By
Patricia L. Fry, CTM
Are you often at a loss for a speech topic?
Do you find yourself hashing over the same tired subject in every talk
you give? Maybe you're in awe of other Toastmasters who always seem to
have something fresh to say. "Where does she get her ideas?" you wonder.
But if you claim you can't come up with good
speech ideas, I'll say you aren't paying attention. Your world is
brimming with ideas. For example: TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW
In your first Toastmaster assignment, you're
asked to "break the ice" by talking about yourself. Not only does this
give your fellow Toastmasters the opportunity to get to know you, but it
helps you get over the first-speech jitters by addressing a reasonably
easy topic.
You can continue this trend by crafting
speeches around specific aspects of your life and life experiences.
Maybe you're in an unusual line of work or you have a unique perspective
on customer relations. What are your hobbies? How do you volunteer? Do
you travel?
A fellow Toastmaster presented a fascinating
speech about her experiences traveling by jeep in Costa Rica and how the
natives she met along the way impacted her life. I once shared my love
for African violets with club members through a demonstration on how to
start new plants from leaves. And another time I talked about some of my
incredible experiences communicating with animals.
The key to creating a speech from your own
experiences is to extract the fascinating and useful from the mundane.
An "all about" speech isn't nearly as effective as one with a narrow
focus. For example, instead of talking about your life as a dentist,
tell what inspired you to choose dentistry as a profession, talk about
your embarrassing moments as a dentist or reveal experiences with
frightened patients and how you worked around their fears.
Maybe your job isn't really anything to
write home about. But think about what you've learned over the years.
Could you talk about how to work with difficult people, for example?
Maybe you're particularly organized and could coach others on how to
organize their lives. Maybe you've found a way to arrive at work
refreshed and renewed despite a hellish 90-minute commute. Who wouldn't
want to learn that secret?
If you still can't think of anything about
your life worth sharing, recall what aspects of your life friends and
acquaintances often ask about. What do you discuss in small talk at
social events? Your weekend dog obedience classes? Your volunteer work
at a woman's shelter? Your twin boys? Your hood ornament collection? If
it's something people seem interested in during social conversations,
it's probably worthy speech material.
SPEAK TO LEARN
Talk about what you want to know. Maybe
you're curious about what a horticultural therapist does or you'd like
to know more about attracting birds to your yard. Plan a speech around
that topic and you'll have the chance to learn about it.
A couple of years ago, I got fed up with the
plethora of garage-sale signs that remained plastered on posts and trees
around our neighborhood long after the sales were over. I wondered if
there was an ordinance against this practice and, if so, why it wasn't
enforced. I wanted to know how our majestic oak trees were affected by
people driving 3-inch nails into their trunks. I thought others might be
interested too, so I spoke on this topic at a Toastmasters meeting.
Two years ago, I was taking Western line
dance lessons. I was fascinated by the instructor's teaching methods and
wondered if I could teach it. Curiosity got the best of me, and for a
manual speech, I wore Western attire and actually performed and taught a
familiar line dance to club members one evening. I could have followed
up the lessons with additional talks on the origin of Western dancing, a
show-and-tell session of Western dance wear and, perhaps, a
demonstration of other styles of Western dance.
I once suffered a mild heat-related illness
and wanted to know more about how heat affects us. I launched a study
and created a speech designed to alert others of the dangers on a hot
summer day.
EAVES DROP
Throughout the course of your day, key in to
your own conversations as well as to those around you. Idle conversation
will never be the same once you learn how to extract ideas to use in
developing potential speeches. A conversation with a neighbour
expressing her growing fear for her safety in the neighborhood might
result in a prize-winning speech featuring steps you can take to ensure
your safety at home and while traveling.
Overhearing someone complain about waiting
in line at the post office might be impetus for you to create a speech
on 10 things you can do while waiting, or how to turn waiting into a
positive experience.
Someone
once complained to me that he didn't know what to get his grandmother
for Christmas. I turned that problem into a speech featuring great gift
ideas for the elderly.
TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE
We all know people who are worth talking
about. For example, I have a friend who started a unique adopt-a-grave
program in our local pioneer cemetery. This gave me material for several
interesting talks.
Do you know anyone who might inspire some
good speeches? It could be a former teacher who influenced your love of
reading; an exceptional boss who earns the respect of his employees by
listening and using a lot of praise; a woman who, because of a sun
allergy, started making her own hats and has now created a blooming
business designing sun hats; or a quadriplegic teen who coaches youth
basketball.
Don't overlook people you know, people
you've met or those you've read about, as potential speech topics.
REPEAT WHAT YOU READ
Newspapers, magazines and television are
great sources for speech ideas. Find out what's happening, establish
your own slant, and you have the beginnings of a speech.
A news report on the rise in the number of
fatherless families might prompt you to talk on the value of having both
a mother and a father in the home. You could talk about organizations
that have cropped up in support of fathers and fatherhood. Or you could
organize a speech featuring 20 things parents can do every day to
develop closer relationships with their children.
Keep a clipping file and you'll never be at
a loss for a speech topic.
SPEAK FROM THE HEART
What are you passionate about? What are you
pet peeves? Maybe you take your obligation to Mother Earth seriously by
recycling, avoiding wastefulness and using biodegradable products, and
it irks you to see fellow citizens shirking their responsibilities in
these areas. Why not recycle you ire into knowledge and create speeches
that teach others about your interests.
There was a time in our community when
youngsters were vandalizing our pioneer cemetery. Grave markers were
removed and tossed about, new plantings were uprooted. I was already
giving historical talks featuring the cemetery's earliest burials to
adult groups and decided to take my show into the schools. The results
were immensely positive.
These days a number of topics provoke
impassioned responses: the homeless situation, drug abuse, gang
violence, recent court decisions, and pornography on the Internet to
name a few.
LOOK FOR IDEAS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES
Learn to find speech topics everywhere you
go. For example, talking to the father of one of my grandson's Little
League team members, I discovered that he's a professional storyteller
who uses his craft to rehabilitate prisoners and help at-risk teens.
This man provided me with some fascinating speech material.
A couple of months ago, while waiting in
line at the post office, I met a senior citizen who works as a
handy-woman. She inspired me to prepare a talk featuring some of the
businesses local retirees have started.
Carry a note pad with you at all times. You
never know when and where inspiration will hit.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
Turn an idea into several speeches. I often
give speeches on local history throughout the community. Of course, I
need a little different slant for locals than I do for a visiting Elder
Hostel group and yet another focus for students.
If your topic is home-schooling, for
example, you could talk about who's home-schooling their children, why
they're choosing to home-school and the results they're getting. Another
speech might focus on the home-school environment - how do parents keep
their child focused on studies, where do they get their materials, how
closely do they stick to the prepared curriculum? Another angle might be
a report on how the school system views and supports home-school
parents. Additionally, you could talk about the social implications of
home-schooling. Are the children getting enough social interaction with
other children and how is this being arranged?
Still can't think of anything to talk about?
Start paying attention. You may be surprised at the abundance of ideas
that surround you.
Patricia L. Fry, CTM, a frequent
contributor to The Toastmaster,
is a full-time writer living in Ojai, California.
