Public Speaking Tip: The Fastest Way To Grow

Here is a quick public speaking tip for you to grow as a polished public speaker as fast as possible - join speech contests.

At a speech contest or any contest for that matter, you can be sure that people will bring their A-game to the table.  You'll want to be around to see that.

More than just a chance for you to challenge your skills and see where you stand, speech contests are where you can see how the best of the best do it.

It is also your opportunity to tap into the expertise around you.  That's the biggest advantage to joining a Toastmasters Club.  There will be senior members in your club who already have a contest or two or ten under their belt.  They will be more than happy to share their experiences with you.

After all, you could be the one representing the club to the next round of the contest, so they will want to make sure they help groom you from a candidate with some promise to a sure win candidate.

When you're at the contest, don't stay in the backstage wringing your hands in a nervous stupor.  This is your chance to check out the competition.  But don't undermine yourself or try to change your speech at the last minute.

Instead, observe them and see what you can learn and implement for your next speech contest.  Look at their body language, how they string together their speech, what angle they took when approaching their subject matter, even how they dress up.  All these factors will contribute to your growth as a public speaker.

No doubt everyone is different and you certainly don't have to incorporate everything you see.

They don't call it the "art of public speaking" for nothing.  It is something that you have to learn and personalize along the way.  There are no hard and fast rules.

What if you don't want to join a speech contest?

Well then, why not take point in organizing your club contest?  Toastmasters is not all about the speeches.  Leadership is another very important aspect of the program.

Polish your leadership and organizational skills by volunteering yourself to be the Organizing Chair for your club contest.  You'll get first hand experience on what goes on behind the scenes in getting a contest together from appointment of key players, judges, getting candidates, venue preparation, publicity and most importantly, guiding your team.

So the next time you get the chance to be involved with your club's contest, whether as a candidate or as part of the organizing team, we highly encourage you to go for it.

You can learn more about the Toastmasters speech contests from this article that was recently published in our magazine.  Gurney Hydro Toastmasters Club recently had its very own Humorous Speech & Speech Evaluation Contest.  You can read all about it here.  The winners will represent the club at the area level soon.  We will keep you posted on the details.

If you would like the opportunity to hone your public speaking skills as well as learn leadership skills, join us for our bi-monthly meetings on every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.  Our meetings start at 8pm.  For further information please contact us at gurneyhydrotoastmastersclub@gmail.com or refer to our Next Meeting page for information on our next meeting.