Who Am I Talking to Again?

As leaders in the Masonic Community, we find ourselves in situations in which we will need to prepare a speech. State Officers need to give speeches often to promote the program, speak to sponsoring bodies, and even to run for election at the annual Convention. Master Councilors and chapter members visit lodges and present a program to the group. How does one know what to say? The biggest challenge is knowing who your target audience is. Here are a few tips that can help you the next time you have to prepare a speech.

1. Get to know your audience before the presentation: A lot of Masonic functions have time beforehand that is dedicated to socializing. Talk to as many people as you can. The more you get to know before the presentation, the more people whose attention you have when it comes to time present. 

2. Make your talk fit the needs of your audience: It may help to do some research before you speak. Get to know what the audience will be looking for. It's important to know exactly what it is they sponsored and how it has helped you and your Chapter. For example, a lodge sponsors your Chapter in sending guys to the annual Convention. Tell them about the experience and express words of thank you to the lodge for their contribution. 

3. Create eye contact around the room: You never want to look straight down at your speech if you have it written. Look around the room. By doing this, the audience knows that they should be engaged in what you're presenting. 

4. Speak with conviction: Talk to the people. The tone in your voice can make or break your speech. Say it with meaning. For example, a Flower Talk presentation works best when the room can tell that you mean the words you're saying. It may actually make some of the ladies present cry.     

5. Dress to impress: Dress to fit your presentation. In most of our cases, a suit may be the best answer. 

Now that you've read these tips, you should be prepared to speak to the public. If you need any more tips, feel free to contact a State Officer for some guidance. They've presented plenty of times, and would be more than willing to help you feel comfortable.

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin  

To view some of the information I found on this topic, click on the link below

http://wittcom.com/how-to-connect-with-your-audience-building-rapport/

Films Every DeMolay Should See: Apollo 13

"Houston, we have a problem." This phrase is one of the most famous movie lines in history, and is still used in everyday life today. The film that made it popular; Apollo 13. I chose today to write about this film because on April 11th, 1970, the Apollo 13 mission to space launched, which was intended to be the third to land on the moon. Unfortunately, the mission had to be aborted due to an oxygen tank exploding. 

The film, based on true events, stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton and Gary Sinise, and was released in 1995. Apollo 13 shows the mission at hand, lead by Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) who had been part of a previous mission to the moon, but wanted to walk on its surface. Jim and his team launched Apollo 13 on April 11th, and 3 days into the mission an oxygen tank explodes, creating panic in being able to continue their mission and make it home safe. 

So what makes this a movie that every DeMolay should watch? The film demonstrates the teamwork that it took in order to get the members of the mission home safe. Failure truly wasn't an option, which the control team at NASA took seriously in devising a plan to save the three men on the mission. As much as the three men on board wanted to point blame and give up, they knew that they needed to stay strong and find a way to get through it in order to see their families again. 

This film is a classic, and truly is one of my favorite Tom Hanks movies of all time. If you haven't seen it, I hope that you will. 

Until next time - "Dad" Joe Pullin