The 10 speech projects in this manual will help you develop your speaking skills one step at a time. The ten Competent Communicator (CC) manual are as follows;
Project #1: Ice Breaker
Executive Summary:
For your first speech project, you will introduce yourself to your fellow club members and give them some information about your background, interests and ambitions. Practice giving your speech to friends or family members, and strive to make eye contact with some of your audience. You may use notes during your speech if you wish. Read the entire project before preparing your talk.
Objectives:
- To begin speaking before an audience.
- To discover speaking skills you already have and skills that need some attention.
- Time: Four to six minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
In this speech the new member is to introduce himself/herself to the club and begin speaking before an audience. The speech should have a clear beginning, body and ending. The speaker has been advised to use notes if necessary and not to be concerned with body language. Be encouraging and point out the speaker’s strong points while gently and kindly mentioning areas that could be improved. Strive to have the speaker look forward to giving another speech. Your evaluation should help the speaker feel glad about joining Toastmasters and presenting this speech.
Project #2: Organize Your Speech
Executive Summary:
Good speech organization is essential if your audience is to follow and understand your presentation. You must take the time to put your ideas together in an orderly manner. You can organize your speech in several different ways; choose the outline that best suits your topic. The opening should catch the audience’s attention, the body must support the idea you want to convey, and the conclusion should reinforce your ideas and be memorable. Transitions between thoughts should be smooth.
Objectives:
- Select and appropriate outline which allows listeners to easily follow and understand your speech.
- Make your message clear, with supporting material directly contributing to that message.
- Use appropriate transitions when moving from one idea to another.
- Create a strong opening and conclusion.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to present a talk that is organized in a manner that leads the audience to a clearly defined goal. The speech includes a beginning, a body and a conclusion; major facts or ideas; and appropriate support material, with smooth transitions between the facts and ideas.
Project #3: Get to the Point
Executive Summary:
Every speech must have a general and a specific purpose. A general purpose is to inform, to persuade, to entertain or to inspire. A specific purpose is what you want the audience to do after listening to your speech. Once you have established your general and specific purposes, you’ll find it easy to organize your speech. You’ll also have more confidence, which makes you more convincing, enthusiastic and sincere. Of course, the better organized the speech is, the more likely it is to achieve your purpose.
Objectives:
- Select a speech topic and determine its general and specific purposes.
- Organize the speech in a manner that best achieves those purposes.
- Ensure the beginning; body and conclusion reinforce the purposes.
- Project sincerity and conviction and control any nervousness you may feel.
- Strive not to use notes.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to prepare a speech that has a clear general purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain or inspire) and a specific purpose. The speech is to be organized in a manner that best achieves these purposes. The beginning, body and conclusion should all tie into and reinforce the purposes. The speaker is to project sincerity and conviction and strive not to use notes. Any nervousness displayed should be minimal.
Project #4: How to Say It
Executive Summary:
Words are powerful. They convey your message and influence the audience and its perception of you. Word choice and arrangement need just as much attention as speech organization and purpose. Select clear, accurate, descriptive and short words that best communicate your ideas and arrange them effectively and correctly. Every word should add value, meaning and punch to the speech.
Objectives:
- Select the right words and sentence structure to communicate your ideas clearly, accurately and vividly.
- Use rhetorical devices to enhance and emphasize ideas.
- Eliminate jargon and unnecessary words. Use correct grammar.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to use words and arrangements of words that effectively communicate his or her message to the audience. The speaker should select clear, accurate, descriptive and short words and choose verbs that convey action. Sentence and paragraph construction should be simple and short. The speaker needs to include rhetorical devices, avoid jargon and unnecessary words and use correct grammar. The speech must have a clear purpose and be appropriately organized.
Project #5: Your Body Speaks
Executive Summary:
Body language is an important part of speaking because it enhances your message and gives you more credibility. It also helps release any nervousness you may feel. Stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact help communicate your message and achieve your speech’s purpose. Body language should be smooth, natural and convey the same message that your listeners hear. Read Gestures: Your Body Speaks (Catalog No. 201), which you received in Your New Member Kit.
Objectives:
- Use stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact to express your message and achieve your speech’s purpose.
- Make your body language smooth and natural.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to use stance, body movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact that illustrate and enhance his or her verbal message. Movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact should be smooth and natural. Body language should enhance and clarify the speaker’s words and help the audience visualize the speaker’s point and overall message. The message you see should be the same one you hear. The speech must have a clear purpose and appropriate organization. Also, the speaker must use words and arrangements of words that effectively communicate his or her message to the audience.
Project #6: Vocal Variety
Executive Summary:
Your voice has a major effect on your audience. A lively, exciting voice attracts and keeps listeners’ attention. A speaking voice should be pleasant, natural, forceful, expressive and easily heard. Use volume, pitch, rate and quality as well as appropriate pauses to reflect and add meaning and interest to your message. Your voice should reflect the thoughts you are presenting. Review Your Speaking Voice (Catalog No. 199), which you received in your New Member Kit.
Objectives:
- Use voice volume, pitch, rate and quality to reflect and add meaning and interest to your message.
- Use pauses to enhance your message.
- Use vocal variety smoothly and naturally.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to use a voice that is pleasing to listen to, with proper balance of volume, pitch and rate, and use pauses to enhance his or her message. The speaker’s voice should reflect and add meaning to the thoughts he or she is presenting. The speaker is to incorporate lessons learned in previous projects about purpose, organization, word usage and body language.
Project #7: Research Your Topic
Executive Summary:
Your speech will be more effective if you can support your main points with statistics, testimony, stories, anecdotes, examples, visual aids and facts. You can find this material on the Internet, at a library and in other places. Use information collected from numerous sources and carefully support points with specific facts, examples and illustrations, rather than with just your own opinions.
Objectives:
- Collect information about your topic from numerous sources.
- Carefully support your points and opinions with specific facts, examples and illustrations gathered through research.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to select a subject of importance to the audience that requires a large amount of research. The speaker is to collect information from numerous sources and carefully support points with specific facts, examples, and illustrations, rather than with just the speaker’s own opinions. The speaker is to incorporate what he or she has learned in previous projects about purpose, organization, word usage, body language and vocal variety, as well as use appropriate suggestions from the evaluations received. In addition to your verbal evaluation, please write answers to the questions below.
Project #8: Get Comfortable with Visual Aids
Executive Summary:
Visual aids help an audience understand and remember what they hear; they are a valuable tool for speakers. The most popular visual aids are computer-based visuals, overhead transparencies, flip charts, whiteboards and props. The type of visual aid you choose depends on several factors, including the information you wish to display and the size of the audience. Visuals must be appropriate for your message and the audience, and be displayed correctly with ease and confidence.
Objectives:
- Select visual aids that are appropriate for your message and the audience.
- Use visual aids correctly with ease and confidence.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to present a speech that uses two or more visual aids. The visual aids selected must be appropriate for the message and audience, and be displayed correctly with ease and confidence. The speaker is to incorporate what he or she has learned in previous projects about purpose, organization, word usage, body language and vocal variety. The speaker also is to use appropriate suggestions from the evaluations received and thoroughly research the subject. Please complete this evaluation form by checking the appropriate column for each item. Add comments for items where special praise is warranted or where you can offer specific suggestions for improvement.
Project #9: Persuade with Power
Executive Summary:
The ability to persuade people – getting them to understand, accept and act upon your ideas – is a valuable skill. Your listeners will more likely be persuaded if they perceive you as credible, if you use logic and emotion in your appeal, if you carefully structure your speech and if you appeal to their interests. Avoid using notes because they may cause listeners to doubt your sincerity, knowledge and conviction.
Objectives:
- Persuade listeners to adopt your viewpoint or ideas or to take some action.
- Appeal to the audience’s interests.
- Use logic and emotion to support your position.
- Avoid using notes.
- Time: Five to seven minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to present a persuasive speech that combines logical support for his/her viewpoint with a strong emotional appeal. The speech should focus on the self-interest of the audience. The speaker also has been asked to avoid using notes, if possible. In addition to your oral evaluation, please complete this evaluation form by checking the appropriate column for each item. Add your comments only for those items where special praise is warranted, or where you can offer specific suggestions for improvement.
Project #10: Inspire Your Audience
Executive Summary:
An inspirational speech motivates an audience to improve personally, emotionally professionally or spiritually and relies heavily on emotional appeal. It brings the audience together in a mood of fellowship and shared desire, builds the audience’s enthusiasm, then proposes a change or plan and appeals to the audience to adopt this change or plan. This speech will last longer than your previous talks, so make arrangements in advance with your Vice President Education for extra time.
Objectives:
- To inspire the audience by appealing to noble motives and challenging the audience to achieve a higher level of beliefs or achievement.
- Appeal to the audience’s needs and emotions, using stories, anecdotes and quotes to add drama.
- Avoid using notes.
- Time: Eight to 10 minutes.
Note To The Evaluator:
The speaker is to inspire the audience to improve personally, emotionally, professionally or spiritually, relying heavily on emotional appeal. The speech should appeal to noble motives and challenge the audience to achieve a higher level of beliefs or achievement. The speaker is to use the skills learned in previous projects and not use notes. In additional to your verbal evaluation, please complete this evaluation form by checking the appropriate column for each item. Add comments for those items where special praise is warranted, or where you can offer specific suggestions for improvement.
Resources from;
http://theprovoices.blogspot.com/2011/08/competent-communicator.html
