A major portion of each chapter meeting is centred around four or more prepared speeches speakers.

Their speeches are delivered based on the project objectives and should last normally from five to seven minutes for projects. For projects in either Level 4 or/and 5 of Pathways or the older Advanced Communication Series manuals, depending on the requirements, the speaker may need to speak for a longer duration.

Ample preparation is essential for success when you are the speaker.

PRIOR TO THE MEETING

Inform the Vice President Education (VPE) as soon as you have the intention and readiness to prepare and deliver your next project speech so that the next available speaking slot at the upcoming chapter meetings can be allocated to you.

Give your speech title to the VPE at least 3 days in advance for him/her to inform the Toastmaster of the Evening(TME) and for the VPE to include it on the visuals to be used at the meeting venue. At Money Mastery, your speech title will be displayed on our giant screen beside the stage when we meet at Tai Seng.

In order to get the most benefits from the programme, prepare your speech base on the objectives of that project. Present the speeches in numerical order because each project builds on the skills learned in previous projects.

Before your meeting, ask the VPE for your evaluator’s contact. Speak to your evaluator and talk about the speech you will be giving. Discuss with the evaluator your speech goals and personal objective. Emphasize where you feel your speech ability needs strengthening. When you contact your evaluator in advance, he or she can better serve you to achieve the objectives that you want to achieve in your speech project.

Prepare a simple introduction of yourself in less than 50 words and fill in the google survey form that will be sent out to you by the VPE at least 3 days before the meeting. A well written interesting self-introduction will help to set the stage in the right mood before you step onto it to deliver your speech for the evening.

Speaking slots are a member’s privilege and a valuable commodity in the Club – it is not desirable for you to back-out from your speaking slot as you have deprived of another member’s speaking privilege. However, if for any reasons you are unable to do your project speech, please inform the VPE at least 10 days in advance so that he/she can make alternative arrangements.

Remember to print and bring your project evaluation form to the meeting. Dress well when you are delivering your speech. Formal attire is preferred and it conveys a more professional image.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE MEETING

Please arrive early. Check the stage, lighting, placement of your props if any etc. before everyone else arrives. Protect yourself from all of the problems that can ruin your speech. Carefully plan your approach to the stage and your speech opening.

Walk around the stage to get a feel of the space that you can use. You will feel more at ease when it is your turn to deliver your speech up on the stage. Test out the wireless headset mic and make sure you are properly attired to use a headset mic by watching the video below.

Be sure you give your project evaluation form to your evaluator before the meeting starts. Write your speech title and date on the evaluation form. If you did not send your self-introduction in advance to the VPE, now is the time to give that to the TME.

DURING THE MEETING

Give your full attention to the speakers on stage. Avoid studying your speech notes while someone else is talking. When introduced, smoothly leave your chair and walk onto the stage as planned.

When you begin your speech, acknowledge the Club President first, then follow by any district officers present (Area Director, Division Director etc), and then fellow toastmasters and guests.  Rehearse how you are going to address your audience. If you are going to address any toastmaster directly, remember to use their full toastmaster title and name. State the title first, then the name even though on the programme sheet, the titles are always stated after the names.

If you wish to refer to some notes while speaking on stage, use small 4″ x 2″ cue cards. Avoid holding up an A4 sized paper and constantly reading your script from it. Remember to maintain constant eye contact with the audience.

When you finish your speech, never said “thank you” to your audience. Simply return the control of the meeting to the TME by saying: “back to you Toastmaster of the Evening”. Do not leave the stage immediately. Stand in the middle of the stage and acknowledge the audience as you receive your deserved 10 seconds standing ovation from the audience. Wait for the TME  to come back on stage, shake his or her hand before returning to your seat. Watch the video below on how to receive your standing ovation.

During the evaluation of your speech, listen intently for helpful hints that will assist in building better future talks. Make sure that you are present when the evaluation starts. Pay attention to suggestions from other members as well thought out the meeting.

AFTER THE MEETING

Get your project evaluation form from your evaluator. At this time, you should discuss any questions you may have concerning your evaluation to clarify any misinterpretations. You can ask for further feedback from your evaluator about your speech which he or she has not covered during the formal evaluation session. Remember, each evaluator only has about 3 minutes on stage to give their feedback.

Prepare your next speech project with the lesson that you have learned from your previous projects.