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 public speaking. Since in th