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The Dynamics of Speech

Maria Grazia Repetto

Toastmasters. We meet mostly on Zoom because our members are scattered among distant places.
Our protocol is Toastmasters traditional one, with great results!

Toastmasters are artists, they create paintings with words.

Toastmasters are musicians, the rhythm of words is music.

We are writers, we write in the heart of those who listen.

Eloquence is an art, and as in all arts, technique must be learned.

Many of us Toastmasters are excellent listeners, learners and speakers. I learned to write my speeches.
Writing them properly, without destroying the spontaneity is not as
easy as it seems.

First at all, not using punctuation correctly is like writing with a dull
pencil. Since punctuation in a speech means to pause between
phrases, the correct use of punctuation is one of the most formidable
weapons that Toastmasters’ speakers possess.

And what about spelling? If you don’t know how to spell every word
you can pronounce, who knows what words you are saying, instead
of the one you would like to say! Not to mention grammar which is
obviously fundamental.

In my opinion it is important to be able to write a speech properly
to be a good speaker. And it doesn’t matter if the speech is formal,
humorous, or strange, the point is that to get the result you hope for, it
must be written correctly. If for some reason, you want to use incorrect
sentences, these sentences must be intentional, not said by mistake.

Some people are good at improvising a speech, but I’m sure that if they
wanted to write one down, they could do it just as well.

Usually, the ability to improvise is the fruit of studies and experience.

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