International Speech Contest - An education session by Ian Faria

It was all set for the most awaited session!! Banjara hall was full with the excited sun-shiners looking forward to learn the art of “Winning the world championship of Public Speech”. Gracious presence of Mr. Ian Faria added color to the occasion.

The education session was led by, Ian Faria, the Founder Chairman for Toastmasters International - Territorial Council of South Asia. Ian Faria has been recognized as one of the best motivational trainers in India by the leading magazine “THE WEEK”. Victory in “Toastmasters International Taped Speech Contest 2001” added a feather to his bouquet of accolades.

Mr. Faria started the session with the quest to “Be The Best”. His question “Why win a contest” made each of us to inquire ourselves. So why does one want to win a contest?

* Speak better: Success elevates one’s confidence to a whole new level and creates a great sense of accomplishment. It greatly enhances the speaking skills.

* Be a role model: Winner sets a new standard and stands as a hero in the eyes of everyone.

* Lead better: Fundamental of leadership lies in communicating your thoughts clearly to your subordinates. Successful communicators make best leaders.

* More expected: By winning a contest you set the benchmark for yourself and everyone expects more from you. It pushes you towards much greater improvement.

* Kaizen: Philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement. You go through a deep learning process when you walk in the path of success.

Then he shared the public speech winning formula with the audience. Winning speech is formed by the amalgamation of content and delivery with right proportions. The “Winning formula” is tested and has produced great results in all public speaking contests. Ian Faria provided invaluable tips to deliver the winning speech.

Content (50%):

* Crystal clear message – SOP(Content) /SLO (Single Line Objective)

* Opening ( 1 min – 150 words)

* Emphasize the key point

* Rhetorical device – similes, metaphors

* One winning phrase – repeated at least twice

* Summarize

* Close – 1 minute

* Humor

* Drama

Delivery (30%):

* Emotions – Roller coaster

* Effective, passionate

* Appropriate voice modulation

* Humor

* Break and acceleration

* Be loveable

* Powerful gestures

* Facial expression

* Avoid repeated words

* Connect to audience

* Use stage effectively

* Close – strong, effective, emotional, pause

Language (20%):

* Appropriate to audience

* Well prepared – grammar, phrases

* Rhetorical devices – similes, metaphors

Phases:

* Idea: Idea is very critical in your success. Choose something which you are passionate about, something which makes you feel like a winner before you get up from the chair!! Your speech should have great take home value to the audience. Ultimately, every one is interested in “What’s in it for me?”

* Script: Speech script should be an evidence of the creativity of the speaker. Use rhetorical devices – similes and metaphors in your speech

* Practice: Practice rigorously

* Feedback: Feedback from the mentor and club members is very crucial in the speech crafting process. It helps you to spot your weaknesses and take corrective actions.

* Compete: Present the idea with confidence.

Winning speech of 2007 “The Swami's Question” by Mr. Vikas Jhingran was being played as the demo speech. The speech combined humor with a personal tale of being a not-so- motivated student in India. Answering the swami’s question “Who am I?” helped him to improve his grades and make it to his dream college MIT(Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Speech incorporated all qualities of the best public speech and replay of this speech served as best demo for the session.

In short, key in delivering the great speech is to connect to the audience, take them in the roller coaster of emotions and leave an indelible impression.