Appreciate two amazing people for my TEDx talk

As I continue networking with people around the world, there are so many memorable and lovely stories I want to tell.

For this newsletter, I want to appreciate Andrew Churchill, PhD and Kate Johnson for my TEDx talk, and their help didn't stop after the talk.

I was practicing my talk at Pitch Club last November. I recognized that the performance was far from what I expected as a TEDx speaker. After the 1st rehearsal, Andrew and Kate showed strong passion and willingness to help me practice the talk. In the words of an old Chinese saying, it is ''雪中送炭 (xuě zhōng sòng tàn)'', or ''give help when it is most needed'' in English.

Both of them were extremely busy, but they still made time for two coaching sessions on Zoom.

I didn't know much about them at that time.

During the training, Andrew Churchill, PhD 's guidance in voice, visual designs, words, and gestures refreshed my mindset. Even though I had 2+ years of speech experience at Toastmasters and Pitch Club, what he pointed out was new for me. He couldn't imagine how excited I was during the training. Andrew knew how the red circle on the stage would work for me during the TEDx talk, and he used a whiteboard to illustrate my situation with the circle; he also used a real microphone to announce my name during the rehearsal. Although we were on Zoom, I felt like we were working together in real life. There were so many presentation tips that I had never learned before.

The look in Andrew's eyes conveyed a feeling of persistence and integrity. This reminds me of ''the eyes are the window of the mind''.

Usually, I'm not good at expressing feelings and emotions. Kate Johnson , in comparison, is a master of expressing feelings. She encouraged me to build emotional connections with the audience; even the pace of my breath could affect the way I express myself onstage. Each slight movement on the stage could present either positive or negative opinions. My mind was blown...

It was my first time delivering a speech about the metaverse, but it wasn't so new for Kate: she is very familiar with high-tech stuff. Initially, I thought she could read my mind and give me the exact suggestions that I needed. Then I realised that Kate has been working with technology for most of her life. Whoah! How lucky I am!

The whole experience of working with Andrew and Kate was so enjoyable and full of happiness.

I thank Andrew Churchill, PhD for making me a professional and confident TEDx speaker.

I thank Kate Johnson for helping me convey my feelings on the stage and inspiring my imagination about the metaverse talk.

Doing a TEDx talk used to be my dream. With their support, I made my dream come true... and my next presentation goal is to do a TED talk!

Thank you for reading the lovely story.