I never underwent any specific training and deep inside - I am an introvert, though I try not to openly exhibit this socially shunned quality. But my speeches just worked out. The very first speech I did while still in ESL, and won a school award for it. I did great speeches in Russian, English, French and even Chinese with awards and high praise.
I have also joined a club, Toastmasters International. This club focuses on helping people perfect their spoken delivery. As an executive, I have tried my best to help others learn what I guess came naturally to me. To a certain extent, because I still have a lot of room to develop as well.
For Toastmasters, I have written a small tutorial for starting out in speeches and it is something I want to share with you guys :) Alright, enough of an intro. Let's jump into it!
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Starting out : Inspirations & Unique Style
One picture is worth a thousand words. A quote used to identify the best medium for spreading ideas, it definitely applies to perfecting a skill. Learning to tie a tie can be more effective to a YouTube video than to a set of word instructions. Learning a martial art is more effective in demonstration than in writing. Learning to speak is no different.
As a speaker is more and more developed, they begin to define a profoundly their own style. It is evident in what a speaker accentuates, their pace, their attitude and how they carry themselves. It is evident in how they address the audience. A speaker's style is something that separates them from the rest and gets them noticed. As they get noticed, more interest is given to what they are saying. Thus, what they're saying acquires greater reach.
Developing a style takes practice - that is for sure. It isn't forced - it comes naturally. But to aid its development, an aspiring speaker should definitely devote some time to observing the styles of others. A picture is definitely worth more than a thousand words here - everyone know that eye contact and audience engagement are good. However, upon actually viewing some great speakersand visually engaging with their speeches, a learner acquires a far deeper understanding of what works best for them to make them unique.
A style matures with the maturity of the speaking skill that the learner possesses. However, by starting to watch other people speak early, that style matures quicker and the learner acquires greater inspiration. That is why, at least in the belief of the reader, before focusing on the metrics of the speech (eye contact, voice projection, motion, etc.) - one should first find speakers they are inspired by. This will motivate you to get better and push you in the right direction.
Everyone is different in how they choose their inspirations. Some can look at one speaker, others can have a few. Some may mimic their speeches, some may just watch. Whatever works for you best. You do not have to agree with the speaker's views to learn from how well they use oral communication. Hitler was a very expressive and one of the most powerful modern-age speakers, having moved millions. Nazism should not be tolerated but Hitler was talented, even though he used his talent for evil. Martin Luther King is a common inspiration. Some look in movies to find great examples to follow - Al Pacino performed a number of great monologues. Find these on YouTube.
A lot of people just jump to perfecting the physical aspects of their speech and how well they use the elements which are available to them. But what makes a good speech great is the passion of the speaker and no words will teach you how to portray passion. Pictures, videos - on the other hand, might.
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