Speech Construction 101

So much of what we do at Toastmasters can be summarised under the heading of Learning by Doing. However, it makes sense that one can't really Do unless one is first shown How to Do.  

For this reason then, I am going to publish the bones of a recent speech I did on the subject of Speech Construction.  It can all be broken down into Ten basic steps:

-         Step 1: The Idea

Select a topic on which you can speak with conviction, authority and enthusiasm. 

-         Step 2: The Central Theme

Jot down one or two sentences describing what you want the audience to learn from your speech. Use this central theme as a guide during the rest of your speech development, to avoid getting side-tracked.

-         Step 3: The Purpose 

Decide what you want to achieve through your speech. For example, do want to inform or educate or entertain the audience, or do you want to motivate or inspire the audience to action? 

-          Step 4: The Broad Outline       

       Introduction; 2 or 3 basic points of the Body; Conclusion 

Select one or two phrases describing the content or approach of each part of the speech. Each part must support your central theme.

            Many studies have shown that people can remember very few of the facts or items of information that          speakers convey. You only need to make 2 or 3 points to have your talk be successful.

       -         Step 5: Formulate Your Opening and Conclusion

     The purpose of the introduction is: 

-          To grip and hold the attention of the audience

-          To motivate the audience to listen to the speaker’s message

-          To give the audience some indication what the speaker is going to talk about, and why 

    Some possible effective openings:

-          Ask a question

-          Refer to a recent event of interest

-          Begin with an unusual statement or question

-          Refer directly to the problem

-          Show a picture, diagram or object

-          Announce clearly the main points you want to make 

Beware of the joke or personal story in your introduction 

The introduction should take up about 10 % of the total time of your presentation.  

An effective conclusion draws all points presented in the speech together, and focuses attention and emphasis on the central theme.

No new information should be introduced in the conclusion of a speech. 

You might try the following: 

-         Summarise the main points of your presentation

-         Restate your opening

-         Use a quotation, statistics, an analogy, or a vivid illustration to epitomize the whole idea

-         End with a direct appeal for support or action

-         Give your audience something challenging to think about

-         Step 6: Filling in the Details  

Concentrating on details right away causes us to lose direction, and we could end up with a mass of detail rather than a focused speech.

As you add detail, ask yourself “What is it about this that is important to supporting my central theme and purpose?”

Do the research that is required to add facts, figures, examples and quotations to substantiate your content. (Remember that the source of quotations, statistics and even pictures must be acknowledged.)

Decide on the audio-visual aids you require, e.g. music, flip chart, overhead transparencies or data projector.

The body of your speech should take up about 85 % of the presentation time.

-          Step 7: Give Your Speech a Title

When your speech title is announced immediately before your presentation, it should have the same effect on your listeners as a newspaper headline has on its readers. They will decide immediately whether they are interested; whether they want to know more; or whether the topic does not interest them at all.

-          Step 8: Write the Speech Out, Word for Word  

  Also, prepare your audio-visual aids

      -         Step 9: Rehearse and Revise

     Check the length of the speech, to fit in with your allocated time. Say your speech out loud, and time   yourself. Have you taken into account the time that you will use to show visual material, and for questions and discussion? If your speech is humorous, allow time for laughter.

     Check the content. Have you said all you need to say? Do you have any unnecessary information in your presentation? Go through it carefully, remembering that after each thing you are going to say, the audience is going to ask “So what?”  This will help you to determine what information to remove. Go back to the analysis of your audience, and check that your content meets the needs of your audience.

     Check the balance and proportion. Is there enough background relative to detail? Is there not too much time spent on one area, causing you to rush through another?

     Check the sequence. Does it appear to be logical? Order your points so that information flows naturally, leading the audience comfortably towards your conclusion.

     Check for continuity. Evaluate the transitions between the parts of the speech. Is each part of your presentation logically linked to the next part? Do you seem to be “jumping” into new subjects? Make sure you build transition bridges between the various parts of the speech.

     Check for clarity. Do you need to give summaries of certain sections of the presentation as you go along, because the content is complex, or contains a lot of information?

     Check the opening and conclusion. All openings must be attention-getters. A good conclusion will recap the high points of the speech and present a memorable wrap-up statement or call to action. Have you phrased your conclusion in a way which will remain in the minds of your audience after they have forgotten the rest of what you have said?The end should be the obvious end. It should never be necessary to say “In conclusion…”

  

Check for purpose. Does everything still work towards achieving your objectives?  Imagine your audience as you rehearse.

 -      Step 10: Make Keyword Notes for use during the actual presentation

     The opening and closing sentences should be written out in full, and memorized. 

     Any quotations should also be written out in full.  This will prevent you from misquoting.

Now I know that merely applying the steps as they occur will not necessarily turn you into an overnight speaking sensation, but it can't hurt to try the recipe, can it?  

Until next time

Ricky Woods

 

Why Mentor?

I have dealt with this subject before, but it does bear repeating:

I am sure that we have all wondered about the appropriateness of telling someone to ‘do as I say’ and then setting a bad example for them.  This got me thinking about the concept of mentorship, especially as we apply it in Toastmasters.

A quick look at Wikipedia led me to discover the following, which I have adapted a bit:

In Greek mythology, Mentor was a friend of Odysseus (whom we also know as Ulysses) who was placed in charge of Odysseus’s, son Telemachus, and of his palace, when he left to fight in the Trojan War.

The goddess, Athena visited Telemachus taking on the disguise of Mentor.  As Mentor, she encouraged Telemachus to stand up against the suitors who were after his mother and to go abroad to find out what had happened to his father.

Because of Mentor's relationship with Telemachus, and Athena's encouragement and practical plans for dealing with personal dilemmas, the term Mentor has been adopted in English as meaning someone who imparts wisdom shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague.

                                                                                                                        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentor

A further bit of surfing on the Net gave me the following, in terms of the purpose of mentoring:

"Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximize their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be."                             Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring

Both the historical background to the word, mentor, and its purpose as defined above, tie in well with what Toastmasters had in mind when they developed the mentorship programme. It all starts with visitors to the club. They are potential members who should be encouraged by existing members to understand what is going on. Why are speeches timed? What is an Um and Ah counter? What is the purpose of Table Topics?

It all seems easy once you have been part of Toastmasters for a while, but for someone who has decided to join up there are still so many things to learn. The CC and CL manuals are given to members when they start, but working their way through them needs explanation. Then there are the various meeting duties which they might be expected to perform. They might even be asked to stand for a position on the club executive. It’s all very daunting and I know that more than one member has been lost to a club where mentoring was not taken seriously. In fact, from having chatted to one or two new members, I found that they had been assigned mentors when they joined, but didn’t really know what to do with that knowledge, as the mentor assigned to them had not once bothered to make contact with them.

You might be asking,” who really benefits from a mentoring relationship?” The answer is simple – everyone.

New members benefit by:

·         Understanding the club programme format and its customs

·         Developing confidence as they participate in club activities and work on their CL manuals

·         Learning speaking skills to advance through their CC manuals

Older members can also benefit by:

·         Refining their skills

·         Mentoring in specialized areas

Mentors benefit by:

·         Keeping their skills honed

·         Earning the respect of their mentees

·         Learning skills from those they mentor

The club benefits by:

·         Having happy members

·         Retaining members – and growing the club

It sounds like a good idea all round! 

However, to coin a clichéd phrase, ‘a chain is only as strong as its weakest link’.  Club executives cannot think that they have done their duties once they have assigned mentors to each new member. There has to be follow-up to see whether the relationship is working.  Then, with regard to the parties in the mentoring pair: whose responsibility is it to keep in touch? Initially, it makes sense for the mentor to establish contact and to ‘befriend’ the mentee. Thereafter, the mentee should have the freedom to pose questions to the mentor or to ask for help with the development and presentation of speeches, or with the roles that they have to play in club meetings. If the mentee does not seek help, the mentor should periodically enquire whether there is any area where he/she can render assistance.

I like the biological term ‘symbiotic relationship’, which in essence means a relationship between two entities which is mutually beneficial for the participants. It’s a win-win situation as long as each party does what is expected of him.

When it comes to a mentoring programme at club level, everyone involved stands to benefit. If our purpose is to ensure happy members who are growing as speakers and in self-confidence, this will ensure continued club growth – which, in turn will lead to the broader goals of Toastmasters being met. 

We just can’t lose.  So, let’s give it a real try, shall we?

 

Until next time

 

Ricky Woods

I think I can

Do you remember the little engine that could?  He worked in a railway yard shunting small stock about. One day an enormous train asked one of the big engines to pull it over the hill and down the other side, but it refused saying that it would be far too difficult. It was met with the same excuses by all the other engines until; in desperation it approached the little engine. 

“I think I can,” the little engine responded as it hitched itself to the train. Then, pulling very hard, it kept saying, ”I think I can; I think I can: I - think – I – can” as it pulled the train slowly to the top of the hill and then, in excitement, “I thought I could; I thought I could….!” speeding up over the other side.

Obviously, there is a wonderful lesson for us to learn from the determination of the little engine that did not see the enormity of pulling the train as an impossible task, but rather allowed his fortitude and strength of mind to view the task as one that was difficult but still possible.

However, in recounting the way this story was told to me when I was a child, I thought that it was a wonderful example of how vocal variety adds meaning to a speech when it is used effectively. For any speaker to use your voice to best effect, you must find a balance between the extremes of the following elements: Volume, Pitch, Rate and Quality. Allow me to elaborate:

Volume: Clearly, the size of the venue where you are speaking is a determining factor in how loudly you should speak. There is nothing more irritating than not being able to hear a speaker (although good use of stage whispers can be most effective). However, meaning can be determined or changed through placing emphasis on different words in a sentence. Look at the following statement, for example:

Her grandmother died yesterday.  By changing the emphasis so that it falls on a different word each time you say the sentence, the intended meaning can be vastly changed.

Pitch: This refers to how high or low a sound is.  Our voices, just like musical instruments, vary in pitch. Shrill, high-pitched sounds can be irritating, while warm, low tones instil confidence in an audience. A case in point: Margaret Thatcher, when she was Prime Minister of England, went for vocal coaching to lower the pitch of her voice. (Small wonder then that she became known as the Iron Lady!) Effective speakers adapt the pitch of their voices to the material in their speeches.  Look at the sentence above again and gauge the different emotional content that can be conveyed by changing the pitch of your voice when you say it.

Rate refers to the number of words you say in a minute. This will have a definite effect on how your audience responds to you. Too fast means they can’t keep up with you and too slow means they will lose interest in what you have to say. The most effective speaking rate is approximately 120 – 150 words per minute, which is fast enough to remain interesting while still allowing your audience to digest what you have to say.  Remember the little engine? It is vital to slow down vocally to show him struggling up the hill and just as important to speed up when he speeds down the other side.

Finally, we come to quality. A good speaking voice is pleasant and sounds friendly; it is natural, conveying sincerity; forceful – which means strong and vital, rather than loud; and it can be heard, because the speaker enunciates properly and controls his breathing.  If you listen to yourself on tape and hear a voice that is thin, breathy or nasal, you should work on your breathing and try some relaxation techniques to eliminate the tension in your voice.

Silence and pause are vital aspects of a good speech. It is not necessary that every moment be filled with sound. Judicious use of pause or silence can be used to draw attention to specific points, or to lay emphasis on them. You also sound far more intelligent if you use pause instead of an ‘um’ or an ‘ah’ when you hesitate!

Rehearsal is paramount, of course. Once you have written your speech; record it. Then work with it by adding notes for yourself on how to add value by varying the volume, pitch, rate and quality until you are conveying the exact meaning to your audience that you intended.

Soon, like the little engine, you might also be heard saying excitedly, ”I thought I could; I thought I could!”

Until next time

Ricky Woods