STEP # 1: What is your idea?

How did someone or something make you happy, sad, ecstatic, frustrated, or excited? Is it an event or an experience you might have? Is it from a movie you watched or a book you enjoyed reading? Or are you writing your own fictional story?

Why or how is it memorable for you? Why would it be an exciting story to tell?

Write down the details. That will be the crux of your story.

Describe your time and place in detail. Plan to take them there using your story.

STEP # 2: Start and end of your story

What is your starting point of the story? When does it end? If your account doesn’t have an ending, then conclude it maybe with a question mark. You can also start your story with a finish and then jump to the start of the story. Each story is different, and the vital thing to understand is what will get the audience interested right away.

STEP # 3: A story moves forward by specific moments, instances, or characters. What are those in your account?

What are specific moments or experiences, or incidences that have made a strong impression on you? Zoom in to those moments while developing your story. “Take” your audience there, make them feel, and see and hear what you did in those instances.

Tips for the zoom-in moments:

1. Slow it down while taking your audience there.
2. Use vivid descriptive language. Help your audience visualize it using the words.
3. Another technique – play a dialog between the characters. It is a proven technique to help your audience feel your story.

STEP # 4: Expressions

The story is acting out the events. The more expressions you add, the better it would look. The expressions are mostly of characters, but you can act out people or events that help get your point across to the audience as a storyteller.

STEP # 5: Practice your delivery.

You can practice in front of a mirror, with family, with friends, or at Toastmasters.

Make storytelling an emotional experience. Invite your audience to see and feel it with you. Use vivid descriptive language, or dialogs, or specific details, etc. Tell your story multiple times at Toastmasters. We are here not just to enjoy new ideas and stories but also to learn how to develop them. When a speaker repeats a project, everyone gets to see the process of how to refine and strengthen your speech delivery.  

Note: Take genuine interest to see how others are working on their story; it will help you learn much faster.

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> DOWNLOAD TOASTMASTERS STORYTELLING PROJECT

It opens in a new tab when you click on the above link. The project has insightful ideas on both crafting a story and what can help with effective delivery.

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Once you tell a couple of stories, please start thinking about the following ideas when you craft your narrative (not to worry about it till then.)  

ONE: The protagonist in the story overcomes something or someone or has a shift in perspective. It changes them in some way. What is that in your account?

• If it is a personal story, it is you that changes. How did the story change you?
• The protagonist in your story can also be someone else. In that case, how did he or she change from inside in your account? What is the impact of that on you personally, or what makes it an intriguing story to tell for you?

TWO: Another way to look at it is that there is some tension, stress, friction, anxiety, discomfort, or surprise for the protagonist. Their pressure plays out and gets resolved with the story. It doesn’t need to be something serious or tense; it can be something fun, humorous, thrilling, or exciting, too. However, there is something beyond the protagonist’s control or comfort zone that plays out, creating climax in your story.

Examples:

• I got anxious from heights and took on the adventure of rock climbing to be with friends. The story plays out to some resolution that can be fun, full of laughter, or a relief.
• My parents said no, but we decided to take on the thrill of escaping and doing it on our own anyway.
• I love playing video games. However, getting to the next level on this particular game was so challenging. I decided to take that on with my friends to impress them.
• Halloween trick-or-treating is so fun. However, this year we had this friend joining us that a little out of control. Or, we had this friend that created a mess with something. Or, we had this friend that is irritating in some way. 
• I wanted to make it to my high school team. However, something seemed daunting or overwhelming, creating a mental block.
• My vacation trip was fun. However, during the trip, there is something with parents or friends who started annoying me, surprised me, or made me feel embarrassed or wanted to escape.
• When you tell a story about someone else or a movie or a book, pick your protagonist and one thing about them that you think is challenging in some way. Let that play out to a climax in your story.
• Life is regular and routine. An event or an experience changes it, leading to pain, discomfort, worry, tension, surprise, unexpected fun, thrill, excitement, humor, etc.

THREE: Story should have a shift, a variation, a twist, or a surprise.

There is a rising action that leads to a climax in your story.

 

The green line or profile in the diagram above shows a gradual build-up in the story leading to a climax.

The red color profile shows a protagonist going through what starts as a routine day or a circumstance. However, a surprise or a shocking situation arises, or a bad guy shows up, leading to the dip. He or she recovers, and life goes back to normal. In the process, though, the protagonist has a new perspective or mindset from the story’s experience.

A blue line in the diagram can be a positive or negative emotion that a protagonist goes through in your account. Life could be going okay, and then an event leads to a significant spike. While figuring the way around, they find that emotion to be way down towards the story’s end. Is the protagonist happier or sadder at the end of the story? It can be either way, depending on your story account.

These are just three examples; the variations can be in any pattern for your story. The takeaway here is that your storyline plot should have ups and downs to pull in the audience. What is the shift for the protagonist in your story?

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When you are working on your story, write down your thoughts. It can be your first cut at the story as it flowed for you intuitively, or your notes compiled as a series of bullet points, or any other way that ideas emerge.

Write it down without worrying about the final structure and flow.

Keep an open mind in the early phase of your story development. Let the juices flow and ideas emerge for you.

Once you have it, take a step back and think about your story using the following steps.

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STEP # 1: A story has a situation, or a context, or a backdrop. What is that in your account?

STEP # 2: Identify the character(s) you want to include in your story.

• If it is your personal story, you are one of the characters in it.
• Or else, characters can be other people.

STEP # 3: The protagonist in the story overcomes something or someone or has a shift in perspective. It changes them in some way. What is that in your account?

• If it is a personal story, it is you that changes. How did the story change you?
• The protagonist in your story can also be someone else. In that case, how did he or she change from inside in your account? What is the impact of that to you personally, or what makes it an intriguing story to tell for you?

STEP # 4: Story should have a shift, a variation, a twist, or a surprise.

There is a rising action that leads to a climax in your story.

The green line or profile in the diagram above shows a gradual build-up in the story leading to a climax.

The red color profile shows a protagonist going through what starts as a routine day or a circumstance. However, a surprise or a shocking situation arises, or a bad guy shows up leading to the dip. He or she recovers, and life goes back to normal. In the process, though, the protagonist has a new perspective or mindset from the experience of the story.

A blue line in the diagram can be a positive or negative emotion that a protagonist goes through in your account. Life could be going okay, and then an event leads to a significant spike, while figuring the way around, they find that emotion to be way down towards the end of the story. Is the protagonist happier or sadder at the end of the story? It can be either way, depending on your story account.

NOTE: These are just three examples; the variations can be in any pattern for your story. The takeaway here is that your storyline plot should have ups and downs to pull in the audience.

STEP # 5: A story should have events or specific moments that move it forward.

What are specific moments or experiences or incidences that have made a strong impression on you?

Zoom in to those moments while developing your story. “Take” your audience there, make them feel, and see and hear what you did in those instances.

Three steps:

1. Think about it and select these moments to share.
2. Develop each of these using vivid descriptive language, or dialogs, or specific details, etc.
3. Practice delivery of these zoom-in moments. Invite your audience in, let them see and feel what you experienced emotionally. The practice is critical to your success with it.

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Is your story about someone else? Is it derived from a book or a movie? If so:

• Which is (are) the character(s) that appealed to you the most? Develop a story from their perspective.
• You can and probably will have an entirely different perspective and message than others, even if you got the inspiration for your story from the same book, movie, or a current event.

STEP # 6: Develop your narration or plot, stringing together the events you captured in step # 5.

Use at least a couple of iterations of steps # 2-6 to refine your story. Sometimes, when you try to tell your story, ideas can galvanize for you as well. Use our regular meeting to practice it once maybe, and use that to go back and revise the story.

STEP # 7: Practice delivery of zoom-in moments.

Use your vocal variety, facial expressions, and body language when you speak. The use of dialogs, vivid descriptive details, etc. can make a huge difference when you slow it down and let your audience feel those.

The practicing is critical to your success with it—PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

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Click here to download a printable (.PDF) version of this (opens in a new window or tab).

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While speaking for the topic that resonates with you makes it fun, sometimes it can be a challenge finding speech topic.

“What do I talk about in my speech?”

Some questions for yourself while looking for a speech topic:

• What did you enjoy doing over past six months or a year? Maybe an activity at school, something with your friends, or some other activity? That can be a speech topic.
• Did any of the current events you might have heard of intrigue you?
• Any books or movies that you enjoyed watching? Pick one of those, and share how it made imprint on you.
• What are you learning at school? What is your favorite subject? Maybe, there is something from there that is making it interesting for you. Talk about that.
• Share your experiences and develop why you cherish them, or value them, or appreciate them, or maybe keep thinking about them for some reason. An experience here can be a vacation trip, or time with your friends or family, something at your school maybe, something from a sports activity, watching something on TV or YouTube, etc. anything.

Always bring your toastmasters notebook to the class. While listening to others or from conversations with friends, if a speech topic pops in your head, jot it down in your notebook. Over time, it can develop in to a nice speech bank for you that you can use when it’s time to prepare for your next speech.

This note has more ideas that can help you stir up the juices and figure ideas for speech topics. (Click to download. It opens in new tab).

Q1: What is this program?

A: See our home page to learn more about it (click here)

 

Q2: Is there any cost to join the program?

A: There is no cost to join the program. However, it requires a firm commitment to attend all scheduled classes.

 

Q3: How many new member teenagers (students) are added to the program annually?

A: It depends on the available coaching bandwidth. While there is no fixed number, we have typically been able to add new teenagers to the program every year.

The Toastmasters classes run in a workshop format, with everyone having a role each week and focusing on various communication skills from one week to the next. That limits the number of teenagers we can have in one group (class). We have been able to scale the program thanks to coaching volunteers, which allow us to add more groups.

We welcome new teenagers and families. We look forward to the new ideas, new energy, enthusiasm, fresh perspective, and colors that every new teenager brings. It enriches the experience of everyone in the program.

So far, we have taken all interested families in the program (sometimes with a little bit of wait time).

Notes:

• If you have done Toastmasters in previous years, you will be a returning member. We have your contact info and send invites at the start of every quarter. Please skip Q2-5 and go straight to Q6. Thank you for your continuing interest in Toastmasters.

 

Q4: What is the starting age for Toastmasters?

A: The starting age for the Toastmasters youth program is 13 years. We give older teenagers priority. For example, a 14-year-old should get a first chance before a 13-year-old.

 

Q5: How do you register for Toastmasters?

A: Please submit the form on our contact page (click here).

 

Q6: What if we don’t make a list this quarter?

A: We keep you on a future list. We handle requests on a first-come, first-served basis. If you had to wait, your priority at the next opportunity would go up, as your request date would be that much earlier.

Again, we have taken in all interested families in the program (sometimes with a little wait time). We hope to continue doing so unless demand becomes too overwhelming to handle.

 

Q7: What if you start Toastmasters at an older age? 

A: That is fine. We have several examples of teenagers starting at older ages, ranging from 14 to 17 years, who have done well. One advantage of joining when you are older is more maturity. It makes it easier for you to grasp and implement the ideas.

No need to think or worry that you will miss out on any part of the opportunity if you start at an older age.

 

Q8: Are we graduating from one class to the next while continuing the program?

A: Right now, all the groups are the same. We distribute the age group and experience level evenly across groups.

Your group probably will change from one quarter to the next, so you get exposure to different peers and coaches.

When we add new teenagers/families to the program doing Toastmasters for the first time, we try to keep them together in one group and bring them along for the first three months. After that, they merge with other ongoing groups. We mix the age group with this first-timers group and quarter as well.

 

Q9: When we get invited to enroll and start the program, what if we have other conflicting activities?

A: That is fine. In that case, let us know, and you will have a chance to secure a spot in a future quarter when we add new students to the program.

The program does require commitment and regular attendance. So, you are strongly encouraged to review everything you might have to decide whether this is something you can take on as an additional activity. We encourage and appreciate you reviewing the schedule before committing to sign up. It will help us help you maximize returns from the precious time you invest in this.

 

Q10: If you are returning (ongoing and not a first-timer to the program) family in the program, do you have to commit to and join Toastmasters every quarter?

A: From our experience, continuity helps. However, we understand you might have a lot going on as well. Therefore, we schedule Toastmasters classes for 8-10 weeks. If you have to skip a quarter and would like to resume from the next, that is fine.

 

Q11: When we decide to join for a particular quarter, why is it a requirement to commit to the schedule and attend classes regularly for that quarter? 

• If you don’t attend classes regularly and participate actively, you dilute others’ experience. Families invest precious time in this, and we are very sensitive to not compromising their returns. It adds to coaches’ bandwidth demand to make it run smoothly.
• It causes headaches for everyone involved in the program (other students, families, coaches).

We assume you looked at everything you might have going on with activities and your family calendar, reviewed the schedule carefully, and planned ahead of time so the published program would work for you.

We understand that things can happen. For example, what if you get sick, have a mishap during a sports activity, or face an unforeseen family emergency? The overall spirit of the engagement is that you plan to commit to and attend all classes, and you don’t have any known, planned conflicts.

Toastmasters have a mentorship role integrated into the growth curve for members. We use it, adapt it with our youth club.

• Participation as a mentor helps a member grow personally.
• Mentorship is all about doing something and not being something. It’s more like peer to peer support, teamwork.
• A member can be both a mentor and also mentee to different people.
• If buddies help each other with speech preparation, that is fine, too.

Ideas that came from brainstorming at one of our meetings:

1. A mentor can help the mentee prepare for the speech.
   • Brainstorming speech topics
   • Helping with speech preparation – compiling ideas, logical organization, etc.
2. A mentor can guide and support mentees after the speech, continuing the feedback loop (what was planned, how it went …etc.). A mentor can help mentee implement suggestions from the feedback.
3. A mentor can be friends with peers (other members), make them even more comfortable, and be a valuable resource for them.

Keys to success of this:

• If anytime, the mentee isn’t ready to talk or open up, the mentor pulls back. As a mentor, you are a resource, you make yourself available, but you aren’t there to impose anything if the mentee isn’t ready. So, it’s more of a relationship that develops over time during the session. Again, if the mentee isn’t prepared to receive, the mentor should take a step back, and think of ways to make the mentee feel comfortable. When mentee initiates conversations, it becomes so much more fun, meaningful, and productive.
• Relationships develop over informal, friendly exchanges outside the meetings.
• If any member thinks of this as interference, he or she would rather not deal with, no need for this in that case. Coaches are still there to support.

Why do this idea of mentorship?

• A similar age group and friendships hopefully bring more fun for teenagers.
• Mentor and mentee both learn teamwork.
• Mentorship is a strong leadership skill to develop; teenagers can use this rest of their lives.
• If it works, members have additional support.

We will figure projects in the Competent Leadership (CL) manual where members can get credit. That way, it contributes towards their Competent Leadership (CL) award.

Other areas where mentors can help:

1. Help coaches with meeting planning, coordination for a week (just one week, or maybe two if you can make time for it). For that week, communicate with all in the group, get speech titles, confirm roles, budget meeting time, bring printed agenda to the meeting.
2. Bring table topics around a specific theme, and run table topics session (be a table topics master).
3. When you have ideas, insights, observations as to where members need more help, bring it up to any of the coaches; this can be a priceless feedback loop. Coaches will listen to your ideas.
4. If you’d like to do this and have time:
   • • Create fun video clips to explain specific ideas; we can publish this to our blog (this website).
     • Take any of the blog posts we have for the theme, and start conversations among members using comments area.
     • Create new blog posts even if you have ideas.

Every single bit that you contribute to help others helps you grow and develop further as well.