Writing a Speech for the International Speech Contest

Writing a Speech for the
International Speech Contest
What makes a winning speech?
Introduction
This presentation was originally given at the
District 11 TLI in January, 2008. At that time I had
entered the International Speech Contest four
times, never having progressed before the district
level. In 2008, though, I progressed all the way to
the International final. So, I have since modified
this presentation to include lessons learned from
that experience.
If you are entering this year, good luck! It can be a
wild ride…
International
• The big one!
• Six levels
– Club, Area, Division, District, Region,
International
• Think:
– What do you remember from the best contest
speeches?
– What do you remember from the best
speeches you’ve heard outside TM?
“What Do The Judges Want?”
• This is the wrong question
– Practically speaking, judges are a very
heterogeneous group
– Moreover, when you get up on any stage, you should
be speaking for the audience’s benefit, not for the
judges
• The better questions to ask yourself are:
– What do I want the audience to get out of this?
– What do I want to get out of this?
– What does the ballot ask for?
Questions to Ask Yourself
• What do I want the audience to get out of
this speech?
– As I prepared for the WCPS final, Darren
LaCroix (WCPS Champion, 2001) repeatedly
told me, “This is not about you – it’s about the
audience.”
– Do I want to move them to action?
– Do I want them to change the way they think?
– Do I want to bring about an emotional state?
Questions to Ask Yourself
• What do I want to get out of this?
– The speech contest is also a growth exercise
– So, it’s worthwhile to ask how you are hoping
to grow from this exercise as a speaker, and
as an individual
The Ballot
• In terms of the contest, think not in terms
of judges, but in terms of the ballot
• The ballot does allow a lot of subjective
judgment
• However, attention to the ballot can help
you understand why sometimes the
speech you remember most isn’t
necessarily the one that wins
The Ballot on Content
• Speech development (20 points)
– “speech is structured around a purpose”, “as a unified
whole”
• Effectiveness (15 points)
– “audience response”, “subjective judgment”, clear
purpose
• Speech value (15 points)
– “responsibility to say something meaningful to the
audience”, a “contribution to [the audience’s] thinking”
The Ballot on Content
• Be sure to think about all of these
– Coming up with your core message is the most
important step in speechwriting
– Darren LaCroix and Jim Key both told me that I
should be able to summarize my key message into 10
words or less
– Within the speech, you should challenge your
audience to think about how your message relates to
their lives, and give them time to think about this
What One Champion Says
• Jim Key, 2003 World Champion:
– “Johnny Carson has said that people will pay more to
be entertained than educated; however, if you can
educate while entertaining, then you're truly hit upon
something.”
– Talk about something you “completely believe in, from
which you sincerely believe that the audience would
benefit.”
Structure
• The ballot emphasizes being clear of
purpose
• Use a clear structure
– Grab attention immediately
– Have a clear introduction
– Develop a meaningful, coherent speech body
– Revisit introduction or body in conclusion
Delivery
• Consider the statement on the next slide
– First, imagine it as delivered by the most
boring professor in the world
– Then, imagine it again, as delivered by a
professor who is dynamic, dramatic, and
really cares about her material
Delivery
• “So with PET scans, MRIs, CAT scans,
EEGs, and BEAM imaging we have all
sorts of brain imaging equipment at our
disposal; however, psychology still can’t
address Descartes’ original question, of
how the mind is connected to the brain.
Psychology still can’t tell us what
consciousness is.”
Delivery
• From this exercise you should have
learned that it’s important to think about
how you deliver every sentence
– This is not to say that every sentence should
be delivered with maximum drama
– Rather, there are no throwaway sentences;
every sentence is important, every sentence
can benefit from thoughtful consideration as
to its delivery
The Ballot on Delivery
• Physical (10 points):
– “appearance should reinforce the speech”,
“body language should support points through
gestures, expressions, body positioning”
– What can you do?
•
•
•
•
Move around – but not excessively!
Use the entire speaking area
Address the whole audience
Videotape your rehearsals and performances
– Sometimes what the audience sees is different from what
you think they see
The Ballot on Delivery
• Voice (10 points)
– “flexible”, “variety of rate and volume”, “clearly
understood”
– Think about pauses, tone and pace
• Darren LaCroix emphasizes the use of pauses to
let the audience think and absorb your points
• A great contest speech is often like a rollercoaster
ride - you lift the audience up and down, around
corners in directions they never expected. You
steer them using your delivery
The Ballot on Delivery
• Manner (10 points)
– “indirect revelation of the speaker’s real self”,
“enthusiasm and assurance”, “interest in the
audience and confidence in their reactions”
– Don’t just let the audience hear a speech, let
them experience you as a speaker
• Your confidence and enthusiasm send the
message that your message should be as exciting
to them as it is to you
The Ballot on Language
• Smallest component of the point scoring,
but may be the easiest place to lose a few
points, or to set yourself apart to gain
points
– The higher the level of the contest, the more
likely that the top speakers will only be
separated by a point or two
The Ballot on Language
• Appropriateness (10 points)
– words that “relate to your speech purpose”
and to the audience.
• Correctness (10 points)
– “proper use of grammar and correct
pronunciation” to show you are the “master of
the words being used”
– have someone who’s grammatically
knowledgeable listen to your speech a few
times, to catch things you might not notice
Language
• Try to develop a few powerful turns of
phrase, things you want the audience to
remember
• This is not a matter of complex wording,
often quite the opposite
– Straightforward wording can pack real power:
• “I have a dream”
• “Ask not what your country can do for you”
• “Tear down this wall”
Language Exercise
• Change the language to make this
sentence more interesting:
“George got out of bed, went downstairs,
stepped outside and picked up the mail.”
• Think about ways you could change the
wording to make this more vivid and have
the audience feel what George feels
So, What Else?
• Practice
• Jim Key practiced at 20+ clubs for each of
regional and international levels, and
“hundreds of times privately”
• Darren LaCroix:
– "I knew I was not the most talented; not the
best speaker in the world. But, I thought, I can
be the best prepared."
Finally…
• Before contests, get your game face on
– Drink enough water to avoid dry mouth
– Make sure your energy level is up
– Walk up there with a spring in your step and a
sense of enthusiasm
• Enjoy the rush!