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Public Speaking - How I found ways to be myself on stage.

03:12 PM | 27 Mar, 2017
Public Speaking - How I found ways to be myself on stage.
Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to partake in everything that I could. In school, I wanted to be in the choir, learn piano, be part of the spelling bee team, etc. As I grew older, I started getting into other things, such as sports, theater, and even debating. For most of these things, I had to get up on stage and actually DO something physical, or at least had some sort of prop with me that gave me leverage of some sort in my mind that I wouldn’t be wasting so many people’s important time - except for debates. I had nothing. No props, no movement. Just me, on the stage, with my words, facing everyone.


I still remember this one technique:
Pretend there is a scared nervous version of yourself inside of your body. Say hello to it.
“Hello”.
Picture what he/she looks like. I pictured this fatter version of myself, with bad teeth, and the over-sized glasses and the hands glued to the sides posture.
“Hello there. You can come with me on the stage but you have to stand by the corner and just watch. Don’t be afraid. You can come with me.”


To better my public speaking skills, I interacted with people from all age groups. Current and former members of Pakistan’s debates team, well known psychologists, and even my own father, who has presented before thousands at national and international conventions.
The following are some of the things I do to prepare before any event that may require me to deliver an address -


WATCH STAND-UP COMEDIES
Louis CK


Before any sort of public speaking event that I have to be a part of, I watch as many stand up comedies as possible.

Not because I want to steal jokes, but because they are the best public speakers. They use the whole stage. They make faces. They engage the audience. And they are funny.
My go-to comedians:
Louis CK, Amy Schumer, Marina Franklin, Andy Samberg, Larry David (his interviews are great), Anthony Jeselnik, Bill Burr, Dave Chapelle.


TELL JOKES


Adults are not used to laughing. A child, on average, laughs 300 times a day. An adult… 5. Get people to laugh and they will remember.


THE 10 MINUTE RULE


People usually get bored and tired by ten minutes into a talk. You need to change the subject, or get them involved, or do a joke, or even do something they didn’t expect, at regular intervals to keep the crowd intrigued.


USE THE WHOLE STAGE


Move around. Nobody wants to stare at one spot the entire time.


PAUSE


Whenever you’ve made a point, or finished a story, or just delivered the punch line of a joke and the people are laughing, pause. Pause till it gets weird.
I don’t know why this is good. It just works somehow. People continue laughing.



TELL STORIES



Stories have a beginning, middle and end.
Stories usually involve a hero who really doesn’t want to be a hero, and somehow gets himself involved in a set of ever increasing problems, and along with the help of a few sidekicks, ends up solving them and then returns to tell everyone all about it.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a talk, a single tweet, or if it’s Spiderman.
You have to tell a story.


SING


People who stutter don’t stutter when they sing.
That’s because the “singing part” of the brain is different from the talking part of the brain.
What singing before going on stage will do is help activate some of the areas of your brain that control verbal expressions but may not have been on full form before you actually sang. Also personally, singing helps me feel like a performer and give me an extra boost of confidence before going up.


NO SLIDES


I hate slides. I don’t like multi-tasking, and unless I absolutely HAVE to use slides, I will not. I want people to focus on what I’m saying, not some slides on a screen. You want people to remember you, and what you said.


KNOW THE AUDIENCE


I generally love socializing, so I try to get to know as many a people during any break at an event that may require me to get on stage and say stuff. This helps me get an idea of what the majority of people are here to learn or get to know more about and how to approach them during my talk.


Do I always do well during a debates competition, MUN, as an event host? Absolutely not. Do I still get nervous before getting up on any stage, make weird faces, tell stupid jokes and sometimes get off-point, but still try my best? Always.

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Pakistani rupee remains stable against US Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal and Dirham; Check forex rates

Pakistani rupee remained stable against the US dollar, and other currencies in the open market on Friday.

Dollar Rate in Pakistan Today

On Friday, the US dollar remained stable and was being quoted at 283.2 for buying and 286.15 for selling.

Euro comes down to 308 for buying and 311 for selling. British Pound rate dropped to 358.5 for buying, and 362 for selling.

UAE Dirham AED witnessed slight drop and new rate stands at 77.4 whereas the Saudi Riyal remained stable at 76.

Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 8 December 2023

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 283.2 286.15
Euro EUR 308 311
UK Pound Sterling GBP 358.5 362
U.A.E Dirham AED 77.4 78.1
Saudi Riyal SAR 76 76.8
Australian Dollar AUD 187.2 189
Bahrain Dinar BHD 757.23 765.23
Canadian Dollar CAD 209 211
China Yuan CNY 39.89 40.29
Danish Krone DKK 41.19 41.59
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.41 36.71
Indian Rupee INR 3.42 3.53
Japanese Yen JPY 1.39 1.45
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 921.71 930.71
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 61.02 61.62
New Zealand Dollar NZD 174.54 176.54
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.05 26.35
Omani Riyal OMR 739.62 747.62
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 78.22 78.92
Singapore Dollar SGD 211 213
Swedish Korona SEK 27.12 27.42
Swiss Franc CHF 324.94 327.44
Thai Bhat THB 8.06 8.21

Gold prices in Pakistan increase; Check out latest rates here

Gold price in Pakistan increased as the yellow metal witnessed an upward trend in the international market.

Gold Rates in Pakistan Today - 8 December 2023

On Friday, the price of a single tola of 24-karat gold stands at Rs217,400 and 10 grams of 24k gold costs Rs186,390.

Single tola of 22 Karat Gold costs Rs199,282, 21 karat rate for per tola is Rs190,225 and 18k gold rate is Rs163,050 each tola.

In the global market, gold prices hover at around $2026, gaining $8.30 on Friday.

Today Gold Rate in Pakistan

Today Gold Price in Pakistan (8 December 2023)

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Karachi PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Islamabad PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Peshawar PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Quetta PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Sialkot PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Attock PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Gujranwala PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Jehlum PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Multan PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Bahawalpur PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Gujrat PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Nawabshah PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Chakwal PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Hyderabad PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Nowshehra PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Sargodha PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Faisalabad PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583
Mirpur PKR 217,400 PKR 2,583

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