PERSPECTIVES, REFLECTIONS

Behind the scenes: how I prepare for speaking engagements

Personal reflections and rules for public engagement

Preparing the room for a book talk. Photograph by author, Shawn Seah.

Her eyes widened. “I didn’t know that you did so much preparation behind the scenes for your heritage hobby.”

I was speaking with a fellow Singaporean writer when she made these remarks.

To be fair, few people know how much preparation goes into public speaking events.

Yes, I prepare in advance for public events like a book talk, public lecture or seminar, or any engagement for that matter.

It might come as a surprise, but I have been speaking at typically six to eight public events each year since 2017.

For example, I have shared stories at places such as the Peranakan Museum; Blackbox at Fort Canning Centre during the Singapore Bicentennial; the National University of Singapore; and even the Nanyang Sacred Union, a Chinese temple.

At the Peranakan Association Singapore’s inaugural Baba Nyonya Literary Festival, I was one of the panel speakers. Subsequently, I served as a moderator at the second edition of the festival.

I also spoke about the historical Punggol Zoo in a TV documentary by CNA, called Lost…