Tips....Rehearsing that Presentation

Following on from the Speak Easy Notes on Sept 20^th in which we discussed the way to structure a speech or presentation with the “Opening, Body and Conclusion”, this week we look at preparing yourself to make that presentation.

How do you do that? By rehearsing.

Practice the talk until you are comfortable with it.

You won’t need to memorise the body of the talk since you already know all about the subject. As mentioned already, you should memorise your opening and conclusion.

Present the talk to a family member or friend and ask for comments.

They may give you some helpful suggestions. If you have a tape recorder, record the talk and listen to it carefully making any necessary improvements to improve your speaking ability. Rehearse as often as it takes until you are comfortable with your presentation. Use visualizing techniques in which you imagine yourself in front of your audience delivering that perfect presentation.

Another very important aspect of making your presentation is appearance.

Be well groomed and appropriately dressed. When you look right, you feel good about yourself. You will then forget about your appearance and concentrating about presenting your talk. You will have increased confidence because you know you have made a good first impression on your audience.

All these presentation skills and many more are learned and practiced at every toastmaster meeting. A toastmaster meeting is not a classroom or lecture but a workshop in which the emphasis is on mutual support, learning but most importantly on enjoyment, fun and friendship.

Don’t just take my word for it, come along and see for yourself.

As a guest you will be most welcome and you will not be asked to speak

So why not come along tonight, 4^th of October to the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.50pm and join us.

Tonight we present the Club Humorous Speech Contest and Table Topics Contest in which is one of our highlights of the toastmaster year.

Here you will see club members using their speaking skills just to make you laugh.

Remember, tonight at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.50pm

Looking forward to meeting you

Further information on The Speak Easy Toastmasters Club can be obtained by logging on to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

Speak Easy on Sept 20th

Thursday 20^th last saw another fantastic evening of speeches, fun and entertainment at the Speak Easy Toastmasters meeting in which club members were joined by 11 guests.

The meeting began with a welcome by acting President for the evening, Ray Ryan Jnr Toastmaster for the evening was Michael Walsh who guided us smoothly along for the duration of the meeting.

First to the lectern was the youngest member of our club, Kieran Butler with a speech entitled “The Clinton Syndrome” in which he was President of the US and all that went with it including the secretaries, well, especially the secretaries. Kieran kept us entertained for the duration of his speech and showed what a talented speaker he is.

Kieran was followed by Pat Sexton who is one of the founder members of the club an. Pat’s presentation was on how to answer topics or how to think on our feet in any given situation. Answering topics (topics are questions in which members have to speak for 2 minutes on any subject without preparation) gives confidence, encourages spontaneity and sharpens thinking. Pat’s message was to “Get hot on Topics, don’t get bothered”

Then it was the turn of Margaret O’Regan who entertained with a speech entitled, “The Greatest”….men. She has been observing them for years, she said, and shared with us her hilarious observations. “Most men will take a command, once” but it must be very simple and precise. A world without men would be like a “black and white television, bland”.

The final speaker of the evening was Michael Cronin with a speech entitled “The Lions Den” in which he gave details of his experience at a “Dine to meet” which is the latest way to meet members of the opposite sex. Michael took us through his experiences of the evening as only he can, and at the end of the “Dine to meet” evening he came home with….the napkin.

Tim Ahern was Topics Master of the evening and kept us on our toes with a well thought out range of topics.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, October 4^th and is the club’s Humorous Speech Contest which is one of the highlights of the year and is an evening not to be missed.

The Table Topics Contest also takes place on the night..

We invite you to come along as a guest and see what Toastmasters has to offer and also to see the skills and confidence that anyone can learn by being a member of a Toastmasters Club

Remember the date, October 4^th, at 7.50pm in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow.

Further details on Speak Easy Toastmasters can be had by logging on to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com