Archives for January 2022

Make a speech that is clear to your audience

Summer Lotus Jan 23 4 min read

Why are some speeches so memorable? Why does the message stick in our minds? Why do some speakers move you to take action?

The success of any presentation depends on three broad categories. They are delivery, speech content, and language.

According to Toastmasters International Speech Contest Judge’s Guide and Ballot, the scoring is as follows; content 50 percent, delivery 30 percent, and language 20 percent.

Content accounts for 50 out of 100 points possible on the judging ballot. Of those 50 points,

20 are dedicated to speech development (structure, organization, and support material)

15 to speech effectiveness (interest, reception, and achievement of purpose),

15 to speech value (ideas, originality, and logic).

Though we focus on the content here, the three categories are not mutually exclusive as they all contribute to an effectively communicated speech.

1 Speech development (structure, organization, and support material)

A speech should have a beginning, body, and conclusion.

The introduction opens the speech with an attention grabber. It can be a quotation, a visual aid, a dramatic opening, a story to set the background for the latter part of the speech, etc.

A good speaker may use it to comment about his topic, put across his objectives clearly, establish his credentials, and /or get acquainted with his audience by asking questions.

This should not be lengthy as the audience expects the speaker to launch into the speech soon. Moreover, the attention span of the listeners is limited.

The introduction for a speech should take about 10 to 15% of the entire speech time. This means if the speaker expects to talk for about 5 minutes, his introduction should be no more than 45 seconds.

The key is to rein in their attention immediately and garner their interest.

The body of the speech is the meat of the whole delectable meal which is the presentation. This is where speech organization is important.

In a contest speech that is usually 7 minutes, there should be about 3 main points (max 4) to make them memorable. Each point should have a clear and concise story that should be backed up with evidence, an anecdote, statistics, or a survey.

The points are listed as 1, 2, and 3 to make each part succinct. Under each point, the speaker would narrate in detail with an anecdote that could be based on your own story, an observation, other people’s experiences. From one idea to the next, there should be a pause to allow the message to sink into the audience’s minds.

This pause can be made effective by using words like “In addition..”, “ Moreover..”, “ Furthermore..”, etc to ensure a smooth transition of the narrative.

When making the next point, the speaker should have a clear transition like a signpost. The speaker could say, “ The next point is…” or “ My number 2 point is….” The audience is guided to be aware that the first main point has been elaborated and should be ready to listen to the second main point.

If the next point is final, the speaker could announce it as, “My final point is..” or “The third and last point is…”, etc

The main points would clearly guide the audience to a clear understanding of the story that supports the speaker’s theme and objectives of his speech. The audience knows that the presentation is about to end and awaits a conclusion.

In the conclusion, the speaker may summarize the points mentioned briefly and make a strong appeal for action. It is important for the speaker to tie the speech to his objectives so that the audience leaves with a strong message and is persuaded to carry out a worthy cause.

A conclusion should be about 5% of the total speech length. Anything less means that the speaker has ended the speech abruptly and is likely to lose the impact of his or her message.

Too long a conclusion will leave the audience restless and going of a tangent to start a new point is definitely not good.

2. Speech effectiveness (Interest, reception, and achievement of the purpose)

The speaker should carefully select a topic that is of interest to the audience after finding out their demographic, interests, and background. Ask yourself;

Is the topic current? — A topic that involves most of us and that we can resolve by participating would generate interest.

Is the topic taboo? — Issues on race, politics, religion and some sensitive social issues should not be in your department as a commoner.

Is resolution possible — People would like to know if they can be in control of a situation so a topic that is outside their means to resolve would hardly be useful.

3 Speech value (ideas, originality, and logic)

The speaker should choose a topic that provides value to the listener in the respect that they received a better insight into a situation, are enlightened and hopefully motivated to carry out an action that benefits others as well.

Speech that scores are the ones that are original and not plagiarized from any books or articles on the internet. It should preferably be novel in its ideas or concepts. Having humor has a great plus point as people love a good laugh. The speech should also have a logical flow of narration without any preposterous suggestions or theories.

Finally, in addition to Speech content, if the speaker works equally well on the category of delivery as well as language use, the result would certainly be a winning speech in the contest.

Summer Lotus Jan 9th 2022 4 min read

Stay resolute to be adaptable to change.

Is it the pandemic or just a sign of the times? Everything is in flux.

It keeps you running on a treadmill. Life has always been that way, it is just that we were not aware. Think back to your younger days — -you had fears, you did not have certain skills, you did not foresee certain events — but now you have evolved. Because you have changed with the times. Thoughts and surroundings have changed and will continue to do so.

Nothing is permanent except change. Nothing stays status quo except the human mind if it refuses to grow along with changes that are unavoidable. If you remain resolute to stay adaptable and positive, you will roll with the punches of life and find it an exciting journey.

The human body is changing every minute. Cells die, new cells are created, maybe at a slower pace. In my clinic, some patients asked me why did teeth relapse after braces? The teeth and gums and the bone condition are different as we age. As a dentist, we see oral conditions change relative to a patient’s health, habits, and personal care.

Why did teeth move even after braces? That is because inflammation may occur in the mouth resulting in bone loss and reduced tooth stability is just one of the common reasons. How does one deal with this change? The retainer is made to keep the straightened teeth in position. Eventually wearing them half-time could help.

Look at the innumerable products on the shelves today. They have more designs, functions, tastes, etc. Humans are evolving all the time as we are a progressive species. We enjoy a better living standard because there are people who make changes to benefit others.

“Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” — -George Bernard Shaw

The pandemic is a good case in point. As the virus presents itself in new forms, humans work on various vaccines and ways to defeat it. The pandemic wreaks havoc and countries have imposed restrictions and innovative ways to contain the spread of the virus that has been changing with the infection status.

Work and learning continue as we move online. We digitalize and robotize to carry on improving our standard of living.

Change is omnipresent. There is no point in whining about it and how we have to continuously find ways to cope with it. We should cope with it!

Times change. What works yesterday may not work tomorrow. Look at the number of modes of payment today. With more payments done through apps, who would have thought that you do not need to bring your wallet out anymore? You can pay for your purchases, food, and bills using the magnificent device called the smartphone. I see it as an absolute convenience.

Daddy and mummy do not know best anymore. If you have any queries, Google can be your adviser.

However, some things do not change, like habits such as being lazy, indifferent, and tardy. If you do like to see change and adapt to it, you will be left by the wayside. Everyone is swept along this mainstream of transformation and is struggling to deal with it and would not have time to help you out. You either conform, adapt or fizzle out and be confounded by change. No one will sympathize with you because everybody else is busy trying to cope.

Realize this fact and change yourself;

1 Accept that Change is eternal. People get smarter because they innovate and adapt. The world is getting more sophisticated whether you like it or not. One might as well dive into change and enjoy the ride.

2 Be curious. Start asking questions and seek out helpful friends who are patient enough to enlighten and empower you with the knowledge to cope with changing norms of daily living. You should seek out a wider social circle. An additional friend could be an avenue to new knowledge if you choose your friends carefully.

3 Be determined. Continuous learning is key. The world is your oyster especially if you are connected to the internet. You could pick up any skills that interest you and develop them. Almost every solution can be found on the internet though you would have to sieve the wheat from the chaff so to speak where real and fake information is concerned.

Finally, be certain that changing yourself will bring pain as you set out to learn new things. Being out of the comfort zone is naturally disturbing. The learning curve seems steep but every step taken will make you wiser and happier.

Stay resolute to be adaptable to change and embrace it.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new” — -Socrates

Start off the year with this skill….

Summer Lotus 1st Jan 2022 4 min read

We are complex human beings, affected by the emotions of peace, joy, anger, jealousy, anxiety, greed, gluttony, fear, sadness, lust, shock, pride, sloth, grief, etc.

It is these emotions that motivate us into action or slow us in our tracks.

It is these feelings alone that persuades us to do something much more than rational thinking.

It is these feelings that can help you succeed or fail you in your attempts.

It was exactly negative feelings that impeded my progress from a young age. Innately introverted and introspective, I would always stay on the sidelines, observing, wishing, hoping, dreaming….

To become a better student, a successful career lady, a good mother, an efficient wife. It was all about the actions that I needed to take but my overriding emotion was anxiety and fear. In particular, the fear of public speaking. They impeded the growth of my personality.

The fear of speaking up was the bane of my life. I had no clue as to how to make myself heard which was a big stumbling block to personal progress.

Mediocrity was the order of the day. The non-eventful student days went on monotonously for years as I watched how some of my friends were so brave and eloquent and attained their goals.

Naturally, people who made their requests heard, had something to show, got what they want. It was no surprise that I emerged as an also-ran, still wading through the waters of young adult life, muddled and aimless. But, there was always an inner voice sounding me, “You need to come out of your shell and be heard”.

For years on, I searched for ways to learn to speak up and be heard. I dabbled in public speaking courses such as enrolling with the BBC for a hefty fee which was a shocker to me when they taped us speaking. It left me completely non-plussed.

Then, I joined the Dale Carnegie course and was poorer by more than a thousand dollars for ten sessions. However, it was an ice-breaker for me and I improved somewhat. The improvement came after five projects of speaking but I wished that I had more drive for excellence.

Next, I discovered Toastmasters International, a public speaking movement that was started by Mr. Ralph Smedley in the US and had since evolved into innumerable clubs in many countries. My depth of participation fluctuated but after many years, I would like to credit my progress to the program run by the club.

The change is insidious. I do not get stumped by questions these days and am able to give a positive spin to most questions. How did I overcome my anxiety over public speaking? Looking back on the journey, it was obvious. Persist and look for more opportunities to speak. Do your projects seriously.

The starting points were always very painful as they involved hard work, fear of failure, embarrassment even ridicule. The truth is, most people are busy with their own anxieties and insecurities to be bothered by yours. Hence, the anxiety was my own illusion.

Most of us are not born speakers but we can hone ourselves into good speakers. Through learning, training, and practicing. My anxious mindset was my own making.

Over the years, I find that most problems are quite minuscule if we first overcome the fear and worry caused by the problems and instead focus on the solutions. Worry causes you to go around in circles and closes your mind. When you tame the beast that is anxiety, your brain will gravitate towards solutions and a more positive outcome.

The same principle applies to the gamut of emotions listed above. When angry, hold back as nothing good comes out of anger. Anger may lead to an impulse to defend, which may not be the right thing to do if you are wrong. The correct thing is to admit and apologize.

Anger may lead to the impulse to leap at the other party which is equally unwise and have dire consequences.

“In anger, we should refrain from both speech and action” — by Pythagoras. After simmering down, the whole incident may be a non-incident at all. One may even laugh at one’s folly. In any case, disasters are averted.

In any case, one may ask ourselves; What am I feeling? Why? What happened? How did it happen? What could be done about it? What are the possible consequences of an unbridled emotion? Will I regret it later?

The only emotions worth cultivating are joy and peace.