To me March 28th was a lucky day. It was on that particular                   evening that I found myself at central stage, in the                   spotlight. Winning the 21st Century·Ericsson Cup Seventh                   National English Speaking Competition is a memory that I shall                   treasure and one that will surely stay.                   More important than winning the Cup is the friendship that has                   been established and developed among the contestants, and the                   chance to communicate offstage in addition to competing                   onstage. Also the competition helps boost public speaking in                   China, a skill hitherto undervalued.                   For me, though, the competition is a more personal experience.                   Habitually shy, I had been reluctant to take part in any such                   activities. Encouraged by my friends, however, I made a                   last-minute decision to give it a try. In the course of                   preparation I somehow rediscovered myself, a truer me.                   I found that, after all, I like communicating with other                   people; that exchanging views can be so much fun—and so much                   rewarding, both emotionally and intellectually; that public                   speaking is most effective when you are least guarded; and                   that it is essential to success in every walk of life.                   At a more practical level, I realized knowing what you are                   going to say and how you are going to say it are equally                   important. To take the original ideas out of your head and                   transplant them, so to speak, to that of others, you need to                   have an organized mind. This ability improves with training.                   Yet there should not be any loss or addition or distortion in                   the process. Those ideas that finally find their way into                   another head need to be recognizably yours. Language is a                   means to transmit information, not a means to obstruct                   communication. It should be lucid to be penetrating.                   In China, certain public speaking skills have been unduly                   emphasized. Will it really help, we are compelled to ask, to                   bang at the podium or yell at the top of your lungs, if you                   have come with a poorly organized speech, a muddled mind, and                   unwillingness to truly share your views?                   Above all, the single most important thing I learnt was that                   as a public speaker, you need to pay attention, first and                   foremost, to the content of your speech. And second, the                   structure of your speech: how one idea relates and progresses                   to another.                   Only after these come delivery and non-verbal communication:                   speed control, platform manner, and so on. Pronunciation is                   important, yet of greater importance is this: Is your language                   competent enough to express your ideas exactly the way you                   intend them to be understood?                   I was informed afterwards that I was chosen to be the winner                   for my appropriately worded speech, excellent presence and                   quick-witted response. In so remarking, the judges clearly                   showed their preference: they come to listen for meaningful                   ideas, not for loose judgments, nor easy laughters.                   Some contestants failed to address their questions head on.                   Some were able to, but did not know where to stop—the dragging                   on betrayed their lack of confidence. The root cause was that                   they did not listen attentively to the questions. Or they were                   thinking of what they had prepared.                   As I said in my speech, It is vitally important that we young                   people do more serious thinking ... to take them [issues like                   globalization] on and give them honest thinking is the first                   step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges                   coming our way. We need to respond honestly.                   A competition like this draws talented students from all over                   the country. And of course, I learnt more things than just                   about public speaking. Since in th转于 中国论文网 http://www.datazg.com