Speech Preparation

Well, since more and more presentations are coming for this upcoming month; Nov in Week 12, 13, and 14, here's some tips i found in Toastmaster Magazine ed. July 2008 on "the Best ways to Prepare for a Speech" by Christopher Mortenson, ACB, ALB.

Firstly, the 3 magic words: "Practice Makes Perfect". Practice, Practice and Practice is always the key words to succeed in your speeches. By practising, you will understand what you are doing and naturally; by the time you are going to present your speech, everything comes out easily.

Secondly, depends on how many times you practice will gives an impact on how good is your speech. Allocate the correct timing on how much you should spend in your speech; for example, rehearse your introduction and conclusion rather than your content. People will generally remember most about your introduction and conclusion; and if you are prepared about what you are going to say, you shouldn't have any problem about the body content.

Thirdly, it's important to grasp on 'how' you have practiced, rather than 'how much' you have practiced. Find a spot whereby you can rehearse your speech without any interruption; along with your non-verbal communication. When you memorize your speech, do it as if you are presenting in on the stage; instead of just sitting around trying your best to memorize each and every sentence.



Liew Hui Qing, Jaime

10 Laws to be A Great Leader

Here's an interesting article i have read from Toastmaster Magazine ed. Sept 2006 on "Laws for Positive Leadership-How to be a leader others want to follow" by Victor Parachin.

Leaders who are positive will be able to inspire, motive and unite others which then could produce tremendous results. Therefore, to make sure a harmonious group whereby others would be obliged to follow your words. There are a basic 10 laws to follow:

1. Give more than you expect others to give.
A good leader will always help his/her teammates if they need guidance. Therefore, the leader must be able to give more persistence, passion, and solutions in order to guide the members. A good leader will ask people to do the things that he or she will do themselves.

2. Combine optimism and perseverance.
When the team is having trouble, it is important for the leaders to decide the end of the team. HE or she must remain positive and persistent in the tasks given, and must be able to set the right example and experience to the members. Members will then not only respect him or her, but will tend to follow his or her steps in remaining optimism and perseverance.

3. See everyone as a diamond in rough.
"There are no poor performers, only poor leaders who fail to find ways of helping others succeed." Leaders must understand that each of his members have different talents and skills; and treat them as 'diamond in rough'.

4. Express appreciation; accept responsibility.
Some leaders would accept credits quickly, but they will blame others even faster. However, a good leader will do the reverse pattern. They will give their members the credit and prepare to accept responsibility when a task fails.

5. Remain balanced.
Some leaders are ego. They become proud with their capability, power and position in the teams. Therefore, it is important for leaders to remain balanced in maintaining relationships between the teammates and them. Joey Cheek, a speed-skating champion who once won a gold Olympic medal once said:"Keep things in perspective. I've seen the world and met amazing friends through my sports. But it's not that big a deal. I mean, I skate around the ice in tights. What is important is what I do off the ice".

6.Show respect for people around you.
Treating your teammates with respect will make your teammates to do the same thing on you. People who feel that they are respected are confidence with themselves, be able to do tasks quickly and efficiently and mostly are happier and more cooperative with others.

7. Treat everyone as family.
By treating everyone as family, people will feel much more comfortable in working in and as a team.

8. Be a source of inspiration.
When appropriate, share your wisdom; what you experienced and knew with others. Make sure they do not repeat your mistakes done and be able to do even better than you.

9. Stress cooperation not competition.
When a person hates another person, it becomes a competition among them; they always compete in whatever they do in the team. As a result, works become less efficient. On the other hand, cooperation among the teammates and the leaders will definitely ensure the quality of the teams.

10. Maintain a sense of humor.
No people will like to be with a leader who is serious all the time. Take things easy; and enjoy the tasks along with your members.

Liew Hui Qing, Jaime

the Power of internet...

since the exist of internet, a lot of communication tools such as e-mails, forums, blogs, chatbox, skype, msn, friendster, facebook and so on have been created. They help us to communicate with anyone, exchanging information with them. And it does not cost us much!!! We can make use of these tools in other ways.
I actually heard a news long ago. A girl who was kidnapped (forgot the time, date and place) was found within 24 hours with the help of the people from a forum. The girl's sister, who found out that the girl was being kidnapped, post an announcement on a forum immediately. Luckily, the people passed around messages very quickly. The news actually spreaded to the whole country in a few hours. At the end, the girl was save because of the help of the people from the internet. Just imagine, can this happen without Internet which can spread the news to the whole world at anytime, anyplace and anywhere?
Furthermore, we actually received a lot of forward emails which ask us to forward the mail to our friends for charity. The every mails we forward can let the company to donate 15cent to the receivers. Most of us actually did this because it costs us nothing.
those tools such as msn, skype .icq and so on actually help us to talk to our targeted person for free. The only thing we have to pay is the money for the broadband which is very very cheap.

so, Without the internet and those communication tools, will our life be so easy?

Slang

Here's an interesting article that i have found in the Internet ehow.com, written by Any Stone, on 'how to understand the Cockney slang'.

Cockney rhyming slang originally sprung up during the 1800s in that area of East London which was within hearing distance of the "Bow Bells" of St Mary-Le-Bow church in Cheapside. Although no one knows for certain why rhyming slang developed, a popular theory is that the locals used it to communicate without giving themselves away to the police. One of the famous movie on slang is: My Fair Lady (1964), which tells a story on how a linguistics professor Henry Higgins (Rec Harrison) teaches a cockney girl Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) on proper elocution.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Step1

Learn the basic rules that apply to the formation of Cockney rhyming slang. One word is replaced by another word or short phrase that rhymes with it. For example, in Cockney rhyming slang the word "believe" becomes "Adam and Eve" as in "Would you Adam and Eve it?"

Step2

Remember that often only the non-rhyming word is said in the phrase. For example, the rhyming slang phrase for "head" is "loaf of bread." However, you usually would say only the "loaf," as in "Use your loaf!" which means "Use your head." Another common example of this can be heard in the phrase "Let’s have a butcher’s," meaning "Let’s have a look." This comes from the rhyming phrase "butcher’s hook."

Step3

Rent episodes on DVD of "Only Fools and Horses," "Porridge," "Steptoe and Son" and "Till Death Do Us Part." These popular British sitcoms were set in the East End and South East of London. They represent some of the best examples of Cockney rhyming slang in popular culture.

Step4

Search online for a Cockney rhyming slang dictionary. There are literally hundreds to be found listing the rhyming slang phrases that are used in daily life. The dictionaries produced by BBC America and those written by real Eastenders are the most highly recommended.

Tips and Warnings

• Note that not all Cockney rhyming slang is as innocent as it sounds. The commonly used term "berk" – which implies someone who’s a fool – originates from the rhyming slang phrase "Berkshire hunt," which rhymes with a more offensive word.
• Don’t overuse rhyming slang phrases in an attempt to appear more British or to fit in with the London culture. Most Cockney terms are rarely used in normal conversation, even by those still living in East London.

Not suprising, in Malaysia we have created our own shortcuts in language (we are experts of it=)). Some of the slangs are known to some parts of us, and their popularaties are faster thanks to the wide usage of Internet.

For example(s):
1. Perah santan (pretty similar to cockney right?)
Origin: Perasan (thinks highly on oneself)
E.g: "Eh, you don't so perah santan lah!"

2. Go-'stant'
Origin: Not sure, old folks (Chinese) usually means reverse (for cars)
E.g: "Eh, go-stant la you, why head straight?? Siao ah? You want to bumped into the front there??"
Liew Hui Qing, Jaime

3. Siot
Origin : Unknown, but meaning: crazy (used widely among Malays)
E.g: "Kau ni siot ke apa? Mana ada orang guna cara ini lagi?" (Are you crazy/nuts? Where got people use this method already?"

For more, talk to Malaysian=)

Sources; http://www.manythings.org/slang/
http://www.ehow.com/how_2071022_understand-cockney-rhyming-slang.html

Liew Hui Qing, Jaime

Uh Huh....

According to Understanding Human Communication 9th Edition textbook (page 143, chapter 4-listening), Prompting is considered one of the important elements in emphatic listening, which to me, is very interesting fact to know that. I do not know that by just 'uh huh, oh i see, etc' could actually helps a person out; to solve his/her problem. Though other elements of emphatic listening are just as important, but most of them uses long explanations and sentences to tell the other person that 'I am listening to you'. Right? That's just my opinion, though. Prompting of course, is used 'when you can't help others to make a decision'. In some cases, there are certain things you must know when you are trying to help a person out; make sure you give your opinion and advices by weighing both strengths and weaknesses of the choices or dilemmas your friend is having. Do you realize that when some of your friends ask an opinion of choosing something (for example a course), you will tend to give one sided-opinion. Notice this type of conversation:

A: Hey B, i don't know which to choose. This course or that course?
B: Hmm...oh well, what do you think?
A: This course's interests me but i'm afraid of the bad side. I like that course which gives an advantage in my future career, but i don't really into that course's contents. So, how? What do you think?
B: Well, why don't you just try B? I think B is good because..bla...bla...bla.......Oh well, i don't really know. You choose what do you think you like.
A:.....I don't know..

Sometimes, you can see whether is it suitable for you to give an opinion or better to let them decide by themselves.

A: Hey B, i don't know which to choose. This course or that course? Each of them has their own goods and bads.
B: Uh huh.
A: This course's interests me but i'm afraid of the bad side. I like that course which gives an advantage in my future career, but i don't really into that course's contents. So, how? What do you think?
B: Hmm, i see. Well, what do you think?
A: This course, you see, really nice, it provides bla..bla..bla......but, oh...i don't know. Many people said A isn't good. So how?
B: I'm not sure too. But make sure you think carefully which to choose.
A: Hmm...
A: I think i will choose this course.
B: Really?
A: (silence) Yeah, i will choose this course. I don't want to later regret about it; who cares what other people think, right?

However; becareful of selecting your prompting usage (mechanical prompting):

A: Hey B, i don't know which to choose. This course or that course? Each of them has their own goods and bads.
B: Uh huh.
A: This course's interests me but i'm afraid of the bad side. I like that course which gives an advantage in my future career, but i don't really into that course's contents. So, how? What do you think?
B: Uh huh.
A: This course, you see, really nice, it provides bla..bla..bla......but, oh...i don't know. Many people said A isn't good. So how?
B: Hmm..
A: So, what do u think? This or what?
B: Hmm......
A: (angry) You know what? I better ask a wall's opinion than asking you! (Walks away)
B:(huh?) What have i done?

By letting people deciding on their own, (nope, it doesn't really make you an irresponsible person though) you will make people have their confidence in deciding their own choice and take responsibility in what they have chosen. People who generally made their own decision do not regret of what they have chosen, because they know it's their own choice. (They can't really blame other people, right?=D) In short, you made them think for themselves.And most people who made their own decisions are less stressful and more happier.

Liew Hui Qing, Jaime

What is in a name?

In communication, name resembles an identity, to differentiate one another, to give oneself a sort of recognition in this world. Names have their own strengths, weaknesses and meanings lie behind it. You can see the meanings of the names everywhere; especially in bookstores or gift shops which sell key chain engraved with names and the meaning of the names. There are some questions that popped up in my mind though; how on earth do they know the meaning of the names? A couple of books on the market actually list out the baby names and their origins. Take for example, one of the common popular name listed: John. Originated from Hebrew, it carries the meaning "God is Gracious"and was the name of the longest-lived of the 12 apostle, who was especially loved by Christ. However, if you just look at the key chains, you can even find the typical attitude that most 'Johns' have. For instance, they are smart, outgoing and nice people, only with more specific details. People who wrote this attitude of 'John' may had made his conclusion by analyzing the attitudes of actors John Gielgud, John Barrymore, John Wayne, John Cusack, John Leguizamo, Johnny Depp; US Presidents John F. Kennedy, John Tyler, John Adams, John Quincy Adams; poet John Donne; Beatle John Lennon; composer Johannes Bach; football player John Elway; lawyer Johnnie Cochrane and interviewed other 'Johns' and its 85 variant forms. And suprising enough, most people with the name 'John' possess the same kind of characteristics.

In addition, because most people have this kind of perception, they tend to assume people with same name have same kind of attitude (similar face also plays a role), right? For example, if a girl is dumped by her boyfriend with the name X; next time when she meets anyone with the name 'X', she will be sceptical about the person!

Furthermore, you will find that some people have trouble to remember one's names. Unless you are familiar with their origins, (like chinese names) you will tend to forget their names. Some are not. But most of people (including me) are. To make life easier, when one find out people have trouble pronouncing their name, they tend to shorten it; "Hi, my name is xyzcbvgdserie......just call me X." Right?

Anyway, there is one complicated name: Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam or Aliaune Thiam in short. Guess who is he?

Answer

Liew Hui Qing, Jaime