WHY DO MANUAL SPEECHES?

Fourcaster Volume 69, No. 2, Spring: April 19, 2004

Part of the Mission of Toastmasters International is:

“Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening, and thinking—vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.”

Upon joining a Toastmasters Club, each new member receives a variety of manuals and resources on speaking. Toastmasters need to learn by studying the manuals, practicing and working with the other Club Members. The “Communication and Leadership,” known as the “Basic Manual,” is the first tool the new member receives. Each manual is developed with projects that build upon each of the proceeding projects. Each of the projects presents information on how to complete that project, objectives to be accomplished, and an evaluation form. The ten projects in the “Basic Manual” are:

1- The Ice Breaker; 2- Organize Your Speech; 3- Get to the Point; 4- How to Say It; 5- Your Body Speaks; 6- Vocal Variety; 7- Research Your Topic; 8- Get Comfortable with Visual Aids; 9- Persuade with Power; and 10- Inspire Your Audience. These speaking skills are the basic of all public speaking. These speeches lay the foundation for your speaking skills.

The Advanced Manuals are all designed on the same principle as the “Basic Manual” with one difference: They all contain five projects instead of ten. There are currently fifteen different Advanced Manuals, each stressing a different area of speaking.

I conducted a poll of some of the Toastmasters I know asking them, “Why do manual speeches”? Their answers fell into three main areas: 1- Self Improvement; 2- Evaluation; and 3- Club.

The Top Reasons for doing a “Manual” speech are:

Self Improvement:

1. The manual systematically works through different elements of speech making and after being exposed to a myriad of facets; your speeches will shine like a well faceted jewel.

2. Improve your speaking ability—identify an area that needs improvement; and choose a Manual Project that emphasizes that area.

3. Manual speeches provide the speaker the necessary guidance to improve our speaking skills.

4. Having a goal helps narrow your focus and increase the discipline needed to improve your speaking.

5. Helps you to have thorough knowledge of a topic through practice delivery and research of your topic.

Evaluation:

1. A manual speech provides a criterion from which to develop the speech and gives your evaluator something more structured to work with during the evaluation. Hence, they can give a more focused and concise evaluation based on the speech objective.

2. Experienced speakers provide an opportunity for new members to practice and develop evaluation skills by evaluating the experienced speaker adhering to the objectives of the speech manual.

3. Evaluations are the corner stone to an individual’s grown. It is unfair to your evaluator not to provide a list of objectives for them to base their evaluation.

Club:

1. As a members of Toastmasters, we have agreed to follow its rules and manual speeches to be a “must do” in Toastmasters.

2. Commitment to each other in the Club and it benefits both the Club and Individual.