Gurney-Hydro Toastmasters Club

We see it all the time in new speakers especially.   They stress themselves so much over the content of their speech that they forget the other equally important part – the delivery. We get it, presenting a speech for the first, second or even third time is very intimidating.   You’ll have all eyes on you for that 7 minute period of time that seems to stretch to forever.   The worst thing that can happen to you is that you forget what you want to say. WRONG! The worst thing that can happen is that you remember everything you want to say but still deliver a below average speech because you’re so caught up on the content that you neglect how you’re going to deliver the content. So you end up rooted to the same position, using very little hand gesture and body language, you speak in a monotonous voice and you avoid looking at the audience because you’re afraid that they might throw you off track. A lot of people often forget that it doesn’t matter ho...

Being confident when you are speaking in front of a room crowded with strangers can be very daunting.  While there are those who seem to be born with buckets of confidence, it is a very different story for us mere mortals. Fortunately, confidence is like a muscle - it can be built if you work at strengthening it.  Bear these pointers in mind and you can become a more polished speaker with a natural poise. 1) Knowing Your Personal Style You know yourself better than anyone else.  You know what style of speeches you are most at ease doing.  Maybe you always fall flat when giving academic style speeches but excel at telling stories.  Therefore tailor your speech to suit that style.  It will bring your speech to life rather than put your audience to sleep.  Our Toastmasters meetings are the best place for you to experiment with different styles and find your own voice. 2) Use Your Personal Experiences Personal experiences are the best places t...