The past four weeks we’ve gone on a journey! The Toastmasters speech contest Journey to be exact.Now that the contest is long gone, what now? Fair question. Today I’m going to share with you how I felt after the contest ended. I call it the contest hangover, but don’t get it twisted. Don’t confuse it with an alcohol-induced hangover, the opposite in fact. Simply … Read More
Toastmasters Judgement Day: My Final Speech
**Be sure to check out PARTS 1, 2, 3 of the speech contest journey** And now we’ve arrived at the District contest. Judgement Day! This is the last contest before going to the the big dance—the Toastmasters International Convention. That’s where the semi-finals and the finals go down.No pressure :/The preparation leading up to this level was intense. Apart from practicing my … Read More
My Experience In A Toastmasters Speech Contest – PART 3
**Check out PART 1 and PART 2 of the speech contest journey** Fierce competitors. Check. More audience members. Check. Larger venue. Check. More pressure. Absolutely.It had all the ingredients to send a guy to a psychiatrist.First, let me take a step back to the early morning. I was feeling the usual anxiety knowing I’d be competing later that day. I expected … Read More
Tactical Talks TOP 5: The Best Public Speaking Articles On The Web – Vol. #7
ROUND 7 OF SCAVENGING BEGINS! Each month I will scour the interwebz looking for the best articles on public speaking.I’ll be looking for topics like these:Overcoming the fear of public speakingPresentation tipsBody language and other technical speaking tipsAnd anything in between…I’m looking for the interesting, the fascinating, the practical, and anything with worthwhile information to help you become a better communicator. … Read More
This Is What It’s Like To Compete In A Toastmasters Speech Contest! – Part 2
Be sure to checkout PART 1 of the contest journey! The journey continues…Public speaking in general can be a trying time mentally and physically. A public speaking contest is more grueling.Just as it was at the club level contest, a place where I’d spoken countless times before, the Area contest cut me no slack; the extra mental pressure I put on … Read More
My Experience In A Toastmasters Speech Contest – Part 1
Some days suck. We’ve prepared our speech, we’re ready to go, but for some reason our mind and body start to go all wacky. We feel physically weak. All the negative “what-ifs” start flickering about. These are the days we silently wish would never come. This happened to me on the day of the Toastmasters club speech contest for the Toastmasters International Speech Contest—the starting point in an … Read More
Get Vulnerable And Get Over Your Fear Of Public Speaking
One of the biggest roadblocks that prevent people from overcoming the fear of public speaking is refusing to admit that it exists…at least when asked about it.In fact, in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), the very FIRST step in their Twelve Step program to overcoming addiction, is to admit there is one. The same can be said for overcoming a fear as terrifying … Read More
A Breakdown Of The 2016 Public Speaking Championship Speech
I recently came across a breakdown of the 2016 World Champion of Public Speaking’s winning speech. Overall, it was a good, easy to consume article. However, I wanted to chop it up even more to reveal the power elements that go into a championship-worthy speech. With that, I decided to do my own surgical breakdown that would make a surgeon smile. If you … Read More
Tactical Talks TOP 5: The Best Public Speaking Articles On The Web – Vol. #6
ROUND 6 OF SCAVENGING BEGINS! Each month I will scour the interwebz looking for the best articles on public speaking.I’ll be looking for topics like these:Overcoming the fear of public speakingPresentation tipsBody language and other technical speaking tipsAnd anything in between…I’m looking for the interesting, the fascinating, the practical, and anything with worthwhile information to help you become a better communicator. … Read More
You Don’t Stand A Chance of Becoming A “Better Speaker” Unless You Do This
Want to know a terrible goal? “Becoming a better speaker” Horrible I tell ya. It was my very first goal when I decided to jump into public speaking. It was a sad excuse for a goal. When you want to progress in speaking, you need momentum.And you can’t get momentum by having broad goals. You can definitely decide that you want to be … Read More