Here's a breakdown of the speech that won the 2016 World Championship of Public Speaking

He develops a message

Every effective presentation, whether it's on a Toastmasters stage or a conference room, needs to have a thesis that the audience members take with them when they leave, Tay explained.

Tay's full message is that we are all our own worst bullies, and that the best way to deal with that is by acknowledging the presence of negative thoughts rather than fighting or ignoring them, as if we were observing a storm from inside a house. He uses a personal story to illustrate the effect childhood bullying had on him (hence the underwear over his suit) and gradually develops his message before leaving the audience with a clear, actionable takeaway.

He lets that message guide his speech

Tay said that he initially struggled with drafting "Outsmart; Outlast" because he was too focused on telling an amusing story. "That really got my speech message very diluted and disconnected," he said.

His mentor, the 2000 Toastmasters International world champion of public speaking, Ed Tate, told him that he needed to start over and have the message be what guided his writing, and that the entertaining aspects would naturally follow.

He effectively uses body language

Tay said that it's common for novice public speakers to have their gestures centered either too close to their face, which suggests nervousness, or too low, which is distracting. He said the ideal center is around the belly button.

And when he uses a prop, the pair of underwear, he uses it as a sight gag, but not before turning it into a metaphor for shame. Then, he takes them off and tosses them away to accentuate his message: that we do not have to live with shame and regret.

He has a dialogue with the audience

Great speeches make audience members feel like the speaker is talking directly to them, Tay said. The way to do this is by sharing personal details and reading the energy of everyone in the crowd.

"When it comes to crafting a speech, audience members, what they want is a story," Tay said. "And if you tell a very powerful story, it can help to bring a message across much better."

In addition to sharing personal details about himself, Tay asks rhetorical questions of the audience, including when he addresses the absurdity of giving his speech with a pair of briefs over his suit pants, which he then uses as a transition to the next part of his presentation.

Before he leaves the stage, he leaves the audience with the advice that they embrace being vulnerable during difficult moments and work with others to move on from such struggles.