4 Secrets to Winning a Speech Contest

I have interviewed several District Conference speech champions and I have asked them the vital question, How do you win a speech contest?  What is the big secret of Discon champions that sets them apart from the rest and makes them winners? As it turns out, it’s not really a secret after all. They all had different answers. But if I could summarize them into four points, it would be this:

Secret #1: Acquire the vision. If you can’t see it in your mind, you won’t be able to manifest it in your physical world. Champions see themselves as such before they’ve even won their first trophy. It’s called visualization. The clearer you see your goal in your mind, the bigger the chance that you will realize it. So see yourself on stage delivering that winning speech

Secret #2: Learn from the experts. No matter what we want to accomplish in life, chances are that someone has already been there and done that. Winning a national competition is not rocket science. Thousands before you have already done it. It’s not easy. But it can be done. Ask for the advice of past champions. Watch winning speeches on YouTube. Read books about public speaking. Use every resource you have to your advantage.

Secret #3: Practice, practice, practice! Seeing yourself deliver that winning speech in your head is just the beginning. Nothing can still take the place of practice. Preparation is the key to success. Public speaking is all about practice. The more you practice your speech the better you’ll become. If you can, practice in front of mentors so you can get feedback afterwards. 

Winning a speech contest is often a group effort.

Secret #4: Believe. Have faith in yourself and in your abilities. According to Henry Ford, whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right. In other words what you believe shapes your reality. Our belief is the thermostat that determines what we accomplish in our life. Therefore it is not enough that we want to win. We should also EXPECT to win.