‘Star speaker’ Boy Abunda pays it forward

MANILA, Philippines - There is no question that Boy Abunda is already a household name in the Philippines, having spent decades as a very successful celebrity endorser, publicist, talent manager and TV personality. Boy has literally been involved in all aspects of the showbiz industry. Not content with the peaks that he has scaled, this year, Boy made waves in the international scene when he spoke at the Asia Professional Speakers Convention in Singapore last month. His speech was titled The Fab Sermon in Singapore — Don’t Just Be A Speaker, Be A STAR, and it brought the house down.

?Boy was invited to speak at that event by Fredrik Haren, a leader of the Asia Professional Speakers Singapore. He is the only Filipino to receive such an invitation.

When he accepted it, Boy did so knowing that it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. After all, he would be speaking in front of a crowd composed of the best, brightest and highest-paid public speakers in Asia and the world. But in true Boy Abunda fashion, he didn’t let that stop him. Instead, he used it to fuel his rise to the occasion.

?“I knew speaking in front of all those people would be like dancing ballet before some of the best ballerinas. Intimidating yung pagkakataon but I didn’t wallow in the idea of it being frightening,” he says. “While I was preparing my materials, I looked at the whole thing as an adventure. I was going beyond my space of influence. It was exciting because it was an exploration of what I didn’t think I could do. I never imagined I could be a professional public speaker.”

Boy began his speech by talking about his favorite public speakers and what they had in common with some of showbiz’s biggest names. He wanted to prove that public speakers and stars have what he calls “the commonality of the star experience.”

According to Boy, because the experience of being a public speaker is similar to that of being a star, public speakers can learn a thing or two from stars about what to do during speaking engagements. Furthermore, some speakers become stars in their own right because they’re so good at what they do.

?So what makes a star a star, and how can that be applied to public speaking? Boy says it starts with talent and great imagination.

Boy on what makes a ‘star’ a star: It starts with great imagination and talent.

“For example, when Meryl Streep won her first Oscar for Kramer vs. Kramer, she played a mother. Meryl said, ‘When I played that role, I wasn’t a mother. But I knew what kind of mother I was going to be.’ She imagined herself as a mother when she did that movie, and now she has an Oscar to show for it. Great imagination begins where talent ends. It extends the life of talent to eternity. But you can only travel into great imagination if you have genuine talent. You can’t fake talent.”

Boy also talked about the importance of charisma, presence, having a network of influential connections and the X factor. He said that stars should have a great sense of occasion — an idea he borrowed from Bono, frontman of the Irish rock band U2.

“Bono once said, stars should know that their audience is temporary so they’ll work hard to keep them hanging on as long as possible. Also, a star shouldn’t linger — he or she should know when to enter and exit,” he says. “Stars should also know how to be invisible yet visible and invincible.”

Boy wrapped up his speech in Singapore by telling his audience that stars also have to accept that nothing lasts forever, so they’ll make the most of all the opportunities they get. He says the main point of his speech was that speakers should go all out to make a lasting impact on their audiences.

“By discussing the principles of being a star from my point of view as a talent manager, I was trying to tell the speakers that it’s not enough to just speak, nor is it enough to be informative, scientific or thorough in your speeches. You have to be a ‘star speaker’ — someone who changes minds and lives and touches people. Someone memorable. Be memorable by speaking from your heart and using your words to tell as vivid a story as possible.”

When Boy was done, the audience rewarded him with a prolonged standing ovation. Their reaction to his speech gave him a new purpose. It made him realize that he can be a professional public speaker — and now, Boy wants to pay it forward. In fact, he’s gearing up for more speaking engagements.

“Magandang-maganda yung naging karanasan ko sa Singapore. Now, I want to make public speaking my profession. I want to take it seriously. Also, with some friends — who are among the best speakers in Asia, Fredrik Haren, Jerome Joseph, Tom Abbott — I’d like to align myself with the best global professional speakers.

“I don’t know where this is going to bring me but it will certainly be a great adventure.”