There are 10 speech projects in the Communication Manual.
These projects focus on the basic building blocks of communication skills.
If you speak with people who are experts at what they do, you'll find they
all agree about one thing - you perfect your skills by drilling the basics.
That's why you'll hear of Toastmasters who are working on their second
or third or more CTM awards.
Project 1 - The Ice Breaker
Time: Four to six minutes
Executive Summary:
For your first speech project, you will introduce yourself to your fellow club members and give them some information about your background, interests and ambitions. Practice giving your speech to friends or family members, and strive to make eye contact with some of your audience. You may use notes during your speech if you wish. Read the entire project before preparing your talk.
Objectives:
To begin speaking before an audience.
To discover speaking skills you already have and skills that need some
attention.
Project 2 - Organize Your Speech Time: Five to seven minutes
Executive Summary:
Good speech organization is essential if your audience is to follow and
understand your presentation. You must take the time to put your ideas
together in an orderly manner. You can organize your speech in several
different ways; choose the outline that best suits your topic. The opening
should catch the audience's attention, the body must support the idea you
want to convey, and the conclusion should reinforce your ideas and be memorable.
Transitions between thoughts should be smooth.
Objectives:
Select an appropriate outline which allows listeners to easily follow and
understand your speech.
Make your message clear, with supporting material directly contributing
to that message.
Use appropriate transitions when moving from one idea to another.
Create a strong opening and conclusion.
Project 3 - Get to the Point Time: Five to seven minutes
Executive Summary:
Every speech must have a general and a specific purpose. A general purpose
is to inform, to persuade, to entertain or to inspire. A specific purpose
is what you want the audience to do after listening to your speech. Once
you have established your general and specific purposes, you'll find it
easy to organize your speech. You'll also have more confidence, which makes
you more convincing, enthusiastic and sincere. Of course, the better organized
the speech is, the more likely it is to achieve your purpose.
Objectives:
Select a speech topic and determine its general and specific purposes.
Organize the speech in a manner that best achieves those purposes.
Ensure the beginning, body and conclusion reinforce the purposes
Project sincerity and conviction and control any nervousness you may feel.
Strive not to use notes.
Project 4 - How to Say It Time: Five to seven minutes
Executive Summary:
Words are powerful. They convey your message and influence the audience
and its perception of you. Word choice and arrangement need just as much
attention as speech organization and purpose. Select clear, accurate, descriptive
and short words that best communicate your ideas and arrange them effectively
and correctly. Every word should add value, meaning and punch to your speech.
Objectives:
Select the right words and sentence structure to communicate your ideas
clearly, accurately and vividly.
Use rhetorical devices to enhance and emphasize ideas.
Eliminate jargon and unnecessary words. Use correct grammar.
Project 5 - Your Body Speaks Time: Five to seven minutes
Executive Summary:
Body language is an important part of speaking because it enhances your
message and gives you more credibility. It also helps release any nervousness
you may feel. Stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact
help communicate your message and achieve your speech's purpose. Body language
should be smooth, natural and convey the same message that your listeners
hear. Read Gestures: Your Body Speaks (Catalog No. 201), which you received
in your New Member Kit.
Objectives:
Use stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact to express
your message and achieve your speech's purpose.
Make your body language smooth and natural.
Project 6 - Vocal Variety Time: Five to seven minutes.
Executive Summary:
Your voice has a major effect on your audience. A lively, exciting voice
attracts and keeps listeners' attention. A speaking voice should be pleasant,
natural, forceful, expressive and easily heard. Use volume, pitch, rate
and quality as well as appropriate pauses to reflect and add meaning and
interest to your message. Your voice should reflect the thoughts you are
presenting. Review Your Speaking Voice (Catalog No. 199), which you received
in your New Member Kit.
Objectives:
Use voice, volume, pitch, rate and quality to reflect and add meaning and
interest to your message.
Use pauses to enhance your message.
Use vocal variety smoothly and naturally.
Project 7 - Research Your Topic Time: Five to seven minutes
Executive Summary:
Your speech will be more effective if you can support your main points
with statistics, testimony, stories, anecdotes, examples, visual aids and
facts. You can find this material on the Internet, at the library and in
other places.
Use information collected from numerous sources and carefully support points with specific facts, examples and illustrations, rather than with just your own opinions.
Objectives:
Collect information about your topic from numerous sources.
Carefully support your points and opinions with specific facts, examples
and illustrations gathered through research.
Project 8 - Get Comfortable with Visual Aids Time: Five to seen minutes
Executive Summary:
Visual aids help an audience understand and remember what they hear; they are a valuable tool for speakers. The most popular visual aids are computer-based visuals, overhead transparencies, flip charts, white-boards and props.
The type of visual aid you choose depends on several factors, including the information you wish to display and the size of the audience. Visuals must be appropriate for your message and the audience, and be displayed correctly with ease and confidence.
Objectives:
Select visual aids that are appropriate for your message and the audience.
Use visual aids correctly with ease and confidence.
Project 9 - Persuade with Power Time: Five to seven minutes
Executive Summary:
The ability to persuade people - getting them to understand, accept and act upon your ideas - is a valuable skill. Your listeners will more likely be persuaded if they perceive you as credible, if you use logic and emotion in your appeal, if you carefully structure your speech and if you appeal to their interests. Avoid using notes because they may cause listeners to doubt your sincerity, knowledge and conviction.
Objectives:
Persuade listeners to adopt your viewpoint or ideas or to take some action.
Appeal to the audience's interests
Use logic and emotion to support your position.
Avoid using notes.
Project 10 - Inspire Your Audience Time: Eight to 10 minutes
Executive Summary:
An inspirational speech motivates an audience to improve personally, emotionally,
professionally or spiritually and relies heavily on emotional appeal. It
brings the audience together in a mood of fellowship and shared desire,
builds the audience's enthusiasm, then proposes a change or plan and appeals
to the audience to adopt this change or plan. This speech will last longer
than your previous talks, so make arrangements in advance with your Vice
President Education for extra time.
Objectives:
To inspire the audience by appealing to noble motives and challenging the
audience to achieve a higher level of beliefs or achievement.
Appeal to the audience's needs and emotions, using stories, anecdotes and
quotes to add drama.