„If I can show my vulnerable side then it will only strengthen me in long term.” This is what Ildikó Hujber thinks, who won the first place in Division Toastmasters contest with her speech in English. In the interview she shared how she felt before, during and after the contest. As well as about her speech which touched the audience and thanks to that she is going to represent Hungary in the District level.

Which Toastmasters club do you go to and when did you join TM?

I work at BP so I’m a member of EBSC Toastmasters since early autumn of 2018.

Why did you decide to join TM?

When I started to work at BP, there was a transition time when I didn’t have a lot of work and I went to different trainings. There was one called Effective Presentation Skills. I met a TM member there and he introduced me to TM. I had time so I visited an event. It was a nice experience as I did Table Topics right at the first occasion and I was voted to be the best Table Topic speaker. After that I started to go regularly.

In what field did you improve the most?

In a lot of fields. But if I have to mention one, it’s courage. Everybody is kind here and everybody supports each other. This was a bit unusual in the beginning. But this gave me courage to stand on the stage. Whether I make a mistake or not, here nobody is going to think bad at me or look down on me. Everybody is here to practice and making mistake is tolerable. Compared to the beginning I became more courageous to stand out and I think less about how it would turn out. Besides, I started to love public speaking.

Did this motivate you to apply for the contest?

Definitely. Besides we have a strong ExCo here and I’m in secretary position. I got support from them, especially from my mentor, Tímea Skovrán and our VP Mentoring, Izabella Magyari. They encouraged me to go for the contest because I can learn from it and improve. I can see how others do their speech, gain new methods and challenge myself. This was the second time that I participated in a contest. The first one was in live. But now despite the fact that it was an online contest, it was organized perfectly.

Until when did you go in the first competition?

Only until division level.

How did you feel before the contest?

I wasn’t that nervous this time. I knew how the process was. I usually get the competitive spirit when the competition starts. I was the last one that day and I saw everybody’s speech. It was a wonderful experience how professional they were and everybody took this seriously.

How did you feel during the contest?

Before my speech I was very nervous while listening to the others. But while I delivered my own, I only paid attention to it and to the emotions that the speech evoked in me. I didn’t think about which place I would get. Those 5-7 minutes were only about immersing myself into what I said. I concentrated on living in it.

When you started public speaking, did you have thoughts like „what’s gonna happen” during the speech?

In the beginning I was badly concentrating on not missing a line or not mixing a paragraph in my speech. I’m a visualizer and I always tried to have the speech in front of me to avoid missing a line. But I managed to develop myself in this field as well. By now the most important part is to concentrate on the elocution and the message.

Do you have technics to make yourself fully concentrate on your speech?

I usually choose serious topics which are close to me. This helps me keep my focus on what I’m telling to the audience. The topic is so close to me and full of emotion that I only concentrate on feeling the emotions during my speech.

What was your speech about and why did you choose it?

I was thinking a lot on the topic. Since now I spend a lot of peaceful time at home, I had time to think thoroughly. Once an idea came. My 30th birthday was at the end of March and my dad’s 60th birthday is at the end of July. I suddenly got an idea that it is 2020, this date is full of two. Just like our ages double this year. It was interesting to think through where he was in his life at the age of 30 and where I am now at this age. What factors played along that shaped our life. I was thinking about it and the thoughts kept coming. I tried to emphasize on how important a family and family background was. For example the enviroment we grow up in and the things we have since our childhood. For us it has been very different as well. This is also the reason why I am in a different situation at age of 30 comparing to him.

My speech was basically about the family background of my father where he grew up. And what my parents created for me, in what environment I grew up and how our life formed until the age of 30. And the common points that we both experienced.

Why didn’t you want it to be live streamed?

This was an unexpected situation. Somehow I didn’t get this information beforehand that it would be live streamed on Facebook. Therefore I didn’t have time to think through if I was alright with the fact that anybody could see this. Therefore I asked if there was a chance not to live stream my speech. If I win and go to the next level, I will have time to think about it. But during the excitement of the contest I could not concentrate on this. As for me I can now talk about the things which inspired my speech but I didn’t want to put anybody into an unpleasant situation.

What was the biggest challenge in this competition?

First it was a strong field, all the three speakers before me delivered an excellent performance. Second it was the online square. And third it was the emotional challenge that I could finish this speech to the end. Emotionally this was the speech which affected me the most.

Have you ever thought about giving up?

I had some uncertain moments, especially when I saw it would be live streamed, I thought I should give up. But I also think if I can show my vulnerable side then it will only strengthen me in long term. Therefore I decided to deliver it no matter what. It was nice to tell it. I received touching and positive feedbacks afterwards. It feels good that I can touch someone’s soul. Just for that it was worth doing this speech.

How do you prepare for a speech?

A lot of time passes between two speeches. I wait until I have an idea, an inspiration that can touch others. For me it’s essential to hold a speech that can evoke a thought, a memory, an experience in others.

Therefore it is a long process. For example in this speech, I had a basic idea. Comparing life journeys. I started to write down where I am now in my life, my father’s childhood, parents and education. I started to compare these. When I had another idea, I added it to the text. Then I put it away. When I had a new idea, I added it again. I worked on this speech the most since I became TM member. In the quarantine, I had enough time to compose the speech slowly in little steps.

How do you feel now that you are qualified for the District level?

When I saw the first place, I saw my name but I couldn’t process the information. I realized what happened only the next morning when I was asked to send a picture and some texts for official publications. It is amazing especially because I think that the field was very strong. And also because I’m a member for a relatively short time only and this was my second competition. It is a bit unbelievable.

If you win at the District level, what plan do you have?

I haven’t thought about it yet. I usually only plan one step ahead. I don’t think about what if I win. Of course I go there to compete. But I don’t get nervous because I want to win. It’s good to see other contestants because I can learn from them. But I only compare the result and my improvement to myself. That’s what matters the most. I don’t like to dream about what if I win. I will think about it when I really win. I do the same in other fields of life.

Which one is more challenging for you? To hold a speech online or in live?

Both has its own challenge, pro and cons. Delivering a speech in live is still more challenging than from your couch at home. But it depends on the speech as well. Online we don’t always see the audience like in live. For example in a humorous speech it is important to see the audience sitting in front of you and laughing on your jokes. I think a humorous speech wouldn’t work online because you don’t see the reaction. But a motivational speech was fine online.

What did you change the most when you deliver a speech online?

I pay more attention to the volume. In a room I can better feel if I am loud enough. But now we are in front of a computer and we don’t know how others hear us. Speaking with a good volume has become more important. Another thing that I pay attention to is to be close to the camera. I feel the distance if the speaker is far from the camera. I paid attention to this during my speech as well. I started in the far then I came nearer. This was the concept. The more the story was unfold, the nearer I came. The connection with the audience became more and more intimate.

What do you advise to people who want to compete next year?

I like personal stories. This can impact the audience and the speaker. Besides preparation technic is also important. The technic that works for me is that I start to prepare my speech at least 2-3 weeks in advance. It is worth giving time for preparation.

What do you advise to the audience who will see you?

I hope they will think about the take home message. That we should be grateful to people for things that we achieved. Obviously everybody works for their own success, but we are not always alone on the journey to success. Be grateful for these people who helps us along.