I had butterflies the size of vultures in my stomach as I sat at the defendant’s table, awaiting the verdict. The jury foreman stepped forward…
A few years ago, I competed in a local Toastmasters speech contest. Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to public speaking and leadership, and these contests follow a familiar routine: once the speeches end, judges vote, and the contest chair announces first, second, and third place.
Normally, if you finish last, no one ever says it out loud.
But in this contest, there were only four contestants, which meant everyone would know exactly where everyone finished.
Two speakers were clearly head and shoulders above the rest. That left me and one other gentleman waiting to see who would finish third… and who would finish last.
As the contest chair walked toward the microphone, my imagination ran wild. I pictured myself in a courtroom, sitting at the defendant’s table, bracing for the verdict. The jury foreman stepped forward, and the verdict was…
Guilty.
The other gentleman finished third.
My speech wasn’t bad, but it didn’t rise to the level of the other three.
Last year, I heard a piece of advice, which would have helped me rise to the level of the other speakers:
Treat a speech like a performance.
The most memorable speeches aren’t just about what you say. They combine persuasion with timing, presence, and delivery. Aristotle’s classical rhetoric gives us a roadmap:
Pathos — connect emotionally with your audience
Logos — support your message with clear reasoning and evidence
Kairos — seize the right moment so the message lands
And there’s one more element we often overlook: physicality. How you move, gesture, and hold yourself can matter just as much as the words themselves.
Whether you’re presenting to a board, leading a team, or speaking at an event, thinking of your speech as a performance changes how your audience experiences your message.
Next time I step onto a contest stage, I’ll remember that advice.
And hopefully, the jury foreman will return a not guilty verdict.