My Adventure of Public Speaking

Hi everyone.

As an icebreaker, I will share my public speaking adventure tonight. Let me start with two stories.

I still remember the reading contest during my first grade in elementary school. The contest was held in the middle of the playground. I stood on the stage and read aloud as a participant. In the beginning, everything was going fine. But just the moment I looked up and noticed hundreds of eyes fixed on me, suddenly, I felt nervous. Then, I just like a broken record, repeating the same paragraph over and over. This seemed amusing to my audience. Everyone laughed; as a seven-year-old girl, I could sense their laughter and felt like they were judging me.

This event really left me a deep impression.

History always repeats itself. After three years, I became a fourth-grade student and faced the same situation again as I transferred to another school. As a newcomer, I found there was a tradition called a lecture tour. The practice required each class to take turns making presentations to other classes.

One day morning, I was paired with my classmate to give speeches to another class. My classmate was an outgoing boy and an excellent speaker. While his humor won everyone's attention, my speech, on the other hand, turned out to be quite boring. So, when the teacher asked her students to vote by raising their hands for who did better, all hands went up for my classmate while I stood there, receiving not a single vote.

Despite those embarrassing moments, I still find enjoyment in storytelling. However, I consider myself more of a writer than a speaker. Writing, for me, is like driving alone, where I can simply observe the world and listen to others without speaking a single word. After all, handling crowds has always been a challenge for me. That's why I've picked professions that didn't require me to be on the stage so much.

During my eight-year career in the media, I conducted numerous one-on-one interviews, met people individually, and shared their compelling stories through reports and online courses, which kept me away from the spotlight and off the stage.

Now, I'm playing a new role in the tech sector. Mostly, my job is similar to what I did in the media, such as simplifying the complex ideas of technology and making tech products more comprehensible. Although this job doesn't require stage presence, it involves much more.

Sometimes, I must answer unexpected English calls and negotiate between our engineers and clients. And I found that showing confidence is the key to ensuring my words carry persuasive power when meeting new people. As a result, improving my public speaking skills is urgent if I want to level up.

So, I'm here in the Toastmasters, trying to bridge the gap between my silent writing world and the dynamic world of speaking. I hope I'll be able to interact with people not just with a pen but with a voice.

I appreciate all your support in my new chapter. And thank you for being a part of this journey with me.