Here’s my notes from listening to an audio post by Mark Brown, 1995 World Champion Speaker. His tips make a lot of sense and I would strongly advise you to try them.

Here’s how you can earn your EX-rating and become a [Fill in the blank] __________ speaker.

1. EXPLORE ways to do more as u grow as a speaker

When you find that you have reached a plateau in terms of your growth, it is time to do something outrageous like climb another mountain or something. Challenge yourself to experiment a new way of speaking. Or attempt an act of courage even though you are afraid that you may fail. As the saying goes, with every breakdown comes a breakthrough. The more challenges you face, the greater the results you will gain.

In the case of Mark, he felt that he had hit his plateau after attaining the championship title. Seriously, what do you expect? He is the best in the world for 1995 and he is not allowed to compete any more for the rest of the years.

Thankfully for him, a wise evaluator challenged him to stretch himself further and explore something that he has not done before. And so he did. In one of his speaking engagements in France, he delivered his entire opening in French! As you can imagine, he received a standing ovation from the audience. (Quick thought: Maybe I should deliver my maiden speech in Hindi when I am in Sri Lanka??)

2. EXPAND what you give to the audience

This goes without saying if you are truly audience centric. As a trainer, I am never satisfied with what I teach. As such, every training session is different. There will always be something new or something expanded based on the audience’s feedback.

Likewise as a speaker, you want to over-deliver. You want to pamper your audience by giving them MORE. In Mark’s audio, he suggested developing your points further. Instead of making a point and then move on (which most speakers do), find ways to reinforce your point and make them memorable. It could be a story, a personal experience, a famous quote, a demonstration or an analogy. Anything that provides a solid foundation for your audience to think deeply.

3. EXTEND your speech time

As you expand on your content, you automatically extend your speech time. In Toastmasters, most of us are used to giving 7 minutes long speeches. But as a stretch, we should attempt to speak longer. This will train our stamina and also test our abilities in keeping the audience engaged.

4. EXPLOIT!

A speaker’s arsenal is his wealth of personal anecdotes. Mark encouraged us to take advantage of everyday occurrences and situations to create speaking materials. What you see and what you hear are great source of inspiration for your speeches. When a child tells you a story that make you laugh or when a friend relates a story that makes you cry, make a mental note. These stories may come in handy in your future speeches.

I think the point he is trying to make is to pay attention coz’ things happen all the time. Like how I exploit my everyday encounters to underscore some of the speaking lessons in this blog, you too can exploit your daily situations to create unique materials for your speeches or presentations.

Remember this, your audience is eager to know who you are and what you have experienced. By sharing with them your life stories, you give them a chance to learn from your experiences. And as you open up to them, they automatically open up to you. This is where magic brews between the speaker and his audience!

Lastly…

5. EXPECT to learn from every speaking experience

Learn from the evaluation you receive when you present your speech. That’s a good place to start from. At a Toastmasters meeting, you can also learn a lot from listening to the evaluations given to other speakers. Every evaluation is for every individual in the room, not just the speaker. If you are smart, you will pay attention to the mistakes that other people make SO THAT you won’t make them. Instead, you make new mistakes and this way, you grow even faster!

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach

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