International Speech Contest |
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I first entered the international speech contest in 2002.I made a good run, finishing second at the district level; moreover, speaking in front of a district-sized audience was a tremendous rush, and I was hooked. So, I kept entering, and on my fourth try, in 2008, I progressed all the way to the World Championship of Public Speaking at the international convention in Calgary. As I prepared for the finals, I came to realize just how much I'd learned over the years about writing a good speech. So, here I'd like to share what I've learned about writing an effective, (hopefully) winning contest speech. |
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How to Write a Speech for the International Speech Contest Toastmasters holds several speech contests each year, but the International Speech Contest is the big one! While the others top out at the District level, International starts with around 25,000 entrants and whittles them via six levels (Club, Area, Division, District, Region, International) to one World Champion of Public Speaking. If you are thinking of entering, congratulations! It can be quite a rush. So, now you have to figure out - what are your goals, and how are you going to get there? The Wrong Question Many people enter this contest with the wrong question in mind, asking “What Do The Judges Want?” This is, admittedly, an intriguing question, especially given that there is something of a Toastmasters mythology about what topics do and do not work for the speech contest. Still, this is the wrong question to start with. Practically speaking, judges are a very heterogeneous group. It's very difficult to predict "what they want". Plus, they might not even know what they want - and you might be the one to redefine it by breaking the mold. Moreover, when you get up on any stage, you should be speaking for the audience’s benefit, not just for the judges.
What do I want the audience to get out of this speech? As I prepared for the WCPS final, Darren LaCroix (WCPS Champion, 2001) repeatedly told me, “This is not about you – it’s about the audience.” So, as you think about your speech, you want to ask yourself what it is that you want the audience to take away from it. There are a number of different things you might ask yourself:
You have to have some sort of audience-centered goal. Your speech cannot simply be you telling a story without there being something in it for the audience. So, before you set out to write your speech, you have to figure out what the audience is going to get out of it. What do you want to get out of this? The speech contest is also a potentially huge growth exercise. I came to Toastmasters as an experienced classroom speaker, but the contests really took me out of my comfort zone and challenged me. MY 2008 run to the WCPS final forced me to learn more about both speaking and about my own capabilities than I'd ever expected. So, it’s worthwhile for you to ask yourself how you are hoping to grow from this exercise as a speaker, and as an individual. Your Main Guide - The Ballot In terms of the contest, think not in terms of judges, but in terms of the ballot. Many contestants don't realize that the ballot is just a guide, and that judges do not need to strictly adhere to the scoring criteria therein. Practically speaking, though, most of them will do exactly that. And that's generally a good thing, because it keeps judges from being dazzled by a speaker who is conspicuous and excels in one area, but who may be deficient in several others. If you've ever been to a contest whee the audience seemed puzzled by the choice of winner, chances are that this is the reason - they were distracted by a very conspicuous presentation, but perhaps missed its deficiencies. The ballot rewards speakers who demonstrate a comprehensive skill set. The ballot does allow a lot of subjective judgment. However, attention to the ballot can help you understand why sometimes the speech you remember most isn’t necessarily the one that wins. Below I'm going to outline the ballot criteria, with a few comments of my own. The Ballot on Content
Be sure to think about all of these. Many people think a contest speech has to be "motivational" or "uplifting," but really the main thing is that it needs to be of value to the audience, effective toward that end, and well developed to get them whee you want them to go. Most importantly, in my experience, a speech needs to make the audience feel something. Coming up with your core message is the most important step in speechwriting. Darren LaCroix and Jim Key both told me that I should be able to summarize my key message into 10 words or less, and that's a good reflection of the clarity of your point. Within the speech, you should challenge your audience to think about how your message relates to their lives, and moreover, give them time to think about this. Your approach to this can be implicit or explicit, but however you approach it, it should be clear, well-developed, and meaningful. In online discussion with 2003 World Champion Jim Key, he has told me:
These are good points to keep in mind. Use humor, but bear in mind this is not a humorous speech contest. Aim to educate and entertain. Speech Structure As noted above, the ballot emphasizes being clear of purpose, and that the speech should be a "unified whole". Clarity of structure allows you to guide your audience on your journey. If they get confused, they will lose your message and will step out of the role of audience member, and into the role of speech critic. Your structure will help define their experience. There's no single structure that is definitive, but the rules of structure that seem to work best are:
Delivery Consider this statement, from one of my classroom psychology lectures:
Imagine it delivered by two people - first, as delivered by the most boring professor in the world. Then, imagine it again, as delivered by a professor who is dynamic, dramatic, and really cares about her material. From this exercise you should learn that it’s important to think about how you deliver every sentence. This is not to say that every sentence should be delivered with maximum drama; rather, just remember that there are no throwaway sentences; every sentence is important, every sentence can benefit from thoughtful consideration as to its delivery. The ballot has the following points on delivery:
What can you do physically? Move around – but not excessively! Be aware of your speaking area, and use the entire speaking area, addressing the whole audience. Videotape your rehearsals and performances - this will help you realize that sometimes what the audience sees is different from what you think they see.
Think here about your pauses, tone and pace.A great contest speech is often like a rollercoaster ride - you lift the audience up and down, around corners in directions they never expected. You steer them using your delivery. But like any good rollercoaster, don't forget to slow down sometimes, to let people catch their breat and absorb the experience. Darren LaCroix emphasizes the use of pauses to let the audience think and absorb your points. Be willing to stop talking and give the audience a moment to learn and reflect.
Don’t just let the audience hear a speech, let them experience you as a speaker. Your confidence and enthusiasm send the message that your message should be as exciting to them as it is to you. You have to really believe in your message and be sincere. This is why it's important to set the audience as your starting point for your message. If you start out trying to figure out how to game the contest by figuring out "what the judges want", you will ultimately come undone, because there's no sincerity in that approach. Language Language is the smallest component of the point scoring on the ballot, but it may be the easiest place to lose a few points, or to set yourself apart to gain points. The higher the level of the contest, the more likely that the top speakers will only be separated by a point or two. If that's the case, then being precise and thoughtful in choice of language may be what sets apart the winner. The ballot on addresses the following points on language:
Does your club have a member who's an absolute stickler on grammar? That's the person you want to please here. Have someone who’s grammatically knowledgeable listen to your speech a few times, to catch things you might not notice. Day-to-day spoken language is often littered with grammatical errors that we don't notice. You want to make sure that you are aware of your own tendencies here, and that you don't make such lapses within the speech. Try to develop a few powerful turns of phrase, things you want the audience to remember. This is not a matter of complex wording, often quite the opposite. It's tempting to imagine yourself reeling off flowery, eloquent verbal prose, but straightforward wording can pack real power, as we learn from some of the great speeches in history:
All of these famous examples are short, powerful, and delivered in simple, clear language. The above is important as you think about your main points, but that's not to say you shouldn't try to paint verbal pictures for your audience. As a language exercise, think about the following sentence, and change the language to make it tell more of a story, to make it more vivid, to help the audience feel what Geoarge feels:
If you do this kind of exercise several times, you come to realize how a sequence of events that seems simple can be instilled with imagery, drama or humor - or all of these things. This is an exercise you can then apply to your own speech, to punch it up and turn stories into scenes, turn narratives into experiences. So, What Else? Practice Jim Key practiced at 20+ clubs for each of regional and international levels, and “hundreds of times privately”. Darren LaCroix has said, "I knew I was not the most talented; not the best speaker in the world. But, I thought, I can be the best prepared." One thing you must figure out is where your "sweet spot" is for practice -a point where you have enough practice to know the speech, but not too much that you feel frozen into one sequence of words. On the day of your speech you want to know it inside and out, but still enjoy fluidity of delivery. Over time you'll develop a feel for this. It's also important to deliver your speech in front of practice audiences if you can, because none of us knows everything about audience response. In my District speech in 2008 I had a turn of phrase that I dearly loved, and that no audience ever laughed at. On the flipside, in Mark Brown's 1995 World Championship speech he had one line that brought down the house - except, neither he nor his coach, 1990 champion David Brooks, had anticipated such a response. Even the best speakers don't anticipate everything! Learn If this is truly about growth for you, then by the end you should be doing something new or doing something differently than you did before. So, this is an opportunity to observe others and learn from them. Ask yourself, what do you remember from the best contest speeches you've heard? What do you remember from the best speeches you’ve heard outside Toastmasters? What do the best speakers do? It helps to lay hands on DVDs of past contests, but beware - it can be tempting to measure yourself against past champions, and that's a very high bar indeed. Watch speeches, watch people, and try some things out that you've never done before. And on the day... Have fun! Drink plenty of water to avoid dry mouth (a lesson of my own experience), figure out how you're going to make sure your energy level is high right when it's your turn to speak, watch and enjoy the other speakers. Don't worry about speaking order - it's more mythology than reality (it's not irrelevant, but its effect is very inconsistent. And when it's finally your turn stride on to the stage with a spring in your step, enjoy the rush, and walk off seven minutes later with a smile, a new experience, and no regrets! |
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