Did your audience connect with your speech?

While the speech was a state of the art talking about AI and its uses or How Cancer can divest your life not many in the audience gave an applause. Audience gave a thundering round of applause for a speech titled Silly Mistakes where the speaker talks of simple things in life.

Hey!! The above lines are just made up to let you know the speech content may be strong and may be of great value to a specific set of audience who are coming for a symposium but the audience in the hall of your International Speech Contest in Toastmasters come from various professions, different interest levels and ethnic back grounds so its not one size fits all !! Its important that you should know your audience. Your script should be simple and for your audience.

Just before the International Speech Contest that was held by our District 92 a little more then a week ago, a World Champion of Public Speaking told few tips in delivery of a speech and the winning speech exactly had those elements. The speaker talks about a childhood memory from Physics Lab where his friend and he broke some equipment. How many of you have ever been to a Physics Lab when you were in school!! I am sure its 100% of audience who went to school and are reading would have at least been the Physics Lab unless you were the unfortunate COVID 19 batch. Let the audience relive the experience.

As audience we should connect with the speaker. The speaker should sound like one of us who has had his share of misfortunes and fortunes.

The Script should be simple in which you lived either in reality or in dreams. You should be thorough with the script and not some thing that will require people to remember.

Use the power of 3!! Many speakers who reached the ISC Stage used the power of 3!! The 3 things that can be remembered from the speech!! It also helps them divide the stage well. Use Power of 3

Use simple language. You need not use complex words that many would have to start searching on Google. The entire purpose of the speech is to engage the audience. Simple Language

The content should be free from any elements which will deject the audience. Don’t talk about the sad things in life like Deaths, Hospitalizations or talk about it minimal as audience are there to enjoy and not there to get into sorrow remembering their near and dear in that situations. Avoid Sorrow and sad things from the content (Like Hospitalization, deaths etc.).

Let you content speak words, Let you content make the audience live your experience, add a pinch of humor to make them laugh, Express without using filters and have fun delivering the speech. Express from your heart and be original.

Last but not the least, its time you pen your script for your next ISC and not in January 2024. What are you waiting for, take your pen and start scribbling your thoughts, deliver the speech in your club, show your passion to your script and ensure your audience connect with your speech.

The above are my personal observations and ideas of writing a winning speech based on what I have observed!!

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?