Toastmasters Competitive Speaking Workshop

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Toastmasters Competitive Speaking Workshop

• Dilip R. Abayasekara, DTM, AS
• International President, 2005/06
• Toastmasters International

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Why Compete?

• Share benefits youve received

• The rewards beyond the benefits!

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Competitive Speaking Enables

• Accelerating speaking mastery
• Compressing learning time frames
• Explosive growth of self-confidence
• Absorbing success principles
• Expanding influence
• Developing character
• Spiritual illumination

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A Four-Step Winning Philosophy

• 1. Dont compete, create!
• 2. Strive for higher ground with every speech.
  (Let this be my finest speech).
• 3. Its not about you (ego) be a channel for
  greatness.
• 4. Help audience become co-creators of message

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The Four Standard TI Contests

• International Speech
• Humorous Speech
• Table Topics
• Evaluation

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FUN-da-MENTALS!

• Embrace learning at club
• Mine manual speeches
• Value evaluations
• Continuously improve in PET
• Create hold a vision
• Have fun!

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The TI Purpose for Speech Contests

• Provide an opportunity for
• Speakers to improve their speaking abilities
• Recognizing the best as encouragement for all
• Learning by observing proficient speakers.

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Begin with the Basics

• Rules of the contest
• Understand the judging form
• Embrace winning philosophy
• Master fundamentals - topics/structure/delivery

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Rules of Eligibility

• International Speech Contest
• 1. Member in good standing of a club in good
  standing.
• 2. Completed at least 6 manual projects of CC
  manual. (Exception Charter member of Club
  chartered after July 1st.)
• 3. Maintain eligibility at all levels of any
  contest.

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International Speech Contest

• Contest process
• - Club, Area, Division, District (Speech 1)
• - Inter-District or Regional (Speech 2)
• - World Championship of Public Speaking
• (speech 3)
• - Qualifying judges

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Secrets of the Judging Form

• Attempt at objectivity
• The form
• The judges
• Objective/Subjective tension
• Whats not on the form
• The influence of audience response

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Content (50 of Points)

• Speech Development (20 points)
• Effectiveness (15 points)
• Speech Value (15 points)

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Speech Development

• Structure
• Organization
• Support Material

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The Natural Sequence of Speech Preparation

• Select Topic
• Identify General Purpose
• Write specific purpose
• Brainstorm 1st, Research 2nd.

• 5. Write Central Idea
• 6. Write Body
• 7. Write Introduction
• 8. Write Conclusion
• 9. Create Title

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Select Topic

• The topic is the starting point of your
  preparation.
• The topic should mesh with
• Audiences expectations and desires
• Your expertise/knowledge
• Requirements of project

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Identify General Purpose

• Gives broad objective of speech in the form of an
  infinitive.
• To inform
• To persuade
• To entertain
• To inspire

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Write Specific Purpose

• Precise goal expressed in one sentence, from
  Audiences point of view
• As a result of hearing my speech, members of my
  audience will ____________________________________
  __________________.

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Examples of Specific Purpose Statements

• As a result of hearing my speech, members of my
  audience will
• be inspired to look beyond obstacles to find
  opportunities.
• be persuaded to take responsibility for taking
  care of their environment.
• be challenged to reach higher, work harder, and
  dream bigger.

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Write Central Idea

• The central theme of your message
• The essence of your presentation
• Your message in a nutshell
• Express in one sentence or phrase

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Examples of Central Ideas

• An essential element of speaking with confidence
  is to focus on your audience and message not on
  yourself.
• Success in life is like success in the stock
  market youve got to think beyond short-term
  gains and play it for the long run.
• The greatness of your life springs from the
  greatness of your thoughts.

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Keep Focused on Central Idea

• Edward Everett to Abraham Lincoln about the
  Gettysburg Address
• I should be glad if I could flatter myself if I
  came as near the Central Idea of the occasion in
  two hours as you did in two minutes.

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The Body

• First Main Point
• Statement of fact
• Supporting material
• Second Main Point
• Statement of fact
• Supporting material

• Third Main Point
• Statement of fact
• Supporting material

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Support Material

• Stories
• Humour
• Statistics
• Facts

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Why Humor?

• Enjoyment
• Change in pace
• Memorable
• More fun for the speaker
• Lowers resistance!

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Working Humor into Your Speeches

• Fill in blank
• You dont have to use humor unless you want to
  _____!

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Where Do You Find Material for Humor?

• Try the mirror!
• Life
• Family
• Work
• Anywhere people gather
• Publications
• Internet
• Other speakers

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Weaving in Stories Humor

• Power of stories
• One common problem Whats the point?!!
• PSP Formula
• Point
• Story
• Point

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PSP in Action

• Over Left Door
• EXIST

• Over Right Door
• NO EXIST

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Fit the Humor into the Point

• Potato Farmer hard times rob banks caught
  prison wife sends note replies dont dig the
  field hid money wife sends note bunch of
  deputy sheriffs dug up field plant the
  potatoes!
• Q (1) What kind of point/s can this story
  illustrate?
• (2) How would you weave it into your speech?
  

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Fit the Humor (Cont.)

• 2. Mountain climber loses grip falls grabs
  small plant on mountainside hanging on God,
  please help me! silence then, Let Go my
  son. -- Is that really you God? Let go, my
  son! Is there anyone else out there?
• Point/s?
• How to weave into speech?

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ART of Opening

• Capture Attention
• Create Relevance
• Lead into Topic
• ----------------------------
• Preview Content

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The Speech Opening

• Why is opening important ?
• Unless a speaker can interest his audience at
  once, his effort will be a failure.
• - Clarence Darrow
• General Guidelines
• 5-10 of speech length
• Prepare after preparing body of speech
• Know it cold to deliver with max. eye contact

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The Key to a Great Opening

• Get audiences
• Mental i_________
• Imaginative p___________

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Ideas for Openings

• Intriguing question
• Challenging statement
• Problem Description Opener
• Short illustration or story
• A visual aid

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Intriguing Questions

• Principles
• Mental i____________
• Imaginative p____________
• Lead into topic

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Intriguing Question Examples

• Are you secretly afraid of ?
• What do you think is the most effective way to ?
• How many times have you said to yourself ?
• When was the last time you ?

• What would you say if I promised that ?
• Has this ever happened to you ?
• If you knew you could never fail, what would you
  ...?
• Do you remember the first time you ever ?

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The Challenging Statement

• Principles
• Surprise
• Create curiosity
• Sense of challenge
• Mental I__________

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Challenge Examples

• Good morning! In the next few minutes I will
  show you why nervousness can be a speakers best
  friend.
• If you are not happy in life, you have sowed the
  seeds of that unhappiness.

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Problem Description Opener

• One of the most powerful attention-grabbing
  openers
• Principle Solidarity Solution
• 1. Describe attendees important problems/needs.
• 2. Tell attendees that youll show them how to
  solve those problems.

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Example

• All of us in this room want the same thing to
  be able to speak so well that listeners hang on
  to our every word and we achieve our speaking
  goals. But have you ever wondered why you cant
  seem to really connect with listeners? Are you
  tired of sounding like a robot when you really
  want to engage your audience? Does it seem like
  someone else always has more fun and gets the
  standing ovations? The good news is there is a
  way to achieve your goals! In the next hour you
  will discover powerful principles that will help
  you reach your hearts desire in public speaking!

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Four Other Opening Techniques

• Short story (Dilip A. 1992)
• Action (Craig Valentine 1999)
• Visuals (Morgan McArthur 1993)
• Unwrapping (Morgan McArthur 1993)

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The Conclusion

• Great is the art of the beginning, but greater
• is the art of ending
• - Longfellow
• How would you rate your speech endings on a
  scale of 1-10?
• Strengths?
• Challenges?

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Two Major Functions of Conclusions

• Let the listeners sense you are ending the speech
• Reinforce the listeners understanding of, or
  commitment to the central idea

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Signaling the End

• Loop back to the beginning
• Begin to summarize (informing)
• Begin a call to action (persuading")
• Restate central idea
• Manner of delivery and changes in vocality
• Tone, pacing, intonation, rhythm
• Crescendo
• Dissolve

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Crescendo Ending

• Closing of Ive Been to the Mountain top
  speech
• by Martin Luther King

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Dissolve Ending

• In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the
  rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter
  of the battlefield. But in the evening of my
  memory always I come back to West Point. Always
  there echoes and re-echoes Duty, Honor, Country.
• Today marks my final roll call with you. But I
  want you to know that when I cross the river, my
  last conscious thoughts will be of the Corps, and
  the Corps, and the Corps.
• I bid you farewell.
• - General Douglas McArthur,
• Farewell address to Cadets at West Point

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Closing

• Purpose? Inform, Educate, Persuade, Inspire,
  Entertain, Challenge
• Integrate entire presentation toward desired end
  result

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Choosing a Winning Title

• Some approaches
• Keep it short
• Fit the central idea
• Fit the specific purpose
• Make it intriguing
• Promise a Benefit
• Use key words from body of speech

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Organizational Secrets of the Lion King

• All that we need to know, we will find within
  ourselves or modeled in nature.
• The King of Beasts models the organization for a
  speech!

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Organizational Secrets (Cont.)

• Head Introduction
• Spine/Backbone Central Idea (one)
• Body Body of Talk
• Main Bones Main Points
• Cartilage Tendons Connectives
• Feet Supporting Data
• Flesh, Skin, Mane Emotional Connection
• Tail - Conclusion

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Effectiveness

• Achievement of Purpose
• Interest
• Reception

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Effective Communication

• My listeners must understand what Im saying and
  feel what Im feeling.
• Understand Clarity (left brain)
• Feel Emotion arousing word pictures (right
  brain)
• Master the above two and you will achieve your
  purpose!

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Audience Receptiveness

• Ten Things People Want
• 1. Understand be understood
• 2. Significant topic
• 3. Relevant message
• 4. Inspiration

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People Want

• 5. Entertainment
• 8. Connectedness Community
• 7. Respect Caring
• 8. Security Freedom
• 9. Authenticity
• 10. Engagement

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Audience Engaging Techniques

• Create relevance
• Ask questions
• Ask for response
• Create climate for response
• Call for action
• Stories
• Humor

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Speak to the Whole Person

• Ear
• Imagination
• Heart
• Mind
• Funny Bone
• Tear ducts
• Muscles

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Speech Value

• Ideas Original Thought
• New Eyes, personal stories, insights,
• Logic
• Clarity, transitions, organization, development

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Speech Value as Audience Sees it

• Relevance WIIFM
• Originality Interest
• Significance Meaningful
• Engagement Involvement

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What Judging Form Doesnt State

• Originality (New Twist)
• New eyes New way of understanding old truth
• New way of presenting old truth
• Relevance
• WIIFM
• My story must have a You message!

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Delivery (30 of points)

• Physical (10 points)
• Voice (10 points)
• Manner (10 points)

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Circle of Excellence
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Physical

• Appearance
• Body Language

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Appearance

• Easiest points to win!
• Be aware of judges expectations
• -level to level
• Men little things shoes socks jacket/buttons
• Women pitfalls of too many choices
• jewelry heels colours appropriateness
• Rule of Thumb If in doubt, dont.

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High Impact Delivery

• Mehrabian
• Verbal
• Vocal
• Visual
• The most important thing in communication is to
  hear what isnt being said.
• -- Peter F. Drucker

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Congruency

• My life is an indivisible whole and all my
  attitudes run into one another and they all have
  their rise in their insatiable love for mankind.
• -Mahatma Gandhi

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Body Language The Six Most Expressive Tools

• EYE CONTACT
• - One person _at_ a time
• (2) POSTURE
• Erect but not stiff
• (Beauty Queen wall exercise)
• (3) FACE
• - No Poker, please!
• - Feel the words
• - In sync w/ message

• (4) HANDS
• - As paint brush to
• artist
• - Enhance message,
• dont compete!
• - Let hang by side
• (Continued)

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Body Language (Cont.)

• (5) Movement
• - Dimension of energy
• - Purposeful
• - Graceful
• - Complete

• (6) Appearance
• - Appropriate
• - Helping or Hurting?
• - Outer expression of
• inner image

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Space ManagementThe Forgotten Dimension

• Space Management How well do you use the
  speaking area?
• Advanced preparation
• Realities of WCPS (script, videotaping)
• Identify trouble spots
• Use the whole space
• Use space markers

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Connecting with the Audience

• Want more for them than you want for yourself.
• Wayne Dyer
• Them Audience

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Creating Vivid Images/Feelings

• Figures of Speech
• Creating Rhythm
• Antithesis
• Using stories and humor to make a point

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Types of Figures of Speech

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Analogy
• Personification
• (Hyperbole, Irony, metonymy, apostrophe,
  synecdoche)

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1. Simile

• Expresses a resemblance between things of
  different kinds, usually formed with like or
  as.
• E.g., When I first saw her, my heart fluttered
  like a butterflys wings.

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One Figure of Speech is Worth a 1000 Words!

• He liked to observe emotions they were like red
  lanterns strung along the dark unknown of
  anothers personality, making vulnerable points.
• - Ayn Rand

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Try Your Hand at Similes

• Winning a speech contest is like
  _____________________________.
• __________________ is like childbirth.
• For just as the _______ is the ________
• of the ________ _________, so is the home, the
  cradle of the citizen of the world.

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2. Metaphor

• A first concept is described as being or
  precisely equal to second concept which it is
  not.
• Example He is the sun, she is the moon he
  shines for her and her days are spent orbiting
  around his needs.

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3. Analogy

• Extended metaphor
• An inference that if things agree in some
  respect, they probably agree in others.
• E.g., Lincolns opening line of the Gettysburg
  Address.

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Analogy Example

• The winds of ethnic mistrust and suspicion blew
  through Colombo winds that threatened to drive
  the sands of suffocation and death against the
  windows and walls of our communities. If we
  dont change, we will lose the way of brotherhood
  and suppress the drawing power of the spirit of
  love and service.

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4. Personification

• Inanimate objects are spoken of as if they were
  persons, as if they had life.
• E.g., As the coffin was lowered to the grave on
  that overcast day, the tears of heaven fell down
  and mingled with my own, as all creation groaned
  at the loss of one so loved.

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Creating Rhythm

• Rhythm, properly created, creates a powerful
  drawing power to the message.
• Rhyme
• Repetition
• Alliteration

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Rhyme

• Ending sounds of words or phrases or sentences
  are similar.
• Example songs, rhyming poems
• Caution use sparingly otherwise entertainment
  aspect might surpass value of message!

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Rhyme - Examples

• Fondly do we hope,
• Fervently do we pray,
• That this mighty scourge of war
• Will speedily pass away.
• - Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural

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Repetition

• Key words or a phrase, or a short sentence are
  repeated , at intervals.
• Can create an almost hypnotic connection.
• See MLK, Jr. One hundred years later
• Lance Miller (Cha-ching, 2005)

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Alliteration

• The initial sounds of a word, beginning either
  with a consonant or a vowel, are repeated in
  close succession.
• Examples
• to care, to create, to connect. (Dilip, 1992)
• She was beautiful, brave, and brash.
• Veni, vidi, vici. (Julius Caesar)

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Try Your Hand at Creating Rhythm

• How could you have used rhyme, repetition, and
  alliteration to create rhythm in certain passages
  of a speech youve given?

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Antithesis

• Using words that are direct opposites to each
  other.
• This brings about a creative tension in the
  sentence and sharply outlines the point you want
  to make.

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Antithesis (Examples)

• ask not what your _______ can do for you, but
  what __ can do for your country.
• Winning a speech contest is not so much a matter
  of competition as it is a matter of creation.
  Dont compete, create. Improve inside, in order
  to shine outside. Focus on giving a gift to
  your audience, not claiming a prize from the
  judges.

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Voice

• Judging Form States
• Flexibility
• Volume

• Judges are Looking for
• Vocal quality
• Vocal variety
• Vocal projection
• Articulation/enunciation

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Your Voice!

• Breath from diaphragm
• Avoid glottal catch
• Speak at natural pitch
• Float your voice on a bed of air (2-finger
  exercise)
• Join a choir/ Sing in shower/ Read aloud
• Dont abuse your voice

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Vocal Variety

• Pitch
• Volume
• Rate
• Rhythm

• Great tools for self-improvement
• Tape player or digital voice recorder
• Poems, childrens stories, speeches, etc.
• Play back, evaluate, re-do, play back, etc.

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What Not to Swallow Before Contest

• Anything that will leave a coat of granules on
  vocal folds/cords
• E.g., crumbly cookies, some cereals, chips, etc.
  
• Caffeinated drinks
• A heavy meal

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Before contest speech

• Warm up vocal cords
• Hydrate vocal cords
• Dont shout
• Dont whisper
• Dont tire voice

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Manner

• Directness
• Assurance
• Enthusiasm

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Presence/Command

• Mental Ownership
• Deeply Rooted Confidence
• Unswerving Focus
• Knowing
• Sense of High Calling

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Enthusiasm/Passion/Authenticity

• Enthusiasm - connective energy
• - expression of passion
• Passion - window to authenticity
• Authenticity - no façade real self

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Language (20 of Points)

• Appropriateness (10 points)
• Correctness (10 points)

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Appropriate Language

• Fit for occasion and audience
• Nothing in bad taste
• Language, stories, and humour to which audience
  can relate
• No cultural mismatches

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Correctness of Language

• Grammar
• Pronunciation
• Word Selection

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Pronunciation

• Clarity is more important than accent
• Diphthongs
• Word Stress
• Special letter sounds
• Intonation

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Diphthongs

• The coming together of two vowel sounds in a
  single word.
• E.g., Rope ohooo ou Not Rop

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Diphthongs (Cont.)

• Try these
• Motor
• Baby
• Cow
• Potato
• Pew

• Without diphthongs, American ear may hear
• Motar
• Bebe
• Cou
• Poteto
• Piw (or pev)

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Word Stress

• Stressing certain syllables of words
• Stressing certain words of sentences
• Biology Zoology
• Desert Dessert
• Evaluate Evaluation

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Sounds

• Three Troublesome Consonant Sounds
• V, W, R

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Intonation

• Rise and fall in pitch
• Standard patterns
• Question
• Boredom
• Surprise
• Delight
• Sadness, etc.
• Non-standard patterns will obscure meaning.

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Resources for Pronunciation

• www.drdilip.com (free articles)
• www.pronunciationworkshop.com
• www.pronunciationresources.com
• www.accentworks.com
• www.soundsofenglish.org
• www.americanaccent.com
• A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English by
  P. Roach et al.
• English Pronouncing Dictionary by D. Jones

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Table Topics Contest

• Keys to Winning

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The Frozen Mind An Inaccessible Treasure Chest!
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The Most Powerful Opener of the Minds Treasure
Chest

• A CAN DO
• Attitude!!!

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Truths

• Your communication begins before you
• _______________ your _____________.
• How I view ___________ and _______
• ____________ will _______________
• affect my ____________________.

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Multi-sensory Imagery

• The most powerful force you possess is
• your ____________________!
• If you _____________ an ____________ intensely
  enough and long enough, it will become real in
  your life.
• ________________ is the gateway to your
  subconscious mind.

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A Six-Step Method for Impromptu Speaking

• Listen
• Focus on the question
• Take your timedont rush
• If possible, choose a central idea
• If not, begin to speak free associate
• then pick central idea
• 5. Develop body of speech
• 6. Conclude strongly

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Strategy for Table Topics Contest

• Mental Conditioning
• Command/Presence
• Loosey Goosey
• Connection with audience
• Irrelevance of speaking order
• Complete speech Opening, Body, Close
• Use of time

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Evaluation Contest

• Excelling at
• Listening, Thinking, Speaking

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Evaluation Winners

• Sit in strategic position
• Listen carefully
• Follow a system for note taking
• Have a caring attitude
• Harp on the positive
• Show how to improve
• Suggest, dont command
• Give encouraging summation

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A Template for Oral Evals.

• See Dilips system (handout).

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Mock Evaluation Contest

• Lets Learn by Doing!

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Discussion
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Keys to Winning Speech Contests
118
Its All About the Listeners

• Audience Analysis
• Local to Global
• Club to WCPS
• Consult
• Research (Dana Lamon 1992)

• Content that is
• Relevant
• Significant
• Engaging

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Translating Audience Analysis

• Topics relevance
• Topics significance
• Stories
• Examples
• Cultural connotations
• Gestures
• Word choice
• Choice of clothing

120
Continuous Improvement

• Communication works for those who work at it.
• -- John Powell

• Sources for Improvement
• TM Club/manual speeches
• Conferences/Seminars
• Speaking outside club
• Books/CDs/DVDs/Tapes
• Coaching
• Observing/studying speech contests

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People Who Win Usually

• Have the most FUN!

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The Source of True Fun!

• Loving what you do
• Continuously improving
• Caring for the audience
• Giving value
• Gratitude for the privilege of the platform

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Two Departing Gifts

• You become what you think about
• - Earl Nightingale
• 2. What you think about expands.
• - Wayne Dyer