Three Points

I gave a speech last night.  It was a story depicting a foreign culture, a way of life that was carved out of generations in a tiny village at the foot of Mount Narayama in Japan.  The story told of the village's tradition that everyone who reaches the age of 70 must go up Mount Narayama to die.  It is an extremely moving story, and I was constrained in the telling of the story.  Where I can typically be rather animated and funny, such a somber tale demanded a more subdued demeanor.  I therefore did not assume my usual energetic self; did not move too much around the room; and my voice was rather flat, as I was later told by my evaluator.  I felt that I had departed from what is "natural" for me.  My evaluator also said that it sounded as if I had memorized the story, rather than telling it spontaneously.

This struck me as curious, because I felt as though I had forgotten most of the story; I definitely did not recount a memorized text.  Moreover, I am a firm proponent of the natural approach to speaking.  He also expounded on how he "prepares" for a speech, after many years as a Toastmaster: He writes down three main points of his speech, then talks about them, spontaneously, extemporaneously, naturally.

This is terrific advice; and certainly worth learning.