Talk to the Human™

Since I posted by review of the speeches in the Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking, I received hundreds of hits and may positive comments from Toastmasters (and others) around the world.

Although this is a bit early, I’m going to propose to expand my coverage next year. I’ll be looking for fellow attendees and writers to provide similar coverage for each of the nine semi-final contests.

In addition, I’ll also be seeking 3-4 other writers to watch and provide feedback on the World Championship itself. This will allow more expanded coverage of the event, as well as additional viewpoints on what each contestant did well in their presentation. Ideally, each contestant will be featured in a separate blog post, and I’ll strive to get interviews to include as well.

The goal here will be two-fold. First, provide a superior product for the readers. Second, give more writers an opportunity to reach a wider audience with their reviews.

I owe a thanks to so many readers who added links to my blog so that their readers could see that information. This has made me realize that there was a void here, and I intend to do a better job filling it next year. And yes, I plan to be continuing this blog through a second year, and to provide better coverage at the convention in Las Vegas!

In June or July, I’ll be actively soliciting volunteers to help out with this unofficial effort, so stay tuned. Any early takers?

August 20th came and went without much fanfare. In fact, if you didn’t know it, you wouldn’t even have expected that my Talk to the Human blog has been up and running for a full year now. I found a stat on the Internet, which I chose to believe, that says:

The Perseus report noted [in the link] indicates that 66.0% of surveyed blogs had not been updated in two months, “representing 2.72 million blogs that have been either permanently or temporarily abandoned”.

And…

In fact, 1.09 million blogs were one-day wonders, with no postings on subsequent days.

I’m glad those weren’t me. In fact, in my own empirical research, I have found a number of blogs on speaking that had been abandoned within 3-6 months of their initiating.

In this last year, I’ve posted over 200 blog entries. With the launch of a new site, SpeakerBlogger.com, I may have trouble keeping up that pace, but I’ll keep working on it.

One year down, many more to go!

P.S. I am working on getting my blog listed on Technorati, so I need to add this code for verification: PX2M62AWUZ22

By now you know there’s a big speech contest every year at the Toastmasters International Convention, right? But wait, there’s more. There’s a whole Convention going on during the Convention! And. It’s. Fun.

Here are my tips on the best way you, fellow toastmaster, can (and should!) experience the convention next year.

1. Go (duh). You can’t get the tremendous advantages from attending the convention by skipping the whole event.
2. Divide and conquer. You can’t attend every session, but you can learn from every session. Make friends, take notes at each session and trade notes with others (or Blog them like I did)
3. Network. Did you know there is a district in Australia with two Lt Governors Education and Training (like me) and two Lt Governors Marketing? I didn’t until I met one. Turns out that’s what you do in a district is so big it needs to split next year. There’s a cool goal.
4. Mingle with important people. Our International President (Pat Johnson), Executive Director and others in the leadership and world headquarters (WHQ) staff love meeting members (even from Kansas). Did you know that if enough people ask for a certain item to be stocked in the TI bookstore, that they will add it? Me either, until I mingled.
5. Volunteer. Many hands make light work. I spent two hours as a Sgt at Arms at the door of the Opening Ceremonies. Met more people, had easy access to pop out to the restroom, and now at least one WHQ Staff member owes me a favor (another story)
6. Go to the Board of Directors briefing. It’s interesting to learn what changes are coming, and what’s being planned for our organization.
7. Write. Put your experiences down on paper (or blog). Last year I finished a CC manual in about 3 months after the convention. There are always so many topics to talk about.
8. Read. Buy at least one book from one speaker and get it autographed. For me it was Carolyn Kepcher, the Golden Gavel recipient. She is an amazing businesswoman, an outstanding speaker and wow-level pretty (not that that matters).
9. Meet the candidates. There are always candidates for International Director and the top offices. They have some amazing ideas, really useful handouts (many on data CDs now) and will take the time to talk to any member.
10. Dress up and dance. The final dinner on Saturday night is your chance to Tux-it-up. Look your best, eat great food and do some more mingling/networking/sucking-up (if necessary). Then, after dinner and the events, you can get some dancing in with 1,500 of your closest new friends.

If you are wondering…yes, I did everything I’m advising you to do. If you go and do less, you’ll be squandering a great opportunity. If you don’t go, then you won’t even know what you’re missing. Don’t let another great convention pass you by.

Next year the convention is in Las Vegas. Even in Australian dollars you can probably afford the airfare there. Start planning now for the trip and when you go, you won’t regret it. And – of course the contest will be great too…

It’s been a fast-paced week with a plethora of opportunities for Toastmaster from around the globe. Personally, I had a wonderfull time and accomplished a lot in this much-too-short Convention.

It all culminated tonight with the final dinner event, the International President’s Dinner Dance (ticket required). At this event, the new International President assumed responsibility and the current IP became the Immediate PIP (Past International President). Now, say that three times fast.

Two interesting topics of note:

First, the outgoing IP, Gary Schmidt, walked in to the theme from Star Wars, and had Golden Gavel Recipient Carolyn Kepcher on his arm. The fact that she stayed for the extra evening to support our International Convention spoke volumes to our membership. She could have easily got on a plane after last night’s Golden Gavel Dinner, and that would have been absolutely fine. But, a number of members mentioned that it was [pretty cool] of her to stay for this dinner event.

Second, new IP, Pat Johnson, gave an outstanding acceptance keynote as our new President. She asked us “Who are your giants?” that allow you to see farther than you could see without standing on their shoulders. Who has made a difference in you life, what evaluator, what mentor has helped you to get where you are today. And…who will you serve as a giant to help them see farther than before?

Her theme of Achieving Greatness Together wove well into the stories and presentation overall, and was a great way to start off her new year.

It’s been an amazing and fast-paced week, and now I am just plain tired. I hope you have enjoyed reading my recaps of the convention. Feel free to post comments on any of the entries, and look at the site and read other posts on my site on Toastmasters-related topics of Communication and Leadership.

Also take a look at a new site I’ve launched with Arlen Busenitz, called SpeakerBlogger.com. Take a look and check it out. Also, we are actively seeking guest posts to publish on the site. If you have something you’d like to submit, please let me know.

Tomorrow…the EDGE with Mark Brown, Craig Valentine, Ed Tate, Darren LaCroix and possibly other World Chanps! More to come…

Today, Toastmasters International held its Annual Speech Contest here at the convention (We also had a business meeting this morning, but an evil virus ate that post…sorry).

Crowned the 2010 World Champion of Public Speaking was David Henderson, with his speech titled The Aviators. Why did David win? I think that beyond the obvious speaking ability and outstanding delivery, he had one of the most touching stories and a powerful message.

David told of how he met and made friends with a girl when he was 7 years old. As friends they used to play aviator together (hence the title). But his freind was soon diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness. Without taking too much from his story, he found himself questioning why he should love someone that was just going to die, and that’s when he learned that losing people is part of loving people and the pain of regret would hurt more and longer than the pain of loss. The story of the next 7 years was so moving that there were actual sobs coming from throughout the audience. He was that good. 

Second place Robert Mackenzie also had an outstanding speech titled My Alter Ego. He told of his alter-ego, Bobby Backwards (Bob for short). He told of how big that alter ego was, because it was fuelled by all of the “no’s” in his life. His message was strong, about the need to say yes to life, rather than retreat into the protection of Bob. My favorite line was, “By 30 I had said ‘no’ more times that Toyota said ‘recall’.” Other top line, told after telling us about having a heart attack and how they say the fear of public speaking is greater than the fear of death: “Not. Even. Close.”

Third place went to Linus Chang and his speech, Being Jane. Rather humorously he told about his experience with the wonderful voice of his GPS, Jane. By pointing out haw Jane never gets angry or terse when you get lost, and is always flexible about your future plans, he drew a correlation to our lives and how we can have more freedom in our lives if we look at things like Jane does.

The remaining contestants were all wonderful too, so I’m glad I wasn’t judging this one. Here’s a bit on their speeches, given in their speaking order (only 1st – 3rd place are announced):

Lisa Panarello‘s speech Mission I’m Possible was the first in the contest. There are mixed reviews as to whether going first is good or bad, and after Lisa’s strong presentation I’d bet that debate will continue for at least one more year. My favorite line: “Break the rules – if the job posting says ‘Don’t Call’, then call. You’ll probably be the only one.” Her three points were:
Plan Ahead
Take Risks
Keep Moving

Kevin McCue – started his speech with remote control in hand. Whatcha Got? was a good reminder that we don’t all have to aspire to be Brad Pitt or whatever. Use the tallents you have and don’t worry about being like someone else. I loved the reference to Pepper Martin of the 1930′s St. Louis Cardinals. Anyone that genuinely loves the Cardinals should win. Just sayin’

Robin Grieve told us that Wings are for Flying. He compared his son’s departure from home at 18 to a baby eagle leaving the nest.  Very nice message that whenever we set something free, we set ourselves free.

Joseph Grondin told us that we should all be Merchants of Hope. Nice story about making the difference in a teen’s life.

Ian Humphrey – I saw Ian’s speech in Semi-Final contest #1 on Thursday, and I have to tell you that I was (a) pulling for him, and (b) a bit surprised he didn’t place. This is why I say the judging would be super difficult at that level. This speech, It’s Not About the Knockdown drew parellels to being knocked down in boxing and knocked down in life.

Jamie MacDonald – His speech Unchained Memory talked about his earliest memory and to be honest I’m not sure I understood his message, so I don’t want to post a poor guess here. He did tell a nice story.

Nothing beats watching the competition at this level. The preparation, the skill, and the execution give all of us something to aspire to. If you missed it, buy the video. If you saw it, buy the video.

TI’s announcement: http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/News/Announcements/2010-2011-World-Champ-Chosen.aspx

Next…on to the Region III reception and then the President’s Dinner Dance.

In my post about Friday Afternoon’s Accredited Speaker Program, I said “All of the speakers were good, but in my non-judge opinion, I would guess that Rochelle Rice has the best chance of getting the designation this time. Karen Twichell might pull it off too.”

Bam!

Called it right, baby. At the International Speech Contest, Rochelle and Karen were each awarded the Accredited Speaker designation, and given a pretty honkin’ plaque to go with that honor. Congrats to both, and a big Woo Hoo!

2 Years – wait for it…

Carolyn. Kepcher. Delivered.

What an amazing evening. Toastmasters International 2010 Golden Gavel recipient, Carolyn Kepcher gave a keynote speech to be remembered at our dinner on Friday evening.

She started off with the story of how she began working for the Trump organization, and how she ended up on the TV Show The Apprentice. Her descriptions were quite interesting, including the references to running in heels (with visual). She gave an additional insight to those of us that saw the first season of that show.

It turns out that her fame on that TV show led to her receiving mail from women around the globe. That probably isn’t surprising, but Carolyn said this wasn’t fan mail she was receiving, but letters from working women everywhere looking for advice from her on how to handle difficult workplace situations.

This led her to the realization of how she could make a difference to those women, and others as well. She started http://www.workherway.com, to provide amswers for working women. By creating a strong network of experts, they are able to provide trusted advice to women to successfully navigate their career path.

She went on to redefine work-life balance as work-life integration. She told vivid stories of telling Donald Trump about her pregnancy 6-months in and how her daughter, at age four, told classmates that “Mommy goes to a board room and fires people.”

This was another case where the speaker was so good I had to go ahead and buy her book, Carolyn 101, Business Lessons from The Apprentice’s Straight Shooter. Although I had her sign it for my wife (who also respects her), I have to admit I will read it myself as well. Look for my review on the 22nd of August.

Toastmasters made another fine choice for the Golden Gavel recipient, and I know from the long line of folks picking up that book, seeking autographs and getting pictures that I’m not the only one who feels that way. 

Tomorrow…Business Meeting (Go Bash!) and that contest thingee, oh, the Toastmasters 2010 International Speech Contest. Stay tuned…

Now I owe more apologies than ever. I had to miss so many education sessions to do other specific things. I was really a bit bummed about missing some of those sessions.

Because I had to be at a judges briefing (no reason) and I really wanted to see the Accedited Speaker Program (also no reason), I had to miss all of the educational sessions today. Sniff.

One of those presenters I missed was Terri Langhans, who I heard was awesome in her presentation on marketing, Blah, Blah, Blah: How to make your marketing stand out and get better results. Thanks to my friend and LGM, I was able to score her handout/gift/thingee, a set of business-card sized marketing cards with advice on them. I especially liked the card that said: There are 7 marketing mistakes every business makes. If you don’t learn what they are, there’ll be 8. Good line. Rhonda liked it so much she picked up the CD set.

I don’t have reports on the other speakers, But I’ve seen Sheryl Roush and Tammy Miller before and I’m sure I missed something special there. I’ll post updates if I receive any feedback from others who attended.

On to the Accredited Speaker Program. I missed that one last year, so I really wanted to see it this year. I’m interested in pursuing this myself, and my goal (being made public here for the first time) is to achieve this in 2 years. Bam!

Anyway, I watched these 4 speakers up there, and I was quite impressed with their style and capabilities. One thing to note about the program: Out of 4 candidates this year, 0,1,2,3, or 4 of them could achieve the designation. It just depends on how the judges feel they did against a standard of excellence, not how they did against each other.

All of the speakers were good, but in my non-judge opinion, I would guess that Rochelle Rice has the best chance of getting the designation this time. Karen Twichell might pull it off too. Both of them had solid structures and nice audience interaction. After saying that, I noticed that I took as many notes on the first speaker, Conner (didn’t get his last name) as the other three together. But, as entertaining and informative as he was, I think he needed more audience interaction, as did the second speaker, Mary Ellen Psaltis.

Regardless, I took good notes and I learned a lot from all four of them.  I’m really glad I went to see them, even if it meant missing some seriously good education sessions.

Now, I need to slip on my tie and coat and head down to the Golden Gavel Dinner. I am really psyched to see Carolyn Kepcher speak. She was so cool those first seasons of The Apprentice. This is going to be a great dinner…

I just had a really great time at the Champions Edge lunch here at the Convention. Mark Brown (1995), Darren LaCroix (2001) and Lance Miller (2005) were all in attendance. There were about 30 Edge members there as well, and I had a really good time making some new friends and swapping stories with fellow Edge members.

One of the cool things we did as an icebreaker was “2 Truths and a Lie.” How you play is everyone tells 3 interesting things about themselves, and the group tries to figure out which of the 3 is not true. For me, I plugged my new website, SpeakerBlogger.com, mentioned the fact that I have climbed Mount Fuji to the top and also that I once climbed on the Hollywood letters on that hill here in California. Turns out I do have a new website, I have climbed that hill and onto those letters, and I have climbed Mount Fuji…just not to the top.

If you haven’t checked out World Champions Edge, (affiliate link) it is a great resource for speakers. Check it out, right after you surf over to http://www.SpeakerBlogger.com.

Next…on to the Accredited Speaker Program.

Friday morning was reserved for the Candidate Showcases. This morning those of us serving as delegates (meaning we are carrying votes) for the business meeting were treated to a steady stream of candidates telling us why they should be elected to the leadership of Toastmasters International.

If you haven’t already clicked away, here were a couple of notable comments I heard (bold means I’m intending to vote for them):

Region 8
Patricia Gann – spoke about how we need an Advanced Leadership Manual (not a bad idea)
David Hollingshead – Said “When I am elected”… twice

Region 10
Roberta Perry – Spoke about “Operation little bit” (people not willing to take on bigger roles, give them one thing for one week) – Disney method for resolving conflict (lock people in a room) – assign a “coach” at speech 8 to help members see the advantage of the advanced manuals. All really good thoughts and useful ideas. She swayed me.
Lois Sicking – She was good, but she did not sway me.

The President, President-elect and First Vice President Candidates came next – all unopposed.
Pat Johnson – A very polished speaker. Easy vote.
Michael Notaro – Also sharp.
John Lau mentioned a fact I hadn’t heard before (I like when that happens). Toastmasters International has a target ratio of 1 club to every 20,000 people. In the US the current ration is 1:40,000 and overseas it is 1:1.7Million. wowser.

Second VP
John Rich – Talked about better marketing training – then, what a blunder: He was asked which of the four Toastmaster values (Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence)  is the most important to him. He responded “It’s a tough question because I have to try to remember the values.” To which I said “ouch.” a little too loudly. He did work his way to Integrity, but he could have made that point without implying that he didn’t know the values. Note: I’m not saying every member should memorize the values, but past International Directors running for second VP should know them cold, and not try to endear themselves by “not remembering” them. Later, John did make an interesting corollary to the golden rule: Communicate to others as they would want you to communicate with them. I think that was a really good line.

Bash! – Integrity was Bash’s most important value, and he also mentioned the need for Excellence as part of his response to two other questions. Unfortunately, as great as Bash is, I think that he came off as a bit more nervous than the other candidates. While that doesn’t speak to his capability as a board member, I say it’s unfortunate because I think that could have a negative effect (I heard a few murmurs in the audience) when he is such a strong candidate overall. If you speak to him, you’ll see why I’m voting for him.

Ralph Wallace – Service was his most important value – He is a polished speaker and would do a good job. He would be my choice if Bash! was hit by a meteor or something.

George Yen – I like his take on the international aspects of our organization.

And then, like many of you who have already stopped reading, I took a break and skipped the other ID candidates (I’ve spoken or will speak to all of them anyway).

More fun. On to the World Champions Edge Lunch with the Champs!