(See sample speech here)
Executive Summary
People enjoy hearing stories, and humorous stories top most people's lists. Audiences connect best with tales that have a universal theme or message and a clear story line. Humor increases the allure of the anecdote. Include exaggeration, understatement, twisted definitions, puns, parody and misdirection in your speech to create a pleasant diversion for your audience.
Objectives
- Entertain the audience through the use of humor drawn from personal experience and from the material that you have personalized
- Deliver the speech in a way that makes the humor effective
- Establish personal rapport with your audience for maximum impact
Your Project Speech
Prepare, rehearse and deliver a 15- to 20-minute entertaining speech. Your purpose is to help the audience have fun. The talk should have a theme and illustrate your concern with sequence, simplicity, vividness and unexpected twists, and its organization should be readily apparent.
Relate personal experiences that you recall vividly, and use quotes, illustrations, stories, poems and examples from sources other than your personal experience that are redesigned to fit your topic and personality. Make effective use of body language and vocal variety. If you wish, assume that your Toastmasters club members represent some specific group, and practice your ability to relate your talk to their purpose and interests (be sure to advice the Toastmasters of the meeting of this fact).
This information is provided as a service to members. For full details on this speech project, refer to The Professional Speaker manual. All materials in the Toastmasters Educational Program are copyright Toastmasters International. All rights reserved.
The Professional Speaker Manual
