Toastmaster Skill Builder - Clayton State University

Improve and reinforce speaking and leadership qualities with aToastmaster SkillBuilderSkill Builders are concise presentations during theclub meeting which focus on a speaking orleadership skill. They remind members to remainfocused on and continue practicing the skills theyjoined Toastmasters to learn.Clubs that want to help members focus on theskills they are learning can easily schedule a SkillBuilder early in each meeting. It adds a lot ofcontent and never takes more than three minutes.~ Organization ~A Skill Builder is a short speech with a singlepoint. It has an introduction, a body, and aconclusion. An example, a quick story, or arelevant quotation supports the point.The ‘3X’ theory works well in a Skill Builder:1. Tell them what you are going to tell them.2. Tell them.3. Tell them what you told them.If a topic can’t be covered in a single point andwithin three minutes, either narrow the focus orcover the wider topic in a regular manual speech.Whether you give your audience a single pointor a dozen points to remember – a mere hour afteryou’ve spoken, most listeners will be lucky torecall a single point. A Skill Builder presentationis an exercise in choosing the single point you mostwant your audience to remember, and deliveringthat point memorably.~ Time ~The Skill Builder may be as long as three minutes– and no longer.The green card or light is shown attwo minutes, yellow at two and a halfminutes, and red at three minutes.When the red appears, the toastmaster of the dayleads the applause and the meeting continues.There’s no minimum time. To effectively makeand reinforce a point in 60-to-90 seconds ispowerful delivery. Brevity is a critical speaking1attribute and Skill Builders are an opportunity topractice effective brevity.Your ability to powerfully present an importanttopic in limited time is valuable. Many chances toexpress your opinion in public are limited to twominutes of speaking time – such as at the CityCouncil, a State Legislative hearing, or aToastmasters International board meeting.~ Resources ~Minimal effort will uncover many sources forgenerating ideas and reinforcing content.Your own experience is a worthwhile resource –a point in an evaluation that has stuck with youwould make a great topic! A Skill Builder isn’t thevoice of authority, it is peer feedback on what afellow Toastmaster has noticed or wants tostrengthen.Skill Builder topic ideas will be found in:• Toastmaster CTM and advanced manuals.• Toastmaster Magazine.• http://www.toastmasters.org/indexbk.htmThe TI web site has a ‘speaking tips’ link andfrequent skill-building features.• Old speech class textbooks.• Watching other speakers.• A point made (or missed) during an evaluation.~ Topic Selection ~An ideal Skill Builder is the point you’d like tostrengthen in your own presentation ability. Pick askill that everybody needs and focus on a singleaspect of that skill.It is even okay if somebody else covered anaspect of the same skill recently. There of so manyfacets to each skill that another perspective will bevaluable. Somebody that didn’t connect with thepoint when it was previously presented will ‘get it’during your presentation.A few possible Skill Builder topics are listed onthe other side.by Gregory Lay, ATM, Coronado Toastmasters, Albuquerque, NM

~ Topic Ideas ~q Ask for an actionq Ask for useful feedbackq Attracting attentionq Audience involvementq Avoid distracting mannerismsq Be a mentorq Book with worthwhile advicefor speakersq Breathingq Bring your audience into yourspeechq Build to a climaxq Conduct a business meetingq Contest rulesq Contest techniquesq Convince your audienceq Deal with interruptionsq Define your topic so everybodyunderstandsq Develop your voiceq Dress for your presentation.q Edit to fit a time limitq Emotional involvementq Emotional responses from youraudienceq Empty pockets, comb hairq Enter club contestsq Enunciateq Establish audience rapportq Evaluate a speakerq Evidence to prove your pointq Eye contactq Facial expressionq Find interesting topicsq Find helpful quotationsq Flip chartsq Get your butterflies flying informationq Gestures – powerful and weakq Gestures to support your wordsq Get to the point quicklyq Get away from the lecternq Get dramaticq Get quiet people to participateq Give useful feedbackq Greet toastmaster of the dayq Handoutsq Head table protocolq How to address the chairq Humorq Hypothetical vs. real lifeexamples?q Interview others for speechmaterialq Introductionsq Invocationsq Language - powerful & simpleq Leadership awardsq Leadership opportunitiesq Leave them wanting moreq Lectern techniquesq Listenq Loud voice / soft voiceWhat doyouwant toreinforce?q Make an idea fileq Make it memorable with astoryq Make table topics excitingq Meet audience before speakingq Memorable momentsq Never apologizeq Open up for questionsq Organize as you speakq Organize a speechq Outside speaking opportunitiesq Overcome poor speech habitsq Parliamentary procedureq Pitchq Postureq Power of the pauseq Prepare charts in advanceq Prepare notesq Prepare your introductionq Prepare a meeting agendaq Promote your causeq Pronunciationq Projectorsq Propose a formal motionq Props2q Rateq Reach out to bored audiencemembersq Rehearseq Relaxation techniquesq Research or plagiarism?q Revise a speech for anotherdayq Room set-upq Select the right material tomake a pointq Self-revelationq Show your enthusiasmq Speaking paceq Speak up in a meetingq Statistics to support yourspeechq Storytellingq Strengthen your voiceq Summarize your pointsq Support your pointsq Table topic techniquesq Tailor speech to audienceq Toneq Transitions / sign-postingq Use a microphoneq Vocal toneq Vocal varietyq Walk around or stand stillq Wall chartsq What to do with your handsq What to say while thinking ofwhat to sayq What to tell your audienceabout your speechq White boardsq Word selectionEvery role in a meeting is a greatSkill Builder topic, including thetoastmaster of the day, tabletopics leader, grammarian,humorist, timekeeper, general andspeech evaluator.Share ideas, reinforce lessons,and improve your communicationwith Skill Builders.