Toastmaster Your Outside Meetings Up

by Carolina Little, CL


Yesterday, I was in a meeting which started late because the meeting before us ended late. Very late. The group inside the reserved conference room knew they were running over their allotted time and kept asking us to wait patiently as they finished up. We were asked to do so several times. In short, we were held up from our meeting by 20 minutes. This in turn made us run over in our meeting. We apologized to the group meeting after us because we wrapped up almost 10 minutes late, therefore making them begin their meeting late. Considering the weight of our business meeting, I think we did a pretty good job keeping close within that time frame, since we had a lot of action items that needed immediate attention and discussion on our agenda. After the meeting was over, I made the comment that this is why Toastmasters was beneficial: Toastmasters 101, start and end a meeting on time. To which one of the attendees stated: why do you need Toastmasters? You do these things all the time? I replied: To keep in practice. Good practice.

When people do not train themselves to conduct timely meetings, they risk the following:

• interrupting the attendees schedules and of  those waiting for the room
• not providing a concise and productive meeting
• perpetuating bad habits that promote negative feelings towards meetings

This is why  being timely with your speeches, roles, and evaluations is so important not only in Toastmasters Meetings, but in the outside meetings you participate in as well. Simply put;You going OVER on time COSTS others their time, which does not generate anything positive. Whether you are the organizer or attendee, you can help faciliate the meeting to keep things focused and on time! This will help others and be much appreciated by all. By setting the example, you can help meetings be productive, timely, and effective.

So go ahead and flaunt your Toastmasters skills off. In the end, it will help more than hurt!

Evaluation Tips from Toastmasters International with Additional Tips from Carolina Little

Keep Your Evaluations on Target

To many novice speakers, the word “evaluation” brings back painful memories. Images of brutal remarks from schoolteachers and smirks from fellow students can pull a potentially great speaker away from the lectern. Yet, give that speaker one experience with a helpful, positive and motivating evaluation…and you’ll see the speaker work, progress and grow to realize that potential. Effective evaluations benefit the speaker by:

• Providing immediate feedback. Supportive commentary and helpful suggestions can reinforce positive speaking behaviors and point toward areas that need work.
• Offering methods for improvement. It helps the speaker recognize and then solve any difficulties that may have been encountered during a presentation.
• Building and maintaining self-esteem. Learn how to play up your strong points and correct speaking flaws and you can’t help but feel better about yourself.

It stands to reason that the more effective we are in evaluating each other, the more each one of us will profit from the experience, whether we are delivering a speech, evaluating or sitting in the audience. How can you give a helpful and encouraging evaluation immediately after hearing a speech? There are several techniques available to help you master the art of evaluations.
First, it’s important to select your manner of delivering the evaluation. Though some evaluators use discussion as their process, the “tell and sell” approach is the most popular method of delivering evaluations in Toastmasters meetings, because it is the most efficient. This requires the evaluator to do all the talking while the speaker listens. An opinion is given in a few minutes, avoiding conversational digressions, and then the meeting continues. Not having to worry about carrying a conversation with the evaluator also frees the speaker to focus directly on the advice being offered. This method works best when the evaluator has more speaking experience than the speaker.
Once you’ve chosen the method you’ll be using, use these guidelines to help:

• Show that you’re interested. Focus on the speaker’s needs.
• Consider the speaker’s objectives. Contact the speaker in advance to discuss the manual objectives as well as the speaker’s personal goals and concerns.
• Personalize your language. Avoid using advice that starts with, “You…” Instead, focus on the word, “I…” So that you give your personal reactions, rather than attempting to speak for the entire audience.
• Evaluate the speech – not the person! Do not impose your values on someone else’s speech. Focus on helping the speaker communicate those thoughts in a more effective manner.
• Promote self-esteem. Encourage and inspire the speaker to participate again by offering honest and sincere praise along with criticisms.

Carolina Little added to the above:

• Do not summarize the speech, also known as, the book report summary
• Site specific portions of the speech to use as examples
• Site improvements since last speech- if applicable
• Ask an experienced Toastmaster to help you prepare for this role before you do it
• Use organzition in your notes to lead you through evaluation
• Use the full time allotted for your evaluation (3 minutes with 30 second grace)
• It is okay if you aren't perfect. This is a learning experience
• If you forget to say something, you can always tell or email the person later
• Be tactful BUT honest. No one can improve if you aren't honest
• Remember the sandwich method: start with something good, add in the middle something to work on, end with something good.

What I Did on My Lunch Break

by Carolina Little

Today, I visited the Audubon Engineering Toastmasters Club. As their club mentor, I felt very guilty for not attending a meeting for two months now (It may have been even longer than this). As with everything, my initial zeal for this responsibility began to wane as time went by and my own daily schedule became more hectic. Besides, I felt the last time I visited them, they had become a well-oiled machine, running efficiently and effectively.

However, when the last invitation came via email, I decided it was time to make time to attend another one of their meetings to see how they had progressed over the holidays and the New Year.  When I walked in, I realized like most clubs, theirs too had succumbed to low attendance. It happens to the best of clubs. All clubs start fast and furious, with an impressive audience. Then months later, the infatuation begins to die down like with most things we have seen before:  new exercise regimes, new projects, new relationships, and new philosophies.  However, most clubs (like ours) see members rotating in and out at each meeting and have at least 12 members in attendance. This is typical of the national clubs and that is encouraging.  Why is it encouraging? It is encouraging because people are still making time to work on themselves and help others around them do the same thing too. A meeting with zero attendance is the meeting we never want to see.

It is also encouraging because as I attended this last meeting, I noticed that the Audubon Toastmasters, while smaller in attendance, were bigger in message. They remain a strong and influential group. Their participation was enthusiastic and reflected the theme the Toastmaster had set; ENTHUSIASM.  While I was there I learned a lot of new tools that the Mudslingers can incorporate into our own meetings, in addition to learning self-improvement materials that the Toastmaster shared with the group regarding enthusiasm in the workplace.  

 First, I learned interactive works! The Toastmaster started off with a very interactive “tug-of-war” demonstration designed to show that Motivation won over Encouragement every time. I will explain that message later one day. Then, the Toastmaster incorporated a Power Point presentation to help transition the meeting a long. It was in this presentation that she shared tidbits of knowledge and statistics to prove her theme.  She also engaged the audience to read excerpts out loud, a creative way to have someone practice speaking in public.  However, all my learning did not come just from the Toastmaster, but from other role takers as well. I saw an effective way for the Table Topics Master to get people to step up to the task by speaking in front of a crowd: She (another she) starting counting down from 5 until someone volunteered to speak OR she chose someone from the group.  It was fun seeing people randomly picked to do impromptu speaking.

However, the thing I learned (again) was how much I gain from attending another club’s meeting. It is a different experience every time you listen, speak, or participate in front of a different audience, even if the audience is changed by only one new face. What you learn from other clubs depends on your ever-evolving skills as an evaluator and team member in Toastmasters. Besides being given a free lunch and a fresh experience, I was also given the opportunity today to meet other oilfield professionals. In one lunch break, I was able to network, learn, and fellowship. Not a bad way to spend a lunch break.

My message: Get out and visit other Toastmasters Clubs AND invite new faces to ours.

WELCOME COMPUTER APPLICATIONS! Thanks for joining our Toastmasters Club! We are so happy to have you as fellow Mudslingers.

Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Work on Your Presentation Skills

by Gavin Meikle March 21,2011 http://www.inter-activ.co.uk/presentation-skills/ten-reasons-work

You have probably  heard that research suggests that fear of public speaking is one of the three top human fears  along with death and spiders.  So, given that, why would anyone want to learn to speak in public at all?

If you are a reluctant presenter or you know someone else who is, I suggest you ask two questions.

A) How much is your fear of public speaking costing you?

B) What benefits could you get by reducing your fear of public speaking ?

I believe that there are some huge payoffs that come as a result of becoming a more confident speaker and that these far outweigh the initial temporary discomfort that comes with learning how to do it.   Here are my top ten.

1 ) Make yourself more promotable
These days, effective communication skills are an extremely valuable transferable skill. Many interviews now include the requirement for a candidate to make a short presentation and preference is given to those who can present clearly and engagingly.    And this doesn’t just apply to customer facing jobs either.  I recently heard anIT recruiter talk on TV about how they now wanted “geeks that speak“.

2 ) Create a positive first impression with potential clients and employers
Demonstrating a good ability to speak in public is a great way to get noticed in an organisation. By it’s very nature most presentations are “one-to-many” communications so you can influence a lot of people in one hit. Most people admire others who can speak in public so by learning this skill you are your putting yourself onthe fast track to success.

3 ) Broaden your circle of influence
We all would like to feel we have an impact on the wider world, be it our company, our family or our community. Developing the confidence to speak in public gives you the power to influence more people more quickly.    Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world”

4 ) Build your self-esteem
Being able to present effectively and receive the positive feedback that inevitably comes is hugely self empowering. I have had the privilege of watching people conquer the fear of public speaking  they all report that learning to speak with confidence brings with it a massive increase in confidence and self esteem.

5 ) Increase your networking effectiveness
If you are trying to develop new business and new customers through attending networking events you will certainly need to learn how to present with confidence. Most network groups offer two main speaking opportunities. First there is the inevitable 40-60 second round table introduction session. If the way you deliver this creates a poor impression your likelihood of getting referrals and recommendations is significantly reduced.   Secondly, most groups offer a limited number of longer slots where members can present to the group. This is a fantastic opportunity to give examples of what you do, how you do it and who you are looking to connect with. Far too many networkers never take up this opportunity because they are too afraid of public speaking and that slows down their business growth.

6 ) Set an great example to your kids:
Believe it or not, your children will pick up a lot of their most powerful belief s from copying you. Do you really want your children to be shy, retiring wallflowers?  Be a positive role model  by learning how to express yourself in public.

7 ) Get your thoughts and opinions heard by a wider audience
You have a unique set of experiences that others would benefit from hearing. Imagine how many more people would get to hear your story if you were able to reduce your fear of public speaking.

8 ) Get paid to speak in public
As a currently reluctant presenter, the thought of getting paid to speak may seem like pure fantasy but it is possible. There are thousands of people who have developed the confidence to tell their story and who earn good money sharing it with audiences around the globe.

9 ) Give a great wedding speech or eulogy
Even if you don’t want to or need to speak at work, you may well be asked to do so at some sort of family occasion. Of course you may be able to get out of it but think how much better you will feel if you do it and do it well. Whether it a best man’s speech, father of the bride speech or even a funeral eulogy, let your voice be heard.

10) Improve your leadership abilities
Leaders set a clear vision for their team and then communicate that vision with passion and belief. Mastering the art of public speaking will allow you to be a much more effective leader whatever the context. Writing memos isn’t enough. Your team need to see and hear your passion!

So isn’t it about time that you did something about your fear of public speaking and start reaping the benefits that it will bring.

Evaluating Tips

Before you evaluate, read this!

http://www.toastmasters.org/toastmastersmagazine/toastmasterarchive/2007/november/the3rs.aspx