Speech – Lessons in Life from a Journey Through the Ring

One of my other goals this year is to improve my speaking skills.  I’ve recently been practicing and delivering a speech titled Lessons in Life from a Journey Through the Ring.  This speech is about one of the fighters I trained for a long time and his story of learning humility, self-awareness, and perseverance through the martial arts and kickboxing competitions.  I’m very proud of this speech, because it tells a good story about one of my favorite fighters and the tremendous growth he experienced, while training at the Upper Darby Gym.  Check out one of the links below if you have seven minutes to spare and want to hear an inspiring story.

Lessons in Life Speech – Media Room High-Quality Recording

Lessons in Life Speech – Toastmasters Area Contest Recording

This speech was written from my recollection of these events several years after they happened, so it is based on a true story.  Some of the material may be my mind’s creative interpretation of what I remember. I have to give a lot of credit to Alex Lawes for coaching me on how to improve this speech.  Alex wrote me a note when I first delivered it saying it was a competition-level speech.  This surprised me, because I basically read the speech from a podium without any movement, gestures, or vocal variety.  It has come a long way.  Alex helped me tweak the content of the speech from the writing to the movements, gestures, vocal variety, and acting.  I owe a lot to him and Siemens Toastmasters.  I’ve experienced my own tremendous growth through practicing and delivering this speech.  To anyone seeking growth in their communication and leadership skills, I can’t recommend Siemens Toastmasters enough.  It’s a lot of fun, very positive, and a great learning experience!