Improving Your Presentation Skills

Want to improve your presentation skills?
Here's how: Read as much as you can. Read all the great books on presentation skills, public speaking and communication skills. Go ahead, here's a list of books for you to choose from: Click here. Read this blog. Subscribe to it.

And then, when you come across a great public speaking or presentation skills idea, write it down on a note card. Try out the idea during your next presentation.

How to Persuade People with a Tricky Strategy

Imagine this scenario: A father and his son are at the playground, and it's almost time to leave. The father turns to the son and says:

Father: "Let's go. We have to go now! Time's up" 

Son: "No! I want to stay here longer! Please, please, plea-aaseee?"

And so the argument continues...

However, the father could have used a "False Choice" to convince the child to leave without having gone through this argument. This is how the false choice works:

Father: "Son, we only have 5 minutes. Would you like to play on the swings or on the slide?"

Son *considering his options*: "Swings"

Here, while considering the false choice, the son has agreed to the condition that they will be leaving in 5 minutes. Clever, huh? And also quite tricky =)

The false option is likely (although not guaranteed) to work because:

1) the speaker acts on the assumption that the child is ready to leave

2) it gives the other person a sense of choice, which is important because people hate being forced to do something

Here is another example of a false choice:

"Would you like to go to sleep now, or in 5 minutes?

Asking a girl/guy out on a date:
"We should go out sometime. Do you want to have dinner on Thursday or Friday?"

How to Add IMPACT

Here's a tip I picked up from Patricia Fripp. If you want to add impact to your sentences, make the most important word in the sentence the last word.


For example, instead of saying:
"You have to make a decision today!"you can add more impact by switching it around and changing the noun "decision" to the active verb "decide":


Today, you have to decide!


Key Takeaway
To add impact to your sentences, make the most important word the last word in the sentence. 


P.S. Only 6 seats left for the awesome two-day Unleash Your Persuasion Power seminar! Prices go up to HK$697 next month, so register now and save money. Save your seat by sending an email to akash.speaker@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Registration for Unleash Your Persuasion Power. You might not want to miss this event because you're going to pick up some valuable tools: http://bit.ly/iFS5Jq


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Laptops: Your Worst Enemy

Imagine you're standing in front of a room full of people who've got their laptops opened, and you're supposed to deliver an important presentation.


Last week, I went through the exact same experience. At 9.00 a.m. in the morning, I tried delivering my Marketing presentation to a sleep-deprived group of students, most of whom had their laptops open. Big mistake!


I believed that I could use my humorous opening and exciting delivery skills to capture their attention and get them to focus on my presentation. Although a few of the students looked up and made eye contact when I started speaking, most  continued to browse the internet. After an agonizing 5 minutes, I brought my presentation to a premature end, wrapped things up and walked away defeated. 


Afterwards, I came up with a brilliant idea! What if I simply asked the audience members to turn of their laptops? This may sound like a simple thing to do, but most speakers don't actually do this. Instead of politely asking their audience members to put away their laptops, they immediately proceed to compete for attention.


If your audience members have laptops in front of them, you will always be competing for attention. 


Unfortunately, not even world-class speakers can deliver a fantastic presentation when they have to compete for attention. The best way to ensure success would be to eliminate the competition for your audiences' attention by asking your audience to kindly put away their laptops.


This may sound like obvious advice, but think about how many times you've heard people use it. I've personally not heard anyone else ask audience members to put their laptops away. Sure, speakers will ask audiences to turn off their mobile phones. But not many will explicitly ask audiences to put away their laptops because they're uncomfortable about asking. [Below, I'll show you get audiences to comply with your request without offending them].


Today, I was the emcee for an event where many of the audience members had their laptops open in front of them. As an emcee, my job was to make sure that the audience was ready to listen to the speakers who were going to be speaking that day. After a quick 30 second "Welcome", I proceeded with the following request:

• I can see that many of you are busy on your laptops and I can imagine that you have lots of stuff to do. I do believe that this event will be better for both of us if I could have your full attention and in return I promise to make tonight an entertaining evening for you. Now, you don't have to do this, but I think that it will be more respectful for the speakers if you could put away your laptops so that we can give the speakers the undivided attention they deserve. 

After I made this request, everyone in the audience except for one lady proceeded to turn off their laptops. I had successfully managed to gain everyone's full attention simply by asking them to get rid of a device which would prevent them from doing so. There will always be people in the audience who don't want to be there and who don't want to comply with your requests, but most people will comply if you make a legitimate and straightforward request.

Most speakers and emcees will, at the start of their presentation, ask audience members to turn off their mobile phones. At your event, you may also want to respectfully ask your audience members to put away their laptops because laptops result in divided attention, and that results in a poor presentation.

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P.S. Only 6 seats left for the awesome two-day Unleash Your Persuasion Power seminar! You might not want to miss this event because you're going to pick up some valuable tools: http://bit.ly/iFS5Jq

Why You Might Not Want to Miss Out

37 second video about the upcoming Unleash Your Persuasion Power seminar. You might not want to miss out on this folks:
http://public-speaking-hong-kong.blogspot.com/2011/05/2-day-training-event-unleash-your.html

P.S. Only 6 seats remaining now! Prices go up to HK $697 next month, so register now and save money.


To save your seat, please send an email to: akash.speaker@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Registration for 'Unleash Your Persuasion Power'

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Unleash Your Persuasion Power Highlights

How would you like to discover scientifically proven principles which will change the way you communicate? Results Guaranteed! 

BTW, act fast because there are only 6 seats left for the Unleash Your Persuasion Power seminar. 

P.S. Ticket prices go up to HK $697 next month (currently only HK $497 for 2 days training), so reserve your seat now and save money (HK $200 in savings for acting now)

Unleash Your Persuasion Power Highlights

12 Power Words You Can Use to Easily & Instantly Influence People: What If someone handed you a list of “magical words” which you could easily substitute into your daily conversations and increase your chances of getting people to say “Yes” to your request? Yes, such a list does exist but unfortunately very few people know about it! In this workshop, you will learn words which are scientifically-proven to increase compliance rates.

Adding Depth & Personality to Your Presentations: Many speakers fall into the habit of simply memorizing their scripts and vomiting information on their audiences. Your audience, however, wants to know you as a real person, an interactive person. So you'll learn 4 principles for making your presentation a special experience for your audience based on your personal presentation style.

Finding Your Voice & 'Presence’: Why is it that some speakers seem to have a natural ‘presence’? While exploring this question, you will learn fun body-language basics. Learn what your non-verbal behavior is (or isn’t) saying about you. In this section, you will play an insightful game and be able to review your performance on video. 

6 Proven Persuasion Principles which you can use to influence friends, family and colleagues

6 Step Instant Influence Formula: What if you had a scientifically proven 6 step system which would win people over to your way of thinking? Even if this is the only thing you learn during the workshop, then this workshop will have been many times over worth the admission price! 

Details

Date: Saturday & Sunday (20 August & 21 August 2011)

Time: 10.30am to 5.00 pm

Venue: HKUST, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon

Cost: Only HK$497 (H$397 for full-time students). Prices go up HK$697 next month

(Full Money Back Guarantee, No Questions Asked)

LIMITED SEATING: Only 6 seats left!

To save your seat, please send an email to: akash.speaker@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Registration for 'Unleash Your Persuasion Power'


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Speaking Advice from the Champ!

Today, I was lucky to have dinner with Rory Vaden, his beautiful wife and several other prominent Toastmasters in Hong Kong. Rory Vaden, who is the 2007 First Runner Up for the World Championship of Public Speaking, shared some valuable speaking advice with us which I'd now like to pass onto you:

• The thing that differentiates good speakers from brilliant speakers is a thousand speeches. I cannot overemphasize the importance of stage time! Get as much practice as you can.
  

• Find your uniqueness and exploit it. Let your unique personality shine through on stage as opposed to trying to imitate someone else. While it's fine to incorporate elements of other people's speaking into your presentations, do stay true to your uniqueness.
  

• Read as much as you can about a topic before you speak on it. People don't want speakers, they want experts. Devour every possible source of knowledge that you can - books, audio tapes, seminars - so that you can become an expert on your topic.

P.S. Only 8 seats left for the awesome two-day Unleash Your Persuasion Power seminar! You might not want to miss this event because you're going to pick up some valuable tools: http://bit.ly/iFS5Jq
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Unleash Your Persuasion Power: 2 Day Training Event

There are 12 words in the English language which are scientifically proven to increase compliance rates because they exploit a loophole in human psychology. Do you know these words?

There are 6 proven persuasion principles which you can use to influence friends, family and colleagues! Do you know what they are?

What are the secrets of powerful public speakers who can command attention and charm audiences?

Body language is 80% of communication. Do you know what your non-verbal is (or isn’t) saying about you?

Do you know the answers to these questions? Probably not because these are things that are not taught in schools, Universities or even in Toastmasters! If you do know the answers, then well done because you’re in the top 5% of persuaders in the world!

Details

Date: Saturday & Sunday (20 August & 21 August 2011)

Time: 10.30am to 5.00 pm

Venue: HKUST, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon

Cost: Only HK$497 (H$397 for full-time students)
(Full Money Back Guarantee, No Questions Asked)

LIMITED SEATING: First come, first served basis because I'm planning to keep this event very small in order to allow for personal coaching. 

To save your seat, please send an email to: akash.speaker@gmail.com with the Subject Line: Registration for 'Unleash Your Persuasion Power'

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Don't Criticize UNLESS...

I recently attended a "training for trainers" session by Dale Carnegie. One of the most important concepts that the Master Trainer taught us was this:

Don't criticize unless you've offered at least 2 positive comments first

Why is this important?

• Because people become defensive if you start with criticism. While he may pretend to be listening to your ideas, he's mentally checked out of the conversation.
  
• People are much more likely to accept negative feedback if they first hear something positive about themselves
  
• Everyone has at least 2 positive things about them that deserve to be praised. When you praise those strengths at the beginning, the person receiving your evaluation will continue improving his strengths if you let him/her know what they are.

 KEY TAKEAWAY

• Don't offer any negative feedback until you've first said at least two positive things about the person

For Toastmasters:

• If you're a Toastmaster and you're offering an evaluation about a speech, begin by acknowledging two things that you enjoyed about the person's speech before you move onto the areas where the speech can be improved

For Your Relationships

• When you're talking to your spouse regarding what you'd like him/her to do better, first begin by acknowledging at least two positive things that he/she does for you: "Honey, I love that you...Also, I am so appreciative of you when you...It would help me out if you (offer point of improvement here)" Share
  

"I Hate This...and I Hate That Too!" How to Handle Negativity

Imagine your friend says to you, 


Friend: "I hate this project/job. Our group meetings always take so long!"


Now, the best way to reduce your friend's negativity as well as making him feel that you understand what he's going through would be to mirror his emotion and then focus on a positive outcome. So, here's what you might want to say to your friend:


You: I can sense that you're upset. [This is the part where you mirror his emotion]


...and you'd like to have shorter meetings, right? [This is the part where you focus on the positive outcome, i.e. you focus on what he would like to have rather than focusing on what he doesn't like].




FORMULA 


1. Mirror the Emotion
"I can sense that you are ___________" (Insert emotion: upset, angry, disappointed)


2. Focus on what she'd like to happen
"and you'd like to _____________, right?" (insert the positive outcome she's expecting). Adding the "right?" at the end of the statement shows that you're clarifying with her that you've understood correctly.


This formula will help you reduce the other person's negativity because it'll make him/her feel understood, and it'll help your friend focus on the solving the outcome rather than simply complaining about it.


*
My hope is that if you feel that you've learned something useful on this blog, then you will decide to share it with your friends because it would help me gain enough readers to so I can share this knowledge with them. Thanks! Share

How To Make People Feel They've Been Understood

Sometimes, someone might say to you something which you completely disagree with! 


Say, for example, that someone is very angry about the new company policy (which you actually support!). In this case, the best way to let the person calm down would be to listen to him and make him feel understood. You don't want to tell the other person "You're completely wrong, I like the company policy!" because that would just aggravate him further. You want to show him you understand his arguments, but you don't want to agree with him just for the sake of calming him down. 

For example...

Your friend says: I hate this new company policy, and the management is just implementing it because they're trying to screw us over. I don't think I should have to work overtime to clean up someone else's mess.

Your Reply: I hear that you're frustrated with the new policy, and you think it's unfair because you don't feel that you should have to work overtime. 

Notice that in this scenario, you've simply reflected back what the person is saying. You've acknowledged that you understand what the other person is saying, but you haven't admitted that he has a point. 

KEY TAKEAWAY

Reflecting back is a great technique for making people feel understood. When you make people feel understood, it helps them let go of their negative emotions. So, if you get into a fight with a friend/spouse/colleague, be sure to reflect back what he/she is saying ("I hear that you feel I haven't been giving you the attention you deserve and that makes you feel..."). When you do this, the other person feels understood and finds it easier to let go of their negative emotions. 


After you've reflected back what the person is saying, you can go on and add your own opinion ("I know that's how you feel, but I assure you that I never meant to make you feel that way..."). 

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If you like, you can share the article with your friends because this site is meant to help people communicate better. Combined, all the articles on this site have been shared close to 1,000 times! And thank you for the growing number of likes =)

Why MOST Persuasion FAILS...

Imagine the following scenario:

You: "If you continue eating such unhealthy food, you're going to die an early death!"

The Reply: "My grandfather ate worse than I do, and he lived to be ninety-two!"

Now, lets have a look at what happened here.

You offered a logical argument, but your argument was shot down by the recipient. On a deeper level, the person you were trying to convince probably knows that you're right...he's not willing to take advice from you because that would mean admitting that he's living his life the wrong way and that is a painful thing to admit.

The reason that many such persuasion attempts fail is because we try and impose our views on the other person, such as:

"If you don't get good grades, you'll never get into college"

"Unless you get more organized, you'll be a failure"

"You're going to get fired unless you start working hard!"

While our views may be justifiable, they won't be accepted because it requires the other person to accept that you're right and he's wrong.

So what can we do in this case?

Luckily, we do have an option. Instead of force-feeding our views on the other person, we can instead ask them questions and get them to come to the same views themselves, such as:

"I'm curious. With grades like these, what do you think will happen to your plans for college?"

"Let's talk through this. If you continue to come late to work, what do you think will happen?"

"If you keep making plans for both of us without asking us first, how do you see our relationship going?"

The hope is that the person you're speaking with will realize the consequences of his actions and make genuine choice to improve. At the very least, the person will go away and think about the question you've just asked them and begin to formulate his answers in the privacy of his home.

Statements such as "You're setting yourself up for a heart attack unless you start exercising!" cause the other person to become defensive; Questions instead (when asked in a friendly tone) cause the other person to consider through the consequences and arrive at his own conclusions...

Key Take-Away:

Instead of force-feeding your opinions on other people, ask them questions instead which will cause them to think about the consequences of their actions. By asking questions, you're allowing the other person to come to his own conclusions and find his own motivation for change. 

So, how about this? Next time that you want to influence a positive change in someone else, instead of pointing out the consequences, ask a question which will cause the other person to take responsibility for his own life.

Article Inspiration:

The inspiration and idea from this article came from the book I'm currently reading, "Instant Influence" by Michael V Pantalon (Psychologist at Yale University)

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P.S. WOW! Thank you for the 240+ likes on www.public-speaking-hong-kong.

blogspot.com. Combined, all the articles have been shared close to 1,000 times!!!

Lean Forward to Look Lean

There are many simple, yet not common sense, tips for appearing on TV in the best light possible.  For example, you know that you should look comfortable and relaxed when you appear on TV; you don't want to look uptight.  But if you sit back and relax in a chair or couch on a TV set, you will look TERRIBLE.

If you sit back and relax, your head will be further away from the camera than your abdomen.  Unfortunately, the camera latches on to whatever is closest. If the camera is closer to your gut, it will magnify your stomach.  The result?  You will look 20-30 pounds heavier than you do in real life.  Even if you have six-pack abs, you will look as if you have a large tummy roll.  To make matters worse, you will look like you have a double chin, even if you've had more face-lifts than Michael Jackson.  So don't lean back in a couch or chair when you are on TV.

Your next option is to sit up perfectly straight, just like your mother taught you when you were in first grade.  In this case, your mom's advice won't work.  If you sit up perfectly straight while in front of a TV camera, you will look as stiff as a board, nervous, scared and highly uncomfortable.  Don't sit up perfectly straight either!

So where does this leave us?

The last - and best - option is to hold yourself up high and lean forward about 15 degrees toward the camera.  This will make you appear taller, thinner, younger and leaner, while accentuating your jaw line.  Because the camera latches on to whatever is closest, it will now give more prominence to your head and mouth, and less to any excess padding you may have below (a major plus for many well-fed business executives, myself included).

So for seated TV interviews, always lean forward about 15 degrees toward the camera. If you are standing, don't lean forward quite that much or you might fall over. Just make sure you don't stand up too rigidly straight, or you will appear nervous and stiff.

The final thing to remember about your body during a TV interview is to move slightly.  Don't remain stiff.  You don't want to move around in a quick, jerky fashion, but you do want to exhibit subtle, natural movement.  Occasionally move forward, backward and to the side 3 to 6 inches, just as you normally would when having an animated conversation with a friend.

By leaning forward and moving slightly in a full range, you will look your very best in every TV appearance.


Article by TJ Walker
from "Media Training A-Z"http://www.mediatrainingworldwide.com/mediatrainingaz.html


www.mediatrainingworldwide.com
212-764-4955

Seth Meyers Kills Donald Trump

Seth Meyers killed Donald Trump - so to speak. In case you missed Seth's speech at the White House Correspondent dinner, here's the best of the best:

• Donald Trump said that he was running for president as a Republican. That's funny, because I thought he was running as a joke.
  
  
• Donald Trump often appears on Fox, which is ironic because a fox often appears on Donald Trump's head. If you're at the Washington Post table with Trump and you can't finish your entree, don't worry, the fox will eat it.
  
  
• Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans because it will streamline their search for vice president
  
  
• On the Royal Wedding: As I was watching the festivities I couldn't help thinking how wonderful it is to live in a country where people don't have to wear hats like that
  
  
• Just look at the options Republicans are kicking around: Palin. Huckabee. Gingrich. Trump. That doesn’t sound like a field of candidates -- that sounds like season 13 of Dancing With The Stars. And not the stars -- the dancers
  
  
• [Trump] said he's got a great relationship with 'the blacks'. Unless the Blacks are a family of white people, I bet he's mistaken.

 Watch Seth's speech here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YGITlxfT6s    Share

Report Card from Hell

Several years ago, I came back home with a letter from my school teacher. Imagine the pride and joy on my parents faces when they opened the letter and read:


Dear Mr. and Mrs. Karia,


Akash's academic transcript is like a festival of F's. However, I am very proud of him. He works hard, and sooner or later - usually later - he ends up getting an answer. Unfortunately, it's sometimes - by which I mean always - not the correct one. 


While Akash struggles academically, I would love to say that sports is where he excels. But he does not. 


Regarding his acting talents, he does a very convincing impression of a cabbage. As for whatever singing talent he possesses, it remains hidden - which is how I would prefer it to stay. 


What worries me most is Akash's lack of memory (or, to put a positive spin on it, his surplus of forgetfulness).


Finally, I would like to say that Akash is a very likeable guy. I would like to say that. Unfortunately, many of the people whom he thinks are his friends find his face slightly frightening. 


Best,


Mrs. Beata 


P.S. I know that your son/daughter will make a brilliant career out of whatever s/he chooses. I don't know if that's really true. I just write that on every report card. 




Note
P.S. True Story! In case you're wondering: this is EXACTLY like the report card I brought home, but just very different. Okay, fine, some of the parts - by which I mean all of the parts - are slightly (by which I mean extremely) exaggerated. Anyway, the point is - wait, what was the point again? I'll get back to you soon...my surplus of forgetfulness sometimes works against me.




About the Author:

Looks wise, this was the cutest I ever got. After this, everything went downhill...


Okay, so this picture isn't really of me! The point is, my parents never really took any pictures of me as a kid...so we just cut out some pictures from a magazine. My little sister, on the other hand, has so many pictures of her that you can flip through her photo-album and it's like one of those animations where she grows right in-front of you. 


Anyway, the point is - wait, you're still reading this? 


Copyright: Akash Karia
Yeah, I know, you're just dying, to reprint this aren't you? Aren't you? All right, all right, since you insist go ahead and share this Share

How to Open Your Speech

If you want to set yourself up for success, then it’s vital that the first 30 seconds of your speech catches your audiences’ attention, arouses their curiosity and makes them feel that your speech is worth their time. Use these principles to get your audience hooked onto your every word right from the beginning:

 Do NOT open with a standard ‘Thank-you’ introduction. You can thank your hosts and audiences later, after you’ve built a connection with them.


Avoid opening with a Joke, especially if you aren’t a gifted humorist and haven’t tested the joke before. To add humour to your speech, use a witty quote instead. 

Use one of the four proven Opening Gambits to open with a bang:       

 

o  Start with a Story

o   Use Questions to Create a Knowledge Gap

o   Use Quotable Quotes to gain extra Credibility

o   Open with an Intriguing/ Startling Statement 

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Your 50 Top Achievements?

Recently I read a book which talked about the importance of writing down your achievements. Many people underestimate themselves because they don't give themselves enough credit for their achievements. What are your Top 50 achievements? If you think hard enough, you'll manage to come up with 50. Here's mine:

Public Speaking Achievements

1. Working as a public speaking coach and trainer, leading workshops for high schools, Universities and Professional Associations. To date, I've conducted over 80+ workshops and speeches.

2. Run a highly popular public speaking blog: http://www.public-speaking-hong-kong.blogspot.com/


3. Authored  a 50 page guide called 'Secrets of Superb Speeches' (being sold at HK $80). Currently writing a second book for the general public + have plans to create a presentation skills DVD


4. Grew a public speaking community of 1600+ (and growing) fans on my Facebook fan-page: http://www.facebook.com/publicspeakingcoach, Join Me for daily speaking tips!


5. Set up a presence on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/akashspeaker?feature=mhum. Subscribe and check out my videos to receive video tips on how to become a powerful presenter and persuader.


6. Sharing public speaking tips on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Speaking_Coach. Let's connect on Twitter!



"YES, I Can" Wins


7. Transformed from a shy introvert into a person confident in my own abilities (and I'm still working at it). Now I enjoy teaching the skills I learned to other students struggling with social shyness.


8. Failed the entrance examinations and got rejected from Isamilo International School. On my third attempt, I passed. When I graduated, I graduated as a School Prefect and with a Distinction in my academic transcript (one of Top 5 students in the class). 


9. Almost failed my first Economics examination. After some encouragement from my teacher, I graduated with an A* in my IGCSE-Economics examination (as well as the award for 'Best Economics student').


10. Won the award for 'Best in Kenya' for A-Level Economics because I received the highest marks in Kenya for my A-Level Economics examination (here > Search for Karia, Akash)


11. Struggled as a skinny boy until the age of 16, at which point my best friend and I joined the local gym. Last year, I set a personal record of dead-lifting 185kg, bench-pressing 90kg for 3 reps and squatting 110kg (@a lean bodyweight of approx. 70kg).


12. Struggled with Physical Education class in high school. When I graduated in 2006, my P.E. teacher awarded my the award for 'Outstanding Student' (for being Top 3 in the Class) and wrote in my report: "Akash is an astoundingly strong and impressive specimen". That comment had me gloating for days!


13. Travelled to Dubai as part of my high school Rugby team. Didn't get too much playing time, and no touchdowns, but had an awesome time nonetheless.


14. Tried out Stand-Up comedy at Take-Out Comedy in Hong Kong. Several laughs. Not going to be making millions as a stand-up comedian, but gave it a good shot!


15. Below average reader when I entered the 5th grade. Now, I read approximately one book a week and have devoured over 50 books in the past year alone. Check out my reading list here


16. Got rejected from Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Instead, I ended up at a fantastic university in Hong Kong which has allowed me to discover my passion for public speaking. God always has a plan. There's lots of improvements to be made, but I have always struggled and with help, eventually pull through to become a better me.

Awards and Trophies:

17. Champion - Toastmasters Area H2 Evaluation 

18. Champion - Impromptu Speaking  (Area H2)

19. Champion for HKUST Impromptu Speech Contest

20. Champion for HKUST Toastmasters International Speech Contest (2 years in a row) 

21. Best Presenter at Rusinga Economics Symposium

21. Won Best Resolution in Security Council at the East African Model United Nations

22. 1st Runner Up for Humorous Speech Contest (Area H2)

23. 1st Runner Up for International Speech Contest (Area H2)

24. 1st Runner Up for HKUST English Speech Contest

25. 1st Runner Up for Division H Impromptu Speech Contest

26. 2nd Runner Up for Division H International Speech Contest

27. Won a total of over 40+ other public speaking awards

28. Learned how to play chess on my computer. Won the Hindu Youth Union Chess Championship. Beat my computer at chess when I set it on beginner mode :)

29. Learned how to play Texas Hold'Em Poker. Started playing on PokerStars (no real money involved): began with $1000 playing chips, worked my way up to $90,000...never really managed to break the $100K mark though. Began wishing it was real money...!

Leadership Achievements

30. Elected President of my Toastmasters (Speaking) Club at University

31. Elected Head of School in my high school + Prefect in the previous high school 

32. Elected Leader for a brutal 5 day survival camp called Barbwire. Placed 2nd out of 5 teams and won the award for Best Team Spirit.

33. Elected Ambassador for the East African Model United Nations. Gave an impromptu speech about my experiences during Assembly and got lots of intended laughter and hand-clapping from the audience...I've been addicted to being up on stage ever since!

34. Appointed Team Leader the Rusinga Economics Symposium. We won the overall award for Best Team for our presentations on Globalization in Kenya. 


35. Founder of the 'High School Apprentice' program, which I started up in Greensteds School. Based on the Donald Trump show, I got an overwhelmingly positive result after the informal announcement and raised several hundred dollars within the first week for my online-magazine.

The Most Important Victories

36. Won the 'Family Lottery'. Have two loving parents who sacrifice a lot for me to be able to pursue my dream, and a cute and caring little sister whom I love dearly.

37. Have great relations with my large extended family and cousins, spending time together on most weekends.

38. Have a beautiful and healthy relationship with the love of my life, Chloe Sha.

39. Took a big step and told my family about Chloe, and they all lovingly accepted her.

40. Have best friends with whom I have shared very precious memories. These are the people who I truly cherish and can't thank enough for their support: Afshaan Admani, Aliridha Rashid, Alfaz Kanji, Salim Panjwani. 


41. Have an awesome group of friends at University!!

42. Never drank alcohol in my life and never will.

43. Never smoked and never will.

44. Never used harmful drugs and never will.


45. Upon a teacher's recommendation, wrote a proposal for a charity event called 'Stand-Up and Smile'. The event was approved by the Headmaster and we raised several hundred dollars for Operation Smile in Kenya.


46. Began volunteering to help the victims of the 2008 election violence. Raised money for a man called Peter so that he could restart his life. Watch my speech about this story here 

Attitude Achievements

47. Family first.

48. It ain't over till I win

49. Read, read, read...and you'll be able to improve any area of your life. 

50. Have a growth mindset. Everything can be improved through proper coaching, reading and guidance.