Forward this link to others who have not yet seen the video....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5KMmQStQio
In anticipation of the upcoming Fall Conference, we have created a new survey.
A recent article by Jackie Huba (click here) about the importance of rituals for die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fans in cities outside of Pittsburgh got me thinking about whether or not there were any rituals within Toastmasters that added to the experience of a meeting.Rituals are the code of ceremonies observed by an organization. They are the shared experiences of a group. They create emotional glue. To an outsider, a ritual can be weird, wacky or just plain stupid. To people inside the organization, they may be metaphors for life, death, or renewal. For never-say-die Steelers fans, rituals can symbolize all of the above.
... at the Chicago Steelers bar (and others I've visited), the rituals were abundant:Does your Toastmasters club have any rituals?A live polka band playing the Steelers' fight song after scores
Wiping one's feet on an opponent's jersey at the front entrance A gregarious fan leading the crowed in the "Here We Go
Steelers" chant before crucial 3rd downsA ready supply of Terrible Towels to wave when the team makes a great play The wearing of Steelers jerseys, t-shirts, hats, earrings, etc. Serving Iron City beer (a Pittsburghian brew) Reserved tables for regulars Tailgating in the bar parking lot before games, just like at
home
As the District theme says ... Be The Change You Want To See !... it's repetition of rituals combined with emotional subtext that creates meaning. People will tell their friends and family about the rituals they experience when the context is right. That just leaves it up to an organization being open and brave enough to establish and follow rituals that's difficult...
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?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.
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.
- 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).
Have all the club and area contests got you thinking about the upcoming Spring Conference?Thanks Barbara !!
Photo 5 (below):
The Fall 07 Conference team officially (but reluctantly) passes the "baton" to the Spring 08 team.The Fall 07 conference was over and the weather was getting cold.
With the first snowfall, Bruce Cornwell and Colleen Yarter (Fall Co-chairs) had to find something to fill the 80 hours per week they had put into the conference so they were building the traditional post-conference snowman.(You will see that Bruce even gave it a red scarf ... he felt it looked like a conference volunteer.)
Conference Emcee & resident EnergyMeister, Croix Sather, stopped by to say that he enjoyed being the Toastmaster for the
conference that he wanted to do it again in the Spring.
[Editor's note: this part, like most of the "backstory" is fiction. I did not ask Croix but it makes for a good story.]Bruce and Colleen disagreed and told him that he should give someone else a chance for "Stage Time, Stage Time, Stage Time".
Croix went off in a "Hrumpff"....
WOW !!!
I’m delighted with the conference and ecstatic about the superb job done by the conference team. A great time was had by all and I’m certain our financial results will be impressive. BTW, I’ve got the logo guy in my office and I thank the team for creating a giant version of our logo for this year. I was and amOverall.... A GREAT time was had by all and hopefully next time we will have even more people !
thrilled by it.
I extend my thanks to all who attended and to those
who were not able to be there, you missed a truly memorable gathering of our members.
Will Ryan DTM
The conference co-chairs, Colleen Yarter and Bruce Cornwell, have been working tirelessly to make the Fall conference one of the BEST in recent history.
Those of us who have been part of Toastmasters for a while understand what it can do for you ... but sometimes it may be hard to explain it to someone who has not experienced it ... or someone who is intensely afraid of public speaking...Are you terrified of public speaking? Do you go out of your way to avoid having to make a speech or presentation? Fear of death and fear of public speaking are reported to be the two things people fear the most. I can attest to the fear of public speaking part as I grew up being absolutely terrified of having to speak in front of a group of people. But that is changing for me.Erin tells her story of fear-filled school presentations and how her career path led her to Toastmasters. Here is her description of her icebreaker speech...
In joining Toastmasters I was pushing my boundaries, cutting a swath through fear, and turning a blind eye to retreat. I went kicking and screaming but I went. I did my ice breaker speech (4-6 minutes, tell us all about yourself, go) and was surprised to find that half way through my speech I actually started to enjoy myself. I thought maybe I’d been replaced by a clone in the middle of my speech. But no, it was all me.
I’m no expert yet, believe me. My butterflies aren’t flying in formation, but I can see that someday they will. I can see that someday I will be on stage speaking about something I’m passionate about and still be able to breath. I know that someday I’ll leave the stage while thunderous applause follows me and be glad I had joined Toastmasters before I had to give that speech.
Sometimes all it takes to conquer a fear is to be willing to take the first step. Even when you don’t feel capable or qualified. Even when you don’t want to but you know it’s the best thing for you. Even when you’d rather die than push through it. What is it they say? “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” That sums up my entire experience with speaking in public.
Everytime you face down a fear it holds less power over you. And it’s not just fear of public speaking I’m talking about. Are you avoiding something you know you should or want to do because of fear? Are you afraid to ask someone out on a date? Afraid to ask for a raise at work? Afraid to admit you’re addicted to something? Face the fear. There is nothing more empowering than facing down a fear. Go a few rounds with it and you’ll find it only holds as much power as you’re willing to give to it.
If you’re fearful of public speaking I highly recommend Toastmasters. It doesn’t matter if you have to give presentations for your job or if you’re a teacher or if you’re someone who just wants to be more comfortable speaking, Toastmasters is the place to conquer your fear of public speaking.... Don’t go to your grave avoiding anything you really want to do because you’re too afraid. Barrel right through the fear and fling it behind you. Step on it, bury it, shot-put it to the moon. Just don’t let it stop you. The power is all yours!
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?".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?
The Fall 2007 Leadership Summit / Conference will be held in FISHKILL, NY on Sat. Nov.3rd (click here for the D53 conference page)They are a combination of a traditional "Toastmasters conference flyer" (on the inside) and an origami fish (on the visible side). You can download PDF files of the pages and create your very own FLYER FISH by clicking on the links below....
Fish (side one)
Since the theme of this year's Fall conference is "Set a New Standard", I have been thinking alot about what it means.“We all have our 'I can'ts,'” sixth-grade teacher Carol Myers said to her class. “I have them, you have them.”
She shared a few of hers with the class: “I can't see without my glasses, I can't stop eating candy and I can't get my children to stop arguing about the computer.”
The class took a few moments and scribbled on note cards what they say they cannot do. One boy chewed pensively on his pencil eraser as he considered his shortcomings. Another tapped his fingers, finally jotting down a few sentences.
“I want you to think about this for yourself, because you are going to take ownership of your 'I can'ts,'” Myers said.
After all the "Can'ts" were written down, they were collected and dropped into a "casket" which was carried in a solemn procession to a spot outside the school and buried.
What a great concept! What if we all took a long hard look at our "Can'ts", the excuses that we use so often to add comfort to our daily lives, and simply threw away the ones that are holding us back.Principal Kevin Duckworth gave the eulogy.
“We are gathered here today to bid farewell to a dear friend,” Duckworth said. “Someone we've all known and grown to love whose companionship we will miss.” He acknowledged their
lives will never be the same without “I can't” to fall back on.
You joined Toastmasters for a reason didn't you?
... to improve your speaking skills?
... to meet new people?
... to explore your leadership traits?
Have you gotten everything out of Toastmasters that you hoped you would when you joined? Have you let your favorite "can't" hold you back or stall your progress?
This Fall is time to "Set a New Standard". It is time to throw away and bury our favorite "Can'ts" and replace them with new ideas, new habits and new exciting opportunities.
Sign up now for the Fall Conference. Registration forms are available at www.district53toastmasters/conferences
Subject:
I came across this picture of Bruce Potts "who was a teacher of Public Speaking at the University of New Mexico" and thought ....The vibe
Have you ever been at a banquet or in a boutique or at a concert or a meeting or a company where the vibe was incredibly positive?
I think you know what I mean. A time and place where there was an overflow of positive energy. You felt surrounded by possibility, or people who believed in you, or just felt like buying (or eating, or talking) a lot.
The vibe changes everything. It's a place you want to work, or a restaurant you want to come back to. .... If vibe is so important, why does it sound flaky to worry about it? Who's in charge of the vibe at your place? Could it be better? A lot better? Changing the vibe isn't always possible, but most of us rarely try. From physical layout to organization to what leaders say and do... it matters. Sometimes, it's all that matters.
