Notes For A Speaker Or Test Speaker in a Speech Contest

Angela Lansbury, test speaker.

What a joy to be a test speaker. Such a lot of attention. A bigger audience. No rival speakers. More than one evaluation. Several evaluations.

Broadcasting Your Message
What do you keep telling your friends or family, or want to tell people on the bus, people featured in newspapers, drivers and cyclists. Do you want to say take care, stop smoking, tidy up, watch out, do up your shoelaces, or rant, you are in my way, a danger to others, keep alert, don't lose your temper. Every time you are exasperated or excited or elated you have material for a speech.

Cut the cliche, find a pity quotation. Someone else has written the speech for you. Make it personal so it is guaranteed original and authentic.

Remember Your Structure
How to remember? Easy, peasy. Three fingers on one hand. thumb, first, second. This tells the audience, keeps you on track, given you your introduction and summary.

Being a test speaker is a great opportunity. You are likely to have a bigger audience than usual. It is your chance to shine. If you are promoting a favourite message, such as be kind to your family or others, or treasure the old folk, or don't use plastic but save the environment, a good chance to practise your speech and get suggestions for enhancing it.

If you have no particular message, or many messages, focus on one. What you are promoting is yourself and you will be remembered for many months afterwards. If you have a prop peoeple are like to remember a prop.

If you can use a visual aid such as a slide, video, or a sound, even better.

People often say to me, I remember you came to our club and gave a speech.
I reply, what was it about?

They often say, I can't remember.
I think, that speech could be improved.


Angela with a napkin for a speech on restaurant etiquette.

Props
Sometimes they say, I can't remember, but you had a prop, it was a large plastic bag.

That was my speech titled, "I am a bag lady."
My story was that I save and re-use plastic bags. My message was that you can do so too.

The prop should symbolize your message and be a reminder.

I should
I ask, what was the prop.

As test speaker you should be giving a speech incorporating some or all of these elements:

Finding A New And Relevant Topic
If you can't think of what to talk about, look around your home or in your bag or briefcase or pocket. What do you collect? What is your most valued possession?

Look at your diary? Do you enjoy exercise or sport? Do you make appointments and cancel them?

Do you find you are running errande for others, the children, the spouse.

Are you shopping and cooking?

Are you a party animal?

Do  you have an empty diary? Maybe a speech on loneliness, homesickness, being an expat, moving overseas.

Do you have photos of others? Contrasting where you were born and where you are now?

Nothing at all? Are you a minimalist/ On a tight budget? A student? Do you travel light? Is that a relief, a good thing? Or do  you envy your neighbours with their extended families?

A Place for Everything
Are you tidy? Are the rest of you family like you?  Are you a Collector? A conservationist? An upcycler?

Theme - Time
Or are you opposites? Does that make for conflict? How do you try to resolve it?
If you are late is it a help to marry a timekeeper who gets you to places on time?  That could be a serious speech, which a funny opening, or a couple of elements of humour.

Or is the moral, latekeepers should not marry timekeepers? (Humorous speech with a call to action at the end. Possibly the anticipated end that you have to go because you are running out of time, or have learned to be on time)

Interesting title.
A message. Relevant to the audience.
Suitable clothing.
A prop.
A dramatic opening.
Humour.
A gesture or two or three.
Involvement with the audience.
Use of the stage.
A structured speech. Pointers to the audience.
Record your speech.
Few camera operators can take both video and stills.
Have a backup camera operator taking a series of stills.
Tell the audience whether you do not want photos taken during the speech but will pose later, or if you would welcome and encourage photos taken during your speech and would like copies for your own records.
type out your speech and read it aloud and record it to be sure you can finish on time.
















Angela with a bubbles for a speech on toys and joys.

Props
Keep props in front.
The idea speech has one prop which you wear such as a large hat. No need to look for the prop. No risk of leaving it behind.. No need to delay your exit gathering props.

Notes
Have backup notes of your speech.
If your speech is not good, never mind.

The evaluator is even more worried than you are. They have no idea what you are going to say or who you are.

Anonymity
You have to be anonymous. Don't let one candidate monopolise you in case they persuade you to reveal you are test speaker or another evaluator thinks the person you spoke to has an unfair advantage. Say you have just come along to hear the speeches and evaluations.
Listen rather than talk.

Sound Level
You may wish to check the sound level. Make sure when on stage that the evaluators and guests in the back row can all hear you.

However don't shriek and deafen the people in the front row. Don't make a sudden loud noise which might deafen somebody who is using a hearing aid or cause a nervous person to have a panic attack.

The test speaker - it's not about you - it's about the evaluators. But you have the change to get feedback from experienced evaluators, three on your one speech, a great opportunity for you.

The evaluators are judged on:
1 Whether they can say complimentary and encouraging things however badly you did.
2 Whether they can find suggestions for improvement however well you did.
3 Whether they can do both, in the allowed time without waffling on at great length about how you were terrible or wonderful, and can summarise at the end so that you feel encouraged and inspired to give the same speech again even better, or start a news speech, and you remember handy tips what you can do to improve.

Useful Websites
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/10/how-to-check-venue-where-you-will-meet.html

About The Author
Angela Lansbury has visited clubs in the UK, China, Thailand, Singapore. She is a member of two clubs in the UK and two in Singapore. You can read many more posts on speeches, languages, Singapore and travel. Please share links to your favourite posts.