Azmi Shahrin's Magic of Public Speaking

Azmi Shahrin on The Importance of Public Speaking Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:33:00 +0000

Public Speaking Skills are important because it is the currency of success. I say this because good public speaking skills enables one to be outstanding within any organization and therefore, to be promoted. One becomes highly visible within the organization when one frequently deliver presentations.Contrast this against working peers who avoid delivering presentation due to the lack in public speaking skills resulting in them being invisible within the organization. These invisible employees miss the opportunity to be promoted because the management will normally promote highly visible and outstanding staff. As I have explained earlier, one gets to be outstanding by delivering business presentations. So if I have only one advise to give my readers, I will certainly remind them that good public speaking skills a prerequisite for a successful career.

Azmi Shahrin Principal Trainer Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

Trainer for

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Navreet Kaur Bhullar.wmv

Faezah - Post Course

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Tue, 05 May 2009 08:47:00 +0000

Kennedy's 'you knows' become political fodder

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Verbal crutches is a real pain is the ass - Azmi Shahrin

By JENNIFER PELTZ – 1 day ago - Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — If Caroline Kennedy had, you know, only known. Tracking the would-be New York senator's verbal tics has become a political parlor game in the days since she gave her first round of in-depth interviews, even spawning a hip-hop-style mash-up online blending her "you knows" with President-elect Barack Obama's "uhs."

Such conversational fillers are, of course, as common as, like, speech itself. But the buzz about Kennedy's "you knows" illustrates how problematic a few extraneous syllables can be for a public figure, especially in an era when today's verbal foible is tomorrow's viral video.

"It really did a huge disservice to her," said communications training coach Matt Eventoff, a partner in Princeton Public Speaking in Princeton, N.J. Rather than focusing on Kennedy's views, he said, "people are going to spend time deconstructing the 'you knows.'"

Deconstruct they have, on newsprint, blogs and YouTube, where the "Kennedy Obama UmYouKnow Remix" can be found alongside "The More You Know: Caroline Kennedy." The latter counts — with a buzzer — 30 "you knows" in 147 seconds of excerpts from an interview with The Associated Press.

Bloggers have torn into President John F. Kennedy's Harvard- and Columbia-educated daughter for such remarks as: "You know, I think, really, um, this is sort of a unique moment, both in our, you know, in our country's history and in, you know, my own life, and, um, you know, we are facing, you know, unbelievable challenges."

The "you knows" have punctuated a rocky media rollout for the Democratic scion, who emerged from a lifetime of closely guarded privacy to seek appointment to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat. If Clinton is confirmed as Obama's secretary of state, as expected, Democratic Gov. David Paterson will choose her successor.

Kennedy, 51, has never held public office and has faced questions about her preparedness for the Senate. She has pointed to her experience as a lawyer, education advocate and author of books on constitutional law and other subjects, as well as her family's long history of public service.

A Kennedy spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday but told the Daily News on Monday: "Caroline has acknowledged that she hasn't mastered the art of the political sound bite, but if Gov. Paterson appoints her, she'll fight her heart out to make sure New York families have their voices heard in Washington."

Kennedy isn't alone — even within her own family — in leaning on a conversational crutch. Sen. Edward Kennedy, her uncle, and former Rep. Joseph Kennedy, her cousin, both have been dubbed the "Wizard of Uhs"; a Boston radio host has held contests in which callers would count the number of "uhs" in a clip of the senator speaking.

Former presidential candidate and ex-Sen. Bob Dole was noted for his "whatevers," former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich for his use of "obviously." More recently, GOP presidential candidate John McCain's "my friends" became a staple of the campaign trail.

Such interjections often arise out of nervousness or a need to fill a bit of time while gathering thoughts, speech experts say. The tics often go unnoticed by both speaker and listener — up to a point.

In informal research, speaking coach Dennis Becker said he and others found that people listening to business presentations shrugged off two to three "ums," "uhs" and the like per minute. But they started getting irked once the number crept up to five to seven.

Besides being distracting, these little locutions can make a speaker seem ill-prepared or unsure of his or her point.

"It becomes a big detriment to the speaker's credibility," said Becker, co-founder of The Speech Improvement Company Inc., based in Boston.

Such verbal tics generally don't rise to the level of a speech disorder and can be corrected largely through simple awareness, said speech-language pathologist Deborah Adamczyk, the director of school services for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. It represents more than 130,000 speech-language pathologists and related specialists.

For all those making fun of Kennedy's "you know" habit, other observers — some in public life themselves — say too much is being made of it.

"Everybody, on some level or another, has some mannerism — whether it's verbal or physical — that they wish they didn't have," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a Democrat who noted she's not backing anyone for the potential Senate opening. "That alone shouldn't be something that becomes the focus of somebody's skill or ability."

More than a half-dozen elected officials are vying for the post, including New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and several members of Congress.

Associated Press researcher Monika Mathur contributed to this report.

Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn and improve your
Presentation Skills at
ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com

Check out my Collection of
the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look if
our Malaysian leaders inspire you
with their rhetorics -
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana
dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untuk
membaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters which
is probably the coziest Toastmasters
Club in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from Toastmasters
Clubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world
in www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Visit the Division W Blog at
www.divw.blogspot.com
& see what we did in the 2007/2008 term

Other places where I belong :)
facebook - www.facebook.com/people/Azmi_Shahrin/561612498
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a
Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1

ProSkills Trainers - Dare To Speak™ Public Speaking Programme 9-10 December 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Here are the links that will lead you to the pictures and video of the programme held at PT Kurnia. It was fulfilling to see the participants speaking with style and confidence during the graduation.

>>>>>>>>>>>> photo album >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are invited to view Azmi Shahrin's photo album: ProSkills Trainers - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program

ProSkills Trainers - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program

PT Kurnia -

Dec 10, 2008
by Azmi Shahrin

Azmi Shahrin - ProSkills Trainers http://ProSkillsTrainers.com

View Album
Play slideshow

If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/sredir?uname=AzmiShahrin1&target=ALBUM&id=5280839653940561633&authkey=Lfmp3DvJ9EI&feat=email

To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

>>>>>>>>> video on YouTube >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Nureen Aishah binti Mohd Suhardy.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Ooi Yu Wei.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Seri Mayalenawaty binti Hermani.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Mohd Syahmi bin Mohd Suhardy.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Keith Liew Khai Mun.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Faris bin Mohd Nasir.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Ayadi bin Mohd Nasir.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

xfactor21a has shared a video with you on YouTube:

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program - Ameen Ruslan.wmv

Program on 9-10 Dec 2008 - Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn and improve your
Presentation Skills at
ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com

Check out my Collection of
the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look if
our Malaysian leaders inspire you
with their rhetorics -
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana
dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untuk
membaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters which
is probably the coziest Toastmasters
Club in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from Toastmasters
Clubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world
in www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Visit the Division W Blog at
www.divw.blogspot.com
& see what we did in the 2007/2008 term

Other places where I belong :)
facebook - www.facebook.com/people/Azmi_Shahrin/561612498
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a
Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1

Azmi Shahrin
Principal Trainer
Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

Trainer for

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Arsyas (2).wmv

Dare To Speak™ Public Speaking Programme @ MCKK 15-17 December 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 01:50:00 +0000

Dare To Speak™ Public Speaking Programme I conducted in MCKK 15-17 December 2008. There were 35 participants comprising of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th formers. We even had 2 female participants - Lyana & Izza! Follow the links to view pictures and video of the program.

Azmi

>>>>>>>>>> picture album >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are invited to view Azmi Shahrin's photo album: ProSkills Trainers - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK)

ProSkills Trainers - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK)

Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) -

Dec 14, 2008
by Azmi Shahrin

Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer ProSkills Trainers http://ProSkillsTrainers.com

View Album
Play slideshow

To share your photos or receive notification when your friends share photos, get your own free Picasa Web Albums account.

>>>>>>>>>> video on youtube >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Arsyas (3).wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Izzatul Ilham Bt Nordin.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Sharifah Nur Liyana.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mohamad Hijazi 2.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mus'ab Abdul Manan.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Amir Hafiz Ahmed Khozim.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mohamad Hijazi.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mohamad Shahir Shukor.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mohd Izzat Abdul Rahman.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhamad Halim Mohamad.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Arsyas.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Syed Aiman Zharfan.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Norhelmi Mohidin (2).wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Norhelmi Mohidin.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Aqwa Alif.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Sharezal Mohd Shukri.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Zamir Ariff.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Safwan Mustafa.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Ashraf Roszopor.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mohammad Iqbal Had.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Mohamad Affiq Azzuddin.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Ahmad Fauzan Mohamad.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Friends For Life - Amigos Para Siempre.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

ProSkillsTrainers.com - Dare To Speak Public Speaking Program @ Malay College (MCKK) - Muhammad Ashraf Roszopor 2.wmv

Program on 16-17 Dec 2008 Azmi Shahrin - Principal Trainer for ProSkills Trainers -http://ProSkillsTrainers.com http://PidatoPerdana.com http://toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Azmi Shahrin
Principal Trainer
Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

Trainer for

Public Speaking : THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:21:00 +0000

Good tips coz I always have problems with my clip mike - Azmi Shahrin

Friday, December 05, 2008

http://greatpublicspeaking.blogspot.com/

I'm certainly no clothes horse. When people look at me they certainly don't say, "Wow! What a snappy dresser." I do happen to know a little bit about speaker clothing that polished pro speakers need to know about.

I'm talking about the dreaded MICROPHONE BULGE. Unless you use a handheld microphone, or a wired clip on microphone (which causes you to trip over the wire all day) in one way or the other you have to deal with a wireless transmitter bulge in your clothing.

This needs to be addressed when you are purchasing the clothing you plan on wearing when you speak.

LADIES
Where is the transmitter pack going to be attached? If you have no pockets and no belt, the sound person will have to glue the darn thing on you (not really) but in many cases that would be the easiest route.

If you are wearing a form fitting jacket, then clipping the transmitter to your skirt will cause a bulge in the back and an unsightly pull in the front.

Plan for the transmitter pack when you purchase your clothing. Take one with you to the store or simulate having one by putting one or more compact cases together and slipping in the back of your skirt. If you're new outfit fits with those in there, the nit will fit nicely with a real transmitter.

You can also wear a jacket or top with a tie / best around it which gives the transmitter a handy place to hang.

MEN
Big guys like me that wear fairly loose jackets don't have to worry about this too much. If you are built such that you can wear form fitting tightly cut jackets, then you are in the same boat as the ladies above. You must plan for the transmitter when you purchase your clothing. When I've had suits custom made, I actually had the tailor put in a special pocket for the transmitter and I also had him make several loops up the inside of the jacket to keep the wire to the microphone from hanging out the front of my coat.

Sometimes I put the transmitter right in my pants pocket. That way there is no way it will fall off or come unclipped even if I get a little boisterous on stage . . . which I do.

--
Azmi Shahrin
012-9198557

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn and improve your
Presentation Skills at
ProSkills Trainers -
www.ProSkillsTrainers.com

Check out my Collection of
the Greatest Speeches ever -
www.PublicSpeakingMagic.blogspot.com

Never mind the posturing and just look if
our Malaysian leaders inspire you
with their rhetorics -
www.MalaysianRhetoric.blogspot.com

Jadilah ahli Kelab Pidato Perdana
dan pelajari kaedah berpidato -
www.PidatoPerdana.com

Lawat blog Kelab Pidato Perdana untuk
membaca laporan aktiviti terkini kami -
www.PidatoPerdana.blogspot.com

Come and join Extol Toastmasters which
is probably the coziest Toastmasters
Club in USJ, Subang Jaya & Sunway -
www.toastmasters.wikia.com/wiki/Extol_Toastmasters_Club

Read about activities from Toastmasters
Clubs in KL, PJ and the rest of the world
in www.ToastmastersNewz.blogspot.com

Visit the Division W Blog at
www.divw.blogspot.com
& see what we did in the 2007/2008 term

Other places where I belong :)
facebook - www.facebook.com/people/Azmi_Shahrin/561612498
multiply - www.xfactor21a.multiply.com
YouTube - www.youtube.com/xfactor21a
Picasa Photo Album -
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin
www.picasaweb.google.co.uk/AzmiShahrin1

Underdressing For Public Speaking

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:29:00 +0000

I think Guy Kawasaki is correct. A person who underdress is showing off than he can underdress and still get away - Azmi Shahrin

December 02, 2008 - http://marketingtowomenonline.typepad.com/blog/

Has a guy ever told you something, and you just had to go, "Really? That's what you thought. Really?"

I had one of those thoughts when reading Guy Kawasaki's Reality Check. (a must read for every entrepreneur and marketer)

Guy gives tips about public speaking, and one of the tips was to overdress - never dress beneath the level of the audience. I totally agree. But it was Guy's reason not to underdress that made me go, "Really? That's the signal it sends?"

You see, Guy feels that underdressing communicates this message:

"I'm smarter/richer/more powerful than you. I can insult you and not take you seriously, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Wow - how interesting. I always feel that underdressing communicates this message:

"I'm not professional enough or smart enough to want to dress in a way that will impress you."

We seem to think underdressing sends different signals. When I see a speaker who is underdressed, I think the speaker is sending a signal that they are "less than" the level of the audience.

Guy thinks that when a speaker is underdressed, it's sending a signal that the speaker is "more than" the audience.

I wonder if this would be true for a female speaker? Perhaps for men, dressing down is a sign of status, where as for women, dressing up is a sign of status.

What do you think? If you see a speaker who is underdressed, what signal does that send to you?

And is it different for male and female speakers?

Michelle Obama's Speech at the Democratic National Convention (full video & transcript)

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:19:00 +0000

The following is the text of the remarks by Michelle Obama, the wife of Senator Barack Obama, on Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions.

OBAMA: As you might imagine, for Barack, running for president is nothing compared to that first game of basketball with my brother, Craig. I can't tell you how much it means to have Craig and my mom here tonight. Like Craig, I can feel my dad looking down on us, just as I've felt his presence in every grace-filled moment of my life.

And at six-foot-six, I've often felt like Craig was looking down on me, too, literally. But the truth is, both when we were kids and today, Craig wasn't looking down on me; he was watching over me. And he has been there for me...

(APPLAUSE)

... every step of the way since that clear day, February, 19 months ago, when, with little more than our faith in each other and a hunger for change, we joined my husband, Barack Obama, on the improbable journey that has led us to this moment.

But each of us comes here also by way of our own improbable journey.

I come here tonight as a sister, blessed with a brother who is my mentor, my protector, and my lifelong friend. And I come here as a wife who loves my husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president.

(APPLAUSE)

And I come here as a mom, as a mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world. They're the first things I think about when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I think about before I go to bed at night. Their future -- and all our children's future -- is my stake in this election.

And I come here as a daughter, raised on the South Side of Chicago...

(APPLAUSE)

... by a father who was a blue-collar city worker and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me. My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family. And one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters.

My dad was our rock. And although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early 30s, he was our provider. He was our champion, our hero. But as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk. It took him longer to get dressed in the morning.

You know, but if he was in pain, he never let on. He never stopped smiling and laughing, even while struggling to button his shirt, even while using two canes to get himself across the room to give my mom a kiss. He just woke up a little earlier and he worked a little harder.

He and my mom poured everything they had into me and Craig. It was the greatest gift a child could receive: never doubting for a single minute that you're loved and cherished and have a place in this world.

And thanks to their faith and their hard work, we both were able to go to college, so I know firsthand from their lives and mine that the American dream endures.

(APPLAUSE)

And, you know, what struck me when I first met Barack was that, even though he had this funny name, and even though he had grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii, his family was so much like mine.

He was raised by grandparents who were working-class folks just like my parents and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills just like we did. And like my family, they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities that they never had for themselves.

And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: like, you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond; that you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them.

(APPLAUSE)

And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values and to pass them onto the next generation, because we want our children -- and all children in this nation -- to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them.

(APPLAUSE)

And as our friendship grew, and I learned more about Barack, he introduced me to work -- the work that he'd done when he first moved to Chicago after college. You see, instead of going to Wall Street, Barack went to work in neighborhoods that had been devastated by the closing of steel plants. Jobs dried up. And Barack Obama was invited back to speak to people from those neighborhoods about how to rebuild their community.

And the people gathered there together that day were ordinary folks doing the best they could to build a good life. See, they were parents trying to get by from paycheck to paycheck; grandparents trying to get it together on a fixed income; men frustrated that they couldn't support their families after jobs had disappeared.

You see, those folks weren't asking for a handout or a shortcut. See, they were ready to work. They wanted to contribute. They believed, like you and I believe, that America should be a place where you can make it if you try.

(APPLAUSE)

And Barack stood up that day, and he spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be." And he said that, all too often, we accept the distance between the two and we settle for the world as it is, even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.

But he reminded us that we also know what our world should like -- look like. He said we know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves, to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?

(APPLAUSE)

It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in high school gyms, and people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had, refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals.

And it's because of their will and determination that this week we celebrate two anniversaries: the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote...

(APPLAUSE)

... and the 45th anniversary -- and the 45th anniversary of that hot summer day when Dr. King lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation.

(APPLAUSE)

And I stand here today at the crosscurrents of that history, knowing that my piece of the American dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me, all of them driven by the same conviction that drove my dad to get up an hour early each day to painstakingly dress himself for work, the same conviction that drives the men and women I've met all across this country.

People who work the day shift, they kiss their kids goodnight, and head out for the night shift, without disappointment, without regret, see, that goodnight kiss is a reminder of everything they're working for.

The military families who say grace each night with an empty seat at the table.

(APPLAUSE)

The servicemen...

(APPLAUSE)

The servicemen and women who love this country so much, they leave those they love most to defend it.

The young people across America serving our communities, teaching children, cleaning up neighborhoods, caring for the least among us each and every day.

People like Hillary Clinton...

(APPLAUSE)

... who put those 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling so that our daughters and our sons can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher.

People like Joe Biden...

(APPLAUSE)

... who has never forgotten where he came from and never stopped fighting for folks who work long hours and face long odds and need someone on their side again.

All of us driven by the simple belief that the world as it is just won't do, that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.

And that is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack's journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope.

And, you see, that is why I love this country.

(APPLAUSE)

And in my own life...

(APPLAUSE)

In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much. See, that's why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service, working to empower young people to volunteer in their communities, because I believe that each of us -- no matter what our age or our background or our walk of life -- each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation.

And it's a belief that Barack shares, a belief at the heart of his life's work.

See, it's what he did all those years ago in Chicago, setting up job training to get people back to work and after-school programs to keep kids safe, working block by block to help people lift up their families.

It's what he did in the Illinois Senate, moving people from welfare to jobs, passing tax cuts for hard-working families, and making sure women get equal pay for equal work.

(APPLAUSE)

It's what he's done in the United States Senate, fighting to ensure that the men and women who serve this country are welcomed home not just with medals and parades, but with good jobs, and benefits, and health care, including mental health care.

(APPLAUSE)

See, that's why Barack's running: to end the war in Iraq responsibly...

(APPLAUSE)

... to build an economy that lifts every family, to make sure health care is available for every American, and to make sure that every single child in this nation has a world-class education all the way from preschool to college.

That's what Barack Obama will do as president of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

He'll achieve these goals the same way he always has, by bringing us together and reminding us how much we share and how alike we really are. You see, Barack doesn't care where you're from, or what your background is, or what party, if any, you belong to. See, that's just not how he sees the world.

He knows that thread that connects us -- our belief in America's promise, our commitment to our children's future -- he knows that that thread is strong enough to hold us together as one nation even when we disagree.

It was strong enough to bring hope to those neighborhoods in Chicago.

It was strong enough to bring hope to the mother he met who was worried about her child in Iraq, hope to the man who's unemployed and can't afford gas to find a job, hope to the student working nights to pay for his sister's health care, sleeping just a few hours a day.

And it was strong enough to bring hope to people who came out on a cold Iowa night and became the first voices in this chorus for change that has been echoed by millions of Americans from every corner of this nation...

(APPLAUSE)

... millions of Americans who know that Barack understands their dreams, millions of Americans who know that Barack will fight for people like them, and that Barack will bring finally the change that we need.

(APPLAUSE)

And in the end, and in the end, after all that's happened these past 19 months, see, the Barack Obama I know today is the same man I fell in love with 19 years ago.

(APPLAUSE) He's the same man who drove me and our new baby daughter home from the hospital 10 years ago this summer, inching along at a snail's pace, peering at us anxiously at -- through the rearview mirror, feeling the whole weight of her future in his hands, determined to give her everything he'd struggled so hard for himself, determined to give her something he never had, the affirming embrace of a father's love.

(APPLAUSE)

And as I tuck that little girl in -- as I tuck that little girl in and her little sister into bed at night, you see, I think about how, one day, they'll have families of their own and how, one day, they -- and your sons and daughters -- will tell their own children about what we did together in this election.

(APPLAUSE)

They'll tell them -- they'll tell them how this time we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears...

(APPLAUSE)

... how this time -- how this time we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming...

(APPLAUSE)

... how this time, in this great country, where a girl from the South Side of Chicago can go to college and law school, and the son of a single mother from Hawaii can go all the way to the White House...

(APPLAUSE)

... that we committed ourselves...

(APPLAUSE)

... we committed ourselves to building the world as it should be.

So tonight, in honor of my father's memory and my daughters' future, out of gratitude for those whose triumphs we mark this week, and those whose everyday sacrifices have brought us to this moment, let us devote ourselves to finishing their work, let us work together to fulfill their hopes, and let's stand together to elect Barack Obama president of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.

Azmi Shahrin
Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

Trainer for

Barack Obama Speech at 2004 DNC Convention (full video & transcript)

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:15:00 +0000

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Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama introduced himself to Democrats and a national television audience Tuesday, giving the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Obama told the story of his working class family and urged the nation to elect Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, saying he would ensure more educational and economic opportunities for all.

BARACK OBAMA: On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place; America which stood as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton's army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible. Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody's son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- or at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow Americans -- Democrats, Republicans, Independents -- I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that's moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn't have the money to go to college.

Don't get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don't expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don't want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can't achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they've defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we've seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his record affirm what is best in us.

John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he'll offer them to companies creating jobs here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren't held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never be the first option.

A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid, 6'2'' or 6'3'', clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, his absolute faith in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved one's full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes in America. And he knows it's not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the American saga.

A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief -- I am my brother's keeper, I am my sisters' keeper -- that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.

Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope. I'm not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a mill worker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us. America!

Tonight, if you feel the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do -- if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come. Thank you and God bless you.

Azmi Shahrin
Principal Trainer
Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

Trainer for

Sen. Barack Obama's Full Speech to the DNC 2008 (full video & transcript)

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:05:00 +0000

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
"The American Promise"
Democratic National Convention
August 28, 2008
Denver, Colorado

As prepared for delivery

----

To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation;

With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
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Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.

To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.

Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.

It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

That's why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.

Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.

These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.

America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.

This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.

This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.

We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.

Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."

Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.

The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives - on health care and education and the economy - Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this President. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."

A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?

It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.

For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.

Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.

We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.

The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great - a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.

Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.

In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.

When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.

And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.

I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.

What is that promise?

It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.

It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.

Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.

Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.

That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.

That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.
.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.

As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.

And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.

For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.

That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.

You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.

We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.

As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.

These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.

America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

You make a big election about small things.

And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.

I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.

I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.

And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.

This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.

That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.

And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.

"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.

Azmi Shahrin
Principal Trainer
Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

Trainer for

How To Improve In Public Speaking?

SPEECH BLOOPERS MADE BY PRESIDENT BUSH

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:18:00 +0000

Thursday, November 27, 2008

SPEECH BLOOPERS MADE BY PRESIDENT BUSH

GWB - We will miss him.......sort of

"The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."
- George W. Bush

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
- George W. Bush

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one
word is 'to be prepared'."
- George W. Bush

"I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the
future."
- George W.Bush

"The future will be better tomorrow."
- George W. Bush

"We're going to have the best educated American people in the world."
- George W. Bush

"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."
- George W. Bush

"We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm
commitment to Europe. We are a part of Europe."
- George W. Bush

"Public speaking is very easy."
- George W. Bush

"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."
- George W. Bush

"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
- George W. Bush

"For NASA, space is still a high priority."
- George W. Bush

"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."
- George W. Bush

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in
our air and water that are doing it."
- George W. Bush

"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system."
- George W. Bush

Contributed by: Hj Hashim Adnan, CC., CL
(President)
Posted By: Hj Naburi Idin, CTM.,CL
(VPPR)

How To Improve In Public Speaking?

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:37:00 +0000

This article clearly spells the similarities and differences between Public Speaking and Conversation - Azmi Shahrin

http://lovelifetips.co.cc

There are many similarities between daily conversation and public speaking:

Organizing our thoughts logically and the most persuasive manner. To successfully deliver our message, ones will organize their messages systematically, step by step to make the listener understand the message.

Tailoring the messages to the audience. Ones will think deeply trying to send the messages efficiently and show them how importance the issue to the people in that particular room.

Telling story for the maximum impact. Instead of telling directly the messages, ones usually built up some story telling, adjusting words and tone of voice to enhance the effectiveness of the messages.

Adapting to the listener feedback. Whenever we talk to someone, we will be aware with the person's verbal, facial, and physical reaction.

There are three (3) major differences between daily conversation and public speaking:

Public speaking is more highly structured.

It usually imposes strict time limitations on the speakers. In most cases, the situation does not allow listener to interrupt with question or commentary. The speaker must accomplish her or his purposes in the speech itself. In preparing the speech, the speaker must anticipate questions that might arise in the mind of listener and answers them. Consequently, public speaking demands mush more detailed planning and preparation than ordinary conversation.

Public speaking required more formal language.

Slang, jargon and bad grammar have a little place in public speeches. The listeners usually react negatively to the speakers who do not elevate and polish their language when addressing the audience.

Public speaking requires different methods of delivery.

When conversing informally, most of the people talk quietly, interjects stock phrases such as "like" and "you know", adopt a casual posture and use what are called vocalized pauses ("uh," "er," "um" . Effective public speakers, however adjust their voices to be heard clearly throughout the audience. They assume a more erect posture. They avoid distracting mannerisms and verbal habits.

PowerPoint Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:31:00 +0000

Several pertinent tips on using the powerpoint from http://terrificpresentations.wordpress.com - Azmi Shahrin

PowerPoint Tips

At a recent presentation, this presenter made a typical PowerPoint presentation, which could have been improved with a few simple changes.

1. Don't turn your back on the audience to read your slide.

2. Use graphics, not words - if possible.

3. If you do use words, make them short phrases, not long sentences which you read to the audience.

4. Use a remote so you don't have to be standing by the laptop to go from slide to slide.

5. Bring your own table to hold your laptop.
Face the laptop toward yourself and use a long VGA cable to connect to your projector.

6. Use Spell Check on your Power Point presentation.

How to Write a Speech in 5 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Here's how you can quickly write a speech under extreme conditions (courtesy of http://redcatco.com) - Azmi Shahrin

How to Write a Speech in 5 Minutes

Posted by Benjamin on Saturday, September 6th 2008

Making a really great speech or presentation requires a great deal of preparation and practice. In an ideal world, you would always have time to plan, rehearse and perfect your words of wisdom. However, sometimes things don't work out that way.

A number of times in my speaking career I have had to pull something together at very short notice, either because another presenter dropped out, or because I was visiting an office where the local manager unexpectedly asked me to make a speech to all of the local staff. Here is a simple process to enable you to prepare a speech at very, very short notice (or presentation - its a presentation tip too)…

Getting Started on the Speech

Ideally you will need eight post it notes. If you haven't got them, just grab a sheet of paper and fold it in half. Fold it in half again. And once more. Quickly, there's no time to waste! Now, tear along the folds. Either way, you now have eight pieces of paper, and hopefully a pen. You're ready to star(t).

Who is the Speech for…

Always begin with the audience. What do you know about them? What do they know about you? Write down a few bullet points on the first piece of paper. Who you are, in the context of how it is relevant to the audience.

What is the Speech for…

Does the audience or the person who invited you have an expectation of what you will talk about? Be sure to meet it, or cover it as best you can. Failing to do so will definitely cause angst.

Now think about what will be in the speech. Let your brain free wheel for a minute. Write each of your main ideas on one of the remaining pieces of paper. You don't want more than seven. Research suggests that we can deal with 7 things in our head at once, plus or minus two. This isn't the time to go stretching your cognitive abilities, so stick with 5-7 main ideas.

If you come up with more than seven, look through your earlier ideas, then find the weakest one and cross it out, replacing it with the better new one. It is a neat way to refine your speech.

Think back to what you were expected to cover and sanity check what you have written. That clock is still ticking, so…

When and Where

Check how long the speech should be. 7-15 minutes is a great length. It will seem substantial, but shouldn't drag on. Check where you are. Can you link your speech in to the location? Perhaps based on a piece of local news you have read.

Now, to the when and where of each of your main points. Lay out the pieces of paper. They should fit one of three structures: topical, chronological or spatial. That will give you a natural order for them. In a topical structure you will see that some things must be covered before you touch on the other topics, or that some link together. In a chronological structure you probably want to start at the beginning and more forwards from there. In a spatial one there will also be a natural flow too. You now have your main points arranged in order.

How

Now you have the sequence, think about how you will make each point, and how you will bridge between each point. Jot down your proof points, or for a longer speech your sub-points, on the relevant piece of paper. At the end of the piece of paper for each point, make a note of your bridge to the next point. The bridges should help to create the story, and will make your points more memorable if done well. If you can't think of a bridge, the next step may help…

Why is the Speech Relevant

Why are you giving the speech? Look back to your first piece of paper where you wrote about the audience. Why are you making the speech, and why are you the right person to give it? This should constitute your introduction. For example,

"As I have started and sold a number of high value companies, Dave has asked me to say a few words about how to create a valuable business, now that you have secured your funding."

Well, you get the idea. It should establish your ethos (in Aristotle's Rhetoric this is your expertise and knowledge).

Check back over the pieces of paper with your main points. The 'why' should tie them together. You might need to make a quick adjustment if it doesn't. In the introduction to a longer speech you can also briefly run through the points you will cover in it, if not, just a summary in a couple of sentences. Remember:

"Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em again."

You now have your introduction and your middle (main points). Finally, think about your conclusion. Ideally it should draw on your key points, without introducing any new ones. It should also provide some sort of call to action: a response or a commitment. You aren't speaking just to generate warm air, you are there to make something happen. Make it so. Note it down.

Say it!

You now have your completed speech, and read through the points a few times. Congratulations. If you have time between now and speaking, then practice your speech. Nothing beats a rehearsal for finding problems (it also helps with memory). Practice on the taxi driver on the way if you have to, but speak it out loud. The physical process of 'out loud' rehearsal is much more effective than just running it through in your head. If you need slides and have time, try this:

Slide 1 - Your speech title and name.
Slide 2 - x. One bullet point in the middle of one slide, with that one point in bullet form. But without the bullet.
Last slide - Copy and paste slide 1. Save it. Done.

If you know of an image that will effectively support your point, it is to hand, then add it. Otherwise, you're done. Who, What, When, Where, How and Why - a speech in 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Don't Do This! Princeton Public Speaking's Matt Eventoff Offers Five Communications Lessons from the Auto Bailout Debacle

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:02:00 +0000

Reminds me of the timeless adage - Actions speak Louder than words - Azmi Shahrin

PRESS RELEASE

Don't Do This! Princeton Public Speaking's Matt Eventoff Offers Five Communications Lessons from the Auto Bailout Debacle

Last update: 9:05 a.m. EST Nov. 24, 2008

PRINCETON, N.J., Nov 24, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The dominating news story today is the plight of the "Big 3" U.S. automakers and whether or not Congress will pass a $25 billion bailout package to "rescue" the industry.

"Executives fighting for the lives of their respective companies made severe communications and messaging errors that EVERY person can learn from," says Matt Eventoff, President, Princeton Public Speaking.

Eventoff offers the following five lessons:

Lessons #1 - ALWAYS remember, YOU, no matter your role, always send a message. It is amazing that Chairmen traveling to Washington, hat in hand, pleading poverty and renewed fiscal austerity, decided it was a good idea to take PRIVATE CORPORATE PLANES for the trip for Detroit to D.C.

Let me put this in context for a small business owner -- do you think it would be a good idea, if you were nearly bankrupt, to drive over to your neighborhood bank in a Rolls Royce to plead for a loan?

It is astounding that not one of the three Chairmen thought that maybe, just maybe, taking a commercial flight (major Michigan employer Northwestern?) might be a better move.

Lesson #2 - If you are presenting on a subject, any subject, you MUST be able to answer basic questions. That means at the minimum a practice session with your staff where you are asked questions that are likely to come up.

The Senate Democrats are on record as being fairly supportive of a bailout concept. It is unbelievable that the executives present could not answer basic questions justifying their request. One day of preparation would have at least allowed answering basic questions.

Lesson #3 - If you say a lot of different things, you say nothing. If you are making a request, you must have a central message. There was no central message at this hearing.

Lesson #4 - If you are debating in a situation where you have a team, it is a good idea to prepare together so that you are sending the same message. The testimony given in opposition to the bailout was from a University of Maryland economist, and he seemed to flummox the other witnesses on a regular basis.

Lesson #5 - Get professional communications training. When you are on an international stage, everything you say and do, whether verbal or non verbal, sends a message. Directly reading testimony is never a good idea. Only two things make it worse -- not having written the testimony yourself, and not practicing beforehand.

About Matt Eventoff:

The President of Princeton Public Speaking, Matt Eventoff is communications and messaging strategist for senior executives at members of the Fortune 100, Fortune 500 and Inc. 500, as well as political leaders in the U.S. and Europe. Matt specializes in preparing and advising corporate and political leaders in all aspects of public speaking, presentation skills training and message development and delivery for more than 15 years.

    Contact:     matt@ppsassociates.com     (609) 681-5044      http://www.princetonpublicspeaking.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visithttp://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Princeton Public Speaking

 http://www.princetonpublicspeaking.com

Barack Obama's victory speech (full video & transcript)

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Herewith is the full text of president-elect Barack Obama's victory speech Tuesday before a crowd of some 125,000 cheering and tearful supporters:

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

"It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

"I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

"I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

"I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

"To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

"But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to it belongs to you.

"I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

"It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

"I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime, two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

"Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you we as a people will get there. "There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

"What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies, but friends though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.' And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

"For that is the true genius of America that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing -- Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

"She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

"And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

"At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

"When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

"When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

"She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that 'We Shall Overcome.' Yes we can.

"A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

"Yes we can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."

Bill Gates Speech At Harvard

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Speech Functions and gestures

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Using gestures to add

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:59:00 +0000

Public Speaking, Movement and Gesture (Highlights) - 1940s

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 08:13:00 +0000

Killer Presentation Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:54:00 +0000

Steve Jobs - 1984 Apple Keynote Address

noreply@blogger.com (Azmi Shahrin) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:08:00 +0000

Here we see Steve Jobs at a keynote in 1983 showing for the first time ever the famous "1984" ad by Ridley Scott to an exclusive audience. The ad was shown on tv shortly after that only once during the 1984 Superbowl & never aired again & is considered to be one of the greatest ads of all time.

Azmi Shahrin
Principal Trainer
Dynamic Speakers Training Centre

Vice President Kelab Pidato Perdana

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Courses in KL, PJ, Malaysia

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