The FAQ Book - On Public Speaking

Some of my friends are really successful.

Nic, Weiqi and Sam won the local Superband competition and went on to release their very own album as Mi Lu Bing, gaining thousands of fans in the process.


Now, another one of my friends, Eric Feng, has co-authored and released a highly acclaimed book on public speaking, titled The FAQ Book on Public Speaking. It has been selling like hot cakes although only the electronic version is currently available.

Pretty amazing for a fresh NUS graduate. Eric's also a personal speech consultant and has Irene Ang as a mentor. Enough of my singing his praises, read more about Eric here and read his Public Speaking Blog here.

Eric gives solid, practical advice in his book, advice that we can put into use immediately and not general mambo jumbo you get from motivational speakers asking you to be positive, visualize success blah blah. I hate those stuff as much as I hate shallow sermons, so yes, I'm a huge fan of The FAQ Book.

For example, here's an excerpt that I took from a website writing about his book, since I can't copy and paste directly from the ebook:

1) Stage time, Stage time, Stage time
You can read all the books on public speaking in this world but nothing’s going to happen unless you go ahead and apply what you learned. Don’t be just a learner, be a doer and make use of the tips from the book. That’s definitely the fastest way to become a better speaker!

2) Get yourself a mentor
All successful people have mentors. Need I say more?

3) Be sincere
Speak with the intention to help your audience. Your sincerity will naturally shine through.

4) Content is King!
When you get up that stage and speak, realize that you are taking up people’s precious time. Always make sure that you have quality content that your audience can benefit from. Remember this question every time you make a speech: “What’s in it for them?”

5) Observe winners (and Losers)
Many people tend to only look at the winners so that they can model their success. It’s equally important to observe the “losers” so you know what NOT to do when you are up on that stage.

Of course the book gives a lot more practical advice but don't take it from me, download the free chapter and check it out yourself =) or if you're lazy to sign up, msg me on msn and I'll send it to you.

There's a hell lot more information in the book's website here where you can also purchase the e-book for SGD$30. If you're interested in this book, either follow the links from my blog or message me on msn for the direct link =)

Oh anyway, Eric was my tutor for CS1105, one of the lamest modules in School of Computing, but he turned his tutorials into debates on technological and ethical issues, dishing out public speaking tips for free.

In fact, Japheth and I learned a hell lot simply by watching him and seeing how he carries himself, and how he manages to make the class comfortable, even getting them to contribute significantly to the discussions; trust me, Computing students have really tight lips.

Ok so once again, to purchase the book, click here =)