I compete annually in the Toastmasters’ international speech contest. It’s a guaranteed way to raise your game if you speak in front of audiences of any size. My journey this year ended at the district level, but I took away several lessons along the way:
- I set out to do an “important” speech this year. The people who approached me afterwards to thank me for the message confirmed that I achieved this goal.
- The power of the pause – I learned that you can really make a point sink in with an audience if you stop and allow them to internalize what you just said.
- Setting a goal to do your best is better than setting a goal to “win” in a judged contest. Doing your best is something you can control. (All the speakers in this contest were VERY good by the way.)
This speech was really a blog post brought to life… so many of you readers responded to the post Just Keep Going when it first came out, it compelled me to re-live it on stage and share it as broadly as possible.
Click here to watch the 7-minute video from the Division A contest in Stockton. Let me know what you think, and if there any other Short Stories with a Point that you would like to hear verbalized in the future. I appreciate your feedback!
Great Job Dave. Really enjoyed watching a master at work. Most of all I admire your ability to turn a possibily meaningless encounte, into a positive life lesson.
David, My sister was inspired to say this about your speech:
“It’s a very good story… about not judging ( which culture teaches us to do) someone based on how they look, also about being able to live in the present moment (happy) instead of being disappointed or bothered by the change from what you had planned for yourself minutes before. There is a gift in every chance encounter if we are open to it.”
I would also like to add that I was extremely inspired by how you were able to suspend judgement and give of your time and attention and make this admirable kid feel as he said, “… like a human being …”
It brought tears to my eyes.