Sunday, November 19, 2006

One Step from "Competent" - Speech #10

Here's my working draft for speech #10, the final speech in this first book for toastmasters. It's supposed to be "inspiring." What can be more inspiring than concrete? As usual, it's running a couple minutes long. Here goes:

Project #10 Inspire Your Audience

Foundations
November 22, 2006

Introduction:
Good afternoon. Today, I want to talk to you about foundations. Most foundations in our area are made out of concrete. This is a chunk of concrete. [Show concrete chunk.] You know me well enough by now to know that I do have an interest in foundations, and I like talking about concrete, I enjoy it. And, I hope you’ll enjoy my speech! But, I also hope you’ll learn pretty quickly that my speech is meant to be metaphorical. I’m talking about our personal foundations. And, we have a lot to learn from concrete.

1. Foundations come first.
First thing built
What we learned
Decisions now
Dreams for future

2. Foundations are a mixed bag.
Aggregates = resists pressure = family, education, home
Steel = resists tension = health, friends
Cement and water = glue = faith and love

3. Foundations suit the project.
Building limits
Soil bearing
Reach to bedrock
Ex: Brooklyn Bridge, John Roebling, son Washington, wife Emily; Brooklyn foundation at 44’, Manhattan foundation at 74’ on sand.

4. Foundations handle stress.
Daily routine
Big decisions / ethics
Major opportunities / risks
Calamity
Disaster

5. Foundations might need to be fixed.
i. It’s not too late for foundation repair
ii. Don’t try to do it on your own – you need a specialist
iii. It will be expensive
a. Home foundation repair = some cracks that come with experience = extra concrete or new piers = rethinking priorities and assumptions
b. Foundation not strong enough for dreams = Leaning tower of Pisa, 1000 year lean = pump out the bad soil = get rid of what’s bringing you down = enormously expensive = bad habits, fears, bad relationships
c. Foundation in the wrong location = Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, sea = moved to safer ground = extremely expensive and dangerous = new education, new city, new beliefs

6. Foundations are just a beginning.
Built our house – quick foundation, long time to get started
No good by itself – meant to be built upon
Limits, depth, strength – start building!

Conclusion
Take a look at this concrete, all the chunks and bits that make it strong. Remember the foundations you were given when you first started out. Remember everything that went into making you who you are. Remember that your foundation was laid for a reason – you were made to be somebody. When stress comes along, hang on to your foundation as tight as you can. Make sure to get your foundation fixed if you need to, but be prepared to pay for it. And finally, if all you’ve got is a foundation, you’ve got a lot of building to do.