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TOTAL IMPACT: WHY AND HOW?

Between what you have to say and what your audience perceives as your message, there is a significant variable that can help or hurt you – your style.

How you present is much bigger than what you have to say.

  1. Close to 56% of the impact from an oral presentation is visual – facial expressions, meaningful hand gestures, body movement, and one-on-one eye contact with individuals in the audience play a significant role.
  2. 36% of the impact comes from the sounds you make: your tonality and vocal variety using changes in pace, projection, pitch, and pauses are empowering.
  3. What does it leave for the content? It is 8%.

Q: Does what you say matter if content weighs only 8%?
A: The answer is yes, of course – your belief, heart, passion, conviction, preparation, depth of knowledge, and credibility in what you have to say make the other 92% possible. So, the quality of ideas, depth of understanding & learning, and sound preparation are essential.

Q: If you are passionate about your topic and have prepared the content well, would that help with the other 92%?
A: Yes, it is pivotal to your success and a great start. However, it isn’t automatic: you still need to work for 92% so that your audience receives the message in your intended spirit.

Body Language

Body language – what you convey with posture, tonality, voice inflections, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, and movement – plays a crucial role.

VIDEO ONE: Helpful tips for incorporating body language in your presentation.

The following are ten ideas we discussed in class through various workshops. Think about them, try them, explore them, and play around with them at toastmasters. You will develop your style over time. Ask one of our coaches if you missed our workshops and need a refresher on any of them.

Emphasize specific words in your presentation – words you think are critical or pivotal for your message.

A few tools:

  1. Stretch technique: Stretch a word in the sentence to add meaning or to emphasize.
  2. Vary your projection to highlight a word – remember that it doesn’t always have to be louder. Sometimes lowering your projection can also draw your audience to your point.
  3. Have a long pause before or after the word.
  4. Lower your pitch while saying a specific word. It is an effective technique. Work on it.

Action item: identify 5-7 words, highlight them in your prep, and practice saying them out loud to try and explore these techniques.

Practice, practice, and practice.

Stair-steps technique: imagine and practice your tonality going up or down the stairs (rather than staying flat all the time.)

Action items:

  1. When you start developing a point or are setting a stage for it, practice your tonality of “going up the stairs.” When driving a key takeaway, practice your tonality of “going down the stairs.”
  2. Try the opposite of #1 on the list. While setting the stage for a point, practice your tonality of “going down the stairs.” While delivering a key takeaway, have your tonality “go up the stairs.”

Lower your pitch when you articulate the essence of an idea or a key takeaway.

Action item: Try combining variants of pitch variation and stair-steps technique. Examples:

  1. Your tonality can go up while the pitch gets lower, or your tonality and pitch can both go high in tandem.
  2. Your tonality can go lower while the pitch gets higher, or your tonality and pitch can both go lower in tandem.

Engage in one-on-one eye contact with individuals in the audience. You make eye contact with an individual long enough for a meaningful exchange. I think 2-3 seconds is all you need for eye contact, and then switch to the next person. When you practice speaking like this, public speaking is one-on-one speaking to all in the audience, one person at a time. It will do wonders for your comfort level and ability to reach and engage your audience and open floodgates to unlock facial expressions, hand gestures, and emotional engagement.

If you sense they aren’t comfortable with the eye contact, move away from them to a different person.

Action item: Identify five individuals in the audience and have one-on-one eye contact with each of them at least once. Visualize in your mind doing it, and explore/try it. Tell your friends maybe you are doing that and seek their feedback after the presentation.

Avoid unnecessary movements and pacing of any kind: they drain energy from your presentation and dilute your impact.

Be aware of nervous expressions such as putting hands in your pockets, nodding your head excessively, using filler words like um and ah too often, pacing back and forth, or rocking from one side to the other. Learn to control these mannerisms. They can distract your audience and sap energy from your presentation.

Action items:

  1. Ask your evaluator, friends in the class, or coaches to look for those at the toastmasters session and give you feedback when they see distracting movements.
  2. Ask a fellow toastie or one of the coaches to record your presentation and watch it at home. Practice what you want to eliminate a few times and give the presentation again. It is the fastest way to learn and improve.

Hand gestures:

  • Avoid folding your hands, keeping them in your pockets, or keeping them behind you.
  • Keep your hands by the side or above waist level. Avoid moving them without reason. You will develop your style over time.
  • Put your words into action using gestures.
  • Make your gestures wide when you use them.
  • Think of integrating a few gestures in your presentation and practice them for prepared speeches.

Action item: Think of five instances in your presentation where you are developing an important point. Explore and play around using hand gestures in those moments and practice repetitions of the sentence to try these hand gestures. Watch VIDEO ONE above again. It has some ideas to identify and incorporate hand gestures in your presentation.

Whether it is an impromptu table topic or one of your points in a prepared presentation – develop the message in your own words as it flows naturally (with table topics, you don’t have a choice anyways.)

Avoid reading your message from paper or a phone. Bring handwritten flashcards with only a few words written in big fonts – use them as reminders of what is next in your presentation.

Thinking on your feet and allowing the message to flow in your natural words plays a pivotal role in developing the body language and maximizing the impact & reach with your audience.

Techniques that might come in handy for you while developing a point.

  1. PREP: Point – Reason – Examples – Point
  2. Point – Story – Point
  3. Develop two sides to a question or a viewpoint, and then close it with your takeaway

VIDEO TWO: Techniques to develop a point.

Take time to think on your feet, and be comfortable in silent moments when you speak.

When you pause, your audience is waiting, trying to anticipate what comes next. Pauses are powerful. Incorporate them in your presentation. Get used to them. Enjoy them. Practice them.

Action items:

  1. There is a beautiful thing at the end of every sentence – the period. Use it to inhale and pause.
  2. Avoid connecting sentences with and, so, and so, but, etc. – it will drain your energy, take you away from your natural breathing pattern, and limit your ability to think. It also makes it difficult for your audience to follow you.

Breath. Remind yourself to let breathing happen.

Use the breathing technique we practiced several times in our classes. Exhale as you speak so that if you put your palm in front of your mouth, you will feel a continuous puff of air on it while speaking. Visualize and observe your tummy going in as you speak. Air is the fuel for your sound, and you are using it as you speak.

Pause and inhale at the end of every sentence to refuel.

Action item: Practice saying a paragraph from your presentation out loud and exaggerate pauses to take deep breaths.

Once you play around and become comfortable, ask your coaches about body movement. You can move around with purpose, and it can add impact.

In the meantime, if you’d like to move from one spot to another, take at least two and a half steps (and not just one or half a step), stay in the new sport for at least 30 seconds, and move again if you like.

Again, focus on the first nine ideas of this article first.

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TIMER

Toastmasters meetings are planned to maximize opportunities for communication using all different roles. The timer helps ensure that discussions stay anchored to the plan’s timeline, so we end the session on time.

Timing Signals for Speeches:

For a 5-7 minute speech:

  1. The green light at 5 min
  2. Yellow light at 6 min
  3. Red light at 7 min
  4. The timer raises a hand at 7:30 seconds; at that time speaker stops
  5. Thirty seconds of grace period to qualify for the voting. If the speaker’s speech time is between 4.5 min and 7.5 min, they would be eligible for the vote.

If a speech is 8-10 minutes long, the green light at 8 min, the yellow light at 9 min, red light at 10 min. The grace period would still be 30 seconds. So, if the speaker’s speech is between 7.5 and 10.5 minutes, they qualify for the vote.

If a speech is 6-8 minutes long, the green light at 6  min, the yellow light at 7  min, and the red light at 8  min. The grace period would still be 30 seconds. So, if the speaker’s speech is between 5.5 min and 8.5 minutes, they would qualify for the vote.

Timing Signals for Table Topics:

  1. The green light at 1 min
  2. Yellow light at 1.5 min
  3. Red light at 2 min
  4. Fifteen seconds of grace time. So, the speaker qualifies for the vote if the table topic is between 45 seconds and 2 min, 15 seconds.

Timing Signals for Evaluation:

  1. The green light at 2 min
  2. Yellow light at 2.5 min
  3. Red light at 3 min
  4. Fifteen seconds of grace time. So, if the evaluation is between 1 min, 45 seconds, 3 min, and 15 seconds, the speaker (evaluator) qualifies for the vote.
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AH COUNTER

Ah-counter helps the group track ah’s, um’s, and other filler words such as like, so, and so, or any other word that might come across as a filler word. With our club, ah-counter clicks when they think a particular said word was a filler word.

We don’t click during prepared speeches. We still keep track of filler words and provide that in the report. But we don’t click.

As an ah-counter:

  • Explain to fellow club members to use pauses instead of trying to fill the space with filler words. Encourage all to get comfortable with the silence while speaking (using pauses).
  • Keep an ear for run-on sentences as well. If the speaker connects sentences using so, and so, and, or any other word, click. In the ah-counter report, explain not to do run-on sentences.
  • Use clicker (click) when you think a particular word from the speaker was a filler word.
  • Prepare a brief statement to explain your role when prompted by the toastmaster.
  • In the end, give a detailed report for each person separately (number of ah’s, um’s, and filler words). You have 1-2 minutes to do that.

The role of a counter is more challenging than it seems. You are actively counting ah’s and um’s and other filler words and click from beginning to end. The role helps you cultivate active listening skills, one of the key components in learning how to communicate and work with others as a team.

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ROLE OF GRAMMARIAN

How do you cultivate credibility as a grammarian?

Be a good listener.

Monitor and record usage of the English language during the meeting:

  • Grammatical errors AND
  • Creative and compelling examples of language usage, specific words, and examples that impressed you

Emphasize the positives as much as the negatives, if not more.

Give a detailed report at the end – directly address comments for each person. For example, “Today I noticed several good examples of creative language” doesn’t give much to anyone. If the grammarian mentions in their report, “Riya, I liked the way you used the metaphor of clouds for your concern with … it worked well for me, ” it is specific in detail and clarity to address Riya directly.

The role of a grammarian involves listening comprehension, attention to detail, critical thinking, and then delivering a meaningful report in 1-2 minutes.

Word of the Day

The grammarian selects the word of the day for the meeting. They track who used word of the day during table topics and report on it before voting for the best table topics speaker.

We encourage to select a verb for word of the day – it makes easier for toasties to use it. Okay for them to use a noun or an adjective based on it. Provide meaning and example sentence to use the word – send email to coaches in your class. See examples below for what to include in your email.

Example One

Word of the day – Suppress[suh-pres]

 

 — To put an end to the activities of (a person, body of persons, etc.):
Example: The governor was forced to suppress the riots after they turned violent.
  — To keep in or repress (a feeling, smile, groan, etc.)
Example: She was unable to suppress her anger.

 

Example Two

Word of the day – Resonate[rez-uh-neyt]
— To resound
— To produce a positive feeling, emotional response, or opinion.

 

Example Usage:
The fact that Anthropic has taken a stand on those principles rightly resonates with people across the country.
It is an issue that clearly resonates with members of our community.
The poem that resonates for me.

 

 

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VOTE COUNTER

The vote counter collects votes for the best table topics, best speaker, and best evaluator awards, tally them and declares the winner.

The vote counter holds their vote unless and until there is a tie:

  • If there is a tie, the vote counter will cast their ballot to break it and not let anyone else know about it.
  • If there is no tie, then the vote counter abstains from voting.

The vote counter doesn’t share who got how many votes, not even with coaches. So, while there are award winners, nobody knows by what margin except for the vote counter. The vote counter disposes of the ballots at the end of the meeting.

Each vote is that member’s opinion that remains private and anonymous. The ballot doesn’t have a member’s name on it.

Note: No one other than the vote counter tries to read anyone else’s ballot.

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ROLE OF TABLE TOPICS MASTER

The Table Topics master brings questions or prompts for impromptu speeches (table topics).

  • Think about your theme or overall direction for your table topics session. Take time to explain what you are going to do.
  • Explain the table topics process briefly: Time is 1-2 min with 30 seconds of grace time. Remind them to use the word for the day.
  • The theme for table topics can be whatever that you like: examples – friendship, Halloween, homework, sports, hobbies, vacations, movies, fiction, school locker room, back to school, video games, colors, summer, winter, etc. The sky is the limit as to where you can take it.
  • Be innovative in designing your table topics. Make table topics interesting for the group. Have fun with it.
  • Think of questions that are easy to relate to for the members. Speakers are learning how to think on their feet, stay in the moment, and develop a point.

At the start of your table topics session:

  • Remind everyone to use word of the day – explain to all what that is.
  • Remind toasties that the time limit for their answer is 1-2 min with 30 seconds of grace time.
  • For the days when we do voting for the best table topics speaker, emphasize that they need to use word of the day and also make time limit to qualify for the award.

Order of speakers for table topics:

  1. Members that don’t have a role in the meeting – this helps make sure that everyone gets chance to speak at least once.
  2. Vote Counter, Timer, Ah Counter, Grammarian, Toastmaster, General Evaluator
  3. Evaluators
  4. Speakers

At the end of your table topics session:

  • Ask for the grammarian’s report for the usage of the word of the day.
  • Ask for the timer’s report.
  • All members that met time limits and used word for the day qualify for the best table topics speakers award. Announce that list to all, and invite voting.
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ROLE OF TOASTMASTER

The Toastmaster for the meeting serves as an anchor and leader for the day.

What does the Toastmaster for a meeting do?

  1. Plan the meeting. Communicate with different role players, budget time for different roles, and create a meeting plan.
  2. Run the meeting as per the plan, and make adjustments at the meeting as required.

With our club, coaches do the first part of creating the meeting plan in most cases. We encourage experienced toasties to take it on. See more in the IDEA TWO part towards the end of the article.

Each of our toasties should do the second part – that is, anchor the meeting at the class using the coach’s plan.

How to be a credible meeting anchor?

  • Be there at the meeting 10 minutes early. Feel the place. The meeting is your show. To run it effectively, you need to be “present” mentally and emotionally.
  • Understand meeting sequence and time budget. We have limited time at meetings with a very packed schedule. Track the timeline as the session progresses and make adjustments to end the meeting on time.
  • You have a lot of time to think when speakers speak. Use that to stay engaged and prepare for the next step.
  • Okay, and encouraged to have a little humor with your comments while transitioning between speakers; at the same time helps to be crisp, so the session ends on time.
  • Initiate, and lead the applause every time a speaker is about to start a presentation or end it.
  • Be a facilitator. Help everyone at the meeting. Being on the lookout to help others before and during the session will work wonders for your comfort level as a leader.
  • As always, have fun.
  • Again, the meeting is your show. Seize the reins. Act your part.

A Technique to Introduce Speakers

Speaker’s Name, Speech Title … Speech Title, Speaker’s Name

For example, Grishma, The Fight for Freedom… The Fight for Freedom, Grishma
(Grishma is a speaker in this example, and “The Fight for Freedom” is her speech title.)

Until you get comfortable with introductions, let’s use this technique.

Additional, optional ideas for more fun with the role of Toastmaster

[Note: do this after you have done the part of Toastmaster at least a couple of times. Talk to your coaches ahead of time so they understand what you are planning as well.]

IDEA ONE:

  1. Think of a theme for the meeting. It can be anything you’d like: Examples – Harry Potter, movies, fiction books, sports, school, friendship, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter break, video games, theme parks, flowers, fruits, ice cream, vegetables, storytelling, dystopian books, fiction, non-fiction, hobbies, school clubs, etc.
  2. Work with table topics master, maybe, and see if their table topics can also use the theme. (Only table topics master gets to decide questions to ask, they can take the theme to prepare.)
  3. Let the grammarian know about your theme; they can select a word of the day that might go with it. (Grammarian gets to decide the word on their own, of course.)
  4. Towards the beginning of the meeting, use 2-3 minutes to set the tone with your theme. Describe your perspective, context, and direction with the theme.
  5. During the meeting, if you see an opportunity to plug-in thoughts related to the theme with your comments, feel free to do that. Keep the overall flow still crisp, though.
  6. At the end of the meeting, wrap it up, tying it back to your theme with closing comments.

When you run a meeting like this, you get more experience and flavor of staging and running a show with a specific theme.

IDEA TWO:

  1. Take over meeting planning for the week when you are the Toastmaster.
  2. Send messages to different speakers to get their speech titles, speech time, etc.
  3. Communicate, and coordinate with all in your club group.
  4. Set a meeting theme using IDEA ONE above.
  5. Prepare a meeting plan along with a time budget.
  6. Please bring a printed meeting plan, and give it to everything.

When a toastie plans, coordinates, and communicates like this, they step into the role of leadership even more.

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FINDING AND SELECTING A SPEECH TOPIC

Food for Thought  🙂

  • Is there an activity where you spend a good chunk of time? Why and how do you enjoy that?
  • Is there a hobby that energizes you? If yes, why or how?
  • What draws a more profound meaning or passion if you are in a school club and enjoy it?
  • Are you involved in a voluntary organization? How is it helping you make a difference in some way?
  • What kind of books and readings appeal to you, and why?
  • What interests you more about different subjects or topics you learn at school?
  • What kind of experiences has stayed close to your heart? What emotions do they inspire in you (happiness, fear, challenge, anxiety, fun, etc.)?
  • What worries you? What brings anxiety to you? Maybe there is a concern or a cause close to your heart.
  • Is there a dream or a goal that ignites a fire for you from the inside?
  • Is there a movie that left a lasting impression on you? Why?
  • Describe a problem you’ve solved or a question you’d like to explain.
  • What were your favorite events (e.g., performances, exhibits, competitions, conferences, etc.) in recent years?
  • Did any of the current events intrigue you or make you think?
  • Are there any new ideas, topics, or subjects that intrigue you? What are those? Why?
  • What brings fun and excitement to your life?
  • Is there a belief or idea you have challenged or would like to do so? Why?
  • Any other specific topic or conversation that intrigued you – examples:
    • Carbonated drinks – are they good for you?
    • Why preserving the water is so crucial to our climate?
    • Paper recycling
    • An initiative or idea that is helping with alternative energy or alleviating global warming
    • A topic from one of your science classes, social studies, or history class: a few examples I have seen – artificial intelligence, robotics, culture, and the background of a specific country or group of people
  • A problem that can add value to your audience
    • A knowledge topic
    • Your unique perspective and take on a topic
    • Something that shows how you think to solve a specific problem potentially

Your Speech Project Objective(s)

At Toastmasters, you prepare for a speech to achieve a specific project’s objectives. The speech topic should make it easier for you to accomplish the project objectives.

Examples:

  1. If your speech project is about researching a topic:
    1. Would sharing a personal story help? Probably not, as you won’t have much room to study and use it.
    2. Would a speech topic on nanotechnology work? Probably yes, since the theme would create an opportunity to research, compile ideas and present them with your speech.
  2. If your speech project is about using vocal variety:
    1. Would telling a story help? Probably yes. Voice inflections can help you develop emotional connections; dialogues in your account can easily lend themselves to vocal variety.
    2. Would sharing a personal experience help? Probably yes.
    3. Would presenting a technical topic help? Yes, and No.
      • Yes, if you consciously attempt to inject passion into your delivery. (It would still be more complex than the first two options.)
      • No, if the focus on content removes your emotional ability to engage.

Note: Maintain a speech bank for yourself. Whenever an idea pops in, please write it down in your Toastmasters notebook. The speech bank can come in handy while brainstorming speech topics for your next presentation(s).

 

> PREPARED SPEECHES

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THEME DEVELOPMENT WITH PREPARED SPEECHES

How do you prepare for your speech presentation? What can you do to have a clear direction for your message?

END GOAL IN A NUTSHELL – QUICK CHECKLIST FOR YOU

  1. Do you have a clear takeaway for your audience that you can describe in one sentence? It’s #3-a in the list below.
  2. Can you describe to yourself in less than a minute what you are aiming to develop using your speech?
  3. What is your theme with the message?
  4. How will the speech title help you reinforce the theme? (STEP # 6 in the list below)

 

A CLEAR IDEA: TWO OBJECTIVES

This tool is organized with two objectives in mind:

  1. What is your main idea with this speech presentation? Make it clear to yourself.
  2. Once it is clear to you, your presentation’s goal should be to create that idea in your audience’s minds. What would it take for your audience to get your picture? What would it take for your audience to see it from your perspective?

Chris Anderson, Head of TED, has described it so powerfully in this video:

 

We want to consider it in the context of speech presentations we prepare and deliver at our Toastmasters meetings.

>> DOWNLOAD PDF OF THE STEPS

 

STEP # 1: SPEECH TOPIC – PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Think about your speech project objectives and how a particular topic can help you achieve them.

See more about speech topic selection in this article (Click this link).

Write down how the topic can help you with the project objectives in a sentence or two. If you need help coming up with speech topics, ask coaches.

STEP # 2: YOUR EXCITEMENT FOR THE SPEECH TOPIC

  • What prompted you to select this as your speech topic?
  • What do you like about it?
  • What makes you think about it?

Answer it in one or two sentences. The idea is to keep the passion, excitement, or concern behind the speech topic in mind while preparing for the presentation. Think about it and write down your first cut at the answer as you start the process; it will help you.

If a different answer emerges for you while preparing for the speech, revise it.

STEP # 3: DEVELOP YOUR SPEECH OUTLINE

The following components can help develop a clear point. You don’t necessarily have to develop them in the same order.

3-a: TAKE AWAY FROM THE PRESENTATION

What is your key takeaway from this presentation? Or, what is the main idea of this speech? Answer it by completing one of the following two sentences.

  1. I want my audience to
  2. I want to

Examples:

  1. I want my audience to understand how nanotechnology is impacting our lives.
  2. I want to explain how nanotechnology is impacting our lives.
  3. I want to inspire my audience to learn more about nanotechnology.
  4. I want my audience to see how my vacation trips help me understand different cultures and ways of life.
  5. I want my audience to appreciate the thrill I had from the different places I visited.
  6. I want to show how much I enjoy spending time with my family on vacation.
  7. I want my audience to understand the importance of maintaining good posture.
  8. I want to describe how basketball is making a difference for me.
  9. I want to share what earning the 3rd-degree black belt test at Taekwondo means.
  10. I want to inspire my audience to join the Boy Scouts (or the Girl Scouts).
  11. I want my audience to see how the Boy Scouts can help them become better leaders.
  12. I want to show how I enjoy playing video games.
  13. I want my audience to understand how video games positively impact youth.

Note: The examples in the above list – #2 & #3, or #4, #5 & #6, or #10 & #11, or #12 & #13 – are related but have a different message, and so would be very different speech presentations.

3-b: BRAINSTORM IDEAS

Jot down all that comes to your mind – a list of points or paragraphs – however it flows for you. While doing it, if your takeaway (step # 2) changes, revise it as you see fit.

If you are used to writing paragraphs, what would be the idea that each paragraph might have developed?

3-c: PICK AND CHOOSE IDEAS – SEQUENCE THEM

Start with your presentation’s main idea or takeaway (#3-a)

Which of your ideas from #3-b would help?

Which of your ideas from #3-b would NOT help? Move them to the side.

String together what you have chosen to keep or include in an outline like the following:

Part I – Opening

  • Begin with something that will capture the audience’s attention or create intrigue for your message.
  • Introduce your topic.
  • Develop a brief transition statement to introduce what you will discuss next.

Part II – Main Body

  • Main point 1 – transition
  • Main point 2 – transition
  • Main point 3 – transition

Part III – Conclusion

  • Reinforce your overall theme.
  • Close with impact.
  • Food for thought: what would help me make the conclusion memorable for my audience?

Developing your speech outline can be an iterative process. Feel free to go back and revise it while you prepare and practice.

STEP # 4: SPEECH OPENING

Try your speech opening out loud; feel it. Revise it in the process so it flows naturally for you. Practice it at least a few times. Bring energy and enthusiasm to your speech opening.

If you need to revise the speech theme or outline while practicing the speech opening aloud, do so. It’s totally okay and normal if you feel like changing the speech while trying the opening – you aren’t the only one – you aren’t the first one.

Practice presenting your speech opening at least three times, and use our engagement techniques (more on it is in this link – click on it.)

STEP # 5: SPEECH CONCLUSION OR ENDING

Please think of how this topic can relate to people in your audience personally, or what they can use it for themselves, or a lasting impression you would like to leave, so that they will remember your speech.

Try your conclusion out loud; feel it. Revise it in the process so it flows naturally for you. Practice it at least a few times.

If you need to change the speech outline while practicing the opening and conclusion, that is okay and recommended. Speech preparation is an iterative process.

STEP # 6: SPEECH TITLE

Questions or ideas to consider to select your speech title:

  • Avoid giving away your speech with the title. You want your audience to listen to your presentation to see what it is. A speech title, in that regard, can be very different from the title of a written essay or a book. Using the title to summarize what is in the article for a written piece probably makes sense. A speech title, on the other hand, can be a tool to intrigue your audience.
  • The title could be the word(s) for a key idea or theme you develop in your speech.
  • The title could be the surprise element or a climax you develop in your speech.
  • Maybe weave the title into your conclusion.
  • What is a critical idea for the audience to understand your perspective? Make it your speech title.
  • Tie the title to your crucial takeaway for them. It will help you reinforce your speech’s purpose and drive the point home.

Action Item: Write down your idea and angle for the speech title. What is your speech title, and what was your thought process to decide on it?

STEP # 7: YOUR OVERALL THEME WITH THE PRESENTATION

  1. Think about steps #1 and #2 one more time. What excited you about this speech topic? What is your intended takeaway from it?
  2. Do steps #3, #4, #5, and #6 help you achieve your speech objectives? Revise them as required.
  3. Make sure to be clear and explicit about where you are going with your speech title. If your audience couldn’t understand the meaning of your speech title from your presentation, you missed an opportunity to make a strong connection and make your message memorable.

Split your preparation over multiple days; clarifying your theme and message will work wonders.

Action Item: Write your theme in one or two sentences in this step.

STEP # 8: PROJECT OBJECTIVES (AGAIN 😄)

Think about your speech objectives one more time. Practice.

For example:

  1. If it is about using body language, consider when, where, and how you can integrate it into your delivery.
  2. If it is about developing vocal variety, practice emphasizing keywords using the “stretch” technique, delivering dialogue in your speech, varying tonality, using pauses, changing projection, etc.
  3. If it is about persuading or inspiring your audience, practice emotional engagement and bring out your connection to or passion for the speech topic.
  4. If it is about using descriptive language, prepare and practice vivid descriptions, metaphors, similes, rhetorical devices, and other techniques.

Action Item: Share in 3-5 sentences your plan to implement ideas for the project objectives.

>> DOWNLOAD PDF OF THE STEPS

 

NOTE ON VISUAL AIDS

  1. Have a clear plan for how you think the visual aid will support your idea. Why and how will a visual aid add value? It will probably complicate your life and dilute your presentation if you can’t clearly explain why you need it.
  2. A PowerPoint or Keynote slide presentation isn’t the only visual aid option. Bring a project you might have worked on if the speech concerns that. Use an easel with a chart and write/draw/develop it as you speak, like a classroom chalk talk. Bring something printed for everyone in the audience, so they can see and follow it when you talk.
  3. Q: “What if I use slides to list my main points to develop?”
    A: I’d use it only if you think it will help you reinforce your message for them. If you use visual slides to remind yourself what is next, a much easier and simpler thing is to bring small handwritten flashcards. It will probably save you time and effort. It will also help you focus on your delivery.
  4. When you use PowerPoint or Keynote, remember that you are the presenter, not the TV screen. TV and your slides are tools to help you, not replace you. Avoid reading word-for-word what is on your visuals. Or else your audience can get bored.