'
TomeMarch28thwasaluckyday.ItwasonthatparticulareveningthatIfoundmyselfatcentralstage,inthespotlight.Winningthe"21stCentury·EricssonCup"SeventhNationalEnglishSpeakingpetitionisamemorythatIshalltreasureandohatwillsurelystay.
MoreimportantthanwinningtheCupisthefriendshipthathasbeenestablishedanddevelopedamongthecontestants,andthechancetomunicateoffstageinadditiontopetingonstage.AlsothepetitionhelpsboostpublicspeakinginChina,askillhithertoundervalued.
Forme,though,thepetitionisamorepersonalexperience.Habituallyshy,Ihadbeenreluctanttotakepartinanysuchactivities.Encouragedbymyfriends,however,Imadealast-minutedecisiontogiveitatry.InthecourseofpreparationIsomehowrediscoveredmyself,atruerme.
Ifoundthat,afterall,Ilikemunicatingwithotherpeople;thatexchangingviewscanbesomuchfun—andsomuchrewarding,bothemotionallyandintellectually;thatpublicspeakingismosteffectivewhenyouareleastguarded;andthatitisessentialtosuessineverywalkoflife.
Atamorepracticallevel,Irealizedknowingwhatyouaregoingtosayandhowyouaregoingtosayitareequallyimportant.Totaketheoriginalideasoutofyourheadandtransplantthem,sotospeak,tothatofothers,youneedtohaveananizedmind.Thisabilityimproveswithtraining.
Yetthereshouldnotbeanylossoradditionordistortionintheprocess.Thoseideasthatfinallyfindtheirwayintoanotherheadneedtoberecognizablyyours.Languageisameanstotransmitinformation,notameanstoobstructmunication.Itshouldbelucidtobeperating.
InChina,certainpublicspeakingskillshavebeenundulyemphasized.Willitreallyhelp,wearepelledtoask,tobangatthepodiumoryellatthetopofyourlungs,ifyouhaveewithapoorlyanizedspeech,amuddledmind,andunwillingnesstotrulyshareyourviews?
Aboveall,thesinglemostimportantthingIlearntwasthatasapublicspeaker,youneedtopayattention,firstandforemost,tothecontentofyourspeech.Andsecond,thestructureofyourspeech:howoneidearelatesandprogressestoanother.
Onlyaftertheseedeliveryandnon-verbalmunication:speedcontrol,platformmanner,andsoon.Pronunciationisimportant,yetofgreaterimportanceisthis:Isyourlanguagepetentenoughtoexpressyourideasexactlythewayyouintendthemtobeunderstood?
IwasinformedafterwardsthatIwaschosentobethewinnerformy"appropriatelywordedspeech,excellentpresenceandquick-wittedresponse".Insoremarking,thejudgesclearlyshowedtheirpreference:theyetolistenformeaningfulideas,notforloosejudgments,noreasylaughters.
Somecontestantsfailedtoaddresstheirquestionsheadon.Somewereableto,butdidnotknowwheretostop—thedraggingonbetrayedtheirlackofconfidence.Therootcausewasthattheydidnotlistenattentivelytothequestions.Ortheywerethinkingofwhattheyhadprepared.
AsIsaidinmyspeech,"Itisvitallyimportantthatweyoungpeopledomoreseriousthinking...totakethem[issueslikeglobalization]onandgivethemhonestthinkingisthefirststeptobepreparedforbothopportunitiesandchallengesingourway".Weneedtorespondhonestly.
Apetitionlikethisdrawstalentedstudentsfromalloverthecountry.Andofcourse,Ilearntmorethingsthanjustaboutpublicspeaking.Sinceinthefinalanalysis,publicspeakingisallabouteffectivemunication.Andthisgoestrueforallmunications,whatevertheirsetting.
Andthefollowingisthefinalversionofmyspeech:
GLOBALIZATION:
OPPORTUNITIESANDCHALLENGES
FORCHINA'SYOUNGERGENERATION
Thirtyyearsago,AmericanPresidentRichardNixonmadeanepoch-makingvisittoChina,acountrystillisolatedatthattime.PremierZhouEnlaisaidtohim,"Yourhandshakecameoverthevastestoceanintheworld—twenty-fiveyearsofnomunication".Thirtyyearssince,ChinaandAmericahaveexchangedmanyhandshakes.Thefundamentalimplicationofthisexampleisthattheneedtomunicateacrossdifferencesincultureandideologyisnotonlyfeltbythetwocountriesbutbymanyothernationsaswell.
Aswecanseetoday,environmentalistsfromdifferentcountriesaremakingjointeffortstoaddresstheissueofglobalwarming,economistsareseekingsolutionstofinancialcrisesthatrageinaparticularregionbutnohelesscrippletheworldeconomy,andpoliticiansanddiplomatsaregettingtogethertodiscusstheissueofbatingterrorism.Peaceandprosperityhasbeeamongoalthatwearestrivingforallovertheworld.UnderlyingthismightytrendofglobalmunicationistheechoofE.M.Forster'swords"Onlyconnect!"
WiththeITrevolution,traditionalboundariesofhumansocietyfallaway.Ourculture,politics,societyandmercearebeingsloshedintoonelargemeltingpotofhumanity.Inthisinterlinkedworld,therearenooutsiders,foradisturbanceinoneplaceislikelytoimpactotherpartsoftheglobe.Wehavebeguntorealizethataworlddividedcannotendure.
Chinaisnowactivelyintegratingintotheworld.OurrecententrytotheWTOisagoodexample.Fordecades,wehavetakenprideinbeingself-reliant,butnowwerealizetheimportanceofparticipatinginandcontributingtoabroadereconomicorder.FromaprecariousroleintheworldarenatoourpresentWTOmembership,wehaveealongway.
Butwhatdoesthewayaheadlooklike?Insomepartsoftheworldpeoplearedemonstratingagainstglobalization.Aretheyjustified,then,incriticizingtheglobalizingworld?Insteadofnarrowingthegapbetweentherichandthepoor,theysay,globalizationenablesthedevelopednationstoswallowthedevelopingnations'wealthindebtsandinterest.Globalization,theyargue,shouldbeaboutamoninterestineveryothernation'seconomichealth.
WeareremindedbyKarlMarxthatcapitalgoesbeyondnationalbordersandeludescontrolfromanyotherentity.Thishasbeeareality.Multinationalcorporationsareseekingthelowestcost,thelargestmarket,andthemostfavourablepolicy.Theyareoftenpowerfullobbyistsingovernmentdecision-making,ruthlessexpansionistsintheglobalmarketandadevastatingpresencetolocalbusinesses.
ForChina,stillmorechallengesexist.Howarewegoingtoensureasmoothtransitionfromtheplannedeconomytoamarket-basedone?Howtoconstructalegalsystemthatissoundenoughandbroadenoughtorespondtotheneedsofadynamicsociety?Howtomaintainourculturalidentityinanincreasinglyhomogeneousworld?Andhowtodefinegreatnessinourriseasapeace-lovingnation?Globalizationentailsquestionsthatconcernusall.
LikemanyyoungpeoplemyageinChina,Iwanttoseemycountrygetprosperousandenjoyrespectintheinternationalmunity.Butitseemstomethatmerepatriotismisnotjustenough.Itisvitallyimportantthatweyoungpeopledomoreseriousthinkingandbroadenourmindtobiggerissues.Theremightneverbeeasyanswerstothoseissuessuchasglobalization,buttotakethemonandgivethemhonestthinkingisthefirststeptobepreparedforbothopportunitiesandchallengesingourway.Thisisalsooneofthethoughtsthatcametomewhilepreparingthisspeech.