Speeches

Speeches

The group of presentations is the heart of a Toastmasters meeting. The Toastmaster of the Day introduces each presentation with the speaker, the title, the objectives, and the requested time. Each speaker then uses the necessary resources, including the lectern, any notes, any visual aids, and even the audience for his or her presentation. Each speech usually lasts about five to ten minutes, while discussions take a little longer.

When you speak you are presenting yourself in front of the group. Speaking takes practice, and you are not expected to be perfect the first time, nor at any time. The act of speaking is a continual learning process, one of which must be personally experienced in order to be honed.

By now you are probably wondering why we use lights in our meetings. The lights are time markers. Time limits help us organize our thoughts so that we can present much more meaningful material in shorter spans of time. They tell us if we are telling enough to make a presentation worthy or if we are telling just plain too much. Time plays a necessary part in certain situations, such as found in broadcast media. For example, if you were a news announcer, you would fill the newscast with a variety of stories to hold the attention of a diverse audience, but you need to limit your content to key ideas so that the mix of stories would fit inside the few minutes that are allowed for a typical newscast.

When you give a speech, you will probably worry about whether you will see the lights. You will--they are placed in front of you but they are in the background so as not to disturb the audience. Please don't direct your attention to the lights, waiting for them to come on. Your attention should be given to your audience around the table by giving every person some eye contact during your speech.

If you are new to Toastmasters don't worry about the lights too much. Work on your speech traits, such as organization and eye contact, instead. If you worry about the lights too much, the quality of your presentation may deteriorate. The audience is more forgiving if your speech is more interesting and falls outside of the projected time window. You will learn with practice over time working with the lights, as they would become more critical for you in contests, in which time limits play a more crucial factor.

You will be given chances to deliver a variety of speeches over time. You will pick the topic of each speech. For your first speech, the "Ice Breaker," however, we suggest that you use yourself as the topic. The best way to start getting used to facing an audience is to use a topic that is most knowledge to you, and that is you. Besides, it is a fitting way to introduce yourself to the club. You will probably feel nervous. That is natural. We have all been there. Butterflies are great company. Just pretend that you are with your closest group of friends at your favorite hangout. But we don't expect you to give your life story. Just a few things about yourself, such as your birthplace, your travels, and your interests, would do for your first speech. That green light is going to come on faster than you think!

As you give more speeches you will concentrate on style and presentation. In the basic speech manual given to all members one speech is evaluated by organization, another by voice variety, and so on. When you complete the ten speeches in the basic manual you will have earned a CTM, or Competent Toastmaster, award. The program then gets to be more fun as you get to choose your advanced manuals, specializing in types of speeches or career options. Completion of those manuals and also projects in leadership will allow you to earn the title of Distinguished Toastmaster, or DTM.

As you listen to speeches given by other members of our club, try to notice their speech qualities. Did the speaker start with a strong introduction? Is the content strong? Is he or she looking at everyone? Are you hearing the speech clearly? Is the word choice proper? If visual aids are being used, can I see them? Are they clear? All of us make mistakes now and then. If you see them, keep them in mind as what not to do. Learn from others who speak before the group. Pick up a tip or two, and try them out when you speak yourself.

In a speech the green light comes on one minute before the target length, usually five minutes for shorter speeches, nine minutes for more advanced or detailed speeches. The amber light comes on at the target length, and the red light turned on at one minute past target length. For contests, these lights determine whether your speech qualifies for further competition. Generally, you must speak at least until green light comes on and you must end your speech no later than 30 seconds past the time the red light was turned on. Is this fun?

After all the speeches are given, we vote for the best presentation using the ballots provided. These ballots are then given to the Ballot Counter for tabulation.

The Timer then states how long each speech lasted. He or she may state the time of each presentation or simply state if each speaker "qualified," meaning to fall within time limits imposed by the International Speech Contest rules. The Timer may also give actual times of the answers. If you took part, please notice if and how your presentation fell within the time limits. If it just made minimum time, consider how you could add supporting facts or examples or even a new idea to lengthen your speech. If you had the red light come on, then cut out some filler to shorten your speech. If you were told you did not qualify or noticed that your speech fell below minimum or over maximum time, then you may need to rework how you would present your speech next time. Working with the time limits gives you good practice should you participate in the contest.