Dive in.

I'm in Singapore. After I swam a few laps here, I've been leading a week of writing seminars for business people from Singapore and Malaysia.

This is my sixth trip to this island. With each visit, I learn more about the Singaporean culture. The city-state was a British colony until 1965, and so the English influence is still strong. But what excites me the most about the city is the mix of cultures and perspectives.

Singaporeans are a rich blend - 73% Chinese, 14% Malay, 9% Indian and a half dozen other groups. English is the primary business language, but most everyone speaks the lyrical Singlish among friends. The official native languages are Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay with sprinkles of Hokkien, Cantonese, Hindi, and a dozen other languages. What a fragrant and heady stew!

So as an Ang Moh coming to the Lion City to teach business writing, I am acutely aware of my own insular origin. Sometime catch no ball, la. Singaporeans can be a reserved lot. I look out into the audience and see emotionless, stoic faces. Are they listening to me? Are the concepts relevant? Do the analogies and metaphors in my stories translate?

Leading a full-day workshop is damn hard work. I have to keep my energy and enthusiasm at full throttle for eight hours. I have to tell stories and give examples to keep my concepts relevant and meaningful. And I have to keep the participants engaged and active so they don't settle back and fiddle with their Blackberries and iPhones.

I don't quite know how it works. But it feels like I send waves of energy into the audience. I lift them, swirl them, and keep them vibrating and alive for hours. Sometimes I imagine I'm conducting an orchestra.

After full day of caressing, and zapping, and pulling, and prodding the participants, I'm exhausted. And wired. It's exhilarating!

And it can be intimidating and scary. But rather than worry about how I might fail, I focus on how I will succeed. I trust myself. I trust my content. I know it works. And I know I'm really good at what I do.


The next time you find yourself standing in front of a sea of expectant faces, all wanting you to enlighten them, trust yourself. Stand up straight. Take a deep breath. And dive in.