The Leadership Power of Great Public Speaking

For the past two years, I have campaigned to encourage more Singaporeans - at least those in the ICT arena - to speak out. Public speaking is a necessary leadership skill. I created the iX Conference Speak Out oratory contest in order to draw out future ICT leaders from local universities and colleges. And past winners have typically gone on to demonstrate leadership in various ways - so it works.

It was interesting to note that the young lady we chose for two years as moderator of the iX Conference has been selected as valedictorian at SMU's commencement ceremony today. Alvina Teh (pictured above) is a 4.0 GPA business management graduate with poise, smarts and a great speaking voice. She was on the Dean's List for 3 years and participated in an exchange programme with Wharton School. She helped set up the campus radio and television club, which promotes emcee services, and we identified her talent while planning iX Conference 2005. She subsequently authored the successful how-to book "Ace Your Driving Theory Test", and founded her own publishing business.

All of this reinforces what the Rotary Club and ToastMasters have demonstrated for years: good public speakers make great leaders.