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My opinion? I think I could have done better.
After my maiden attempt, I feel that I am a better blogger than I am a public speaker. I think there were many things that I missed out on delivering but I guess it worked out in the end because I went overtime even though I truncated my presentation.
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| Courtesy of Song Stonecold. Read his guest blog: here. |
However, I take comfort in the fact that my blog is available for reading twenty four seven. So, if anyone in the audience would like to follow up on what I said during my segment at the event, they could do so anytime they like. Remember though, I am only talking to myself here in my blog. Also, don't take what I say as the gospel truth.
If I offended anyone at the event, please accept my apologies. Sometimes, jokes have a way of being misunderstood, especially when we cannot read the facial expressions of the speaker. My fault. I mean how could you have read my facial expressions? Oh, a very big "sorry" to the video guy. I waved him away and hit his camera on the way in. Lucky the video cam wasn't damaged. -.-"
If I disappointed anyone, I crave your indulgence. I promise to try to do better in future (if I do actually do something like this again). To people who sent me photos of male Korean actors imagining I look like them, I am afraid I won't be able to do better. Plastic surgery is painful in more ways than one. -.-"
A big "thank you" to everyone who turned up at the event and also a big "thank you" to everyone who could not attend but gave me encouragement anyway. I appreciate the kindness.
Also, the organisers passed me a bag of books which they said a reader wanted to give to me:
I don't know who you are but thank you for the kind gesture. I really appreciate it. Now, to brush up on my Chinese. I only got a B3 for my "O" Level Chinese. -.-"
The journey towards financial freedom is made less dreary when we have good company. :)
Related post:
Invest X Congress: Update and reminder.
New:
Invest X Congress: Q&A.
Bloggy Award
45 comments:
Mr AK71,
You didn't strike me as someone who was doing public speaking for the first time, you seemed really at ease and comfortable. :]
I only wished you had more time to cover what you wanted to say in more detail.
It was a great session, thank you.
I half expected you to turn up in a panda or samurai costume... lol
I think most of us look back on public speaking events and think we could've done better. Afterall we tend to get wiser when considering things on hindsight.
I was not there but I'm sure you did well. Others who were there will probably follow up with good comments.
In any case, thank you for writing frequently, you have changed many people's life for the better. Keep it up!
Hi blauereiter,
I had some experience as a stage actor donkey years ago but I had lines to follow back then. Everything was always rehearsed. This was quite different and was a new experience despite me having some stage acting experience before.
I am glad you enjoyed the event. Thank you so much for the encouragement. :)
All the stuff I wanted to say are found here in my blog. So, you could send an email to the organisers to ask for the slides I used at the event, search for those blog posts in my blog and you will get to read everything in detail.
The search function is found right at the top of my blog. :)
In the morning, there is a 1 min "ice breaking" session by Adam, the speaker...
Me: Hi, my name is flyingchicken, you are?
TheGuyNextToMe: Hi, I'm XXX
Me: Why do you come to this seminar?
TheGuyNextToMe: I come across this blog call ASSI...
Me: Oh...me too! I come to see how AK looks like :)
TheGuyNextToMe: Hmmm? I read he is not going to show himself
Me: Oh come on, how can he present without showing his face? haha...
-_-"
I'm so disappointed.... :(
Hi L,
I think I could have done better but as I grow older, I learn to cut myself some slack. Won't beat myself up over this. ;)
If you find my blogs helpful, I am happy. Happy to share. :)
Hi flyingchicken,
You were at the event? I cannot remember exactly but weren't you against me going to the event as a speaker. ;p
Hey, thanks for being there. I appreciate the support. Oops. Almost forgot, er, sorry for the disappointment. ;p
Hi AK. I think you are being too hard on yourself. Your presentation style enabled the audience to connect with you. Many of my neighbors enjoyed your session judging by the laughter at your jokes. Also, the way you behaved on stage (like how you were interrupted by the offer of water and forgot what you were talking about) made you seem to be a very down to earth person.
My opinion is you are one of the speakers I enjoyed listening to. Great job!
Hi Simple Boy,
Honest. I kept getting side-tracked during my presentation and my short term memory is really terrible these days. Getting worse. However, my long term memory is actually still quite good. Hmmm...
I am glad you enjoyed my segment but I hope you enjoyed the whole event too. :)
oh? haha...
I think I've been misunderstood.
I wasn't against you going to make public appearance. On the contrary, I would like to see AK in flesh and blood!
Just that previously when you are contemplating whether to go or not to go, I just thought you might as well don't go since you are so worried about your privacy...
Your session is really too short, don't even have time for q&a....sad :(
oh ya, forgot to add...
Your writing style and the way you speak is really different...kind of not "gel" with my own assumption of AK though...
Hi AK
Thanks for recommending this seminar. I have attended various investing seminars before, some free some have to pay XXX dollars. However nothing compare to InvestX congress. I would say worth every penny. Looking forward to the next congress and listening to seconf part of your speech.
Hi flying chicken,
OK, next time (if there is a next time), I will ask the organisers for an extra 20 or 30 minutes. ;)
Well, I could use standard English when I speak too, if you like, but I opted for a more colloquial style because I thought I would then come across as being less aloof. When I speak, I speak like a regular Singaporean. When I write, well, I am more prim and proper. LOL. ;p
Hi Rick,
Thank you for the strong vote of approval. I am sure the guys at The 5th Person will be thrilled to hear this. :)
I am not sure when the guys will organise another event like the one today but it could be a year later. If people think that it gives good value for money and want it organised more frequently, I think they will have to write in and let the organisers know. ;)
As for me, I don't know what else I got to share. My approach is pretty simple and although I was in a bit of a hurry today, many of the important points were already made. I might consider giving another talk if I feel that I could add value to the event. Otherwise, I would give it a miss. :)
Hi AK,
The one in the picture is you?
Doesn't look like you at all!!
Well done on your disguise
Hi Mavis,
Er... Sounds like you know me.
Have we met before? Don't scare me hor. -.-"
This is really cool. Part of my reason to attend this talk is also to see how you looked like. I thought they wouldnt intro you as AK and you dont have to mask up.
But well, think all of us enjoyed your appearance and you lightened the mood for everyone today on the investment topic.
Amazed by how you actually started off by saying you are sharing everything for free and some out there actually make a living for sharing these tips.
Please dont stop what you are doing and if so that you do not want to show who you are, you are remind me of the movie ZORRO.
AK, I done the review and emailed you. Views expressed are my own only, my honest candid view. I know you won't be offended, but fans of AK please don't hack my blog to "punish" me
AK,
So you went for the Blues Brother and Yip Man combo ;)
Just curious, your stage acting days in uni or?
Hi Adrian,
I believe education is important and more so in investment matters. I do understand that there are people who educate for a living and they need to make money doing it. They can't do it for free. I understand that which was why I stopped talking about it because it was "sensitive".
For people who do it for a living, they cannot do it for free, obviously, but I am not sure that they have to charge so much. Some of the fees I have heard are too much, I feel. For example, $4K per person? Wow! -.-"
Hi Mike,
You should publish the review in your blog and we will go to your blog to read it. :D
I couldn't open the word document anyway. I don't have WinWord. :(
Publish in your blog. I promise I won't hack and deface your blog. Even if I want to, I won't know how. -.-"
Hi SMOL,
Pre-uni. I didn't do any stage acting when I was an undergrad. Retired liao. LOL.
Since Mike has very kindly done a review, i guess i could take it easy and have a break? hahaha
I will add on my review if necessary. Lol. lazy me
Hi Solace,
Always good to have more than one POV. Haha... We shall see if the writing bug bites you then. ;p
Solace,
Write write, so that another POV can be heard.
Hello AK,
U so advanced? How come no WinWord, using Apple Mac ??
I am hoping to post in on your blog so that the many comments generated would also give me feedbacks on my review, if many didn't agreed, I want to know, althought that wouldn't change how I think.
Also, providing the link directly means direct exposure to angry AK fans that will deface my blog... Hahaha
Nonetheless here goes
http://sillyinvestor.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/review-of-invest-x-congress/
Hi Mike,
I also say. Solace, write, write. LOL.
Aiyoh, my PC didn't come with WinWord. I don't want to buy since I don't think I would be using WinWord at home anyway. :)
OK, I will pop over to your blog to read the review now. Constructive criticism is always welcome. ;)
Anyway, the more I reflect upon my presentation, the more I think I could have done better. -.-"
Ok the all important question. When are you going to speak again? :P
Hi Derek,
Aiyoh. Now, I don't want to consider that question. Public speaking is very tiring. I have a new respect for politicians now. ;p
When I have recovered all my "qi", I might reconsider although after making the remark about not understanding why people charge $X,XXX for investment courses, I might not get any offers to give talks after this. ROFL! ;p
Hi AK, dun worry, u were awesome during the talk. Very down to earth and practical. By the way, my friend told me that we can enhance yield by using CFD to purchase REIT instead of outright purchase. Would u recommend that?
Hi Ken,
One of the things that I feel bad about my segment is that I tried to cover too much and consequently could not be as detailed as I would have liked to be. -.-"
Remember I talked about how some rich people were able to get their hands on cheap funds with a cost of 2% interest payment per annum? I also shared how they bought into REITs with yields of 7% or 8%. So, they pay 2% to the lender and they get to keep the spread. This is basically leveraging, using borrowed money to magnify gains.
Your friend's idea of using CFD to buy REITs has the same philosophy. Leverage up and magnify gains.
Well, you have to understand that REITs are leveraged investments. CFDs are leveraging instruments. So, what you would be doing is leveraging to invest in a leveraged investment. There are two layers of leverage that you have to be aware of now.
Think of all the possible downside of such an arrangement. Take care of the downside and the upside will take care of itself. Sounds familiar?
Ask if you are able to accept the risk that comes with the method suggested and if you are able to manage the downside if it should happen. You will have your answer then. :)
After much deliberation, I decide to post this comment. Let me be the bad guy when everyone else is nice and kind....
Firstly, I would like to know if you are invited as a "paid" guest speaker or you "paid" as a guest speaker? Vast difference, and I know you know what I mean. If you're paid by the organisers to speak, ethically speaking, you should not make any remarks that made you sounded like you're biting the hands that feed you. If you paid your own admission and you were asked to speak, you can say anything you like. So, if it's the latter, it's no fault of yours, it is their hindsight that you ended up stabbing them in their backside. Hmm.... It rhymes, doesn't it? :)
Secondly, I don't understand why you accept an invitation to speak in public if you really cherish your privacy. Do you need that attention? Do you need to show yourself in person in order to justify your existence? I don't think so. To any public speaker, being forthcoming and sincere is of utmost importance to be respected and believed. To appear as a panda, a samurai or a blues-Ip-man to mask your identity does not portray anything positive or believable. It only shows you have something to hide which I would really hope it's not the case. I always believe in - If you don't like the limelight, stay out of the limelight.
Lastly, you're doing great with what you're already doing, and I respect you for all that you've done for anyone who is interested in investing but do not know how or when or where to begin through your insightful blog. I hope you won't undo all the great work that you've done just because................. :)
haha, a really drama show, I like it. Hope you continue this way and will be on screen soon :)
no Q&A part, really pity.
Btw, I did learn something from your pyramid, a way to have peace in mind. Thanks.
Hi AK63,
I don't have any problem answering your questions. So, here goes:
Usually, I am paid for advertorials which I write for events or for banners which I put up for events or I could also be paid according to the number of tickets I sell for events.
However, for this event, it is none of the above. For this event, I have been offered a fee to be a guest speaker. I don't know how much the proposed fee is going to be but my natural reaction was to decline the offer which I did.
I believe that the organisers will send me a cheque anyway because when I refused to accept payment for promoting a half day event that Victor spoke at earlier this year (by publishing an advertorial and putting up a banner), I found a cheque for $300 in my mailbox a couple of weeks later anyway.
So, knowing that this is likely to happen again, I told the organisers to give me a red packet. That would be enough.
The guys know what I am like. They know I say it as it is. They know I believe that education in investment is important but I am just not sure that it has to cost $X,XXX per head. They share my beliefs and they are going to offer much more affordable alternatives.
If we did not have a common philosophy, I would not have agreed to a collaboration.
I have been offered opportunities to promote many programs in almost 5 years of blogging and I have turned down maybe 90% of them because I disagreed with what was being marketed.
As for going to the event in disguise, I am a very private person. I don't even have many friends. I don't want to have people recognise me and stop to talk to me.
If I were to give up my privacy (which I don't see myself doing), I would have to demand a fair bit of compensation. Privacy, to me, is priceless but if I were to price it, how much would it cost? Off the top of my head, just shouting out a figure, $1 million? Hahahaha.... It has to be an out of this world price to make the sacrifice worth it.
Anyway, I agreed to do this because I like what The Fifth Person is doing. I like their philosophy and I like their characters. I don't know if you would trust what they say but they will tell you I did not do this for the money. :)
Hi Ah John,
Actually, I was quite prepared to be told by readers that they didn't learn anything new in my segment. So, hearing that you did learn something makes me happy although surprised. :)
Yes, when I was driving home, one of the things that came to mind was "Aiyoh, no Q&A!". -.-"
I will try to be less ambitious in future if I were to be invited again. Try to cover less ground but go deeper and make sure to leave time for Q&A. :)
hi ak71,
by any chance, will you be able to share your slide that you used in the event? Or do i have to request from the organizers?
thanks
Hi Richard,
The organisers have the slides. I don't, unfortunately. So, send the organisers a request and I am sure they can send you the slides.
Use the slides as a guide and search for the related blog posts. I remember that titles of the blog posts were indicated. The search function is found at the top of my blog.
This way, you will get to read the different blog posts one by one and it will feel like different chapters in an e-book. :)
Awesome, thanks much :)
Hi Richard,
You are welcome. Enjoy the "e-book". ;p
More free e-books: HERE . :)
hi ak71,
unfortunately the organizer is unable to release the slides used. Thanks anyway :)
Hi Richard,
I have clarified this matter. Please send an email to Kenji and he will email my presentation slides to you: kenji@fifthperson.com
:)
Hi AK,
For me you were the best speaker among all the speakers, it's quite entertaining to heard your speech. I'm a bit disappointed though, maybe it's their fist time organizing.
my opinion on the event:
1st speaker victor: i actually learn something new like how he value company using different type of approach. but the things that he spoke is already written on his book(i browsed through his book during the break) so for those who read or bought his book, nothing new to them. i think he has to buck up on this public speaking skills. can sense he's quite nervous also.
the most terrible presentation was the one on fraud accounting i can see alot of them were dosing off even myself and finally i couldn't take it and went for my lunch break. It's really too chim for retail investor like us.
going on I think there wasn't enough time given to the speaker from AAM he was rushing through and i think he didn't really prepare his presentation well. I heard Eric kong presentation at the value investimg summit so nothing new to me.
second last speaker which is you AK, i really think that you did a good job there and it was entertaining to hear you speak too, didn't know you can be quite an entertainer haha. content wise haha sorry to say nothing new all you've spoken it's already in the blog, i already knew it beforehand so it was ok for me.
last speaker rusmin, they moment he came out i was like WOW he looks so young and he's already doing great in investing. i really got the urge to ask him how old is he haha. the presentation was good though, learn something new too.
overall i give it a 5/10
just my opinion, some people might have different view too.
Hi 玉龍,
I cannot speak for the rest but I value constructive criticism even though I am not going to be giving speeches for a living. ;p
I don't know if I would be invited again for next year's event but I have gained some experience from this event and also valuable feedback from readers like yourself.
So, if I do get invited again, I have an inkling of what I might be able to do to make the experience better for the audience. There could be a very simple solution really. It is circling in my mind now. It could work. Haha... We'll see.
I am happy you enjoyed my segment. I guess, for you and other regular readers, my segment is really like a book reading session by the author himself. ;p
Well, I am glad you enjoyed it nonetheless. Thanks for being there. I appreciate it. :)
Hi 玉龍,
My apology for data dumping on the audience. Indeed, I am not very sure on summarizing the entire presentation. No excuse for me on that.
As for the rush through, I notice I am eating into the lunch time, which I have no choice near the end of the presentation but to force through. Which is also my fault for bad time management. Will take note of my speed.
Would be good if you could advice on what you think need improvement. :)
Cheers
Edwin Ng
(Speaker for Fraud and Forensic)
Hello Edwin, I think many of us found it hard to follow your presentation ( at least for me ) because of the highly technical nature of the contents and also because you were flashing through too many slides too quickly, with too many figures on them haha.
I did find the case studies you presented interesting ( on those that committed various kinds of frauds ).
I think for future presentations if you can speak in more laymen terms so that the audience can grasp the gist of your ideas, and focus on a few select topics your presentation would be excellent.
Of course, its always easy for a spectator like me to say all this, it must be much harder work for you who is standing in front of so many people. I would get stage fright for sure.
Anyway, Thanks for sharing your expertise !
Hi Edwin,
sorry for been blunt, I agree with blaureiter many of the slides you presented were too technical for laymen like us. I believe you're investor yourself, so maybe next time you can share with us how you evaluate company using your area of expertise or list out some of the company that you found is actually using creative accounting. when adam introduced you I was expecting you to share with us how you look into company's accounting and your own case studies like what rusmin and victor had shared. maybe not too much on how you evaluate company but rather how you actually look into a company's accounts. once again sorry for been blunt, because we(at least for me) actually paid for the event so I expect quite a lot. haha must be value for money mah.
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