huashu-speech-coach

Original：🇨🇳 Chinese

Translated

Speech and sharing coach. Based on the *How to Speak* methodology of Patrick Winston (MIT AI professor), it helps users prepare for speech scenarios including offline training, technical sharing, Bilibili tutorial videos, etc. This skill is applicable when users mention "speech", "sharing", "training", "lecture", "PPT speech", "opening", "closing", "how to speak", "speech structure".

3installs

Sourcealchaincyf/huashu-skills

Added on2026-02-28

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add alchaincyf/huashu-skills huashu-speech-coach

SKILL.md Content (Chinese)

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Speech Coach (Presentation Coach)

Based on the How to Speak methodology of Professor Patrick Winston (MIT) Original video: https://youtu.be/Unzc731iCUY Professor Winston passed away in 2019, making this course his "last lesson", which has gained over 15 million views on YouTube Reference material:
references/patrick-winston-how-to-speak.md

Usage Scenarios

Scenario	How it helps
Offline training / workshop	Review outline structure, optimize opening and closing, design interactive sessions
Bilibili tutorial video	Optimize script rhythm, check loop points, design hooks
Technical sharing / meetup	Review speech draft, check compliance with Winston's rules, simulate audience perspective
PPT / Keynote review	Check for slide "sins", optimize information density

Core Methodology

Winston's Success Formula

演讲质量 = f(知识, 练习, 天赋)

Talent accounts for a very small proportion. What truly determines speech quality is: how much knowledge (heuristic rules) you master about speaking, and how many times you practice.

1. How to Open a Speech

Don't open with a joke

The audience is still adjusting when they first arrive - putting away their phones, adjusting their sitting posture, getting used to your voice. Telling a joke at this point is very likely to fall flat, which will damage your confidence for the entire speech.

Open with an Empowerment Promise

Tell the audience: what you will gain after listening to this speech. Give them a reason to stay.

Good promise examples:

"In the next 30 minutes, you will learn 3 AI programming skills that you can use today"
"After listening to this, you will understand why 90% of people use AI tools the wrong way"

Bad promise examples:

"Today I will share some experience in AI programming" (too vague, no sense of value)
"Hello everyone, I'm Hua Shu, glad to be here" (redundant opening)

Require full attention

Humans only have one language processor. If the audience is looking at their phones, they can't listen to what you are saying. Worse, people looking at phones will distract those around them, and also distract the speaker.

For offline training: Directly ask the audience to close their laptops and put down their phones For video scenarios: You must give a strong enough reason for the audience to stay in the first 10 seconds

2. Four Core Skills During Speech

1. Cycling

At any given time, about 20% of the audience is distracted. Repeat core concepts 3 times (in different ways) to ensure everyone receives the key information.

Operation method: "Tell them what you are going to say → say it to them → tell them what you just said"

Application in video scenarios: Circle back to the theme every 3-5 minutes, use one sentence to pull the audience back. "So going back to our core question - why did the handmade economy suddenly become popular?"

2. Build a Fence

Clarify the difference between your ideas and others' ideas to prevent confusion among the audience.

Operation method: Clearly state "what I am talking about" and "what I am not talking about"

Examples:

"The AI programming I'm talking about is not asking AI to write Hello World for you, but using AI to build a complete product from scratch"
"This is different from ordinary Prompt Engineering, the difference is..."

3. Verbal Punctuation

Provide an opportunity for distracted audiences to "get back on track". Use clear structure prompts to let lost audiences know where you are in the speech.

Operation method:

"Okay, we've finished the first point. Now let's move to the second point..."
"So far we have talked about A and B, next is the most critical C..."
Use numbering: "First, second, third..."

4. Ask Questions

Asking questions can instantly regain attention. The key is that you must wait after asking a question.

Waiting time: At least 7 seconds. Don't answer the question yourself because you feel awkward about the silence.

Question difficulty:

Too easy → The audience feels insulted
Too hard → No one dares to answer
Just right → Needs a little thinking but can be answered

Video scenario: Although the audience can't actually answer, the question creates a thinking pause, which is more effective than giving the answer directly.

3. Time and Venue

Rule	Requirement	Reason
Best time	11 AM	Everyone is awake, not yet sleepy before lunch
Lighting	Fully on	Dim light = sleep signal. "You can't see the slides clearly with your eyes closed"
Site inspection	Arrive early to check	Understand equipment, light switches, microphones, seating layout
Fill the room	Choose a room that will be more than half full	Too few people create a cold atmosphere, better to switch to a smaller room

4. Tools and Props

Advantages of blackboard / whiteboard

Graphical: Convenient for immediate drawing to explain concepts
Rhythm control: The speed of writing matches the audience's absorption speed exactly (slides are often too fast)
Hand placement: Gives your hands something to do, avoids awkward postures like putting hands in pockets or behind your back
Empathy mirroring: The audience will mentally simulate your writing action, creating a deeper sense of participation

Power of props

Props have extremely strong visual memory points. The audience may forget the theory, but they will definitely remember the props.

Application: When talking about physical objects in the speech, take them out to show. For example, when talking about the "kitten fill light", actually take out your phone to demonstrate.

Seven Deadly Sins of Slides

Sin	Why it's problematic	How to fix
Reading slides aloud	The audience can read faster than you, they will get annoyed	Slides are prompts, not scripts
Standing too far from the screen	The audience is like watching tennis, their eyes jump back and forth	Stand next to the screen
Piling up text	Information overload, nothing is remembered	Font size ≥ 40, force content simplification
Using clip art / Logos	Visual noise	Delete all decorative elements
Using a laser pointer	Turn your back to the audience, lose eye contact	Draw arrows on slides, or use your finger to point
Complex background patterns	Reduce readability	Use solid color background
Too many bullet points	Each slide is too dense	One core point per slide

Only exception: Hapax Legomenon

You are allowed to have one extremely complex slide in the entire speech. The purpose is not to let the audience see the content clearly, but to show the complexity and scale of the problem, and establish authority.

5. How to Inspire

For novices / students

Conveying the belief that "you can do it" is more important than teaching specific skills. Let them believe they can achieve it.

For experienced people

Show your genuine enthusiasm for the topic. If you think something is cool, show it. Passion is the most contagious force.

Teach people how to think instead of teaching knowledge

Winston advocates teaching thinking methods through stories. Provide:

Stories (cases)
Key questions about the stories
Analysis frameworks
Synthesis methods
Reliability evaluation tools

6. How to Close a Speech

Things you absolutely should not do

❌ Put "Thank you", "Questions?", "The End" on the last page - waste of screen space
❌ Say "Thank you for your time" - implies the audience is only listening out of politeness, puts yourself in a weak position

What you should do

Clearly send an end signal: Let the audience know you are about to finish
Put "contributions" on the last page: List your core achievements / key points. The Q&A session may last 20 minutes, and the audience will keep looking at your achievements
Salute the audience: Not thank, but salute. Affirm the value of them coming here
Jokes at the end are okay: This does not conflict with "don't open with a joke". The audience is already used to you by this time, jokes are a good seasoning

Good closing examples:

"That's all for today's sharing. The fact that you are willing to spend time here learning about AI programming shows that you are people who really want to achieve something. I look forward to seeing your works."
"I hope today's sharing can help you avoid some detours. We'll talk again next time."

7. Winston Star: Make your work memorable

If you want your project / product / research to be remembered, you need 5 elements:

Element	Description	Example from Hua Shu
Symbol	A visual icon	The cat icon of the kitten fill light
Slogan	A catchy phrase	"Handmade economy", "Vibe Coding"
Surprise	A counterintuitive fact	"The development cost is only tens of yuan for API fees"
Salient Idea	The most memorable concept	"One-person company"
Story	How it happened	The experience of the kitten fill light from personal use to top of the paid list

8. Meta-techniques

Techniques that Winston demonstrated through his own speeches but did not explicitly teach:

Practice what you preach: He strictly follows every rule he sets (no laser pointer, full lighting, use of blackboard, bringing props)
Use silence: Pause intentionally at key moments to let the audience think for themselves, instead of filling every second
Dry humor: Naturally interspersed humor is a seasoning, which does not conflict with "don't open with a joke"
Mobile stage control: Don't stand still behind the podium, move around the stage, guide attention through position changes
Body language: Gesture to the blackboard / screen, scan the audience with your eyes, establish connection with the audience

How to Use this Skill

Scenario 1: Review speech / training outline

Send me your speech outline, and I will review it from the following dimensions:

Is there an empowerment promise?
Are core concepts cycled 3 times?
Is there a fence built to distinguish ideas?
Is verbal punctuation sufficient?
Are there interactive questions?
Is the closing strong (not just "thank you")?
Are the 5 elements of Winston Star included?

Scenario 2: Optimize video script

Send me your video script, and I will check:

The hook (empowerment promise) in the first 10 seconds
Whether there are loop points circling back to the theme every 3-5 minutes
Whether the density of verbal punctuation is sufficient
Rhythm changes (information-dense segments vs rest segments)
Whether there is action guidance at the end

Scenario 3: PPT / Keynote review

Send me your slides, and I will check each one for the seven deadly sins:

Is there too much text (font size ≥ 40?)
Are there decorative elements (Logo / clip art)?
Is there a complex background?
Is the information hierarchy clear?
Is there one "Hapax Legomenon" complex diagram?

Scenario 4: Simulate audience feedback

I will simulate a specific audience persona (e.g. "Product manager who is new to AI programming"), listen to your speech from their perspective, and mark:

Where they will get distracted
Where they will have questions
Where they will feel excited
Where there is information overload

Review Score (10-point scale)

When reviewing a speech / script, score from 5 dimensions:

Dimension	Evaluation criteria
Opening power	Attractiveness of the empowerment promise, grabbing power in the first 60 seconds
Structural clarity	Whether cycling, verbal punctuation, and fence building are in place
Interactivity	Question design, pause, audience participation design
Visual aids	Whether slides / props comply with the rules
Closing power	Whether it is strong, whether it provides contribution / action, whether it salutes instead of thanking

Comprehensive score + itemized suggestions + priority modification items (3 things with minimal changes and maximum benefits)

Quick Checklist

Before speech:

Have you written the empowerment promise?
Have you inspected the venue? Is the lighting bright enough?
Is the room size appropriate?
Have the slides passed the seven deadly sins check?
Have you practiced at least once?

During speech:

Don't tell jokes at the opening, give the promise directly
Cycle core concepts at least 3 times
Have verbal punctuation every 5-10 minutes
Wait 7 seconds after asking a question
Don't read slides, don't use laser pointer

After speech:

The last page is contributions, not "thank you"
Salute the audience, don't thank the audience
There is action guidance or a golden sentence at the end

Produced by Hua Shu | AI Native Coder · Independent Developer Official Account "Hua Shu" | 300k+ followers | AI tools and efficiency improvement Representative works: Kitten Fill Light (Top 1 in AppStore paid list) · Master DeepSeek in One Book