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: common mistakes
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 […]
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 […]
Training with handouts
Have you ever sat in a training class with an instructor that spoke non-stop, perhaps with some nice slides? When the session was over, he assumed you got it and went on his way? I have, and I usually don’t “get it” just because I’m supposed to. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time […]
2015 Prep – 5 Speaking mistakes to avoid
2015 is bound to be a great year. If you’re the type to make a New Year’s Resolution and stick with it, the I imagine you’ve already decided on a course of action for 2015. But if you’re more like me, resolutions can sometimes lead to positive results, but not usually the wish you had […]