9 JULY 2009 THURSDAY
AIA CHANGI TMC
Project Evaluation for AP5 Speech
from The Entertaining Speaker manual
SPEAKER: Cheng Jia Yi
Introduction:
You are the very embodiment of your speech title, ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. Looking at your petite and demure appearance, who would have thought you could be so entertaining as well?
Strengths: (using the acronym AIA)
A ANTICIPATION
By telling the audience “The next thing I am going to show you will be a feast for your eyes!”, you used a teaser to create anticipation. That attracts the listeners’ attention and keeps them at the edge of their seats. An excellent move!
I IMPECCABLE USE OF LANGUAGE
I was immensely impressed by your impeccable use of the language. You incorporated various rhetorical devices such as metaphors, alliteration, triads and parallel structure. Examples included ‘tall and thin’, ‘slim, sleek and slender’, ‘emanate an aura of sophistication; exude an air of elegance’.
A AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
You asked the audience relevant questions such as “What do you think is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 ladies?” and “Why do ladies wear heels?” and gave them time to respond. In so doing, you keep the audience involved and interested and built rapport with them as well.
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym PIE)
P PRACTICE
As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect’. Rehearse your speech so well that you will not forget your lines. When you forget and freeze, it detracts from the power of your speech.
I IGNORE HECKLERS
Ignore hecklers who jive (talk rubbish). If you can give a comeback, great; if not, just ignore them and move on with your speech. Otherwise you may lose your train of thought or waste precious time.
E EXAGGERATE YOUR EXPRESSIONS
Exaggerate your expressions to up the entertainment value of the speech. You sounded quite serious at times so lighten up a bit more.
In conclusion, leverage on your strengths in AIA, and work on the areas represented by PIE, and you will be on the superhighway to success as an entertaining speaker.
Once again, acronyms saved the day. Voted Best Evaluator. Best advertisement for the upcoming Humorous Speech & Evaluation workshop which I will be presenting with Wee Meng.
GEMS:
Stretch out your wings and fly towards the dreams that await you.
(from Ma Luz's P1 speech)
P1 speaker Ma Luz Bondoc is a mother of seven (5 girls and 2 boys), aged 1 to 18, and she still looks slim, svelte and stunningly beautiful! Simply amazing!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Evaluation of P1 Speech at Marine Parade TMC
19 JUNE 2009 FRIDAY
MARINE PARADE TMC
Project Evaluation of P1 speech:
Strengths of the speaker:
(1) Fluency
(2) Good language use e.g. flamboyant, arduous
(3) Well-organised: speech followed chronological order of life events from birth, family, studies to marriage and toastmasters
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym ACE)
A Attention-grabbing speech title – keep it short and sweet
Avoid preamble – “This is my first project.. There is nothing special about me…” Launch straight into your speech and don’t put yourself down!
C Conclusion – End on a strong note, for example, use a quotation or share words of inspiration.
E Expression of emotions – only smiled twice during the speech, otherwise deadpan expression. Express anxiety when talking about ‘tough years’, express delight when talking about an ‘exhilirating experience’.
Voted Best Evaluator for the evening. I like the use of acronym for my points. Makes it easy for me to remember them. I believe the audience likes it too!
GEMS:
Speak clearly, correctly and creatively.
(alliteration, assonance and triad - a 3-in-1 rhetorical device. Powerful!)
Be insatiable in learning; be tireless in teaching.
(Use of parallel structure. Beautiful!)
From LE DTM Richard Sng
MARINE PARADE TMC
Project Evaluation of P1 speech:
Strengths of the speaker:
(1) Fluency
(2) Good language use e.g. flamboyant, arduous
(3) Well-organised: speech followed chronological order of life events from birth, family, studies to marriage and toastmasters
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym ACE)
A Attention-grabbing speech title – keep it short and sweet
Avoid preamble – “This is my first project.. There is nothing special about me…” Launch straight into your speech and don’t put yourself down!
C Conclusion – End on a strong note, for example, use a quotation or share words of inspiration.
E Expression of emotions – only smiled twice during the speech, otherwise deadpan expression. Express anxiety when talking about ‘tough years’, express delight when talking about an ‘exhilirating experience’.
Voted Best Evaluator for the evening. I like the use of acronym for my points. Makes it easy for me to remember them. I believe the audience likes it too!
GEMS:
Speak clearly, correctly and creatively.
(alliteration, assonance and triad - a 3-in-1 rhetorical device. Powerful!)
Be insatiable in learning; be tireless in teaching.
(Use of parallel structure. Beautiful!)
From LE DTM Richard Sng
LE @ NUSA
12 DEC 2008
LE @ NUSA TMC
Advice to the audience: Use the correct words, use words correctly.
A beautiful example of parallel structure presented by the club President in his opening address:
One brick at a time, a house is built;
One stroke at a time, a masterpiece is painted;
One speech at a time, a competent communicator is born.
LE @ NUSA TMC
Advice to the audience: Use the correct words, use words correctly.
A beautiful example of parallel structure presented by the club President in his opening address:
One brick at a time, a house is built;
One stroke at a time, a masterpiece is painted;
One speech at a time, a competent communicator is born.
The Power of Repetition
Speaking to Inform
Advanced Project 1: Speech to Inform
Presented at AIA Changi TMC on 11 December 2008
Time taken: 7 minutes and 32 seconds
Evaluator: Pradeep Kumar
"The Power of Repetition"
4th November 2008 was a historic moment for America when Barack Obama was voted in as the 1st black President of the United States of America. How many of you have heard or read Obama’s Acceptance Speech? What is the one phrase he repeated several times during his speech? YES WE CAN! And he repeated it not 3 times, not 5 times but 7 times!
Good evening, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, there is power in repetition when it comes to public speaking. When your mother repeats, it’s called nagging; when an orator repeats, it’s called impact. Famous orators such as Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill use repetition extensively in their speeches. Why? To create emphasis, beauty and impact.
Tonight, I will share with you 3 rhetorical devices on repetition that you can incorporate in your future speeches to create impact and help your audience remember your key message better. And I will also show you examples from famous speeches for each of the rhetorical device.
The first rhetorical device is anaphora, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences.
Let us look at this example from a speech by Sir Winston Churchill in his report to the House of Commons in 1940:
“..we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill
11 times, he repeated the phrase “we shall” to emphasis their commitment to win the war, no matter what. The repetition here has a rousing effect, which helps to instill confidence in his audience.
The second example is from the historic public speech by Martin Luther King Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, this speech is often considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “…that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice… will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."
King repeats the refrain “I have a dream” 8 times in his speech. This is not the only instance of anaphora in his speech. In fact he uses this device at least 8 times throughout his speech.
The second rhetorical device is epistrophe, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
Let's look at two examples. "With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” - Martin Luther King Jr
“… more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth.” - Obama
The third one is antimetabole (an-ti-me-ta-bo-le), which refers to reversing the order of repeated words or phrases in the form AB-BA.
Two famous examples come from John F Kennedy's Inaugural address:
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." and
“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”
Do you know you can even use antimetabole to create humour? I once heard someone say: "To be kissed by a fool is stupid; to be fooled by a kiss is worse."
Conclusion
Research has shown that when we don’t review what we have learned, we forget 50% of it by the next day. If you do not repeat your message to your audience, you can be sure they will forget 100% of it. So remember, use anaphora, epistrophe and antimetabole to repeat key phrases and most importantly, your key message to the audience. Repeat for emphasis, repeat for impact. Harness the power of repetition in your future speeches and you will be able to speak with greater impact!
Comments:
Went overtime by 2 minutes. Fumbled with the slide remote control for a few minutes because I forgot to switch the device on.
Next time I present a speech with powerpoint slides, I shall switch on the remote control and ensure the first slide is on the screen before I start speaking. Press B to blackout the image on the screen.
Advanced Project 1: Speech to Inform
Presented at AIA Changi TMC on 11 December 2008
Time taken: 7 minutes and 32 seconds
Evaluator: Pradeep Kumar
"The Power of Repetition"
4th November 2008 was a historic moment for America when Barack Obama was voted in as the 1st black President of the United States of America. How many of you have heard or read Obama’s Acceptance Speech? What is the one phrase he repeated several times during his speech? YES WE CAN! And he repeated it not 3 times, not 5 times but 7 times!
Good evening, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, there is power in repetition when it comes to public speaking. When your mother repeats, it’s called nagging; when an orator repeats, it’s called impact. Famous orators such as Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill use repetition extensively in their speeches. Why? To create emphasis, beauty and impact.
Tonight, I will share with you 3 rhetorical devices on repetition that you can incorporate in your future speeches to create impact and help your audience remember your key message better. And I will also show you examples from famous speeches for each of the rhetorical device.
The first rhetorical device is anaphora, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences.
Let us look at this example from a speech by Sir Winston Churchill in his report to the House of Commons in 1940:
“..we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill
11 times, he repeated the phrase “we shall” to emphasis their commitment to win the war, no matter what. The repetition here has a rousing effect, which helps to instill confidence in his audience.
The second example is from the historic public speech by Martin Luther King Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, this speech is often considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “…that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice… will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."
King repeats the refrain “I have a dream” 8 times in his speech. This is not the only instance of anaphora in his speech. In fact he uses this device at least 8 times throughout his speech.
The second rhetorical device is epistrophe, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
Let's look at two examples. "With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” - Martin Luther King Jr
“… more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth.” - Obama
The third one is antimetabole (an-ti-me-ta-bo-le), which refers to reversing the order of repeated words or phrases in the form AB-BA.
Two famous examples come from John F Kennedy's Inaugural address:
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." and
“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”
Do you know you can even use antimetabole to create humour? I once heard someone say: "To be kissed by a fool is stupid; to be fooled by a kiss is worse."
Conclusion
Research has shown that when we don’t review what we have learned, we forget 50% of it by the next day. If you do not repeat your message to your audience, you can be sure they will forget 100% of it. So remember, use anaphora, epistrophe and antimetabole to repeat key phrases and most importantly, your key message to the audience. Repeat for emphasis, repeat for impact. Harness the power of repetition in your future speeches and you will be able to speak with greater impact!
Comments:
Went overtime by 2 minutes. Fumbled with the slide remote control for a few minutes because I forgot to switch the device on.
Next time I present a speech with powerpoint slides, I shall switch on the remote control and ensure the first slide is on the screen before I start speaking. Press B to blackout the image on the screen.
Monday, July 27, 2009
SPEAK WITH IMPACT WORKSHOP ON 6 DEC 2008
jointly presented by Patrick Chang & Joni Siah
1. Dress to Impress
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 6 seconds even before you open your mouth. Therefore, dress to impress.
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 3 minutes after you open your mouth.
Therefore, have an attention-grabbing introduction.
2. Workshop notes
I did not give the audience any notes till after the presentation. Patrick says he's the kind of learner who will feel lost without notes. He suggests preparing notes for the audience with lots of blanks for them to fill in. That way they can follow what you're saying yet not pre-empt what you're going to say. What a brilliant idea! I shall try that for my next workshop.
jointly presented by Patrick Chang & Joni Siah
1. Dress to Impress
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 6 seconds even before you open your mouth. Therefore, dress to impress.
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 3 minutes after you open your mouth.
Therefore, have an attention-grabbing introduction.
2. Workshop notes
I did not give the audience any notes till after the presentation. Patrick says he's the kind of learner who will feel lost without notes. He suggests preparing notes for the audience with lots of blanks for them to fill in. That way they can follow what you're saying yet not pre-empt what you're going to say. What a brilliant idea! I shall try that for my next workshop.
Monday, July 20, 2009
District 80 Evaluation Contest 2008
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. -- proverb.
The District 80 Evaluation Contest was held on Saturday, 22 Nov 2008, two days before my exams (I'm currently doing a part-time course in Traditional Chinese Medicine). I had considered not going to concentrate on my exams but this could be my only chance to take part in a district contest. In the end, I decided to gain some contest experience and learn from the other contestants.
There were 8 contestants, 4 males & 4 females. I was the first contestant, not very ideal as that meant I only had 5 minutes to prepare my evaluation speech. On the other hand, the plus point was I could get to hear all the other contestants.
The test speaker Poh Kim Siong is not only a Distinguished Toastmaster, but also the International Director, a well-known figure in the Toastmaster circle. He delivered a speech entitled "Courage to Conquer". Good start, I thought, alliterative title. Unfortunately, the rest of the speech did not match the quality of the title. The speech had no structure, no focus and no impact.
During the 5 minutes of preparation time, I frantically plotted my gameplan - 3 positives and 3 negatives. However I could not think of a suitable acronym for the 3 negatives so in the end I went for 4 negatives. Turned out to be a bad move because there was too much content and I probably went overtime.
The acronyms I used were ACE for Audience participation, Confidence and Energy; and ACME for Animated, Craft your speech, Memorable conclusion and Emotions. Once I stepped off the stage, I knew I had blown it. I had made two major mistakes: (1) I had too much content (& probably went overtime) and (2) I insulted the speaker. I said something like 'Your conclusion was so forgettable that I can't even remember what you said." I could hear the audience gasp at the sheer audacity of my statement.
The winner from Hong Kong kept her evaluation short and sweet with two plus points and two minus points. She also cleverly used abbreviations related to the speaker. She used ID (which stands for International Director) for commendations -- Interesting and Dynamic; and TI (which stands for Toastmasters International) for recommendations -- Timing & Itemize.
After thinking long and hard about my lacklustre performance, I thought of an alternative to the recommendations I could have used.
Use 3Ps instead of ACME:
1. Plan an attention-grabbing introduction
Use of the questioning technique when overdone loses its effectiveness.
Reduce the numerous questions in the introduction to just three.
Craft the questions so that they are relevant to the speech and easy for the audience to understand and respond to.
2. Polish your language
Craft your speech to avoid basic grammatical mistakes and awkward sentence structures.
Use rhetorical devices and vivid words that appeal to the senses of the audience.
Deliberate every word you use so that you can achieve the greatest impact with your words.
3. Present with Passion
As a leader, you are in the position to influence and inspire the people you lead.
If you want to persuade them to share your values, you must present with passion.
I want to see the fire in your eyes and hear the conviction in your voice.
You spoke with sincerity but sincerity alone is not enough.
To persuade with power, passion is a vital ingredient.
Now, isn't that better?
The District 80 Evaluation Contest was held on Saturday, 22 Nov 2008, two days before my exams (I'm currently doing a part-time course in Traditional Chinese Medicine). I had considered not going to concentrate on my exams but this could be my only chance to take part in a district contest. In the end, I decided to gain some contest experience and learn from the other contestants.
There were 8 contestants, 4 males & 4 females. I was the first contestant, not very ideal as that meant I only had 5 minutes to prepare my evaluation speech. On the other hand, the plus point was I could get to hear all the other contestants.
The test speaker Poh Kim Siong is not only a Distinguished Toastmaster, but also the International Director, a well-known figure in the Toastmaster circle. He delivered a speech entitled "Courage to Conquer". Good start, I thought, alliterative title. Unfortunately, the rest of the speech did not match the quality of the title. The speech had no structure, no focus and no impact.
During the 5 minutes of preparation time, I frantically plotted my gameplan - 3 positives and 3 negatives. However I could not think of a suitable acronym for the 3 negatives so in the end I went for 4 negatives. Turned out to be a bad move because there was too much content and I probably went overtime.
The acronyms I used were ACE for Audience participation, Confidence and Energy; and ACME for Animated, Craft your speech, Memorable conclusion and Emotions. Once I stepped off the stage, I knew I had blown it. I had made two major mistakes: (1) I had too much content (& probably went overtime) and (2) I insulted the speaker. I said something like 'Your conclusion was so forgettable that I can't even remember what you said." I could hear the audience gasp at the sheer audacity of my statement.
The winner from Hong Kong kept her evaluation short and sweet with two plus points and two minus points. She also cleverly used abbreviations related to the speaker. She used ID (which stands for International Director) for commendations -- Interesting and Dynamic; and TI (which stands for Toastmasters International) for recommendations -- Timing & Itemize.
After thinking long and hard about my lacklustre performance, I thought of an alternative to the recommendations I could have used.
Use 3Ps instead of ACME:
1. Plan an attention-grabbing introduction
Use of the questioning technique when overdone loses its effectiveness.
Reduce the numerous questions in the introduction to just three.
Craft the questions so that they are relevant to the speech and easy for the audience to understand and respond to.
2. Polish your language
Craft your speech to avoid basic grammatical mistakes and awkward sentence structures.
Use rhetorical devices and vivid words that appeal to the senses of the audience.
Deliberate every word you use so that you can achieve the greatest impact with your words.
3. Present with Passion
As a leader, you are in the position to influence and inspire the people you lead.
If you want to persuade them to share your values, you must present with passion.
I want to see the fire in your eyes and hear the conviction in your voice.
You spoke with sincerity but sincerity alone is not enough.
To persuade with power, passion is a vital ingredient.
Now, isn't that better?
My Toastmasters Journey
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -- Lao-tzu
My toastmasters journey began in April 1996 when I attended my first Toastmasters meeting at the NUS Alumni Toastmasters Club.
I met a speaker who changed my life forever. No, he wasn't tall, dark and handsome, but he was certainly confident, articulate and eloquent. I was so impressed, enthralled and mesmerised by his Project 6 (Work With Words) speech that I resolved to become a speaker like him. That speaker was Lau Kwong Fook. That very night, I signed up as a member of NUS Alumni Toastmasters Club and I've never looked back since.
Thirteen years and twenty-one trophies later, I'm still going strong in Toastmasters because this is the place where I've found my voice, my passion. I used to be so shy and reticent in school even till university level that I did not dare to voice my opinions. Did I even have an opinion?
Ever since joining Toastmasters, all that has changed. I became active during my stint in National Institute of Education as a trainee teacher and volunteered to be a class leader. As a teacher at Fairfield Methodist Secondary School, I volunteered for all kinds of speaking roles such as emcee or announcer for school functions, assignments which most teachers would shun. I even conducted workshops for students and other teachers.
While my aspiration to become a speech coach did not take off, I'm still happy for the platform in Toastmasters to share my experiences, voice my opinions, express my reflections. This is the place where I feel accepted, affirmed and adored.
Not only that, I've enjoyed the fellowship of so many fellow toastmasters in this fraternity and many have become firm friends. Special mention must be made of my two mentors Wee Meng and Kwong Fook -- I've learnt so much from them and they continue to inspire me with their talent, intelligence and passion for life.
my mentors Kwong Fook & Wee MengThis blog is a chronicle of my journey in Toastmasters - the lessons learnt and the insights gained - life lessons that I want to remember and pass on to fellow toastmasters and one day, to my children.
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