To me March 28th was a lucky day. It was on that particular

　　evening that I found myself at central stage, in the

　　spotlight. Winning the 21st CenturyEricsson Cup Seventh

　　National English Speaking Competition is a memory that I shall

　　treasure and one that will surely stay.

　　More important than winning the Cup is the friendship that has

　　been established and developed among the contestants, and the

　　chance to communicate offstage in addition to competing

　　onstage. Also the competition helps boost public speaking in

　　China, a skill hitherto undervalued.

　　For me, though, the competition is a more personal experience.

　　Habitually shy, I had been reluctant to take part in any such

　　activities. Encouraged by my friends, however, I made a

　　last-minute decision to give it a try. In the course of

　　preparation I somehow rediscovered myself, a truer me.

　　I found that, after all, I like communicating with other

　　people; that exchanging views can be so much fun―and so much

　　rewarding, both emotionally and intellectually; that public

　　speaking is most effective when you are least guarded; and

　　that it is essential to success in every walk of life.

　　At a more practical level, I realized knowing what you are

　　going to say and how you are going to say it are equally

　　important. To take the original ideas out of your head and

　　transplant them, so to speak, to that of others, you need to

　　have an organized mind. This ability improves with training.

　　Yet there should not be any loss or addition or distortion in

　　the process. Those ideas that finally find their way into

　　another head need to be recognizably yours. Language is a

　　means to transmit information, not a means to obstruct

　　communication. It should be lucid to be penetrating.

　　In China, certain public speaking skills have been unduly

　　emphasized. Will it really help, we are compelled to ask, to

　　bang at the podium or yell at the top of your lungs, if you

　　have come with a poorly organized speech, a muddled mind, and

　　unwillingness to truly share your views?

　　Above all, the single most important thing I learnt was that

　　as a public speaker, you need to pay attention, first and

　　foremost, to the content of your speech. And second, the

　　structure of your speech: how one idea relates and progresses

　　to another.

　　Only after these come delivery and non-verbal communication:

　　speed control, platform manner, and so on. Pronunciation is

　　important, yet of greater importance is this: Is your language

　　competent enough to express your ideas exactly the way you

　　intend them to be understood?

　　I was informed afterwards that I was chosen to be the winner

　　for my appropriately worded speech, excellent presence and

　　quick-witted response. In so remarking, the judges clearly

　　showed their preference: they come to listen for meaningful

　　ideas, not for loose judgments, nor easy laughters.

　　Some contestants failed to address their questions head on.

　　Some were able to, but did not know where to stop―the dragging

　　on betrayed their lack of confidence. The root cause was that

　　they did not listen attentively to the questions. Or they were

　　thinking of what they had prepared.

　　As I said in my speech, It is vitally important that we young

　　people do more serious thinking ... to take them [issues like

　　globalization] on and give them honest thinking is the first

　　step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges

　　coming our way. We need to respond honestly.

　　A competition like this draws talented students from all over

　　the country. And of course, I learnt more things than just

　　about public speaking. Since in th

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