UEH-ISB Workshops: Level Up Your Charisma

Wednesday - Thursday, October 12 - 13th

UEH-ISB Campus 2: 279 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Ward 5, District 10, HCMC

This past October, I was honored to deliver multiple workshops for the first year students’ Orientation Week at the University of Economics - International School of Business. Check them out on their Website, Youtube, Facebook, and Linkedin.

The Events Team at UEH-ISB has been a great partner of mine for a few years and it is always a pleasure to work with the staff and students! Many thanks to Mỹ Kim for continuing to invite me!

Here I am before the first event with the Head of International Business, Mr Khanh Ngo:

Level Up Your Charisma is a soft skills workshop aimed at helping students develop their communication and leadership skills.

This is the 3rd time I’ve done this workshop, and I do believe this is the best version yet! The 3rd time’s the charm!

It took a little coaxing to get the students out of their seats, but I am thankful for all the enthusiasm and energy of the participants!

These students are some of the brightest and best in Vietnam!

I will say that I wish masks were not needed, but as a workshop trainer, you need to adapt and adjust.

These are the future superstar leaders of Vietnam!

Here is a link to the post on Facebook for the full set of pics.

Overall, it seemed like the event was very well received! I look forward to conducting this workshop again in other universities, companies, new cities and new countries!

If you are interested in working with me, feel free to contact me: itsMattSherwood@gmail.com.

As I was leaving, this get together was happening in the first floor—-wow, I remember how fun it was to be a university student! Alas…

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!

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. 

Communicate Like Cousteau: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Monday, April 25th 2016

On Remote Year, my workshops are called “Communicate Like Cousteau”.  (RY3 code name = Cousteau)    Jacques Cousteau was a true Renaissance man.  A revolutionary scientist, explorer, filmmaker, conservationist, photographer, author, etc.  Remote Year 3  is comprised of 70 professionals from around the world, who are all incredibly bright, innovative and adventurous.  We have artists, engineers, writers, photographers, entrepreneurs, etc.  And, we are ALL explorers.  Pioneers of the digital nomadic world.

Cousteau was also an orator who often gave speeches about his ground-breaking work and political views.  I think Cousteau would be proud of us.  And, I hope we honor his name.  

The 2nd workshop was a little more challenging than the first Our co-working offices didn't quite have the space for the type of event I wanted.  I had to go outside the inner circle, which presented logistics and linguistic challenges!

La Ninina is a local cafe in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires and a favorite amongst my fellow travelers.  They have a gorgeous 1st floor private room that screamed 'BOOK ME!!!' as soon as I saw it.  There is a window overlooking the kitchen, which reflects a lot of light into the space and creates a comfy ambience. 

For this second workshop, the group doubled in size.  18 total attendees.  I think using EventBrite to track invitations AND having the event at such a cool venue helped to bolster the numbers.  And, perhaps word got around that these events are actually fun?  

The theme of the night centered around the late great musician: Prince, who was an incredibly talented musician who liked to take risks.  While some of Prince's quotes are less than inspiring (See list) I really liked this one, as I feel it is very apropos to the fear of public speaking:

Prince: "The most important thing is to be true to yourself, but I also like danger. That's what's missing from pop music today. There's no excitement or mystery."

To warm up the audience, I had them alternate verses of famous Prince songs: Kiss and 1999, which was hilarious because none of us can hit the high notes like the legend himself!  We then had an interactive discussion about the various ways to use our voices to enhance our speech.  After the discussion, I invited audience members up to tell a short story.  Following the stories, we had a brief critique of the storytellers, talking about both positive aspects of their stories, and offering a few areas for improvement.  

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with how the first 2 Remote Year workshops have played out!

Communicate Like Cousteau: Cordoba, Argentina

Incutex Co-Working, Córdoba, Argentina

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016

In Córdoba, the first workshop was held on March 23rd, in the Incutex co-working space's conference room, the TechPub.  We had 9 in total, and the theme of the night centered around the late, great actor, comedian, and philanthropist Robin Williams.  There will never be another like him and I like to use him as an example of just how far you can push yourself in public speaking.  He was a master.  

We started off with some improv games, and for vocal warmups, we impersonated some of Robin's most famous movie quotes from Aladdin, Good Will Hunting and Good Morning Vietnam.  "Bueeeeeenaaaaas noooooooches, Cooooooooordooooobaaaaaa!"

Members of the group got up and told short stories based on something they are passionate about.  Super proud of these people for pushing themselves!

And lastly, we had a keynote speech from Melissa, who shared a hilarious life story that was honest, relatable and inspirational.  Melissa involved the audience in the speech and had us in stitches with her humorously daring topic!

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.