Embracing My Dream of Becoming a Speaker: The Initial Step
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Chapter 1: The Dream of Speaking
If you had the chance to choose just one thing to pursue in life, what would it be?
What ignites such a profound passion within you that it makes your eyes sparkle?
And if there were no risks and nothing to lose, how would you start realizing that dream?
Recently, I reflected on a childhood aspiration: to be a speaker. I realized I already possess the skills needed to turn this dream into reality. I speak multiple languages and have accumulated professional and personal development experience. I thought to myself: life is fleeting; why not at least try to add meaning to my existence?
Thus, I devised a plan to make my dream come true. I want to share the entire process with you: the planning, execution, and reflection, all in real-time.
This speech represents my first challenge, which I’d like to call "Embracing My Dream of Becoming a Speaker: The Initial Step." In this challenge, I will use my personal journey as a case study to demonstrate how one can achieve a dream. I will address the subject in three parts: the reasons behind it, the various ways to realize it, and my MVP (Minimum Viable Product) model.
Let’s get started!
Section 1.1: Understanding the Motivation
I believe that the first step in achieving a dream is to comprehend the reasons that drive us towards it. This exploration is not only to persuade others but primarily to reaffirm the significance of our dream to ourselves. By outlining these reasons, we gain a deeper understanding of our dream, creating a clear vision in our hearts.
Now, let me explain why I believe I have great potential to achieve my dream:
First and foremost, I love giving talks. It ignites a spark within me, and I always feel excited and happy when speaking in public. After delivering a speech, I feel alive and inspired. Loving what you do and doing it with passion—that is the essence of a fulfilling life, isn’t it? Thus, I have a strong motivation.
Secondly, I believe that my experiences and ideas can provide value to my audience. I have expertise in various fields, such as language learning (being multilingual, I think this can enrich lives), programming (I've integrated digital tools into my work to enhance efficiency), and finance (with a master's in finance from a prestigious university and six years in the investment industry, I've gained profound analytical experience).
Thirdly, I possess the ability to summarize and reflect on my experiences, making complex concepts more understandable. Back in 2013, as a finance trainer, I developed my own methodology to structure and visualize complex financial theories, aiding my banking clients in their exam preparations. Additionally, I was able to condense four years of university knowledge into a six-hour class. Throughout my career in private equity, I've continuously improved my thinking to better understand growth in business and personal life. I believe these two aspects are fundamentally interconnected.
In summary, I have passion, substance, and skills to make this dream a reality. But what else?
Fourthly, I enjoy sharing ideas in an open and sincere manner. I believe transparency can create genuine value for the audience, allowing them to see not only the end result but also the process, challenges, and reflections along the way.
Fifthly, I have a clear and concise style of writing and speaking. I strive to present information clearly and with strong arguments. When speaking, I articulate well, making it easier for the audience to understand.
Sixthly, my proficiency in multiple languages allows me to connect with a broader audience. My mother tongue is Chinese (both Mandarin and Cantonese), but I also speak English, Portuguese, Spanish, and I'm improving my French and Italian. This linguistic skill opens up new avenues for communication and exchange of ideas and experiences worldwide.
Seventhly, I have past experience with public speaking, so this isn't entirely new to me, and I can continue honing my speaking abilities. I was a member of Toastmasters for four years, where I delivered speeches and participated in numerous competitions. I learned all the essential aspects of an effective speech there. Moreover, I taught finance for two years, conducting six-hour classes for groups of fifty to a hundred students, facing almost every interaction scenario, including challenging moments. In my investment career, I also dealt with executives during presentations and Q&A sessions. All these experiences will serve as solid references and inspirations for my future speaking engagements.
Therefore, summarizing this portion of "the why," I can confidently say that I have a strong reason to become a speaker, along with experience and ideas for my talks. I know how to structure and present them, share sincerely, articulate well, communicate in multiple languages, and I even have firsthand experience as a speaker. I see no reason to give up on bringing this dream to life.
Section 1.2: Exploring Paths to Realization
Now that we have solid reasons for our dream, how can we bring it to fruition? We should list all possible scenarios to test it now. They should be within our reach, utilizing the resources we currently have, right?
In my case, to become a great speaker, the logical first step is to start with smaller talks and enhance my skills from there. But what are the viable channels to gain this experience? What achievable targets can I set?
First, I can reach out to my former teachers from elementary and high school and offer to speak to their students. School students often need guidance in improving their study methods and making decisions about their future studies or careers. The lessons shared by an adult with good academic performance and extensive work and study experience can be invaluable for broadening their perspectives. I’ve had the chance to engage with students in schools before and received positive feedback.
Secondly, similarly to the first option, I can give talks to university students. Recently, I had a rewarding experience in this regard, sharing how I overcame challenges and confusion at various stages of my career to become a competent professional. The outcome was extremely positive, as students resonated with my experiences and reflected on their own struggles.
Thirdly, I can return to Toastmasters to continue working on my speech projects, choosing more specific themes for my talks. I might even get an opportunity to speak at a conference, of course, demonstrating my skills along the way. This strategy can also apply to TED events.
Fourthly, I can host live podcasts on platforms like YouTube. This opens up a different audience online, potentially reaching a global viewership.
Fifthly, I can prepare a presentation for a company and request a meeting or an opportunity to exchange ideas. Now we’re talking about a different, more professional platform. However, given my experience and contacts, this isn't an impossible option.
Lastly, similar to the fifth option, I can email professionals in the speaking or finance sectors (related to my profession) or to polyglots or linguists (related to my passion) in other countries for international exchanges. This is an exciting possibility as we can draw inspiration from practices in different contexts!
See, when you start thinking about how to realize your dream without limiting your imagination, the opportunities available with our current resources don’t seem so scarce, do they?
Now that I have these options at my disposal, I need to choose one to start with. It should be something I can execute immediately. And what could be more feasible than hosting a live podcast on the internet? I won’t need to ask anyone for an opportunity, which is crucial for an introverted person to begin something and receive positive feedback rather than waiting in fear of potential rejection.
So, now that we’ve decided on a plan, let’s move on to the third step: taking action.
Chapter 2: Creating a Live Speaking MVP on YouTube
From my experiences, I’ve realized that building a closed loop is essential for our personal growth. This loop consists of practice, reflecting on that practice, and then sharing the reflections. In a work setting, like when we work in a company, this cycle is naturally formed as the boss assigns us tasks, we deliver results, and receive feedback for performance enhancement. The cycle continues.
Similarly, in our personal development, we can establish a comparable cycle by giving ourselves tasks, delivering results, and receiving feedback for improvement.
In my case, to create a live speaking MVP on YouTube, I need a "hook" to activate this cycle. When I say "hook," I refer to a kind of stimulus or reminder that regularly prompts me, "Hey, you have a talk scheduled this Saturday on YouTube." In other words, I plan a live session ahead of time—say, three days in advance—and during those three days, I prepare for the live talk. To facilitate this preparation, I find it useful to write the speech in advance on my "reflection" channel on Medium and announce the live session there. This way, I formalize the two essential steps—creating a speech and delivering it—allowing the audience to witness the entire process of how I realize this MVP and gradually achieve this grand dream. In a way, the audience also becomes part of this journey.
We arrive at a conclusion:
Today, I illustrated how to put a grand dream into action, using my personal example of aspiring to be a speaker. First, I discussed the reasons for my dream, presenting seven potential motivators. I have a strong reason (something I love) and experiences and skills to make this dream a reality. Secondly, I considered possible ways to test this dream with the resources I have available. Finally, I chose an approach I find most manageable and created an MVP model: establishing a closed feedback loop through Medium and YouTube to document the entire process. Challenge accepted.
Thank you for taking the time to read this text, my first piece on Medium. If you’d like, feel free to witness my inaugural live session on YouTube. I’ve scheduled my first talk for 9:00 PM on May 28th, China time (10:00 AM on May 28th, Brazil time) on my channel "Arish ao Vivo" (www.youtube.com/@ArishaoVivo).
I decided to speak in Portuguese because it's a language I love and want to practice. In my second talk, I will share how I serendipitously learned Portuguese and how it transformed my life.
The first video, "Carreira de Palestrante - 4 Passos para Iniciar a Sua," offers insights into the initial steps for starting a career as a speaker, shedding light on the journey ahead.
The second video, "COMO DAR O PRIMEIRO PASSO PARA REALIZAR O SEU SONHO | MOTIVAÇÃO," provides motivational guidance on taking the first steps toward realizing your dreams.