Thread: Speech Tips
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Old 02-11-2005, 04:28 PM   #18
Bungleau
40th Level Warrior
 

Join Date: October 29, 2001
Location: Western Wilds of Michigan
Posts: 11,752
Will the judges have copies of your speech? If not, then don't memorize it. Instead, memorize the outline and know what you're going to talk about at each point.

I give 5-7 minute speeches quite frequently in Toastmasters. You can't cover a lot in that time, so you have to choose your words wisely. You've got time for an intro (one minute max), body of three points (a minute apiece), and a conclusion (again, another minute, summarizing the speech and wrapping with a call to action). Some may point out that there are only five minutes there -- when you give it, the others will show up [img]smile.gif[/img]

One important thing: do memorize your conclusion. If you start running out of time, wrap up whatever you're on and start the conclusion. People remember most what you start with and what you end with... so make sure the ending counts.

One of the tricks I've used for speeches I actually care about is to record myself giving it, and then play it back. I then speak along with it, just like singing to the song on the radio. That gets me familiar with the material and also helps identify spots where what I wrote just doesn't flow naturally from what I recorded. I note those, correct the speech text, and rerecord it. My record was rerecording on six straight days... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Do that and you'll be ready to give the speech.

Good luck!
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