Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Read the right speech
If you can, read your speech from bullet points. If you must read your speech word for word, make sure you are reading the right speech.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe apparently read out a speech (Sept 16 I read the report) which he had previously given in August. Was it his best speech?
I don't know. But apparently the previous time he gave the speech, it met with vocal protest from an opposing party who sang protest songs.
What can you do to prevent this sort of mishap?
Have a copy of the correct speech in your pocket or bag the day before. Have the title of the speech, the audience, and the date of its delivery at the top.
The latest incident of a wrong speech in 2022 was this:>
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe apparently read out a speech (Sept 16 I read the report) which he had previously given in August. Was it his best speech?
I don't know. But apparently the previous time he gave the speech, it met with vocal protest from an opposing party who sang protest songs.
What can you do to prevent this sort of mishap?
Have a copy of the correct speech in your pocket or bag the day before. Have the title of the speech, the audience, and the date of its delivery at the top.
The latest incident of a wrong speech in 2022 was this:>
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confidently started a speech at the COP27 conference in Egypt. He was praising the audience, a common start. Unfortunately it was the wrong audience. It was the wrong speech. It was indeed a speech he was supposed to give, to an audience of youngsters - later the same day.
A former mayor of Harrow attended a meeting of Harrovians Speakers. he told us he usually gave three speeches in a day. Sometimes a school in the morning. A group of women or retired people or business people in the afternoon. A group of cultural or local interests in the evening. He placed the speeches in his top pocket. The first speech was at the front. When he had finished, he put that speech at the back.
2022 November 13th update
To my mind, you could do two more things.
NUMBER THE SPEECHES.
1
2
3
And/or
Have the morning speech on white paper, with a sun symbol or sunrise or sunflower.
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
The afternoon speech on yellow paper, with a tea cup at the top, or a piece of cake
If the symbol is small, repeat it.
🍰 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
The evening speech on pale blue paper or paper edged with blue or headed with a moon.
🌙🌙 🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
Useful Websites
Regarding South Africa
Wrong speech by UN Secretary General at a conference in Egypt.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2022/11/11/antonio-guterres-cop27-wrong-speech-lon-orig-cprog-bg.cnn
Labels: President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, speech
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Best Speaker on Helen Keller. 26Oct 1010 to Thomson Toastmasters, Singapore
Prop - a scarf over my eyes - led on stage as if blind.
Helen Keller was blind and deaf - yet she gave speeches. I can see you Mr President (Stanley Goh), fellow toastmasters and welcome guests. Imagine if you could not see the stage, make eye contact, tell if people were looking at you.
As a child I saw a sign outside a church, 'I used to complain I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet'.
I thought about Helen Keller. She could not see. But she dressed beautifully. She dressed to please others who could see.
Thinking of others instead of herself gave her the courage to speak. People wanted to know about her problems and how she overcame them. Other people are interested in your problems and how you have overcome them.
If she could speak, although she was blind and deaf, you can too. You are lucky. You can see me and hear me. I am lucky. I can see you, and hear you. Please applaud the person who inspires me every time I speak, and every day - Helen Keller.
Helen Keller was blind and deaf - yet she gave speeches. I can see you Mr President (Stanley Goh), fellow toastmasters and welcome guests. Imagine if you could not see the stage, make eye contact, tell if people were looking at you.
As a child I saw a sign outside a church, 'I used to complain I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet'.
I thought about Helen Keller. She could not see. But she dressed beautifully. She dressed to please others who could see.
Thinking of others instead of herself gave her the courage to speak. People wanted to know about her problems and how she overcame them. Other people are interested in your problems and how you have overcome them.
If she could speak, although she was blind and deaf, you can too. You are lucky. You can see me and hear me. I am lucky. I can see you, and hear you. Please applaud the person who inspires me every time I speak, and every day - Helen Keller.
Labels: applaud, blind, courage, deaf, Helen Keller, lucky, overcome, problems, speech, Thomson Toastmasters
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
TIPS ON BEING AN EVALUATOR
Today I was General Evaluator at Harrovians Speakers, evaluating all the other evaluators.
When I first did the GE role two years ago I could not remember to evaluate the evaluators. It seems absurd now.
Today I just sailed through as GE. It's much easier if you know the people. And write comments you want to read out in capital letters. And, as my friend William always advised, focus on just one to three points about each person.
MY PRIZE-WINNING HUMOROUS IMPROMPTU SPEECH
I also won a ribbon for a table topic. The President Tony Lazar said before presenting me with the prize, that I had done very well with a difficult topic. I didn't think it was difficult. The topic was: How does a blind baby learn to understand its surroundings?
I rushed up to the topics master and grabbed his hand and thought to myself, and said aloud:
''I must just close your eyes for a second and think how a blind baby would feel.''
(I shut my eyes and kept hold of the topics master's hand.)
''How would I recognize people? By their smell!''
(I sniffed the topic's master's hand and arm. He was trying to pull to get away and I was wrinkling up my nose like a hamster and the audience was already in hysterics.)
''I suppose I'd better let you go. And find somebody else. In the front row. Who's there?''
(I stepped forward. I found the arm of somebody wearing a jacket with padded shoulders.)
''Ah, how do you tell a man from a woman? I think this is a man. A jacket with padded shoulders.
Who else is out there?''
(I started feeling an empty chair.)
''Nobody. Some babies are just unlucky.
''Can't somebody help me? Lead me to somebody else. Somebody's leading me forward. Somebody will always find a baby which is in trouble and help it.
''Now I have a problem. I can't see the red and green traffic lights. Somebody tell me how much time I've had? Amber?
''Can you lead me back to the front again? Thank you, so kind of you to help a little blind baby.
'
'Oh dear, what's that? A rattle? Time's up! I'd better open my eyes.''
Today I was General Evaluator at Harrovians Speakers, evaluating all the other evaluators.
When I first did the GE role two years ago I could not remember to evaluate the evaluators. It seems absurd now.
Today I just sailed through as GE. It's much easier if you know the people. And write comments you want to read out in capital letters. And, as my friend William always advised, focus on just one to three points about each person.
MY PRIZE-WINNING HUMOROUS IMPROMPTU SPEECH
I also won a ribbon for a table topic. The President Tony Lazar said before presenting me with the prize, that I had done very well with a difficult topic. I didn't think it was difficult. The topic was: How does a blind baby learn to understand its surroundings?
I rushed up to the topics master and grabbed his hand and thought to myself, and said aloud:
''I must just close your eyes for a second and think how a blind baby would feel.''
(I shut my eyes and kept hold of the topics master's hand.)
''How would I recognize people? By their smell!''
(I sniffed the topic's master's hand and arm. He was trying to pull to get away and I was wrinkling up my nose like a hamster and the audience was already in hysterics.)
''I suppose I'd better let you go. And find somebody else. In the front row. Who's there?''
(I stepped forward. I found the arm of somebody wearing a jacket with padded shoulders.)
''Ah, how do you tell a man from a woman? I think this is a man. A jacket with padded shoulders.
Who else is out there?''
(I started feeling an empty chair.)
''Nobody. Some babies are just unlucky.
''Can't somebody help me? Lead me to somebody else. Somebody's leading me forward. Somebody will always find a baby which is in trouble and help it.
''Now I have a problem. I can't see the red and green traffic lights. Somebody tell me how much time I've had? Amber?
''Can you lead me back to the front again? Thank you, so kind of you to help a little blind baby.
'
'Oh dear, what's that? A rattle? Time's up! I'd better open my eyes.''
Labels: baby, impromptu, prize, ribbon, speech
