Toastmaster's International

Now I know our focus is more on finding the ARCS model in gaming, but as I wandered through several internet sites in search of a good one to post about, I stumbled on the Toastmaster's International website. Lo and behold, on their front page, the following techniques were listed to make one's speech motivational:

• Be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is contagious! Before you present your ideas, think about the aspects of the subject that you find most interesting, and don’t be afraid to let that interest come through in your voice.
• Use quotes, stories and anecdotes. Along with their obvious entertainment value, quotes and stories can lend authority to your topic and provide concrete examples that people can relate to.
• Speak with confidence. Deliver your message loud and clear. Maintain eye contact with your listeners. Don’t mumble or slouch.
• Say you and we, not I and me. Instead of telling people what you want them to do, present ways for them to work together to achieve their goals. Involve listeners in the success of the group.
• Keep it simple. People aren’t motivated by what you say; they’re motivated by what they understand. The best way to ensure audience understanding is to break down complex ideas into simple components.

If you look at the five elements to making a speech motivational, you can see how each one fits into either attention, relevance, confidence (a bit loose but it works) and satisfaction.

When a speaker is enthusiastic during their speech, the audience's attention is maintained. Think back to when you heard both good and bad speeches. What was different in the speakers' enthusiasm? I know we can all relate this to a teacher of the past (you know the one I am talking about - that one who is brilliant in the books, but HORRIBLE at communicating such knowledge). If these brilliant types learned how to project enthusiasm into their lessons, the student would more than likely walk away with the lesson's objective.

Likewise, using quotes and stories to supplement the content being provided gives both attention, and relevance to the listener. Again, look at the teacher example. Which teacher in your past incorporated stories or motivational quotes or even jokes on occasion? How did that influence your participation in the class? How about a speaker you've heard?

The speaking with confidence element may sound like it just applies to the speaker, but think about it - if you have a confident speaker providing you with information, will you feel more confident about what you are hearing? What speakers that you've heard in the past who were less than confident? How did you feel about the material? Or were you too distracted feeling bad for the poor sap?

The using "we" element pertains to relevance and satisfaction. If the speaker can tie in how their information is applicable to the individual listener, odds are that the listener will retain motivation throughout the speech because in the end, we all are thinking: "What's in it for me?"

The final element listed above - Keep it simple - or KISS - speaks directly towards satisfaction. The speaker's goal is to get their message across to their audience in the most effective way - sometimes this means keeping it short and to the point. Think back to the bad speakers in your past - you know - the ones that ended up rambling on and on and on... What did you walk away with? A recent speaker I experienced who was a bit long winded left me with one thought: "Wow that was a long speech, I am glad its over so I can now go to the bathroom!".

After finding this site and pondering over how ARCS was incorporated, it makes me think about how many other aspects in our lives we unknowingly use these elements of ARCS. Think of athletic coaches, teachers (of course), managers, parents, etc...

Here is the link to the Toastmaster's site:

http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/FreeResources/QuestionsaboutLeadership/ConflictResolution/MotivationalSpeechTechniques.aspx

-Ann Bassolino