From my last speech I discovered a bit more about myself. I am good at preparing a speech, yes, diligent, dedicated and demanding of myself. Which is good for the first few speeches, but not a good thing as I go forward. The problem is that I tend to overprepare. When I say overprepare, I mean research, write, add a personal experience, and then practice the speech in my head about a dozen times. I expend too much energy on this phase.
What happens is that despite the great structure of my speech, with all the perfect elements of sharing information, it ends up like a lecture. The point is that I am not having fun with it.
A communications coach once said, I should deliver my speech in a way that is aligned to who I want to be. That’s a deep-dive, I know what he means – I need to be in the moment, sharing from the whole of my being.
So for speech 3, which was my 8th speech. Yey! I decided to relax the preparation. I decided to just go with the flow, and write about something that I enjoy – which is generally new information. Knowledge that I can apply, and share with others.
The theme was Mentorship. I didn’t want my speech to be only about my mentor, or about what mentorship is all about. I wanted to add a different spin to the topic.
I had read in one of the business newsletters that TikTok was a trending site for young people, particularly those seeking advice in their career. The younger generation were searching for mentors on TikTok – a site that was never really taken seriously. TikTok was actually shaping careers of the next generation. Wow! what an amazing story. I decided to create a nice little speech around it. I drafted a few points, and imagined myself in the audience, and then worded my speech in a way that would entice and intrigue.
When I gave my speech, I started by asking a question about TikTok, and then I proceeded to share interesting nuggets of information related to the new ways of searching for mentors.
My delivery was relaxed, interactive, and I also shared my personal insights about the Toastmasters mentorship program, and how much I have gained from it. Mentors do make a difference, and I would recommend that if you are on a new path in life, find a mentor who will be able to guide you correctly.
It turned out to be a good speech.
I won ‘best speaker’! Honestly, I had fun with the speech, I felt connected with myself, and the audience. I sort of understand what my coach said about the alignment. I am still learning the process of finding that perfect balance of words, delivery, emotional connect, and body language. Definitely there’s a lot more to learn and practice. For now, I shall not overthink it.


I am grateful for what I have learned so far. In this year, I have moved from being a nervous speaker, to a more confident one. The best part, is that I will continue on this pathway to practice my speaking skills so that I will become an effective communicator combining my knowledge as a writer and coach, and now speaker.
Looking forward to continuing my Toastmasters journey in 2023.
