Angela Lansbury Speeches and Making Speeches

OOh - I'm scared of people! I always have been. From childhood. I remember when I was scared at school. Were you scared at school?
SCHOOLCHILD
   I was afraid when I was at school to knock on a classroom door, open it, and walk into a classroom full of people, the teacher, and lots of children like me.
   Let's go back. Were you afraid as a child to walk into a room full of people?  
   What frightens you in that situation? Getting lost. Going to a new place. Knocking on the door. See new people. Crowds of people. Being looked at? Speaking to other people? Or even just getting a letter?Are you afraid as an adult to walk into a room?
   Yes, I see several hands raised. You are afraid to walk into a room. Some of you are even afraid to raise your hands!
   As a child in school you were afraid to walk into a room. Or raise your hand. Looking back, you can see that it was nothing to be afraid of. You did it many times. You were not injured. Many times you even got welcomed!
ADULT JOURNEYS
  Are you still afraid as an adult? Ever been afraid to go to a new place? To a Toastmasters Meeting or club to hear a speaker?
  As an adult I have often been afraid. To take a journey travelling to a new Toastmasters meeting. To go to a new place and walk into a room of strangers.
 (Are you ever afraid to take a journey? As an adult, to walk into a room of strangers?)
   I see people turn the handle, enter the room, stop by the door after a Toastmasters meeting has started.  They stand to one side of the room, stand leaning back, hesitate to walk in, afraid to attract attention.
   Let's break down the problem of travelling to a new club into small steps.  Plan your journey. Look at a tube map.
   Check the time of arrival. Calculate length of journey. Allow for delays and getting lost.
   On the journey, if you are late. Plan your excuse. Phone somebody at the meeting.
    Arrival. Knock on the door. Easy. No need to go in. Just knock and wait and see if anybody opens the door.
 Somebody opens and says, 'Yes, what do you want?'
  If nobody opens the door, no need to go in, just open the door, take a peek!
   Nobody noticed you? Open the door wider.
   Still nobody noticed you? Wave at the speaker? Raise your hand to get attention and open your mouth to show you want to speak. Ask if you're at the right place.
   If told to go elsewhere, politely, thank, nod, back out. Job done, Somebody helped you.
SECOND JOURNEY
   Now you are doing the same task again. When you reach the right room, take the same steps again. This time it's even easier. You've already done it once.
   Knock on door. Open door. Ask, 'Is this such and such a meeting.'
   If they say 'yes', look pleased. Instead of a tale of woe: 'I've had such an awful journey!' Say: 'I'm so pleased I've found it.'
   Cheer yourself up. 'I made it. I'm so pleased to be here.' Spread happiness.
HOW CAN SPEAKERS HELP LATECOMERS
  When people arrive late at Toastmasters I know they've had a stressful journey, the stress of being late, and now have the stress of opening a door to a room of strangers. So I try to smile and wave and beckon and make them feel happy.
   When you arrive late, you worry about the speaker as well as yourself. You don't want to disturb them. So I try to reassure the person who's interrupting me. 'Yes, you've found the right place.'
   Every speaker should practise what to say when interrupted. And how to get back on track in the speech.
   In Toastmasters competitions we speak in front of larger and larger audiences, until the finals where money is as at stake, prizes and prestige, so to make it fair to everybody we make sure nobody is interrupted.
   In real life speakers are often interrupted. Latecomers. Transport passing. Interruptions of noise, delivery of food, messages about cars blocking the way, emergencies, members of the audience fainting. The speaker needs to be able to go back to where they were before the interruption.
 

   Many of you would be afraid to step onto the stage and make a speech. I can remember sitting in the audience hearing a well-known author make a speech and wanting to ask a question. my heart would go pitter pat. Every year I would go there. I often hesitated to raise my hand.
Sometimes you are afraid to go out. You've lost your job. You applied for another. The postman knocks. Or you hear a letter. Your heart thumps. You are afraid to go to the door.
    You go to the door. Nothing interesting. Next day you run to the door. Oh my God, my last employer's chasing me! What have I done wrong. Something's missing and they think I stole it.

OPENING A LETTER
Are you afraid of opening a letter or reading an email?
Pick up the letter. Put it on the table. Look at the back and front? Take it easy. No need to open it. Just get a knife and slit it open. Take the letter out. No need to open it. Spread it out flat on the table, upside down if you like. No need to read it.  Unfold it. no need to read it. Turn it the right way up. No need to read it. Who is it from? No need to read it. Just see who it's from.
   Ok - take a peek at the first line. Sometimes it's just a circular. 'We are holding our annual get together. Here is our annual report' Sometimes it's good news! You got the job. Remember my first employer  who sent the letter which scared me. They were sending me a cheque, refunding my pension contribution. My friend Indra opened a letter from The income tax office, returning some money, paying him.
SHARE YOUR PROBLEMS
   Share it. If you can't tell your family, tell the stranger at the bus stop. Tell them: 'I got a parking ticket.'
   They will probably reply, 'That happened to me - when was it, I think it was a year ago.'
  You see, in a year's time, you'll have forgotten all about it.'
  You say, 'I lost my job.'
   They will probably say, 'That happened to me - a year ago. Now I'm working in McDonalds. Why don't you get a job there.'
   Hello Mum, the bad news is I lost my job, the good news is I'm working in McDonalds.
   When I went to school on the bus, I used to pass a sign outside the church: 'I used to complain because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.'

SPEAKERS' MEETINGS
  You have only to open any newspaper to see what a wonderful life you have. Every night of the week you can go to a speakers' meeting. Most of them are free. (Except catered events such as parties and competitions when they have to pay to hire a room and provide catering and need you to pay your share.)
   In many small clubs in suburban areas there's no charge and they are delighted to have a visitor. You have a roomful of friends wanting to talk to you at Toastmasters. Free tea and coffee - and even a cake or biscuit.
   Most people want to hear you speak. They would rather listen to you than make a speech themselves.
   Yes, it's always the case. I'll prove it to you. The front row of seats is always empty. People sit in the row at the back. They are afraid to come in. They don't want the VIP speaker to look at them, ask them questions they can't answer. When you are on stage, you are already more confident than half the people in the room.
   Smile at them. Smile at them, make them happy, teach them something useful. One day you will win a ribbon, or a competition. I once the little girl who was scared to enter a room. I was scared of the teacher. Now I'm a teacher. I had never met an author. Now I'm an author. I was impressed by people who made speeches. Now I'm making speeches.
    I wanted to find somebody who would help me. I joined toastmasters. I wanted to win a speech competition. I know I can. It's only a matter of time and practice. In Toastmasters, like most organisations, every month newcomers join, others move away and leave. So, there's always room for you in a club. If the club is too big, you can start another club. You can't all become president of the United States. But you can all become president of a speakers club. If you haven't - yet - got the courage to do that, at least today you have learned how to open a letter.
    If you are afraid, then go to your nearest Toastmasters International meeting, for example, HOD, or Harrovian Speakers in NW London, or similar speakers training meeting - there are dozens in many countries of the world, especially all the English speaking countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Also countries where they are keen to learn English. For example, I've been to clubs in Shanghai and Beijing in China, and at the YMCA and YWCA in Singapore, and Thailand. And clubs are all over the USA, where Toastmasters International started before becoming so successful that it spread worldwide. I and other speakers will be delighted to help you.
   Remember I started by saying that I'm scared of people. It's true - I'm scared you haven't enjoyed this speech enough to vote me the winner. But I no longer let it stand in my way. Why should I let anybody stand in my way?  I've never let my husband do it!
   After speaking at a meeting, I can go home and say, I met somebody else. In fact I met fifty people. And they all listened to me.
   You see, being a speaker isn't scary, it's fun.
  So don't just like me, be like me! A winner! Thank you.

More Information from
Toastmasters International Find a club
Harrovian speakers
HOD Speakers