future in the university, your future in the corporate world, your future as a leader in society.
A nervous speaker produces butterflies in his/her stomach.
A confident speaker converts them to fly in formation.
IQ vs EQ
Yes, you may say I don’t need to speak well or present well to make a living. You may say I have high grades in my academic subjects, so I don’t care whether I can present well. If high grades alone is enough to nurture “boys to men” and “girls to women”, why then, are schools emphasizing the importance of CCAs ?
Why do you think, there is such a thing called, “interview” when companies want to hire new employees ?
If the employer can read from your well-written job application, the grades you have, and make a decision right there to hire you, why do they need to have an interview with job applicants ?
Potential employers want to see how you present yourself ? Sometimes the candidate has to face a panel of interviewers .
Why do beauty and manhunt finalists have to be interviewed on stage with that all-important final question to decide the winner How do you feel if a country’s iconic representative is very pretty but cannot speak intelligently , or a very macho man who is dumb folded when asked an impromptu question?
If there is an opportunity for you to show you can present, speak or lead, seize it!
It is only when you seize this opportunity to learn these skills during this crucial week of training and practising, you will in due course become good presenters and speakers.
Your journey has begun
While my 10-minute journey with you is coming to an end, YOUR JOURNEY in learning and practicing speaking and presentation skills, is just about to begin.
I will leave here with a borrowed quotation :
“In all of us, there is a flame burning inside. As long as we do not let it go out, we cannot be destroyed”.
If you were listening throughout my short journey, I have succeeded in what I set out to do this morning.
Speech at SAJC on 6 Oct 2008 by Ben Ong
Speech at SAJC on 6 Oct 2008 by Ben Ong
President of Braddell Heights Toastmasters Club and an Alumni of Saint Andrews Junior College
Email : ongben@hotmail.com
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