October 16, 2011.
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It was a Sunday afternoon which I normally spend with my family. Having been a past member of Toastmasters Club International myself, I was really not very much interested to attend the Public Speaking Information Session that was sponsored by the Filipino Australian Movement for Empowerment (FAME). But I just couldn’t ignore the invitation sent to me by Ms Neria Soliman, FAME’s PRO. After all, it was an excellent opportunity to see my friends Cesar Bartolome, Ferdie Francisco, Max Encomienda and Ross Iglesia, among others whom I expected to be there.
First to speak was Neria. The topic was ‘Romancing the Audience.’ Her speech was a far cry from the first time I heard her speak. That was nearly 14 years ago. It was delivered in front of a group of Ateneo and St. Scholastica alumni who gathered at Burwood RSL. I was the emcee of the program and I noticed that the audience was not listening. It was then when I noticed that Neria was reading a 5-page manuscript. No, it looked more like it was 10 pages. The audience was getting bored and I was handed a note by someone to cut her short. It was a formal gathering and I did not have the audacity to stop her. After nearly an hour of agonizing wait, she finally ended. But that was before Neria enrolled to become a member of Toastmasters Club.
Voice modulation and eye contact
Today, the speaker I heard during FAME’s Expresso Session was an entirely different Neria. She had eye contact with the audience and every word she uttered was accompanied by an expressive hand gesture which came very naturally. This time, her voice was well-modulated in contrast with the expressionless mono-tone she had previously. Rather than project a politician’s oratorical pitch, she used conversational tone, putting the audience in a relaxed mood. Through her speech, she truly had a romantic time with her listeners. Amazingly, she captured the full attention of all those present when she gave tips on public speaking.
In closing, Ms. Soliman introduced A-I-D-A: attract Attention, create Interest, arouse Desire, and stimulate Action.
The other speaker, John Ciric, an Advanced Communicator Gold of Toastmasters Club International focused on the Fear Factor. He said that fear cannot be eliminated completely, especially when speaking before a huge crowd. “It is normal to experience some degree of public speaking anxiety when engaging in presentations and that a certain amount of arousal actually enhances one’s performance,” said Mr. Ciric.
The concluding portion was a ‘Table Topics Session’ conducted by Neria. It was an exercise where attendees were called at random and asked to speak on a certain topic on the spur of the moment. Time limit for each speaker was two minutes. John Ciric appeared to be very much impressed with the short speech delivered by Benjie de Ubago who talked about her Martial Law experience at Luneta Park. It was truly an enjoyable afternoon for everybody.