This presentation, part of Toastmasters International’s Better Speaker Series, will teach some effective methods to make your speech conclusion memorable; people remember longest, the last thing they hear!

4 Important Criteria

• Achieve a sense of closure
• Summarize main points
• Make an impact
• Take 5-10% of the entire speech

Closure: Words: “in conclusion”, “let me end by saying”, “in summary”

Summarize: Repeat and review key points

Impact: Speech will be forgotten but a meaningful conclusion will be remembered

Ending Techniques

• Quotation
• Story or anecdote
• Call to action
• Ask a rhetorical question
• Refer to the beginning of the speech
• Summarize your main points

Tips for Success

• Write out and memorize conclusion
• End on time
• Refrain from adding new content

This presentation, part of Toastmasters International’s Successful Club Series, will provide creative brainstorming advice on selecting a topic. It’s easier than you think – just open your eyes and ears and pay attention! Don’t pull an Einstein: When speaking once at Harvard, he walked to the lectern, paused and then declared “I really have nothing to say” and sat down! He then informed them that he would get up when he had something of use to say.

Personal Experiences

• The time dad shaved pigtails in the sink with a pink razor
• When mom and her brother papered my uncle’s ceiling with pinup girls
• Losing my teeth after falling out of a tree
• When the wash tub was filled with skinned rabbits
• First experience stuffing a turkey

The Outside World

• Radio
• Television
• Newspaper
• Magazines
• Encounters with Strangers

1. Audience
2. Occasion
3. Own Abilities

Tips for Improvement:

- Watch THE VOICE[tm][*]
- Pay attention to exaggerated or overly enthusiastic vocal expression
- Work on more of a serious and professional demeanor
- Use simple words rather than attempting to be “wordy” (doesn’t fit in)
- Less rambling; stick with the facts
- Wear more makeup

[*] – Having started vocal lessons, it is apparent to me that the lower tones are more challenging for me to hit and maintain while keeping a “full-bodied” sound. My inability to sustain a presentation without switching into a higher and rather irritating voice has been observed a number of times and my goal is to have my next evaluation focus on something else! I don’t want to hear anything about THE VOICE[tm].

Tips for Improvement:

- Be mindful of time
- Do not cross legs
- Keep tone of voice conversational instead of “speech style”
- Use a consistent persona – switching between genuine self and “speech” persona
- More vocal variety when pertinent to conversational style
- Avoid leading into answers with “well…”
- Do not fit in the word of the day if it detracts from the presentation

WWIILLSSOONN!!!!

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I took the advice of my fellow Toastmasters and injected an orange

Albert Ellis’ irrational beliefs are:

1. Love and approval from peers are necessities for adults
2. Absolute competence, success, and perfection are imperative
3. Certain people are wicked and deserve punishment
4. It is a tragedy when things are not the way you would like them to be
5. External events are the cause of most misery
6. Unknown, uncertain, or potentially dangerous things should cause fear or anxiety
7. It is easier to avoid difficulties and responsibilities than face them
8. You cannot rely solely on yourself; you need something stronger and greater
9. Much of the present is determined by the past
10. Inaction, passiveness, and leisure create happiness

Luskin, Dr. Fred and Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier. Stress Free for Good. New York: Harper
Collins Publishers, 2005.

Apply to Public Speaking:

1. Breathe from your belly
2. So much to appreciate
3. Tense to relax
4. Visualize success
5. Slow down
6. Appreciate yourself
7. Smile because you care
8. Stop doing what doesn’t work
9. Just say no
10. Accept what you cannot change

Luskin, Dr. Fred and Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier. Stress Free for Good. New York: Harper
Collins Publishers, 2005.

1. Don’t panic
2. Don’t repeat it
3. Don’t explain it
4. Don’t blame the audience
5. Don’t apologize

Experience shows this to be spot-on. However, it seems advantageous to also stress what one should do. Do: have courage, momentum, a confident unwavering voice, hear laughter in your head. The speech will be over soon enough. Carry through to the conclusion with fierce dignity and confidence!

In the future, I will be listening with a greater consciousness. To be a strong leader and an inspiring and commanding speaker, I need to be a mindful listener.

Over the weekend, while ensconced in a cottage in Quebec sans Internet, I spent some time marinating over concepts in The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook, considering how they may apply to the fear (and elimination thereof) of public speaking.

The concept of Body Inventory can easily be applied to the preparation for a speech or presentation.

1. Internal Vs. External Awareness
2. Body Scanning
3. Letting Go

Internal Vs. External Awareness

External awareness includes all stimulation from the outside world to the five senses. Internal awareness refers to physical sensation inside the body. Most of the tension within the body is not felt because tension is usually directed toward the outside world. Before speaking, I quickly qualify my reaction to the space – scent, white noise, temperature, etc. Following this, I perform a brief inventory of my physical space – noting any tension or erroneous thoughts or emotions.

Body Scanning

Body Scanning involves a toe to head analysis of the body, seeking out areas of discomfort. When a tense area is discovered, it is to be exaggerated to raise awareness of it, acknowledged, and released. In my experience, this allows me to present with fluidity and natural gesture/movement, having exorcised any demons of rigidity.

Letting Go

Comfort and breath allow the body to let go. Before speaking, plant both feet firmly on the floor and become aware of your breathing. I find that 5-10 minutes of diaphragmatic (deep belly breathing) energizes and centres me. Become aware of any residual tension and breathe into it, then consciously release it. This instills a state of mindfulness, and provides the ability to focus solely on the task at hand.