The Art of Speaking Up: A Gen Z’s Journey From Shy to Stage

Automatically transcribed, so there may be the odd slip.

Alastair GreenerHello, and welcome to the Alastair Greene Generationally Speaking podcast, where we look at bridging the generation gap by debunking myths, tackling stereotypes, and sharing practical tips on how we can build stronger intergenerational connections. Now, my guest today is a Gen Z or Gen Zed, however you like to say it, who works in IT sales. He helps leaders make sense of their technology landscape and help them to choose solutions that solve problems rather than create new ones, something I think resonates with all of us. He's also a public speaker, which isn't p- something you would normally associate with somebody of his generation, so we're gonna talk more about that because he's the president of Reading Speakers and someone who mentors others in speaking, leadership, and confidence. So today, we're going to be talking about Gen Z in the workplace, why communication matters for young people, and we're gonna talk about technology, confidence, employment, and networking across generations. So please welcome my Gen Z guest today, Danny Wang. Hello.

Danny Wanggrand introduction, Alastair. You know, you're making me blush a little bit already, and we haven't even started the podcast.

Alastair GreenerWell, it's, it's, it's-- for those of you who are watching, you'll be able to see Danny blush, but for the, for those listening, you'll just have to imagine it. But Danny, one of the things, you know, clearly what you're doing now doesn't seem typical of your generation, someone who's speaking out, speaking up, helping other people to do that. What about your upbringing? Give us an idea of what your upbringing was like and whether you were brought up in a typical Gen Z way, if you like, of the era.

Danny WangMm-hmm. I don't know if my upbringing would be described as typical Gen Z way. I think my upbringing was a little bit different because I was a child of immigrant parents. They were both quite young at the time, so I had more of a strict upbringing, more traditional, if that made sense. That doesn't make me feel not like a Gen Z. I'm still absolutely 100%, still silly when I need to be and serious when I need to be. But I think my upbringing definitely did have an effect on how I approach things now.

Alastair GreenerAnd when it comes to communication, what was that like in the house? Because, um, sometimes people think if it's an auth-authoritarian, um, upbringing, uh, which y-you're implying, that actually you're, you're there to, y-you know, be seen and not heard, where clearly I would suggest you've been given a voice at some stage or encouraged to speak up.

Danny WangMm-hmm. So there definitely was a lack of communication growing up, and there still is with some people of the family And I think that did definitely have an effect on my teenage years especially. I was always quite a shy and introverted kid. I was quite nervous to speak up or just share ideas with people. Uh, I, I couldn't really defend myself. I couldn't argue against other people. And that carried on until probably the age of 20, where I suddenly went through this little stage of self-development, and I started pushing myself out my comfort zone and ... 'Cause I really didn't like that, uh, aspect of my personality. So authoritative household definitely does have an effect, um, but that changed

Alastair GreenerAnd what drove you to that-- What, what drove you to that change? What made you suddenly have that, that moment that you thought, "I'm gonna do something different"?

Danny WangMm-hmm. So I was at a stage of my life where, so in my teenage years, I wasn't the best behaved. I decided not to go university. I actually got kicked out of school at one point. I just wasn't doing very well, and I was very displeased with who I was. I was working. I was working hard. I decided to pick up two jobs, and in doing this phase of working hard and being unhappy with myself, I grew this sort of deep resentment to who I was. I hated my character, the way I came across, the impressions that I give people, and I thought, "I'm gonna make a change now. I have to." So this almost resentment or this displeasement with my character led me to start public speaking. It led me to start networking. It led me to start working on startups and business ideas. Anything that was really pushing me to a next higher level, I was trying to do it all at the same time. It was a bit intense, but it's definitely taken a good effect on me.

Alastair GreenerAnd I, and I hope this doesn't come across as sounding a little patronizing, but that's a very mature approach to be taking as a, a, as a 20-year-old to, to give that self-analysis of, of, of who you felt you were and so on. Did-- Was there a trigger? Did anybody say anything to you, or was it just something came from within, you just don't know where it came from, but it, it, it came and it was clearly a very strong, you know, motivation for you to change?

Danny WangIt was from within. It was from within. I was unhappy with the life I was living. All the people I knew were doing better than me. They were in their first, second year of uni even, and I was just here dilly-dallying, and I just didn't like the way I came across. I was just so displeased with my progress in life that I thought, "I have to pick up the ball now. I wanna get into this position. I wanna work in corporate. I wanna achieve this. I wanna do this with business. I wanna get this physique," and all of that just flooded my mind at once. So it wasn't any particular person saying anything. It was from within, and it sort of ... It was quite a rapid change, but it just came from within.

Alastair GreenerNow, I have to ask the question because many people will say, of course, your generation, you would have got loads of influence from social media. Did you get any of it from there, or was it actually really from within?

Danny WangSo the unhappiness with my character from w- was from within But the self-development that I picked up was definitely influenced by social media. They would recommend me which books to read, what activities to do on the weekend, how to network, or what skills I should focus on. And that's where I really started honing on communication, 'cause I realized communication is so important for your personal brand, for the respect that people convey to you, for your confidence. It seeps into every corner of life, and I thought, "I have to nail this one." And that's what also inspired me to get into tech sales and also start public speaking. I thought communication is... Well, you would agree, right, Alastair? Is absolutely key.

Alastair GreenerAbsolutely. Absolutely, which is why I'm so excited you're here on the podcast because, you know, you're, you're someone in that sense who breaks the mold because when people talk about the stereotypical Gen Z, it's not someone who's a great communicator, who's able to articulate, um, effectively. So it, it's great that you've gone down that route. And one of the things that you now do is help other people do that. So just to talk about that journey of the point that you discovered, "Okay, I can do this. I'm going to be a great public speaker, and I'm gonna help other people as well." Give me an idea of that journey.

Danny WangMm-hmm. So my public speaking journey started in February of 2025. I joined my first public speaking club, Reading Speakers and Wokingham Speakers, just down the road from my house, and I was a wreck. I was stuttering everywhere, I was mumbling, I was slurring my words. I sounded like I was on drugs pr- quite frankly. I was so nervous. My heart was beating and I was using lots of slang at the same time as well. Uh, my whole speech was just absolutely, um... I don't know how else to describe it, but pretty bad. But slowly, over a few months' time, I started throwing myself in the deep end. I, I craved that nervousness ' cause I knew it was helping me develop faster. I kept doing it, kept doing it, kept doing it. Then after, I think, eight, nine months, I won a competition at the national level, uh, for the 2025, 2026 trophy. And that was the big deal breaker that made me realize, "Okay, maybe I can help other people along this journey too," because I've become quite successful in my area for public speaking. Why can't... Why don't I just help other people on that journey too? And I think seeing other people grow as well as yourself provides just amount, just the same amount if not more purpose to, uh, your character. So I lo- I love helping people, mentoring people on their journey.

Alastair GreenerAnd you often learn a huge amount y- about yourself when you teach others, don't you? You know, you, you see other people in you and vice versa and, and so on. But, I mean, that's a remarkable transformation, just nine months. You know, where some people spend years working on themselves, maybe not so intensely as you've done, but they don't achieve as much and as quickly as, as you have done. Do you think you had a natural leaning to it that just had to be found, or was it just that intensity of hard work? How did you manage to achieve so much so quickly?

Danny WangI think that's a really great question, and I don't think I'll ever know the answer to it properly. But I, I think it's a bit of both. That's the boring answer, right? It's always a little mix of both. I think I always had this aspire- uh, aspiration to carry myself in this sort of way, but it was covered in by layers and layers of poor, poor decisions and poor habits that I created in my teenage years, and from my childhood and the way my parents raised me. So I think I always had it, it was just covered and it was in the, it was in the very inner core, like an onion is. And also because of the hard work. Hard work is, you know, I'm, I'm not gonna say it wasn't hard work, but I f- I, I joined two clubs for a reason, and I, I made it my goal to speak as much as humanly possible, to a point where it was greedy and I wasn't letting other people speak, which I'm not saying is a good thing, but it's also not a bad thing.

Alastair GreenerA great thing about being young sometimes is you have that, um, that, that ability to cut through, which, which is great. As a matter of interest, what do your family think now of... 'Cause they will have seen a massive transformation between you as a child and now you as a young adult. How do they view your progress? What are they thinking?

Danny WangI think one word to describe it is relieved. They're relieved for sure. My mom... The change was so drastic and different. I started dressing differently, speaking differently. My mom did not recognize who I was, and she was, she was happy f- of course, she was happy of it. Before, uh, there was a lot of, I wouldn't say turmoil, but there was a lot of tension in the household and a lot of stress as to where I would go in the future because she didn't think I was made properly for these types of positions that I was chasing. But now since she's watched me speak on stage and watched me at my workplace and see the deals that I'm closing, she's just... The re- the stress is gone, and it's just relief now.

Alastair GreenerAnd those skills that you've gained, uh, 'cause I'm gonna move in towards your work now. I mean, certainly in sales, but just generally in the workplace, communication skills are so, so important. So which came first, the desire to speak or the desire to sell?

Danny WangMm. That's a good question. I think the first desire was to actually sell, which is one of the other reasons I started public speaking, 'cause I didn't think I was adequate enough to even be in that position. But- I would say they intertwine. So speaking is also... It, it depends on the situation, but I would say speaking is still a priority for me. But at s- at the start, it's because I believe I was not good enough to sell.

Alastair GreenerAre there other people your age in a similar role to you at your place of work?

Danny WangYes, there are quite a few people in my job that are the same age as me. We're a bit different in all our own aspects. Um,

Alastair GreenerI was gonna say, how do you compare? And certainly when it comes to communication skills, unless they had been communicating all the way through their lives to get to this point, unlike you, who did this effectively crash course into, um, public speaking. But how, how do you find your communication skills weigh up against theirs?

Danny WangWell, I'll, I'll try not to make this sound egotistical, but my communication skills are a bit better than theirs. But it's not something that I find they really care to focus on, which each to their own. I've never tried to mentor anyone if they don't want it, but they don't feel like there's a need for it, and that's fine. But I do believe it can help everyone, especially Gen Zs. Like you mentioned earlier about how Gen Zs struggle to communicate and come across in that way. It's a, it's a stereotype, right? If you can be that one Gen Z that can speak articulately in a way that comes across very confidently, I think you can do great numbers in, uh, in your internal networking at any workplace you go to.

Alastair GreenerI'm completely with you. I would, um, you know, couldn't agree more wholeheartedly that the skills you've gained will be helping you in your current role, but also in future roles. And actually talking about your current role, you know, when you're talking to your prospective clients, are they slightly shocked that, you know, here you are as a 23-year-old being really articulate and able to express yourself in a way that maybe other people of that age can't?

Danny WangTo be honest, they haven't voiced it. They haven't voiced it because I don't-- I try not to mention my age, my age too much when I'm selling, 'cause it can make me s- come across like I'm less experienced. So I don't say my age. But there is one client that sticks out. He was actually speaking at a seminar for an IT event, and I said, "Dude, let me help you. I'll give you some free mentoring before the event." And then I showed him all my stuff, and he was gobsmacked, to be honest, and now we've formed a great relationship. So somehow public speaking mentoring has tied with- in with IT sales, and now we're making even more sales because I've mentored this guy. It's a very cool relationship that we have.

Alastair GreenerNo, that, that's absolutely brilliant. And you touched on something there which is-- which I'd like to dig into a little bit more, if I may. Uh, you talked there about you, you don't talk about your age because of the way people might view you, what I would call generational bias. You know, people, you know, come to a conclusion about someone because of their age, whatever age that might be. So you don't talk about your age. Is it, is it really an issue? Do you feel that actually people are biased against you because they see you as being too young, too inexperienced, and therefore they c- they might choose to work with somebody else?

Danny WangI don't think everyone thinks that way, but from a sales perspective, if you-- if they-- if someone does have that bias, and even though you come across very well, that bias can still stay in the back of their head. And if they're going through to multiple suppliers or multiple consultants, they may think, "Oh, it might be the better option to go with this person," even if I've shown my stripes. It's something that we can't change and something that they can't really change either. So I'd just rather not take that risk.

Alastair GreenerNow, a, a previous podcast guest I had, uh, was talking to a, a chap called Paddy Crump, who was talking about going into the workplace as a Gen Z. And his experience w-was, you know, there were a few aspects of it that, that he was concerned about, and that he felt that he wasn't... the onboarding could have possibly been a bit stronger. How about you? When you joined the workforce, again, you, you kn- you didn't go to university, you went straight into the workplace. How was that for you? Was it a shock to the system? Were you guided through it? You know, g-give me some idea of what it was like when you... Well, first of all, from the, from the recruitment process, so going through those interviews and then joining the company.

Danny WangI think the onboarding process is a mix of what you do with it and what your recruiter does with it/company. So the recruitment process for my company was fairly decent, fairly nice. The interviews were quite intense 'cause it's a sales role, and I have to really show them my grit, and they're grilling me. But I kept my character. I remained calm, confident. But when I got to the company, you're sort of just thrown into the job, and then you learn things as you go, right? And I think what we need to leverage as Gen Z- Gen Zs is that we need to be proactive in the onboarding process. We need to be constantly curious, asking questions. So when I got to the workplace, I was talking to the-- my, my line manager, my colleagues all day, introducing myself to everyone, introducing myself to higher-ups in different departments, trying to get to know people and understand processes so I can pick up the ball and start rolling fast enough. So your... Was it Patrick you said the name was?

Alastair Greeneruh, yeah, Paddy. Yeah.

Danny Wangmight-- I don't know what his it was like, but it might have been they might have given him less attention and less information as with what to do. But I think what we can all do in this situation, which will also look good for our image, is to be proactive and just, just strive for, uh, information, strive for knowledge of processes. Yeah

Alastair GreenerAnd, and it's a really interesting perspective there because there's often discussion about where is the onus. Is the onus on the Gen Z to, you know, to work it out and to ask the right questions and push themselves? Or is the onus on the organization to create a welcoming environment and an environment that, you know, encourages that kind of questioning? Uh, w- assuming you were joining at a similar time with other younger people, was everybody else's experiences the same?

Danny WangNo. Some people had different experiences coming in. Uh, I don't know if you know what sales is like to, to this extent, but we have accounts and some don't have accounts. I was given no accounts, no net... It was all purely net new business. So I had to do a lot, and a lot, and a lot of outreach, a lot of hard work. So it wasn't exactly equal, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I think I learned much faster like this. And you mentioned earlier about the onus of is it the company's-- should it be the company's, um, responsibility or should it be the Gen Z's? Of course, both matter, and without either of them, you wouldn't really have a good working relationship. But if the company is not providing you the information that you desire, you should be accountable for trying to find it. And I always believe in accountability, and you should always be proactive in it. And it just looks good on you. People think, "Wow, this, this young kid, they want to learn. They want to win. They wanna become confident." Or, "They are confident, and they wanna do well in the workplace." Uh, yeah, so that answers the question.

Alastair Greenerhow is it working with older, um, sales, salespeople? Because, you know, they, they will have been brought up in a very different environment to the one that you've been brought up in. The world has changed. It's a new generation, and so on. What kind of conversations come up, and how do they cope with the, the, the, the new kids on the block, as it were?

Danny WangMm-hmm. You know what they love to say? "Oh, you guys have it so easy." They always say that. They would say, "Back in my day, we have to ring off an actual phone and look off a phone book." And I think they felt-- it's all light banter at the end of the day, I'm not too fussed. But they don't see is-- sales is different now. The workplace has changed, and the environment is completely different than what it was back then when they were selling. It's much easier back then. But that's, I think that's a to- uh, a debate for another day. I don't wanna get into the grits of that. But overall, apart from the banter, they're quite welcoming. They've seen that sort of... I think yesterday or the day before, we had our QBR, our quarterly business review, and I was given two shout-outs in front of the whole company for deals that I'm currently closing, which was the first time I've ever, um, my team has ever been given that recognition. So a quite a few of the older people, older salesmen came up to me and said, "Wow," you know, "Good job." And it's given me this sort of, this, this image that we haven't been able to replicate with other people in my team, with my, my younger team, as it is.

Alastair GreenerAnd, and you're very much in a results-oriented world, so it, it becomes very clear-cut whether you are selling, uh, as much more or less than, you know, the other, other people in the sales team. So, uh, that, that's really interesting for them t- for them to watch. And I b- I bet one or two of them are probably... Yeah, and I bet one or two of them are coming up to you and saying, "Okay, so what are you doing differently? You know, you're not like the other youngsters." And what would you, uh, what would your answer to them be if they did ask you that?

Danny WangYeah, so I'm-- like I said, I'm net new business, so we are the hunters, or I am a hunter at least. And I've had a couple of seniors come up to me, sort of say, "Oh, how would you unpack this opportunity?" Or, "How did you-- how are you getting these opportunities in?" And I'll tell them, "Look, this is my strategy, AKA calling this amount of people from this industry. I'm sending out X amount of emails a day, and this is how I'm sending them." It's just these little things here and there that people can see and like, "Oh, okay. I might start doing that." I think it's all a numbers game, and it's just hard work and grit. Most people don't like being told to go away or piss off, but I've really taken that on the chin, and I've tried to take it to the next level

Alastair GreenerWell, you're certainly, uh, in, in that, uh, tough environment. What about AI? That's the big elephant in the room. Well, it's not even in the, in, in the elephant in the room anymore. It's, it's here, and it's here

Danny Wangjust the elephant,

Alastair Greenerand we're all using it.

Danny WangI am using AI.

Alastair Greeneryeah. And how are you getting on with it, and how are your colleagues getting on with it?

Danny WangSo we don't use all these cool AI workflows or agentic AI. I'm just using Claude and Copilot for research, which it isn't even that good at 'cause of GDPR nowadays. But outside of work, uh, I use a lot of vibe coding. I make websites for-- So I have a little startup business where I make websites for small businesses. I use a lot of vibe coding tools to make these websites. But at work, it's just researching and writing. Nothing agentic yet. Yet.

Alastair GreenerSo you've, you've, you've got a small website business that you're helping people with. You've got your main work. You've got your coaching. You are the classic gig economy Gen Z, aren't you?

Danny WangI don't know about that. I think you're giving me too much credit again. I'm gonna start blushing again, Alastair. You have to stop

Alastair GreenerNo, but I mean, you, you are-- You know, that's the way they say the world is going. People are, you know, having their side hustles, as many people call it. And, you know, I've talked about it a lot in my LinkedIn posts, you know, that this is the way of the world. The world is changing. And, and I want to come on to one of those things, this, this mentoring that you do, the coaching in, in public speaking. You clearly feel public speaking is such an essential skill, and clearly we're agreed with that. The concept of speaking clubs, what are you seeing there with different generations, people coming in? Why are other people joining them? And, you know, what, what's, what's the kind of trend, if you like, of them?

Danny WangMm-hmm. I think the main reason why people are joining the club is because obviously they wanna improve their speaking publicly, but the second biggest thing I hear is to improve their confidence. I feel like most people are lacking confidence nowadays, especially in the younger generation. The way we come across, we don't come across well, uh, in older, older generations' eyes. So one thing that we've really tried to push is leadership skills and confidence. That's the main trend, I would say. Um, is that- did that answer your question, or did you want something more, more

Alastair GreenerYeah. No, absolutely. No, that's, that's great. So they've-- they're clearly recognizing it'll do a lot for their confidence, and it'll give them the, the necessary skills. And are you seeing younger people coming to the, the, the club? What, what's the kind of age group of people who are joining?

Danny WangSo my age group is quite diverse. I'd say between mid-20s to mid-30s is the main demographic, and we are definitely seeing a lot of young people. I'm one of the younger ones, but there are still lots of young people coming, especially students as well. This is one thing I really wanna voice to students because it's so hard to get a job at the moment, right? You can agree that you hear these horror stories of a few hundred... One of my, one of my mentees, he applied to over a thousand jobs. When he said that, my heart

Alastair GreenerWow.

Danny Wangwas about to explode. But this is where communication skills come back in, right? We've already clarified that most Gen Zs cannot speak in, you know, come across in a way that may not be articulate and professional, especially in a higher up corporate environment. So if you can stand out compared to all the other candidates, your likelihood of being picked is so much higher. And it's not just about the technical skills you have, it's about being-- It's about the soft skills too, about the communication. It's, it's about being likable. If you can leave an impression on someone during an interview, the n- next candidate might have a fancier degree than you, but if they can't voice that degree into soft skills, they're not gonna stand a chance against you.

Alastair GreenerVery wise advice, and I think you're absolutely right. I mean, it, it, it is and always has been about shining, um, you know, brighter than other people around you. The difference is the amount of people around you now is gonna be that much greater than it was, making that task even more difficult. So yeah, I think that's really, really great advice. And in terms of developing those skills, you're gonna be clearly, um, a big advocate of speakers clubs. How can people find out about, you know, people listening to this podcast, how do they find out about these speaker clubs, and, and what happens when you join them?

Danny WangMy speakers club runs under a organization called Toastmasters. Alastair is a word of it-- aware of it. But I mean, you're aware of it. Sorry, I was speaking to-- I feel like I'm speaking to the audience. But you're also the president of PSA, which is another speaking organization that people can join. There are membership fees, but Toastmasters is a nonprofit, so it's quite affordable, especially for the younger audience. But PSA is a bit higher level. Depends what, what's in your boat, really. Just go on Google, find your local one. There's over three hundred thousand worldwide, uh, in my organization and PSA. How many are there worldwide for you? I'm not quite too sure. Or is it

Alastair GreenerPSA is actually just the UK. Um, so yeah. So the, the, the Professional Speaking Association, PSA, is one of 17 global speaking, um, associations. And basically these, unlike Toastmasters is, is great for developing the skill of speaking, where the Professional Speaking Association is probably more for people who want to build a speaking business. So in other words, it's not just about d- developing the skills, it's about then the business of speaking. So, and that, that could be as a, a workshop leader, a trainer, a coach, or keynote speaking, which is how it's probably started, but it's now evolved into many different things. Where Toastmasters and other speaking clubs are really useful for people who just want to learn the skill of speaking. The PSA will help you to develop your skills, but it's, it's really targeted towards people who want to create a business out

Danny Wangpeop- yeah, more experienced as

Alastair Greenerwe have, yeah, we have every year our Speaking Business Summit. So it's about the speaking business as such, where Toastmasters, and a lot of people will be members of both, um, associations. Uh, they, they s- they are part of Toastmasters because they want to build their speaking skills, and they're part of the PSA because they want to be, um, they want to run a speaking business. Either they have one or they want to develop one, and they want to be in, in that environment. Um, so certainly for, I think anybody at the beginning, unless you have something as a speaking business in mind, Toastmasters or other such clubs will be really, really valuable. And I love the fact that they're, Toastmasters seems to be bringing in a younger cohort of people and having a program that's deliberately targeted towards them. That's, that's really, really positive.

Danny WangMm-hmm. You summed it up better than I ever could have there. Thank you.

Alastair GreenerWell, the, the, the good news is it's there, so have a look in, in, you know, go online and you will find a local speaking club, and it could be a member of Toastmasters or it could be others. And yes, the PSA is also a non-for-profit, um, you know, or, uh, association as well. It's basically a members association, very similar to Toastmasters in, in that way. So Danny, I want to talk a little bit now about the importance of speaking, helping other people speak, and that lost art that someone would suggest of communication. and sum up in your words why you feel it's so, so important.

Danny WangHave you ever had a conversation with a charismatic person who just seems to adapt to any sort of conversation? Or someone you just-- you can just talk to for a long time and you don't feel any sort of awkwardness or any sort of weird feelings? Those types of people I'll-- I, I believe are... those are super communicators who can carry any sort of conversation, who can control the room, who can give authority, but can also give softness and kindness. I think when you meet anyone with that sort of clarity in the way they speak, it just-- it's completely different to every other conversation you have. Um, I think the clarity in which you-- Yeah, and the clarity in w- within-- the clarity in the way you speak has a massive effect on people's first impression, and I think creating that first impression is so important for not only your personal brand, but the way, way you come across to, um, people at the workplace, relationships, it flows into every corner.

Alastair GreenerI absolutely agree. What, what's the old, the, the, the old saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression," and it's so, so important. As humans, we do... You know, I'm, I'm a big advocate of saying, "Don't judge people," but we do. It's a human nature quality that, that we have, that we have to try and

Danny Wangwanna do it. Mm-hmm.

Alastair GreenerYeah, a-absolutely. And that also is particularly important in, with networking. And I wanna finish off with really talking about networking, and I know it's something-- That's how you and I met, was at an event, um, with, with, with networking. And what advice would you give to young people to help them network? Because I can imagine for many whose communication skills aren't as strong as yours, it would put sheer fear through every sinew in their body, the idea, "I've gotta go and start talking to strangers at, at a networking event."

Danny WangIt's daunting, don't get me wrong, and you'll be speaking to a crowd of people that you have no relation to whatsoever. Not just in a get to know sense, but also these people are much older than you, from different professions, uh, much further along in their careers. But all I can say is just put yourself out there and just sell yourself. People will always be happy to give advice, I've noticed. Especially as a young person, if you're aspiring and you wanna hear advice from people and wanna just get people in your network, people will always be happy to help. Get that-- I think people should get that image out of their mind that, that these people are hindered by you, or these people don't wanna be disturbed by you. People will always be happy to help if you can come across in the right way. At a networking event, you'll typically see some senior people for their own businesses talking to each other Don't be scared to just interrupt them and just say hi. This is one thing that public speaking taught me, especially during, during our network breaks. You see two people talking, interrupt them, shake their hands, big smile, say, "Hi, I'm X. I aspire to be here. What have brought you guys here today?" Just interrupt people, say hi, sell yourself, and then leave a good impression on people. Even if it may be six, seven, a year down the line, they might say, "Hey, I've got this opportunity here. You might wanna work on it with me," or, "I might wanna help you on this thing or on this journey of yours." Come across well, people will be always happy to help, and

Alastair GreenerAnd the interesting thing is Uh, uh, well, and, and you as a young person, it, it's so refreshing that you would have that approach that actually people will listen and say, "Wow, this, this is what we're used to. This is what, what, what we hear, uh, with, with, with, with Gen Zeds." Or certainly the stereotype isn't that, and one of the things that I love doing on this podcast, and you're a, a perfect example of it, of someone who's smashing the stereotype of Gen Z, because you are not, you know, communicating in a way that people sometimes associate with Gen Z, which, as my research has shown, is, is grossly unfair. I want to finish off, Danny, by asking you a question which you may or may not, uh, choose to answer, but, uh, we'll give it a go. What advice would you give to your younger self? So let's say you're now 15, 16, that age where you say you weren't, um, shall we say y-you weren't the model citizen of your generation at the time, I think is, um, you implied. So what advice would you give to your younger self, and therefore to other people, you know, who are young, very young Gen Zeds or older Gen Alphas?

Danny WangGet respect for yourself, and if you don't have self-respect, find a way to get the self-respect, and the only way you can get self-respect is from, is from achieving things or doing things that are hard, I think. When I was that age, I didn't have respect for myself, which led me to have a lack of confidence, led me to make bad, poor decisions, and I think any Gen Z or any Gen Z, whichever is the, the term we wanna use, I think a lack of self-respect and confidence can greatly hinder your progression, greatly hinder your image, greatly hinder your communication. I think everything it will hinder.

Alastair GreenerA lot of parents will be listening and wondering, "How do I encourage, um, my youngster to get out there and, you know, develop that confidence that, that you managed to do?" So yeah, a, a, a quick add-on question if you like. What advice would you give or how would you suggest parents broach that particular subject with their youngsters?

Danny WangOn how to gain self-confidence or how to, uh, I mean, self-respect as well?

Alastair GreenerYeah

Danny WangPut your kid out there. I think this might sound a bit controversial, but I think we're a little bit too soft on the way we raise our kids nowadays, and we- we're developing, uh, we still have lots of neuroplasticity. Why are we not taking advantage of it and learning new things inside and outside of school and education? Get your kid to pick up a sport that he never tried, for example. Get them to do rock climbing or something, or grappling or jujitsu, something like that. Push them out of their comfort zone and get them to speak to new people on a daily basis. Uh, I didn't do that when I was a teenager, but one thing I did on my self-development journey was to just speak to one stranger every day, be it at the gym or the bus stop or on the way to work. Get your kid out there doing things like that, and stop being around the same crowd all the time. It... Being around the same crowd and the same people and the same friends with the same emi- opinions, it leads you to have this closed mindset. And to open that, you can only bring in more people from different backgrounds and different ages and different professions. Put yourself out there or put your child out there in any way they possibly can. Try not to be in the s- same situation too many times and, uh, try not to get too comfortable. I think that's my best advice.

Alastair GreenerDanny, Danny, that was absolutely brilliant. A great way to end the podcast, this episode. Um, it's been an absolute joy to talk to you. I, I love your enthusiasm. I love the way that you, you're approaching things, the open-mindedness, and, you know, it's, it's lovely to speak to somebody who's smashing the Generation Z stereotype. So, um, you know, full credit to you, and I wish you all the very best in your speaking career, and look forward to seeing you on some stages soon, as well as

Danny WangHopefully together.

Alastair Greenercareer. Yeah, y- one day, absolute- well, we, you know, absolutely.

Danny Wanghave already, actually

Alastair Greeners- we, we have already. We, we, we have, and I'm sure we will again. And I wish you all the very best, and, uh, I look forward to watching your journey with close interest.

Danny WangAlastair, thank you so much for having me. I feel like it's a great opportunity. We'll definitely work together in future. And buy his book. Get Alastair's book, guys.

Alastair GreenerThank you, and I didn't pay him to say that either. Uh, Danny, thank you so much, and thank you for listening as well. And, uh, if we all work together, we can bridge that generation gap. So I'll see you again in two weeks. Bye for now. The Alastair Greener Generationally Speaking Podcast was presented by me, Alastair Greener. It was recorded at Granary Studios and produced by James Jones. Please follow us and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. To find out more, visit generationallyspeaking.co.uk.