'
TomeMarch28thwasaluckyday.ItwasonthatparticulareveningthatIfoundmyselfatcentralstage,inthespotlight.Winningthe"21stCentury·EricssonCup"SeventhNationalEnglishSpeakingCompetitionisamemorythatIshalltreasureandonethatwillsurelystay.
MoreimportantthanwinningtheCupisthefriendshipthathasbeenestablishedanddevelopedamongthecontestants,andthechancetocommunicateoffstageinadditiontocompetingonstage.AlsothecompetitionhelpsboostpublicspeakinginChina,askillhithertoundervalued.
Forme,though,thecompetitionisamorepersonalexperience.Habituallyshy,Ihadbeenreluctanttotakepartinanysuchactivities.Encouragedbymyfriends,however,Imadealast-minutedecisiontogiveitatry.InthecourseofpreparationIsomehowrediscoveredmyself,atruerme.
Ifoundthat,afterall,Ilikecommunicatingwithotherpeople;thatexchangingviewscanbesomuchfun—andsomuchrewarding,bothemotionallyandintellectually;thatpublicspeakingismosteffectivewhenyouareleastguarded;andthatitisessentialtosuccessineverywalkoflife.
Atamorepracticallevel,Irealizedknowingwhatyouaregoingtosayandhowyouaregoingtosayitareequallyimportant.Totaketheoriginalideasoutofyourheadandtransplantthem,sotospeak,tothatofothers,youneedtohaveanorganizedmind.Thisabilityimproveswithtraining.
Yetthereshouldnotbeanylossoradditionordistortionintheprocess.Thoseideasthatfinallyfindtheirwayintoanotherheadneedtoberecognizablyyours.Languageisameanstotransmitinformation,notameanstoobstructcommunication.Itshouldbelucidtobepenetrating.
InChina,certainpublicspeakingskillshavebeenundulyemphasized.Willitreallyhelp,wearecompelledtoask,tobangatthepodiumoryellatthetopofyourlungs,ifyouhavecomewithapoorlyorganizedspeech,amuddledmind,andunwillingnesstotrulyshareyourviews?
Aboveall,thesinglemostimportantthingIlearntwasthatasapublicspeaker,youneedtopayattention,firstandforemost,tothecontentofyourspeech.Andsecond,thestructureofyourspeech:howoneidearelatesandprogressestoanother.
Onlyafterthesecomedeliveryandnon-verbalcommunication:speedcontrol,platformmanner,andsoon.Pronunciationisimportant,yetofgreaterimportanceisthis:Isyourlanguagecompetentenoughtoexpressyourideasexactlythewayyouintendthemtobeunderstood?
IwasinformedafterwardsthatIwaschosentobethewinnerformy"appropriatelywordedspeech,excellentpresenceandquick-wittedresponse".Insoremarking,thejudgesclearlyshowedtheirpreference:theycometolistenformeaningfulideas,notforloosejudgments,noreasylaughters.
Somecontestantsfailedtoaddresstheirquestionsheadon.Somewereableto,butdidnotknowwheretostop—thedraggingonbetrayedtheirlackofconfidence.Therootcausewasthattheydidnotlistenattentivelytothequestions.Ortheywerethinkingofwhattheyhadprepared.
AsIsaidinmyspeech,"Itisvitallyimportantthatweyoungpeopledomoreseriousthinking...totakethem[issueslikeglobalization]onandgivethemhonestthinkingisthefirststeptobepreparedforbothopportunitiesandchallengescomingourway".Weneedtorespondhonestly.
Acompetitionlikethisdrawstalentedstudentsfromalloverthecountry.Andofcourse,Ilearntmorethingsthanjustaboutpublicspeaking.Sinceinthefinalanalysis,publicspeakingisallabouteffectivecommunication.Andthisgoestrueforallcommunications,whatevertheirsetting.
Andthefollowingisthefinalversionofmyspeech:
GLOBALIZATION:
OPPORTUNITIESANDCHALLENGES
FORCHINA'SYOUNGERGENERATION
Thirtyyearsago,AmericanPresidentRichardNixonmadeanepoch-makingvisittoChina,acountrystillisolatedatthattime.PremierZhouEnlaisaidtohim,"Yourhandshakecameoverthevastestoceanintheworld—twenty-fiveyearsofnocommunication".Thirtyyearssince,ChinaandAmericahaveexchangedmanyhandshakes.Thefundamentalimplicationofthisexampleisthattheneedtocommunicateacrossdifferencesincultureandideologyisnotonlyfeltbythetwocountriesbutbymanyothernationsaswell.
Aswecanseetoday,environmentalistsfromdifferentcountriesaremakingjointeffortstoaddresstheissueofglobalwarming,economistsareseekingsolutionstofinancialcrisesthatrageinaparticularregionbutnonethelesscrippletheworldeconomy,andpoliticiansanddiplomatsaregettingtogethertodiscusstheissueofcombatingterrorism.Peaceandprosperityhasbecomeacommongoalthatwearestrivingforallovertheworld.UnderlyingthismightytrendofglobalcommunicationistheechoofE.M.Forster'swords"Onlyconnect!"
WiththeITrevolution,traditionalboundariesofhumansocietyfallaway.Ourculture,politics,societyandcommercearebeingsloshedintoonelargemeltingpotofhumanity.Inthisinterlinkedworld,therearenooutsiders,foradisturbanceinoneplaceislikelytoimpactotherpartsoftheglobe.Wehavebeguntorealizethataworlddividedcannotendure.
Chinaisnowactivelyintegratingintotheworld.OurrecententrytotheWTOisagoodexample.Fordecades,wehavetakenprideinbeingself-reliant,butnowwerealizetheimportanceofparticipatinginandcontributingtoabroadereconomicorder.FromaprecariousroleintheworldarenatoourpresentWTOmembership,wehavecomealongway.
Butwhatdoesthewayaheadlooklike?Insomepartsoftheworldpeoplearedemonstratingagainstglobalization.Aretheyjustified,then,incriticizingtheglobalizingworld?Insteadofnarrowingthegapbetweentherichandthepoor,theysay,globalizationenablesthedevelopednationstoswallowthedevelopingnations'wealthindebtsandinterest.Globalization,theyargue,shouldbeaboutacommoninterestineveryothernation'seconomichealth.
WeareremindedbyKarlMarxthatcapitalgoesbeyondnationalbordersandeludescontrolfromanyotherentity.Thishasbecomeareality.Multinationalcorporationsareseekingthelowestcost,thelargestmarket,andthemostfavourablepolicy.Theyareoftenpowerfullobbyistsingovernmentdecision-making,ruthlessexpansionistsintheglobalmarketandadevastatingpresencetolocalbusinesses.
ForChina,stillmorechallengesexist.Howarewegoingtoensureasmoothtransitionfromtheplannedeconomytoamarket-basedone?Howtoconstructalegalsystemthatissoundenoughandbroadenoughtorespondtotheneedsofadynamicsociety?Howtomaintainourculturalidentityinanincreasinglyhomogeneousworld?Andhowtodefinegreatnessinourriseasapeace-lovingnation?Globalizationentailsquestionsthatconcernusall.
LikemanyyoungpeoplemyageinChina,Iwanttoseemycountrygetprosperousandenjoyrespectintheinternationalcommunity.Butitseemstomethatmerepatriotismisnotjustenough.Itisvitallyimportantthatweyoungpeopledomoreseriousthinkingandbroadenourmindtobiggerissues.Theremightneverbeeasyanswerstothoseissuessuchasglobalization,buttotakethemonandgivethemhonestthinkingisthefirststeptobepreparedforbothopportunitiesandchallengescomingourway.Thisisalsooneofthethoughtsthatcametomewhilepreparingthisspeech.