I want to share with you a very personal story today. It’s about my father.

Towards the end of 2003, my father was hospitalized because of an asthma attack.

At first, the doctors told us that there was nothing to worry about – they just had to run a few routine tests and he would be free to go home. However, his condition rapidly deteriorated and we were told that there had been some major complications and they were doing their best to figure out what was wrong with him.

Soon, my dad lost so much weight that he was reduced to just skin and bones, rendering him completely bedridden. weeks went by, then months… and yet the doctors couldn’t tell us what was happening to him and why.

Then one day, in March 2004, we received a call from the hospital – my dad had just had a heart attack.

I remember that I felt so afraid and helpless… because I thought he was going to die.

When we reached the hospital, the doctors told us that he was resting in the intensive care unit. They finally figured out what he was suffering from – a very rare illness called Churg-Strauss Syndrome, where the body started attacking itself.

There’s no known cure and my father had to be on expensive, long term medication for the rest of his life.

“How long does he have to live?” I asked the doctor solemnly.

“If he pulls through tonight and the next few weeks… 3 to 5 years tops,” he replied.

“Oh…” There was deep sadness and hopelessness in my voice.

*****

It was 2007… my father had been in remission for 3 years, thanks to an expensive cocktail of medicine. One day, he stopped taking the medicine because he felt he was being a burden to my family. The illness hit hard and fast… and he couldn’t get out of bed and was hospitalized again.

“Is this it?” I asked myself as I remembered the doctor’s words… “3 to 5 years tops”

I was caught in a tough dilemma… I was in a dead-end job working 12-14 hours a day… so I could help pay for his expensive medicine but if anything were to happen to my dad, I knew I would most likely regret not being able to spend enough time with him.

Hence, I made the biggest decision of my life… I left my job so I could stay home and help look after my dad. There were many questions in my mind like “How would I be able to pay the bills” etc. but I just relied on blind faith and believed that everything was going to be all right.

*****

Today (19 May 2010), we celebrated my father’s 60th birthday and yesterday, my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary.

It’s been 3 years since I left my job to work from home. Sure there had been plenty of ups and downs… especially in the beginning… but if you have read the article “How I made S$103,789.85 in revenue from Affiliate Marketing in 2009” on my other blog (on internet marketing), you would know that I’m doing pretty okay.

So, who said miracles don’t happen?

If you’re going through a tough time now, I just want you to know that in the end, everything is going to be all right. If miracles can happen in my life, I’m sure it can happen in yours as well!

Just keep on believing…

Note: I originally sent this out as an email to my personal development newsletter subscribers on 19th May 2010 and decided to share it here now because I received many emails telling me that this true story has given them much hope. Feel free to leave a comment/bookmark/stumble/facebook/tweet/share it with anyone who needs to believe again =)

So, if you haven’t heard, my buddy Eric Feng‘s got a new public speaking book out! It’s called “Get to the point” and is ideal for speakers who want to learn how to present with more confidence and charisma in front of any audience.

Now, I have known Eric for close to 7 years already… (time flies!) and he’s absolutely the real thing when it comes to delivering a killer presentation. I remember how he used to wow everyone with his engaging presentations in the NUS computing lecture theatres back in our uni days… so much so that I told myself I had to get him as a project partner if I ever got the chance (which, thankfully, I did… because we got an A+ for our project!)

Well, anyway, Eric invited me to his book launch recently and sent me a signed copy of “Get to the Point” so today I’m going to share with you 5 techniques/tips from the book that you can use immediately in your next presentation to get your audience to do what you say!

1) Repeat your key point in many ways

Repetition is one of the proven ways to help people learn. When we repeat something, we are suggesting to our audience that the concept/point is important and they should really pay attention to it. Eric suggests we repeat our key points in different ways (through stories, examples, demonstrations, videos, poems, paraphrasing etc) so as to make it more interesting and engaging.

2) Use this power word – “Because”

In “How to influence anyone to do anything“, I wrote about Dr. Robert Cialdini’s 6 weapons of persuasion. One of them is of course telling people WHY you want or need them to do something… because psychological experiences have shown that people are more likely to respond positively if you just give them a reason to do so… even if the reason doesn’t actually make sense! Now, how about that?

3) Leverage on the principle of consistency

Cialdini also mentioned that people would usually act in a consistent manner to what they have previously agreed to so Eric suggests asking questions and getting your audience to say “YES” to you at least 3 times early in your presentation… then linking back your key point (supported with well researched evidence and clear benefits) to those 3 YES’s for maximum effect.

4) Address all objections

Delivering a presentation is like making a sale. You are selling your audience to agree with what you’ve said, to ponder about what you’ve said or to take action based on what you’ve said. In order to do that, you need to do research to understand your audience’s wants/needs/dreams/desires so you can anticipate any objections and handle them before they even have a chance to say “but…”

5) Tell a story

Stories are one of the most effective persuasion tools. Think about it… when people start to tell us a story, what do we do? We go into a different state… we don’t try to argue or put up resistance because we know it’s just a story and that’s where the magic happens… We reflect on the story and take away lessons that are useful for our lives… Instead of telling someone what to do, why not tell them a story about how another person, just like them, achieved success by doing that very thing you would like them to do?

Now, I hope you found these 5 tips useful… Remember, it’s not about knowing… it’s about applying… Do your best to incorporate them into your next presentation and see what happens…

By the way, if you are interested in more public speaking tips like the ones I just shared with you, you can download a free chapter of Eric’s Book at http://www.gettothepointbook.com/freechapters/ or pre-order the book here (please note that the book is currently only available in Singapore)

All right, take care, have an awesome week and I’ll write again soon =)

Cheers,
Yee Shun-Jian
http://RichGrad.com

P.S. Feel free to use my 101 Powerful Affirmations, together with Eric’s tips, to help boost your confidence for your next presentation!