How to Write and Present a Winning Speech

I won the Best Speech award (again) at my Toastmasters club last meeting, for a humorous speech entitled Share The Love. I love delivering funny speeches, because I get to make people laugh, I’m able to live in the moment, and I get distracted from self-consciousness by the story-telling. In short, I get to feel free. Plus I can tell immediately that the audience is engaged when they laugh. Even if they’re not laughing, they seem to be paying attention, and either way I’m in the zone having fun.

Now I know it was just a regular club meeting; it’s not like I won a humorous speech contest or anything yet, that’s coming up in a few week’s time. But here’s my process for writing and delivering a humorous speech:

Pick A Painful Story

The essence of public speaking is to tell a story, and make a point. Story-telling … Continue reading…