Gurney-Hydro Toastmasters Club

What is it about your speech that will make your audience pay rapt attention to you from start till finish? Is it your wit? Your irresistible charm? Your presentation skills using mind blowing PowerPoint? How well you dress? Your speaking skills? Here's a piece of public speaking tip that you should always bear in mind when crafting your speech.  What's in it for them - your audience? Let's face it...nobody cares about you.  That's the sad reality. Nobody goes to hear a speaker because he/she is really good and speak really well. They go to hear a speaker speak for the benefits that they can gain from the speech, because of what they hope to learn from the contents of the speaker's topic. Those who really excel in the art of public speaking realize this fact. So the next time you are crafting your speech project, think of what benefits you can offer to your listeners. What can they learn from you that they can apply immediately? What per...

There are many different types of speeches and depending on the audience and/or topic, a good public speaker will be able to tailor his/her speech in the right format, delivery and style accordingly in order to have the most impact. Here are the most common types of speeches and our take on how/when to use them. 1. The Narrative The narrative speech is most suitable for when you are telling a story.  This is the easiest speech but yet so many people fall flat when attempting it.  Everyone thinks that telling a story is a piece of cake, but it is an art that takes some finesse. The most important ingredient in a narrative speech is being as descriptive as possible but keeping your language plain and easy to understand.  Remember, this is your story and you want your audience to be interested in it.  The only way they can follow the story is through your words.  You need to be able to paint a visual picture so that they can see in their imagination how ...

We've all encountered it at some time in our lives - that weird or awkward conversation with someone that left us scratching our heads long after. Our members got together to share their experiences of weird, awkward, funny and embarrassing conversations they had with people in their lives. Surprisingly, none of these involved a conversation about the birds and the bees with their parents, just funny, unexpected topics with random people they meet. Whatever it is, these encounters help us to appreciate the many quirky characters in the world that show up to enrich our lives. But how would you handle yourself in such a situation? We say, always be charming, smile, hear the other person out then excuse yourself.  After that, laugh it off as one of the many quirks that is part of this journey called life.  Most of all, we use our skills that we develop as Toastmasters to be able to carry a conversation well, even when caught off guard. The weird and quirky crew f...