Toastmaster Speech Manual Number Ten
Inspire Your Audience
| Objectives |
* To understand
the mood and feelings of your audience on a particular occasion
* To put those feelings into words and
inspire the audience, using all the techniques you have
learned so far
* TIME: Eight to ten minutes |
Since this speech
will be longer than your previous talks, make arrangements in advance with your Club Vice
President Education for the extra time.
As you become known as someone who can
speak effectively,you'll undoubtedly be called upon to deliver an uplifting or
inspirational talk - a speech that challenges people to embrace noble motives or achieve
their highest potential. In this project you'll learn how to deliver such a presentation.
You'll select a subject that has deep meaning to you and your audience, then organize the
thoughts and beliefs you and the audience share into a dynamic, inspirational
speech.
The Value of Inspiration
We all develop routines, often forgetting what first motivated us
toward a particular goal or even what our goals are. For this
reason, we periodically need new motivation to help us break out of our
routines and set and achieve goals. This need is a
challenge for you as a speaker, one can meet by understanding how to
inspire an audience.
Essentially, your purpose in this type of speech is to say what your
listeners already think and feel. You're speaking for the
audience, putting their sentiments into words appropriate to the occasion.
This approach appeals to noble motives and the
highest beliefs.
The Great Speech
Many times, in many countries, great crises have been met and overcome
because a leader was able to inspire people with the
right words spoken in the right way. One such time was during the United
States Constitutional Convention in 1789. The
delegates were attempting to create a constitution for the new country,
but they were divided into angry factions. They became
so disheartened that many delegates wanted to patch together an easy
compromise and go home.
Then their chairman, George Washington, rose and
delivered one of the briefest speeches in the history of statemanship. "If
we offer to the people something of which we ourselves do not
approve," he said, "how can we afterwards defend our work?
Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest may gladly repair.
The event is in the hands of God."
There was silence when he finished. The members looked
at one another, first in shame, then with determination. They
resumed their work and produced the United States Constitution, one of the
greatest documents in history.
Who Are You?
George Washington's short talk illustrates the two foundations of a speech
to inspire: who you are, and what you say. He didn;t
find those stirring words in a book. They grew out of his character, out
of what his work meant to him.
Similarly, you must search yourself to find the
material for an inspirational speech. To be effective, such a speech cannot be
superficial. You're the leader in this situation, and you must exhibit the
qualities of leadership. This type of talk calls for dignity,
excellence of style, and an emotional rapport with your audience.
As you speak, you should follow these four essential
precepts of leadership:
| 1 |
Be Confident. Since you're
giving expression to something your audience already feels and believes, this isn't the
place to raise questions or express doubts. |
| 2 |
Be Forceful. Show
enthusiasm and vitality. Use body language to demonstrate your conviction. Paint vivid
word pictures to bring the audience "up the mountain"
with you. |
| 3 |
Be Positive. Bold
statements telling the audience what they should do will stir them to action; criticizing
them or making excuses for what they have failed to do will not inspire them at all. |
| 4 |
Be Define. Give clear and
specific illustrations and conclusions. Present enough information to make sure your
audience is with you all the way. |
Qualities of an Inspirational Speech
Since you are putting into words the common aspirations, feelings, and
beliefs of your audience, you are not expected to
present earthshaking new ideas. Rather, your goals are to:
1. Bring the audience together in a mood of
fellowship and shared desires
2. Build the audience's enthusiasm and draw it out
3. Give the audience a clear sense of purpose. |
The word "inspire" means "to breathe into." Your
speech should contain illustrations and thoughts that capture the audience's
imagination and breathe life into the talk. The words will vary with the
occasion - a football rally, a political meeting, a religious
service - butthe goal is the same. You are there to lift up your listeners
with words and inspire them to achieve great things.
Preparing Your Talk
The basic principle of the inspirational speech is to build your talk out
of the occasion on which you're presenting it. To do this
you must have a feeling for the people in your audience and their
expectations.
Since understanding your audience is so important, you're especially
fortunate in knowing the members of your Toastmasters
Club well. You should be able to prepare a speech that precisely fits
them. However, if you would like to present a talk that
would fit a hypothetical special occasion, tell the Toastmaster of the
meeting what occasion you are assuming so it can be
announced to the audience. The occasion could be a pre-game pep talk,
sales talk, or commencement address.
Whatever type of inspirational talk you are preparing, first consider
your real or imagined audience and what they may be
thinking. Then, as a representative of this group, consider what you would
want to hear and what you already know that could
contribute to this talk. Complete this process by finding appropriate
facts, quotes, and inspirational thoughts from other sources,
then assemble your speech.
You may also channel the feelings of the audience in a direction different
from what they expect, as long as their basic mood
or beliefs are not challenged. While expressing the feelings of the
audience, you may wish to improve the quality of those
feelings, such as replacing selfish motives with more generous ones. When
your audience accepts you as one of them, they will
accept and be grateful for your attempts to lift their feelings to a more
noble level.
Presenting the Talk
Just as the content of your talk is determined by the occasion, the
delivery must be appropriate to the mood of the audience,
such as thoughtful, enthusiastic, mournful, exalted. You should display
those aspects of your personality that conform most
closely to the feelings of the group. Emphasize your agreement with the
audience, using phrases that include "we" and "us."
This type of speech - more than any other - depends on
the quality and style of your delivery. Your presentation should be
direct and urgent, showing that you really care how your listeners react.
Your speaking should be controlled and confident
while showing sincerity and enthusiasm. Give your audience reason to
respect your balanced judgment and deep understanding.
Rely heavily on illustrations and examples to make your audience feel
what you feel. Choose your words carefully and aim
them for the heart, not the head.
Your Evaluation
Your evaluator will expect you to choose a subject that fits a real
or simulated occasion and express the highest feelings of the
audience on that occasion. Through use of examples and illustrations, you
should bring the audience up to a higher level of belief or
achievement. Use all the skills you have learned, including body language, voice control,
and persuasion, to deliver a
powerful and appropriate message.