You have your first Toastmasters Speech coming up and you want to make a great first impression. How should you prepare for it? What’s awesome about Toastmasters is that it’s an inclusive community of clubs around the world focused on cultivating new leaders and helping everyday people reach their goal of becoming confident public speakers.
The good news is that the strategies which will help you ace your first toastmasters speech will be the same strategies that will help you to continue to level up as a speaker. Joining a toastmasters group might be the best decision you’ve made at this point because a supportive environment has the power to accelerate your growth.
The strategy that is the most effective in helping both introverts and extroverts gain confidence speaking on stage is practicing! Practice not only ‘makes perfect’ it makes you consistent. That’s why practicing is the #1 way to overcome your stage fright and is the best way to prepare for your first Toastmasters speech. The more you practice, with the right strategies, the more you can be sure that you will have positive recurring outcomes in anything you pursue. With practicing being so vital it is important to talk about How and What to practice.
Here are 3 Ways you can prepare for your FIRST Toastmasters Speech
Practice in the mirror
Standing in front of a mirror while you practice can be a game changing strategy for you because many people fear how they look on stage. You will gain an added boost of confidence and comfort if you wear the same outfit you intend to wear on stage to help you create the experience that most mirrors the real event. The mirror is your best ally to help you take note of intentional and unintentional expressions you make with your face and body language. Also, make sure you remember to smile at yourself in the mirror for an added level of confidence.
Visualize the audience
One of the most powerful confidence building techniques is visualization. While using the strategies above, start visualizing who will be in the audience. Visualize the room, the audience members and what you expect to see them wearing at the event. In your mind’s eye, find a compassionate and kind person in the audience and smile at them. I promise it will make you feel a lot more at ease.
Practice in front of friends and family
After you’ve gone through the steps of rehearsing in front of the mirror and visualizing your audience you will be ready to practice in front of a real audience. Your friends and family will be your most compassionate audience. Let a few of your most trusted friends and family know that you have an event coming up and you are working towards overcoming your fear of being on stage. Ask them to be a part of your mock audience and prep them to give you two types of feedback. First, you will want to hear positive notes from them to encourage you in the progress you’ve made up to that point. You will then want to ask them to give you constructive feedback through a positive lens to help you make adjustments in your future practice sessions.
Practicing in front of this warm audience will be your first opportunity to incorporate all of the small changes you have made in your tone and delivery, your facial expressions, body language, and to show your award winning smile.
Conclusion
You want to put your best foot forward when giving your first Toastmasters speech and using these strategies will help you accomplish this goal. The more details you can become aware of, the less monotonous your practice will be and the more you will enjoy each session. If your preparation for your first Toastmasters speech includes these 3 strategies I know you will feel more confident and be even more excited for the next one.
If you want more strategies and extra help preparing for your next talk I would love to work with you. Get in touch today!
Dan Ram ignites the stage as an in-person event and virtual event MC/ Moderator & Speaker at over 100 events a year. He has shared the stage with international luminaries including President Barack Obama, Sir Richard Branson, Reid Hoffman, Nico Rosberg, and Grammy-winning artists and celebrities. He has also been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 leader 2020 as well as a Top 100 Yale Alumni in Technology 2021. Level up your communication skills through his course and mastermind “Speaking Success”. His passion is to inspire people with his motto ‘Start Now Start Simple’ in building a future we all want to live in.
Love Point 3. Hard to find true critics!!!
So much of my stage fright is in my head. think you’re right. I need to start visualizing the audience more so I can work through this fear before I get on stage.