A lookback at the World Public Speaking Championships 2016: Darren Tay's Striking Speech
When you hear the word public speaking contest, most Hong Kong students imagine school debates , Speech Festivals and local competitions to the very most. But imagine taking things a step further, by competing on a regional, or even global level. In August, a young Singaporean Lawyer Darren Tay won the World Public Speaking Championships 2016. Darren has won awards since he was a teenager and he is part of the Punggol Park Community Centre Toastmasters Club in Singapore. Darren is known as the first Singaporean to win the title from his country and the second representative to make it to the finals following last year’s Manoj Vasudevan who bagged third place. Aside from his awards, Darren founded the Public Speaking Academy in Singapore, an organization that helps promote public speaking education in the city. He is also the author of the bestseller "Express to Impress" At the World Championships, Darren beat out nine other speakers to take the top spot at the grand finals. His speech was titled "Outsmart, Outlast". But what made him stand out? Let's find out in this article.
1. An inspiring topic "Outsmart, Outlast" Darren's speech may have been about a rather common topic - bullying. But he took a very unique approach to the issue.
Darren shared his childhood experience being bullied, the highlight of his speech being the Calvin Klein flashback to the old days. The idea of "Outsmart, Outlast" came as his aunt told him not to run and hide from a bully, but to "outsmart and outlast " him.
A fast forward and he recalled bumping into that childhood bully, who has ironically become a psychologist and anti-bullying expert. Both made peace, and Darren shared a very inspiring message about inner bullies being our strongest enemies. "As much as we try to deny it, we all are own strongest enemies; we beat ourselves up and put ourselves down. How long have you allowed your inner bully to take charge?"
2. Calvin Klein Commercial without the Music
A Calvin Klein commercial without the music, huh? A unique way of describing Darren's speech at the Grand Finals.
While most say the prop was used to gather attention, I believe it delivered an important message in Darren likening a physical underwear to the indivisible underwear myriads have worn, listening to their inner bullies.
Darren's use of the prop towards the end of his speech was a wow- factor, as he took it off and stepped out of it. At the same time, he explained the importance of acknowledging the invisible underwear many of us have, and stepping out of it to watch it further weaken and fade.
3. Personal experience - relating to the audience
Public speakers are often told to pick topics that audiences can relate to. A recipe for success when you're grabbing peoples' attention during speeches.
Darren's bullying experience and inner bullying analogy is something almost all in the audience had experienced or at the least could relate to, which made his speech stand out remarkably.
4. Comedy Central or Seriousness-Essential?
Humour is an interesting tool in public speaking - yet it must be used at the right place and time. Not to mention, understanding the demographic of your audience is of unequivocal importance. In his speech, Darren's jokes were simple and appealed to a large family-friendly demographic. However, a smart balance of humour was maintained for audiences not too lose track of the subject under discussion.
Check out his speech here:
Want to be the next World Public Speaking Champion? You're in luck! 2016 World Public Speaking Champion Darren Tay is coming to Hong Kong on 16 December to deliver a workshop "Outsmart, Outlast" to teach HongKongers how to excel in the art of public speaking. Interested? Check out this link for more information:
http://www.hongkong-toastmasters.org/event_detail.php?from=b&id=975
