How to be a Good Speaker

How Does one Give a Great Speech?

• Craft a central message that can be written on a t-shirt. Use it to guide you.
• Have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• Be surprising and do not state the obvious.
• Do not ramble.
• Make it personal. It is you talking. We want your input, and your opinion.
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Ensure that you will stay in time. (One hundred words take almost a minute.)
• Focus on the WIIFY of your audience (What’s in it for you?)

Technicalities

Before the Speech

• Go to Pathways and do the exercises that belong to your project.
• Write and practice your speech.
• Invent a speech title that will fill us with curiosity and wonder. Put it up on EasySpeak. If done well, some members might join the meetings just because they read your speech title.
• Fill the introduction part of the speech request about a week before the meeting – others need it to prepare their part.
• If no evaluator signed up, ask someone yourself. You may ask members of other clubs to come and evaluate you.
• Contact your evaluator and let them know what you want them to look out for. Also give them the speech objectives. Send them the evaluation form for your speech.

At the meeting

Do not forget to hand your phone to someone to film you.

Do not go on stage before the Toastmaster of the evening calls upon you.

Do take in your applause before you leave the stage.

After your speech

Talk to your evaluator.

Look at the video of yourself and evaluate what you see. Focus on your strengths.

Sign up for a role and the next speech.