Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) German Philosopher
Kate Mosse is an internationally renowned author. (NB – She is not to be confused with Kate Moss the internationally renowned supermodel. Sorry guys. Maybe something for a future post.)
In a recent piece on the BBC, Mosse (with an “e”) offered an aspiring writer five “key” tips to writing a successful novel. As I watched the clip, it occurred to me that her advice is also useful for those who wish to improve their public speaking and presentation skills.
Have a look at the short video and then we will examine each tip. Just click on the photograph below and you will be taken to the BBC page with the video.
Kate Mosse
Now, let’s apply Mosse’s advice to public speaking.
1. Do something every day
Now, it is not reasonable (or, in my view, desirable) to have a speaking engagement lined up every 24 hours. But there are plenty of things that you can do on a daily basis to improve your public speaking and presentation skills. Many can be done in 15 minutes or less. Some ideas:
- Work on a presentation that you would like to give, even if it is not scheduled.
- Read a good book on public speaking such as Presentation Zen.
- Read a good blog on public speaking – see, you’re already doing it! A good place to start is by clicking any of the links in my blogroll of public speaking and presentation sites on the left side of the page.
- Attend a Toastmasters meeting near you.
- Pick up some tips by watching a speech on TED or YouTube.
2. Set goals
As we approach the close of 2009, it is good time to think about our goals for 2010. What are your public speaking goals? To speak at three or four trade conferences in your field? To land your first paid speaking engagement? To give your first speech at Toastmasters?
Give it some thought and then note down where you want to be with your public speaking in 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, 10 years. Then, start working toward those goals (see point 1 above).
3. Have a structure
Like a good novel, every speech or presentation needs a structure: a beginning; a middle; and an end. You want a powerful beginning that capture’s your audience’s attention from the outset. You then have to develop your presentation and make your key points with appropriate supporting material. Finally, you want a memorable conclusion that wraps everything up nicely for your listeners.
4. Carry a notebook
Some of the best material that you will ever have for your speeches will come to you at the oddest times – riding on the subway, at the bank, in a restaurant. If you do not jot down your thoughts or observations at the time, chances are that you will forget them. I have been guilty of this more times than I care to admit.
If you carry a small notebook, you can capture your ideas when they occur and then return to them when you have time. You should also have a file (electronic or paper) where you can save your stories and ideas. You might see something interesting today that has no relevance whatsoever to anything that you are working on at the moment. However, a few weeks, months or years from now, those notes might prove to be priceless.
5. Be comfortable
If you are not comfortable when speaking, your audience will pick up on it. You will then likely pick up on your audience which will only increase your discomfort. So, how can you increase your comfort? Some ideas:
- Prepare thoroughly. When you are prepared and know your material, you will be much more at ease when on stage.
- Get a good night’s sleep. This means that you should not be finishing your speech in the wee hours of the morning of the day when you present.
- Arrive early. Being stuck in traffic 20 minutes before you are scheduled to start is not conducive to a positive state of mind. Plan to arrive at the venue well ahead of schedule so that you are not rushed. Arriving early will also allow to get accustomed to your speaking environment, meet some of the people to whom you will be speaking and test your equipment.
- Eat and drink sensibly beforehand. Avoid alcohol and, preferably, caffeine. Be well hydrated. Eat a banana.
- Dress appropriately for the occasion.
- If someone is going to introduce you, write out for that person the points that you would like him to say.
There you have it. Five tips about writing that should help you and your speeches live happily ever after.
During Christmas, one of the things that my family and I like to do is watch the classic shows of the season: “A Christmas Carol”; “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (see previous post!); “It’s a Wonderful Life”; and more. One of our favourites is “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
At one point in the show, Charlie Brown, exasperated at the commercialism that has kidnapped Christmas, cries out: “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!?” It is then that Linus goes on stage and delivers a 45-second speech in which he gives Charlie Brown his answer.
As I watched the show, it occurred to me that there is a lot that we can learn from this little speech by a cartoon character. Let’s have a look.
So, what did Linus do well as a speaker? Plenty!
- He understood that his speech had to be relevant to his audience. Charlie Brown was trying to understand the meaning of Christmas, and Linus addressed the issue. His message was also relevant for the other kids (and Snoopy) who were getting caught up in the materialistic side of the season.
- He was not afraid to ask the technician to adjust the lights. Good speakers know that things such as lighting and sound should be adjusted to enhance their speeches and not detract from them. Now, some might say that Linus should have checked this out in advance; however, as this was an impromptu speech, I hardly think he can be faulted.
- He told a story.
- He was confident enough to deliver his speech without PowerPoint.
- He used great gestures to emphasize his points. For example: 0:25 (“And lo!”); 0:28 (“And the glory of the Lord …”); 0:31 (“And they were sore afraid”); 0:38 (“… tidings of great joy …”); 0:44 (“… a Saviour …”); and more.
- He used vivid facial expressions (well, for a cartoon at least) to convey different emotions such as fear, joy and happiness. He even imitated the infant sleeping in the manger!
- He had good vocal variety.
- He had great eye contact with the audience. (I realize that there was nobody in the seats and all the kids were in the wings, but you know what I mean.)
- He used pauses to emphasize key points. He did not rush at all. Two examples: 0:36 (“Fear not! [pause] For behold, I bring you …”); and 0:47 (“And this shall be a sign unto you: [pause] You shall find the babe …”).
- Finally, Linus kept his speech short and memorable. He did not drone on and on. He made his point quickly and well, and then got off the stage.
Is there anything that Linus could have done better? Well, he was stationary the whole time and might have used the stage a bit more. Also, he should have left his blanket off stage as some might have found it distracting. To his credit, however, he did throw it away at 0:35. And, to be fair, he is Linus and Linus without his blanket is like Batman without his cape.
On the whole, Linus did a great job and we can all learn a thing or two from him.
(With thanks and apologies to Dr. Seuss)
Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas speeches a lot,
But the Grinch, who lived just North of Who-ville, did not!
The Grinch hated speeches! The whole speaking profession!
Now, please do not ask just what caused his aggression.
It could be that most speakers read from their notes,
Or came unprepared, or just bleated like goats.
But I think that the thing that did most disappoint,
Was that most every speaker abused PowerPoint.
But whether the goats or the Points lit his fuse,
He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos,
Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown
At the warm lighted stage down below in their town.
For he knew the Who speakers, yes every one each,
Was priming himself for his Who Christmas speech.
“And they’re making their edits!” he snarled with a sneer.
“Tomorrow is Christmas! It’s practically here!”
Just the thought of those speeches he found so mind numbing,
“I must keep those Who Christmas speeches from coming!”
“For, tomorrow, I know, like the turn of a page,
“The Whos will wake up and they’ll rush for stage!”
“And then they will speak with such tact and such poise.
“And with wireless mikes, all the NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!”
“Then the Whos, young and old, will sit down for a chat.
“And they’ll chat about this and they’ll chat about that.
“And they’ll chat and they’ll chat and they’ll chat, chat, chat, chat!”
“They’ll chat about topics and subjects and things,
“And Santa and Frosty and five golden rings.”
“They’ll chat about issues, a great verbal feast.
“A verbal feast is the thing I can’t stand in the least!”
“And then they’ll do something I hate most of all!
“Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
“Will stand close together, the squat and the lank,
“They’ll stand hand-in-hand. And the speakers they’ll thank!”
“They’ll thank! And they’ll thank! Oh the praises they’ll sing.”
And the more the Grinch thought of the Who’s Praising Sing,
The more the Grinch thought, “I must stop this whole thing!”
“Why for fifty-three years I’ve put up with it now!
“I must stop those speeches from coming! But how?”
Then he got an idea! An awful idea!
THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!
“I know just what to do!” the Grinch laughed with a hoot.
“I’ll make a professional speaker-type suit.”
And he sewed up some cloth with some threads on some bobbins.
“With this coat and this tie, I’ll look like Tony Robbins!”
Then the Grinch climbed his sleigh, and the sleigh started down
Toward the homes where the Whos lay a-snooze in their town.
The stage was all dark. All the Whos were in bed.
All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams about TED.
The steps to the platform he climbed inch by inch,
For if Tony could do it, then so could the Grinch.
The little Who lecterns all stood in a row.
“These lecterns,” he grinned, “are the first things to go!”
Then he slithered and slunk, on his Stop-Speech-Crusade,
Around the whole stage, he took each speaking aid!
Flip charts and handouts back from the print shop.
Markers and Post-Its and all of the props!
And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, with a grin,
Took the bags to his sleigh and he stuffed them all in.
And then he returned and he took down the lights!
He took down the prompters! He took all the mikes!
He cleaned out that stage from the bottom straight up.
Why, that Grinch even took all the water and cups.
Then he stuffed all his loot in his sleigh, the old schemer.
“And now,” said the Grinch, “I will stuff in the beamer!”
And the Grinch grabbed the beamer, and started to shove
When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove.
He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who!
Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two.
She stared at the Grinch and said, “Tony Robbins, oh why,
“Why are you taking our beamer home? WHY?”
But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!
“Why, my sweet little tot,” the fake Tony lied,
“There’s a light on this beamer that won’t light your slides.”
“So I’m taking it home to my workshop,” he grinned.
“And I’ll fix it by ‘Awakening the Giant Within’.”
And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head
And he said, “Live with passion!” and put her to bed.
And when Cindy-Lou Who was tucked up to her chin,
He took the Whos’ beamer and stuffed it right in!
It was quarter past dawn. All the Whos, still a-bed.
All the Whos, still a-snooze when he packed up his sled.
Ten thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Crumpit,
He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!
“Pooh-pooh to the Whos!” he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
“They’re finding out no Christmas speeches are coming!
“They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!
“Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
“Then all the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!”
“That’s a noise,” grinned the Grinch, “That I simply must hear!”
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.
But the sound wasn’t sad!
Why, this sound sounded glad!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was speaking! Without any equipment at all!
He hadn’t stopped speeches from coming! They came!
Somehow or other, they came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so?”
“It came without PowerPoint, Keynote and more!
“It came without gifts from the Toastmasters store!”
And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!
Maybe speaking, he thought, just needs good preparation.
And delivery with heart and with full dedication.
And what happened then? Well, in Who-ville they say,
That the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!
And then the true meaning of speaking came through,
And the Grinch found the words of ten speakers, plus two.
And now that he no longer felt his stage fright,
He whizzed down to Who-ville to put things back right.
With a smile in his soul and a speech in his mind,
He came back and left his speech hating behind.
He rode into Who-ville, no longer a looter.
He brought back their beamer and MacBook computer.
He brought back their lecterns, their curtains, their lights,
He brought back their flipcharts, exhibits and mikes.
He brought everything back for the great verbal feast.
And he … he himself … the Grinch … gave the first speech!
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636 - 1711) French Poet and Literary Critic
“What is conceived well is expressed clearly.”
Yes, it is snowing on this blog. (Either that or Martin, Barack, Winston and John have a bad case of dandruff.)
Just a little feature that WordPress allows its bloggers to add at this time of the year. Hey, why not? It’s a nice touch and Christmas is coming. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Sometimes, there are nuggets of gold to be mined in the briefest of words. Today, I introduce a new feature on this blog: quotes on public speaking. My plan is simply to let you have the quote and take from it what you will without additional comment from me. This will keep the posts short (and allow me, every now and then, to get away with not having to write a long piece!).
The quotes might be serious; they might be humorous; they might be bizarre; but they will all have something to do with public speaking. Do you agree with them? Why or why not? Do you have any other insights? Share your thoughts!
To start us off, I have chosen one of the legends of wit and a fabulous raconteur of stories: Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.
Samuel Clemens / Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) American Author and Humorist
“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”
Following my victories at the Toastmasters District Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests in Hamburg, many people have asked me how I go about preparing for a contest. In particular, they have asked how I crafted my humorous speech once I got the idea for the subject. I’ve given the matter some thought and decided that a good way to explain might be to analyze the speech here on my blog.
Below I have set out the final written version of my speech with comments added. Black is the text of the speech; red is commentary that gives some insight into why I wrote something a certain way when drafting the speech; blue is additional commentary, particularly things that were going through my mind while on stage.
For those of you who wish to compete in a contest or just give a humorous speech, I hope that this analysis is helpful and that you come away with some ideas and inspiration for your own speeches.
Before reading further, I recommend that you watch the video of my speech which can be found by clicking the link above in this paragraph or going to the post immediately below this one. Then read the analysis. You might also find it helpful to watch the video a second time and follow with the text.
———
A Way Out
(Note that the Contest Chair finished the introduction at 0:15. Yet I did not start the speech for another 9 or 10 seconds. Always wait for the Contest Chair to be seated before beginning. Time does not start until you speak; you get a few more seconds to get used to the setting; and you look poised.)
In 1697, the English playwright William Congreve wrote those famous words: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” (Starting with a quote is a classic way of opening any speech. This one was particularly good given the subject.) Today … not much has changed. (The pause after “today” is important. It sets up the light humour that follows and did get a chuckle.)
A year ago, I was having a beer with two friends. (Note that I did not give any introduction. I go straight to a story.) We were depressed. My first friend spoke, “Last night my wife and I had a big fight and when it was over she locked me out of the bedroom.”
My other friend said, “Last night my wife and I had a big fight and when it was over she locked me out of the house!”
I looked at them, “Last night my wife and I had a big fight and when it was over she came crawling to me on her hands and knees.” My friends were astounded. “That’s incredible! What did she say?”
(A few points about the last three paragraphs: (1) Repetition of the phrase “Last night my wife and I had a big fight”. Repetition is a powerful technique, especially in humorous speaking. (2) Escalation: locked out of the bedroom; locked out of the house . . . it gets people wondering what I will say that will top that. (3) Surprise on the last point – she came crawling on her hands and knees. This is so unexpected that it is funny. But in fact, it is only a set up for what follows, which is even more unexpected.)
She said, “You can’t hide under that bed all night you coward! Come out and fight like a man!” (This was the perfect place for my biggest physical gesture of the speech.) (I got a good reaction to this line and while I was still on the floor, I was thinking “They are into it, which is great, but watch your time!” For the contest, I had a maximum of 7:30. One second more and I would be disqualified.)
Contest chair, fellow Toastmasters, and all you men out there who know just how tight it is under a bed. (Playing on the joke about the bed.)
For centuries, (links back to the 1697 quote by Congreve) we men have been powerless in the face of a woman’s fury. Our logic is shot down; our arguments are ground into dust; our reasoning melts like butter on toast. (Another set of three, each with a different gesture and each using a vivid metaphor or simile.) (Note the mistake when I tripped up on the word “logic”. I had started to say “reasoning” and should have just continued with it and used “logic” next. The correction was not major but could have been avoided. Often when you make a mistake, your audience will not notice it – unless you correct yourself like I did!) We’ve had no defence. We’ve found no way out. (Linking back to the title of the speech.) Until now. (This last line creates a bit of suspense about what is to follow.)
That night, after the beer with my friends, I lay in bed pondering our predicament. I mean on top of the bed. (Again, playing on the joke about being under the bed.) Where did we go wrong? What was our mistake?
Then it occurred to me. Maybe men aren’t the problem. Maybe women just don’t know how to argue properly! Maybe all they need is a little direction. (This is where the audience gets the first clear idea of where the speech is going.)
But how to give it? Then I had a mad idea. At Toastmasters, we evaluate each other all the time. The next time my wife got angry, I’d evaluate her. (One of the keys to delivering a good humorous speech is to pick a topic with which everyone can identify. I had already set the stage for the age old subject of conflict between men and women, but here I added a second element, Toastmasters, because most of the 300 people in the audience were members of Toastmasters. So now I had two hooks that brought together two subjects with which the audience could identify. Of course, the idea of evaluating your spouse when she is fuming is outlandish, but that is what made the speech funny. I took a common event – speech evaluations – and applied it in an uncommon way.)
I was able to test my theory the following week. I’d gone out, lost track of time and came home very late. And I forgot to call. When I opened the door, she was waiting.
“Have you lost your mind?” (A chance for some vocal variety and gesturing.) And she proceeded to tear into me for 10 minutes. (Emphasizing the 10 minutes with my hands was intentional. Later, I come back to the 10 minutes with a good line and having the audience remember the time is important for setting up the laugh.) I watched, I listened, I took notes. (There is something about the “rule of 3″ in humorous speaking. People just find it funny. The idea is to have three sentences or phrases, each with the same cadence or rhythm. But where the first two are serious, the third is unexpected. Think of phrases like “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” or “I came, I saw, I conquered” or others. How could you change the last item to make the whole thing funny? Here, it is one thing to watch and listen to your spouse when she is angry. But to take notes? It was so outrageous that it got a huge laugh.) (I got a bigger laugh on this than I expected – 9 seconds – and this confirmed my earlier concerns. I realized that I was at risk of going overtime. It was here that I made the decision to cut certain bits out. You will see where. In the end, I finished in just under 7 minutes and so had 30 seconds to spare. Still, much better to be in that situation and be able to finish leisurely than to see that red light flashing and have to rush the conclusion.)
When she finished, she looked at me: “Well, what do you have to say for yourself?”
I took a deep breath and began: (This is one of my favourite lines in the speech. But it got no laughs and I did not expect any. It was a transition line. So why was it one of my favourites? One of the best things you can do on stage for your voice is to breathe. It gets the blood flowing and relaxes you. I realized that I had the chance to work in a line that fit perfectly and that would actually allow me to take a really deep breath and have it look completely normal for the occasion. So I took the deepest breath I could and immediately felt refreshed for the second half of the speech.)
Honey, that was a terrific performance. (I should have paused more here.) Great content and delivered with lots of emotion. I really enjoyed it. I’m going to tell you some things that I particularly liked (I was all set to keep going, but I caught myself in time to let the laughter run.) and then I’ll point out some areas where I think you could improve. (Playing on a common opening in a Toastmasters evaluation.) (Here I got laughs and applause. Laughter is great; applause is even better. There was no way I was going to stop it, so I let it run and kept thinking about where I could make cuts.)
Your opening was terrific. You asked a provocative question: Have I lost my mind? It’s been said that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and I certainly don’t want to waste mine let alone lose it. I was intrigued and wanted to hear more.
Second, your facial expressions were fantastic! At one point, your eyes were bulging out to here. (I should have paused more here.) I thought your head was going to burst into flames. Well done. (I cut the last sentence.)
Finally, (I’ll let you in on a secret. I actually blanked here for a couple of seconds. I could not think of the next line. But this is a good example of the power of pauses. The word “finally” lends itself naturally to a pause because it signals that something is coming. I took advantage of that, and of the last bits of laughter from the previous line, to look down, find the point and continue. It happens very fast, but on stage it felt as though time had stopped while I was trying to think of the line. I suppose adrenaline will do that to you.) excellent use of props. When you threw that dish at my head … I was engaged. (The pauses after “props” and “head” were planned. The pauses here really make the joke as they let the audience visualize the moment.) You had my attention. (I cut the last sentence.)
Now, how could you make that diatribe even more effective? (I should have paused more here.) I have three suggestions.
First, stay on topic. You were berating me for staying out so late and that was good. But you got off track and started complaining about my job, my friends, the way I leave my dirty socks on the floor. I found it a bit confusing. Leonardo da Vinci (I could not remember da Vinci and so went straight to the “simplicity” point) said that the simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, so remember to keep your message simple and stay on topic.
Second, use more vocal variety. You screamed the whole time. (The laughs were great. People got the point. No need to expand so I cut the next two sentences.) You need to lower your voice now and then. It’s much more effective and also easier on your listeners.
Finally, the time. Ten minutes is too long. (Coming back to my earlier point about emphasizing the time.) When we’re angry, we see red, so you probably didn’t notice this card after 7 minutes. (This worked very well as all Toastmasters know what it is like to see the red card or light when giving a speech. But what made the joke even better was that nobody expected me to pull something out of my jacket. Props are great; to the extent that you can keep them hidden until you use them – which is sometimes just not possible – you get the bonus of a surprise.) But as speakers we must stop talking before our audience stops listening. (I cut the next line; the previous sentence was funny enough without it.) I can only absorb so much, so when you see this card, you need wrap up and move on.
But overall, a great performance and I look forward to our next fight. (A play on the well know “I look forward to your next speech”.)
My wife looked at me with this odd expression and then said: “Um, OK. Are you coming to bed?”
Was this for real? I told my two friends. They tried it and it worked for them too!
I was like a caveman who had discovered fire; an alchemist who had invented gold; a prisoner who had found … a way out! (Both a triple and again linking back to the title of the speech.)
This discovery had to be shared with men everywhere. But how? Again, Toastmasters provided the answer. (Continuing with the theme of Toastmasters.)
Six months ago I chartered a special club for couples only: Me Tarzan, You Jane Toastmasters. The women give all the speeches and the men do all the evaluations. It is thriving. (In earlier versions of the speech, I formed three clubs and they were for men only. But I wasn’t happy with the structure. I much prefer the single club for couples approach as it flow better with the core idea of the speech.)
The men are delighted that the women are getting to the point in less than seven minutes. The women are thrilled that the men are listening.
Those couples that complete the programme will receive their DCA – Distinguished Couple Award. And, like the DTMs in mainstream Toastmasters, they too will have the privilege of being able to wear a shiny gold badge the size of a flat screen TV. (A final play on some well known aspects of Toastmasters and a good-natured ribbing of our DTMs who have reached the pinnacle of Toastmasters success. (The badges are big!))
So guys, the next time your spouse or partner gets angry, there is a way out and it’s not under your bed. Listen to her. Evaluate what she’s saying. And never forget that she just might have a point. (A humorous speech is particularly effective if there is a serious message in it. I wanted to get across the idea that, in fact, we should listen to our partners when they are angry and that they are sometimes right. In previous versions of the speech I had a much more syrupy ending: my wife and did not, in fact, talk to each other that way; we love and respect each other; we listen to each other; and so in that respect, we are like Toastmasters. But I was not happy with it as it brought the whole speech down after all the fun to that point. So, with some great insights from my friends and fellow Toastmasters Alistair Scott (Lausanne Toastmasters), Ben Parsons and Kevin McKenna (both of International Geneva Toastmasters), I reworked the ending, making it shorter and much cleaner.)
———
So there you have it. My take on my speech. I hope it helps and welcome any comments or questions that you might have. And I wish you the best of luck with your next humorous speech!
OK, I am back from the District 59 Toastmasters Conference in Hamburg, Germany. The conference was held in the Empire Riverside Hotel, just off the Reeperbahn, which made for a unique venue.
As usual, it was a great time. The best part about the weekend was the people. This was my fourth District Conference and it was great to see other Toastmasters from around Europe who have now become good friends. You learn a lot during these weekends and I encourage Toastmasters who have not been to a District Conference to try to attend one in the future. As I said in a previous post, they add a whole new dimension to the Toastmasters experience.
As for the contests, well, I had a good weekend as it turned out. Representing the International Geneva Toastmasters, I placed first in both the Humorous Speech Contest and the Table Topics (impromptu speaking) Contest. Sometimes everything just clicks and this was one of those times. A good thing too as the competition was terrific.
My congratulations to my fellow competitors, especially (a) Claude Desroches (Berlin Toastmasters) and Peter Zinn (Utrecht Toastmasters) who took, respectively, second and third in Table Topics; and (b) Paul Rulkens (Eindhoven Toastmasters) and Lena Fredriksson (Gothenburg Toastmasters) who took, respectively, second and third in the Humorous Speech Contest.
The conference featured top speakers from 18 countries in Continental Europe. There were contests in English, French and German and also some great educational sessions. And of course, there was the gala dinner and dance which went on well into the night.
Here is my humorous speech. I had tremendous fun giving it and the audience was just great. Almost too great! They laughed so much in some places that I was afraid that I would run out of time! For those interested in competing in a humorous speech contest, I will try to analyze the speech in an upcoming post to give you my thoughts on how I constructed it. Meanwhile, enjoy!
Tomorrow I am off to the Toastmasters District 59 Conference in Hamburg. I will be competing in the Humorous Speech Contest and the Table Topics (impromptu speaking) Contest. I am looking forward to the competitions; however, the best part will be seeing old friends and making new ones. Toastmasters people are terrific.
Planning to be in Hamburg this weekend? If so, consider dropping by to hear some great speeches and have a lot of fun. Full details can be found here.
