Author: HenryOMiller

Henry joined Toastmasters in 1997. He is presently a member of 4 Toastmasters clubs; two in Santa Cruz and two in San Jose. He is a DTM-4. Henry is an executive speech coach, humorist, and speechwriter. He is also a musician and a lyricist​ whose speechwriting approach is similar to his approach to songwriting.

How to Keep Your Audience Engaged

Record & Listen to Your Voice

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Do You Know The Sound of Your Voice

Tips on How to Keep Your Audience Engaged

Keeping your audience all begins with the sound of your voice. If you do not have any variety in your voice, you run the risk of sending your listeners to sleep. Your speech content may be excellent. It could match your audience’s needs very well but unless you deliver it in an interesting way, few people will actively listen.   A one-flavor-fits-all voice is boring. It turns people off. An expressive energized voice keeps them tuned in. Vocal Variety is very important when presenting. Record and listen to your voice.

What is Vocal Variety:

Vocal variety refers to the way we use our voice. It is a combination of the following elements: pitch, tone, volume, and rate. They are all equally important.

Pitch:

To understand pitch, think of the high notes and low notes you use when you are singing a song.  Everyone’s voice has a natural pitch – your natural speaking voice. Women’s tend to be higher than men’s. Everybody has a pitch range – the number of we notes habitually use. When that range is very small, the effect is monotonous.

Tone:

Tone refers to the emotional content carried by our voices. It is not the words themselves; it is more about ‘how’ we say them. To speak expressively is to fill or energize our words appropriately.

Volume:

How loudly or quietly you speak is called volume. Some people are habitually loud and others quiet, regardless of their speech content. Vary your volume as you speak. Think of it as if you are consciously playing with the volume control on a device. Silence is also very important. Silence sends the message. (DBrooks)

Rate:

The term ‘rate’ refers to speaking pace. How fast or slow do you speak? Speaking rate matters because how fast or how slow you speak alters the listener’s perception of your topic.

Exercises:

The more you can relax and enjoy playing with voice exercises which you can find online, the more you will get out of them. If you have a recorder, use it. Often what we think we are doing with your voice is very different from the reality. A recorder helps you hear where you need to put in more work to achieve your goals.

Are Your Making Your Case

Great Speeches are not written they are rewritten:  

Topic Selection:

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WHEN YOU DELIVER A SPEECH YOU ARE MAKING YOUR CASE

The topic you choose can decide your place in any speech competition. While you should choose a topic you are passionate about, keep in mind you have to connect with your audience to be successful. Connecting with your audience is important at all levels of competition. If you turn your Real Life Events into unique Powerful Stories using persuasion and the power of the spoken you will do well.    

Avoid the following:

  • Current events that were in the news media over and over.
  • Events that may have varied audience opinions  – So too will your judges.
  • Topics too big to be delivered in 5 to 7 minutes – Keep It Simple

Purpose:

The purpose of your speech should be clearly defined very early in your presentation.

  • Are you speaking to inform
  • Are you speaking to entertain
  • What do you want your audience to Think-Feel – Or Do after hearing the speech.

Don’t Tell Them–Show Them-Take Them:

  • Be descriptive – Use word pictures to convey your message
  • Be concise but clear – Every unanswered question becomes a distraction
  • Practice your personal stories and anecdotes so that they don’t sound rehearsed-Keep them real.

Have you ever tried to buy a piece of equipment from someone who doesn’t know how to operate it? Knowing your case also means knowing exactly what you are asking for and knowing when you got it. Be factual, where possible use statistics.  Do not overstate your case. You’ll undermine your credibility.

Lead with your strongest point or argument:

First impressions are indelible. Most Toastmasters speeches are 5 to 7 minutes. In your first minute, you can win over or lose your audience.  Give some indication of where you are going or taking them. Get your audience’s permission to take them

Communicate clearly and concisely:

Make brevity a part of your style.  The most celebrated example of brevity: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lincoln spoke for 2 minutes 270 words. Edward Everett delivered a two-hour oration before Lincoln’s 2 minutes of dedicatory remarks. Great speeches are not written they are rewritten. Write and then deliver or deliver and then write. Whatever your choice happens to be, write your speech – Focus on your choice of words.  Check to see if each sentence can be said in fewer words.

Your Delivery:

Everyone has a personal manner of speaking.  Be yourself.  Most people can process information only at a moderate rate. Find your voice. Don’t speak too fast or too slowly. Don’t try to sound like someone else.  Use strategic pauses for emphasis. Practice enunciating each word clearly.

Your Conclusion:

Your conclusion is just as important as your opening. Recall some of the main points of the presentation. Leave enough time to summarize and emphasize your take away message. The quality of your performance and not the trophy will determine if you have made your case.

Martin Joo’s Speech Registers

Be original -Be You
You are the Only You!

 

The concept of registers has been around for a long time. We use registers consciously or subconsciously in our everyday language. Register refers to the variations we use in language which reflects the particular situation, the expressed goal of the communication or the relationship between the speakers.  The following are Martin Joo’s five communication styles or Speech Registers.

Frozen:

Printed, unchanging language, ultra-formal, almost scripted phrases that do not vary. This is standard business and educational language which features complete sentences and specific word choice, often contains archaisms.  This style of communications RARELY or NEVER changes.

Examples:  The Bible, Pledge of Allegiance,  Preamble to the US Constitution, Lord’s Prayer, laws, “set” speech which is often scripted.

 

Formal/Academic:

One way communication, no interruptions, used in impersonal, formal settings, one-way in nature, follows a commonly accepted format – complete sentences, more complex syntax and specific word usages, exact definitions are important, technical vocabulary; often used to show respect. It is often used to show respect. Word selection is more sophisticated and certain words are always or never used depending on the situation.   Informal register, the story structure focuses on the plot: it has a beginning and ending, and it weaves sequence, cause and effect, characters, and consequences into the plot.

Examples: Rhetorical statements and questions, standard for work, school, public offices and business settings, speeches, pronouncements made by judges, announcements, introductions between strangers

Consultative:

This is a standard form of communication. Users engage in a mutually accepted structure of communications. It is professional discourse.  Formal register used in conversation.  Societal expectations accompany the users of this speech.  This register can be described as two-way participation, professional setting, background information is provided (prior knowledge is not assumed), interruptions and feedback fillers allowed (“uh-huh”, “I see”), more complex syntax, longer phrases.  Sentence structure need not be complete, since non-verbal assists, hand movements and body language, are often used to convey meaning.

Examples:  Doctor: patient, lawyer: client, lawyer: judge, teacher: student, superior: subordinate, counselor: client, colleagues, peers, when strangers meet.

Casual/Informal:

The language used in conversation with friends.  The casual register is characterized by a 400- to 500-word vocabulary, broken sentences, and interruptions common. Very informal language, idioms, ellipsis, and slang are common, no background information provided, “group” language – must be a member to use, interruptions common, context and non-verbal communication important, word choice in general, and conversation is dependent upon non-verbal assists.  The focus of the story is characterization.  It is an episodic, random approach with many omissions and does not have a sequence, cause, and effect, or consequence. Casual Register for a group of white suburban teenagers is quite different from the casual register of a group of African Americans, or a group of Native Americans.  There would be differences in vocabulary (slang), grammar, intonation and usage and the differences might be quite fluid, changing often.

Examples: conversations, chats, and blogs with friends and acquaintances, family, teammates.

Intimate:

These communications are private. It is reserved for close family members or intimate people. It is non-public, intonation as important as wording and grammar, often a private vocabulary full of codewords.  Interesting to note: this is the language of sexual harassment as well.

Examples:  husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, twins (siblings), pets

 

 

 

Visionary Communication

Make Your Good Better And Your Better Your Best

A Toastmasters Journey

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Public Speaking For All Occasions – From sun up to Sundown we communicate, some better than others. It is my hope that with this blog, we are able to raise an awareness to the importance of painting word pictures as we speak.  Over time, this type of communication will become a natural part of your everyday communication.  Come join me on a journey into the world of Visionary Communication.

Let us begin: A good place to start is by identifying your communication strengths as well as the areas you need to improve starting with your instrument – Your voice – have you discovered your tone of voice.  Your pace, your pitch and the importance of silence in your delivery. Silence sends the message.

Next, it is important to define your communication goals. What you want to achieve and how you will know when you have achieved it.  That’s when you move on to making each goal you have achieved permanent through practice.

  • Recognize the elements of a basic speech structure -Starting and ending strong.
  • Balance preparation and spontaneity in your delivery – Be natural – be you.
  • Demonstrate self-confidence – Make your speech a kind of silent conversation.
  • The ice-breaker worksheet is a good place to start – It is your roadmap to success.

ORGANIZE YOUR SPEECH

 The four elements of a good speech or story:

  • Interesting topic ( Your Anchor)
  • Opening – Strong -Direct-Positive
  • Body (V1 V2  V3 *V=Vignette)
  • Conclusion (Your Take Away Message)

Give your speech an opening, body, and conclusion to effectively communicate your overall purpose. When we communicate we must have a purpose. Also, we should begin to develop our own formula.  For Example, a formula for an ice-breaker could be – Where I was – Where I am – Where I am heading. The purpose is to begin revealing yourself to your fellow members.  You may want to share a little-known fact about your heritage or hobbies of yours.  Conclude with a funny or interesting anecdote that relates to your desire to become a better speaker.  Every Toastmaster’s journey begins with their first ice-breaker – a speech they will always remember even long after their journey has ended.

 

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