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Toastmasters Speeches: How to Craft an Engaging Presentation

Are you feeling the fear after being asked to give a speech at a Toastmasters meeting? Here’s the good news: crafting an engaging speech doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Want to be the one delivering the most memorable speech at your event? We got you.

Quick Answer to Key Question

You can begin writing your Toastmasters speech by selecting a topic, choosing stories or examples to illustrate your points, and preparing an introduction, body and conclusion . To gain more guidance, you can visit the Toastmasters website for tips on crafting your speech.

What is Toastmasters?

Toastmasters International is an organization that provides educational opportunities for individuals to learn, practice and improve in public speaking, communication and leadership skills. The program was created back in 1924 by Ralph Smedley as a way to develop members’ public speaking confidence and skills. Toastmasters has become recognized worldwide, with clubs present in more than 143 countries. Although not everyone agrees that Toastmasters is the best way to learn how to become a better public speaker . Some people think that joining groups like Toastmasters can be a great resource for learning and improving their public speaking abilities, while other disagree and suggest other avenues such as reading some books on the subject or watching videos online as good methods of learning how to become better public speakers. Ultimately, it’s down to personal choice. When it comes to having the courage, confidence and knowledge to deliver an engaging speech, becoming part of Toastmaster can offer unparalleled benefits in building these essential skills . To capitalize on those benefits one must be willing to take the next step – preparing Toastmaster speeches. So, let’s dive into what it takes for crafting an effective speech! In the following section, we will discuss tips for preparing Toastmaster Speeches.

Tips for Preparing Toastmasters Speeches

Having an effective approach to preparing a Toastmasters speech is essential. Here are some tips for getting ready: 1. Research: To ensure you create an engaging and well-informed speech , it’s important to research your topic thoroughly. Reread your source material, consider how the subject applies to the audience, and look for resources that can support your ideas. Taking the time to research will allow you to create a more powerful and unique speech. 2. Create an Outline: Creating an outline is one of the foundational elements of preparing a strong Toastmasters speech. Without a detailed outline, it’s more difficult to craft a compelling narrative and organize thoughts in ways audiences can easily follow. Writing an outline will also help you estimate length and identify potential transitions between ideas. 3. Practice: Once you’ve written your speech, you have to practice it until its perfect. Learning the material by heart is the best way to deliver content with confidence and authenticity. Even when speakers have fluency in their language, having memorized remarks helps them present better, as unprepared pauses or verbal mistakes are less likely to occur. 4. Utilize Visuals: Toastmasters speeches are far more memorable when visual aids are used – whether slides on a projector screen or posters on a wall – both add variety and provide extra information that allows speakers to further explain or illustrate points in their presentation. By taking these steps for preparation , toastmasters speakers improve their chances of giving an engaging and successful speech that resonates with the audience long after delivery. Now, let’s turn our focus on planning and writing the content of the speech itself…

Planning and Writing the Content

Planning and writing the content for a Toastmasters speech is crucial to ensuring an engaging delivery that resonates with the audience. There are two key aspects to the content of a speech: the argument and supporting evidence . The argument should be clear and concise. It should contain a central point or thesis statement, provide objective evidence, and support it without overstating any point. Debate is welcome; however, aim to maintain an impartial tone and use language that keeps all parties’ opinions in mind. Consider both sides of the argument if applicable, taking into account any counterarguments and rebuttals that come up along the way. The supporting evidence should also be relevant to the core thesis of the presentation. Be sure to select examples and facts based upon factual data, presenting it in a way that adds weight to the main points being discussed. Additionally, avoid inserting too much extraneous information as it may distract from focused delivery of the crux of the message or even misrepresent views or opinions expressed. Once you have established your argument and laid out supportive evidence, review your work for logical flow from point to point. Ensure every sentence logically connects to one another, allowing for fluidity between ideas and avoiding any major jumps in conversation topics. When crafting an engaging presentation , planning and writing content is essential for delivering a clear and persuasive message. With careful structuring of both sides of a discussion—if applicable—and strong supportive facts, you can create a compelling speech that captivates your audience throughout.

Structure and Signposting

Creating a clear and logical structure is essential for delivering an engaging speech. Just as a guided tour of the Grand Canyon would not be effective without signposts, numerous studies have shown that signposting is important for successfully conveying ideas within speeches. Signposting can help the audience follow the flow of ideas, keeps the speech organized, and reveals when something new is being discussed. The first step in crafting a solid structure for your speech is to determine the main points you want to discuss. Begin with a few broad topics that are interesting, relevant, and pertinent to your audience. From there, break those larger points into a series of smaller messages that support and explain the main idea. Depending on the complexity of your topic, consider including one to three subpoints under each larger point. Avoid navigating off track by dedicating yourself to discussing only each message you intended from start to finish. Also ensure that every detail or tangent discussed furthers your goal of aiding comprehension rather than detracting from it. When presenting each idea within your speech, guide listeners through your thought process and provide simple summaries before transitioning between topics. A transition should fit somewhat naturally into the current discussion but should also hint at what comes next. This practice can help keep audiences attentive throughout the entire speech because they will know where you are going next. In addition to providing structure and clarity to your speech, signposting can also add an element of surprise as you introduce intriguing concepts or request audience participation. Signposting is a vital tool for crafting engaging speeches, yet it also requires careful manipulation in order to remain effective. As such, understanding which techniques work best for your own style is paramount; practice until you have mastered this skill just as a builder would master his hammer for constructing a house. When done correctly, signposting can help construct an advantageous framework that conveys your message with power and clarity. After understanding how to effectively structure and signpost an engaging Toastmasters Speech, it’s important to recognize different strategies for successful delivery. The following section will discuss several tips on how to convey ideas confidently and captivate an audience during Toastmasters Speeches.

Tips for Toastmasters Speech Delivery

When preparing for a presentation, Toastmasters speech delivery is paramount. It goes without saying that the audience wants to be engaged and entertained by the speaker’s words. To ensure a successful speech, there are several tips that Toastmasters should employ when delivering their presentation. First, maintain good eye contact with the audience throughout the entire presentation. Eye contact evokes personal connection, as well as conveying confidence to the audience. Without it, they may feel disengaged because they don’t feel understood or trusted. Second, practice speaking slowly and clearly to ensure each word is received correctly by those listening. Always remember that even if the page looks crowded with words, the speech needs time to breathe between sentences and points. Slower speaking also helps make sure your key points will stick in the minds of your listeners. Third, vary the tone of your voice for increased engagement and effectiveness. Monotonous speeches can often lull people to sleep or just dull their interest in what you have to say. Delivering a speech with an appropriate mix of volume variations and inflection will generate excitement and focus from an audience This doesn’t mean that one should shout or overly-dramatize a point; rather subtly vary vocal intonations and slang to effectively paint a picture in the minds of your viewers. Fourth, choose deeply meaningful stories for use during presentations whenever possible. A story encourages cohesion among speakers and listeners alike as it humanizes both parties more than facts alone can do. By unfolding narrative arcs within presentations, Toastmasters can truly bridge a connection between them and their audiences. Lastly, recognize when pauses between words are needed to help drive home a point. Not all pauses are reflective of fear or doubt; nowadays some consider them effective tools for drawing emphasis on essential elements within speeches. Pauses also give audiences time to digest what has been said while preparing them for what follows next. An understanding of both sides of this argument is important when crafting an engaging Toastmasters Speech: Delivery can be either too overly-animated or too monotonous; some value quick pacing while others prefer slower speaking; long pauses may add anticipation or detract from any momentum achieved during a presentation; stories can unite but also distract from current material within speeches – meaning everything hangs delicately on how these tips are deployed by Toastmasters when crafting and delivering their presentations accordingly. With these pointers in hand, let us now look at body language and public speaking skills for furthering our efforts in constructing an inviting platform for future presentations.

Body Language and Public Speaking Skills

Body language is one of the key components of delivering an engaging public speech. Not only do you want to engage your audience with your words, but you should also emphasize those words with appropriate body language. Body language can imply attitude, emotion and sincerity that cannot be conveyed with only words alone. From the moment a person walks on stage, their body language will speak volumes about their self-confidence and projected energy. Appearing stiff or uncomfortable may leave the audience feeling distanced from the speaker’s message as well as uninterested in hearing it further. Instead, it’s important to practice speaking with relaxed posture, keeping eye contact frequent and gestures intentional without being too exaggerated. On the other hand, some cultures enjoy more exaggerated gestures to indicate a point is important or speakers prefer gesturing to add emphasis. In those cases, make sure enough time is dedicated to practicing and refining any accompanying nonverbal communication skills before delivering a speech publicly. Too much enthusiasm alluding to a loss of focus or unintentionally eliciting laughter when not appropriate could detract from the overall effectiveness of the presentation. Therefore, finding that perfect balance between captivating your audience and powerful body language is extremely important for conveying a meaningful message. The development of effective public speaking skills also comes into play here as they greatly influence how clear, articulate and confident a speaker appears when communicating verbally in front of an audience. Specifically, developing strong pacing skills (speed of delivery), emphasizing important words/phrases and pausing appropriately can have an impact on how well the audience receives what’s being delivered.

Crucial Points to Remember

Body language plays an important role in engaging an audience when delivering a public speech. The speaker must appear self-confident, relaxed and use appropriate body language without going too far with gestures. Body language can convey attitude, emotion and sincerity that words alone cannot. Public speaking skills are also essential in ensuring the message is communicated effectively along with intentional pauses for emphasis.

Toastmasters: Fear of Public Speaking No More

Fear of public speaking is a real, and common problem. Many of us can admit to feeling anxious when delivering a speech, or having to address people in any sort of presenting situation. But fear no more – Toastmasters can provide an invaluable opportunity for those who may be struggling with this fear and want to get better at public speaking. Toastmasters is an international organization that provides educational programs for developing leadership, communication and organizational skills. It creates an environment where knowledge, practice and feedback focused on building individuals’ confidence to achieve greater success communicating before an audience. The benefits of joining the Toastmasters community include having the opportunity to practice persuasive, informative and entertaining speeches in front of a supportive group, who will offer honest and helpful feedback. Members are encouraged during discussions and afterwards with constructive comments. This instant, real-life feedback allows members to quickly become comfortable in their own public speaking abilities while also building a network of peers all focusing on the same goal of achieving excellence in public speaking. Additionally, Toastmasters can help in understanding what makes good public speaking – organization, preparation, and delivery – through both lectures given by leaders within the organization as well as practice time among fellow participants. One’s fears are lessened as competence is gained through approachable learning and repetition. Additionally, bi-weekly meetings provide opportunities to work on becoming better speakers without taking long periods away from work or daily life obligations. Some may argue that Toastmasters won’t be enough to fully rid someone from fear of public speaking – and that’s understandable; as much as we would like to, some level of nerves can remain even when one has been trained in effective techniques for delivering presentations or speeches . However, being part of a supportive collective such as Toastmasters can still be immensely helpful for those looking for assistance with their fear of public speaking; despite the nerves that may remain, it will undoubtedly give the individual more confidence and poise when addressing large audiences. Ultimately with more practice, fear in public speaking can eventually become a thing of the past once you join Toastmasters!

Common Questions Explained

Are there any examples of toastmasters speeches available online.

Yes, there are many examples of Toastmasters speeches available online. You can find full transcripts of past Toastmasters speech contests at the official Toastmasters website, and there are plenty of videos from past speech contests on YouTube. Additionally, many Toastmaster’s clubs post recordings of their members’ recent speeches to their websites or social media pages. One final resource is the several blogs dedicated to public speaking tips and sample speeches that often feature excerpts from Toastmaster’s speeches.

What kind of topics might be discussed in a Toastmasters speech?

When crafting an engaging Toastmasters speech, it is important to choose a topic that will hold your audience’s attention and interest. Popular topics for a Toastmasters speech may include professional or personal development, motivational stories, leadership skills, the art of communication and public speaking, storytelling techniques, humor and improvisation techniques, creative ideas , business strategies, and any other topic related to self-improvement or public speaking. Many toastmasters speakers look to contemporary news and events as great sources of inspiration and material when crafting their speeches. Since each Toastmaster club is different and may have a unique audience with varying interests, it’s important to consider the topic carefully before presenting. When in doubt about what kind of topics are appropriate for a Toastmaster speech, the International Speech Contest Rulebook provides clear guidelines on acceptable topics and how to ensure that all speakers stick within those boundaries. For more information on the various contest rules and regulations governing Toastmasters’ speeches, consultation with the club leader or a local contest chair should be considered.

Are there any guidelines or tips for how to give a successful Toastmasters speech?

Yes, there are several guidelines and tips for delivering a successful Toastmasters speech. First, it is important to have an engaging introduction that captures the audience’s attention and clearly outlines the main points of your talk. Starting with an interesting anecdote or story can help to set the tone and make your speech more memorable. Secondly, while you should always be mindful of time, it is much better to practice your speech until you are confident in its quality over practicing until you can fit it into a specific amount of minutes. This ensures that you deliver a polished and well-thought-out presentation rather than one that is rushed or incomplete. Thirdly, prepare yourself both mentally and physically before the speech by relaxing and doing some deep breathing exercises . It is also recommended to rehearse your delivery in front of a mirror or even a few friends to gain confidence in your abilities. Finally, use powerful body language in order to get your message across convincingly. Make sure to maintain eye contact with different sections of the audience throughout so that everyone feels included and involved in your talk. Also try standing up as much as possible if your venue allows for it as this will help to add energy and movement to your performance. By using these guidelines, you will be able to craft an engaging and successful Toastmasters speech that captivates listeners.

Writing a Speech with Purpose

Evaluation and Feedback-Writing a Speech With Purpose

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to learn or review basic methods for writing a speech with a defined purpose and to present a well-organized speech on any topic.

Overview: The member completing this project is working to write a speech with purpose. The speech they create must be wellwritten and clearly focused. Their goal is to meet their expressed purpose statement with a well-executed speech.

About this speech: The member will present a well-organized, well-delivered speech. The speech may be humorous, informational, or any style the member chooses. The speech content and style should work well together

This project includes:

■  Researching a topic

■  Writing a Speech With Purpose

■  The Speech Outline Worksheet

■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

Toastmasters Speech with a Purpose

Written on: Mar 10, 2022 • 2917 words

tags: communication,

Today, I am going to discuss my second Toastmasters speech. The first speech is here.

The second project was to deliver a speech having a purpose. The Icebreaker project (1st speech) gets you started on the path of public speaking. The second project makes you understand the importance of purpose in any communication.

The upcoming section contains my final speech. I expand on the purpose and its importance after that. Then I discuss my takeaways from this project, followed by the conclusion.

Explore or Exploit

Can I see a show of hands if anyone here orders food from Swiggy or Zomato? (wait) Thank Now let me see a show of hands from those who ALWAYS order from the same restaurant. (wait) [No one. That is obvious. Right? You will also try out new restaurants.] This is the last one. Let me see a show of hands from those who ALWAYS try out a new restaurant. (wait) (smile) [That was another crazy question.]

Most of us are the same: we either want to order from our safe zone or try from uncharted territory. Listening to it in this context may sound obvious. After all, you should have both choices available to you. How else are you going to find a new place?

Unfortunately, we often miss this in the context of our life. Maintaining a balance between exploration and exploitation is the message I want to convey today.

I started exploring cycling when I was 9 or 10 years old. I did not plan on being the third wheel between my cousin and his bike. So, I learnt it in a few days and switched into the exploit mode of riding it daily.

After gaining confidence, I decided to ride my elder brother’s bike. The next day, in the early morning, I pondered about taking the risk. Why would it be risky? Because when on the bike, my toes never reached the floor.

You know the urge to do something that people older than you are doing can make a child do anything. I decided to take the risk.

I could maintain the balance. As I could only pedal in half circles, momentum was building up slowly. Now, of course, something bad happened. I suddenly hit one of those nasty speed breakers. The likes of which, along with your speed, also break you. After the impact, I found myself off the saddle and hanging on the frame. My feet were nowhere near the pedals and scrambling for support from the road. Since my toes could barely reach the road, I knew if I hit the brakes now, I would fall and hurt myself. At some distance, I saw a bunch of hay on the footpath. I manoeuvred the bike to break my fall on that cushion. There were a few laughs from the bystanders. I also laughed with them.

In retrospect, it was a tiny incident, but for a 10-year-old kid, it was a confidence booster. I remember feeling proud of myself for coming out of it without any injury. And I was glad I decided to explore riding on my brother’s bike.

The explore-exploit equation gets warped at school.

You are required to study a fixed set of subjects. Under the influence of that mandate, I never thought to explore any of my subjects. That thinking changed when a tutor got me into the habit of reading my textbooks. After that, subjects were not something that I had to study. They became different avenues for me to explore.

My favourite subject was physics. I was obsessed with Einstein and Feynman. I loved reading about the theory of relativity. Schrödinger’s cat made atoms and waves exciting. Concepts of thermodynamics made life practical. I even envisioned the future Shivam building a successful nuclear fusion reactor to satisfy all our clean electricity needs.

I was also caught by the outer space bug. Here is a trivia that blew my mind: you witness the past when you see the stars during the night. That is because they are so far that it took light years to reach you.

Then I got to explore, not study, but explore computer science in 11th grade. You could code anything up if you had the creativity and a logical mind. I was immediately hooked. I romanticize those years as a time when I had a love triangle with Physics and Computer Science.

Of course, every good thing comes to an end. When it was time for college, I defaulted to exploitation. The reality, seen through the eyes of peers, teachers, and parents, persuaded me to opt for Computer Engineering.

The thing is, I have never regretted this decision. There were numerous subfields to explore within computer science. My career shaped into what it is today because of those explorations.

I started my Computer Science engineering in the year 2012. Data Science and Artificial Intelligence started booming. Data Science suggests that we can solve problems in any domain when simple maths is applied to data. That was fascinating to me. It also had many concepts of Physics, my first love, mixed in with it.

I explored many interesting subfields in computer science before settling for Data Science. When the question came to decide on a career, I had already covered a lot of ground in Data Science. And its interdisciplinary nature compelled me to exploit it further.

I give full credit to my explorations for Data Science as a career choice. It has given me exposure to different industries and how the world works. And deciding which industry to try next is also always driven by my drive to explore.

I am not talking about Covid here, but I feel we are undergoing a pandemic where people lack the approach to find what they can exploit. And that is because they do not explore enough.

I know many people who have taken this framework to the extremes and are incredibly successful and satisfied.

So my message for you today is to explore as much as you can. The moment something enthrals you, go into exploitation mode. But never stop exploring. Exploration is what makes you, you.

Purpose and its Importance

Books have a purpose; this blog post has a purpose; like every communication, a speech also has a purpose. We are instinctively aware of this whenever we say something.

Nevertheless, I was perplexed when I started writing this speech. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to talk about, but I could not articulate it. Response from my mentor also did not help me. The project resources provided by Toastmasters succoured me.

According to the guide, every speech has a generic purpose : inform , persuade , entertain , and inspire . Every generic purpose will also have a specific purpose . It is one sentence that summarizes the objective of your speech. The general purpose of my speech was to inspire . The specific purpose was: the more you explore, the more you build your character .

This framework of defining the purpose enabled me to write clearly. I knew how I wanted the audience to perceive my speech. I wrote all the paragraphs and transitions between them with my purpose in mind. I enjoyed writing this speech.

My posture was good throughout the speech. I had a natural presence and felt confident .

Unlike during the first speech, my neck was straight. Practising in front of the mirror probably helped there. This time around, I observed that my shoulders were not level. It is a tiny thing and may not be noticeable to the audience. I will work on this during my next practice.

I was also tiptoeing during many parts of the speech. My head bobbed up and down a few times. It was unnecessary.

One feedback I got from the evaluator was that I looked away from the camera multiple times. It was not distracting, but it was noticeable. It coincided with the parts where I could not remember the content. It also happened during the last speech. The only solution is to practice more.

The second feedback was a lack of hand gestures. I was more focused on remembering the content that I did not think about gestures. My hands were also not in the camera view. So the audience missed the few natural hand gestures that I had towards the end. So I need to work more on hand gestures.

I wore formals. I stood up to deliver the speech. The evaluator also mentioned that both the light and the camera angle were good. Notwithstanding, I may have to rethink the setup. My natural hand gestures were not visible because of the camera field view. I will need to increase the distance between the camera and me.

Facial Expression

I did not have a dry throat this time. Thus, there were no weird expressions. I was blank at some places. Otherwise, I was mostly smiling.

I had the impression that I speak fast. After two speeches, I can say that I have an average pace. The pauses between the sentences and paragraphs are also apt. I do not speak at a snail’s pace, neither is it rushed.

Occasionally, I quickly go through a sentence and mess up. Following are the instances I observed:

• Bystanders sounded like bystandards (or, I may have said bystandards)
• Fixed set of subjects sounded like fix ed of subjects
• Every good thing comes to an end - did not fumble, but it could have been slower.
• I fumbled at regretted while speaking the thing is, I never regretted that decision
• I fumbled at Artificial Intelligence while speaking Data Science and Artificial Intelligence started booming .
• I did not emphasize while ending this sentence: proud of myself after handling this situation without any injuries .

The goal was to take five to seven minutes. Unfortunately, I was way over the time limit. Despite skipping a few sentences, I spoke for nine whopping minutes. It happened because of a lack of insight into my speaking style. If I had timed myself while practising, I would have noticed it. I decided against it because I wanted to practice the delivery and retention of the content.

I wrote the speech assuming a high pace of speaking. It had more than 900 words. I expected to cover all the material in under seven minutes. I could not. Along with the content length, I also missed accounting for pauses between sentences. I will shorten the write up in future speeches. My mentor concurred.

The evaluator suggested starting wrapping up when the yellow timer card comes up. That will push me to cover the relevant parts to finish up on time.

Filler Words

This time around, I used fewer crutch words (28 this time vs 34 last time). The use of uh remained the same, though. :/ I also noticed a new filler: taking a nose breath (as if I had to clear the sinuses).

A Mixture of the Tenses

I mixed the tenses only once. Yay.

I mixed up could , would , and will . Hyperlinked are refreshers on could, would, and should and would vs will .

It looks like I make grammatical mistakes when I am recounting past stories. Practice, practice, practice!!

The opening of any speech should be grand. It can be a question, a joke, or an eyebrow-raising statement. It will make the audience listen to you.

I created that effect.

The evaluator mentioned that my questions were very engaging. They were engaging because of the following two reasons:

• Ordering food online is ubiquitous today. Everyone could respond to the questions.
• The relationship between the questions and the theme was not apparent. That compelled the audience to listen to the next part of my speech.

Here is a little truth about that opening: it was not my first choice.

Initially, I had written a technical opening connecting the Recommendation Systems with the topic. I thought it would grab their attention. Unfortunately, my mentor disagreed and suggested changing it.

Then I wrote a dialogue between me and my friend about how exploration and exploitation emerge while ordering food online. According to my mentor, it would work if I was an experienced speaker. As I am a beginner and I will likely butcher the dialogue delivery. Consequently, I settled on asking questions from the audience.

My mentor hinted that I should think of the opening as a grand event. I will write and present it with more effort if I consider it paramount.

Here is the paraphrased version of feedback from my mentor: Initially, I was not sure why I was doing it. Then I gained the confidence and delivered it confidently.

It was my second speech. The environment was very different from the first speech. So I was shaky in the beginning. The audience also surprised me. The replies to my questions were unexpected. I had to make a few changes on the fly.

My mentor says that surprises are inevitable. I should make impromptu changes from the reactions of the audience.

The evaluator commended me on delivering it naturally. It looked like I was comfortable on the virtual stage. My smiling face helped. The more crucial factor was how my speech came across. To my evaluator, we were talking during my speech. Rather than being a performance, it came across as a conversation with the audience. It points in the direction that I connected with my audience. That too on a virtual stage.

My mentor advised maintaining my conversational delivery. At the same time, I should make it impactful. The impact will come if I put more power in my voice. And consistently maintain it. A guiding principle is to make my voice reach the people in the (imaginary) last row.

The evaluator liked my stories. They particularly enjoyed the flow of topics with the theme: food, cycling, school subjects, science, computer science, and data science. The audience found the analogies pleasing. They found the sprinkled humour diverting (special mention for the love triangle bit). The evaluator also mentioned how technical things mixed with the stories made the speech interesting for non-science people. It was surprising to see myself excelling at telling stories because I consider myself mediocre at it.

Lastly, one audience member remarked that she was motivated to explore more. It made me feel that my speech successfully inspired at least one person.

The speech was about exploring stuff. Exploiting the right ones and further exploring them in depth. So the speech title should have been Explore and Exploit instead of Explore or Exploit .

Speaking vs Writing

My mentor gave me an interesting outlook when I asked him about improving the language of my content and delivering it better.

There is a difference between our writing and speaking patterns. Exceptional speakers have consistent in the way they speak and write. Novice speakers like me write in a manner that will be miles away from my speech.

Written content has finesse because we spend more time on it. My blog posts go through multiple rounds of reviews before I hit publish. So, the first step towards having a quality language is to bring my speaking level up to my writing level. Right now, I go off script quite a lot. I have to do that sensibly and not because I forgot what I wrote.

The next frontier is to improve how I write. My mentor encouraged me to discover my ideal writing. It will give me a sense of the effect I want to achieve with each sentence.

The pertinent question here is, how do we find this impactful writing ideal? I have to expose myself to a variety of authors and written content. It is not limited to books. It can be book reviews or other literary articles. For example, I have subscribed to Literary Hub to get ideas about quality sentence formations. Gradually, I will build a repository of these ideas. Employing them in my writing will take me towards my ideal.

I delivered my second speech. This time my speech was supposed to have a clear purpose. My speech was about the theme of exploration and exploitation in life.

I reproduced all the positive things from last time: camera angle, attire, and expressions. I came across as natural. My pace was right. Pauses between the sentences were natural. I used fewer fillers than the last time. There were a few grammatical mistakes, but nothing major.

My opening was engaging and relatable to the audience. The flow of the speech kept the audience interested. Stories and humour were also well received. I found out that I am good at storytelling. My mentor helped me understand how I can improve the quality of my writing and speeches.

Key improvement areas for me are:

• Time management. I need to finish my content within the stipulated time.
• Practice a lot more
• Bring power in my voice and maintain it throughout the speech.
• Bring speaking level closer to writing level.

My third speech is about vocal variety and body language in my delivery. I am looking forward to more discoveries.

Writing A Speech With Purpose Project Speech

Table of Contents

Objectives Of The “Writing A Speech With Purpose” Project

The purpose of this Pathway Level 1 Project 2 is to learn or review basic methods for writing a speech with a defined purpose and to present a well-organised speech on any topic. 

In this project, resources from the Toastmasters International, take a step beyond the previous Ice Breaker project in teaching toastmasters who are taking this project on how to write a script for public speaking.

Toastmasters undertaking this project are asked to think through and define the purpose of their speech, namely, a general purpose and a specific purpose. They are also instructed on how to organise the main points of their speech in a variety of styles.

Writing A Speech With Purpose – Daniel Sun’s Pathway Project

Speaker: Daniel Sun, CC

Pathway: Engaging Humour

Level 1, Project 2, Writing A Speech With Purpose

Title: Make It Yours!

Date: 20 April 2023

In this project, my general purpose was to entertain my audience (as well as to enjoy myself while delivering it) since I am taking the Engaging Humour Pathway. It is also a direction that I am taking in developing my style of delivering speeches.

My specific purpose was to explain and demonstrate to my audience how any song can be modified totally into another song with a different mood and a different style, and yet still retain a degree of the original traits of the song.

Inspiration Behind Preparing This Speech

After my first pathway project on Ice Breaker, I was planning on a topic, “Magicians or Conmen”.

However, during these last two weeks, the statement “make it completely yours” kept ringing in my mind.

I could identify this statement was from my childhood’s favourite movie, “Phantom of the Paradise” directed by Brian De Palma, and the exact scene and circumstance that the statement was uttered.

Phoenix sings “Old Souls” in the film, “Phantom of the Paradise”

In that movie, Swan (the record company boss) told Beef (the rock singer) to transform a song written for a girl into a song that suits his persona.

In recent years, I have also learned that two contemporary songs were originally classical pieces.

One was Bach’s “Minuet in G major” and another was Beethoven’s “Fur Elise”.

I decided that I could use these two classical pieces as an illustration of how any piece of music could be modified and transformed into totally something else, while I use the statement from the movie, “Phantom of the Paradise” as an opening to my speech. Moreover, “Make it completely yours!” is a powerful statement. Personally, I also like to begin and end my speech or writing with the same statement, a technique I learned from my favourite writer, Alan Moore.

Resources from Toastmasters International gave a few way to organise the script such as in a chronological manner, a particular/general/particular style, and quite a few others. Nevertheless, these instructions are not exhaustive and they are meant to help beginners who seldom write scripts nor speak publicly.

Instead, I have decided to organise my main points of my scripts into giving two examples (illustrations) first and from those two illustrations, moved on to generalised them into a principle. It is one of many techniques I employed in teaching during my teaching career.

specific → general

concrete → abstract

illustration → principle

It is easier for the audience to see how a principle is applied in a concrete manner first and from thence, generalise the specific they have understood into a principle.

Appended below is the script to my Level 1, Project 2, prepared speech entitled, “Make It Yours!”

Speech Introduction

Make it yours! Make it completely yours!

Club Presidents, Distinguished Toastmasters, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen.  

“Make it completely yours!” was a statement made in one of Brian De Palma’s film, “Phantom of the Paradise”.

It was one of my childhood’s favourite movies, still a favourite of mine. Has anyone here heard of that movie? Oh, come on! It was only less than 20 years ago. (This is a joke. The movie was released in 1974.)

In that film, Winslow Leach, who became the phantom, wrote a cantata for Phoenix, a girl he liked.

Beef sings his own version of “Old Soul” in the film, “Phantom of the Paradise”

However, Swan, the record company boss, stole those songs and gave them to a proto glam rock singer, Beef. “You better get yourself a castrato to sing this,” said Beef, “this score is written for a chick.”   To this, Swan, the boss replied, “You can sing it better than any chick. Make it completely yours.”

Concerning How Most Of Us Sing

Ladies and gentlemen, is it possible to make a song sung by the original artiste into totally something else? By that, I do not mean just you or I sing the same song in a karaoke, nor another artiste singing a cover version of that song. The song may retain some of its original characteristics, but on the whole, it has become quite something else.

We seldom think it possible because we tend to sing a song just the way we have been hearing it. Even as we sing it, subconsciously we keep hearing the song sung in its original manner in our head.

So, is it possible to make it completely yours? The answer is: Yes!

Let me give you two examples.

Bach’s Minuet In G Major

Bach’s Minuet in G major

Bach’s Minuet in G Major. It is originally in triple time, that is, 3 beats in a bar. (Sing a few bar of Minuet in G major.)

Does anyone find the tune familiar?

In August 1965, in celebration of Singapore’s independence, the Afro-American trio, Toys, released the song, “A Lover’s Concerto”.

It was Bach’s Minuet in G major, changed to a contemporary up-beat tempo in quadruple time, that is, 4 beats in a bar.

How gentle is the rain That falls softly on the meadows Birds high up in the tress Serenade the flowers with their melodies   Oh-oh, see, there beyond the hill The bright colours of the rainbow Some magic from above   Made this day for us, just to fall in love   Now, I belong to you From this day until forever Just love me tenderly   And I’ll give to you every part of me

“A Lover’s Concerto” by Toys

Has anyone heard that before?

Alright! I was only joking about celebrating Singapore’s independence. Nevertheless, it was coincidental that “A Lover’s Concerto” was released in August 1965.

Beethoven’s Fur Elise

Let me give you another example where you can hardly identify the original piece of music if I do not tell you.

Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” performed by Lang Lang

I believe anyone who is alive would have listened to Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” or in English, “For Elise”. (Sing a few bars of Fur Elise.)

Do you know that this piece of music has been modernised too. It was sung by late Roman Tam, 罗文, and the title of the song is 心里有个迷, released in 1985.

For the sake of those who were born after the year 1985, let me give a short demonstration. I will try to do my best.

心里心里有个谜，难解难计， 心里心里呢个谜，藏在心底。 呢个呢个心里谜，完全系围住你， 呢个呢个心里谜长令我入迷。 热爱之花在我心中， 开出灿烂，发出美丽。 为你相思，为你着迷， 我深心里爱得美丽。

心里有个谜 – 罗文 (Late Roman Tam)

Now, how many of you here have heard that before?

In Roman Tam’s rendition of “Fur Elise”, it was fast paced and the rhythm more syncopated, whereas the original “Fur Elise” was only moderate in its tempo,  

Internalisation And Externalisation

So how do you make something yours, completely yours?

To make it yours, like everything else, you will have to first internalise it, then externalise it, just like the way you eat food.  

When you eat something, you chew on it, appreciate its flavour, ingest it, absorb, and assimilate all its nutrients, making them into a part of yourself. That is internalisation.

The externalisation, pardon me, is not what some of you are probably thinking. No, that is called egesting. You egest the leftover waste materials, not the essence of what you ate. The sad thing is most people egest more than they can internalise and externalise.

So, how do we internalise and externalise a song?

After listening to a song, most fundamentally, we remember its tune, its rhythm. We appreciate its beauty, let its mood touch our souls, our emotions. And we continue to hear it replayed in our head again and again, subconsciously. That is the process of internalisation.  

The most fundamental structure of a song is its melody, then followed by its rhythm. If you insist, you can include the lyrics.

However, the component of a song that is most often changed is the lyrics, particularly when it is sung in a different language.

So, when you have totally internalised a song, the first thing is you put your own emotions into the song when you sing it.

If you are creative enough, you can modify the melody and the rhythm to suit yourselves, and turn it into something else, something that is completely yours. That is what some artistes do.

All in all, to make something completely yours, you first internalise it, then you externalise it. When you eat pork, you do not become a pig. When you eat beef, you do not become a cow. When you eat mutton, you do not become a goat. And when you eat chicken … , what do you become? I am not sure about that. May be some people do become one. So, make it yours! Make it completely yours!

Back to you Toastmaster!

After Thought

林子祥  (George Lam) performing  十分十二寸 to a live audience

During the preparation of this project, I wanted very much to include 林子祥 George Lam’s (also known passionate in Hong Kong as Ah Lam) famous 10-minute medley, 十分十二寸 (10-minute 12-inch single), into the content of my speech.

Personally, I did not fancy George Lam initially. I found that his singing was bordering on screaming and he sounded to me like his voice was breaking and was in danger of going out of tune.

However, after listening to his medley, 十分十二寸, I had a total change in my impression of him and his singing style. I began to appreciate his singing style and his songs.

In that medley, George Lam, combined Hong Kong’s most popular Cantonese songs into a non-stop 10-minute fast-paced medley.

He totally and completely transformed all those songs into a style of his own.

In my opinion, he made many of those songs sound better than when they were sung by the original artistes.

George Lam’s (林子祥) 十分十二寸 music video

It was the epitome of making it yours, completely yours!

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• FIND-A-CLUB
• Path: Presentation Mastery
• Pathways Paths and Projects

Presentation Mastery

This path helps you build your skills as an accomplished public speaker. The projects on this path focus on learning how an audience responds to you and improving your connection with audience members. The projects contribute to developing an understanding of effective public speaking technique, including speech writing and speech delivery. This path culminates in an extended speech that will allow you to apply what you learned.

LEVEL 1 (10/2021)

Level 1 (pre 10/2021), level 1: mastering fundamentals, level 1 projects (required).

This foundational project is designed to introduce you to your club and the skills you need to begin your Toastmasters journey.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to introduce yourself to the club and learn the basic structure of a public speech.

Overview:  Write and deliver a speech about any topic to introduce yourself to the club. Your speech may be humorous, informational, or any other style that appeals to you.

This project includes:

■  A 4- to 6-minute speech

WRITING A SPEECH WITH PURPOSE

This foundational project is designed to help you write and deliver your first Toastmasters speech or the first speech in your new path.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to learn or review basic methods for writing a speech with a defined purpose and to present a well-organized speech on any topic.

Overview:  Select a topic that appeals to you. It can be anything. Be sure your topic is narrow enough to be an effective 5- to 7-minute speech.

Clearly define your topic and consider your goal for your speech. Before you organize your speech, identify and express your purpose in a single sentence. Practice your speech and refine its organization. Present your speech at a club meeting.

■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

INTRODUCTION TO VOCAL VARIETY AND BODY LANGUAGE

This foundational project is designed to help you learn the basics of presenting with engaging vocal variety and compelling body language.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to practice using vocal variety or body language to enhance a speech.

Overview:  Learn or review the importance of vocal variety and body language. Present a 5- to 7-minute speech on any topic at a club meeting. The primary focus of the evaluation is your vocal variety or your body language and gestures. You will identify the skills you are working on for your evaluator before you deliver your speech and be evaluated on those skills.

EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK

This project addresses the skills needed to give and receive feedback. You will learn about giving, receiving and applying feedback.

Purpose:  This project comprises three assignments – the delivery of two speeches and an evaluation. The purpose of this project is to present a speech on any topic, receive feedback, and apply the feedback to the second speech.

Overview:  Choose any topic for your first 5- to 7-minute speech. After your speech, carefully review your feedback. At a different club meeting, present a second 5- to 7-minute speech in which you incorporate feedback from your first speech. You may choose to present the same speech again or a new speech. Your second speech should reflect some or all of the feedback from your first speech. To complete this project, serve as an evaluator at a club meeting and deliver constructive feedback about another member’s presentation.

This project includes: ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech ■  Another 5 – 7 minute speech that incorporates feedback from the first speech ■  Serving as a speech evaluator

RESEARCHINIG AND PRESENTING

This project addresses topic selection strategies, suggestions for research and methods for producing a well organized speech.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to learn or review basic research methods and present a well-organized, well-researched speech on any topic.

Overview:  Select a topic that you are not already familiar with or that you wish to learn more about. Be sure your topic is narrow enough to be an effective 5- to 7-minute speech. Research the topic and begin organizing the information, as described in this project. Practice your speech and continue to refine its organization. Present your speech at a club meeting.

■  Researching a topic ■  The Research Worksheet ■  The Speech Outline Worksheet ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

Level 2: Learning Your Style

Level 2 projects (required).

This project focuses on recognizing your preferred communication style and understanding how your style impacts your interactions with others.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to learn about different communication styles and identify your primary style.

Overview:  Complete the Discover Your Communication Style questionnaire to help you identify your style. Deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting about your communication style and its impact on your professional and/or personal relationships. If you are uncomfortable discussing your communication style, you may speak about the communication styles you have encountered and how they impact you. Your speech should not be a report of the content of this project.

This project includes: ■  The Discover Your Communication Style questionnaire ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

EFFECTIVE BODY LANGUAGE

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to deliver a speech with awareness of your intentional and unintentional body language, as well as to learn, practice, and refine how you use nonverbal communication when delivering a speech.

Overview:  Prepare a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic that lends itself to expression through your movement and gestures. Video record your presentation and get feedback from your mentor or another reviewer before speaking to your club. If you do not have access to a recording device, perform your speech in front of a mirror and make adjustments before your scheduled speech.

This project includes: ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

INTRODUCTION TO TOASTMASTER MENTORNG

This project introduces the value of mentorship and the Toastmasters view of mentors and protégés.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to clearly define how Toastmasters envisions mentoring.

Overview:  Write and present a 5- to 7-minute speech about a time when you were a protégé. Share the impact and importance of having a mentor. This speech is not a report on the content of this project.

Note: Every member in Toastmasters Pathways must complete this project.

Level 3: Increasing Knowledge

Level 3 project (required), persuasive speaking.

This project focuses on helping you to develop and support a viewpoint, and identify the most appropriate type of persuasive speech for your topic.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to understand the types of persuasive speeches and deliver a persuasive speech at a club meeting.

Overview:  Choose any topic that lends itself to speaking persuasively and prepare a speech. Present your 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting. If your vice president education approves a non-club event or group, your evaluator must be present for your speech.

This project includes: ■  The Persuasive Speech Outline Worksheet ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

LEVEL 3 ELECTIVES [CHOOSE 2]

Active listening.

This project covers the difference between hearing and listening, and steps for exploring the ways listening helps build strong, lasting connections.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to demonstrate your ability to listen to what others say.

Overview: At a club meeting, fulfill the role of Topicsmaster. As Topicsmaster, comment on each speaker’s Table Topics® speech to demonstrate your active listening skills. For example, you might say, “Thank you. That was a compelling opinion on the benefits of gardening. I understand you feel strongly that everyone needs to spend some time doing something they love.”

This project includes:  ■  Serving as Topicsmaster at a club meeting

CONNECT WITH STORYTELLING

This project addresses storytelling techniques and descriptive skills to help make every speech relatable and interesting.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice using a story within a speech or giving a speech that is a story.

Overview: Choose an established story, a story about your life, or a fictional tale of your own creation. Deliver the 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting.

This project includes:  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

This project focuses on different audience types and how to address them effectively.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to connect with an unfamiliar audience.

Overview: Develop a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic that is unfamiliar to the majority of your audience. Because you deliver this speech in your Toastmasters club, you are familiar with the audience members’ preferences and personalities. Selecting a topic that is new or unfamiliar to your club members will allow you to practice adapting as you present. As you speak, monitor the audience’s reaction to your topic and adapt as necessary to maintain engagement.

CREATING EFFECTIVE VISUAL AIDES

This project addresses effective methods for choosing the best visual aid for your presentation along with the creation and use of each type.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice selecting and using a variety of visual aids during a speech.

Overview: Choose a speech topic that lends itself well to using visual aids. Create at least one but no more than three visual aids to enhance your presentation. Deliver your 5- to 7-minute presentation at a club meeting.

This project includes:  ■  Creating one to three visual aids  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

DELIVER SOCIAL SPEECHES

This project addresses the skills needed to compose a speech for a social occasion including a toast, eulogy, an acceptance speech and a speech praising an individual or group.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice delivering social speeches in front of your club members.

Overview: Develop two different social speeches—each 3 to 4 minutes—and present them at two separate club meetings. You may choose any two types of social speeches that appeal to you or that you would like to practice.

This project includes: ■  The Social Speech Basics resource ■  Two 3- to 4-minute speeches

FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE

This project addresses strategies for improving your personal interactions by understanding the impact of your attitudes and thoughts on daily interactions.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice being aware of your thoughts and feelings, as well as the impact of your responses on others.

Overview: Keep a daily record of your moods and attitudes for a minimum of two weeks, noting when you feel positive or negative, your successes and efforts, and three things for which you are grateful. Record and evaluate any changes in your behavior or the behavior of those around you. At a club meeting, share some aspect of your experience. You may choose to schedule a 2-to 3-minute report or a 5-to 7-minute speech. After completing your speech, submit your signed Project Completion Form to your vice president education to indicate you completed the journal.

This project includes:  ■  Recording your daily moods and attitudes for a minimum of two weeks  ■  A 2- to 3-minute report or a 5- to 7-minute speech  ■  The Project Completion Form

INSPIRE YOUR AUDIENCE

This project addresses how to present a speech in an enthusiastic and inspiring fashion to establish a strong rapport with your audience.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice writing and delivering a speech that inspires others.

Overview: Select a topic with the intent of inspiring your audience and prepare a 5- to 7-minute speech for your club.

KNOW YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR

This project focuses on understanding what makes you laugh and how to share that with an audience.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to begin developing a collection of humorous stories and to present a speech that includes humor.

Overview: Give a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic of your choosing. Your speech should include at least one anecdote or story intended to entertain or bring humor into your presentation.

This project includes: ■ A 5- to 7-minute speech

MAKE CONNECTIONS THROUGH NETWORKING

This project focuses on how to network effectively and understanding the importance of being a professional ally to people in your network.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to develop and practice a personal strategy for building connections through networking.

Overview:  Prepare for and attend a networking event. After the event, present a 5- to 7-minute speech to your club. Your speech can include a story or stories about your experience, a description of what you learned, or a discussion on the benefits of networking. Your speech may be personal to you or informational about networking. If you attend a non-Toastmasters event, you must sign the Project Completion Form and give it to your vice president education.

This project includes: ■  The Prepare to Network resource ■  Attending a networking event ■  The Project Completion Form ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

PREPARE FOR AN INTERVIEW

This project addresses the skills you need to identify and speak about personal strengths and present yourself well in an interview of any type.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to present yourself well in an interview.

Overview: Determine which type of interview you would like to practice, such as a job or expert interview. Prepare by reviewing your skills and abilities. Complete the resources in the project and give them to your interviewer before your presentation. You determine which member of your club interviews you, but your interviewer must be someone other than your evaluator. In a 5- to 7-minute role-play presentation at a club meeting, practice answering interview questions to promote your skills, abilities, and experience.

This project includes:  ■  The Identifying Your Skills Worksheet  ■  The Interviewer Instructions resource  ■  A 5- to 7-minute role-play interview at a club meeting

RESEARCHING & PRESENTING (10/2021 became elective)

Understanding vocal variety.

This project addresses the importance of vocal variety when giving a speech and provides activities to develop and nurture its use.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice using vocal variety to enhance a speech.

Overview: Learn or review the importance of vocal variety. Use the exercises in this project to improve your vocal variety skills. Then, present a 5- to 7-minute speech on any topic at a club meeting. The primary focus of the evaluation is your vocal variety.

USING DESCRIPTIVE LANGUAGE

This project addresses the difference between literal and figurative language along with how to determine when to use each to create vivid descriptions.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice writing a speech with an emphasis on adding language to increase interest and impact.

Overview: You may speak on any topic. Develop a 5- to 7-minute speech describing the topic in detail and present it at your club meeting.

USING PRESENTATION SOFTWARE

This project addresses the use of presentation software—from identifying topics that benefit from the use of technology to effective slide design and presentation.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to introduce or review basic presentation software strategies for creating and using slides to support or enhance a speech.

Overview: Select a speech topic that lends well to a visual presentation using technology. Use the content of this project and your own research to help you develop your slides. Give a 5- to 7-minute speech using the slides you developed. Your speech can be humorous, demonstrative, or informational, and it may include stories or anecdotes.

This project includes:  ■  Developing presentation slides  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech 

Level 4: Building Skills

Level 4 project (required), managing a difficult audience.

This project covers common behaviors of difficult audience members and how to address each behavior in a calm, effective and professional way.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to address audience challenges when you present outside of your Toastmasters club.

Overview:  Prepare a 5- to 7-minute speech on a topic of your choosing. You may write a new speech or use a speech you presented previously. You will be evaluated on the way you manage audience disruptions, not the content of your speech. Before your club meeting, send the Role Play Assignments resource to the Toastmaster and vice president education. As you present your speech, respond to different types of difficult audience members that disrupt you. The process of speaking and responding to audience members will take 12 to 15 minutes.

This project includes: ■  A role play assignment for club members ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

LEVEL 4 ELECTIVES [CHOOSE 1]

Building a social media presence.

This project addresses how best to use different types of online communication. You will create and maintain an online profile to promote yourself or an organization.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to apply your understanding of social media to enhance an established or new social media presence.

Overview: Use this project and your own research to build a new social media presence or enhance an existing presence. You may focus on a personal goal (such as connecting with old friends or promoting a blog) or on a professional goal (such as promoting a business or organization). Use the tools you identify as best for you and your purpose. After you achieve your goal, deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech to your club about your results, experience, and the benefits of social media. Submit the Project Completion Form to your vice president education to receive credit for completing the project.

Note: With the vice president public relation’s approval, you may choose to create a social media presence for your Toastmasters club.

This project includes:  ■  Establishing or enhancing a social media presence  ■  The Project Completion Form  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

CREATE A PODCAST

This project addresses the skills you need to develop a podcast, create interesting content and organize a cohesive program. You will learn how to record and upload it to the internet.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to introduce you to the skills needed to organize and present a podcast.

Overview: Use this project and your own research to create a podcast. Record a minimum of 60 minutes of content. You are free to divide the episodes as you choose. Each separate episode must be at least 10 minutes, but may be longer if it fits your topic and style. After you record all content, play a 5- to 10-minute segment in your club. Introduce the segment in a 2- to 3-minute speech..

This project includes:  ■  Recording 60 minutes of podcast content  ■  A 2- to 3-minute introduction speech

MANAGE ONLINE MEETINGS

This project addresses how to effectively conduct online meetings and webinars, prepare and organize necessary visual aids, and lead with confidence.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice facilitating an online meeting or leading a webinar.

Overview: Conduct a 20- to 25-minute online meeting with fellow Toastmasters or a 20- to 25-minute webinar with visual aids for fellow Toastmasters. You determine the topic of your meeting or webinar. Research and use software that best fits your needs and geographic area. Invite your evaluator to participate in the online meeting or webinar. If you complete your assignment with non-Toastmasters, you must receive approval from the vice president education and invite your evaluator to attend.

This project includes:  ■  The Online Meeting Agenda resource  ■  The Online Meeting Basics resource  ■  Planning and conducting a 20- to 25-minute online meeting or webinar

MANAGE PROJECTS SUCCESSFULLY

This project focuses on skills needed to effectively manage a project, develop rapport with stakeholders and cultivate strong relationships with a team.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to practice developing a plan, building a team, and fulfilling the plan with the help of your team.

Overview: Form a team of three to four people and choose a project. Create a plan for your project and present the plan to your club in a 2- to 3-minute speech. Work with your team to complete your project. Present a 5- to 7-minute speech about your experience. This speech may be humorous, informational, or any type of speech that appeals to you. It should not be a report about the content of this project, but a reflection of your experience applying what you learned.

Note: When considering projects to complete, refer to future projects on your path. You may be able to use the assignment in this project to help you prepare for the completion of an upcoming project.

This project includes:  ■  Building a team  ■  Creating a project plan  ■  The Project Plan resource  ■  A 2- to 3-minute speech about your plan  ■  Completing the plan with your team  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech about your experience

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to practice the skills needed to effectively use public relations strategies for any group or situation.

Overview:  Create a public relations plan for a real or hypothetical group or situation. If it involves your club, it must be hypothetical unless you communicate with the vice president public relations and club president. Share your plan in a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting. This speech is not a report on the content of this project, but an example of how you will or might apply what you learned.

This project includes: ■  Creating a public relations strategy ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

This project addresses how to prepare to answer questions and provide information clearly, concisely and with confidence.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to learn about and practice facilitating a question-and-answer session.

Overview: Select a topic of which you are particularly knowledgeable. Prepare and deliver a speech on this topic, followed by a question-and-answer session. Together, the speech and question-and-answer session must be 15 to 20 minutes. Use your time effectively to ensure both segments are completed.

This project includes:  ■  A 5-to 7-minute speech  ■  A question-and-answer session after the speech

WRITING A COMPELLING BLOG

This project addresses the basics of developing a compelling blog and successfully engaging a readership.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to review or introduce the skills needed to write and maintain a blog.

Overview: Post a minimum of eight blog posts in one month. Your blog may be new or one you have already established. You must receive approval from the vice president education to blog on behalf of your club. Deliver a 2- to 3-minute speech at a club meeting about the impact of your blogging experience. You may choose to have your blog evaluated by members of the club. Submit your signed Project Completion Form to the vice president education to receive credit for this project.

This project includes:  ■  Maintaining a blog and posting at least eight times in one month  ■  The Blog Evaluation Form  ■  The Project Completion Form  ■  A 2- to 3-minute speech

Level 5: Demonstrating Expertise

Level 5 projects (required).

This project is designed to help you define the attributes of professional speakers and apply that understanding to your own skills as a speaker.

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.

This project includes: ■  The Speech Outline Worksheet ■  An 18- to 22-minute keynote-style speech

REFLECT ON YOUR PATH

This project is designed to give you an opportunity to share your experience at the end of your path.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to reflect on your growth during the completion of an entire path.

Overview:  At a club meeting, present a 10- to 12-minute speech to share your experience completing your path. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on how far you have come, summarize the skills you have learned and developed, and to celebrate your achievements. Your speech can be humorous, informational, or any style that that appeals to you and supports your speech content.

This project includes: ■  The Your Toastmasters Journey resource ■  A 10- to 12-minute speech

LEVEL 5 ELECTIVES [CHOOSE 1]

Ethical leadership.

This project addresses the importance of recognizing the effect of decisions that impact ethics, best practices for making ethical decisions and developing an ethical framework.

Purpose:  The purpose of this project is to develop a clear understanding of your own ethical framework and create an opportunity for others to hear about and discuss ethics in your organization or community.

Overview:  Define an ethical framework for yourself. To do this, you may need to complete personal research beyond the contents of this project. Then, organize and moderate a 20- to 40-minute panel discussion about ethics, followed by a question-and-answer session. If you have never facilitated a panel discussion, review the “Moderate a Panel Discussion” elective project.

■  The Ethical Framework resource

■  Organizing and moderating a panel discussion as well as a question-and-answer session

HIGH PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP

The focus of this project is to design and complete a project with well-defined goals, lead a team and be accountable to a guidance committee.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to apply your leadership and planning knowledge to develop a project plan, organize a guidance committee, and implement your plan with the help of a team.

Overview: Select a project to complete with a team of at least three other members. Form a guidance committee and meet at least five times through the duration of the project. Deliver a 5-to 7-minute speech at a club meeting to introduce your plan and vision. After you implement the plan, deliver a second 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting to share your experience developing and completing your plan.

This project includes:  ■  Selecting, leading, and completing a project with a team  ■  Forming and meeting with a guidance committee at least five times  ■  The Guidance Committee Introduction resource  ■  The Meeting Agenda resource  ■  The Project Plan Overview resource  ■  The Project Plan resource  ■  The Vision Plan resource  ■  The Event Planning Worksheet  ■  The 360° Evaluation resource  ■  Two 5- to 7-minute speeches

LEAD IN YOUR VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION

This project focuses on the skills required to lead in a volunteer organization and the importance of recognition and reward in motivating volunteers.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to apply the skills needed to successfully lead in a volunteer organization.

Overview: Serve in a leadership role in Toastmasters or another volunteer organization for at least six months. You may complete this project based on your employment, but a volunteer organization is preferable. Ask members of the organization to complete a 360° evaluation of your leadership skills. Create a succession plan to aid in the transition after you leave your position of leadership. After your six-month term, deliver a 5- to 7-minute speech at a club meeting to reflect on your personal experience.

This project includes:  ■  Serving in a volunteer leadership role for a minimum of six months  ■  Conducting a 360° evaluation of your leadership skills  ■  Creating a succession plan  ■  The Succession Plan resource  ■  The 360° Evaluation resource  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

LESSONS LEARNED

This project addresses how to identify the discussion points of a large group meeting, encourage a culture of contribution and voicing opinions, and facilitate productive discussion that yields results.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to learn about and apply the skills needed to run a lessons learned meeting during a project or after its completion.

Overview: Facilitate a lessons learned meeting for a team with which you are completing or have completed a project. This meeting is separate from your regular Toastmasters meeting. Organize and facilitate a discussion. Record the results into a document you and your team members can use to facilitate the current project or future projects. If you haven’t already, give team members an opportunity to complete a 360° evaluation of you as a team leader. (Use the 360° Evaluation resource.) Finally, present a 5- to 7-minute speech in your club about the lessons learned meeting or your leadership experience.

This project includes:  ■  Facilitating a lessons learned meeting  ■  Documenting the results of the lessons learned meeting  ■  The 360° Evaluation resource  ■  The Lessons Learned Response Log  ■  The Metrics Log  ■  A 5- to 7-minute speech

MODERATE A PANEL DISCUSSION

This project addresses the skills needed to successfully moderate a panel discussion and how to be an effective participant on a panel.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to apply your skills as a public speaker and leader to facilitate a panel discussion.

Overview: Plan and moderate a 20- to 40-minute panel discussion. The panel discussion can be on any topic and may take place at a club meeting or outside of Toastmasters with the approval of your vice president education. Toastmasters who participate as panelists do not receive credit in Toastmasters Pathways. When you have the opportunity, volunteer to act as a panelist for another member completing this project.

This project includes:  ■  Planning and moderating a 20- to 40-minute panel discussion  ■  The Panelist Basics resource  ■  The Project Completion Form

Ready to Aim Higher?

Completion of this path puts you well on the way to achieving Toastmasters highest honour – the  Distinguished Toastmaster Award . To reach that goal, you need to:

• complete one more path
• serve a term as a club officer
• serve a term as a district officer
• become a club mentor or club coach
• be a club sponsor, conduct a Speechcraft Course or Youth Leadership Program

Final step to complete DTM –  DTM Project

Good luck with your journey!

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Toastmasters Speech 2: Organize Your Speech

When you speak, does your audience get it ?

If your audience doesn’t grasp your message (even though your topic is one you know they are interested in), you need to rethink the way you present it. You need to organize your ideas to promote understanding .

The second Toastmasters speech project addresses organizing your speech. This article of the Toastmasters Speech Series examines the primary goals of this project, provides tips and techniques, and links to numerous sample speeches.

• The Ice Breaker
• Organize Your Speech
• Get to the Point
• How To Say It
• Your Body Speaks
• Vocal Variety
• Research Your Topic
• Get Comfortable with Visual Aids (coming next)
• Persuade with Power
• Inspire Your Audience

Why is This Speech Important?

There are four aims for this speech:

• Use an outline which aids understanding. I previously discussed several speech outline examples in detail.
• T ransition smoothly from one point to the next.
• Craft an effective speech opening .
• Craft an effective speech conclusion .

These are fundamental skills that you apply to every speech you’ll ever deliver, whether it is a 2 minute off-the-cuff speech, a 15 minute business proposal, or a 60 minute keynote.

Transitions are the Key

Of the four elements, appropriate transitions are most lacking in the majority of presentations that I have seen. Most speakers have an introduction and conclusion, with supporting material arranged in some form of outline. But, there is often little in the way of transition phrases that link the speech together in a cohesive unit.

• In a written piece (like this article), headings, bullets, and punctuation provide cues to the reader that help them understand the macro-organization.
• In a verbal speech , use pauses and transition phrases to achieve this effect so that the audience knows when one point ends, and the next begins.

What I Did for Speech 2

For my second speech topic, I chose The Open Directory Project (ODP) . Here’s a brief outline and the key transitions I used:

• Opening – State topic: the what , who , and why of ODP.
• Large – 4.5 million sites
• Internet Directory (compared to a telephone book to aid understanding)
• Transition : “Something this large doesn’t just spring out of the earth. Someone has to build it.” (this leads naturally into the “who”)
• Volunteer demographics
• Volunteer roles
• Transition : “What inspires 67,000 people to volunteer their time?” (this leads naturally into the “why”)
• Anyone can join
• Data is free
• Data complements results of Google and other search engines
• “I hope this talk has whet your appetite to find out more.” This was a reference back to the speech title: A Taste of ODP .

Topic Ideas for Toastmasters Speech 2

Select a straightforward outline to organize your speech:

• The Classic “Three Supporting Points”
• Chronological
• Geographical

Idea #1: The Classic “Three Supporting Points”

In this outline, you begin by stating a premise in your introduction, support it with three reasons or three supporting points in your body, and then summarize in your conclusion. It doesn’t need to be 3 points, but this is a convenient number that fits well with a five to seven minute speech.

Example : Maile provides an excellent example of clear and parallel structure for a speech with How Dance has Helped Me In the Real Estate Business (video) . Her basic structure is:

• Opening: “20 pounds and nine years ago, I was a dancer…” which leads into stating 3 dance principles which help in real estate.
• Principle 1: Practice Perfect Performance
• Principle 2: Visualize the Result You Desire
• Principle 3: Get Out and See the People
• Conclusion: restate three principles

This speech was especially strong because of a consistent pattern that was used for each of the three points, along with a parallel structure. The pattern applied was:

• Transition: “the second principle I’d like to share…[name principle]”
• Lesson from dance: “… as a dancer… [explain principle in dancing context]”
• Relate to real estate: “… this technique has also served me well in the real estate arena… [explain principle in real estate context]”

Maile used this parallel pattern for all three points, and the speech is very easy to understand. The Toastmaster evaluation of this speech (video) is also available.

Example : Tanya Huang also demonstrates this classic method in a speech titled Cougarlicious (written). Her basic structure is:

• Open with a surprising revelation: she wants to be a “cougar” when she grows up.
• Definition of a cougar.
• Transition: “So, why do I want to be a cougar when I grow old? My first reason is…”
• Transition: “Confidence is another quality …”
• Transition: “Aggression is another cougar characteristic …”
• Conclusion: Sums up speech by reiterating the three reasons, and explicitly saying “These are the cougar qualities and the reason I want to be a cougar.”

Idea #2: Chronological

A chronological outline is appropriate for many speeches that describe a sequence of events. It is also appropriate for describing a process or a step-by-step technique.

Example : Brian demonstrates this technique with a speech about Six Sigma (video).

• Introduction to Jack Welch and origins of Six Sigma
• Definition: What is six sigma?
• List the 5 Stages: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (and then stepped through each stage with explanation)
• Conclusion to reinforce importance of Six Sigma

Note his transition phrases which give a direction or imply a sequence (“… from there, we…” or “… after analyzing, we…”).

Idea #3: Geographical

A geographical outline is a convenient method to organize a speech about travels, or where you are contrasting your topic (e.g. pastries) across many locations (e.g. French pastries vs. German pastries vs. Dutch pastries).

Example : Elizabeth Mitchell uses this method in Seven Lessons from Seven Continents .

Of note, the introductory words for each segment (“My first continent…”, “My second continent…”) clearly mark the boundaries for each of the seven segments of the speech.

More Examples of Organize Your Speech

Here are a few more sample written and video speeches which may provide inspiration for you.

Written Speech Examples

• Scotch by Chris Lee
• Democracy! God help us by Seamus McInerney
• What’s in a Name? by Amit Bhatnagar

Video Speech Examples

• Videoblogging by Stephanie Bryant
• 37.5 Hours by an unknown speaker

Next in the Toastmasters Speech Series

The next article in this series examines Speech 3: Get to the Point .

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26 comments.

This is an outstanding post. As VP-PR of my club, I’ll be passing along this and your other posts and recommending that club members subscribe to your blog.

Another great article.

Since this article is so extensive, I will only comment on segues, since they are so important for a fluid speech.

Any time you have just finished any topic and want to move to your next topic, you must transition or segue. “Segue” comes from the Italian word for “to follow.” You want your audience to follow along with you as you transition from one topic area to another. Do you craft your segues? Are you even conscious of when you are making a segue? Most of us are entirely unconscious of our segues and it costs us dearly in trying to communicate effectively. Do you default to the standard statement segue, “The next point I want to address is … Now we will talk about …”? How do you craft more effective segues?

Here are my 9 suggestions:

1.“VISUAL METAPHOR” In many ways, a visual image can help your audience hold attention better as you go into a transition. For example, a visual image of a bridge is a metaphor for segues. Just like a bridge, the purpose of a segue is to get your audience from one point of land to another. 2.“SUMMARY REVIEW” & 3.“PREVIEW” Reiterate what you have covered so far in your presentation or demo, especially addressing the point you have just finished covering or tell them where you are going. Baseball announcers periodically provide a summary of what has taken place so far in the game. “We are in the top of the fifth, New York is leading 5 to 3 following Jeter’s home run to center field. (Where we’ve been.) Pettit is going to have to face the top of the Chicago line-up, and he will be facing some pretty hot bats. (Where we are going.) He has had some control problems in the early innings, and this next inning is no place to continue to walk batters. (Sign Posting: the importance of what is to come – see below.) All season the Yankees have finished well in the late innings; let’s see how they fare tonight. (Combining where we’ve been and where we are going.) 4.“SIGN POSTING.” The last thing I want to do is . . . (identify where in the sequence of your points you currently are focused). 5.“SPOT LIGHTING” The most dangerous point in the body of your presentation or demo is the one where you are most likely to lose your audience’s attention. If your audience is not following, you are not supporting the sales effort, in fact you are wasting your customer’s time as well as your own. Pay attention to this segue material. I have just provided an example of spotlighting. You tell the audience with verbal emphasis, dynamic gesture and an energetic voice, “Hey, pay attention! This is an important point that we are going to talk about here!” 6.“SHOW THE RELATIONSHIP” Show the relationship between an earlier point and your next point. For example, “Earlier we talked about how our product will deliver a return on your investment. You may be wondering, ‘What kind of investment can I expect?’ Studies by the Gartner group show …” 7.“ASK A QUESTION” or “CONDUCT A POLL” Questions tend to garner more mindshare than statements. Turn your statements into questions. Example: The statement, “Segues are an opportunity to grab your audiences attention again,” could become, “Does anyone know the point in a presentation/demo where you could grab you customer’s attention once more?” You might take a poll of the entire group. “How many of you feel that XX is the most important aspect of the product’s capability?” 8.“PROVIDE CONTEXT” Put the point that is about to follow in context with the overall presentation or relate it to a point you have already made. Example: “Remember in my opening/story when I talked to you about XX? Here’s where that principle really applies.” 9.“IDENTIFY BENEFITS” There are techniques to segue that can be easily mastered, they merely require a little awareness. The benefit of knowing how to segue is that you can turn these high danger points into high opportunity points. Instead of segueing in ways that cause you to lose audience attention, you can make your segues points where you actually increase the mind share you have with your audience.

Thanks for the food for thought Andrew

Andrew, Amazing work ! I’ve publicized this site to Toastmasters in India and many havew ritten back to say how useful it is ! Here is a three point formula that I use for organising a speech. DEFINE: What is this subject all about ?

DESCRIBE: Two to three points supporting my view

ILLUSTRATE (examples, analogies, metaphors).

My project 2 speech was on evolution of cell phones. http://toastmasterspeeches.blogspot.com/2009/01/project-2-mobile-phones-early-days.html

Hello Andrew,

Thank you very much for all of these wonderful ideas. I have been sharing this page to my new members (I already have 9 for the last two months) and they find your tips easy to understand.

I am even inspired to write my own so that I can be of help to other toastmasters around the world.

Thank you. Please write more often.

Jef Menguin President, TOPS Toastmasters

These tips helped me get a standing ovation (sort of) after my second speech! You can see the video here:

http://www.kevinkane.com/2010/11/she-knew-how-to-move-her-body-work-her-hands-and-don’t-get-me-started-on-her-eyes/

How many minutes are each of the basic ten speeches?

Most are 5-7 minutes, but all timings are given in the manual.

Good Good…I have to prepare my second speech..this truly helps

thank you. as a recent toasty your info is very helpfull

Thanks for your help. I’ve completed my 2nd speech.. http://selvakumarvr.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/my-second-speach-moving-out-of-comfort-zone/

I am the editor of a Toastmasters District Newsletter and would like to use your articles on the first ten Toastmasters in my newsletter. I will of course give you due recognition and will include your website to direct users to your site. These articles are what I have been looking for, a sort of review of each of the competent communicator speeches. Would like to hear back.

Please do not republish any articles from Six Minutes in your newsletter. To ensure the most value for the reader, it is important that all links, videos, etc. work, and viewing the original articles guarantees that.

You are welcome, however, to link to the articles from your newsletter, perhaps with a small introduction. This is similar to how we link out to articles of quality .

Please see our permissions policy for complete details.

I’m doing my second speech today. Thanks for the tips!

Nice article! I would like to share my CC#2 speech as well. This is my review and my written speech: http://code-dojo.blogspot.ca/2012/04/review-of-my-toastmaster-cc2-speech.html

Thank you so much for providing this service. I am a long-time Toastmaster who thoroughly enjoys being informed, educated and entertained by Toastmasters from all walks of life but avoids speaking except when a cause outside myself presses me to overcome my natural timidity. I am presently engaged in such a goal but have misplaced my manual so you came to my rescue. Thanks again, now might I impose on you further by requesting direction to evaluation of cc manual speeches? Thanks in advance;-). –Gerry

Thanks for this useful post Andrew.

Tonight’s toastmaster sent out a broadcast looking for members who had ready speeches and that’s how I found you!

Very good ideas for a TM

THANKS for these articles. I wanted a few bullets to add to a speech intro for a Toastmasters demo meeting today at a nearby research institute filled with PhDs and PhDs-in-the-making. Cheers to you!

Thank you in advance. I would like to receive Speaking Tips.

Hi Andrew, Thank you so much for writing this article. It gave me the confidence to prepare my Toastmaster Speech 2. I’d like to ask you a question, if that’s ok, can we use a photo or illustration to introduce our topic? Thanks

Yes. You are right. I need a sample speech . Can you help me?????

Thanks for the info. I’m on vacation and don’t have my book with me, but was think about prepping for my second speech. This was very helpful.

I want to learn much on your Six Minutes. Please include me by sending your free articles.

Thank you and God Bless

Please help me to select some interesting topics for 2 nd toastmasters speech.

Thanks Andrew! Very helpful! I’m new to Toastmasters so I’m sure I’ll be back for more.

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Studying up for my #Toastmasters speech number 2 tomorrow, thank you @6minutes for the tips http://t.co/iMjF32qS #speaking — Joshua Berman Jan 13th, 2012

"@TMoTheHague: #Toastmasters Speech 2: Organize Your Speech. Howto. http://t.co/CBQWKW8j via @6minutes" — Utrecht Toastmasters Jul 10th, 2012

#Toastmasters Speech 2: Organize Your Speech. Howto. http://t.co/NjBNCsHD … via @6minutes — TMOTH Sep 12th, 2012

@dRAk3_28 5-7 minutes. http://t.co/cK87zuAf this should help. This time, I'll help you write it or something something. — Kal Nov 7th, 2012

Are you preparing to present Project Speech #2 from the CC Manual? The article below from the Six Minutes site… http://t.co/Xc1PdXlU — R/Hm Toastmasters WA Nov 27th, 2012

Toastmasters Speech 2: Organize Your Speech http://t.co/XGgczu4GA2 via @6minutes @gayathrichandru — @blimeyharry Mar 30th, 2015

So many TMs putting out good content! https://t.co/1LX8XLKjdI — @whatdeesaid76 Sep 3rd, 2015

I’m working on my 2nd toastmasters speech which is about a any subject u want. This is a quick outline. https://t.co/Pd96Z9U1My — @KtownYoYo Jan 9th, 2017

13 Blog Links

#2 Organize Your Speech — “The Benefits of Forgetting” « life in oleg — May 7th, 2008

Conejo Valley News : Join a Toastmasters Club to Improve Your Communication Skills — Nov 3rd, 2008

Updated Toastmasters Speech Series: Your Guide to the First 10 Speeches | "Public Speaking in Singapore" — Aug 30th, 2009

#2 Organize Your Speech — “The Benefits of Forgetting” | Life in Oleg — Jun 21st, 2010

Tales of the exotic: The videos! - Farnham Speakers — Jul 23rd, 2010

Kevin's Notes » She Knew How to Move Her Body, Work Her Hands, and Don’t Get Me Started on Her Eyes — Oct 13th, 2010

Caribbean Time - Farnham Speakers — Nov 8th, 2010

A Modern American Fairytale | Personal Essays — Jan 26th, 2011

Public Speaking Downtown Montreal Parler en public | St.Lawrence Toastmasters Montreal » Compte-rendu de la réunion du 18 janvier — Feb 2nd, 2011

Words that Bring You Success - Farnham Speakers — Feb 23rd, 2011

Your first 10 speeches | Speakmasters — May 4th, 2011

Toastmasters - Project 2 - Organize your speech » Aiyana's Pen — May 10th, 2012

5 Posts to Help Your Organize Your Presentations — EVERYDAY LEADERSHIP with jef menguin — Oct 16th, 2012

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