How to Achieve your First Speech

The best subject for your first speech is often 'Yourself'. Give fellow members an opportunity to know you better. Alternatively choose a subject on which you can comfortably talk at length - your work, your interests, and your family. The choice is yours. Aim for about five minutes unless you are asked by the Chairman or Education Director, prior to the evening, to speak for a specific length of time.

Follow these simple golden rules:

1. Jot down any interesting and important ideas you want to include in your speech.
2. Develop your speech so that it has a start, middle and an end.
3. Think of it as a spoken speech rather than an essay - try it out into a tape recorder and hear for yourself if it sounds natural and interesting.
4. Rehearse!
5. Think of a good, arresting title.

Stand in front of a mirror and watch yourself in action. Are you standing well? Do you look as though you have command over your audience? Are you using gestures to help emphasise points you want to make? Of course, you will not have total command of all these skills from the start, but this is the time to begin working at them. Above all, rehearse. The more you practise your speech the more confidence you will have and the better it will be when you deliver it.