Public Speaking tips for beginners
As some of you may know, i have just gotten
my Competent Communicator title in toastmasters recently. It entails
completing 10 projects of the basic communication manual, each with
different speech objectives. It took me about 9 months with an average
of 1 project per month to achieve this milestone in my toastmasters
journey.
As i look back at the video of my 1st
few projects recently, i realized how much of a progress i have made
and how far i have advanced in the toastmasters journey. Looking back, i
recalled my 1st chapter meeting where i stared with awe at the speeches
of the giants in Tampines Changkat toastmasters club. Now, i could
shamelessly consider myself as a tiny giant, not too far away from the
titans :)
Well, the purpose of this entry is to
share with you, budding competent communicators on my toastmasters
journey to date. First and foremost, from my observation, most
toastmasters who drop out or go missing in action halfway in their
toastmasters journey would, in most instances give reason such as
lacking of speech inspiration.
So i am going
to share- how do you craft a good speech that is appealing to the
audience? For my case, i carry a smart phone(most Singaporeans do) and
whenever i meet or experience something that is notable, i would jot it
down on my phone. It can be simply a quote, an incident or a
commendable person that aroused your emotions(positive or negative) or
impressed you. Trust me, it can be used as a supporting material later
on in your speeches. However, please do not attempt to cram irrelevant
anecdotes in your speech which focuses only on a certain message. You
can always save your impressive story for the next speech.
Why
is that so important? Because, in public speaking, people want to
listen to stories, especially personal stories as they are the most
powerful inspirational material. On top of that, you do not need to
spend extra effort trying to memorize your own story, it will just come
out of your mouth unconsciously as you share(its something that left an
impact on you after all!) Most important of all, you will exhibit
unceasing enthusiasm when sharing your own story, rather than some story
taken out from the story book. And that is the most important element
in public speaking: Enthusiasm. (Techniques are secondary, you will
learn then sooner or later as you progress in your journey. )
Do
not be afraid to share your own stories and think that they are
insignificant. Every story is worth mentioning in toastmasters. We are
all here to learn from each other. For example, in my 5th project, i
shared about my life as an introvert and how i was being forced to
conform to societal's expectations to become an extrovert. Honestly, it
was more of a confiding session and i felt relief after that. I was
initially having reservations about that speech but to my surprise, many
of my club members who seemed sociable, came to me, revealing they are
introverts as well,facing the same problems as me! This drew our
relationship closer as we realize we have something in common.
Toastmasters is technically a platform for you to express yourself.
Many
people will ask.. How do i start writing a speech ? i have totally no
inspirations at all. Do not fret. Follow this simple guide.
-Begin
with the end in mind; ask yourself what do you want to tell your
audience? Focus on just one thing. you do not have all the time in the
world. Every speech should be centered only one major point and several
sub-points.
- Once you have identified your speech message,
everything will be much easier. Rally all your relevant thoughts, quotes
and stories that you have garnered previously to the speech. Brainstorm
to come out with more points. Allow your creativity to flow.
-
Lastly, string all your points together to come up with an excellent
speech. Make each transition from sub-point to sub-point logical.
- Rehearse as many times as you feel is necessary to smoothen your delivery and make amendments if necessary.
If
you feel that you are lacking in speech inspiration, that is very
common. The only way to solve it is to commit yourself to a speaking
slot. DO NOT wait till you have a speech ready before you decide to
speak, that will never happen. When you have a sense of urgency, you
will stop procrastinating and you will give yourself some time and sit
down to craft a speech. That is when you come up with a world class
speech.
Tip: To reap maximum benefits out of
the toastmasters movement, it is imperative for you to read the manual
thoroughly and try to adhere to the speech objectives as closely as
possible. DO NOT give projects for the sake of completing the manual,
you will not last long.
Last but not least, i hope you enjoy every speech up there and best of luck in your toastmasters journey.
Yours truly
Ted Chong
President 2011-2012
President 2011-2012
Vice President Education 2010-2011
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