Speech Writing Resources
- The Toastmasters website has many educational resources.
- Parramatta Toastmasters has an excellent collection of speech writing resources.
Online Mentorship
Every Toastmasters meeting includes mentorship. Everybody benefits by hearing and considering feedback from evaluators about what went well and what could be improved for each activity.
Glenbrook Toastmasters has introduced an additional mentorship opportunity. Interested members can join our Glenbrook Toastmasters Mentorship WhatsApp channel to discuss talk ideas and request advice. Members can also take advantage of the channel to build their mentorship skills.
Meeting Roles
Consider volunteering for these roles to add variety and fun to the agenda.
- The Toast
- Wordmaster
- Book or Movie Review
- Inspiration
- Laughmaster
- Table Topic Master
- General Evaluator
- Timers Report
- Grammarian / Um/Ah Counter
Norman Priestly DTM’s Tips for Speech Writing
(
Norman’s Tips for Speech Writing)
- Your first draft is never, never, never your best.
No matter how good you think it is. - Write every speech out in full.
If you don’t, how can you possibly edit it? - Edit severely. Make each word fight for its place.
The result will be a tightly written speech.
Rule of thumb: number of words in any speech = “lower time limit in minutes” x 100. This will allow time for pauses, laughter, etc. - Determine to make each speech 5% better than previous best.
Adopt as a motto “I will reach beyond my grasp.” - Include stories.
Tell us the point each story makes that links with the theme. - Be certain the speech opens so as to grab our attention.
Know the first paragraph by heart. Question/quotation/statement. - The ending must link with the opening/message. It must be strong and fluent. If using notes, avoid them during the ending.
- Rehearse your speech very often.
In 3 sections. A different section each day. This avoids the common trap of having the opening very well embedded. The body and ending are vital. - Get the best mentor you can. When you find a better one, change. Those who are almost world champions have mentors.
