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 Century·Ericsson 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 publ
　　
　　ic speaking. Since in th