SPEAKING ASSIGNMENT #1

The Ice Breaker

By now youve heard speeches by your fellow Club members, and you have probably Objectives: participated in Table Topics. Here is your 1. To begin speaking before an audience. opportunity to give your first prepared talk and break the ice . The best way to begin your 2. To help you understand what areas speaking experience is to talk about the require particular emphasis in your subject closest to you yourself! At the same speaking development. time, you will be introducing yourself to your 3. To introduce yourself to your fellow fellow members and giving them some participants. understanding of your background, your interests, and your ambitions. As you prepare 4. TIME: Four (4) to six (6) Minutes and deliver your talk, you will become aware of the communication skills you already possess, and the areas that require some work. Your fellow members will help you understand these needs, as they see them. As you read through this project, make notes in the margin and underline key phrases to help you quickly review what is expected of you. Define the project objectives in your own words. After you have read through the entire project, you are ready to prepare your first talk.

Preparing Your Talk

The general subject of this talk is you. However, that subject is too broad for a short talk in this case, four to six minutes. Select three or four interesting aspects of your life that will give your fellow members insight and understanding of you as an individual. These might include your birthplace, education, or family. Explain how you came to be in your present occupation, and tell the audience something about your ambitions. Should you prefer to avoid an autobiography, you might talk about your business, your hobbies, or anything that relates to you as an individual. Having complete knowledge about your subject will add greatly to your confidence. Once you have the highlights of your presentation in mind, weave them into a story, just as if you were telling it to friends around the dinner table. Share personal experiences of significance to you. The more personal you make your talk, the warmer will be the relationship between you and your audience.

Opening, Body, and Conclusion

Like any good story, your talk needs a strong beginning, and a strong ending. Try to create an interesting opening sentence that captures the audiences attention. Get it clearly fixed in your mind and use it (even if a better idea occurs to you just before you speak). Then devise a good way to conclude and fix that in your mind as well. With a good start and a good finish, you can easily fill in the body of the speech. In any speech, its best to select a few main points three or four at the most and expand them by using examples, stories, or anecdotes. If you merely state a fact and then continue, most of your audience will miss the point. The suggested pattern is to make a point, say it again in different words, illustrate the point with a story, and then state the point once more in order to be clearly understood. This is an excellent skill to learn with your first presentation.

What about notes? If you think that you will need them, write a brief outline on 3x5 cards, and place them on the lectern; refer to them only when needed. Remember, youre speaking - not reading. Many speakers begin by writing out the entire speech, then breaking it down into parts with a keyword for each and finally, writing just the key words on one note card.

Preparing Yourself
The talk is ready, but are you ready to present it? You will certainly need to rehearse. Practice the talk until you are comfortable with it. You wont need to memorize the talk since you already know the subject matter, but you may want to memorize your opening and your conclusion. A memorized opening insures that this most important part of your talk will be stated correctly. Furthermore, if you are nervous as you begin your speech (as are most speakers), you will gain confidence as you give your prepared opening. Your speech will thus be off to a successful start. A memorized close insures that you talk concludes with impact. Next, try the talk on someone in your family, on a friend, or your coach/mentor. Present your speech and ask for comments; undoubtedly, you will receive some valuable comments and suggestions. Try this with several people if you can. If you have a tape recorder, record the talk and listen to it carefully, making any improvements that are necessary. Using a tape recorder is one of the best ways to improve your speaking and communication skills. Rather than thinking of this presentation as making a speech, think of it as sharing information of interest before a group of friends. Do not anticipate being afraid of the audience: they have either been through the same experience, or they are going to share the same experience and feelings as you. The audience wants you to succeed, and they are eager to help you. Appearance is important. Be well groomed and appropriately dressed for your presentation. When you look right, you feel good about yourself; thus, you will forget about your appearance and concentrate on your presentation. You will have increased confidence because you know you have made a good first impression on your audience.

Presenting Your Talk

Once you have completed your speech preparation... relax! Feeling a bit nervous is common to every speaker, no matter how experienced. In fact, you can put this nervous energy to work for you by using it to add excitement to the delivery of your talk. No one is going to pay much attention to a little quavering in your voice; anyway, it will soon disappear as you become involved with what you are saying. While being introduced, take a few deep breaths and slowly exhale. This will help your voice sound resonant and natural. Begin by facing the presiding official of the event (emcee, chairman, host, etc.) and saying, Mr. (or Madam) Chairman, or recognizing the presiding official by stating their name. Next, face the audience and recognize them by saying, Ladies and Gentlemen, honored guests, (recognize any dignitaries at this point),... . Pause for a second to let things settle down, then plunge in with your prepared opening sentences. While speaking, make eye-contact with various members of the audience - first looking directly at one person for a few seconds (3 to 4 seconds is the recommended time), then looking at another, another, and so forth. Eye contact with members throughout the audience ensures that no one feels left out of your talk. As you are doing this, make sure you glance periodically at the timer. If the red light comes on while you are talking, move smoothly to your conclusion and finish quickly. Observe time limits whenever you speak!

Prepared by West Coast Toastmasters Club, Specially for You.

Dont worry about what to do with your hands. Leave them at your side if you wish. Youll have opportunities to practice body language and gesturing later. One final word: Dont end by saying thank you. It is the audience who should be thanking you for the information you have shared. Instead, close with your prepared ending and wait for the applause (or stand back from the lectern and nod at the emcee of the meeting, saying, Mr. (or Madam) [name, office, chairman, etc.].

Prepared by West Coast Toastmasters Club, Specially for You.

Your Evaluation
After your presentation, you will probably begin by evaluating yourself before you sit down. You may think that you left out some of the best parts. Everybody goes this same process following a presentation... it is natural and normal . Rather than attempt to relive the experience word-for-word, simply congratulate yourself on having delivered your first speech, and write down the things you did well, and the things you want to improve. Try to avoid your mistakes the next time. To supplement your personal evaluation, an experienced evaluator will be assigned to evaluate your efforts. Before the meeting begins, hand this manual to your evaluator, so he or she may make notes on the evaluation page for this project. This will give you a permanent record of your progress. It there is something in particular you want to evaluator to watch for, be sure to inform him or her in advance. Get all the information you can from the evaluation. Ask others for additional comments after the meeting: while not all comments will be useful to you, careful consideration is recommended. Remember, evaluations are representations of how you came across to the audience. They are usually but not always helpful to your self-development. Its up to you to judge.

Speakers Check List: Bring this manual to every meeting. Review your presentation with your coach/mentor Discuss any special point with your evaluator before giving the presentation. Give the evaluator your manual before you speak so he/she can make written comments on your performance. Dont be discouraged if your evaluator misses the point. Evaluators have varying degrees of experience in speaking, and evaluation is a learn by doing skill, just as speaking is.

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EVALUATION GUIDE FOR THE ICE BREAKER

TITLE: _______________________ _________ E VALUATOR: ________________________ D ATE:

N OTE TO THE E VALUATOR : The purpose of this speech was for a new member to break the ice -

introduce himself / herself to the Club and get off to a good start in Toastmasters. The speech should have a clear beginning, body, and ending. The speaker has been advised to use notes, if necessary, and to forget body language. Point the speaker toward the methods of improvement, but dont pour it on. Strive to have the speaker look forward to his / her next speech. Above all, be encouraging. Your evaluation should help the speaker feel glad that he / she joined Toastmasters and presented this speech. In addition to your oral evaluation, please write answers to the questions below. What strong points doest the speaker already have?

Did the audience get to know the speaker? How?

Did the speech reflect adequate preparation?

Did the speaker talk clearly and audibly?

Did the speech have a definite opening, body, and conclusion?

Please comment on the speakers use of notes.

What one or two specific suggestions can you give to help the speaker improve? (Focus on showing the speaker how he or she can make the greatest amount of improvements in his / her next speech.)

Prepared by West Coast Toastmasters Club, Specially for You.