Toastmasters Speech Series: Your Guide to the First 10 Speeches

This is the first article of the Toastmasters Speech Series — a collection of articles which examines the fundamentals of public speaking.

For Toastmasters and non-Toastmasters alike, these articles show how you can graduate from speaking fear to inspiring your audience.

The format for the series will be one article for each of the ten speeches which comprise the introductory Toastmasters manual — the Competent Communicator Manual.

For Toastmasters and Non-Toastmasters Alike

If you are a Toastmaster, this is your guide through the first ten speeches. For each speech project, we’ll look at tips, techniques, and wherever possible, written and video examples of speeches which demonstrate the goals.

If you are not a Toastmaster, consider this an introductory public speaking course. Each of the 10 speeches covers one fundamental skill for public speakers. This is the solid formula on which the Toastmasters program is based. If you’ve never joined Toastmasters or taken a public speaking course, this series will be a primer for you.

Overview of the First Ten Toastmasters Speeches

As the articles are published, each of these will turn into links to those articles.

• Speech 1: The Ice Breaker — The first speech of the Toastmasters program is about introducing yourself to your peers, providing a benchmark for your current skill level, and standing and speaking without falling over.
• Speech 2: Organize Your Speech — Introduces the basic concepts of organizing a speech around a speech outline.
• Speech 3: Get to the Point — Clearly state your speech goal, and make sure that every element of your speech focuses on that goal.
• Speech 4: How to Say It — Examines word choice, sentence structure, and rhetorical devices.
• Speech 5: Your Body Speaks — Shows how to complement words with posture, stance, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.
• Speech 6: Vocal Variety — Guides you to add life to your voice with variations in pitch, pace, power, and pauses.
• Speech 7: Research Your Topic — Addresses the importance of backing up your arguments with evidence, and touches on the types of evidence to use.
• Speech 8: Get Comfortable With Visual Aids — Examines the use of slides, transparencies, flip charts, whiteboards, or props.
• Speech 9: Persuade With Power — Discusses audience analysis and the different forms of persuasion available to a speaker.
• Speech 10: Inspire Your Audience — The last of ten speeches, this project challenges the speaker to draw all their skills together to deliver a powerful inspirational message.

Sample Written Speeches and Speech Videos

Each article will include several examples of real speeches written and delivered by Toastmasters.

The purpose of including these samples is not to say “Look, here’s the right way to do this project.” In fact, there is no single “right way.”

Instead, I hope these sample speeches will provide ideas and inspiration for you as you search for relevant topics from your own life experiences.

Next in the Toastmasters Speech Series

The next article in this series addresses Speech 1: The Ice Breaker.