About a month ago, a Toastmaster I'd competed against reached out to me and asked if I'd like to deliver a 20-30 minute keynote speech. For me, this was a no-brainer. Yes, yes I would like to! Only one problem. I didn't have a speech that long. I said yes, then immediately got to work building the content for my speech. Then, I got busy. About a week and a half before the … [Read more...]
Road to Semifinals — Episode 6 (Improving a stale speech)
In this sixth video of the series, I talk about how you can overcome a stale speech—one that you've been working on for a while and is difficult to improve. Give it a watch—a summary wouldn't do it justice. … [Read more...]
How to Come Up With a Catchphrase (In-Depth Guide)
Catchphrases are powerful tools in the hand of a public speaker—they can help cement an idea for years to come. We all remember phrases such as "I have a dream" or "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". You can use catchphrases for important speeches, product slogans, advertisements, campaign mottos, and more. Let's look at what makes a good … [Read more...]
The Secrets to Winning the World Championship of Public Speaking (16 tips)
Armed with a large spreadsheet, videos of Toastmasters International Finalists, and an overwhelming sense of curiosity, I set out to learn what sets the champions apart. I watched 10 champion speeches and 5 speeches that placed second or third. I manually recorded everything about them in a spreadsheet: aspects like how many laughs they received, what style of speaker they … [Read more...]
How to Add Humor to Your Speech (Complete Guide, Ebook included)
Humor is one of the simplest ways to go from being a boring speaker to an engaging one. If you're able to successfully add humor to your speech, you'll be able to connect better with your audience. I'm about to give you over 10 ways to add humor to your speech—and there's even more helpful material in the free ebook accompanying this post. All you need to do is give me your … [Read more...]