Toastmasters

[amused]

I did my icebreaker tonight. The name of my speech was 'Black Box' and was about my goals regarding business proposal management. It went well enough, but ended up being a bit technical in the middle for the intent of the icebreaker. Most people liked it.

This is the first time I had to prepare a time-limited speech on a specific topic - 4-6 minutes. That ends up being a very short amount of time, plus you have to deliver it in order. The audience kinda faded back into a haze, which is something that happens to me a lot when in front of a group, so I have to work on that.

[maiforpeace]

I did my icebreaker tonight. The name of my speech was 'Black Box' and was about my goals regarding business proposal management. It went well enough, but ended up being a bit technical in the middle for the intent of the icebreaker. Most people liked it.

This is the first time I had to prepare a time-limited speech on a specific topic - 4-6 minutes. That ends up being a very short amount of time, plus you have to deliver it in order. The audience kinda faded back into a haze, which is something that happens to me a lot when in front of a group, so I have to work on that.

Did you get your icebreaker pin?

Ah, the eye contact thing. Yea, that was a big challenge for me too.

[hadespussercats]

I did my icebreaker tonight. The name of my speech was 'Black Box' and was about my goals regarding business proposal management. It went well enough, but ended up being a bit technical in the middle for the intent of the icebreaker. Most people liked it.

This is the first time I had to prepare a time-limited speech on a specific topic - 4-6 minutes. That ends up being a very short amount of time, plus you have to deliver it in order. The audience kinda faded back into a haze, which is something that happens to me a lot when in front of a group, so I have to work on that.

The haze is bad? Man, if I'm performing I cultivate that haze. It's helpful.

[hadespussercats]

Actually, I usually replace them with an imaginary audience, just above their heads, on the back wall.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Actually, I usually replace them with an imaginary audience, just above their heads, on the back wall.

Try looking at their necks or chins. It gives the appearance you're looking direct at them. The "spot on the wall" technique runs the risk of looking over their heads.

[hadespussercats]

Actually, I usually replace them with an imaginary audience, just above their heads, on the back wall.

Try looking at their necks or chins. It gives the appearance you're looking direct at them. The "spot on the wall" technique runs the risk of looking over their heads.

I think most people get freaked out if they think you're looking right at them from stage.

But I'm no expert.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Actually, I usually replace them with an imaginary audience, just above their heads, on the back wall.

Try looking at their necks or chins. It gives the appearance you're looking direct at them. The "spot on the wall" technique runs the risk of looking over their heads.

I think most people get freaked out if they think you're looking right at them from stage.

But I'm no expert.

You have to read your audience. I've used the space between people before, and (I admit it) a nice rack when there's one in sight.

[hadespussercats]

Actually, I usually replace them with an imaginary audience, just above their heads, on the back wall.

Try looking at their necks or chins. It gives the appearance you're looking direct at them. The "spot on the wall" technique runs the risk of looking over their heads.

I think most people get freaked out if they think you're looking right at them from stage.

But I'm no expert.

You have to read your audience. I've used the space between people before, and (I admit it) a nice rack when there's one in sight.

Peripherals, baby. Use your peripherals.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Actually, I usually replace them with an imaginary audience, just above their heads, on the back wall.

Try looking at their necks or chins. It gives the appearance you're looking direct at them. The "spot on the wall" technique runs the risk of looking over their heads.

I think most people get freaked out if they think you're looking right at them from stage.

But I'm no expert.

You have to read your audience. I've used the space between people before, and (I admit it) a nice rack when there's one in sight.

Peripherals, baby. Use your peripherals.

I gave a talk one time where everybody in the audience wore Bozo masks. (I was the only one that could see them, but that doesn't mean they weren't there.)

[Gallstones]

I love having an audience.

[amused]

Did you get your icebreaker pin?

Ah, the eye contact thing. Yea, that was a big challenge for me too.

No! I didn't get no icebreaker pin! I did get a standing ovation, but everybody gets that for their icebreaker.

I want to work on connecting better with the audience. The timed thing threw me, in rehearsal it kept running way long, so it's a real challenge to hone it down.

[maiforpeace]

Did you get your icebreaker pin?

Ah, the eye contact thing. Yea, that was a big challenge for me too.

No! I didn't get no icebreaker pin! I did get a standing ovation, but everybody gets that for their icebreaker.

I want to work on connecting better with the audience. The timed thing threw me, in rehearsal it kept running way long, so it's a real challenge to hone it down.

I write out my speeches, and since I need glasses to read I avoid using them by typing the speech in a size 33 Calibri font. For me, at my regular pace of speaking it equals about six minutes of speaking time, more or less. Then practice with a timer at home ALWAYS - if the buzzer bugs you, then turn on a ticking metronome to help get over that. (Talk about nerveracking at first! I was physically jumping when timers were going off. ) Eventually you get a good sense of timing so the green, yellow and red light doesn't throw you as much, and as soon as you see yellow you find a way to jump to the end and wrap it up.

There's nothing more annoying than somebody who consistently goes overtime...we had this one woman who never did it, even after 10 speeches. Her evaluations were scathing because of it, but it still didn't lessen the torture when she went over another four minutes AGAIN.

[amused]

I had divided the speech into 10 paragraphs and initially printed them 5 to a page. I got used to having paragraph 6 at the top of page 2, and that helped me visualize the speech. But when I gave it, I printed the first few words of each paragraph in very big type all on one page so I could see the structure if I forgot. I should have practiced that earlier because now it's not on 2 pages and paragraph 6 is in the middle of the page.

We also have the 'word for the day' that we are supposed to try to work into the speech. I did, but it tripped me up and I left out one of my best lines. I just need to do the Table Topics more and get used to winging it.

[apophenia]

Even though I'm a toastmasters flunkee, I did make some observations while there. One of which was, that with each speech assignment, the member is guided through picking up individual "components" of speech craft. One assignment will teach about structure, having your speech have a beginning, middle and end. Then one will teach you about a particular type of speech (motivational, expository, humorous) and how to build one of those out of specific pieces. The next may teach you about using visual aids. My suggestion is not to try to get everything right the first time, and try to understand what the assignment is trying to teach you, and concentrate on that. Your speeches may be lacking in a lot of areas at first, but over time as each assignment teaches you another piece of the art of speechcraft, your overall performance will improve.

I don't know about the going over bit. The few speeches I gave I included the main bits, and made sure those were about right, and then included an additional point or two at the end, which I could include or not include as time permits. But then it sounds like you approach it a little differently, and maybe that's what led to my failure. But I usually picked a topic I knew fairly well and then create a skeleton of points, some filled in a lot, some perhaps two word cues as to what to talk about. This may not work for you, but I found less is more worked for me; but then, given my personality, and it being something I was familiar with (or familiar with what I wanted to say), it wasn't hard filling in as needed ad libitum. But then, that reflects my Taoism, and that I'm a talker, who is good with words.

(ETA: Oh, and remember that giving speeches is a skill, and like any other skill, riding a bicycle or doing flips on a skateboard, everybody is going to have difficulties at first; if they didn't, there would be no need for Toastmasters. I see Toastmasters as having three goals, 1) teaching speechcraft, 2) teaching leadership, organizational and social skills, and 3) having fun — but not in that order. )

[Gallstones2]

I love having an audience.

then I guess we will have to leave the curtains opened