Darren LaCroix on Membership Building...

You were brave enough to join Toastmasters, right?

Now that you have improved your skills, are you brave enough to speak outside of your club?

Listen to what Darren LaCroix, World Champion of Public Speaking has to say...

Brutally Honest and Caring Evaluations

As the Evaluation Contests progress from the club level to the area level all around Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts, I am reminded of the real reason for giving evaluations... to learn new ideas that you can use in future speeches and improve you speaking skills!

Darren LaCroix, 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, gave me an interesting idea in his recent newsletter that could apply to the upcoming evaluation contests and anyone who wants to give (and get) excellent evaluations that help you improve.

Brutal, Honest . . . Caring?
by Darren LaCroix

How do you know if people truly care about you? Seriously? Is it when they're nice to you? How do you feel when someone tells says, "You've got something in your teeth." Do you want to know?

... At our last coaching camp, one of the attendees told me they'd heard I was "mean" when giving feedback. Really? At first I got defensive. Then it dawned on me that I'm no different. Receiving feedback is different from each individual. Different people will take the same exact feedback in a different
way. What is the "purpose" of the feedback? To show that you're better? Or to help grow?

... Some presenters are surrounded by people who can't give them a higher level of feedback. They're the "king" of their club, and they may be content with that. This is probably pretty good for their self-esteem, but it's not good for their growth. What kind of people are you surrounded by? Are they helping you grow?

.... How do you look at feedback from people who have more expertise than you?

... No mentor ever "niced" me to the next level.

Darren brings up a good point... growth comes from feedback... but the one part he does not touch on is that it is equally important to present the feedback in a manner that will be accepted.
Here are some ideas you might want to consider the next time you give an evaluation ...

- A lot of people use the "Sandwich Technique" (a constructive criticism with a compliment on either side) but I've often seen evaluators who are overly harsh with their "constructive criticism" and insincere with the compliments. This effectively defeats the whole idea of the Sandwich Technique.

- The "Simple Suggestion Technique" is another idea where you simply phrase your "constructive criticisms" as suggestions or ideas that you (the evaluator) might have tried. This takes the emphasis off of doing something WRONG (which is harsh and raises the speaker's defenses) and puts the emphasis on trying something DIFFERENT.

- Another way is the "Clean Slate Approach" where you start with "Here are some suggestions for your next speech... " This helps take the focus off of what went wrong in this speech and puts it on the next speech (which is a clean slate). The speaker will be less defensive about his or her next speech and may actually use your suggestions (which is really the mark of an effective evaluation).

- The "Challenge Approach" works with some speakers, but not with all. It can be started "With everything you did right, the one thing that would take your speaking to the next level is ..." This statement should grab the speaker's attention and may even motivate them to see if they can really "take their speech to the next level" !

- The "Perception Approach" starts out with "My perception of your speech is that ...." This is especially good when you want to address the speaker's theme or overall goal for the speech. If the speaker did not clearly get his or her key points, this will be an important skill for them to develop and will show incredible improvements in future speechs (if they are given a good evaluation and they take it to heart).

These "lead-in's" can help you present the feedback ... without turning off the speaker. There are also variations on these as part of the Toastmasters Module, "Evaluate to Motivate" which is a great [pre-written] speech that anyone can edit (to "make it your own") and give to your club.

What about the Speaker?
Of course, as Darren points out, it is still the speaker's responsibility to be open to the suggestions (that's all they really are) and incorporate what makes sense.

Evaluations can be emotionally charged and it is important to do them well so that the speaker improves and the audience can learn from the evaluation as well.

Contests too !
How was your club's Evaluation contest? Be sure to attend your Area and Division contests to see some excellent evaluations and, of course, you will want to attend the District 53 Fall Conference on October 10th & 11th to see the winners compete for the top prize for evaluations !


Advanced Evaluations:
If you already have your CC and want an even higher level of evaluation for your speeches, you might want to consider joining one of the Advanced Clubs in District 53...

• DiversityUSA Advanced Club, Ridgefield (CT) Library,
  meets on the 4th Thursday, 7:15-8:45pm.


• ProSpeakers, Springfield (MA) Chamber of Commerce
  meets on the 3rd Thursday 6:30-8:30pm.


• Central CT Advanced Toastmasters, meetings 4th Wed @ NU, Berlin, CT
  
• NEW Advanced club forming... Capital Advanced Toastmasters, South Saratoga Chamber of Commerce office, near Albany, NY. Meets the 1st Monday of the month, 6:30-8:00pm. Contact Melinda Burns at mburns14 [at] nycap.rr.com for more info.

Humorous Speech development....

Here is an article by John Kinde, "Humor specialist", that analyzes a real Toastmasters Humorous Contest speech (not in our District) and provides some very valuable insights into the tools that are available for Humorous speaking!

Check it out! (Especially if you are competing in any of the upcoming Division contests!!)

Plus John Kinde's article and Steve Pavlina (the speaker John interviews for the article) get "bonus points" for mentioning one of our favorite World Champions of Public Speaking, Darren LaCroix!

Darren LaCroix on ... the long term effect of "Setting a New Standard"

I wonder if Darren LaCroix was thinking about the theme of the District 53 Fall Leadership Summit / Conference when he wrote his recent blog post titled, "Do you take care of your future self?".

In his article, he talks about digging himself out of the debt he incurred as part of his Subway sandwich shop and how "the decision ... and the persistence to stick to it ... [to] find ways to never be late on payments of any kind, even when it meant many times I went “without.”'

Darren points out that it was not an easy decision and it involved moving back in with his parents to help "make ends meet" but by setting a new standard for himself ... not giving up and declaring bankruptcy... he was able to reap the rewards of an excellent credit rating and a good interest rate on the mortgage he just got for his new house in Las Vegas.

He ends his post with ...

The life we are living now is a direct result of decisions we made in the past. That being said, are you making decisions now that will make life better for your future self?

Have you decided to Set a New Standard for your life? Have you signed up for the Fall Conference on Nov.3rd in Fishkill, NY?

Your future self will thank you for it !

FREE EVENT..Toastmaster World Champions - Monday, Dec. 18

"An Evening With Toastmaster World Champions"

or

"The Champions' Edge ... Live!"

How much would you pay to be coached by a World Champion Speaker? How much would you pay to be coached by TWO?

If you want to improve in any skill, it pays to seek the advice of others who have already "been there; done that." The fact is, if you want to improve your skills you need a coach -- someone to teach you to think, act, and perform at a higher level. Even Tiger Woods has a coach.

On Monday, December 18th (7:00 pm til 9:30 pm) , you'll get a chance to experience the magic of coaching from two World Champions of Public Speaking. Our Toastmaster Champions David Brooks (1990) and Darren LaCroix (2001) invite you to a special free program at The Hartford, Tower Bldg, T22, 690 Asylum Ave, Hartford, CT.

http://members.instantaudio.com/postcard/?4469408X1413

Dave and Darren have taught, coached, and mentored thousands of business communicators around the world. Here's your chance to be coached by two of the best in the

business.

After a short opening presentation from Darren and Dave, volunteers from the audience will be given a rare opportunity to deliver a short presentation, and then receive instant feedback

from the champs. If you're one of the volunteer speakers, you'll experience the kind of coaching Darren and Dave give finalists in the World Championships.

And even if you aren't a volunteer speaker that evening, you'll learn just as much by watching how we coach. In short, whether you're sitting or standing, as long as you're there, you'll learn!

To read and know more about Dave and Darren, please visit their websites: http://www.davidbrookstexas.com/ and http://www.humor411.com/

Listen (with your audio speakers on) to Darren's personal invitation, an audio postcard ... click

http://members.instantaudio.com/postcard/?4469408X1413

Email Your RSVP to champions@district53toastmasters.org .

Reservations are required by Monday, 12-18-06, 11:00am. We're sorry, but due to space limitations and security requirements, walk-ups (or walk-ins) can not be admitted.

Questions?
Call 860-547-6337, or email Area B4 Gov, Judith Chambers

areaB4@district53toastmasters.org

Keep your Web Eye on

http://www.district53toastmasters.org/champions.html