Youth INK - Network Capital Summer school for Ambitious Students

In this newsletter, we would like to tell you about our summer school designed for ambitious students (age group 9-18) who want to become world class public speakers and scale their ideas with the power of words. Students already enrolled in our yearlong program do not need to register again.

This summer, learn to become a persuasive public speaker

In the HBO documentary “Becoming Warren”, billionaire investor Warren Buffet says that the chains of habit are too light to be felt and too heavy to be broken. He used to be a terrible public speaker and it was inhibiting his professional life. Buffett realized that if he didn’t change his habit of keeping to himself and fix his glossophobia (fear of public speaking), he would never be able to reach his true potential.

After seeing Dale Carnegie’s public speaking course in the local newspaper, Buffet enrolled in his cohort-based course. Though not comfortable initially, he  stuck to Carnegie’s program.

Success in life comes down to the number of difficult conversations you are willing to have – with yourself and with the groups of people you work with. But to have thoughtful conversations that are difficult in nature, you need to learn to speak effectively, like Warren Buffet does.

Buffett says that learning public speaking was the best investment he ever made. It turned out to be an asset that continues to pay dividends even today. Had he not taken corrective measures, his discomfort with public speaking would have been a huge liability.

Buffett is a household name not only for of his financial acumen but also because he has been a storyteller par excellence. His shareholder letters and public talks have helped scale his ideas around the world. Buffett says that speaking well is an asset that will pay dividends for 60-70 years and turn out to be a liability if kept unchecked.

Should you learn to speak well because Warren Buffet said so?

You shouldn’t try and get better at public speaking because you want to prove a point to someone somewhere. FOMO-induced goal setting rarely works. To understand why, let’s explore the two components of motivation.

1. Extrinsic Motivation: Extrinsic motivation refers to behavior that is driven by external rewards such as fame, grades, and praise.

2. Intrinsic Motivation: Intrinsic motivation is the act of doing something without any obvious external rewards. The pursuit is the pleasure and the reward.

Intrinsic motivation matters for public speaking. Public speaking is a way for you to share your story and explore a deep connect with the world. You can’t be authentic if fame and praise are at the back of your mind. While practicing and delivering your talk/presentation, you need to “be here now”, as the spiritualist Ram Dass suggests in his best-selling book.

Youth INK - Network Capital Summer School: What to Expect?

1. Specific techniques to speak well

2. A community to practice with

3. Guidance of a TED speaker/ INK Fellow/ Network Capital Faculty

Capstone Project

At the end of the summer, you will be ready to deliver a mini TED/INK style talk (3-5 minutes). We will coach you, work on your drafts and help you put yourself out there. Remember you can’t get better hiding in a corner.

Towards the end, we will share your talk (if you agree) with our 150,000+ strong community.

Timeline

The summer school starts on May 28 and goes on for 6 weeks with classes scheduled twice a week.

Wrapping it up

The dividend on your public speaking investment will pay off for the rest of your career. Warren Buffett concluded advice to a bunch of business school students with this -

"Right now, I would pay $100,000 for 10 percent of the future earnings of any of you, so if you're interested, see me after class.

Now, you can improve your value by 50 percent just by learning communication skills--public speaking. If that's the case, see me after class and I'll pay you $150,000."

If you are an ambitious school student, you will thoroughly enjoy being part of the summer program. We look forward to hosting you.