Level 5 Project 3: Prepare to Speak Professionally

#146

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice developing and presenting a longer speech.

Overview: Write and present an 18- to 22-minute keynote-style speech. Exemplify the point of view or message you would convey as a professional-level speaker. You may choose to use visual aids if they fit your speech and your style. Your speech may be humorous, informational, or any style that appeals to you and supports your speech content. If you receive advance approval from the vice president education, you may present your speech to a non-Toastmasters group.

Script:

Didn't have one! Winged it this time :) 

Sharing below the points I saved as cue cards, but did not get to refer to them during the speech:

Slide 1:

1. Welcome to today’s session

2. Rather than a technical walkthrough, added a personal touch to describe my learnings and evolution

Slide 2:

1. Brief agenda - 6 points

2. How TM pathways can help you structure different speeches

3. Elements I’ve tried using

4. Re-thinking the ‘interest’ aspect 

5. What I’ve experimented with and how it has worked out for me

6. Tying it together by summarizing all we’ve looked at

Slide 3:

1. Not a professional speaker (yet!)

2. Not a prescriptive ‘should’ or ‘must’ do set of advice

3. Even if you find one overall takeaway, it’s a win for me

Slide 4:

1. Free format 

2. Power of constraints

3. Take up multiple roles - you not only give a speech when you’re a speaker but also when you’re a TMOD, presiding officer, evaluator, and a TT speaker

Slide 5:

1. Kepe the list of elements at the back of your head to both observe how others use them as well as when fine-tuning your speech content and structure

Slide 6:

1. Know your audience - typical set of things to keep in mind - culturally appropriate content, jokes, etc.

2. See how different kinds of audience receive the same speech and note what went well and what didn’t with each group

3. Make it ‘relatable’

4. Difficult to engage senses during remote but still doable

5. Build up the suspense - add a twist at the end - inspirational, humorous, poignant

Slide 7:

1. Steve Jobs, Simon Sinek - emulate aspects you admire

2. Personally find TM evaluators the most inspiring - toughest role in a TM meeting for me, amazing to see the seasoned toastmasters give a wholesome evaluation in the form of a well-crafted speech in a limited time - in between a completely impromptu TT and a well-prepared speech

Slide 8: 

1. Blend with the audience, go off-script but make it seem natural

2. Impromptu, presence of mind

3. Builds confidence even more

4. Mark Brown - voice experimentation 

5. Mike Carr - creativity with the computer camera

6. Experimented with this slide! 

7. Tried out mnemonics for the first time - enjoyed making this slide the most

8. #1 rule of brainstorming - quantity over quality

9. Sometimes it fits naturally, other times you may have to force fit, but the more you try the more you get better at it

Slide 9:

1. Mnemonics again! :) 

2. Tying it all together - the slides as well as my speech - tied all evaluations together and applied feedback received in each of those to this speech

Slide 10:

1. Thank you

2. Hope you found it useful

Presentation:

PPT

Video:

Speech

Evaluation