10 Tips for Public Speaking

1.Know your material.
This is a very important part because without knowing your material, you are mostly

2.Practice. Practice. Practice!
You must practice your speech every time, so that you will able to give a smooth speech without any mistakes. As you know, practice makes perfect.

3.Know the audience.
By knowing the audiences, you will know what standard of language you should use. For example, if you are giving a speech to a group of lecturer, you must use a high standard of english.

4.Know the room.
Before you give a speech, make sure you know where is the microphone and the tools for visual aids so that you don't have to waste time hunting for it during the speech.

5.Relax.
During the speech, just relax and take your time. There is no need for a rush if there is no time limit.

6.Visualize yourself giving your speech.
Before giving the speech, you should try to visualize your own speech in front of the audiences to gain confidences.

7.Realize that people want you to succeed.
You should keep in mind that your audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining in your speech.

8.Don’t apologize
If you have done something wrong, try not to apologize to the audience because they might not notice it.

9.Concentrate on the message – not the medium.
Focus only on your message and audience and nothing else.

10.Gain experience.
The more public speaking you practice in life, you will slowly gain experience and confidence for your next speech.

In conclusion, every one of us will face public speaking in life whether it is in our workplace or studyplace.Therefore, we cannot run away from it.

Retrieved from http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp

Gestures

hey say a picture paints a thousand words – and the same can certainly be said for gestures. We all subconsciously give away hints as to our true feelings, through our movements and gestures. This is a list of 25 examples of body language.

Gestures 1 – 5

Gesture: Brisk, erect walk
Meaning: Confidence

Gesture: Standing with hands on hips
Meaning: Readiness, aggression

Gesture: Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly
Meaning: Boredom

Gesture: Sitting, legs apart
Meaning: Open, relaxed

Gesture: Arms crossed on chest
Meaning: Defensiveness

Gestures 6 – 10

Gesture: Walking with hands in pockets, shoulders hunched
Meaning: Dejection

Gesture: Hand to cheek
Meaning: Evaluation, thinking

Gesture: Touching, slightly rubbing nose
Meaning: Rejection, doubt, lying

Gesture: Rubbing the eye
Meaning: Doubt, disbelief

Gesture: Hands clasped behind back
Meaning: Anger, frustration, apprehension

Gestures 11 – 15

Gesture: Locked ankles
Meaning: Apprehension

Gesture: Head resting in hand, eyes downcast
Meaning: Boredom

Gesture: Rubbing hands
Meaning: Anticipation

Gesture: Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed
Meaning: Confidence, superiority

Gesture: Open palm
Meaning: Sincerity, openness, innocence

Gestures 16 – 20

Gesture: Pinching bridge of nose, eyes closed
Meaning: Negative evaluation

Gesture: Tapping or drumming fingers
Meaning: Impatience

Gesture: Steepling fingers
Meaning: Authoritative

Gesture: Patting/fondling hair
Meaning: Lack of self-confidence; insecurity

Gesture: Quickly tilted head
Meaning: Interest

Gestures 21 – 25

Gesture: Stroking chin
Meaning: Trying to make a decision

Gesture: Looking down, face turned away
Meaning: Disbelief

Gesture: Biting nails
Meaning: Insecurity, nervousness

Gesture: Pulling or tugging at ear
Meaning: Indecision

Gesture: Prolonged tilted head
Meaning: Boredom

10 Ways to Communicate With Your Pets

1. Start noticing what your pet is paying attention to. What interests them and what's their reaction.

2. Start noticing your pet's facial expressions when you are talking to them. Relate that to what you've learned about reading other's faces to see what they are saying in their expressions. (Remember, babies can get their wants and desires across to their mothers and fathers with out crying out.) It's the beginning of communication.

3. Quiet your mind center yourself or learn how to meditate. It will quiet "the committee" in your head that try to check and recheck and triple check then categorizes the information that goes in and out of your thought process all day long. It will help you to detach from the, so called, logic override in your speech so you can speak to and for the animals.

4. Gently reach out and ask a simple question in your head. Is this question your issue or the pets? Be simple with it. Don't expect a complicated lengthy answer.

5. Allow the FIRST thing that comes into your mind to be verbalized by you. Then see what your pets reaction is. You might be surprised at their facial or vocal answer.

6. Don't think about, "Is this real?", "It can't be that!" Just try and
   observe your pets answer, facial, body, and vocal. Be detached from the outcome.

7. Try the new information out. See if it's a viable answer or if your pet has a sense of humor. Sometimes they will try and interject some humor when we take ourselves too seriously. Be light with it. Animals often feel humans are too serious with questions.

8. Now, have some play with your pet and lighten up. Practice talking to your pet about everything, like you would your friend or child. Love them. You can sing made up songs about them. Have fun!! Include their input in your household decisions. Keep it easy so then will feel free to come to you if something big is up for them.

9. Allow them their independence. No one likes to feel that their thoughts are constantly listened to, or that someone is trying to intrude into their space.

10. Practice and be easy with the questions and your intuition. No straining or you'll miss the meaning. Remember they "talk" to each other all the time without vocalizing. It's us, humans, that think we have to make noise to talk, not the animals.

The deadliest conversation sins

1. Conversation Hijacking
The Hijacker motive is to expect you to listen to them. They like to top your story and belittle it, while allowing little time for discussion or reaction to it. Usually it will create an unbalanced conversation between the Hijacker and the victim.

2. Eye Contact Issues
When someone is talking to you, we must have eye contact with that person whether it is interesting or not. It is because a good eye contact has a certain rhythm to it.

3. Ghost Listening
This is equivalent to a speaker talking to the wall just like falling on deaf ears. It is very impolite when someone speaks to you and you did not pay attention.

4. Making Tasteless Jokes
Sometimes we can joke with one another in a conversation but we must have our limit.

5. Me, Me, Me
In this conversation, the speaker only talks about his own life whereas he forgets to ask about the listener's life.

6. My Name is Negativity
For example, "I don't want to wash the dishes today because I am tired". Nobody likes to listen to a negative person.

7. Dead End Answering
It is by replying the speaker with "yes" or "no" just like being grilled by policemen. Therefore, in order to avoid this, we should say more.


In conclusion, we should avoid these bad conversation habits.

Retrieved from: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/the-10-deadliest-conversation-sins-803207

Evolution of Communication

Ardipithecus anamensis, which is one of the earliest human ancestors, 4.5 million years ago, and Australopithecus afarensis, 3.5 million years ago had brains that were much too small to support speech. Homo Habilis (2.5-1.8 million years ago) had a more advanced frontal lobe which is where speech is controlled from but its larynx was not positioned low enough to allow it to produce the range of sounds recognisable as speech.

It was, in fact, only about 300,000 years ago that human ancestors developed the larynx, pharynx, hyoid and skull base that rendered them physically capable of speech.

Retrieved from :http://linguistic-anthropology.suite101.com/article.cfm/evolution_of_communication

Mixed-race are often gorgeous people. Visually they don't only represent the races of their ancestor,but also their parents love to each other. they can represent something unique that a single race don't have. here are some celebrities, who represent the beauty of multiracial marriage.

Message

Being a muslim today, is way more challenging than what my muslim ancestors went through.

Just yesterday i watched this movie called My name is khan. Usually many people has this perception that bollywood movies are just about couples running around the trees and singing songs. My name is khan has not only made that statement false but also sent a remarkable message to all worlds residents about the true meaning of Islam and its purpose. i think everyone should watch it!!

His Legacy

Thirsty Fish

One night a baby fish was sleeping under some coral when God appeared to him in a dream. "I want you to go forth with a message to all the fish in the sea,"

God said. "What should I tell them?" the little fish asked. "Just tell them you’re thirsty," God replied. "And see what they do." Then without another word, He disappeared. The next morning the little fish woke up and remembered his dream. "What a strange thing God wants me to do," he thought to himself. But as soon as he saw a large tuna swimming by, the little fish piped up, "Excuse me, but I’m thirsty." "Then you must be a fool," then tuna said. And with a disdainful flick of his tail, he swam away. The little fish did feel rather foolish, but he had his orders. The next fish he saw was a grinning shark. Keeping a safe distance, the little fish called out, "Excuse me, sir, but I’m thirsty." "Then you must be crazy," the shark replied. Noticing a rather hungry look in the shark’s eye, the little fish swam away quickly.

All day he met cod and mackerels and swordfish and groupers, but every time he made his short speech, they turned their backs and would have nothing to do with him. Feeling hopelessly confused, the little fish sought out the wisest creature in the sea, who happened to be an old blue whale with three harpoon scars on his side. "Excuse me, but I’m thirsty!" the little fish shouted, wondering if the old whale could even see him, he was such a tiny speck. But the wise one stopped in his tracks. "You’ve seen God, haven’t you?" he said. "How did you know?" "Because I was thirsty once, too." The old whale laughed. The little fish looked very surprised. "Please tell me what this message from God means," he implored. "It means that we are looking for Him in the wrong places," the old whale explained. "We look high and low for God, but somehow He’s not there. So we blame Him and tell ourselves that He must have forgotten us. Or else we decide that He left a long time ago, if He was ever around." "How strange," the little fish said, "to miss what is everywhere." "Very strange," the old whale agreed. "Doesn’t it remind you of fish who say they’re thirsty?"

MICHAEL JACKSON

This is one of the many quotes by Michael Jackson. This multi talented star has written many more touching poems. R.I.P MJ!

gugu gaga

The old adage that babies are born with a clean slate, just waiting to be filled in by environmental stimuli, has been proved wrong time and time again. Infant language researchers believe that babies are born with a genetic aptitude for language. Studies have shown that mere hours after birth, a newborn can distinguish his mother's voice from that of another woman. At around four months of age, a baby smiles and recognizes his name. Babies only eight to nine months old can remember words from a story or a simple piece of music they have heard previously. By the time they say their first words around one year of age, children can understand hundreds more words; and once the language spigot is opened, the flow continues.

Yet, communication takes place long before a child speaks his first word. Mothers have learned to distinguish a "hunger" cry from an "I'm lonely, please pick me up" wail. A baby responds to his mother's voice with eye contact, coos, and gurgles, waving arms and legs, subtle body language, then not-so-subtle smiles and cries. A scolding or encouraging tone has come to mean everything, even before the words make sense.

Asking For Trouble: Mourinho gestures during Inter's match against Sampdoria

Inter boss guilty of controversial handcuffs gesture
MILAN: Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has been given a three-match ban and fined €40,000 (RM185,000) following his handcuffs gesture during a Serie A match against Sampdoria at San Siro last Saturday which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Inter defenders Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba both saw red in the match which promoting Mourinho to cross his arms in a gesture that interpreted as his way of suggesting his side were being victimised by officials.

The sanction was imposed by Lega Calcio, who stated it was because Mourinho "repeatedly challenged the officials, especially by mimicking handcuffs with his wrists and arms crossed, and faced the crowds and television cameras... Also, he insulted the referee and his assistants in the tunnel and also repeatedly insulted officials."

The moral of the incident is we should always be careful of any gestures we made in order to avoid trouble.

Retrieved from:http://www.mmail.com.my/content/28300-special-one-fined-and-banned

Thailand trip:)

My recent trip to Thailand was very much enjoyed:) I went to Bangkok and to Phuket. Yes I practically went crazy over shopping and the entertainment there is no doubt, interesting. Besides all these obvious enjoyments, like most of my travels, I took time to observe and understand their culture. In Bangkok, most locals there dont really speak English that much and it was pretty hard communicating with them. Therefore, sign and body languages had to be used frequently. It was harder too as i dont even speak chinese. Sometimes, their pronounciations for certain words sounds totally different and i even took it as something offensive when it was not suppose to be. After a couple of days over there, i adapted better to what they were trying to say. So i was basically adapting to them and their particular way of saying or doing things. However, language barriers got much easier over at Phuket:) Eventhough, Malaysia is just a neighbour to Thailand yet, there are so many culture and language differences.

Home

Went back to hometown for my CNY Celebration ~

There are more than two months i never went back home..

Once i reached home,

the feelings are so complicated..

It seems..i never left the home before..

Everything are so familiar with..

Although I don't see them for more than two months

Ya, Our home..will become our forever home

A place that you never left

A place that will accommodate you always

Home, is a place where we always be

I will never leave you

As, You never neglect me before..

The Fear of Public Speaking Statistics

Some surveys and research results show that most people rather die instead of talking in front of a live audience. This is a global fears top ten:

1. Fear of public speaking (Glossophobia)
2. Fear of death (Necrophobia)
3. Fear of spiders (Arachnophobia)
4. Fear of darkness (Achluophobia, Scotophobia or Myctophobia)
5. Fear of heights (Acrophobia)
6. Fear of people or social situations (Sociophobia)
7. Fear of flying (Aerophobia)
8. Fear of open spaces(Agoraphobia)
9. Fear of thunder and lightning(Brontophobia)
10. Fear of confined spaces(Claustrophobia)

Retrieved from: http://www.speech-topics-help.com/fear-of-public-speaking-statistics.html

How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear?

#1---Speaking in Public is NOT Inherently Stressful

#2---You Don't Have to be Brilliant or Perfect to Succeed

#3---All You Need is Two or Three Main Points

#4---You also Need a Purpose That is Right for the Task

#5---The Best Way to Succeed is NOT to Consider Yourself a Public Speaker!

#6---Humility and Humor Can Go a Long Way

#7---When You Speak in Public, Nothing "Bad" Can Ever Happen!

#8---You Don't Have to Control the Behavior of Your Audience

#9---In General, the More You Prepare, the Worse You Will Do

#10--Your Audience Truly Wants You to Succeed

Retrieved from: http://www.stresscure.com/jobstress/speak.html

Help Haiti!

After a devastating earthquake in Haiti recently, the charitable and generous side of everyone around the world was displayed. Here in Malaysia, different organizations quickly step in to rebuild the lives of these Haiti citizens, with the help of the public too. Most of the time, we tend to judge how stingy people can be by their everyday actions, but i'm sure we Malaysians also sympathize for the thousands of people who've lost their love ones, homes, and all their possessions. Glad to see everyone's doing their part to help whether big or small:) So help in any way possible:)

In Preparation for AniHelp 2010

Since AniHelp 2010 is coming around just in March, things are getting pretty intensed between all the team members. Have to admit though that I really got irritated with some of my team members due to their lack of communication with me or just no feedback whatsoever. But I cant just blame or point fingers at them because some of us may not feel the importance of it and are still learning it along the way. Eventhough Communication is important but Patience & Understanding is also needed.

Communication is Key

One of the keys to a great relationship is to communicate well with one another. I just came out of a one year relationship and about 50% of the fights and arguments that we had are based on misunderstandings or lack of communication. Sometimes we may overlook the importance of this, but just from the lack of communication between two parties, conflicts may arise and things may get ugly from all this. Sometimes just from slipping out a wrong word or sentence, something may trigger the other person to withdraw or even act violently. I definitely learn that i got to think before i say anything from now on:)

Is love really blind?

"But love is blind and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit;
For if they could, Cupid himself would blush
To see me thus transformed to a boy."

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act II Scene 6
Greatest English dramatist & poet (1564 - 1616)

Based on my opinion of this quote, I agree that love is blind because we cannot see and measure the love from our partner. Love is just only a feeling. As time goes by, the love feeling might slowly vanish into the atmosphere.

Retrieved from: http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/27501.html

Meanings of Hand Gestures

“ Words represent your intellect. Sound, gesture and movement represent your feelings.”
-Patricia Fripp-

Hand gestures are used by all the cultures to express, both negatively and positively which is a particular feeling or word. Even though every culture has its own gestures, but it the meaning is not the same universally.


That's enough! You've been warned:
It is used to admonish or warn a single individual. If translated into language it would say. "Stop whatever you are doing and pay attention to me. I am your superior and I am warning you!" Classed as a "silent" parent to child gesture, it is completely unacceptable in a professional environment where it will be interpreted as both rude and domineering. Some psychologists believe that it is a metaphor for the cane / whip.



Come On - I'm Running Out of Time:
It is a sign of impatience or irritation. When this action is done subconsciously it indicates that the person doing it feels that it is "time" for the communication to end. Where it is done consciously it is a subtle signal that the communication needs to move on or end. This gesture is rarely missed by people for whom it is intended. Those from the Middle East will perceive this as extremely rude because their culture believe that once a communication has started it must "take its time".


You!
Pointing at people in the West country is considered rude. It falls into the same category as "don't stare". The use of this hand gesture implies that a dominant- to-subordinate relationship is taking place. It is a brave or desperate employee that points their finger at a superior in this manner. Translated into language would state: "You! I'm not happy. You'd better pay very close attention because this is very personal to you." Each of us don't like to be pointed at. This gesture singles people out from the safe huddle of the crowd.

Retrieved from: http://www.aquiziam.com/gestures.html

When I cry you help me out
When I'm happy you hear me shout
When I grin you know I'm really mad
because you are my best friend
You can tell when I'm sad

You're there in thick and thin
You're my best friend
You hear me out when I want to talk
You help me out when I get mad
You are the bestest friend I've ever had

So hear me out when I say
You're the light in my day
You are the moon in my night
You shine very bright
You are the best friend I have
and I miss you,KIKI

Life is too short,
Don't waste a minute.
Enjoy each minute
And everyone in it

Tommorow will come
It could be your last
Make the most of today
Life passes too fast

a poem by, Shreeren Naadiya, past away in 2006 after suffering from brain tumor for 3 years..
Jabin sis love u so much....

All about LOVE.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace"
Jimi Hendrix

A quote said by one of the world's best guitarist and is something I try to live by daily. Nowadays, everyone's getting more caught up in obtaining worldly possessions than things that matter more, such as love and affection. How are conflicts between people suppose to be countered if all we want is to be more powerful than the other? I quote my lecturer saying that the best things in life are free. Well indeed they are, but we choose to argue with others over money, power, etc when what should be the foundation of our relationship is LOVE.
So spread the love around:)
R.I.P Jimi Hendrix

when north meets south

9th March 1985 is the day my parents, tied the knot and broke the rules that most of the indian wouldn't dare to break ( those days!) . its the day my mom proofed that she is unconditionally,deeply in love with dad. A month after marriage, the war ended. both my grandparents blessed their children and decided to do family gatherings. it's not my grammar mistake..there is a 's' for gathering. To be fair. There was two gathering. One at the north india, at my mom's home town and another at my dad's in south. The first gathering was held in Surat, Gujerat and the second was in tanjore,tamilnadu. Though the two family has become together, but there was problem in communication. my mom's parents speak Hindi and Guju, whereas, my dad's parents speak tamil. the solution for the problem was, a translater. My mom became translater for my dad's grandparents, whereas, my dad became translater for my mom's grandparents. Last year, at the 24th family gathering, my mom's mom, speak excellent tamil just like my late grandfather. My dad's parents speak guju and hindi just like north indians. maybe, this is the incident that made me love languages so much!

is it real?

Growing up in a quite conservative family, i've witnessed and experienced some unbelievelable, supernatural activities. i have even witnessed an exorcism once! It was my mom's friend. eventhough i have seen so many things happening around me, i am still not convinced that those things actually exist. it could be just their imaginations or just a way to get people's attention. but i have always curious about one thing, can we communicate with dead people? i have read an article about, a ten year old boy talking and acting like his late great grandmother. Strangely, the boy's g.grandmother was dead before his mother was born! if these things really exist i wish i could be one of the lucky one to experience it! =D

A life without communication

People who seldom communicate are usually lonely and depress. They will lock themselves from the outside world. Most of their time are being spend daydreaming. Besides that, these people have low self-esteem by viewing themselves negatively. It will be a pathetic to know if one of your friends is in this category.

Image source: thefollowingfiasco.wordpress.com

Be careful of what you said

"If your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care; to whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how, and when, and where."
Quoted by W. E. NORRIS

Based on this quote, we should know that communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable. Whatever we said, it cannot be changed. Sometimes, we might be joking with someone, but it might be a serious conversation to them even you do not mean it. Therefore, we must be careful of what we talk.

Observation, Perception

Finished up a memorable class,

A special class i ever had..

We are asked to find a unfamiliar person to pair with,

Sit by opposing each other,

Observe your opposing party, and makes perception on him/her

Well, my 'unfamiliar' friend chose me and asked me to pair up with him

After the 'observing, and perception' session,

We need to speak out what had we wrote during that session..

And now, only I realize that the small part things of yourself,

other's will observe it..even yourself don't

Just maybe a small action, or a small movement

Other's may perceive you as a different person

Or I should say, an unfamiliar person will make assumption on their view

And Maybe, they are wrong

So, How ?

Should we explained it to them ? Or act in a different way ?

Well..I don't think so..

Because..once they get closer to you..

Observation will go further..and Perception will changed

The one who know you well, they will understand you

The one who don't know you..

Explanation is a waste..

Lim Yong Hao (Alvis)

First Post!

Hey Hey!
Today was pretty interesting actually. We had this quite entertaining activity in human comm class which was pretty eye opening. Basically judging and assuming people from their outer appearance and oh boy, people really do scrutinize you. I would say that your first appearance and generally how you look all the time does matter even though we may not want to conform to societal trends but yet it is from this that people judge what kind of person you'll be. sadly. On the bright side, there's always that saying "Don't judge the book by its cover" which if most of us look at, is actually pretty true. I've encountered numerous times when i "assume" someone's mean or bitchy without even getting to know the person. And i definitely don't want anyone judging me wrongly :)
That's all for now.