Can I get a
thumbs-up, if you want to see some magic?
Alright
let’s begin.
Here’s a
classic trick of the appearing and disappearing coin. Okay to make it more
effective you have to count with me 1, 2, 3.. then say the magic words “Abra Cadabra!”
You want to
know how I did it? I need a volunteer.
Show the
coin to the audience. Add a little bit of spirit fingers. The trick is to move
the coin from left to right repeatedly until you get your momentum of
overlapping your left hand to your right. And as you are doing that, slip on
the coin between your index and middle finger, or whichever works best for you
it can also be in between your middle and ring finger. Just make sure the coin will
not drop during the release. Then open your seemingly empty hands for the
people to see. Return to overlapping hands position and swiftly bring back the
coin for them to see.
Madam
President and fellow toasties, welcome my world of magic and madness.
Writer’s
should also think of themselves as magicians. When you tell a story there
should be the anticipation, the trick and the revelation.Let me
share with you 5 tips in writing that might help you in preparing for your
speeches.
1. First one
is Love – when you love you commit. When you don’t commit, you don’t love. No
matter how difficult it maybe, when you love something you cling to it, you
nurture it, you protect it. Same thing with writing, there may be times when
you don’t know what else to do, what else to write but because you love it, you
don’t give up. So much like unconditional love, it never stops.
2. Second,
Steal – I know it is not a positive word but it is exactly what I did today. As
Picasso once said, good artists imitate, great artists steal. I got the idea
for this speech from a children’s book author Russel Molina. Learn to steal from different sources and
make it your own until it is no longer recognizable.
3. Third, Play
– Be creative. Don’t limit yourself to your usual style. Try different
approaches in creating your story. If you’ve noticed I copied a little bit of
Noel in the mix where I had a short intro and paused to say… Always be playful.
4. Fouth, Tell
– Tell don’t Sell! Telling a story should be personal. It is more like talking
to a friend not an entire audience. In selling sometimes the tendency is to
cater to everyone and you try to impress. But what makes an impact is the
insight of the story. The one that makes a connection to a particular person. I
remember when I talk about how valuable time is in my time management
workshops, I’d always tell this story.
1988 – the
year when my aunt left for the US to work as a nurse, an OFW just like most of
you who probably has one or 2 relatives working abroad. In fact I was just an
infant when she left and when she came back I’m already in grade school. Same
thing happened to my niece, first time she met her, she was already 3 years
old. They only know each other through pictures and stories. And that’s how it
is for more than 3 decades. That’s why in my aunt’s most recent homecoming, we
prepared something really special. We made banners and bought flowers for her.
A jeep-load of nieces and nephews awaited for her come back. I still remember
our happy faces, warm hugs and boisterous laughter. We had such a wonderful time
then. Little did we know, that it would be her last. That was the last time we
saw her. I’m sorry I
didn’t mean to make you cry. Just want to show how tip #4 is done. Tell don’t sell.
Let your story come from the heart. 5. Fifth,
Believe. Believe that there is magic and madness within you. You can write. You
can deliver all 10 speeches. You can do almost anything.
Let’s recap
all 5 tips: Love, Steal, Play, Tell and Believe.
Good
evening!
x
