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Talk To The Star: Public Speaking Contest-Interview With Kunal Shrivastava
Our today’s guest who rocked our platform with his powerful delivery of words. He is none other than Mr. Kunal Shrivastava.
Not only did he rock our platform but even his daughter Kanishka delivered a wonderful performance.
It was heartwarming to see both father-daughter duo perform together in different categories.
So today we’ll take you to Mr. Kunal Shrivastava‘s behind the scene life.
RNT: Good morning, Mr. Kunal Shrivastava. It’s great to be chatting with you here. Could you start by telling our audience a bit about yourself? 🙂
KS: Hello, I am Kunal Shrivastava. A passionate teacher, trainer, coach, mentor, and a friend who never misses on any opportunity to help people.
I love helping people achieve their better versions be it their careers, health, or personal life.
I am an avid traveller who thinks its best to learn things when you travel and visit new places.
I have learnt a lot about life from my visits and stays in places like England, Spain and various parts of our country.
I am a fitness enthusiast and try to remain fit by being focussed and disciplined at the workouts and at the same time try to motivate and help others with their fitness journeys.
I am a firm believer in the saying that whenever you do a new thing – you either win or learn.
I have learnt a lot from my mistakes, failures and all the downs life can offer and hence always strive to use those learnings to help myself as well as others in their quest for happiness and success.
RNT: that was impressive Kunal. What inspired you to start speaking on the public forums?
KS: I always encourage my students to grab every opportunity to practice their communication skills so this time when I asked them to participate in the contest, many of them were reluctant.
So I thought to lead by example and participate myself so that they could also get the idea and some motivation to do it by themselves.
RNT: Now Kunal, I want you to think back to five years ago. Did you envision yourself where you are today? What are the changes that you can see?
KS: No, I am continuously evolving. I have changed a lot in terms of enhanced skill sets self-confidence and learnings. And in the coming 5 years, I will not be the same as I am now.
RNT: Somewhere at some point in our lives, everyone encounters a difficult situation. Can you tell me about a time when you had faced one? How did you handle the situation?
KS: My life since childhood had always been a series of difficult situations.
I have been through a lot in terms of financial instability, personal loses and health issues and every time I handled them with a conviction and hope for a better future.
Keeping those things I never stopped learning never stopped helping others and never stopped growing both in personal and professional spaces.
RNT: You are an excellent communicator Kunal, and can comfortably communicate both Hindi and English languages so when did you first realize you wanted to be a speaker?
KS: I realized my love for the stage long back when I was in school when I used to get on the stage as if I owned it.
Later, during my college days, I polished my speaking and presentation skills which keeps on benefiting me both as a person as well as a professional.
RNT: You see Kunal I strongly believe that each individual has his own style of working, how would you describe your own personal style?
KS: My personal style of working is getting well with others, respecting each individual irrespective of his class and gender, equally and always with a smile.
RNT: Awesome…! Where do you find the inspiration for your public speaking topics? What is your motivating factor?
KS: The need to be a good speaker inspires me. This need I see in my students my kids and all the trainees I come across.
RNT: With so much happening around you you must be a busy man. So, what is your work schedule like when you’re working on a project? How long does it take you to draft your speech?
KS: Depends on how much interesting that project is to me.
RNT: ???? I like that answer, the same happens to me. If I like something I can finish it in a jiffy. If something gets boring then it sure does take a long time to get done. What do you think makes you different from others?
KS: I am not in a race to prove myself different. I want people to take me as one of their own.
This way I want to connect, listen to them share stories and come handy whenever I am needed.
RNT: How many public speaking shows have you done until now? Can you share a few of your best experiences with us?
KS: In my career spanning over 16 years, I have been to such occasions many times the count of which I don’t have.
Every training session be it a corporate training or a classroom lecture, is unique and so satisfying.
The latest one done at the RN Talks has been a very unique experience as well where recording myself in one take on a camera was quite challenging as well as rewarding.
RNT: Can you share with us some of your achievements in life till now and how they helped you evolve as a person?
KS: Few of the most memorable ones are :
- When I was invited to a very prestigious Management Institution to train their MBA students on Campus Placement skills like Interview cracking and other soft skills. This was the same college where many years ago I failed to crack the admission interview.
- When I joined as a visiting faculty in the same college where I did my graduation from staying in the college hostel.
- All those failed attempts at SSBs (Selection interviews for Armed forces) have taught me so much more about self-confidence and life than any of my degrees and certifications have.
RNT: ??? Don’t worry even AB could not crack SSB and see where he is now! I wish the same for you. Would you please share with your readers some key points to bear in mind when someone attempts to speak on a public forum?
KS: There are certain rules to follow when you speak on a public forum only then will you be successful…
- Be yourself
- Don’t worry about other’s opinions
- Find out your personal style and stick to it
- Know your content well but give them your own personal flavour.
- Practice hard
RNT: Kunal, what are the hobbies that help you unwind, and what do you like to do when you’re free?
KS: When I’m free there are loads of things I enjoy doing. some of them I have shared here
- Listening to music
- Playing with my kids
- Watching movies
- Playing PC Games
RNT: Tell us about your most recent work, who inspired you, and how was it?
KS: My most recent work was the RNTalks contest. And I was inspired by my friend Mr. Abhishek Sengupta and her very talented daughter, Mekhla.
When I heard them speak in various contests I got excited and showed their videos to my daughter too.
So we both took part in the RNTalks contest
RNT: I have seen you speak and just love the way you speak. How did you develop the skill of speaking so engagingly in front of groups?
KS: Practice , getting feedback and more practiceHow can someone become a more assertive public speaker?
Learn the skills, Practice and practice with feedback given by someone who could help.
RNT: Are you considering a career transition? What are some other areas that might be a good fit for you?
KS: Yes. A public speaking coach would be an interesting proposition.
RNT: What do you want to say to those who could not make it in the first 5 of your category?
KS: When you enter a contest sometimes you lose and sometimes you win.
Learn from it. Pat your back for the courage displayed in participating and try again and again.
RNT: What is your motto in life? Tell us about your next project and when will it be available to the public?
KS: My motto is to take life as it comes. I don’t have any project as of now but I hope to be more active on the social media platform.
RNT: Good to know someone who thinks like me. I try to take each day as it comes. Tell us about your association and experience with RNTalks. On a scale of 1-10, how will you rate RNTalks?
KS: It was a very enriching experience. The people and members of this group are very warm, friendly, and helpful.
It’s like a family atmosphere where everyone is happy about other’s success and ready to help in failures. I would give it a 10/10 rating.
RNT: WOW, that’s awesome Kunal! On behalf of RNTalks, I wish you all the best for your future in Public Speaking and as a communicator. Any special message or any suggestions you would like to share with your visitors/fans which you think would help them become a better writer/or evolve as a person?
KS: Just focus on becoming a better version of yourself, both in both the personal as well as in the professional spaces, than yesterday.
Respect and show kindness to others and try to help whomsoever you can. And do it with style and a smile. Thanks and lots of love.
