10 ways of identifying role players for club meetings - VP Education

When you begin your term as a VP Education, the first challenge that you may face is "How do I get role players for the club meetings". In established clubs, it is going to be a easy job. Most likely, the club may have some role scheduling systems such as www.sandyeast.com. In a club that is doing well, members will sign up for roles automatically.

(Also read: My pitch for VP Education during club elections)

The real challenge is when you are sworn-in as the VP Education, when your club is not doing GREAT. VP Education should become creative in lining up role players for the meetings.

The most common practise that VPEs do is send repeated emails to the club mailing list or Facebook group regarding roles availability. It helps to some extent, but doesn't help in filling all the roles at the club.

What would members think when they receive such reminder emails for VPEs to sign-up for roles:

1. Senior toastmasters will think "OMG ! It is so sad to see that members aren't signing up for roles. Poor VPE ... I pity her... Anyways... I'll let one of the new toastmasters to sign up for roles and improve. I don't want to grab the slot and deny opportunity for a new member".

2. New toastmasters will think
"I'm not sure if I can take up the role of a Table Topics master. I don't have enough experience. I'll wait for some other toastmaster to take it". (or)
"I've played the role of AH Counter several times in the past. What am I going to learn if I do the same role again?" (or)
"Somebody will sign-up for the role... If I sign-up for a role, I'll have to definitely go to the meeting. I'll want to keep my options open" (or)
"Let me wait for some more meetings before I take any of these roles".

So, how can a VPE really fill all the meeting roles?

1. Send emails directly to members addressing them and asking them to volunteer to take a specific role. Sending an email direct to a few members will force them to reply and make them more accountable. Normally, members think group emails are for "others" to respond back. Some people may not be checking emails or may be traveling. Sending an SMS will help too.

2. Talk to the new members of the club directly and help them answer some of their questions/concerns regarding the role. You can also give enough confidence when you talk to them directly. VPE education is a career coach for new members.

3. You should also ask the mentors to talk to their mentees directly to encourage them to take up roles. (Also read: Mentoring a new member - Checklist)

4. Towards the end of the club meeting (before the meeting gets adjourned), VPE can fill the various roles that aren't already taken up. Before coming to the meeting, VPE can come prepared with a list of available roles for next week.

5. Conduct a orientation session for new joinees and walk them through the procedure to sign-up for roles, online. Make the procedure publicly available in your club website for quick reference.

6. Cultivate the habit of scheduling the meeting roles at least 3 - 4 weeks in advance. It will help in bringing some discipline and will encourage the members to plan in advance and prepare adequately for the roles. Use www.sandyeast.com, if you are not already doing it.

7. Establish and maintain contact with VP Education of other nearby clubs. If you are not able to fill all of your roles with members of your club, ask the neighbor clubs to provide speakers/role players. It will help the members of other clubs to perform a role in front of totally new audience.

8. Create a system to reward people who sign-up for roles regularly and appreciate their performance once a month by giving award (say, "Star Role Player" of the month). Include their picture in your club newsletter and website. It will encourage more of your members to actively sign-up for roles.

9. Get help from VP Membership & President to follow-up with inactive members. A call to an inactive member can easily bring them to the meeting and make them play a role. Everyone has some starting trouble. When a fellow toastmaster doesn't show up for the meetings continuously for several weeks, he/she may have some starting trouble. You may have to give them a jump start.

10. Use Facebook to promote your club meetings - post pictures, and circulate flyers before and after the meeting. It will help in creating an audience for your meetings and keeping the crowd engaged.

I'm sure there are other ways of persuading fellow toastmasters to sign-up for roles. I've tried all the above techniques and they are very successful.

50 words to use instead of "good" in your speeches

When I joined toastmasters in 2006, the only words that I used for appreciating people are “good” and “very good”. If I was asked to evaluate a speech, and if the speech is too good, I used to say “The speech was very very good”. It makes my speech evaluations a little boring; especially when I use “good, very good or very very good” often in my 3 minutes speech evaluations.

(Also read: Speech Evaluations - Right & Improper Usages)

Today, I realize that Toastmasters has heavily contributed to my vocabulary – directly or indirectly. Being part of toastmasters, I’m forced to read books, magazines and newspapers for coming up with speech topics. Today, I know many words that I wouldn't have dream't of using 6 years ago. I thought of sharing the wealth with others.

1.       Awesome 2.       Amazing 3.       Admirable 4.       Adorable 5.       Attention Grabbing 6.       Astonishing 7.       Best 8.       Brilliant 9.       Breath taking 10.   Champion 11.   Commendable 12.   Extraordinary 13.   Exceptional 14.   Excellent 15.   Effective 16.   Fabulous 17.   Fantastic 18.   Fantabulous 19.   First class 20.   Fine 21.   Flawless 22.   Great 23.   High quality 24.   Incomparable 25.   Impressive

26.   Incredible 27.   Interesting 28.   Invaluable 29.   Memorable 30.   Mesmerizing 31.   Marvelous 32.   Magnificent 33.   Mind blowing 34.   Outstanding 35.   Outperforming 36.   Phenomenal 37.   Perfect 38.   Remarkable 39.   Reverberating 40.   Super 41.   Super Duper 42.   Superb 43.   Superior 44.   Supreme 45.   Stupendous 46.   Stunning 47.   Spectacular 48.   Terrific 49.   Tremendous 50.   Wonderful

Will increase the count to 100, as soon as I pick up some new words !

Speech Evaluations - Right & Improper Usages

Speech Evaluations - Right & Improper Usages

Improper Usage

“I would like to point out some weaknesses in your speech”
“I would like to point out some negatives in your speech”

Right Usages

“I would like to suggest some areas of improvements for you”
“I have some recommendations for you”
“I have some suggestions for you”

(Also read: CRISP Speech Evaluations)
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

“You did not use the stage properly”

Right Usages

“I wish you had used the stage space better”

"You were mostly standing in one position, when delivering the speech. Your speech had 3 distinct chronological ordered stories. You could've divided the stage into 3 sections and used one section for each story".

(Also read: Methods to organize your speech evaluations)
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

“Your speech was not up to the mark”

Right Usages

“I feel that you can do more improvements to meet the project objectives”
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

For an Ice breaker speech,

“You didn’t use the stage space well (or)  I think you should’ve had more vocal variety”

Right Usages

For an Ice Breaker speech,

I learned more about you

You didn’t use notes – though you were allowed to use notes. Great job.

You were keeping your hands in the pocket, which is a sign of nervousness. You can feel comfortable to let your hands down when they are not in use.
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

“I have so much feedback to share, I think I’m going to run out of time. But, it is fine. I want you to learn as much as possible from this feedback” I’m going to share with you the top 2 areas where you can focus to improve

“You should’ve improved your vocal variety”

Right Usages

“You said … I saw a huge elephant and a tiny little rat. Instead, you could’ve said … I saw a HUGE elephant and a TINY LITTLE rat”
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

“You need to improve your eye contact”

Right Usages

“I felt that you can improve on your eye contact. Divide the audience into 4 groups; establish eye contact with at least 1 person in each group. You’ll give a perception to everyone in the group that you are looking at them. Then shift your attention to another group. Do it repeatedly until you cover all the 4 groups”
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

“It was evident to everyone that you didn’t rehearse your speech”

Right Usage

“I would recommend you to practice in front of mirror a few times to gain more confidence. More rehearsals will give you more confidence”

(Also read: 50 words to use instead of "good" in your speeches)
_________________________________________________
Improper Usage

Yours was a boring speech (or)

You put all the audience to sleep.

Right Usage

I felt that if you had some stories to convey your message, the speech would've been much more interesting.

(Also read: CRISP Speech Evaluations)

CC Speech Project 4 - Rhetorical Devices (Ideas & Examples)

Toastmasters CC Speech Project 4 - Rhetorical Devices

Writing a speech that meets the objectives of Project 4 in Competent Communicator manual, is not that easy. It is not just "yet another speech". Your CC Project 4 speech should be specific, should use vivid words, should incorporate rhetorical devices, and use words economically, avoiding jargon.

(Also read: Competent Communicator Manual - Sample Project Speeches #1 - 10)

Many of my mentees ask (despite the examples given in the CC manual), ask me the following questions when writing a speech for their Project 4 CC speech

• What are rhetorical devices? 
• How do I use rhetorical devices effectively in my speech? 
• What are the benefits of using rhetorical devices in my speech? 
• Should I pick a special speech topic that would allow me to use rhetorical devices?

Rhetorical devices help your audience

• - to understand your thoughts better 
• - to remember your ideas for a longer time

The objective of this post is to equip you with enough ideas/examples to use rhetorical devices effectively in your Project 4 CC speech. You don't have to pick special speech topics for your Project 4 CC speech  You can convert an ordinary speech to a Project 4 CC speech by modifying some sentence structures to be specific, to have vivid words, to include rhetorical devices and by eliminating jargon.

The toughest thing to do is modifying your speech to include rhetorical devices. Toastmasters CC Project 4 encourages you to use the following 4 categories of rhetorical devices, that make the maximum impact:

1) Simile - A simile is a comparison that uses words "like" or "as". Some examples are given below:

• She was as beautiful as a rose
• My heart shattered into pieces like a glass bowl that was dropped on the floor
• Like a sea that pushes waves constantly to the shore, great leaders ensure that the organization continues its journey of excellence
• My happiness vanished in a moment, like a stone thrown into a deep valley.
• Like a stone that creates ripples when thrown into the pond, his speech created several controversies
• This project group is like an atom... you create more energy when you are split
• Denying education to kids is like not watering the plants
• He ran fast like a horse
• Your experience will always come with you like a shadow 
• Knowledge can spark innovation, like a match stick that ignites a forest
• Like a tsunami that wipes of an entire community, the wealth of the family was wiped of
• All the money that I carried in my valet was gone, like a camphor that vanishes in air
• My passion was buring like fire in my mind

2) Metaphors - Dictionary definition of metaphor is "a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable". You may ask, "What is the difference between Metaphors and Similes?". All similes are metaphors, but not all metaphors are similes :) Metaphors are much more broader than similes. The Colombia Encyclopedia, explains the difference as - "a simile states that A is like B, a metaphor states that A is B or substitutes B for A". Some examples are given below:

• "All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players" from Shakespeare is a famous metaphor.
• Flags waved their hands to say NO, when Kovalan and Kannagi entered Madurai
• He became a food for the hungry sea
• Corruption is a cancer in the society
• You have to identify the Goliath that is controlling you from reaching your goals
• The fire in me kept me going towards my goals
• If you are around, I can achieve my goals because you are my energy drink.

3) Alliterations - In alliteration, the initial sounds in words (or in stressed symbols within the words) are repeated in a pleasing or memorable manner. Some examples are given below:

• Let us protect and preserve peace
• The facilities are underutilized or unused
• He was disappointed and dejected, when he heard the news
• Beast and the beauty.
• Practice, Participate and Perform for becoming successful (This is also an example of a triad).

4) Triads - Triads are ideas, or points grouped and expressed in threes. Some examples are given below:

• Practice, Participate and Perform in our club meetings for becoming a better communicator 
• Democracy is for the people, by the people, and of the people
• Our vacation was memorable because it was entertaining, energizing and exciting
• This government made us to lose our jobs, our fortunes and our lives
• Let us lead an environment friendly life, by reducing, reusing and recycling plastics

Hope these examples give you enough ideas and tips to use rhetorical devices effectively in your Toastmasters Project 4 CC speech. If you are interested to learn about more such rhetorical devices, here is a repository that you should look at.


(Also read: Competent Communicator Manual - Sample Project Speeches #1 - 10)

Table Topics: Theme "Winners are Grinners"

Table Topics: Theme "Winners are Grinners"

Good evening to all the winners, grinners and the ones who are dreaming about their dinner.

"It takes me 3 weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech" said Mark Twain. If you actively participate in Table Topics session you won't require 3 weeks to prepare for a impromptu speech, you may hardly take 30 seconds to think.

If you want to be better than Mark Twain, make use of the platform in Toastmasters to practice and develop your impromptu speaking skills.

Each member who gets called to the stage will be asked to speak on a topic (for/against). You'll have to speak for at least 1 minute and a maximum of 2 minutes. I encourage everyone to use the Word of the Day (Triumphant) in their speeches.

1) A champion needs motivation above and beyond winning

2) A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning

3) What is your most memorable win? (A Contest, A competition or a life event)

4) The trophy stays in the shelf, the experience comes with you forever

5) Dieting is the game where you win when you lose

6) The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back - Vince Lombardi

7) I love winning because ...

8) Obstacles are challenges for winners and excuses for losers

9) Who is one person against whom you would love to lose? Why?

10) What do you think about India winning world cup last year?

11) Who is the real winner in your home - you or your spouse? Why?

12) Who is your most favorite sports champion? Why?

13) My dad is my champion / hero

14) I hate to win because ...

15) You are competing for the post of a President in Chennai Communicators Club. Your opponent is TM ______________________. What would be your pitch to get the votes from the audience to win?

(Table topics session conducted at Chennai Communicators Club, Velachery, Chennai on 4th Nov 2012)

How to write attention grabbing speech introductions?

6 techniques for writing attention grabbing speech introductions 

If writing a speech is difficult, coming up with an effective speech introduction is even more difficult. Best speech introductions are the ones that help you to grab the attention of the audience quickly. This article will help you in coming up with attention grabbing speech introductions.

Imagine traveling to a new city. It is late in the night. You are very hungry and you are driving around looking for a restaurant. You see two restaurants ... one with a well-lit name board saying "Hotel Ananda". There are plants on both the sides of the walkway and the walkway is maintained neat and clean. You see another restaurant, with a flickering light that hasn't been repaired for a while. The name board isn't very visible. The walkway to the restaurant is covered with dry leaves, used paper cups and trash.

You haven't  dined in both the restaurants before. Which one will you choose? You don't know the quality of food inside? But, you decide based on your first impressions.

That is the power of speech introductions. Will you listen to a speaker who starts with a dull 'n boring introduction that make you to yawn (or) the one who starts the speech  with full of enthusiasm and tries to grab the audience's attention.

Speech openings should
1) Grab Attention
2) Introduce the Topic to the audience
3) Build Rapport

(Also read: Speech Writing - 5 Wives & 1 Husband technique)

Arouse suspense or curiosity

When you start your speech with a suspense, the curiosity of the listeners increases many folds. Think about the movies that start with someone lying in a pool of blood ... you'll be curious to know who committed the crime. This will keep you glued to the movie, throughout. You can use this technique to write your introductions in toastmasters speeches also.

Here is a method of creating suspense or curiosity in the minds of the audience:

Today, I'm going to talk about a person who was a shy kid during his school days. A person who was very determined and was even ready to give up his life saying "I would rather die instead of eating animal food". A lean old man... who united an entire country for a common cause. A true believer of non-violence. Friends, "Yes... I'm going to talk about the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi". 

Make a startling statement

Shock the audience by beginning your speech with a startling statement. Audience typically expect you to begin your speech with the usual "Yada... Yada... Yada...". So, when you begin your speech with a startling statement, you'll put them in a shock. It will help you to get their attention quickly.

Instead of starting with a speech introduction like, "Cancer is a deadly disease. It kills a number of people. Today, I'm going to talk about Cancer and its impact on the society", you can make a startling statement like "17,000 people die of cancer every day. Are you going to be one of them?"

Tell a story 

Audience love listening to stories. That is the reason why the movie halls are filled with people, when a movie has a good story line.

Instead of beginning your speech with "I'm going to talk about drink and drive", you can start with a short story like the one given below:

"A dark chill night... time was 12 o'clock. I was walking alone in the road... there was absolute silence... my heart was beating lub dub... lub dud.. rain started drizzling... all of a sudden I heard a loud noice... A car had rammed into a tree. I rushed to the car. The driver was unconscious. There was smell of whisky. Friends, this is what happens when you drink and drive."

Ask a rhetorical question

Politicians are good at using rhetorics to their advantage. They always make (actually, force!?) you to think about the hard facts/reality by asking rhetorical questions.

Instead of beginning your speech with "I'm going to tell you about how to become fit", you can ask "How many of you want to stay fit, but do not have a regular exercise routine? How many of you here take 'new year resolutions' but do not follow them? How many of you have personal goals for which you hardly spend any time? In the next 7 minutes, you are going to learn simple techniques to achieve your goals faster."

Begin with a quotation

Quotes help you to get the attention of the audience quickly. Instead of beginning your speech with an introduction like... "Fellow toastmasters leadership is an important skill that we need to learn. Leadership will make you successful. So, I'm sure you are curious to know more about leadership", you can use quotes to begin your speech.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” a beautiful quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Friends, toastmasters provide an excellent opportunity to become leaders - to create a path for fellow members to follow. Today, I'm going to talk about the benefits of taking leadership roles in toastmasters".

Reference the occasion

Advance speakers, begin their speeches by making a reference to the occasion. In most cases, you'll have to do it off the cuff. Professional trainers begin their training sessions by talking about a news that they read in the local news paper that day ... or by referring to an event that occurred just before the training session.

For example, if you are giving a speech in the chartering ceremony of a toastmasters club, you can make a reference to the occasion. This will help you also to establish yourself as a speaker who is more observant.

“Fellow toastmasters and guests, six months ago when we started this club – we had just 7 members in the hall. Look around and see the number of people we have today. That is the power of belief, that is the power of team work… that is the power of leadership. You have come a long way in the last 6 months”

(Also read: How to select a speech topic?)

Conclusion

1) Arouse suspense or curiosity
2) Make a startling statement
3) Tell a story  (Read: Story Telling manual speeches)
4) Ask a rhetorical question
5) Begin with a quotation
6) Reference the occasion

This is the summary of the workshop that I did for Medleys Toastmasters Club Chennai, during one of their milestone meetings in 2012.

Rhetoric 2012 - Division Governor Address

April 2012

District Governor DTM Saleem, LGET DTM Nina John, LGM DTM Nirmala Lilly, Brand Ambassador Bosco Abraham,
Division L Governor Pawas,

My dear Area governors, Club officers, Members and Guests

Welcome to Rhetoric 2012.

I would like to recognize the presence of my team members.
- Area Governors
- Club officers
- Mentors
- Past officers at the Division, Area & Club level
- Leaders without title (YLP, demo meetings, promotion of toastmasters, launching membership drives, helping clubs)

I take this opportunity to thank all of you for contributing to the success of Division G. Special thanks to my mentor DTM Lalitha Giridhar. I'm what I'm today, because of her.

"Small things make perfection, but perfection isn't a small thing".

• Today, you are going to witness the performance of some of the BEST speakers in Tamilnadu who paid attention to those small details - that made them the STARS of Division G. 
• Today, you are going to witness the leaders in action, the leaders who skillfully crafted Rhetoric 2012

(Also read: High Performance Leadership - Project Ideas / Requirements)

A leader isn't the one who delegates tasks to everyone and get the tasks done with a WHIP in hand. A leader is someone who leads from the front and supports from the back. The Chief Pilot of Rhetoric 2012 TM Dhanaraj is a true example of this. TM Dhanaraj and his team of volunteers did an outstanding job to make every aspect of TODAY's conference special.

Rhetoric 2012 is special for many reasons:

• YOU! Got up so early on a Sunday morning, and came here
• For the first time ever, the top 3 district officials are attending the conference together in Division G
• This is THE last conference of the combined Division G which includes all the clubs in Tamilnadu
• Last but not the least, Rhetoric 2012 celebrates the success of Division G

Division G is the first division to become President Distinguished in District 82. Division G is the first division to achieve all its district goals.

Being #1 is special... Being #1 in the #1 district is even more special.

Toastmasters, Division G is a huge castle, built with stones, marbles and diamonds taken from various parts of Tamilnadu. Division G is standing TALL and STRONG because of YOU. Every small success of yours is translating into a HUGE victory for Division G. Thanks for making Division G #1.

This is THE last conference of the combined Division G. My term as a Division Governor will be over in 2 months. But remember...

Men may come and men may go ! But toastmasters movement in Tamilnadu will continue to flourish forever.

How do you pick the right speech topic?

"I have so many topics at hand and so much content to talk about. How do I pick the right speech topic?"

This is the question that will come to your mind if you read the article "How to select a speech topic and write a speech script?".

Or, you may be invited to preside over a meeting or function... you may be the chief guest for an event. What are you going to talk about?

This article will provide you some guidance to select the right speech topic for your next speech in toastmasters (for that matter, any speech that you make!).


At a high level, you have to look into 3 key factors when selecting your speech topic.

1. Your Audience
2. The Occasion
3. Your Abilities

Let us look at each of these factors.

1. Your Audience: Any speech that you make is FOR THE AUDIENCE. Normally, you deliver a speech - to inform, to entertain, to persuade, or to inspire the audience. So, you have to always select a topic and prepare a speech with your audience in mind. This will help you to CONNECT with the audience better.  If you are going to deliver a speech at a old age home, you cannot be talking about "how to save money for your retirement". Similarly, if you are going to deliver a speech at a college you cannot be talking about "10 ways of enjoying your retirement". Some of the criteria that you should consider are - what is the average age of the audience, what are their interests, what do they already know, what topic would be interesting for the audience, what is the cultural background etc.,
2. The Occasion: What is the occasion? Selecting a speech topic that suits the occasion is very important. For example, you cannot deliver a humorous speech at a funeral. You cannot deliver a serious speech at a wedding. Your speech topic has to match with the mood of the audience. In a toastmasters meeting, you are recommended not to use topics that are controversial such as Sex, Religion or Politics :) You can still pick topics such as "Corruption in India", without making ugly remarks about any political party or without making any references to any political leaders.              
3. Your abilities: Do I have the conviction to deliver this speech? Do I have the capabilities to deliver this speech? These are the questions that you should ask when narrowing down your speech topic. For example, it will be hard for a member who does not come to the club meetings regularly to persuade others to come to the meetings regularly. Similarly, it will be hard for an obese person to inspire an audience to stay fit and healthy. A school teacher can talk about "How to talk so that kids will listen". An outstanding software professional can talk about "How to develop a defect free software". When you talk from your heart, your passion/conviction shows up and it will in turn keep the audience engaged and motivate them, too. An old person who finds it difficult to even walk is not expected to pick a topic that requires him to jump and do a drama. If you are someone who has difficulty in using good English, do not try to "artificially" include some GRE words or jargons into your speech. There is more likelihood that you'll forget those words during your speech. 

When it comes to selecting a speech topic for a toastmasters meeting, select from

1. The topics you know
2. The topics you love
3. The topics that interest the audience and of course,
4. The topics that help you to meet the project objectives

Let me explain those 3 circles (i.e., the Venn diagram) with an example. 

If I have to deliver a speech, I can easily select topics from the areas that I'm familiar with 

• my personal experiences, 
• my US life experiences, 
• my personal problems, 
• traveling, 
• blogging, 
• software development/testing, 
• computer networks, 
• politics, and 
• toastmastering. 

Out of these topics, I love to talk about 

• my US experiences, 
• traveling, 
• computer networks and 
• toastmastering. 

However, if I start talking about "computer networks", the diverse set of people in a community toastmasters club may get bored. That leaves me with topics that are of interest to me as well as to the audience.  So, I would end up choosing a topic from my US experiences, traveling or toastmastering. 

If the project expects me to give an entertaining speech, I would very well pick the speech topic from my recent travel experiences. 

Toastmasters project manuals give you the flexibility of choosing your own speech topics. So, to the extent possible, pick topics that are of interest to you as well as the audience. 

Hope you have now mastered the art of selecting the right speech topic for your next speech. Happy speaking !

What kind of speaker are you in a toastmasters club?

What kind of speaker are you?!

We see a number of new members who join toastmasters to become better communicators.   I have carefully observed our members over a period of time and categorized them into 4 types of speakers.



1. Don't know how to load bullets into the gun

"Oh! My God … I have to give a speech this week in my club... and I couldn't think of any topic. I don't have anything interesting to share with others :(". 

These are people who have bullets and a gun in their hand. But, they don’t know how to load the bullets into the gun.



Read:  How to select a speech topic and write a speech script?

2. AIM, AIM, AIM ... type

"I'll sign up for a speaking slot only when I have a perfect speech ready. I will even wait for months together ... to get a PERFECT speech. I will sign-up for speaking role only when I get that impressive speech topic...". 

These are people who continue to AIM, AIM, AIM and NEVER SHOOT.

3. Shooting at the Dark type 

"I just have an hour before the club meeting and I have to speak. Nothing can be done now. Let me blabber something. Anyways, the evaluators in toastmasters meeting are very friendly". 

"I'm already too good at speaking. Why should I prepare for my speech? I just can give an impromptu speech"

These are the ones who just bet on their luck. They try to gamble and get results. They may succeed in the short run, but the strategy may not produce results in the long run. It neither helps them nor the club members.

Read: 5 wives and 1 Husband technique to develop a speech topic into a script

4. Shooting on the DOT

“I’ll sign up for my speech slot a month in advance. I don’t wait for finding one full day of time to write my speeches. I start writing my speech script in increments… whenever I find little time. I get my speech reviewed by my mentor, and rehearse it several times before I deliver at the club. I don’t want to waste the time of other toastmasters by NOT preparing for my speech well”

These are the ones who make use of the available opportunities in the club to discover their real best. They do proper home work and focus on improving their skills in a structured way. Over a period of time, they'll turn out to be extraordinary speakers. If you look around in your club, you can easily spot them.

Now, what kind of speaker are you?! What kind of speaker would you like to become?

Speech Writing - 5 Wives & 1 Husband technique

After selecting a speech topic, you may be wondering "What should I talk about? How do I come up with the content for my speech?". Don't worry! 

There are multiple ways of expanding a speech topic into a speech script.  A simple technique that can be used by beginners is 5 Wives and 1 Husband technique.  

Wondering, who the 5 Wives and 1 Husband are? 

They are 

• What
• When 
• Where 
• Who
• Why 
• How

Let us take a simple topic “My favorite vacation” and try to ask these questions.

      1.      What am I going to talk about – “My favorite vacation”
     
      2.      When did I take the vacation – “I was leading a hectic life because of my work pressure. I      was hardly able to spend any time with my family. My family members were bugging me to take them somewhere. I decided to take a short break from work and go for a mini vacation from my workplace”
     
      3.      Where did I go for vacation – “I considered going to Kodaikanal, but didn’t chose it because it will be crowded. Moreover, we had been to Kodaikanal several times in the past. We wanted to go to a new place this time… After lots of research, we zeroed-in on Coorg. I heard from my friends that Coorg is a very nice place for vacation”
     
      4.      Who are the people that accompanied for your vacation?
     
      5.      How did you make all the arrangements?
     
      6.      What are the places in Coorg that you visited? How was your experience?
     
      7.      Why is the vacation to Coorg very memorable/favorite for you?
     
      8.      What did you do for dinner/lunch? Where did you go?
     
      9.      Why do you (or) Why won’t you recommend the audience for a trip to Coorg?
    
     10. What are some advices that you’ll give to the audience when they plan for the trip to Coorg?

If you try to answer all the above questions, you can easily come up with a 5 – 7 minutes speech.

You can take any topic and expand into a speech script with the 5 Wives and 1 Husband technique.