Take the (crazy) microphone

Non-native speakers can find it hard to rise to the occasion

用中文做演講對西方人確實是個挑戰，尤其要避免誤入誤區。

The outside temperature was -28 C but Jason Prater, a sales intern on business in Northeast China, was sweating bullets.

"I was the only person burning up in the building, but then again, I was about to give a speech in Chinese to hundreds of strangers," Jason recounts. "I had already botched the tones on 老板 (lǎobǎn) and called my boss my 老伴兒 (lǎobànr), or old spouse, instead. My opening joke about his comb-over had not gone over well. It was an utter catastrophe."

Long after speaking to small groups has become second nature, the thought of addressing a room full of expectant strangers leaves even the most talented language learners tongue-tied with terror.

There are also cultural nuances to be considered. In the West, the KISS principle reigns supreme: Keep It Simple, Stupid. By contrast, a typical Chinese speech sounds like an audio recording of a Victorian novel. "They tend to use a lot of over-the-top language," a Canadian student comments. "Their method of public speaking sounds overly eloquent to the Western ear, but it is all part of the culture."

Fear not. With this article and some practice in front of the mirror, you will be one step closer to wowing your audience with an excellent oration.

Extravagant beginnings

Western presenters tend to get right down to business after a brief introduction. In China, the start of a speech is an elaborate opportunity to praise hosts, previous speakers and distinguished guests.

"Get everyone's names and titles right," says Daniel Rochette, a Chinese-language researcher. "Before my first time ever presenting in China, a stage hand showed me around backstage. I thought I heard him say, 麥克瘋了 (Màikè fēng le) or, 'Mike is crazy.' When a colleague arrived with a group of Chinese guests, I went up to the one named Mike and said in Chinese, 'Oh, and you must be crazy Mike.' It turns out the stage hand was not referring to Mike, but to the microphone (麥克風 màikèfēng). Thankfully I got that cleared up before I had to introduce Mike on stage."

Use your speech to give face to VIPs and colleagues. Try to avoid calling them crazy.

Distinguished (surname and title), ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

Zūnjìng de ..., nǚshì men, xiānshēng men, xiàwǔ hǎo!

尊敬的 ...，女士們，先生們，下午好!

I represent ...

Wǒ dàibiǎo ...

我代表 ...

I'd like to express my thanks to ...

Wǒ duì ... biǎoshì gǎnxiè!

我對 ... 表示感謝!

I am Ren Dawei and I represent the company's American branch office. First, I'd like to express my thanks to Chairman Chen and Supervisor He.

Wǒ shì rèndàwěi, qǐng yǔnxǔ wǒ dàibiǎo měiguó fēn bù, duì chén zǒngcái yǐjí hé jīnglǐ biǎoshì gǎnxiè!

我是任大偉，請允許我代表美國分部，對陳總裁以及何經理表示感謝!

This kind of flowery language would torment a Western crowd, but to your Chinese audience it is music to the ears. Eloquence is bound to get you in the good books with your guanxi (關系 relationships).

The content of her speech was original and clear. It really hit the mark.

Tā de fǎyán tiáolǐ qīngxī, jiànjiě dúdào, qièzhòng yàohài.

她的發言條理清晰，見解獨到，切中要害。

She has vast experience and knowledge.

Tā jiàn duō shí guǎng, xué fù wǔ chē.

她見多識廣，學富五車。