Yow Kia

PROJECT INFORMATION
Project manual: Communication and leadership program
Project 10: Inspire you audience
Speech title: Fear Factor
Objectives:
i) To inspire the audience by appealing to noble motives, and challenging the audience to achieve a higher level of beliefs or achievement
ii) Appeal to the audience’s needs and emotions, using stories, anecdotes and quotes to add drama.
iii) Avoid using notes.
Timing: 8 to 10 minutes

EVALUATION
The points that impressed me:
1) Human loves to listen to story of how a person struggled from his hardships and finally broke through all the obstacles and became a HERO. Lee did it quite well by telling us his personal story about how his boss banned him from giving presentation. Finally, he fought through the process to improve himself and requested for one presentation. He did it! He was triumphed!
2) The opening was pretty well done. He tried to link the fear factor reality show to his fear factor in public speaking. I thought the two fear factors were successfully bridged. He kept the audience’s interest by describing the scenes in fear factor reality show and finally brought out his own fear factor show – Toastmasters version.
3) The body gesture was used naturally and he looked very confident throughout his speech.

Good use of humour:
1) Some people thought that Fear Factor reality show is about eating disgusting things.
2) I would like to present to you my Fear Factor – Toastmaster version.
3) After my presentation, I received comment, “OK, Just keep practicing.”

Good use of figurative description:
1) When I delivered my first presentation, I felt butterflies in my stomach, my hands were freezing like an ice and my voice was trembling like a storm.

Thing that could have been avoided:
1) There was one part Lee shared about his visit to two Toastmasters Clubs, and he chose one of the clubs to join. He told us the name of the Toastmasters Club. This might lead us thinking – “Hey, what’s wrong with the club that you are not joining?” I suggest him not to tell the name of the club.

Rooms for improvement:
1) Since this is a speech to inspire the audience, I would suggest Lee to inject emotions into his speech. By telling us the flow of how his presentation stumbled until sparkled was not enough. It’s good if he could show us his desire to speak. How’s his feeling whenever there’s a presentation, he was not given a chance. And relate that kind of feeling to us. Most of us did face this kind of situation in our real life, if not in public speaking arena; it might be in some other arena.
2) He concluded the speech by calling for action. He suggested us to speak in front of strangers and conquer public speaking. What is the motive of call for action? Why should we conquer our fear in public speaking? We have so much fear in life! We are not a stunt man to conquer all the fears in our life. What can we get by conquering fear in public speaking? I expected him to share with us his FEELING and let us feel his emotion.

Personal opinion about Lee
I know Lee personally for about 3 years as I was his ex-colleague. We joined Toastmasters Club at the same time. I could see his great improvement throughout these two years in Toastmasters Movement. I could see fire in his eyes! He is a very positive person and strives to achieve whatever he wanted to achieve. I salute him and hopefully he can progress well in his company.