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What to write for your speeches?

What to write for your next presentation? How to find speech topics and ideas?

What To Write

If you want to start, but don’t know where to start, or if you are running out of ideas for what to write for your speeches. Relax! You are not alone!

Let’s talk about what to write for your speeches. How to find speech topics and ideas?

4 Steps To Finding a Speech Topic That Clicks

“There is no one subject that is going to interest every audience at every event. Selecting a topic is a personal journey. It’s where you, your audience and your knowledge matter. Let’s break down the process of finding the best speech topic when you are given the gift of choosing any topic you’d like.”

Step 1: Who’s in Your Audience?
The topic you select is to benefit them and provide value. Remember, content is key to creating presentations that audiences love.

Step 2: What Do You Know About?
Develop a list of your expertise.

Step 3: What Do You Love?
Look through the list of your expertise and circle the topics you feel passionate about.

Step 4: Choose The Best Topic For The Audience And Event
You understand your audience, you know what you know and appreciate what you love. Look at the topics you circled. Find the topic that best serves your audience. 

For more details, you can check out the full article by clicking here.
In addition, you can read through another in-depth article “The Secret of Choosing Successful Speech Topics” by Andrew Dlugan.

If you are a toastmaster, you probably know that the speech projects from the toastmasters manuals describe the ways but do not provide the topics. Check out the below video for helping you to find good speech topics.

Finding Speech Topics Video from Toastmasters International

What should your speech be about? Should you stick to the topics you know, or explore a new subject? Get answers to these questions and more.


1. Talk about your personal experience.
2.  Check reference materials like websites, newspapers, books and magazines.
3. Focus on your audience’s needs.
4. Recognize the occasion.
5. Are you qualified to speak on that topic?

Furthermore, I have two additional articles that I would like to share with you. The first one is “Setting Up a Speech Databank – the Real Secrets to Creative Speech Ideas” written by ATM-G Ng Seng Chuan.

Basically, we have to create a speech databank. “Set up an account book for depositing ideas, and you will have a wealth of materials from which to draw inspiration for your speeches.”

As stated in the article, “good ideas abound in life. All we need is a system for harvesting them”. The system is that you have to read widely. How about setting aside half an hour each day for reading. Make time to read and you will be generating ideas.

The next step is that you have to create “thinking time”. How to create the best thinking time? There are two suggestions. First, exercise regularly and you may get interesting ideas. When you are exercising, your mind is free to imagine. Secondly, make use of your “mindless time”. When you are travelling or doing daily routines, you can think clearly. Remember to jot down good ideas when they come, or else you will forget them.

Finally, you have to make time to write. Plan to do one speech a month.

Here is a simple plan as stated in the article.

“Week One: read the manual requirements, and start to think how you are going to fulfill them. Week Two: Settle on a topic, then start to develop a simple speech outline. Week Three: Write out your speech early in the week, then edit and refine. Week Four: Practice and rehearse.”

By setting up your speech databank and following this simple plan, you should have no problem for doing your projects.

Here is the full article.

Setting Up A Speech Databank
(The Real Secret to Creative Speech Ideas!)
By Ng Seng Chuan, ATMG

Many Toastmasters are keen to do their projects but soon run out of ideas. The speech projects prescribe the parameters, but do not provide the topics. And so we wait for the ideas to form for each project, and take years to complete our CTM ranking. This is bad for the club because it sets back the DCP goals; it is also bad for the Toastmaster because it hinders his speech progress. If this is your problem, I have the solution. Read on!

A friend of mine laughs at people who struggle to pay income tax. His strategy is simple. Estimate the tax payable from the beginning of your calendar year and put the money aside on a monthly basis. The result? No matter how much the taxman asks for, you have more than enough to settle the bill.

The same remedy can be used for your Toastmasters project speeches. Create a speech databank! Set up an “account book” for depositing ideas, and you will have a wealth of ideas from which to draw inspiration for your speeches. The secret comes from a Black preacher. A dynamite of a preacher, someone asked him what made him such a powerful speaker. His answer “First ah reads me full, then ah thinks me clear, then ah prays me hot; and then ah let’s go!”. Translated into a formula that will work for a Toastmaster, it goes like this:

– Reading conscientiously; – Thinking clearly; – Planning carefully.

1. Read Conscientiously Many of us do not read very widely. To be a good speaker, we have to. If you want something badly, but have no money, what do you do? You make money! Here are some suggestions. How about spending half an hour of your lunch break for reading. It will leave you with interesting ideas to bedazzle your audience. Alternatively, plan to set aside two hours over the weekend for your personal development through reading.

What to read? First read professionally – things related to your area of expertise. This is the easiest place to start. Secondly, read for literary enjoyment! Catch up on the best selling authors, be it fiction or non-fiction. Thirdly, read for cultural development. Books on religion, philosophy and psychology provide a powerful stimulus for quick thinking.

2. Think Creatively In order for you to think clearly, you need to first create mental “play-time”. How do you go about creating “thinking time”? I have two suggestions.

First exercise regularly. While exercising, your body is kept busy, and this is the best time for mental calisthenics! Your brain goes into overdrive (stimulated by the endorphins released into your blood stream), and thinks of the most interesting things. Secondly, maximise on “mindless” time – like when performing daily rituals or when travelling. I often tell my students to use travel time to practise impromptu speech (table topics).

Jot down good ideas when they come, or they will soon disappear from your mental landscape! My best speech ideas often come when I am jogging or cycling, and I have to write them down the moment I can lay my hands on pen and paper.

3. Plan Carefully Where are you in your speech development? Are you on your way to being a better public speaker, or are you just marking time at the Toastmasters Club? One simple way to ensure progress is to set up a system that will compel you to deliver your speeches regularly. My formula is as follows:

Plan to do one speech a month. This will ensure you attain a new ranking every year. And it is really easier than you think. Here is how it works. Week One: Read the manual requirements, and start to think how you are going to fulfil them. Week Two: Settle on a topic, then start to develop a simple speech outline, or at least jot down some thoughts. Week Three: Write out your speech early in the week, then edit and refine. Week Four: Practise and rehearse. It is easy to do one speech a month, and both you and your club will be on the way to success!

Conclusion Good ideas abound in life. All we need is a system for harvesting them. Make time to read: and you will be generating and germinating ideas. Make time to think: ideas need time for incubation, and periods of exercise and leisure can be your most creative moments. Make time to write: whatever you do, give life to your ideas. Follow this simple plan and the speech databank you set up will launch the speech communicator within you in an effective way.

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By Ng Seng Chuan, a Speech Consultant
Ng Seng Chuan ATMG is a past president of Lion City TMC and has represented his division in several district speech contest finals since 1998. He was the 1st runner-up in the International Speech Contest District 80 May 2005 and 2nd runner-up in the Humorous Speech Contest District 80 Nov 2005.

Looking for Speech Ideas? Look at Your Life by DTM Dee Dees

The second document that I would like to share is “A Lifetime of Speech Topics” by DTM Dee Dees. If you don’t know what to talk about, look no further than your own life experiences.

For Project One “Ice Breaker”, you can talk about a brief overview of your life.
For Project Two “Organize Your Speech”, you can talk about your hobbies or areas of expertise.
For Project Three “ Get to the point”, you can discuss an issue that is important to you, for example, your college education or the impact of having served in the army.
For Project Four “How to Say It”, you can talk about your favourite holiday destination, or a major event in your life – marriage, the birth of your child, or retiring from your job. I think now you should have ideas on what to write for your speeches.

For how to write for your speeches, click here.

If you want to overcome stage fright, learn how to find speech topics and to speak with confidence, join a toastmasters club. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore

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Frequently Asked Questions about Toastmasters

FAQ about Toastmasters

Have you ever wondered what happens at a Toastmasters club? Watch this video to find out, and share it with any of your friends, family or colleagues interested in improving their speaking and leadership skills.

The following are some of the FAQ about Toastmasters:

What is Toastmasters?

Toastmasters is an international, non-profit making organization formed to help people improve their communication and leadership skills.

Why do people join Toastmasters?

The most common reason given for joining Toastmasters is to conquer shyness, stage fright or fear of public speaking.

How much is the cost to join Toastmasters?

Very affordable – the cost for joining a Toastmasters club for 1 year is less than a 1-hour spa treatment in Singapore.

What kind of training do I receive in Toastmasters?

Toastmasters progress at their own pace through a professionally prepared program with a lot of hands-on experience. Educational manuals are designed to offer a step-by-step approach to speech organization and presentation.

How does Toastmasters help in my career advancement?

Research shows that people who can express themselves effectively advance further and faster in their career than those who have difficulty speaking. Toastmasters provides the tools you can use to improve your performance in a variety of situations.

What does Toastmasters membership offer?

* Unlimited opportunities for personal growth and career advancement based on improved abilities and broadened experience.

* Experience in leadership development through specific training and involvement in club administration and management.

* Build-up of self-confidence and self-esteem through the ability to conquer the fear of public speaking.

* Opportunity to develop a better understanding of human relations.

* Automatic subscription to “Toastmasters”, the monthly magazine with a wealth of knowledge about public speaking, to be sent to each paying member free of charge.

 

What activities are included in a Toastmasters meeting?

A typical Toastmasters meeting includes the following segments:

– Prepared speeches: Speakers will present their prepared speeches in accordance with the educational manuals designed by Toastmasters International. Usually, the time allowed for the speeches are of 5 to 7 minutes.

– Evaluation: Feedback will be given on the prepared speeches presented by the speakers to highlight to them their strengths and areas for improvement.

– Table Topics: This is the time to practise impromptu speaking, i.e. thinking on your feet without preparation.

– Ah Counter’s Report: Toastmasters is not just about speaking. It is also about listening. An “Ah Counter” is appointed at every meeting to pick up pause fillers such as “um”, “er”, “you know”, etc. uttered by the participants during the meeting.

– Language Evaluation: The “Language Evaluator” or “Grammarian” listens carefully and highlights to the audience the strengths and areas for improvement of the language used by the speech presenters.

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Public Speaking Tips : 10 Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

Public Speaking Tips: 10 Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

How to improve your public speaking skills?
You can check out the below article.

Practice is the key to helping you improve on your communication and presentation skills. Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.  You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills
 by Colleen Kettenhofen

When I ask my audiences their number one challenge with public speaking, they overwhelmingly say, “to overcome the fear of public speaking.” It’s okay to have “butterflies.” The key is how to get them organized, focused and flying in formation. Here are 10 tips for delivering a more powerful, persuasive presentation. Practice these techniques consistently to improve public speaking skills.

1. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse. Rehearsing, or “rehearing” yourself minimizes 75% of your nervousness. Rehearse standing up, or better yet, ask someone to videotape you. The camera will be your most objective ally. The more comfortable you become with your material via rehearsing, the more comfortable you will be with your body language.

2. Either memorize or “know cold” your opener and close. Two minutes each for an opener and a close is enough. The most important thing your audience will remember is your closing. The second most important thing they’ll remember is your opener. Start with something attention-grabbing, like a quote or statistic, which relates to your topic. Never start with, “Good Morning.” It is obvious and boring.

3. Public Speaking: 24 hours before your presentation:

A. Have a quiet dinner with a quiet friend. (This may or may not be your spouse!) You won’t be as concerned about your public speaking skills if you can put your nervous system on glide.

B. The evening before, put your presentation on audiocassette as background noise one hour before retiring. Listen to your opener and close before bedtime as a review.

C. No massive changes 24 hours before. Nothing increases the fear of public speaking more than rewriting your material at the last minute. Impromptu speeches notwithstanding.

D. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and successfully. All Olympic athletes use this technique, and it works with public speaking as well.

E. Review your notes and visual aids the evening before. Your notes should only be “fast food for the eyes” in bullet form, and are NEVER read to the audience.

F. Eat a good high protein breakfast the morning of your presentation. Even if you’re not speaking until that evening, feed your mind and body the proper fuel.

4. Before your presentation, check yourself in a full-length mirror. A dear friend of mine forgot to do this. During her keynote speech in front of hundreds, someone quietly pointed out that her skirt was tucked into her pantyhose!

5. Public speaking and purpose: When organizing your talk, define your purpose. Why are you there? Why are they there? Is this a sales presentation? A community watch group? If you present technical information, is this an information/knowledge transfer or a decision briefing? When presenting technical information make certain not to overload your audience with too much detail, or too much on each slide. Tailor your message. Define your objective.

6. Know your audience before designing your opener and close. It is imperative that you “speak the language” of your audience. What are their ages? Percentage of males/females? Are they highly technical or non-technical? Do they want to be there or is this mandatory? What are their expectations? If you are a scientist or engineer, speak to the “lowest common denominator.” Technical presenters have a propensity to use a lot of technical jargon. Does the person in charge of funding understand the language?

7. Avoid using too many slides. Visual aids are wonderful tools as long as they’re used to enhance the information. A common mistake is using the visual aids as the presentation. Look at the audience frequently to establish rapport and a connection. In almost every presentation, you are there to “sell” them not simply “tell” them. Do not look at your visual aids other than a quick glance, and never read them. Never turn your back on the audience to read slides. They will not look at your slides. Their minds will start to wander. Remember, you are your own best visual aid.

8. Good public speaking skills mean being prepared. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents predictably poor performance. Planning and preparation will reduce nervousness by 75%. Again, your audience will know if you didn’t rehearse. Consider hiring a public speaking coach. The dollars invested may well be worth their weight in gold.

9. The Q & A period and how to handle a hostile audience. The second most frequent comment I hear in my public speaking seminars is “What if they ask a question and I don’t know the answer?” Or, “What if someone in the audience is a know-it-all and doesn’t like me?” Avoid being argumentative. If you don’t know the answer, ask if someone in the audience has the answer. Or, simply let them know when you will get back to them. Make certain you do. When you lie you die. It destroys your credibility.

10. Variety and venue. Variety serves as a “wake up call” to your audience. Examples of adding variety: humor, relevant stories, quotes, voice inflection, paired and group activities, pauses, audience participation in the question and answer period, and slides or other multimedia. As for your venue, are your visual aids appropriate to your size of audience? Will everyone be able to see them?

Lastly, make sure to confirm the time, date, and place with the appropriate contact person. If possible, arrange to see the room ahead of time so you can practice visualizing in the exact location of your presentation. At the minimum, arrive at least one hour ahead of time. To improve public speaking skills, and overcome nervousness, nothing works like being prepared.

Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen
About The Author

Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of “The Masters of Success,” as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com. Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, success, public speaking. To order the book, or for free articles and newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com.

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Learn How To Write Better

Learn how to write better is important for your career or studies. How to improve your writing skills and communication skills?

The following article and videos will show you some tips on how to write better. Be a better communicator!

1.  10 top writing tips and the psychology behind them

“There are plenty of folks happy to tell you how to write better, just as any doctor will tell you to “eat right and exercise.” But changing your writing (or eating) habits only happens when you understand why you do what you do. I can help you with that…”Top10 Writing Tips

2. Scott Berkun – How to write well, instantly, every time
The video teaches us some of the techniques Scott Berkun uses to write well. In the background is a time-lapse video of him writing an essay – from start to finish.

 

3. How to Write Better- Writing Tips on Voice, Tense, Perspective, Cliché and Wordiness  
The above video discusses how to correct the most common mistakes made in writing. Whether you are writing fiction, non-fiction, or in an academic setting, these tips are a vital foundation for good writing.
– Passive and Active Voice
– Tense- Past, Present, Future
– Perspective, Point of View- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Perspective
– Cliché
– Economy of Language- wordiness, modifiers, phrase

 

4.  5 tips to Improve Your Writing
The video shares 5 easy and quick tips that will improve writing in formal and academic settings. If you’re in college or university or plan to study overseas, this video is for you!

Practice is the key to helping you improve on your communication and presentation skills. Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment.  You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

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Highlights of World Champions of Public Speaking 2018

Here are the Results of World Champions of Public Speaking 2018:

Congratulations to Ramona J. Smith, District 56, on becoming the 2018 World Champion of Public Speaking.

Congratulations to Zifang Su, District 88, on finishing in second place.

Congratulations to Anita Fain Taylor, District 47, on finishing in third place for his speech.

“Each year, the Toastmasters International Convention culminates in the final round of the International Speech Contest, where the World Champion of Public Speaking ® is chosen. In this exciting event, 10 contestants from all over the world deliver 5- to 7-minute speeches that are evaluated by a panel of experienced Toastmasters. After a year of competing in club, area, district and semifinal competitions, these contestants have advanced for the chance to win this prestigious accolade.”

Watch Ramona J. Smith – the 2018 Toastmasters International World Champion of Public Speaking – deliver her winning speech “Still Standing.”

Houston high school teacher wins Toastmasters’ 2018 World Championship of Public Speaking.

Here’s a breakdown of the techniques that won the 2018 World Championship of Public Speaking:

  1. She chose a creative way to get through to her audience.
  2. She wasn’t afraid to look stupid.
  3. She asked the audience questions – and meant it.
  4. She learned from the greats.

2nd Place Winner 2018 World Championship of Public Speaking – Zifang Su

Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking® second place winner Zifang “Sherrie” Su. Her speech is titled, “Turn Around.”

3rd Place Winner 2018 World Championship of Public Speaking – Anita Fain Taylor

Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking® third place winner Anita Fain Taylor. Her speech is titled, “It Is What It Is, It Ain’t What It Ain’t.”

Practice is the key to helping you improve on your communication and presentation skills. Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environments.  You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.

P.S.
World Champions of Public Speaking Winning Speeches Playlist

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5 Public Speaking Tips

Youtube Video – 5 Public Speaking Tips

“For many people, public speaking is a major fear. However, Eyewitness News 5’s Maggie Carlo talks with a local expert who not only explains why it’s a common fear but how you can conquer it.”

The video is produced by KOCO.com, Oklahoma City.speaking tips

It shares 5 tips on public speaking:

  • Index your info with keywords
  • Prepare, but don’t over prepare
  • Make direct eye contact with audience
  • Be authentic
  • Speak in conversational speaking style

Enjoy!

Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking.

Join Toastmasters and find a club that you like to practise your speeches in a friendly environment. If you are a Fearful Public Speaker living in Singapore, please come to visit our toastmaster club.

Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club  holds regular chapter meetings where members gather to improve their public speaking and communication skills.

Our Club is one of the warmest toastmasters club in Singapore.
Guests are welcome to visit us!  It’s free of charge.
Just come, relax and see what toastmasters are all about!

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