Toastmasters Project 2 - Organize Your Speech

The Rule of Three Outline: What is the Rule of Three? How to apply the Rule to your speech outline? How to add humor with the rule Tobacco. [long pause]Alcohol. [long pause]Guns. [long pause]Criminal items seized in a search [slight pause] of a 6th grade locker in a bad school district. In case you think I’m going to talk about crime, you’re mistaken. I just used 3 words to show how the Rule of Three can be used in a speech. What is the rule of Three? The Rule of Three is a powerful speechwriting technique that we should learn, practice and master. It suggests that things which come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. Using the rule enables us to express concepts better, emphasize the points, and make our message memorable. A series of three is often used to create a progression in which the tension is created, then built up, and finally released That’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! – this is an example of the rule of three. General examples: · from books - The Good, The Bad and the ugly · from French motto - Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité · Government – of the people, by the people, for the people Why rule of three – why not two or four? There is something magical about the rule of three – it allows the speaker to express a concept, emphasize it and make it memorable. As Roy Peter Clark says –

The mojo of three offers a greater sense of completeness than four or more.

Use one for power. Use two for comparison, contrast. Use three for completeness, wholeness, roundness. Some examples where people have used the rule in their speeches: · “Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered” – Obama’s inaugural speech · “Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” [Advice for speakers from Franklin D. Roosevelt] · “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” - Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar How to apply the rule of three in your speech outline? We just saw how the rule can be applied at a micro level, to form triads of words or sentences. Now let’s see how we can apply it to craft an entire speech outline. Last week, my daughter and I visited our local library to get some children’s books – lo! We found the rule of 3 in those stories: § Three Little Pigs — the first two pigs get eaten because their houses are weak; the third pig’s house of bricks is strong. § Goldilocks and the Three Bears — the porridge was too hot; the porridge was too cold; the porridge was just right. § The wicked stepmother visits Snow White in the forest three times before she finally causes her to fall dead Stephen J. Cannell claims that “Every great movie, book or play that has stood the test of time has a solid Three-Act structure.” – the introduction/setup, the confrontation, and the climax/resolution. So how can we apply the rule to a speech outline? 1. Introduction, Body, and Conclusionnow you might say – this is, of course, obvious! Sure, it is the most common outline people use. However people often omit the introduction – jumping into the content - making the audience wonder “How did we get here”? Sometimes, the speaker runs out of time, and omits the conclusion 2. Past, Present, Future 3. Complication, Resolution, Example 4. Three stories 5. Pros, Cons, Recommendation How to add humor with the rule of Three How to add humor? Add a twist to the third element. E.g. “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” - Benjamin Disraeli>> the “statistics” is the twist A funny line is sometimes said to be like a train wreck. You know where the train (your train of thought) has been, you think you know where it's going, but then you're surprised when it goes off track. The surprise or twist helps build the tension to create and magnify the humor. How do you get to my place? Go down to the corner, turn left, and get lost Many popular jokes are based on three characters – e.g. the Englishman, the Irishman, and the Scot – all in the same situation. The first two react normally; the third does something which is not pragmatic. I heard this once on an answering machine – “Sorry I can’t personally answer the phone. I’m either motivating thousands of people, appearing on the Oprah show, or…taking a nap” Some patterns you could use to create humor are: · Expected Trait/Expected Trait/Unexpected Trait (She was pretty, she was shapely, she was a man). · Ordinary/ordinary/ridiculous – I go to Las Vegas to see the shows, eat at the buffets, and spend my money · Rhyme/rhyme/rhyme – Three things that describe ‘xyz’ – Nifty, thrifty, Fifty Here’s one more example: Ellen always takes 3 hours and 3 seconds to get ready: one hour to put on her make up, two hours to choose an outfit and 3 seconds to make up an excuse for being late. Humor results from the mismatch between expectation and reality. When you follow the rule of three, set a pattern with the first two elements. This also sets the expectation for the third element, and heightens the tension. However, break that expectation when you actually reveal the third element. Remember, the last element is the key which will determine whether you are humorous, memorable, or forgettable. As John Richardson said, “When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.”

Plugged into Toastmasters

Its been almost a year since I started attending Toastmasters...should've posted about it loooong back....but....better late than never! Tis been a great learning experience so far - have delivered 5 prepared speeches, and been through various roles - Toastmaster, TT Master, Ah counter, Word master, TT evaluator, etc. TT Master is my favourite role! I'd recommend folks to join Toastmasters - it not only enriches your communication skills; but you also learn a lot by listening to other speakers. And of course, you get to play a variety of other roles! My next posts will contain the text of my prepared speeches.

Advantage US?

My friend, who had plans to leave her job and settle in the US with her husband, recently came to me with a dilemna. To go through a consultancy firm on H1, or through her husband's organization on L1. That made me wonder - what prompts her to live abroad in the first place? There was a time - about 6 years ago - when I was in her position. Recently married, my husband and I had been fervently attending interviews with consultants and also with firms based in India for onsite openings. Our motivation was the lure of the US - the luxuries it had to offer, the lifestyle, and the dollars. However, each time we got an offer, we would end up comparing the compensation with our Indian salary, and remain dissatisfied with the lure of the dollar amounts. Soon, we decided to stop the hunt. Now, looking back, I think we made the right decision. For, here I am, with a daughter who goes to one of the best schools in the city, in-laws to support us, our own house, a comfortable mid-size sedan for a car, weekend outings to the theatre, and, most important, good jobs. Could we have had such a lifestyle had we decided to work in the US? First of all, I would not have been able to continue my job after the birth of our daughter. (Am not keen on the daycare centres). Secondly, with only 1 person in the family earning, our savings might not have been as much. So where does the question of a house and a luxury car arise? There was a time when it was lucrative to work abroad. India was developing, and comparatively, life in the US offered a lot of luxury. But things have changed now and are much simpler - we can do a lot of things sitting at home - pay our telephone bills, electricity bills, book movie tickets, order groceries through the phone, keep in touch with our loved ones via cellphones, employ maids/cooks to help out with the household work, etc.In addition to these, living in India has one advantage that the US can not offer - the support of the family and relatives. They are within reaching distance during times of need. Whereas if you are in the US, who can you look to for such support? All said and done, there is nothing like living in your homeland - no place in the universe can give you the pride and belonging that your motherland has to offer!

My first blog!

For quite sometime now, I've been thinking of some outlet to pen my thoughts. Read about the Blogger's Unconference - that spurred me on to blogging. Now the question was - how do I create a blog, and where? My brother suggested blogger, so here goes!