18 months ago, had you told me that one of my favourite hobbies would be being part of a public speaking group, I would never have believed you.
In the past, I’ve had to give presentations as part of my studies and in my field of work. From the moment it was scheduled into my diary, I was filled with dread. The “I wish time would slow down so I don’t have to do this” type of dread, the type of dread that would make my heart race, my face go red and make my voice waver. Once on stage I would speak at 100mph to get it all out and done with, then sit down, totally unsure and unaware of how my message had been received. This is such a lost opportunity as everyone has something amazing to share, they just need to unlock that potential and learn to “get it out!” to deliver a really striking message.
What changed? I realised that public speaking is such a key skill that pops up in SO MANY areas of life, not just scheduled slots at events / conferences / assemblies. I also wanted increased confidence in those moments in a meeting when the chairperson turns to you and asks “what do you think?”, or being amongst friends over dinner and trying to persuade them en masse to do something with you or for you, not to mention job interviews in front of a panel. I wanted to discover that elusive secret to speaking confidently on the spot!
How the Toastmaster’s Pathway programs develop you as a speaker
Last week I (voluntarily, happily and with great enjoyment!) completed my final speech of a level one Toastmasters “pathway” – a structured development programme of five levels, which allows you to chose a focus area to develop in. My chosen pathway programme is Persuasive Influence which contains lots of interesting projects designed to develop my public speaking and leadership with a focus on influence. During level one I spoke about topics I’m passionate about including environment, well-being and travel, with each speech ranging from 5-7 minutes.
What did I learn during level one of my first toastmaster pathway?
– To own the stage – the coaching I received encouraged me that an area to develop on was to take up more space when I was up front. I learned some great stagecraft techniques to add emphasis to my speech content.
– To structure a speech in a way which takes the audience on a journey and inspires them to action. I received some great insights on how to start, to connect sections, to deliver a message and then how to close powerfully.
– To use pace and tone of voice to add interest and emphasis to particular areas of my speeches. Who would have known you can be in control of deliberate pauses in order to build emphasis, before coming to Toastmasters I was worried a pause would make it look like I didn’t know what I was talking about!
A bit about my journey:
Whilst searching for public speaking courses/groups, I came across Bradford Speaks and decided to invest in developing myself. I found the group to be so friendly, fun, welcoming and supportive – where members help and coach each other. It’s a misconception that a public speaking group is full of highly-polished, perfect speakers – we really are a group of all abilities. You don’t come to a public speaking group because you are a perfect speaker (there is no such thing!) – you come because you are on your own personal journey and you want to keep learning and improving.
I’m now looking forward to getting stuck into the level two programme. If you are interested in coming along to try us out, please drop us an email on admin@bradfordspeaks.co.uk : We look forward to seeing you!