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Level 1: The Ice Breaker

Your Ice Breaker is the first speech you'll give at Gloucester Speakers, and it's the one every member in the room remembers giving themselves.

What This Project Is About

The Ice Breaker is the first project in Level 1 of every Pathways path, and it has been the traditional first speech in Toastmasters for close to a century. Its purpose is simple: introduce yourself to the club and learn the basic structure of a public speech.

It comes first for a good reason. You already know the subject inside out, because the subject is you. That means you can put your energy into the things that are genuinely new, standing up, organising your thoughts, and speaking to a room, rather than into researching a topic. Along the way you'll recognise skills you already have, build confidence on top of them, and get your first taste of the Toastmasters feedback culture, which is where most of the learning in this club actually happens.

Speech Requirements

  • Length: 4 to 6 minutes. The Timer will show you signal cards as you speak so you always know how much time is left.
  • Topic: anything that introduces you to the club. There is no set subject. Your speech may be humorous, informational, or any other style that appeals to you.
  • Structure: an opening, a body, and a conclusion. Learning to build these three parts is half the point of the project.
  • You need an evaluator. One club member will evaluate your speech verbally at the meeting and give you written feedback afterwards.
  • Book your slot with the VP of Education. Speeches are scheduled in advance, so let them know when you'd like to speak.

If you've delivered an Ice Breaker before and are starting a new path, focus instead on your goals for this path, why you chose it, and what your last path taught you.

Preparing Your Speech

  1. Choose what to share. The guide suggests four rich seams: the reason you joined Toastmasters (especially if a person or an incident nudged you), your previous experience of speaking, communication and leadership, important moments or accomplishments in your life, and your communication and leadership goals. Pick two or three, not all four.
  2. Outline before you write. Think of your Ice Breaker as a story about you: an interesting topic, an opening, a body, and a conclusion. Introduce yourself in the opening, share what you'd like members to know about you in the body, and close with a funny or interesting anecdote that ties back to why you joined. The Speech Outline Worksheet below is built for exactly this.
  3. Write it out in full. A complete draft helps you find the shape and the length.
  4. Reduce it to notes. Put a few bullet points on a single page or on notecards. Aim to memorise your opening and your conclusion, then rehearse the middle until it feels comfortable. That mix of memorising and preparing is what gives a speech a natural, spontaneous feel, and it stops you reading word for word.
  5. Practise, in whatever way suits you. Rehearse in front of friends or family, record yourself and watch it back kindly, use a mirror for instant feedback, or drill each section separately before joining them up.
  6. Time yourself every run. If you're brushing the upper limit, check that every point earns its place. If you're short, find the parts worth expanding. Most of us speed up in front of an audience, so allow for that.
  7. Talk to your evaluator first. Tell them what you'd like feedback on and what worries you. The more specific you are, the more useful their evaluation will be.

On the night, check your pacing as you begin. If nerves start to get the better of you, stop, breathe, and carry on. Everyone in the room wants you to do well.

Project Checklist

  • Schedule your speech with the Vice President Education.
  • Write your first speech.
  • Rehearse your speech.
  • Communicate with your evaluator about your goals for this speech, sharing your most important concerns and any questions about the evaluation process.
  • Deliver your Ice Breaker speech.
  • Meet with your evaluator afterwards to review your evaluation.
  • Create a plan for applying the feedback you received, which is the single most important step in improving as a speaker.
  • Choose one piece of feedback that is reasonable to apply to your next speech.
  • Share that feedback with your mentor, a friend, or your next evaluator.
  • Complete your self-reflection once every other component is finished.

What Your Evaluator Looks For

Your evaluator scores seven areas on a five-point scale, from Developing up to Exemplary. Because this is your first speech, many evaluators use only the written comments and skip the numbers altogether, so don't lose sleep over the scale. The seven areas are:

  • Clarity: your spoken language is clear and easily understood.
  • Vocal variety: you use tone, speed, and volume as tools.
  • Eye contact: you use eye contact effectively to engage the audience.
  • Gestures: your physical gestures are effective rather than distracting.
  • Audience awareness: you show awareness of the audience's engagement and needs.
  • Comfort level: you appear comfortable in front of the audience.
  • Interest: your content is interesting and well constructed.

They'll also write freely under three headings: what you excelled at, what you may want to work on, and a challenge to stretch you next time. Listen without defending yourself, look at your evaluator while they speak, and save your questions for afterwards. Constructive feedback is never about who you are as a person; it's only ever about the speech.

Downloads

Back to the Level 1 Guide