Yu’s Formulas for Success

Steve Yu has two pithy prescriptions for success. One is intended to help public speakers control their anxiety. The other helps ensure lively and uplifting meetings in Toastmasters or other settings:

“Steve’s Three S’s”

Smile, stand tall and slow down. “I try to incorporate this into most workshops I give,” says Yu. “What I have found is that a week later, or even several years later, what people tell me more than anything else is that they remember my three S’s. I think that’s the real test of a speaker—what will someone recall years down the road?”

“Steve’s Three E’s”

Yu says an effective meeting has to be educational, energetic and entertaining. He forged this approach as he was thrust into leadership roles early in his Toastmasters career. “Within about three months of my joining there was this huge leadership vacuum in the club. I became president immediately. It was very stressful. What do I say? How do I lead a meeting? How do I inspire everyone? I found that when you open with energy—get everyone clapping, pumped up—that carries through and drives the meeting.”