Tips on How to Write a Speech for Your Presentation…
When writing a speech, you should try to know the audience and then determine the overall goal of your presentation. Learn some useful writing tips from the following Youtube videos on writing techniques.
Remember when you write a speech, you have to first know who your audience is. You want to make sure that you know what the goal of the presentation is too.
Try to provide great take-home value for your speech. Create a presentation that makes change for which it can help people to improve their lives, to improve their productivity, and to improve the overall outlook on how they face the challenge of every day.
Write the speech in three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end. If it’s going to be about an hour speech, then write it into eight to ten-minute segments. That’s about how long you can keep somebody locked in on one particular point or subject before having to transition into another point or angle.
How to write a speech outline?
Check out the below video by Darren LaCroix, the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking.
As explained in the above video, a speech outline should include: – Attention-getting opening to tie into the core and the reason for the presentation. – Body Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 Call for action – A strong close can tie it back to the opening for greater impact
When you’re giving a business presentation or a speech you want to appear natural so as to make the audience feel relaxed watching.
Check out the below Youtube video for speaking tips that will help you put together and deliver clear and compelling talks and speeches.
Remember don’t simply rely on your PowerPoint slides to do your presentations.Get a blank sheet of paper and plan what you’re going to say. And in the very last thing you do is what visual aids to use to help you get your point across. Good opening and closing are very important.
Too often, a speaker loses his audience before he even gets to the core of his speech.
Check out the below video on how to create terrific openings and closings to presentations.
If you want to overcome stage fright and learn to speak with confidence, join a toastmasters club. You are welcome to visit ourKampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.
“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.
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:
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.
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
Have you heard of toastmasters? Can Toastmasters help you to be a better speaker?
If you are or were a toastmaster, I think your answer to the above question is YES.
If you don’t know what toastmasters are. Check out the below videos.
“Why Join Toastmasters?”
The Schwan Food Company’s Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to 2013, Greg Flack, gave his personal testimony on the value of the Toastmasters program and explained how participating in Toastmasters helps people grow professionally and personally.
Why Toastmasters?
Tom Dowd presents at an open house at Lewiston-Auburn Toastmasters on February 7, 2012 about how Toastmasters International has made a profound difference in his life and career.
What is Toastmasters?
Also, you can check out the below article “Can Toastmasters Help You Be a Better Public Speaker” written by George Torok.
If you want to overcome stage fright and learn to speak with confidence, join a toastmasters club.
——– Can Toastmasters Help You Be a Better Public Speaker? By George Torok
The short answer is yes.
Toastmasters can help you improve your presentation skills. Toastmasters has helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world improve their presentation, public speaking, and communication skills. Continue reading →
When you are preparing a presentation, one of the first things to do is to focus on your message. Think of your message as the one thing you would like the audience to remember from your presentation.
For more information, check out the below article “Presentation Skills: What Is Your Message?”
If you want to overcome stage fright and learn to speak with confidence, join a toastmasters club. You are welcome to visit our Kampong Ubi Toastmasters Club if you are living in Singapore.
————– Presentation Skills: What Is Your Message? By Gilda Bonanno
When you are preparing a presentation, one of the first things to do is to focus on your message.
Think of your message as the one thing you’d like the audience to remember from your presentation. State it in one sentence, if you can – think of it as fitting on a headline of a newspaper or a billboard.
What’s the one thing stated, succinctly, in one sentence, that you’d like the audience to take away from your presentation? Whether you are talking for ten minutes or an hour, what would you like the audience to remember?
If we were to interview the audience after your presentation and ask, “What was the point of that presentation? What was the message?” would they all say the same thing? They may describe it using different words, but in essence, it should be the same content.
We’d want them to say, “Well, the point of that was to understand the three reasons for not moving ahead with this project now.” Or,”Well, the purpose of that presentation was so he could explain his management philosophy, and how he’s going to lead the team.” Or, “The purpose of that was to explain the first quarter numbers, and why they are not as good as we expected.”
So before you start putting together your material, your outline, and your slides, it’s important for you to be clear on your message. State it in one or two sentences and write it on the top of your notes or outline.
Because, if you’re not clear about exactly what you’re trying to communicate, it’s going to be very difficult for the audience to understand it.
To get more tips you can use immediately to improve your presentation skills, sign up for Gilda Bonanno’s free twice-monthly e-newsletter by visiting http://www.gildabonanno.com/Pages/newsletter.aspx and entering your email address. Copyright 2013
KSTMC International Speech Contest 2009
Title: What Do You Want?
By: Yetti Chiu
One Day a young business man by the name of Money went out for fishing. He met a fisherman called Simple.He realized that the fisherman was very good at fishing.
Money called out to him, “Hey, you are an expert in fishing. In just one hour and you have caught so many fishes. Why don’t you teach other people how to fish and you can earn more money? I can help you to market your business. I am a business man.”
The fisherman smiled, “Thank you…but why do I need more money?”
Money replied, “Why? With more money, you can open a fish farm. Then you can make even more money. And then you can afford to retire and enjoy your life!”
The fisherman smiled again, “I like a simple life. Everyday I fish for only 2 hours. That’s enough for my living! Then I can do what I want to do. I like to relax under a tree, watch the sunset, and spend time with my family. Why do I need to earn lots of money and enjoy my life after I retire? I am already enjoying life now!”
Contest Chair, Honorable Judges, Ladies and gentlemen.
What are you looking for in life?
Whether you like it or not, we live in a materialistic world. We are judged by how much money we have or how successful we are in our career. A rich man is regarded as a successful person. A man with outstanding achievements in his career will be admired by other people.
Is that what life is all about?
Have you heard of Jennie Chua? She was the former General Manager of the Raffles Hotel. She’s very successful in her career. She devoted herself to her job. But in an interview, Jennie Chua seemed to express some regret. She said “If I could do it all over again, I’d like to be a housewife. I got divorced when I was young. Given the chance, I think I’d like to have spent more time with my children, although they seemed to turn out pretty well. But do I remember distinctly when they took their first steps? No.”
Ladies and gentlemen.
If you ask me to choose between family and career, I’d definitely go for family.
You might know I was an accountant. But now I prefer to stay home as CFO and maid to my man. Why? Because I want to spend more time with my husband, I don’t want to work daily from 9am to 8pm. Everyday I can cook healthy dinner for my man. Even though it may not taste good, it’s good for his health. Don’t you think good health is more important than having more money?
Let me tell you another story
My uncle lived in Hong Kong. He was quite poor when he was young. He worked very hard and started his own business. Because of his hard work, he made some money. He used the money to buy property. The value of property sky-rocketed in the 80’s.He became a rich man.
However, he did not live any better! Even though he was rich, he hardly spent any money on himself or his family. They still ate leftovers and wore old clothing. The ten of them lived in one small apartment.
Finally, he passed away in early 1995 because of a cancer. He was rich, but I don’t think that he was happy! He never enjoyed the fruits of his labour. WORSE!!! After his death, his children started to fight over the inheritance! The money tore the whole family apart.
Why would you work so hard if you cannot enjoy all that you have earned?
Why did my uncle save all his money when he could not bring a penny with him when he died!
I wonder if he could rest peacefully if he knew of his children fighting over his money.
So do you know why you are trying to make more money?
Why are you chasing for a promotion or trying to be recognized?
Are these the things you want out of your life?
What do you want?
What do you really want?
What do you really want deep down in your heart?
Think about it!
Success should not be restricted to certain aspects only, such as your career or financial status. A rich man might not be happy as he may not have peace of mind or good health, just like my uncle. A man with a successful career might not be happy as he or she may not have good loving relationships, just like Jennie Chua.
To be happy we need to maintain a “Balanced Life” rather than focusing on a few aspects only.
If you only focus on your job or making more money, you might neglect your family, your health and your own personal fulfillment. Then when you are sick or out of a job, you may not have your family to take care of you (because your spouse might already have divorced you)! You will have no self-worth as you have nothing else besides your job!
My friends and fellow Toastmasters, Life is uncertain! We should live life to its fullest!
Tonight, when you go home, try to find a quiet place and close your eyes.
Listen to the voice of your inner soul…
What do you really care about in life?
What do you really want?
Contest Chair.
“World Champion Speaker Reveals his #1 Key to Overcoming Fear Eliminating the Negative Self-Talk, and & Delivering a Clear Message…Even If This is Your Very First Speech.”
When writing a speech, you should try to know the audience and then determine the overall goal of your presentation. Learn some useful writing tips from the following Youtube videos on writing techniques.
