The Toastmasters International Convention is coming next week, and once again I can’t wait to be there! There will be great speakers, awesome contests and lots of seeing good friends again for four full days. Here’s the schedule of events – https://www.toastmasters.org/Events/2017-International-Convention/Schedule If you can’t be there, there will be some live streaming options (Did you know there’s a photo contest […]
Shoshin – Beginners Mindset
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few” – Suzuki Diana Kander gave the opening keynote at the Gartner PPM Summit in Orlando and spoke on The Expert Trap. In this, she talked about the importance of Shoshin, which is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning Beginners Mindset. […]
Don’t tell me how I’m not getting the whole thing
I was sitting in a session recently where the duration was scheduled to be 4 hours, and the introducer let us know this was normally a 6-8 hour program they run. By itself, I thought this was okay. Telling me you normally run a longer program but cut it down to 4 hours for this […]
Job Hunting – Using Toastmasters to Prepare for the Interview, Part III
For Part 1 of this series, I discussed valuable lessons that came from using prepared speeches to better develop my skills for the job interview process. In Part 2, we looked at how to Get to the Point to further practice and prepare for that next interview. In this segment, we’ll discuss using CC Speech #3, […]
2017 – It’s a New Year
If there’s one resolution I can keep year in and year out, it’s my resolution to read. Here are some of my favorites from 2016, and some on my list for 2017: Read in 2016 Start.: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average, and Do Work That Matters, by Jon Acuff – as it says […]
Toastmasters: Getting your DTM through Pathways
Recently, I added an update to the District 22 blog on Pathways. That FAQ has some useful information on the new program, and it has led to a number of questions about completing your Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award before Pathways rolls out. Specifically, should you finish in the existing system or, if not, how do you decide […]
Job Hunting – Using Toastmasters to Prepare for the Interview, Part II
For In Part 1 of this series, I discussed valuable lessons that came from using prepared speeches to better develop my skills for the job interview process. In other words, determine my content and practice that content in the club. In this segment, we’ll discuss using Speech 2, Get to the Point to further practice […]
Job Hunting – Using Toastmasters to Prepare for the Interview, Part I
When I first joined Toastmasters in 2005, my goal was to improve my job interview skills. I had served in the US Air Force for nearly 20 years, and had never had a civilian job interview. I was drawn to the Toastmasters concept of Table Topics (a 1-2 minute impromptu response to a question) to […]
Focus on yourself for a better career
At the Toastmasters D44 fall conference, my friend Kene Iloenyosi gave a wonderful keynote on change. While he wasn’t focused explicitly on career change, one of the most impactful parts of this presentation was Kene’s second point about the need to focus on yourself. this made me think about my recent career changes and how his points […]
D44: Johnny Campbell – Win the Crowd
Accredited speaker Johnny Campbell spoke at the District 44 conference on Insider Secrets for Creating Winning Presentations, titled “Win the Crowd”. What I like about hearing Johnny is his amazing ability to tell stories that leave you with an easy-to-remember point. I knew what to expect from seeing him speak at the Toastmasters International Conventions […]