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 […]
Tag: avoid mistakes
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, […]
Learn to ignore feedback
I was watching Alan Weiss recently on Periscope, and he was discussing self worth. One of his pieces of advice was to “learn to ignore unsolicited feedback”. In a shocking twist, this made me think of Toastmasters. As a speaker in Toastmasters, I get a lot of feedback. Every speech I give, which is on average 2-4 […]
Toastmasters vs. Business
Today I attended a half day session with FranklinCovey in Kansas City. One segment of the training was titled Presentation Advantage and obviously is a topic I am familiar with. I was curious what take FranklinCovey had on this topic, and how it would differ from Toastmasters. Purpose: This program defined a presentation as “The sharing […]
Be Cynical
Why cynicism is easy: 1. It gives us an out. We can dump the responsibility somewhere else, so the failure isn’t our fault. After all, effort is a risk, while blaming a poor economy, not enough time or not having support removes that risk. Remember – this also means the success doesn’t get to be […]
The value of coaching
What is the ideal outcome you’d like to experience? From Alan Weiss – Million Dollar Coaching (reviewed here) Have you ever had a speaking goal to achieve, such as winning a speech contest or speaking in front of a larger group? Worried that practicing in front of your mirror, or even your Toastmasters Club, may […]
Clear and Simple
Darren’s #10 Speaking Mistake was, Not Getting Clear on the Message. (more on his top 10 list here). I was asked recently, “What if I don’t have a point for my speech?” My reply…”Why are you speaking?” In Darren’s session, he made two points about this mistake that I felt were very important: 1. What […]
Don’t Dilute your Power
“Don’t Dilute your Power” One of the more interesting things I learned from Darren LaCroix last night was how using, or misusing, the stage could add to, or dilute, your power as a speaker. Darren demonstrated this by showing how a point made while moving across the stage comes off as less powerful than a […]
Welcome to 2016
If you’re an optimist like me,then 2015 was an awesome year. Want to know how to make 2016 an even better year? Coming on Monday January 4th, we have an awesome visitor coming to Kansas City. Darren LaCroix will be in town and is going to talk to us about The Top 10 Speaking Mistakes […]
Toastmasters: 2015 Contest season wrap-up
This year, I had a chance to put my money where my mouth is in the International Speech Contest. As the Division S representative, I competed in our District Contest against some fierce competition, and I lost. Big time. In fact, if you saw the report that went to TI, you’d see I finished 6th…out […]