5 minute speech timer3/20/2023 Idea #2: Topicalĭiscuss a series of elements of your life to provide a “sampling” of your life. However, having said that, one of these ideas may help you overcome writer’s block.įor many people, a series of chronological snapshots of their life is the easiest to write and deliver.Įxample: Ravi Singal takes this approach with his Ice Breaker: Why Me? Try Me!Įxample: Oleg Kagan starts at birth in his Ice Breaker speech. There is no need to do so! Often, the audience doesn’t notice the little glitches, and it is much better for you to ignore them too.Īlthough your broad topic is yourself, there are numerous angles to take, and several ways to organize your speech.ĭon’t worry too much about the organization of the speech later speech projects (especially #2 and #3) encourage you to focus more on that. for uttering too many “Um”s, for losing your place, etc.). You may feel an urge to apologize to your audience (e.g. (If nobody laughs, don’t worry about that either… it’s something to work on later.) An easy way to do this is to make a self-depracating joke at the start. The laughs from the audience will reduce your nervousness. If you are comfortable incorporating humour into your ice breaker, go for it. Try to avoid these, but don’t worry if you can’t help it. Two common effects of nervousness are mumbling words and racing through the speech. Once you have established your “base line”, then you can aim to raise your skill level in future projects. Nobody expects you to be a world-class orator. It’s okay if you read your ice breaker from a script (just try to look up once in a while), if you refer to cue cards, or if you talk without notes. Don’t worry too much about going under or over time. It may seem like a long time, but in later projects, you’ll start wishing you had much more time to deliver your message. The recommended time for the Ice Breaker speech is four to six minutes. However, your nervousness will be reduced considerably if you give it a couple of practice runs out loud (even if your only audience is you). You don’t need to practice the speech 35 times, and you don’t need to have it memorized. All other members have gone through the Ice Breaker before, and can provide words of encouragement. Perhaps you can practice it privately before the meeting. Perhaps they can help you select a topic. Perhaps they can share what they spoke about for their Icebreaker. If you don’t, feel free to ask any other club member. If you have a mentor, don’t hesitate to ask them for help. “Nobody expects you to be a world-class orator. Here are a few other things which may help you: You can download a PDF version of the first project from the Toastmasters International website. The Competent Communicator manual has a wealth of helpful advice. This first speech helps club members gauge your current strengths so that they can make specific recommendations to help you improve. No matter where you fit into this spectrum, your goal is to improve from your starting point. Some new members have no public speaking experience, while others have years of presentations behind them. Provide a “base line” of your current strengths and weaknesses.If you get up, say something, and sit down, you have succeeded in this project. Nobody is grading you, and nobody will mind if you stumble through 99 “Um”s and “Ah”s. If you feel this nervousness, remember that a Toastmaster audience is always supportive and understanding. It is nervewracking when speaking in front of a new group. Begin to conquer the fear of speaking in front of a group.You are an absolute authority on this topic, and everyone in the audience will learn something about you. Your ice breaker speech topic is you – something about your life, your job, your hobbies, your unique interests, your family, or any combination of these. Get Comfortable with Visual Aids (coming next).
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