I have definitely never been a fan of speaking in public, and I'd usually deny the opportunities that come along for me to learn public speaking. The fact that we had so many boring talks about the subject in school surely did not help in my reluctance to attend courses like this. I've also never really attended a course before, and was afraid that I'd be bored to death sitting there for 3 whole freaking days, listening to something I didn't really want to listen to. But alas, since I thought it'd be good to spend time with my Dad, I agreed to go with him. Thinking back now, I'm really glad I made that decision.
The course, called the Public Speakers University, was led by main speaker, Andy Harrington, a British guy who makes millions just for speaking in public. Here are some pictures:
Andy is an expert in his field (obviously), but what set his course apart from any other public speaking talk I've attended is the fact that he has gone so deep into the study of the subject, that the audience is able to fully understand his teachings.
I now understand the psychology behind audience participation and the importance of engagement with the audience through several different techniques like storytelling and usage of the entire stage. Sorry, can't get too much into detail here. It sure was eye-opening to know that so much detail goes into being confident and delivering a spectacular speech. To give you an idea, there are 11 different equally important components that go into telling an engaging and relevant story!! And btw, some of these components are broken down into even smaller parts!
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I found the course with Andy (SURPRISINGLY) really fulfilling. It was nice, you know, taking a break from all the other boring talks that simply emphasized good posture and stuff.
Not to mention, the venue of the course did play a part in allowing us to take a break from work for a few days, cos it was held in the Resorts World Sentosa Convention Centre. I kinda did feel like I was on holiday overseas. Not that I had never been there before, but spending so much time there made me realise how well the place was done up. I can't wait to head back sometime. In case you've never been there before which is highly unlikely, here are some shots of the place: (btw, these pics are not mine, I was too lazy to carry a camera around on course)
The Malaysia Food Street. This was so COOL.
I just hope that i'll be able to retain some of the knowledge that I have now for future use HAHA. Happy rest-of-the holidays!
