“Peter…”
“Yes, Uncle Ben….”
I have been shot,
“The last thing I want to teach you is,
With great power, it comes great responsibility.”
Fellow Toastmasters, honorable guests, and my little spiders, do you agree with that, “great power comes with great responsibility”?
Some part of me disagrees with it.
Let me share my story with you.
Most of us, even me, think that we must learn something or become experts before we can apply the skills in the higher position. But I was wrong.
One year ago, I had a dream to speak fluent English in front of the public but I couldn’t express myself well.
When I spoke, my eyes were staring straight at the audience, my nose could smell the salty sweat, my hand felt cold, my heart was racing, and my ear could hear each beat of my heart jumping.
I was in pain, suffering and I messed up when I had the opportunity to present myself yet I did not perform well.
Despite my poor performance, my mentor offered me an exco role as a VPE, Vice President Education which is second highest after the President.
At the same time, he asked, James, why do you want to speak English fluently?
Because I want to express my ideas.
Why do you want to let others know your thoughts?
Because I want to be understood.
Because I want to make myself heard.
Then I become VPE. As some members know how difficult the job of VPE is, I not only need to prepare the agenda, but also have to approach our own club members to give a speech, and ask members from other clubs to play external roles.
Eventually, my English-speaking skill started to improve.
After a few months, I challenged myself to host a club meeting, but I did terribly for the first time.
I was frustrated and locked myself into the darkness and tried to run away from the responsibilities of a VPE.
One evening, my son gave me a compliment. He said,” you are Spiderman.” “Why?” “Because Spiderman never gives up and he will continue to fight for justice like you.”
From that day onwards, I swear to myself. I must stand up from where I fell. I activated my turbo engine, used double hard work to learn all the skills of an emcee.
Finally, I possess the great power now.
I am more confident and positive, I can socialize with strangers, speak well in English and I noticed that I am happier and smile more than before.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is not about you taking the responsibility after you can do the job well. It is about when you don’t know how to do it yet you take up the responsibility, then great responsibility grows great power.
Do not take the wrong sequence in your life.
It’s not because you see the hope then you persist, but rather because you persist then you see the hope.
It’s not because you are wealth so that you study, but rather because you study so that you can be wealthy.
It’s not because there is a market then we explore, but rather because we explore then there is a market.
What are you waiting for?
Join Toastmasters and you can be happier
Deliver more speeches, and you can speak better.
Take the VPE role, and you can get the great power as spiderman.
Feedback for the Speaker
Peter, this was a great speech about the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own development. You spoke with clarity and emotion, engaging the audience throughout.
Strengths:
1. Content:
The content of your speech was well organized and had a clear focus. You provided a personal example to illustrate the message of your speech which effectively made it relatable to the audience.
2. Structure:
You used a clear structure which consisted of an introduction, body and conclusion. This was an effective way to organize your speech and the audience was able to follow your ideas and arguments easily.
3. Language:
The language of your speech was appropriate and effective. You used vivid language to bring your story and message to life.
4. Message:
Your message was powerful and inspiring. You used your personal story to emphasise the importance of taking responsibility for one’s own actions and development.
Areas of Improvement:
1. Engagement:
You could have used more public speaking techniques to engage the audience further. For example, you could have asked questions throughout your speech and invited the audience to give their opinion or feedback.
2. Vocal Variety:
Your vocal variety could have been improved. You spoke in a monotone for most of the speech and this could have been more engaging for the audience if you had changed the tone of your voice for emphasis.
Overall, this was a great speech and you should be proud of your achievement. Keep up the great work and continue to improve your public speaking skills.