This has been a popular video and an immensely hot topic amongst many Singaporeans. But rather than just treat it as a source of amusement, there are many lessons we can draw from this, with the biggest takeaway being that of discipline in speech.

Discipline in pronunciation
A lot of the general unhappiness toward Ris’ speech is related to pronunciation. For a good or even acceptable speech, much discipline and effort is needed to pronounce each syllable carefully, intonating at the correct syllable and vocalizing the Ts (spenT), Ds (spenT), THs (THird), etc. Practice makes perfect, and the best way to perfect one’s enunciation and pronunciation is rehearsal.

Discipline in revelation
It is not easy to connect with your audience without revealing too much about yourself. Again, discipline is key in controlling the amount of personal information revealed – to self-censor before your life story begins spilling out. One way in which this could be done is by anticipation – making rational assumptions about the audience, and formulating possible questions that could be asked. In this way, one could give answers and share experiences that the audience can relate to, without putting oneself at liability.

Discipline in content
When speaking, many ‘say what comes to mind’. Some christen this phenomenon as the positive absence of self-consciousness, quick thinking or even frankness. However, in front of an audience, this could be one’s very downfall. When we ‘say what comes to mind’, more often than not, our thoughts appear in a haphazard manner which fails to support logical argument.

In conclusion, to put to use the first C of effective communication (the 5Cs: to be concise, complete, considerate, clear, correct) a good speaker is a disciplined speaker.