Video "Speaking Snippets"

• For Fun - A Twist on "Happy Birthday"   (Must See!)
• Controlling Nervousness
• Speaking is NOT Communicating
• Selecting a Speech Topic
• Giving an Impromptu Speech
• How to Give an Effective Evaluation
• The Purpose of Speaking / Speaking on Time

General Tips

• Easy Topic Selection
• Relax
• Know the Audience
• Practice, Practice, Practice!
• Know Your Material
• Giving an Impromptu Speech
• Quick & Easy Speech Preparation

For Public Speaking Clubs Members

• Read Your Manuals
• Using the Word of the Day
• Your Only Competition is Yourself
• Choosing a Speech Topic

Patrick Kelly is an accomplished speaker and a long-time member of Toastmasters International. At one time, Patrick was a member of FOUR Toastmasters clubs! He never turns down the opportunity to speak and has a lot to say about a variety of different topics, including public speaking. In this series, Patrick shares brief tips related to various areas of speaking expertise. New tips will be added periodically, so please visit often to learn from these brief speaking snippets!

NOTE: Make sure your web browser is set to allow scripts / ActiveX controls.

Easy Topic Selection

Do you struggle to come up with speech topics? If so, you're not alone. Many people have a difficult time determining WHAT to speak about... Hopefully, you will find the following handouts from a recent information session on this topic (both PDF format) helpful:

Finding Speech Topics / Easy Speech Preparation   |   Speech Ideas Worksheet

Relax

Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves.Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. ("One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.") Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

Source: Toastmasters International *

Know the Audience

To help control your nerves, greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

Source: Toastmasters International *

Practice, Practice, Practice!

To prepare for a speech, rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.

Source: Toastmasters International *

Know Your Material

To control your nervousness, pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.

Source: Toastmasters International *

Read Your Manuals

It's always a good idea to flip through your speech manuals. In the back, there's a lot of great information about how to perform the roles during the meeting, what other manuals are available, how a meeting is run and guides to being a successful Toastmaster. This is especially important for new members, but it's also a refresher for all members.

Your Only Competition is Yourself

In Toastmasters, you're only competing against yourself. It's nice to win a ribbon, but that's not really what Toastmasters is all about. It's not you against someone else, nor is it a popularity contest. It's about you challenging yourself and every time you get up there, you're doing that. Just try to improve every time and you've already succeeded.

Choosing a Speech Topic

For those still working through the Competent Communicator Manual, it may not always be effective to give speeches in the order in which they appear in the manual. When you come up with a speech idea, go through the manual to determine which of the remaining 10 speech themes best fits your topic. All too often, speakers "force" a topic into an less appropriate theme, just because it happens to sequentially follow their last speech. Your first speech, however, should be #1 - "The Ice Breaker", and your last speech should be Speech #10 - "Inspire Your Audience".