Monday, May 07, 2007
Inspirational Speech - Speech 10
I remember quite well, the day I signed up for toastmasters. I was tense and nervous, wondering if I did the right thing by joining. I wasn’t sure if I could complete a single speech, let alone 10. But I knew that I wanted to complete the 10 speeches to improve my communication skills, to better articulate my ideas and to be a confidant speaker and a leader.
With these goals in mind, I started to prepare my first speech, the ice breaker. It was a speech which would introduce me to the audience, a speech that would give an idea of who I am to the listener. What better way to do this than to explain a race that I took part in while in college. I chose this topic because it gave a good insight into the kind of challenges that I like and the extent to which I would pursue a challenge to make sure I win.
The second thru the sixth speech got me to work on various skills that would help he achieve my goals of being a better communicator. Despite nagging time sinks and sticky work schedules, I stuck to the task of working on the speech. Researching the topic, practicing before a mirror, organizing and trying to achieve vocal variety were the tasks I had to work on to successfully get thru those speeches. Be it researching about Chandragiri, a fortress in India, for my second speech or getting my body to speak, for the fifth, I practiced hard. I needed the right amount of constructive feedback that toastmasters give to get over my nervousness. These speeches helped me better present my ideas and gave me confidence.
The final tasks got me to mix the skills that I had learnt over the earlier speeches and work on building informative speeches that helped me to persuade the audience. By doing these speeches, I got an opportunity to improve my leadership skills and be more creative. Now, on the verge of completing the 10th speech required for the CTM, I find that sticking to the task and working on the speeches despite various constraints has paid rich dividends. This reassures my belief that working towards my goal, no matter what the obstacles, is worth the effort and sacrifices involved.
In conclusion, I would urge each one of you to chase your goal, whatever that might be, with determination and drive to see you complete the task, despite the hardship that you face. I would like to quote the following as a parting shot: “Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments.”
With these goals in mind, I started to prepare my first speech, the ice breaker. It was a speech which would introduce me to the audience, a speech that would give an idea of who I am to the listener. What better way to do this than to explain a race that I took part in while in college. I chose this topic because it gave a good insight into the kind of challenges that I like and the extent to which I would pursue a challenge to make sure I win.
The second thru the sixth speech got me to work on various skills that would help he achieve my goals of being a better communicator. Despite nagging time sinks and sticky work schedules, I stuck to the task of working on the speech. Researching the topic, practicing before a mirror, organizing and trying to achieve vocal variety were the tasks I had to work on to successfully get thru those speeches. Be it researching about Chandragiri, a fortress in India, for my second speech or getting my body to speak, for the fifth, I practiced hard. I needed the right amount of constructive feedback that toastmasters give to get over my nervousness. These speeches helped me better present my ideas and gave me confidence.
The final tasks got me to mix the skills that I had learnt over the earlier speeches and work on building informative speeches that helped me to persuade the audience. By doing these speeches, I got an opportunity to improve my leadership skills and be more creative. Now, on the verge of completing the 10th speech required for the CTM, I find that sticking to the task and working on the speeches despite various constraints has paid rich dividends. This reassures my belief that working towards my goal, no matter what the obstacles, is worth the effort and sacrifices involved.
In conclusion, I would urge each one of you to chase your goal, whatever that might be, with determination and drive to see you complete the task, despite the hardship that you face. I would like to quote the following as a parting shot: “Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments.”
Labels: inspiration, toastmasters
# posted by Kiran @ 1:26 PM 
