Why You Should Make Your Bed in the Morning

Happy 7th Anniversary, Mudslingers!

Thanks for all your efforts, hard-work, smiles, and laughter! The best is yet to come.


Please remember to bring a guest today! We will have lunch brought in.


Sincerely,

Carolina

Toastmasters by the Numbers

Hi, Toastmasters:

As many of you know, I love to read.  I will read just about anything in front of me.
I was looking through past issues of Toastmaster magazine and found this interesting survery in the February 2014 edition.

Take a  look and see what we are made of. It is interesting.

TOASTMASTER February 2014 edition, page 9

 

Today in Toastmaster

Hi, Mudslingers:

I hope you all had a great weekend! Many of you may have already received your April TOASTMASTER magazine in the mail.

If you have, please take a chance to read it! It has plenty of good reading in it that is helpful.

Highlights:

1.      Presenting in a Second Language page 16

2.       How to Introduce  A Speaker page 8

3.       Flubs, Flops, and Solutions page 26

This issue does a nice job in showcasing Malaysia, the site of this year’s Toastmasters International Convention.

When you are done reading the magazine, leave it around the break areas for an employee to read. They may find it helpful and join our club!

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR A ROLE TODAY.

Thanks, my friends!

Carolina

Big Kuddos to Vidya Raja!

Dear Mudslingers:

As promised, here is the video of Vidya Raja's contest speech. I apologize for having some of the intro cut short, but I was nervous for her and couldn't remember how to use an iPhone!
I also apologize for my hyena-like laughter in the background.

I am very happy to see how Vidya has grown in our club and after today's uplifting meeting, I am still very proud to be a Mudslinger.Our club is a very worthwhile cause and I hope we keep growing.
We have lost a lot of valuable members to relocation and new transitions in their careers, but hopefully they will keep our spirit with them as they move onward and upward.

Please view Vidya's speech and encourage her with your comments and feedback to show how much you appreciate her taking on the challenge to represent us at competition. That was a very good day.

Don't forget to sign up for a role!

Thanks,
Carolina

 

Toastmaster Tuesday

Monday's ugly Sister!

 

 

Hi, my fellow Toastmasters.  We have a lot of club events coming soon.

Here is a list of Save the Dates for you to add into your calendar:

SAVE THE DATE

Ø   Thursday, March 13. Free Lunch at Toastmasters. Bring a guest and earn a Free Lunch voucher for you and your guest’s next visit

Ø  Saturday, March 22. Area M-34 Spring Speech Contests (Table Topics and International Speeches) will be held on Saturday 3/22/2014 from 8:30AM to 12:00NOON.  Registration begins at 8:00 and contestant briefings will begin at 8:15.  It will be held at the Pappas Bar-B-Q on Southwest Freeway (US 59). Contest areas are a) International, and B) Table Topics. Please see Kathy Leu if you would like to compete. We can go as a group and it will be fun!

Ø  Thursday May 1. Evaluation Contest in the Auditorium from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m.  Huge event with special guests, food, and campus invitation. Start inviting a colleague today.

Events keep us fresh and creative. It is nice to be able to see our efforts shine!

 

Notes from Past Meeting

1.      While Table Topics continue to get more creative and interactive, we need to call less on the seasoned Toastmasters.  All members need to be encouraged to try.

2.      Our efforts to be timely have really improved!

3.      Our constructive evaluation skills are improving too.

4.      Let’s keep voting on Best Table Topics Speech, Speaker, AND Best Evaluator-Friendly competition helps keep everyone fresh, focused, improving, and energetic. It also keeps us in practice for contest time.

5.      Much better job of keeping Ah/Counter Grammarian and Timer roles simple. We do need to bring in more Grammarian moments to the club, instead of just the counting.

Toastmaster Riddle

One of the most important skills we learn in Toastmasters is often overlooked when we are discussing leadership and communication improvement. This skill is used on daily basis, often poorly.  We use it at every Toastmasters meeting and event. Lately, as a club, we have done very well conducting this transitive verb.

 What is it? First right answer emailed to me will win a candy bar at the next meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

It's MOAN-DAY!

Whose woods these are I think I know...

Hi, Mudslingers!

It is Monday for sure. It is cold and windy outside. Don't you wish you were back in bed?
I know I do. We could all be under our covers sleeping or watching movies. 
But, here we are at work. The one good thing we can do today is help fill out the roster for Thursday's meeting. Remember, we are also having lunch brought in, so bring your co-workers who forgot their food! They will be most appreciative.

The demo role for this week's meeting will be the General Evaluator role, a.k.a. the G.E. role.  I will do my best to demonstate how to effectively conduct this role. Yeah, no pressure there. Let's hope I am having a good day.

I thank you so much for your membership and for your participation. It is defenitely the fuel that keeps the fire in the club going. That counts for alot, especially when it is this cold outside.

Keep staying warm, safe, and improving!

Be Our Guest!

M-I SWACO Mudslingers Toastmasters  Cordially Invites You To Simply Be Our Guest!

During the months of February through June 1, if you come and visit, we will have a free lunch waiting for you! Just email the club at mudslingers5950@gmail.com. and let us know you are coming one (1) day in advance. We meet every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. in the Knowledge Center. You must be an employee of M-I SWACO or Schlumberger. As a member, if you bring a guest both you and your first-time guest will receive a lunch. This only applies to first-time guests and to our employees.  Come and see how Toastmasters can be a fun way to help your professional development!

Please let us know any food allergies or preferences you have, so that we can provide you with an enjoyable lunch option.


Hope to see you soon,

M-I Mudslingers Toastmasters

Time for Another Post

Hi, Fellow Mudslingers:

It has been a while since this site has been updated. That is about to change!
I am excited to re-introduce you to our club's personal website. All ours. Here we can all contribute that one item of item of inspiration we want to share. For example, the officers who attended the Toastmasters Learning Institute Training Institute really were excited to share tips we learned to invigorate our club! I do not mean to sound hokey, but it is true. We came back with some great ideas to incorporate into our club. And we will highlight those ideas here.

Once again, I want to thank all of our fellow Toastmasters for keeping the faith, not only in themselves, but in our club. We are a very specialized club and we are about to re-brand ourselves. We are not only going to talk the talk, but walk the walk. I am talking major overhaul here. We will be fun, successful, and elite.

In the meantime,  here is an article for all ages to read.

This is YOUR club, so leave comments on how you want it to be. We listen AND act. How often do you see that anymore?

President's Distinguished, here we come!

Please feel free to  contribute an article or post to this site.


Sincerely,

Carolina and Officers

Welcome Back, Mudslingers!

Happy New Year, fellow Toastmasters!

I am really excited and nervous to be heading into the new year. Yes, I admit it, nervous. There is something hopeful about having a new slate and something a little overwhelming about it too. However, it is with excitement that I would like to welcome you all back in 2014.

 First, I am very happy to be your president this term. It means a lot to me. As many of you know, I helped bring Toastmasters to the North Course campus almost 7 years ago. It was M-I SWACO's first time chartering a corporate Toastmaster club.  Over this 7 years, the club  has gone through many growth spurts and growing pains. In fact, you could see the events of the company in the reflection of the club. When the company is in good times, the club has the same energy. When the company is going through a rough spell, well our club has carried that energy, too. Strong leadership has helped to sustain the club over the past few years and I hope to help continue that trend as I follow in James Stark's successful presidency. 

Secondly, I am very excited to be apart of the club again! When you look around our group,you see a beautiful array of different nationalities being represented.  I have said it before and I will state it here again: We put the International in Toastmasters International. It is this diversity that keeps us interesting, not just in regard of nationality, but of gender, personalities, backgrounds, and experiences as well. Week after week, we realize as a club that no two speeches are the same, and neither are the speakers. How awesome is that? I look foward to our fellowship and seeing all the members grow  from speech or role number one to speech or role number five. The transition of each members is  wonderful to see.


When we look back on the past year, we see just how many members we said goodbye to, but at the same time we see new faces among us. The First Term 2014 officers reflect the integration of long-standing members with new ones, as can be evidenced by the list below:

President                            Carolina Little

VP of  Education               Kathy Leu

VP of Membership         Sandeep Kodakkattumana

VP of Public Relations    Ingrid Velasco

Secretary/ Treasurer     Meghan Riley

Sergeant of Arms            Ken Slater

 

 

What a strong  officership! They are going to do very well,  because it is in each of these  individuals nature to do their best. We are a fortunate club.

 Lastly, for me (and many of you) being apart of something like Toastmasters puts a spring in my step and inspires good things to happen, especially when taken on with enthusiasm and dedication. I would like for you to know that I really enjoy coming to our meetings on Thursdays. It is hard to beat our fellowship and the entertainment provided during that one lunch hour. I really hope you all feel this way too. It is proof positive that we can have fun while working on our communication and leadership skills.  However,  the officers and I have an open-door policy and want to welcome any suggestions or comments that will help make Toastmasters a positive experience for each member.

 The best of luck to everyone this year. Together, we all make a very close-knit and unique group ready to take another 7 years of  corporate Toastmastering on!

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

What I Did on My Lunch Break

By Ms. Sara Brunner

On Monday, September 17^th, Carolina Little, Kathy Lu, and I took a trip to Audubon Engineering.  We checked in and took the elevator to the 7^th floor not knowing what to expect. We were greeted by one of the members at the elevator door and followed her to the room. To my surprise, the room was filled with people; in fact we had to sit to the side because all of the seats at the tables were taken. The meeting had already started and everyone was eating their Jason’s Deli- catered lunch. The first thought that came to my mind was, “Hey, how come they get free lunch during their Toastmasters’ meeting and we don’t? “

As the meeting progressed, we were all very impressed with the Toastmaster. She was very good about getting everyone involved and speaking.  During segues, she would select people in various rows to stand up and share what their pet peeves were. It got everyone excited and involved; and it was nice to see every individual in the room contribute to the meeting. It also gave us the opportunity to learn more about the group.There were two speeches given that day and they were both Ice Breaker speeches. I found this to be interesting, because I had never seen two individuals give their Ice Breaker speeches at the same meeting. Later on, I discovered this was only Audubon Engineering’s second meeting and realized that with a new club most of the speeches for a while would be Ice Breakers.  The first speaker shared  how she overcame her fear of public speaking; while the second speaker  discussed his experience with sky diving. Both speakers did a great job incorporating humor into their speeches and getting the audience interested in what they had to say.

Overall, I believe the Audubon Engineers’ second meeting was conducted very well. The only area I recommend they work on is recognizing guests during the meeting. As their guests, they had us participate in the “What is your pet peeve?” game; however, the Toastmaster did not fully introduce us to the group.  All and all, I think everyone did a great job at the meeting and it was very enjoyable. Not a bad way at all to spend a lunch break.

Editor's note: 

Thanks, Sara, for sharing your “What I Did on My Lunch Break” story. I highly recommended that every Mudslinger go and visit other clubs when you can. It is interesting to meet other people with similar goals. Not every club runs their meetings exactly the same, so you can get a lot of new ideas and energy from them or at the very least, a change of scenery.  Plus, if you want to, you can deliver a CC or specialty manual speech to an outside club and get credit for it. This helps you get out of your comfort zone by presenting to a whole different group of people and helps them by observing someone outside their club.

For an opportunity to visit Audon Engineering Toastmasters on Mondays during lunch, please contact Carolina Little, VP of Ed at Clittle03@slb.com or call extension 1359. 

Traveling Toastmaster

Welcome back, Patrick! Thanks for the awesome picture you took for our club with the TOASTMASTER magazine. I welcome all Toastmasters to do the same. It is a fun idea.

Mudslinger Patrick Tyczynski in Perth, Australia, September 2012

Using Nervous Energy Effectively and Planning To Create A Successful Presentation

This past Monday was the kids’ first day back at school.  While many parents, me included, dread this event, our kids tend to look at it from different point of views.  Some kids love it. Other kids hate it.  My son, Justin,   who started middle school this year, was both nervous and excited.  After going to his  new school’s orientation, he spent every spare moment he had not only meticulously planning his wardrobe, but mapping his daily schedule, memorizing his lunch PIN and locker combination, and setting and resetting his alarm clock. His also made sure to learn his bus schedule and bus number, too. Like I mentioned, he was excited.  

But, he was also nervous.

 The first thing that I asked him on Monday morning was how he felt. He smiled and responded that he had been too excited to sleep.  I asked him if he meant nervous. He replied, both: though, he believed he was more excited than nervous. Having felt this way myself, I told him that I could understand what he meant.  The two emotions can often feel the same and evoke the same energy.  Being nervous can help us become aware that we need more preparation for an event. Many times, being nervous can also make it seem as if we are excited, therefore optimistic, as we take on a new challenge; such as the first day of school, a much bigger school.

What my son did to prepare for his milestone moment exemplifies what we, as Toastmasters, can all do in undertaking our presentations. The first thing to do is plan, plan, and plan some more. My son is not obsessive-compulsive at all.  Sadly, he is somewhat scattered-brained like his mom. However again like his mother, he will plan well for something that he is particularly excited about. He even devised backup-plans for his big day.  For example, he set up two alarm clocks in case one did not go off. How often have we seen ill-prepared speakers waste time trying to get their slideshows to work at the onset of their scheduled presentations? A practice run or backup presentation would have saved the day and more importantly time and effectiveness.  A second thing to do is to use our nervous energy while we speak. Using nervous energy effectively makes us appear to our audience as peppy, confident, and excited about our topic.  Since, Justin was nervous, his adrenaline was high, his spirits were up, and he tackled the day ahead of him. He channeled his nervousness into excitement and made his first day seem like an adventure, not an obstacle course.  This allowed Justin to help many of his friends find their classes, work their lockers, and become more comfortable when around the worldly 7^th- and 8^th- graders. Using nervous energy can bring life not only to the presentation, but build the audience’s confidence in what the speaker is presenting, too.

Hopefully, Justin will be able to use his nervous energy during his first tackle football game this Saturday. It may not be pretty, but he is excited. 

submitted by Carolina Little, VP of Education

A Fun Post

I found this at  http://www.limelightpresentations.com/vocal-warmups.php. I thought it would be a good tool for many of us to use. Thanks, Marcia McGilley, for allowing this to be posted for free!

Vocal Warm-up's: Top 10 Voice Exercises to Try Before a Speech or Presentation 

(repeat each 5 times)

1. Good Blood, Bad Blood, Bad Blood, Good Blood
2. Around the Rugged Rock the Ragged Rascal Ran
3. Unique New York
   
   
4. A Real Rare Whale
5. Double bubble gum bubbles double
6. Eat fresh fried fish at the fish fry
7. Sixty-six sick chicks
8. Tie twine to the tree twigs
9. Which wily wizard wished wicked wishes forWilly?
10. Shy Sarah saw six Swiss wristwatches

Want to post this content on your web site, blog or include it in your newsletter? You are welcome to do so provided you leave the following signature line with live link to www.LimelightPresentations.com and the Copyright notice below in tact:

Copyright 2007, Denver, CO, Marcia McGilley, Presentation Skills Coach All rights reserved. Shareware: May reprint with footnote attached. www.LimelightPresentations.com 303.794.6760

Seven Overseas Dos and Don’ts

by Dr. Art Leuterman, ACB

Much of my career with M-I SWACO and its predecessor companies has involved formal presentations conducted overseas.  Three decades of traveling and talking has led me to develop a short list of “Dos and Don’ts” when speaking outside of the United States.

1.       Speak Clearly

First and foremost – determine the level of familiarity with your language that your audience has.  Many people can understand American English reasonably well but do not speak it confidently enough to respond in English.  Others have only a nodding acquaintance with English and can ‘get by’.  For example, I can read menus in nearly a dozen languages, say “please”, “thank you”, introduce myself and others and utter a few other pleasantries, count and argue with taxi drivers.  I do not however speak their language!

Remind yourself that you are speaking to people whose native language is not yours!!!!  Then remember the difficulties you encountered when you took a foreign language in school all those years ago.  First, you struggled to ‘find the word’, then you struggled to translate from the language being spoken into American English in order to define the word(s) you thought you heard.  Yikes, by the time you figured out the first few words of your teacher he or she had already uttered another dozen or more words which you totally missed.  Assume that this could be what a good portion of your current audience is experiencing.  Therefore, help them out by our word selection and pace - avoid jargon, contractions and buzz words.  For presentations, these should be removed from all of your verbal renditions regardless of the country in which you are speaking.  Everyday verbiage used at home, at the office and/or on the street here in the United States is often at times indecipherable by your audience overseas.   Additionally, work diligently to speak clearly in “word packages”, i.e. a set of words no longer than five to seven followed by a short pause, thus allowing those that can follow English to translate for themselves.  In situations where an ‘instantaneous translator” has been employed utilize a similar pattern of verbal presentation thereby allowing the translator a few additional seconds to find the ‘exactly correct’ word to bring full meaning to yours. 

A frequently asked question by our younger staff members is “Should I greet the audience with a sentence or two in their native tongue prior to delivering my presentation?”  My answer is always “That depends!”  I would never attempt some of the oriental languages because they are tonal and if I get the tone wrong I may well have insulted my audience rather than praising the beauty of the countryside that I enjoyed on the tour they provided yesterday!  If you are reasonably competent then write out what you wish to say in both your native tongue and the intended language and have one of the company’s local staff read and then listen to you several times.  The upside to this attempt at speaking the local tongue is the obvious attempt by yourself to demonstrate respect for your audience and their native land and can be quite successful on occasion.  The downside, which I have personally experienced, is that if you pull it off and manage to sound reasonably competent in the tongue of your hosts for a sentence or two they will either wonder why you did not continue in the local lingua or will begin all their questions in their native tongue leaving the speaker (at least in my case) sorely lost and waiting on the translator to work his/her magic in reverse to save me.

2.       Avoid Acronyms

Never ever use an acronym without first having utilized the full word, for example, instead of “all those UUA forms …”  say “all those United Underwriter Association forms …”, when speaking or writing.  Always define the acronym the first time!

3. Avoid Profanity

At all costs avoid the use of profanity in any form in your presentations.    If you listen you will be amazed at the foul language, ranging from mild to inexcusable, that you hear on the radio, television or see in print.  If you need to shock your audience to make a point, shock them with sound factual evidence based upon good science and solid research.

4. Have a Concise Introduction

If you are going to be formally introduced, develop a concise and humble introduction for yourself.  Leave the flowery, prosaic introductions to others.  If you are going to be introducing yourself, again do it concisely with pertinent information only.  An introduction is not a history of every job you have ever held.

5. Avoid Jokes

Although it is frequently a heavily recommended practice in the U.S. and Canada to use a humorous story/joke in order to ‘warm up’ your audience I recommend that this device not be employed elsewhere.  A joke/humorous story apparently loses a great deal upon translation and nearly always falls flat.  This is a horrific hole to have to dig one’s self out of as a speaker who is unable to communicate in the language of his/her hosts.

6. On Time

Be on time for your pickup ride and begin your presentation on time as per the agenda.  If you cannot be on time, then be early.  There really is no excuse for being late.  Instead, be prepared for any contingency.  Beginning on time is a demonstrable sign of respect for those in the audience that showed up on time. 

7. Dress Appropriately

Class and good taste never go out of style nor are either unaffordable.  Fashionable is not necessarily either classy or in good taste.  If you wish to be adjudged professional then act and dress so!  That includes your shoes – get them polished and keep them that way.