UTC - UEH ISB Toastmasters Club Training Workshop

University Toastmasters Club (UTC) - UEH ISB - Body Language & Vocal Variety

I started writing this blog 2 years ago, but got incredibly busy with work! So now, we’re BACK! I’ve got loads to share, so many speaking events and exciting happenings!

Let’s roll it back to October 2023. I was invited to the UTC Toastmasters Club to do a 2 hour training on Body Language and. Vocal Variety.

Now, I could easily do a 2 hour workshop on both of these topics. But, combining them both into one was a little bit of a challenge. It’s a lot to cover in a couple hours, especially with activities for the Club Members.

BODY LANGUAGE

One of the most important thing about training workshops is getting the attendees involved and getting them to interact!

We had a blast, especially with the Body Language Gestures activity: How many different ways can you express the emotion of love?

In this next photo, I was trying to impress upon the Club Members the importance of standing with a confident but casual posture and get them to avoid covering themselves up!

So many times, speakers end up putting their arms in front of their mid-section, covering their precious areas, in a subconcious defense mechanism.

Here I am demonstrating how some speakers tend to overdo it with gestures!

Clearly I look a little too locked into the physicality of gesturing.

Maybe too much? hahaha

VOCAL VARIETY

In the second half of the training, we talked about how to vary up your voice for a more interesting speech experience. We call this Vocal Variety.

We talked about 5 different ways to vary up your voice during a speech:

• Volume

• Pace

• Emotional Tone

• Pitch

• Pause

The best part about training workshops is the relationships you form. This young man is a legend, phenomenal leader in his community, Thai An! And a speech contest winner too, btw.

I was incredibly thankful to see some of my friends from Hot Cool Milk Toastmasters show up for the workshop as well! Much love to HCM TM, including the legendary Panda Le!!

UEH Debate 2023 - ISB Round Finals Gala Night

I was all dolled up & ready to go!

What an inspiring event!

Recently, I was invited to be a Judge at the UEH University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City & International School of Business (ISB) Debate Finals.

I am thankful for the invitation from the ISB Academic Team. This group is such a pleasure to work with.

The student volunteers at ISB are always so helpful, and pleasant.

[𝐔𝐄𝐇 𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 - ISB ROUND] MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF THE GALA NIGHT - ENGLISH LEAGUE

The journey of the UEH DEBATE 2023 - ISB Round has officially ended with an unforgettable Finale with so many emotions and memorable experiences. See more info on their Facebook page here.

I never participated in Debate when I was in high school or college. Not even sure that my schools had debate teams.

Here I am reviewing the rules with fellow Judge Daniel who is an adjunct Professor of International Business on the side and an executive at GSK for his full time job.

Final Debate Topic: Degrowth

Degrowth is a purposeful strategy to stabilize economies and achieve social and ecological goals, unlike recession, which is chaotic and socially destabilizing and occurs when growth-dependent economies fail to grow. - Nature Journal

I have to admit this is a very challenging topic! I found myself swinging back and forth from one side to another as the students passionately argued their positions.

For more info, see here.

Both teams got to say a few words before the event began. If I could summarize the students in one word it would be HUMBLE.

Team FERN

Team ACE

After the 2 teams brilliantly performed, the Judges were invited to share some feedback.

Mr. Pham Dinh Que Chuong - MBA Lecturer, Operation Director of GSK

Mr Pham Tuan Anh - ISB Lecturer

Mr Nguyen Manh Hung - Former President of HCM Toastmasters Club

Mr. Chris Le - EAP Lecturer, Former President of UEH-ISB Toastmasters Club

I did my best to encourage them, but they don’t need much! They’re already superstars!

And by this time…the pressure was off for the two final teams!

Here is a pic of the 2nd Runner Up team, along with my good friend Chris Le.

Here is the 1st Runner Up team, TEAM ACE, who performed beautifully, but alas, there is only one winner in this event.

And now, here is the winning team, TEAM FERN!!!

A huge highlight of the night for me was after the event ended, and we were chatting with the students on stage. When I went to congratulate Team FERN, two of the students told me that they attended my November workshop “Level Up Your Charisma” and they incorporated some of what they learned in the Debates!

I can’t adequately express how happy this made me feel.

Another pic of Daniel and I choppin’ it up.

Fellow Judges, including my good friend Hung Nguyen (to my right).

And, lastly the phenomenal crew, the ISB Academic Team! These students leave no stone unturned when planning events. I can’t ask for better support!

I look forward to participating in more events at UEH-ISB in the future!

ICIS Public Speaking Club - 'The North Star' Event

September 20, 2020

I was honored to be a Speaker at the ICIS Public Speaking Club - The North Star event at the PHIN workshop cafe in Biên Hòa province!

Lots of people helped make this event a success, but BIG kudos to the core team of organizers:

• Giang My

• Tram Anh

• Thanh Thao

• Ha Mi

• Hai Dong

• Nam Binh

The PHIN Workshop was a really great space for an event with the 2nd floor overlooking the main lobby.

Event Theme: ‘IKIGAI’

Ikigai, this Japanese concept that translates to ‘reason for life’ comes from a region in Japan that boasts the most 100 year old people (Centenarians). Their secret to a long and prosperous life is to satisfy your Ikigai.

Finding one’s ‘reason for living’ involves 4 parts:

1. What you love to do

2. What you are good at

3. What the world needs

4. What you can be paid for

If you can satisfy ALL of these 4 things, then CONGRATS! You have found the sweet spot, your Ikigai. And you will live to be 100! Maybe.

I shared my Ikigai story centering around 2 things:

Arts and Travel

Thankfully, I’ve always known I wanted to pursue the arts. It definitely fits right into all 4 sections of the Ikigai Venn diagram. And I’ve been doing it successfully for over 20 years.

Another component that I introduced into my life 4 years ago was international Travel. This has inspired me on many levels to be a better artist!

It was great to meet the 2 other Speakers: Vy, and Sally, both bright young superstar Saigonese women! Vy talked about Personal Branding, and Sally discussed Business.

The organizers did a fantastic job in putting on a very successful event. Look at me, I’m happy!

The audience for this event was basically a bunch of super smart kids—-future leaders! The organizers are graduates from the Luong The Vinh, High School for the Gifted.

I was super impressed with not only the English fluency, but the forward thinking questions that on their minds. Very inspiring young people!

This future pilot kid was a legend. Flirtin’ right there during the opener, havin’ the time of his life!

Great participation for everything!

I really appreciated all of the work that went into the event—-like the graphics they created for the flyers, posters etc.

Kudos to the talented graphic designer, Ha Mi!

Great job by the emcees who kept things flowing and led the group in ridiculous ice-breakers:

The first Speaker was a rep from an event sponsor school and not only does he win BEST DRESSED award—he brought a great charisma to the stage!

Oh, here’s me:

Including this one cuz I look a lil demon eyed!

Sally talking about her experience in business:

And lastly, Vy to bring it home!

Everyone seemed to be having a good time!

Break-out Discussions

After the speakers finished, we broke out into 3 smaller groups, and attendees could bounce around and check each group out.

Sally was discussing Business.

Vy was Personal Branding and Public Speaking:

Here is my little world, Arts and Travel.

Here is the charming and talented Tram Anh! She was my contact for the event and she was awesome! A great speaker too, by the way. Vietnam, watch out for this superstar leader in the future!

The final section was Q & A, and these bright youngsters had me stumped a couple times! DEEP.

After-party pics, with some of the organizers and attendees!

And, that’s a wrap! Fun, motivating, and I always learn something at each of these events.

I get inspired too, especially by the youth of Vietnam and around the world. On a Saturday afternoon, they could be anywhere. But they’re a high school kid at a networking event trying to better themselves.

Parents of these organizers and students in attendance should be very proud. And to the parents of any students that want to become a professional artist:

Let them go for it! Support them!

Maybe, they will find their Ikigai. And live to be 100. :)

Foster Vietnam Workshop

Last November, I was invited to deliver a workshop for Foster Vietnam. Foster offers a variety of platforms targeted at Vietnamese youths who want to develop their concealed abilities and most importantly, make their voices and opinions on current problems heard.

Read more about Foster here.

One of the guys that I coached in the ISB Gavel Arena Contest earlier in the year, is one of the organizers of Foster Vietnam. Ngô Minh Triết, aka Triet (to me with my Viet English), is a fantastic speaker and also a great leader!

Here’s Triet running around before the event.

The event Reas-onate and was held at the prestigious Hoa Sen University with the average age of the attendees ~17 or 19. Mostly high schoolers, with some university students.

I love the challenge of working with the youth and trying to inspire them to find their voice. I am really impressed with the younger generations here in Vietnam, because they are fiercely driven!

Culturally, they tend to be very humble and even a bit shy. This is a great combination for being coachable. They know they need to gain confidence speaking in groups and they are very receptive to feedback.

This crowd was a total blast!

At first, I shared some of the things I know about the psychology of speaking in public.

And, then I spent a good amount of time focusing on how easy it is to construct a speech with a piece of paper and a simple outline. This method was taught to me by my late mentor Peter Bunce:

1. Fold the paper in half, twice = 4 quadrants.

2. On the top left quadrant, write down your topic and specific purpose, “What do you want to audience to get from the speech?”

3. On the top right quadrant, write out a short introduction, 1-3 sentences

4. On the bottom left quadrant, list out 3 bullet points, that represent the 3 sections of the body of your talk

5. On the lower right quadrant, write out your Conclusion, 1-3 sentences

THAT’S IT!

This simple method will allow you to craft a speech, presentation or talk in a very short amount of time. This technique focuses on creating an outline, not writing a full script. First, you need to choose your topic. Second, identify your exact purpose. Write your Introduction completely, 2-3 sentences.

Super simple. No need to write a speech completely. If you choose a topic that you are knowledgable about, you should be able to deliver a speech from this simple outline.

Check out my YouTube video which shows the step by step instructions:

And then, we moved into some more interactive group play, mostly centered around body language, facial expressions and vocal range.

The last third of the meeting, I invited the audience members to sign up to give a speech, based on the outline and organization we practiced in the first part of the meeting. I was expecting only a couple of brave souls to stand up and present.

But we had at least 8 students who wanted to speak!

I love that type of participation! Usually, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get students excited to practice public speaking. I think that just proves how bold and brave the Vietnamese youth is!

At the end, I was presented with a great gift from my good friend Triet, and the folks at Foster Vietnam!

It was an honor and a pleasure to share some of my experience with this group and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

If you are a Vietnamese youth, I highly recommend checking out Foster Vietnam! This group is a fantastic organization that provides a ton of value for its members!

We're Talkin' About Practice

There’s a famous post-game interview with former NBA star Allen Iverson, who when asked about whether missed practices affected his shooting went on a cringeworthy & condescending tirade repeating the phrase, “Practice?  We’re talkin’ bout practice. We're not talkin' bout the game.  We talkin' about practice.”  

Allen Iverson (AI) was a veteran All-Star NBA point guard!!!  He didn’t need PRACTICE!  

...or, did he?  

When it comes to conquering your fear of public speaking, practice is EVERYTHING.  

And, I’m not talking about practicing at home in front of your mirror (which can be valuable).  

We’re talkin’ about practice - in front of a LIVE audience.

Years ago, I realized I needed to brush up on public speaking and my first thought was "I should read some books about it."  (cop out)  I read a bunch.  One of my favorites was and still is: The Exceptional Presenter, by Tim Koegel.  

But, reading about techniques and practicing techniques are two very different things.  

Sooner or later, you’re going to have to get up in front of people.

Things change when you're in front of a live audience.  All eyes are on you.  You may feel your heart rate increase, have trouble breathing or feel shaky.  People often describe public speaking as an out of body experience!  “It was all a blur!”

The reality is that the audience doesn't notice these symptoms.  They’re not inside your head and they can’t feel your heartbeat.  It is very common to have a physical and emotional reaction to speaking in front of a group.  This is why we’re talkin’ bout practice!

The more times you get up in front of a group, the easier it gets.  It’s like strength training.  The more reps you do, the stronger you get.

My mentor, the late Peter Bunce, used to say:

“Never turn down a speaking opportunity.”  

Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes.  The more you practice, the better prepared you will be when you really want to impress your audience!

But, how do you get practice reps?  You can find opportunities and make opportunities for yourself in everyday life.  Here are some ideas:

1) Volunteer to speak in staff meetings.  Don’t just wing it and fumble through your weekly update at the company staff meeting.  Spend some time carefully constructing your update.  Edit your words and aim to impress!   

2) Prepare a story for your next dinner party.  Maybe something funny happened to you during the week?  Remember that every good story has a beginning, middle and an end.  Great stories include dialogue.  And, the suspense in your story should build to climax.  Practice telling your story to your best friend, your mom, your spouse, etc. Tell it in group formats and pay attention to how the story is received.  

3) Join a new group on Meetup.com.  Meetup is a fantastic resource for tons of different affinity groups.  Public speaking clubs, foreign language clubs, networking clubs, etc.  Maybe join a book club where you are discussing the books in a group setting?  There are tons of different groups to join and guarantee you'll be forced to be social and speak in a group setting.  

4) Volunteer to read at church, temple, etc.  If you’re a religious person, ask your leadership if you could read a passage during the next session.  Or, volunteer to say Grace at your next family dinner?  Or, maybe you’re involved in 12 step meetings?  Ask the organizers if you can lead a meeting.  Religious and spiritual groups are great places to speak at.

5) Share your knowledge.  Most companies foster peer-to-peer teaching.  They often feature “Lunch n Learn” series where anyone can present their work, process or vision in an informal setting.  Or, if you don’t have a typical 9 to 5 job, you can bring your series to a local library, coffee shop, etc.  You are an expert in something and you can provide value!  

6) Join a local Toastmasters Club.  There are ~130,000 clubs worldwide.  Membership is cheap, and can be written off on your taxes.  Toastmasters is a supportive, learn-by-doing workshop.  Totally self paced and self-guided.  

7) Opportunities are all around you!  Open your eyes and you'll find ways to practice.  Don't shy away from being a leader.  If you want to improve, never turn down a speaking opportunity.  And, figure out ways to make opportunities.

Practice, practice, practice!  

Yeah, we're talkin' about practice. 

Allen Iverson was one of the greatest point guards of all time in the NBA.  And, despite his hilarious rant about practice, you can bet your butt he achieved all of this through good ole fashioned:

PRACTICE!

If you are serious about improvement, don't hesitate to contact me.  I provide one-on-one coaching and can help you take your game to the next level!

Email me at: itsMattSherwood@gmail.com

THE Public Speaking Course: Los Angeles, California

Culver City, Los Angeles, CA

Saturday May 6th and May 7th

Back in May, I hosted a 2 day intensive workshop and while only two courageously career-driven professionals were in attendance, it was a fun two days and both Celeste and Becky got a ton of great techniques and one-on-one coaching!

Below is a list of the format for the event and for future events like it:

Day 1: Tips and Techniques
- Learn how to loosen up; play improv games and learn warm up exercises will make you feel at ease and get you out of your own head
- Deliver a prepared speech that is videotaped and reviewed, highlighting your strengths and identifying areas for improvement
- Study tried and true speech structure methods for organizing any speech, from an informational work update, to a persuasive sales pitch, or an entertaining toast
- Understand basic speech delivery techniques; build a solid foundation so that you can connect with your audience

Day 2: Practice and Polish
- Practice advanced speaking styles; take your game to the next level and get the audience eating out of the palm of your hand
- Write and perform mini speeches based on topics of your choice, testing out new techniques in a fun and playful, fast paced format
- Receive customized coaching and set individualized goals for how to maximize your newfound skills in the real world
- Deliver your initial prepared speech, incorporating all the new and improved tips, techniques and style that you’ve learned in the last two days

All attendees get 1 free hour of coaching after completing the weekend seminar.

Speak To Succeed: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Thursday, November 17th, 2016

I was super inspired meeting some of the brightest, hungriest leaders from Kuala Lumpur at a Remote Year networking event with YSEALI (Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative).  One young lady, Sherry asked me to speak to the students at her middle school (15-16 yr olds).  My mentor once told me, “Take every speaking opportunity you can get, Matthew.”  OK, I can't say no!

It is a challenge trying to sell Malaysian teenagers on the importance of communication and public speaking for their future.  Of all the things on a teenager's mind, wanting to be up in front of a group is uuuuusually not one of them. Not to mention, there is a slight language barrier here.  Most kids speak basic English, but some are more fluent than others.  

But, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

Last May, I spoke to a group of high schoolers in La Paz, Bolivia.  It was a bit of a snooze fest.  A yawn-a-thon.  I feel like I lost ‘em halfway through and couldn’t reel ‘em back in.  Up to that point, all of my workshops had been with adult audiences.  Speaking to students is a different ball of wax!  I vowed to learn from it.

The event was at a secondary school in KL:  The SMK Taman Maluri School.  Before I was about to go on, the students seemed a little antsy.  It was hot outside (at least to me, they're probably used to it) and they had been sitting for a while already, listening to local filmmaker, Sham Sunder.  I was feeling the excitement, bigly!  I knew I had to keep the energy up if I wanted the crowd to stay with me.  And I was expecting them to talk over me---especially the kids in the back.

But, I was pleasantly surprised!  ~100 students seemed dialed in.  They listened attentively, and participated whenever I asked them.  I spoke for an hour.  Once or twice I felt the audience was getting a little antsy---but I switched things up and was able to reel ‘em back in.  

It was an incredibly exciting experience, interacting with these young Malay kids...finding out what their hopes and dreams are...and trying to motivate them to achieve their dreams! 

I met a future Oscar winning actor, “the next Angelina Jolie”!

I met the future President of Malaysia!  

I met a future Marketing Manager for a beauty products company!

I met future software engineers.  

And, I met students who simply said, they just wanted to work hard and make their parents proud.  :]

I learned a LOT from these students!  And I think they seemed inspired.  Overall, the energy was amazing.  

And after I was done, the school presented me with a beautiful fruit basket and a certificate of appreciation.

If the amount of selfies requested is an indicator of success, I’d say the event was a success!

I left there elated and inspired.  I realized I want to focus more of my time on working with the youth.  This was way more fulfilling and exciting than adult training.  

Communicate Like Cousteau: Cusco, Peru

Cusco, Peru

Wednesday, June 29th 2016

Last Wednesday, I hosted a sold-out speaking workshop in Cusco for my fellow Remotes.  My hotel had a sweet space called the ‘Sun Room’ which felt perfectly Zen for practicing public speaking.  

In honor of my friend and mentor: Cole GP who passed suddenly, the theme for the evening centered around Improv.  We had an interactive discussion on the difference between acting vs public speaking, and improv vs preparation.  

And, we played one of Cole’s favorite games, ‘Best/Worst’, in which the speaker must argue both sides of an impromptu topic on the front and back end of 1 minute.  Best/Worst is a challenging game, but always yields ridiculous results and lots of laughs!!!  

One thing I love is seeing people come out of their shell and shine like a superstar.  Some people claim to be super shy, but when they get on stage, they turn into a rock star!  That was the case with all 4 stellar storytellers!  

Natalie shared a hilarious tale entitled “One Grey Day”, about a first date that ended up with a smoking car and 3 fire trucks on the side of the road. Abe recalled a spring break story about almost inadvertently getting arrested for indecent exposure.  

Kelly shared the tale of both earning and expunging her criminal record for illegally cutting down a Christmas tree.  

And, finally, Jess had us in stitches as she told “A Story About Her Butt” and the training and preparation she took to trek on the Inca Trail.

All 4 storytellers were in the zone in the Zen Sun Room.  I’m very proud of everyone who came out to the event, and I hope they all found value in it.  I know I did. 

Communication Community: Los Angeles, California

Culver City, California

July 2015 through February 2016

Two years ago, I started a workshop series in the Culver City area of Los Angeles, called "Communication Community.  The workshops were held every 2-3 weeks and were free to join.  I did most of my advertising on Meetup.com and Facebook.  

Over the course of ~6 - 7  months, I conducted 11 workshops and the group started to gain some traction, with an average attendance of 12-15.

Every workshop was custom created and unique.  Sometimes I would focus on speech delivery, sometimes I would focus on vocal technique and sometimes I would focus on some of my favorite speakers, comedians or orators.  

But, the general meeting format was typically similar.  We would start off with warmup exercises, mixing improv games, with stretching.  Then, I would spend a bit of time on instruction, hosting interactive discussions with the group on various speaking topics.  Following the discussion I would give the group an assignment, asking them to craft a mini-speech based on a certain topic.  And, almost always, I would have a keynote speaker to end the event.  

 Unfortunately, I had to end the series when I decided to travel abroad with Remote Year.  But, it was a great learning experience, and a great way to grow my personal coaching business.