Today I gave my first ATM speech in Toastmaster.? The purpose of this speech project is to entertain the audience.? It is very different from the last few speeches I worked on, which is focused on deliver something to the audience.? This kind of topics well suit a casual speech used to kill off dead air.? The speech manual suggest use personal experience to begin us, add some small twist to the story and use vivid language or even act out some dramatic scenes.? The speech don’t have to be out right funny, as long as you can grab the attention of the audience without letting them feel bore.? I didn’t prepared the speech well.? I had the topic in mind for a few weeks, but didn’t write it down to organize it.? Last night I even though of giving up, skip today’s speech.? I am glad I didn’t call it off at last.? I sat down and divide up the speech into sections 1-2 minutes in length, then I can find points to fill up each section easier.? I had the speech layout in my mind before I go to bed, but I didn’t practice it.? I pratice for half an hour this morning at work.? I practiced section by section, pick the right wrong to use in each sentence and think about where to drop in some sense of humor.? Due to the lack of time, I didn’t dry out the whole speech once before I go in.? Big mistake.? Since I worry I may not have enough material, I end up dragged on too long in the first half of the speech.? When the green lights come on, I am only half way done.? So I have to cut down the materials in the second half to stay within the time limit.? In a short 5-7 minutes speech, don’t waste precious time in dragging a few points.? Don’t worry about not having enough material.? It is easier to extend the speech than rush it to finish.? You can always prepare a bit extra material in case there is? time.? From my experience, a speech more likely run over time than not long enough.? Other than grammer, I should focus on making every sentence counts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"