15 Minutes a Day

Posts Tagged ‘Public Speaking’

I recently wrote about why I feel that the Toastmasters program works. The first step in the Toastmasters program is to give the Ice Breaker speech. It doesn’t matter how well written the speech is or even how well it’s given. The main goal is to overcome the initial fear of speaking in front of others. Once you’ve gotten up and done that, you’re ready to move on to the next steps.

Projects 2-9 in the Competent Communication Manual build on each other starting with how to build a speech and moving on to using gestures and props or conducting research. While Toastmasters does not require that members go through the manual’s projects in order, I do recommend it as they each build on the previous exercises.

Each of Projects 2-10 has a 5-7 minute time limit. Adhering to time limits is important because nobody is ever given an unlimited amount of time to give a speech. Too short and you may not be giving enough information. Too long and you are either giving too much information or boring your audience to death. Sticking to a standard time-frame allows a new speaker to learn how long that time frame feels so they can adjust their speech on the fly if necessary.

Finally, as with any new skill, it’s important to practice, practice, practice. Beyond practicing your speech before a mirror, it’s important to practice giving speeches before an audience. The more you give presentations, the better a presenter you will become.

Next in this series – How to deal with feedback…

Image Credit: This image was retrieved on December 20, 2009 from Freedom to Think using Google Images.

I joined a local Toastmasters club about a year-and-a-half ago in an effort to learn how to become a better public speaker. I have to say that I have been very impressed with BOTH of the education programs that Toastmasters offers. Most people know about the program to help members become better public speakers. However, most people don’t seem to be aware of the Leadership program as well. I’ll address the Leadership program in another blog posting…

The Communication Education Program works so well because it starts with the basics and builds on each speech after that. The first speech is called the “Ice Breaker” and the idea is to introduce the new member to the club. What does a speaker know more about than themselves after all?

I’ve heard experienced Toastmasters say that if a new member gets up in front of the group and tells them a bit about themselves, then the Ice Breaker is a complete success! I agree. The first barrier to overcome is the fear of the unknown. The unknowns in an Ice Breaker situation are how the members will react to the new member, and how the new member will make it through the 4-6 minutes. Once they see that green card signal that they have made the minimum 4 minutes they can stop talking and sit down and be considered a success. This does not apply to all speeches given in Toastmasters however…

Every Toastmaster gets an applause for giving a speech!

Each successive speech adds to the member’s experience level, arsenal of speaking techniques, and most importantly, adds to the member’s confidence level and expertise as a speaker. I’ve given 10 speeches at Toastmasters meetings and have seen a vast improvement in my presentation skills. Do I consider myself an expert yet? NO! I still have a long way to go, but Toastmasters provides a good course of action that can help me get to where I want to go.

Here’s an overview of both Toastmasters Education Programs >>>

Tomorrow – Building on the Ice Breaker…

Image Credits:

1. Cartoon found on The Top 10 Ways to Feel Confident About Public Speaking using Google Images.

2. Photo found on Salt Lake Toastmasters using Google Images.