Public Speaking in Adelaide

I have often trumpeted that Toastmasters is one of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills. I have been a member of Adelaide Toastmasters club for over 7 years and have gained an enormous amount from my time with the club.



Adelaide Toastmasters is part of Toastmasters District 73, and is one of the strongest performing clubs in the District. At the recent South Australian State championship of Public Speaking (see article on page 12 of link), 3 members of Adelaide Toastmasters took out first place in 3 of the four competitions. You can read a full run down of the clubs success by reading the article "Adelaide Toastmasters Club wins 3 Division Titles".



Adelaide Toastmasters has had a number of members make it big in the Toastmasters District 73 world. Most notable is the late Chris Thomas. Chris was a master evaluator and won the Toastmasters District 73 Evaluation contest 3 years in a row. This feat has never been matched. Austin Nevis, the immediate past President has come a credible second at the District Humerous Speaking competition for the last 2 years. This shows consistency. I (Darren Fleming) have also managed to walk away with a title as well. I am the current Table Topics Champion.



I originally joined Adelaide Toastmasters as I was looking for a way to improve my public speaking in Adelaide. Little did I know that the skills that I gained would help me set up my own public speaking business, teaching public speaking courses right around Australia. I have set up the blogs Australia's Public Speaking Coach and Australian Public Speaking Courses to help share secrets that I have gained through Toastmasters.


So, I encourage you, if you are in Adelaide Australia and want to join a Toastmasters club, come along to Adelaide Toastmasters and see what we can offer you.



'Til next time



Cheers



Darren Fleming

Australia's public speaking coach

Who is the best Public Speaker of all time?

There have been debates for centuries over who is the best orator of all time. While it is pretty much impossible to compare speakers across generations, it is possible to have a favourite from each age.

Bill Clinton is often quoted as being the best public speaker of our time. He has the ability to capture and hold the attention of any audience and deliver his message in a convincing way. Compare him to George W Bush, and it is like comparing chalk and cheese. Bush has no idea about presenting, and has to have his speeches tightly scripted. Otherwise he will stray further from the point, and get himself into even more trouble.

Nelson Mandela is also quoted as a great speaker of our time. Of the speeches that he has given, he is renowned for having a strong message that motivates us to action. This is essential in a speaker. While he may not be as technically 'correct' as Bill Clinton, his message is just as powerful. And after all, is that not what it is about? Getting your message across to your audience.

Not all great Public speakers are great people. Take for example Hitler. He was a purely evil man. However, he had the ability to speak to his nation and turn them against another race. He motivated a whole country to murder. I have an old German friend who saw Hitler give a number of speeches. He says that Hitler was hypnotic in his ability to control his audience and make them do as he wanted. He knew how to manipulate an audience to do what he wanted them to do. Unfortunately, as Get Smart would say, "he used his power for evil and not for Good".

Who is your favourite public speaker?

Cheers

Darren Fleming
Australia's Public Speaking Coach
Public Speaking Courses