I have referenced this article several times now and it is because I think it has a lot of good tips in it. I will personalize these tips in this weeks educational Moment I have referenced this article several times now and it is because I think it has a lot of good tips in it. I will personalize these tips in this weeks educational Moment
- Use humor when things go wrong. If something goes wrong during your speech, tell a quick joke to help put you and your audience at ease. Much of this will come with experience and getting more comfortable in front of an audience. I shared a while back about someone falling flat on there face when walking up to speak and they made a joke out of it. Just own it and move on it will make you more human an endear you to the audience.
- Gain experience. It has been said but an mentor of mine at one time that “Speaker speak” So try to never pass up and opportunity to speak! Toastmasters of course offers many avenues for this From participation in your club, to being a guest speaker at other clubs or even participatin speech contests. At TLI’s. (Toastmaster leadership Institutes.) when you have been a little more seasoned you can lead sessions about officer roles and other subjects! And more!
- Eliminate filler words This will largely vwith practice. WEE have a grammarian role at our meetings and we really do need to use our clicker more regularly especially for our new folks to get used to hearing the click and realizing they hare using filler words.
- Ditch distracting mannerisms. A good evaluator will point these out for your benefit, as you progress! An example I have seen a lot with some new speakers is the leg slap. I know that may sound funny but it is when they gesture and they just let their hand fall and it hits there leg. This is an example of what will be eliminated with practice in Toastmasters.
