Public Speaking, Presentation & Leadership Skills

How to start a speech with power and confidence? Remember the moment. You have just been called to the stage, your audience are silent, waiting for you to open your mouth and now it’s your turn. But what do you say? How to start the speech? Should you start with thanking everybody or straight to the speech? The simple truth is your audience will judge you from the moment you start your speech. Harsh, but true! So it’s a good idea to start your speech with certainty and confidence. Here are some top tips for how to prepare yourself to start your speech with power and confidence. Starting a speech is not only about the choice of words.   Starting a speech is not as much about what you say as you might think. In fact the key thing I want to emphasise about starting a speech is to get yourself in the right state. If you show your confidence, your audience will have confidence in you too. That doesn’t mean that you have to go all the guns blazing from the very st...

Humorous speech Humorous speech contest for City of Perth Toastmaster Club 2014 I was a late entry. Just a speech old, I took the plunge into the competition on the behest of an old friend. With only 2weeeks away for the completion to prepare and practice, I took the safest way: “The fight between man and woman”. A topic which almost everybody can relate. I took day to day situation and exaggerated them to make it humorous. While drafting I used Bold to notify the points where I want to stress. Red is commentary about particular things which I wanted to be on my mind while on stage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~WOMAN AND MAN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Good evening Mr/Madam Contest Chair, fellow Toastmasters How often have you looked at your spouse and wondered if they were from the same planet as you, let alone the same species?  Well, you are not the first to wonder that; in fact John Gray wrote a book about it – Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus – who here has hear...

HUMOUROUS SPEECH - HOW AND WHY? Have you wondered how to use humour effectively in speeches? What gets a laugh? What doesn't, and why? It's tricky! Most of us, myself included, want to effortlessly entertain the audience. We know and appreciates the gifts humour brings. Adding humour is the best communication skills one can have in their arsenal. Humour can help you to get the audience warm up to you. It is not only the best communication skill but also a very important skill for leadership. Imagine a leader warming you up with a humour before going to present his views and another who goes straight to the topic. Probably you would listen to the first one. But what happens if carefully polished laugh line isn't caught up, and falls to the floor, shriveling? What if they fold their arms, raise their eyebrows, and look away, get offended? Let me take you through the crash course I learned while trying to learn the tricks of writing and delivering humorou...

Organise your speech Has it happened to you that you speak and your audience doesn’t get the idea even though you know that they are quite interested in the topic? Then you must rethink the way you present it. You need to start organise your ideas to promote understanding. Organising your message is the very basics of any communication or leadership skills. The second Toastmasters speech project addresses this phase of the communication skill - organizing your speech. This article examines the primary goal of the speech and talks about the tips and ideas. There are four aims for this speech: ·        Use an outline which aids understanding. ·        Transition smoothly from one point to the next. ·        Craft an effective speech opening. ·        Craft an effective speech conclusion. Why Organise?? You may ask: why do I have to organiz...

Table Topics – What? Why? Table Topics are impromptu or extempore speeches. The purpose of the Table Topics section is to help members think on their feet and speak on a given subject for between one and two minutes. It also allows speaking opportunities for those who are not programmed for other roles on the agenda. If you are wondering why, we have table topics or impromptu speeches in our meeting? Is it just a game to fill up the time, have a bit of fun or embarrass perhaps. NO!!!!, there is a purpose and a specific plan around Table Topics. Have you ever been asked for your opinion about something in a meeting or gathering, only to have your mind go blank? Have you given your opinion, but it was so  disorganized  that the point you were trying to make was lost? The ability to “think and speak on your feet” is an important communication skill that often determines your success in job interviews, official meetings, seminars for example and even day to day ...