Singing Your Way to a Great Speech !

Guy Kawasaki, former Apple evangelist and now a famous blogger & author, posted a great list of ways for improving your speaking performance based on ideas from his buddy Doug Lawrence...

The 15 ways to make your speech a work of "Performance Art"...
1) Circulate with your audience.
2) Command attention.
3) Snarl.
4) Bite your tongue.
5) Check your Equipment.
6) Use your eyes all the time.
7) Move away from center to make your point.
8) Get quiet.
9) “Underline” certain words with a pause or repetition.
10) Take a risk and be vulnerable.
11) Tee it higher.
12) Know when to go.
13) Use Q and A as an “encore.”
14) Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
15) Perform for a hero.

Click here to visit Guy's blog and read the explanation for each one !

http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/06/speaking_as_a_p.html

Another contest ... outside of Toastmasters!

This post by Guy Kawasaki (one of my favorite authors & bloggers) tells about a Presentation Contest. While this contest is in no way related to the Spring Contests being conducted by Toastmaster, it could be a good opportunity for a Toastmaster to leverage the skills you learned in your club ! If you decide to enter, please let us know how it goes (in our comment section below). Better yet... send us a copy of your presentation so we can give you feedback !

On a related (Contest) topic.... The new Advanced Club in Division A is hosting a [completely un-sanctioned] inter-District speech contest on Thursday April 19th at the Ridgefield Library at 7:15pm. The contest will feature the winners of the International Speech Contest from Div.A and Div.D (if they elect to participate) and Div. G from District 46 (NY/NJ). Everyone is invited and there is no charge. Please let us know if you will be attending by sending an email to theshot92@gmail.com (Dave)!

Hope to see you at the "Battle of The Border" contest event !