I'm going to deviate from the original purpose of this blog by posting about public speaking instead of sharing stories. I joined Toastmasters International back in 2003 and they helped me a lot in learning how to speak in front of an audience. I am an introvert by nature but becoming a public speaker helped me make better presentations, how to conduct seminars and workshops, and accept speaking engagements. This series is intended for those fledgling speakers out there who are just starting or those who already have some experience but want to improve.
Just as a backgrounder regarding my experience. I joined Toastmasters in September 2003 but, even after joining, I didn't pluck up the courage to deliver my first speech until January 2005. How's that for being nervous? 😀
Conquering that fear, unfortunately, was only half the battle. You can get up in front of people and speak with confidence but if you can't connect with the audience, if you don't hold their attention, and if you don't touch them with your words, you might as well speak in front of a pile of rocks. So, learning how to speak is the other half of becoming a public speaker.
- choosing your speech topic;
- getting over the fear of speaking in front of people;
- organizing your speech;
- speaking with passion;
- using words;
- using gestures;
- using your voice;
- using props; and
- inspiring people.
I'm not sharing this in my facebook page simply because I'm going to convert this to a video series. If people read this by chance, that's fine. Some people prefer reading to watching so these posts will be perfect for them.
