Use Your Mentor - 12/31/2009

Zig Ziglar said, "If you want to be sometime you've never been before, you have to do something you've never done before." How do we know what to do? For many of us, our cultural attributes of perseverance and self-discipline drive us, ever so slowly, towards professionalism. We need break the pattern and reach to those who are were we want to go and ask for their help. A mentor is invaluable in reaching a breakthrough to the next level - the winning proposal, the keynote speech or winning a speech contest. Use you mentor to achieve your goals. Presented by Bob Lea.

Establish a Personal Connection - 12/17/2009

You create a competitive edge when you establish a personal connection with your audience. You must connect emotionally and intellectually with both individuals and members of an audience, so they like and trust you. They're just like you; if you don't trust the messenger, you don't trust the message.

How do you get the Personal Connection edge?

• Focus on the audiences' needs and concerns.
• Be confident and sincere.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Shake hands with everyone when they enter the room.
• Use technology to enhance your presentation, not drown it.
• Keep it simple and memorable.
• Avoid jargon.
• Tell great success stories.
• Rehearse

Everything else being equal, you're way ahead of any other speaker or sales professional when your audience of one or a thousand relates to you, likes you, and trusts you. Prsentend by Vickie Shoutz

Tips for the Topic Master - 12/3/2009

Remember the purpose is to help people to practice impromptu speaking!

1. Avoid lengthy questions
2. Use generic topics that everyone can relate to
3. Avoid controversial topics
4. Be prepared and creative with your topic
5. Give preference to people who have not had a duty or chance to speak
6. Politely ask guests if they want to participate, do not pressure them

Presented by Brian Rootes

Selecting a Speech Topic - 11/19/2009

Selecting a speech topic doesn't have to be stressful or difficult.  It is better to spend your time and energy working on the speech objectives rather than worrying about what to speak about.  Speeches for Toastmasters don't have to be deep and profound.  Speak about what you know.  This can be speaking about yourself, your hobbies, your family, your experiences.  If you don't want to talk about yourself, choose something from current events, sports teams, or your work to talk about.  Speaking about topics that are familiar to you aids in being able to speak naturally, without memorizing the speech word for word.  Focus on speech objectives and let your own interests and experience provide a familiar topic. - Presented by Jean Gallgher

Looking Confident - 11/5/2009

There is a direct correlation between your confidence level and the competence others perceive you to have. There is also a direct correlation between your confidence level and your own perception of your competence. Here are some tips that will help you to look confident when giving presentations.

Expand
At the feet - Leave space for three of your feet to fit between your feet. Too wide = aggressive and arrogant.
At the top- You should be lifted from the top of your head like you are dangling from a string.
At the arms- Have space between your arms and body versus having your arms/elbows "stuck" to your sides.

Park Your Hands and Drive Your Arms
1. Touch your fingertips together.
2. Lace fingers together.
3. Hold palms together.
4. Arms behind your back, but away from your body.
5. Hands in pockets (be sure to empty pockets first and keep your thumb on the outside of the pocket).
6. Highlight key points with your hands.

Expand in Relation to Speaking Aids
Hand props- Lifted high enough for everyone to see, with your hand turned inward.
Lectern- Leave space between your arms and the lectern.
Flipchart- Point with the hand closest to the chart versus across your body.
Screen- Use a pointer whenever possible so your body is not blocking the image.

Eye Contact, Eye Contact, Eye Contact
The rule of thumb for eye contact is 1-3 seconds per person. Try not to let your eyes dart around the room. Don't just look at your audience, see them. Seek out individuals and be aware that you are looking at them.

Presented by Vickie Shoutz

 

A Toastmaster’s Promise – First 5 Points – 10/15/2009

• To attend club meetings regularly.  This doesn’t mean that you need to attend every meeting, but by attending regularly a member can participate in various roles as well as giving manual speeches.
• To prepare all of my speech and leadership projects to the best of my ability, basing them on projects in the CC manual, AC manuals or CL manual.  Speeches and projects should be from the manuals except under extraordinary circumstances.  The manuals give project objectives to help a member grow and improve.
• To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments. If you are filling a role, be prepared!  Word and Humor are straightforward roles, but prior thought and preparations are needed. The Toastmaster role requires significant preparation, especially for Table Topics.
• To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations.  Evaluations should include praise and areas for improvement.  Don’t weight evaluations too heavily in either direction.  Give encouragement, but also help the speaker improve by giving one or two items to work improve upon.
• To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow. Do your best to be a positive influence on the club.  Smile, greet visitors, get to know the members, sit somewhere new.  Do your best to make 7:00 AM Thursdays fun!

Presented by Jean Gallagher

Using Cards and Other Methods of Organizing Notes - 10/8/2009

Toastmasters International's website lists reading a speech word for word as one of the 10 biggest public speaking mistakes.  The recommendation is to use a keyword outline.  This way you can look at the keyword to view your thoughts, look into the eyes of the audience then speak.

Your keyword outline can written out on many different forms of media.  I would suggest you ask yourself for this situation, "How can I make it the least distracting for the audience and myself?"  You may consider using recipe cards, a single piece of paper, a flip chart or even your visual aides as your memory jogger. Presented by Kay DeSmith. 

Rehearsing Longer Speeches - 9/24/2009

Sometimes we have to give a speech exceeding 10 minutes in length and oftentimes we find ourselves losing momentum midway.  One way to help maintain energy is to break the speech up into logical sections during your practice sessions.  These sections include the Introduction and Conclusion plus at least two sections of the body of your speech.   Then practice each section independently and even practice them out of order.  During your actual speech, you should then experience renewed energy when beginning each section, thus allowing you to sustain your energy level throughout your speech. Presented by Mike McInerny     

Dealing with Distractions - 9/17/2009

A common distraction is when when you're presenting at a workshop and the room is nearly full. People straggle in and look for empty seats sometimes causing whole rows of people shift to create 2-3 empty seats together. Take charge by asking seated people to raise their hand if they have an empty seat near them and direct the stragglers to a seat. You're in charge and you show your command by dealing with the distraction quickly.

On the loud cell phone distraction, make a quip like, "Hold my calls" or "If that's my accountant, tell him I'm out buying things." This takes the embarrassment off the cell phone owner and you look mentally nimble for your quick response. Presented by Bob Lea.

The Toastmaster Educational Track - 8/20/2009

One of the great things about Toastmasters is that Toastmasters International provides pre-set goals for all of the members to work toward.

The Toastmaster Educational Track has 4 levels of achievement.

When you join Toastmasters, your first goal is straightforward – complete the first 10 speeches for a Competent Communicator or CC award.

Then you can move onto the Advanced Communicator – Bronze (ACB).  For this you must complete your CC and then 10 additional speeches (5 each from 2 of the advanced communication series manuals).  The advanced communication series manuals are varied and allow you to focus on an area of interest to you.  Some examples are: The Entertaining Speaker, Humorously Speaking, Storytelling, Technical Presentations and many others.

After you earn the ACB, you can achieve the Advanced Communicator – Silver (ACS).  This involves completing (guess what?) another 10 speeches from 2 more advanced communication series manuals.  You will also need to present 2 “canned” speeches from Toastmasters International.  These are from the Better Speaker series or the Successful Club series. 

Finally after you’ve achieved your ACS, your next goal is the Advanced Communicator – Gold (ACG).  10 more speeches, 2 more advanced communication manuals, and you’re almost there!  This time you must coordinate and conduct one Success/Communication, Success/Leadership, or Youth Leadership module.  This is the first requirement that has you working outside of the immediate club environment.  Speechcraft is an example of the Success/Communication module.   Also, you must coach a new member with his or her first 3 speeches.

Once you’ve completed the ACG and also an Advance Leader –Silver award, you can become a Distinguished Toastmaster!  Yea!

If you missed any of this, you can find this information along with a list of the advanced communication manuals in the back of your speech manual.  Happy Speaking!      Presented by Jean Gallagher

 

The Distinguished Club Program - 8/13/2009

The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) is Toastmasters International’s means to evaluate the effectiveness of their local clubs.  The DCP focuses on two categories; the progress and development of individual members and the club as a whole.  Toastmasters International recognizes as Distinguished those clubs that maintain at least 20 members and if they achieve at least 5 of 10 goals.  Clubs starting off with less than 15 members can also achieve Distinguished status if their net membership increases by 5 (that does not pertain to our club because we have had at least 20 members for several years). 

The goals focusing on the development of individual members include two members achieving Competent Communicator awards (Raymond and Kevin achieved these), another two members achieving Competent Communicator (David B., Dan G., and Jean G. could be on track for these) awards, one member achieving an Advanced Communicator (Mike M. is on track) award, another member achieving an Advanced Communicator award (Chuck S. and Steve T. are on track), one member achieving either a Competent Leader, Advanced Leader or Distinguished Toastmaster award (Chuck S. is on track for a CL), and another member achieving either a Competent Leader, Advanced Leader or Distinguished Toastmaster award (Mike M. is on track for a CL). 

The goals focusing on the club include recruiting four new members (so far is zero but there are 3 probable new members), recruiting four additional new members, at least four officers receive training in summer and in winter (3 of 7 Officers attended training so far), and membership dues must be submitted on time in by 1 October 2009 and 1 April 2010.  If the club is qualified (at least 20 members or a net increase of 5 members if less than 15), the club is awarded one point for each of these goals.  Besides being recognized as Distinguished if 5 of these goals are reached by 30 June 2010, clubs are recognized as Select Distinguished if 7 goals are reached, and recognized as President’s Distinguished if 9 of these goals are reached.  Our club has been recognized as President’s Distinguished for five years in a row.     Presented by Mike McInerny

Watch Your Environment - 8/6/2009

I was giving a presentation the other day in a room with a large plate glass window. I didn't pay that much attention to where I was standing, but began to notice people were not paying attention to me. They lost focus on my presentation and began to watch the street traffic happening through the window. Check out your environment and watch that you don't provide a distraction for your listeners. Presented by Stacey Neuhaus.

Speech Contest Season - 7/30/2009

Toastmasters holds two series of contests each year – one in the Fall and one in the Spring. The tradition of District Six is to hold a Friday night and all-day Saturday conference.  The fall contest is held away from the Twin Cities and always has the Humorous speech contest on Saturday night. The spring contest is in the Twin Cities and always has the International Speech Contest on Saturday night. One of the speech contests, either Table Topics, Evaluation or Tale Tales, is always on Friday nights. The Friday night events are known as Friday Fun Nights being less formal and many people wear costumes based on the conference theme. The Saturday evening event is more formal.

This contest season includes the Evaluation and Humorous contests. I have not participated in the Evaluation contest, I’ve observed a couple at the District level. With ten contestants all saying basically the same thing, you have to be quit creative to hit on ideas that help you stand out from the crowd.  Also, be sensitive to the depth of emotions within the test speech. If doesn’t come off well, for example, to be critical with someone describing the death of a parent or a friend.

I have participated in the Humorous speech contest. I tend to follow the advice of Dr. Randy Harvey, the 2004 World Champion of Public Speaking. He writes the speech as a rough draft, and then goes through a cycle of:

• Rehearse – develop the flow and timing of the speech. This can be done during your commute or when you’re on the treadmill.
• Refine – evaluate the story line, humor, word choices, and gestures. Every word needs to contribute to the speech.
• Rewrite – capture new ideas and modifications. I always carry a copy of the speech and jot down notes and ideas.

This technique works well for Humorous, Tall Tales and International speeches. Dr. Harvey went through the cycle forty times for his world championship speech.  Would you go through your speech ten or twenty times for a District championship speech? Presented by Bob Lea

Lectern vs. Podium - 6/18/2009

A lectern is a stand with a sloping top that a speaker can rest their papers on while giving a speech. A podium is a raised platform (or dias) to improve the visibility of the speaker to the audience. The stand on the podium for speaker's notes can either be called a lectern or podium.

Good lectern ettiquite is to take your notes and papers with you when leave the lectern to make space for the next speaker. You should also wait at the lectern until the next speaker arrives, shake their hand, and then step away, stepping behind them if you cross paths. Presented by Steve Toperzer

Voting Counting - 6/11/2009

The Vote Counter receives the comment cards and separates them into piles for each individual. Only the blue cards count for Best Speaker and the tan cards for best Table Topic. The Best Speaker must be presenting a speech from a manual and must meet the time requirements to qualify. The Table Topic person must meet the time requirements to qualify. The Vote Counter does not cast a ballot unless there is a tie.

When called upon by the General Evaluator, the Vote Counter takes winner's cards forward and announces the recipients of each award. The Vote Counter shakes the winner's hand and turns over the comment cards. The General Evaluator shakes the winner's hand and presents the trophy. Presented by Kay DeSmith.

Comment Cards - 6/4/2009

Our club uses three colors of comment cards during the meeting. Each card represents a mini-evaluation and both the front and back of the card can be used. The white card is for any type of comment. If you thought a person did a good job in their task or you would like to pass along an idea, use the white comment card. The white card does not count as a ballot.

The blue card is for voting for the Best Speaker award. The tan card is for the best Table Topic award. You can use both sides of the card for comments as well. Presented by Vickie Shoutz.

Using Humor - 5/28/2009

Using humor in your speech isn't always about telling a joke, but you can use some of the same skills a comedian uses. A joke has three parts: the set-up, the punch-line and the timing. The set-up is story that sets up the punch line. It can be a short as a phrase or several sentences in length. You do not have to memorize the set-up. Practice telling the set-up so that you can personalize the phrasing and add appropriate gestures. The punch-line should be memorized. The timing has two parts: 1) there is a short pause between the set-up and punch-line to let your audience something is happening. 2) allow 2-5 seconds after the punch line for people to "get" the humor and laugh.

Finding humor on-line can be very time consuming. Here's the easy way to write your own humor into your speech. Find two things that go together and one that doesn't. For example, "When I gave my first Toastmaster speech, I spoke eloquently, I was motivational, I spoke hiding behind the lectern." The funny part is that your audience hears the first two items and expects the third to be the same. When it's not - it's funny. Presented by Bob Lea

Technology Assistance - 3/19/2009

We have a great location for our TM meeting at Hutchinson Technology as we have top notch audio/visual equipment at our disposal in our meeting room. If you are planning to use this equipment to support your presentation, please connect with Steve Toperzer in advance as he will assist you in getting everything set up prior to the start of the meeting. This will ensure a smooth flow from one presenter to the next and will also ease your potential "technology" anxiety, allowing you to focus on your message to the audience. Presented by Vickie Shoutz.

Use The Web Site - 2/26/2009

The Hutchinson Toastmasters II web site is a great place to check out and find out about the club. You can get the latest schedule changes and check out your responsibilities in the role descriptions. I like that the meeting agendas are available for downloading. It's convenient to me as I try and keep my life paperless. Having the club forms I need online is very helpful to me. Presented by Steve Toperzer.

Providing a Written Introduction to the Toastmaster - 2/5/2009

Introductions are an important part of a speech.  It's the point where the speaker and the audience get connect. In our Toastmasters meetings, as speakers we write our own introductions to assure the information provided to the audience is what is needed to get to the same page.

Consider including in an introduction:

• Who you'd like the audience to be, or pretend to be.
• What expertise you have to deliver the topic.
• A quick, fun story or quip to share that you can have the Toastmaster, the audience and yourself all connect.
• Open ended questions you will address in your presentation.
• How can the introduction spark interest to my speech?

Being Prepared:

As you are preparing your speech, prepare your introduction.  Think about what the audience needs to know before I you start the speech.  Sending it to the Toastmaster prior to our meeting would be a great practice, however at least having it available as you walk into our club meeting takes the pressure off the Toastmaster.

Not having it ready, has a tendency to put your Toastmaster in a tough spot, and may not set up your presentation the best you could. More information on Introductions Presented by Kay DeSmith

Lectern Etiquette - 1/29/2009

Preserving the flow of the agenda requires proper etiquette around the lectern. When you're introduced, proceed directly to the lectern, shake the hand of the introducer and thank them by name for the invitation. Should you be in a large room or crowd, you should pre-position yourself to be close to the lectern area. When you are finished speaking, call the introducer by name and wait at the lectern for them to return. When they get there, shake their hand and return to your seat.

If you have to cross paths with the next person speaking, step behind them so that they can step directly to the lectern. It is important never to leave the lectern until the next person is there to take control. Imagine being at meeting where there are strong and opposed points of views. If the lectern is left unoccupied, your antagonist may jump in to make their views known. Keep things in control by using good lectern etiquette. Presented by Roger Asmussen.

Toastmaster's Pre-Meeting Preparations - 1/22/09

Ensuring the success of meeting is the Toastmaster's primary responsibility. It's helpful to begin the preparation several days before hand. Check with the meeting's speakers to make sure they prepared to speak. Life often gets in the way and sometimes they forget to tell you they are not speaking. Call the speakers again the day before as a friendly reminder and leave a voice message if they don't answer. In the message, tell them you're expecting them to speak unless they contact you. This works great in most cases.

Arrive at the meeting early so that you can verify each member's roles when they arrive. This helps to get the meeting started on time. Reassign role's as needed to fill your agenda. A good techniques nearing start time is to ask, "Will you give the word of the day if Sam doesn't show up by five after?" Also, encourage your members to call or email the Toastmaster if they have a role and know they will miss the meeting. Presented by Bob Anderson.

Contact The Toastmaster - 1/15/09

When you will not be able to attend a Toastmasters meeting, please contact the Toastmaster assigned for that week.  It is an opportunity for the Toastmaster to learn to juggle assignments and agendas.  It also helps the Toastmaster be able to come prepared to facilitate the meeting.  The Toastmaster would appreciate being notified as early as possible so they can make adjustments.

The weekly schedule is posted is available here.  Presented by Kay DeSmith

Stick With Toastmasters - 1/8/09

Your monthly edition of the Toastmaster magazine is an invaluable resource for motivation and encouragement. One of the letters to the editor in the January 2009 edition tells of a professional who used her contacts in Toastmasters secure a new job. With the state of the economy of late, many of us will be needing to update our resume and begin a job search. Don't underestimate the value of Toastmaster in a new job search. It can be a lot more efficient to network with other professionals than it is to enter the front door of a company along with hundreds of other applicants. Toastmasters gives you a chance to meet weekly with all kinds of business people including the ones on the inside that interview and hire people.

Our past Prairie Division Governor and club member, Anne Groetsch, used her contacts in Toastmasters to secure her last two jobs. My last five jobs have come directly from people on the inside of companies. These people got to "see me in action" and were impressed even to ask me apply for their positions. Not only does Toastmasters help you to become a better speaker and leader with an appealing attitude of confidence, but it helps you to network with people who are looking for good people. If you find yourself out of job, don't give up on Toastmasters - it may your fastest way to a new job. Presented by Bob Lea