How to get ready for a Public Speaking Contest!

Getting ready to do a Toastmasters contest, but you're not sure if you're ready to go? Stick around, I'm going to give you a few tips. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Dan Willis of millennialmotivator.ca, here to help you guys learn how to create, engage, and inspire. Today, I am pretty pumped. I'm getting ready to go off and compete at my next level of Toastmasters. But I thought I'd just check in with you guys, help you guys grab a few tips, learn how to speak at your first contest, whether you're new to Toastmasters, old to Toastmasters. We did a video last week about why you should be a Toastmaster if you're an entrepreneur, so definitely go back and check that out. If you're new to the channel though, I put videos out Monday through Saturday. That's right, Monday through Saturday, all on business, being an entrepreneur, how to grow in your skills, how to grow your business, And create some success. If that sounds like it's up your alley, go ahead and click that subscribe button and the little notification bell over there, and it'll let you know when I put my next video up. First, I have to apologize, guys, before we get into this. I need to apologize because normally I put out a video Monday through Saturday. Saturday, unfortunately, I was in a bit of a spinout with my car, nearly drove it off a bridge, nearly died. So no YouTube video on Saturday, and I apologize for that. I am trying to make sure that regardless of excuses, I'm here, but I was a little shaken up and YouTube was just the last thing on my mind. So that aside, we're back at it. We're rolling videos every day, Monday through Saturday. Let's hit it. Okay, so the first thing you want to be thinking about if you're going to head into a Toastmasters contest is don't wait until you're ready. Okay, and I've got to throw this out there because this is one that just kills me. If you're gonna join a— whether it's Chamber of Commerce, Optimist Club, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, yada yada yada, Toastmasters, any of these groups— if you're gonna join them as an entrepreneur to build your network or to build your expertise in one field or another, don't wait to get involved, okay? And why do I say that? Most people would— there's a lot of people out there that would encourage you to take your time, slowly get used to the group, the dynamics, how things work. As an entrepreneur, I'm telling you, you don't have time for that. Don't waste your time on that. What you want to be doing is just trying everything. You never know what you can succeed at and what you're not gonna succeed at. The reality is you won't know until you get into it. So Toastmasters, last week I went off to my first contest with them. I had— I was made a member at the contest, okay? So we're talking my inauguration into the group was the same day as my first competition in the group. This is why I'm saying get right into it, guys. If there's opportunity, take it. So first day in the group, got to compete. Lots of people there that have done it before. Was able to compete in my category. Uh, I came second. First place was the, uh, the president of the club itself, so I didn't feel too bad about that. But the president actually stepped down and said, okay, here, take my position. You can represent at the next level up. So just out of me saying, okay, I'm gonna get at this, I'm gonna try it, who knows what'll happen, bam, landed in it. Now I'm already going after, you know, my first week in Toastmasters off to the next level of speech. So don't waste your time, guys. If you're gonna be doing it, head right into it. Don't wait, okay? Next up, you know you're going in, now know what you're going in for. There are many different kinds of speeches, many different kinds of contests. Know what you're gonna be a part of. The one that I'm currently competing in that I find very easy to get in on is Table Topics. Essentially, they just pull a topic out of the hat, give it to you, and you gotta talk for 2 minutes on it. Super easy for anybody that talks for a living. It's a great way to get used to the club and how to do things by doing. So, learn by doing. Don't learn by sitting around and watching. And then there are longer speeches. There's icebreakers that are about 3 minutes. I haven't seen a contest for those yet, but I'm sure there is one. And then you've got actual speeches that are about 7 minutes in length. In any case, it's not overly intimidating, guys. You are able to do this, I assure you. It's really easy. You just have to know what you're competing for. When I say know, know what the timing is of it, so how long does your speech need to be roughly? Go in with some loose ideas if you're in the table talks, okay guys? If you're looking at, well, I don't know what they're gonna give me, what they're gonna pull out of a hat, That's not a problem. Really what you want to be doing is have a few ideas off the top of your feet. Have somebody in your household or somebody near you just give you a random idea off the top of your head. And get used to just spinning a 2-minute talk out of nothing. It'll help you a long way when you actually show up at the contest. For a 7-minute speech, find out what the topic is that works, if there's any limitations on that, know who the judges are going to be, know what the requirements are for a speech like that. Just make sure you know the rules and the criteria that they're hoping that you're gonna meet so that you can have a successful first outing, right? Memorization is not always key. I often recommend that what you're doing when you're going out to the speeches is have an outline, have a guideline, speak to that guideline. Don't memorize a speech word for word. It takes the love out of it, takes the passion out of it, takes the flow out of it. Have guide points that you're gonna hit. So I know I'm gonna start with this, then this, then this, then this, and how you get there will Leave that a little bit flexible. But ultimately, guys, the second step— first step was get in there, get going. Second step is know what you're doing, know how it works, know how to plug in. Let's keep rolling here. Don't think just because you've arrived at the contest you're done getting ready. Once you get there, make sure you are hydrated, make sure that you are not distracted. So these things here, turn them off, turn them off, stay focused. And then especially in your category, guys, what you want to do is you want to be focusing on the other people that are competing. Okay, so watch the other people, watch the other speeches going up, get a feel for how the judges are watching these things and doing things. You clearly can't see how the judges are gonna rank those things, but I guarantee you you're gonna see some reaction to how different people do different things. You'll be able to glean some ideas— gleaning just meaning you're gonna be able to adopt or take some ideas or concepts and from how other people are doing things. How do they move? How do they gesture? Are their hands stable? Are they moving? Are they contacting? Eye contact's good. Volume of their voice, dynamics. Are they changing their range of voice? Just watch the other competitors around you. See what they do well. Note what they don't do so well. Improve on their faults. Take what works for them as a good thing. Make sure that you've got it in your speech. Bam! You're learning from the others' experiences. It's going to go a huge way, especially if you're new. To the Toastmasters contest, okay? Last but not least, and I want you to remember this, if it's your first Toastmasters contest, what are the expectations for you? Nil. Nada. There are no expectations. The only expectation is for you to show up and do what you can do. Nobody's expecting you to win the contest. If you are president of the Toastmasters club and you've been at it for 15 years, then maybe there would be an expectation on you. to perform at a certain level. If you're brand new though, and you're just taking a shot, you're getting in on this, you're making things happen, great! You don't have to worry. Don't be stressed, don't be nervous. There's no expectation on you. You just have to show up and do whatever you want. You could show up there and ramble for 2 minutes, and it wouldn't matter. At least you got up there and did it. So, get rid of any expectations that will make you nervous, get any stress. This whole thing is about gaining experience, okay guys? So, get in there, get it done. Show up and know what you're showing up for. Watch what other people are doing. Be prepped and ready to go. Don't be nervous. No expectations, and you are sure to succeed. Guys, enjoy it. Get out there, get on it. That is, those are the keys that you are gonna need in order to succeed in your first Toastmasters or speech contest, okay guys? That is it for today, guys. I hope these tips help you. Question of the day is which one of these tips would be most helpful to you. If you're not a part of the Toastmasters already, guys, again, I do recommend as an entrepreneur or a small business owner that you are a part of the Toastmasters Club. They've just revamped it digitally, so it's all online now. They've got a great app for it. Tons of great stuff to help you learn how to grow as a leader, to be more effective as a business owner and an entrepreneur. I highly recommend it. The link is down in the comments below. Feel free to check it out. Question of the day again, guys, was which one of these tips going to help you the most the next time that you are heading towards a speech contest or competition. Thanks again for watching, guys, and I will catch you tomorrow with another video. Thanks, Dan.