Section 3 toastmaking (speech-making)

Diana Yusupova, Nepomnyashchaya Yevgeniya, Svetlana Korobova

Toastmaking is an art of delivering an address or a speech to a public audience.

Making a speech of any kind – at a wedding, funeral, birthday, club celebration, company dinner – is a skill like any other skill.

When a person is about to deliver a speech there are a few things that should go through his mind, the basics of a good speech are not very complicated, the speaker has to show the audience that he is knowledgeable and proficient in the subject of the speech, and if the speaker can inspire the audience and make it respond to the things he is saying, it will be considered an overall good speech.

There are three basic types of speeches:

1. Speeches that Educate

2. Speeches that Motivate

3. Speeches that Entertain

The choice of the type of speech is substantial, because it predetermines the manner of presentation and the content of a message.

Most of the people are not very happy about making speeches or giving even simple presentations to a small group of other people. One of the biggest reasons people are afraid of speech-making is that they view it as a kind of performance, not like an act of communication. They feel the audience is judging them. But speech audiences are not judges. They are not looking for a brilliant performance. They are waiting for a well-thought-out address that communicates the speaker’s ideas clearly and directly.

Thus, the main objectives of toastmaking (speech-making) are:

1. to inform the audience;

2. to persuade the audience;

3. to inspire;

4. to entertain;

5. to acknowledge and praise people.

In order to achieve these goals, one should be a perfect speech-maker.

Tips for making perfect speeches:

• Always look for subject matter;

• Notice details;

• Choose a subject you care about;

• Organize your speech in a logical sequence;

• Write your speech like every great speech, with a beginning, middle and an end;

• Use visual aids relevant to your topic;

• Use rhetorical devices, but not overuse them;

• Speak clearly and audibly;

• Use language familiar to your audience;

• Apply gestures, staging, and vocal variety;

• Practice and solicit feedback;

• Make your speech more memorable, powerful and emphatic by using anaphora (the repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences). But use anaphora strategically to highlight a passage which is central to your core message;

• Be authentic. (To share an emotion, you’ve got to feel it too);

• Use comparisons, analogies, and metaphors;

• Follow the three Bs for delivering a successful speech:

• Be brief – keeping your remarks short gives your speech a greater impact;

• Be bold – stand proud and speak loud;

• Be done – when finished, sit down, smile, nod and accept any applause or acknowledgements.

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References:

1. Speech making preparation [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа к документу : http://publicspeaking.zupatips.com/Speech_making_prep.

2. Andrew Dlugan. Speech Preparation #2: Selecting a Speech Topic [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа к документу : http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-preparation-2-sel..

3. Joann M. McCabe. The fear of public speaking: ways to get over it [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа к документу : http://www.toastmasters.org/fear.aspx