Why some speakers engage the audience
I have been with Toastmasters International for 30 years and would like to share why some speakers are so great.
Why is it that some speakers are so dynamic? So watchable and listenable? They emerge on the stage and immediately, you feel electrified by them. They seem to have something worthy to listen to and you are going to enjoy their presentations.
A speaker first engages the attention of the audience by his or her first impression starting with his gait when he appears on the stage, his dressing, his facial expression and then his voice. Public speaking has so many aspects to it for a successful presentation that they are worth analyzing and putting them into practice for us to become better speakers.
According to Toastmasters International Speech contest Judges guide which the judges would use to assess the performance of the contestants’ speeches to determine the champion, the criteria are as follows:
Delivery is 30% Content 50% Language 20%
Delivery is further divided into
10% for physical delivery (appearance, body language and use of speaking area)
10% to use of voice (vocal variety)
10% to manner ( directness, assurance and enthusiasm)
