photo credit: arquera

I am preparing for another Toastmaster (public speaking) project on 30th of June. And this time, the project is about Persuading with Power. I was thinking about a topic to share about in my next speech, and GTD came out.

Getting Things Done is the topic I have shared earlier in my previous project. This time I am going to repeat the same message with different structure and purpose. Basically, I’m integrating the lessons I have learned from the earlier speech. These are some of them.

1. Simplify

Recently, while searching for a quote from Timothy Ferris on Four-Hour Work Week, I came across the comparison between the two productivity teachings from Clay Collins. Over there GTD sounded like the one disadvantaged. Look at the diagram provided there and you can see how complicated it is.

The lost faces, that’s what I saw from the audience while presenting GTD. Partly, it was the problem with the visual aid I brought. But I believe that the bigger part of the reason was the topic itself. GTD surely seems to be much more complicated for those who know about it for the first time. My earlier speech was built with a purpose to teach them GTD, every steps of it, even more with some software tips for them to start with.

I aimed for too many things for a speech delivered only within 5-7 minutes. Eventually I got none of them. This time, I have to simplify my speech. Accepting the time limitations that I have, I have to focus on one purpose. As this speech is about persuading with power, I’ll simplify my purpose not to teach GTD, but to get them interested in GTD.

2. Justify

If you watch the video of my earlier speech here, you’ll see that my audiences are pretty excited with the jump I make at the end of my speech. That is to emphasize the “Just Do It” part. The fun part of all, but it’s actually not my main message. My evaluator, Risyad pointed out that I should have got my audience excited much earlier in the message. It’s a good point, and this time I’ll use the idea.

I’ll start with the fun part, the “Just Do It”, a concept that is much more familiar to my audience. From there, I will need to appeal for the need of structure in spontaneity. It’s actually an idea from the book “Blink” from Malcolm Gladwell. “Just Do It”, no matter how fun it could be, it needs a structure to ensure that the “It” is the right thing. It’s not any “It” but the task that you have identified as the most appropriate next action you’ve got to make.

Why am I sharing this strategy to you?

First of all, I’d like to thank Michael Chang, one experienced Toastmasters from NTU Alumni Club that has ever evaluated my speech. He didn’t only observe the speech I presented that day, he read through my history and pointed me my repetitive mistakes. It’s really an extra mile that not many evaluators will do.

Do you know what did he point out? It’s the tendency of putting too many messages in my speech. I have too much to tell in such a short speech. He asked me to simplify my message. And for that he asked me to focus on the purpose of my speech.

How will it apply to you? I hope that this will teach you one thing or two if you have a habit of giving speech. Find a Toastmasters Club near you if you’d like to improve your communication skill.

But more than that, I hope it will also appeal to you to simplify your life message. You can say it’s the focus in life, but you can also call it the serenity in life. If you’re not perfect in anything, it’s okay. You don’t have to. You’ve just got to simplify, because each of us has something to teach and share.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Simplifying,
Robert