Toastmasters101

Can Toastmasters help you get onto a TED or TEDx stage? Jenilee Taylor's story about her experience getting on the TEDx Youngstown stage shows what anyone who wants to step onto the red circle needs to know.

Jenilee Taylor's TED Talk link JenileeTaylor.com Welcome back to Toastmasters 101.  We kick off this season with an interview with Jenilee Taylor, DTM, about her experience stepping into the red circle on the TEDx stage. Kim (00:01):  Do you want to get on the Ted stage? The Ted platform has a huge audience in person. And … Continue reading "Getting On the TED Stage: A Toastmaster's Story" The post Getting On the TED Stage: A Toastmaster's Story appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

What do you do at the end of your speech? When judging speech contests, it's a recognized phenomenon that the first and last speakers are the ones that get the most brain space in the judge's mind.  It's the same with our speeches.  People remember the opening and the conclusion.  We hope they will remember … Continue reading "The End of Your Speech" The post The End of Your Speech appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

What do you do at the end of your speech? When judging speech contests, it's a recognized phenomenon that the first and last speakers are the ones that get the most brain space in the judge's mind.  It's the same with our speeches.  People remember the opening and the conclusion.  We hope they will remember our call to action.  This is why it is critical to put effort into the end of your speech. This is my worst skill.  I struggle over conclusions.  Despite my insistence on this podcast to write your ending first, I still fail to nail the landing more than I succeed. Today on the podcast, we'll talk about the end of a speech:  how to build to a great conclusion – as soon as you know what that is. INTRO Are you looking for a way to change the world?  To make an impact on the people and situations around you?  Then you need public speaking and leadership skills.  That means you need Toastmasters.  Every week, you can spend an hour learning the techniques and finding your voice and have fun while you do it.  This is Toastmasters 101 and I'm your host, Kim Krajci. The End of My Speech:  Crash and Burn? Last week, I gave a speech from the Visionary Communications path from Level 5:  Develop Your Vision. The irony dripped from this speech.  The purpose of that project is to develop a vision and long-term goals to achieve a specific change in your life or your business or organization. I have issues with this idea.  Frankly, I think we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels talking about vision statements and mission statements and goal setting – and wear ourselves out, drowning whatever motivation we had in the swamp of building expectations and plans.  Ok, so that's my take.  I know that I'm not in agreement with the rest of the world, but hey, I do me. If you have a problem with a speech project, it's hard to do it.  And this is why this project sat on my to-do list for so long.  It's been 5 months since I finished all the other projects for this path. Irony in My Speech And frankly, although I say I don't like visions, missions, and goals, essentially, that was what the whole “create a storytelling path” was.  As I said, lots of irony here. I created a presentation to go along with my speech – I had the perfect graphics, including pictures of the references I used to put this path together. But when I started the presentation – all of the graphics disappeared.  They were there before and they're back – but for the 10 minutes of this presentation, they were not to be seen.  Which means I skipped to slide 4 where my text was visible. That noise you hear?  That's me banging my head on my desktop.  I didn't want to take time to reboot or reload, so I went with it.  I had the notes under the black slides, so I did the best I could to remember what the images were supposed to prompt me to talk about. Then we got to the end of the speech.  Another blank slide. The End of My Speech Slide Deck is Blank! I took a deep breath and completely forgot what it was that I wanted to say as a conclusion to this speech.  I'm sure that it was something witty about the irony of giving a speech about how I fail to appreciate the power of developing visions and missions and goals when that was I had just spent the last year doing. Instead, I said something else about how we need to take the Toastmasters Pathways projects and make them work for us, regardless of the project's goals.  I've got 3 Distinguished Toastmasters awards, including one in Pathways.  No other path interested me, but storytelling does, so creating a path that meets my needs and challenges me is a lot more important than filling the letter of the law. Then I remember we have a guest:  Marta.  Marta is brand-new to Toastmasters and is preparing her first ice breaker speech and here I am, telling her to ignore it if it doesn't work for her. Oops. I thought I was droning on and I was a bit worried.  But I wrapped it up, finally, and waited for Mo, my evaluator, to nail me on rambling on my conclusion. Evaluation at the end of the speech? Instead, I got compliments on it. My take-aways from this: I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take away that if I feel like I'm rambling at the end of the speech that I am doing better. I have learned my lesson that I need to check a third time to be sure my presentation is going to play properly before the meeting starts. The call to action needs to be specific, personal to the members of the audience (not general) and put some persuasion – logos, pathos, and ethos – into it. With all this in mind, let's take a look at your conclusions. Your call to action must be crafted, not thrown on at the end of your speech. I have said many times that you need to know where you're going in a speech to make sure you get there.  That's why you start at the end, and after you write the rest of the speech, you come back and refine it. Let's get specific:  use the persuasive techniques at the end of your speech in that call to action to move your audience into action.  Appeal to their character, whether it's their competitive spirit or their inner call to excellence.  Lay out the rationale for why this action needs to be done and when.  Capture their hearts with emotional benefits of doing what you ask. It works.  But you work to do it.  I don't believe this trio comes naturally to most people.  We have to think about it. Consice or rambling at the end of your speech? That's why I felt like I was rambling.  I didn't have it as concise as I normally do.  I spelled out my call to action in my appeal to my audience's self-interest.  I downplayed the structure of the path in exchange for their goals and reason for joining Toastmasters.  I said that this method of using the Pathways program will be the best way for them to grow.  I offered to help. Ethos.  Logos.  Pathos.  Accidentally, I hit all three. Often, I put those in the middle of my speech, not at the end. Put the middle in the middle. In scriptwriting, it's called laying the track or laying the pipe.  It's prepping the audience before the ending that what ultimately happens is reasonable, fair, and appeals to us emotionally.  We want the villain to fail, we want the hero to succeed. You have to know what that ending is first.  By identifying your call to action, your middle is built to support that. In my speech, I spent some time talking about the way that I changed up the elective in Level 5 for this path to be more about storytelling.  There were several project choices in Level 5, but none that I felt truly fit in with storytelling. So I merged “Ethical Leadership” and “Moderate a Panel Discussion” into a story slam.  Story slams are contests between storytellers.  Our club had its January open house turned into a story slam.  Each story told by the speaker was about an ethical question they faced in their lives. The members loved this meeting.  We had a few guests – we need better marketing – but every time it comes up in conversation, the people who attended say how much they enjoyed it. I could have ended the speech with that.  “We had fun, let's do it again sometime.” Nope.  That belongs in the middle of the speech because it lays the pipe for the final conclusion:  change the path to suit your needs.  Call it foreshadowing.  Call it warming up the audience for the big finale.  Call it whatever you want, but put it in the middle. Sum It Up? Should the end of your speech just sum it all up? The school of thought of “Tell them what you're going to tell them, Tell them what you're telling them, and tell them what you told them” means that in your conclusion, you're telling your audience the same thing three times. Do you like being told the same thing three times? I don't love that. Then there's the summation. How is this not repetition? It's not a repeat if, at the end of your speech,  you help your audience draw conclusions that lead into the call to action. For example: We've examined the need for better dandelion breeding and our commitment to developing this undervalued plant as a food source.  You may never have considered what you do to dandelions and how it has an impact on your lawn.  Now is the time to reconsider your use of pesticides as a way to control these valuable plants – not weeds – to improve your gardens.  The next time you look at a dandelion, remember the good that this singular plant has and instead of ripping it out of the ground, give it a little loving pat and an encouraging word.  Let that yellow flower bloom and grow! End your speech with actions that result from the information you gave in the middle of your speech. End of Your Speech Podcast Ending? I'm at the end of my podcast now.  I guess I should say something really insightful and witty, right? Don't signal to your audience that you're about to wrap up.  They'll figure it out.  That's why “in conclusion” isn't worth the breath to say it.  Just get to your final words – which is why although my podcast show notes almost always say “Wrap it up, Kim” I never say that. When you end your speech with a challenge, with an emotional kick that motivates people to action, you've nailed your conclusion. That doesn't happen by accident.  I encourage you to write your conclusion first, then the body, and then the intro, but don't forget to come back around to make sure you've got the right conclusion to your speech.  You may need to edit and make changes to bring it home with strength and verve.  It's worth the effort and time to make your speech as powerful as you need it to be.   Wrap it up, Kim Toastmasters 101 is a podcast production of Toastmasters District 10 Our music is from incompetech.filmmusic.io When you write your speech, how do you do it?  I'd love to know if you agree with me or if you start at the beginning?  Let me know by going to the Toastmasters 101 podcast Facebook page and answering my poll.  The link is in the show notes, or you can search Facebook for Toastmasters 101 PODCAST.  There's a Toastmasters District 101 and they have a podcast, too! We'll talk again next time on Toastmasters 101.       The post The End of Your Speech appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Have you ever walked into a situation where “pandemonium” and “disorganization” and “Who's running this mess?” crosses your mind?  (I hope it wasn't a Toastmasters meeting.)  You know there's a leadership problem when you find yourself in this place.  People aren't doing the work, or it's unclear what they're supposed to do.  Fortunately, in Toastmasters, … Continue reading "How Toastmasters Clubs Work" The post How Toastmasters Clubs Work appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Have you ever walked into a situation where “pandemonium” and “disorganization” and “Who's running this mess?” crosses your mind?  (I hope it wasn't a Toastmasters meeting.)  You know there's a leadership problem when you find yourself in this place.  People aren't doing the work, or it's unclear what they're supposed to do.  Fortunately, in Toastmasters, … Continue reading "How Toastmasters Clubs Work"

Why You Should Look at Toastmasters Debate Clubs We've all been there.  That discussion that you want to have, that we need to have.  Whether it's politics, society norms, or the intrinsic value of moosetracks ice cream – you want to discuss it.  You want to explore it with friends, family, or the person in … Continue reading "Toastmasters Debate" The post Toastmasters Debate appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Why You Should Look at Toastmasters Debate Clubs We've all been there.  That discussion that you want to have, that we need to have.  Whether it's politics, society norms, or the intrinsic value of moosetracks ice cream – you want to discuss it.  You want to explore it with friends, family, or the person in front of you at the ice cream stand.  You want a debate – an honest-to-goodness discussion with facts, explanations of why these facts are important and the impact of the topic on the world – ok, your ice cream choice.  You want a debate. Debate often has a bad smell to it.  In the US, we have these abominations called “presidential debates” which are nothing more than people slinging sound bites at each other for the media.  Then we have the current “social media” debate, which appears to focus on insults and accusations. Whatever happened to civil discussions?  Have we lost the ability to have them? Today on Toastmasters 101, we're going to talk about an increasing need for the ability to communicate with discussions where people don't agree, and a terrific rise in the Toastmasters grassroots community to discover the power of debate. INTRO Do you want to find your voice and change the world?  Then Toastmasters is for you.  In one hour a week, we can teach you how to develop your public speaking skills and your leadership skills to have an impact on the world.  This is Toastmasters 101, and I'm your host, Kim Krajci. Debate vs. Discussion Let's start out by saying:  moosetracks is a flavor of ice cream in our area.  I have no idea if you're familiar with it.  Locally, it has fudge swirled into vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate candies mixed in.  For me, that's one too many ingredients.  I don't disapprove of people eating it, I'm just kinda… not sure why people like it. It's not a very debatable topic.  Discuss, yes, and certainly we can agree to disagree. People can disagree.  Will disagree.  It's the nature of human nature and free will.  People can disagree about almost everything, not just about taste.  I may believe a certain policy will achieve a goal.  That doesn't mean I get to assume that the person who disagrees with that policy I prefer is a person who is evil or bad or doesn't deserve respect. Let's define our terms.  (That's a debate joke – you'll get it in a minute) I like the Heritage Dictionary's definition:   Consideration of a subject by a group; an earnest conversation.  I think that a discussion allows each participant to free-range around a topic:  to look at the topic from several perspectives and to concede the other's points as we come to an agreement.  That doesn't mean that a discussion is going to end on agreements. I want to make it clear:  I don't see disagreement as a bad thing.  I see it as a human thing.  It's how we treat each other in the discussions that can make a disagreement offensive or hurtful.  I believe that people of good will can look at a topic and have few or no points of agreement and both be good people who want a good solution for a problem. Debating Holes in the Ground For example, last week my son and daughter-in-law were removing the deck from the back of their home that they just purchased last fall.  As we dug out the supporting posts and concrete foundation block, we left 30 big holes in the ground.  One person wanted to go get fill dirt right away to protect people from breaking legs or ankles by stepping in them.  Another person pointed out that they intend to build a patio and they'll have to remove significant amounts of dirt, so buying dirt seems unnecessary.  I personally liked the idea of throwing buckets over the holes for now – they'll be very visible.  Another suggestion was to put sticks with flags on them to help people know where the dangers lie. Were any of us wrong?  No, none of us were.  Our discussion ended with a decision that the homeowners were happy with – they dug up dirt from where they'll be laying the patio and filled the holes the next day. Debate is something different from a discussion.  According to  the American Heritage Dictionary.com, debate means To engage in argument by discussing opposing points. To engage in a formal discussion or argument. Debate can have a negative connotation to it.  I get that, because in a true, formal debate, each side must defend their stand absolutely without any concession to the other side.  It can look acrimonious.  It can look defensive and ugly.  A debate can be vicious and attacking.  It can look personal and soul-crushing. It can also be an incredibly valuable tool to help us understand critical issues. We need to take technical look at a debate. First of all, it's a formal engagement. I don't think we often have true debates randomly.  We may have arguments, but a debate isn't usually the thing we see on the street.  I'll agree that sometimes, there are spontaneous debates in situations, but the word can be abused.  Like presidential debates.  Those aren't debates.  Those are posturing for the media events. Debates start by making clear what the topic is – and what it isn't.  That's why definitions are so important.  Making sure that it's clear what the debate is about establishes the parameters of the debate and keeps it on point.  If you're talking about filing holes, you're not talking about dinner, or about the nature of the universe.  It keeps you focused and on topic. Second, A debate is focused on a resolution. A question.  A choice.  It's persuasive speaking, using logic and facts as the primary material.  This isn't to say that emotion and character aren't parts of the discussion, especially on fraught topics that generate ill-will or fear. The point of focus in a debate is that resolution.  There will be two sides.  One side is called the affirmative.  The other is the negative.  Some debates call it pro and con.  Potato, potato.  But there are two sides. AFF and NEG A discussion can have multiple perspectives presented.  In debate, the affirmative always agrees with the resolution.  The other side takes an opposing view. For example, the backyard holes.  If the resolution is:  “The holes in the backyard require Mom to go to the store and buy fill dirt” then that's what the AFF has to defend – all parts of it, including Mom going to buy dirt. Neg, on the other hand, has the world to draw on to fight against the resolution.  Neg can contend that Dad should go.  They can contend that nothing should be done.  They can contend that filling the holes with pizza is better. That is the key difference between a debate and a discussion.  In one, you're locked into specific roles and you never concede an inch to your opponent.  In the other, as a less formal and hopefully good-natured way, you can change your mind. It's this difference that gives debate a bad name.  That… and bad debaters. When we enter a debate, we have to be able to explain why our position is the best one.  When a debate doesn't do that, it can devolve into name-calling, questioning the ethics of another speaker, or cheating.  Then debate looks ugly and unproductive. Which is horrible, because, done right, Debates are fun. I have a copy of a handbook about Debate from Toastmasters that I bought years ago.  I was working as a debate coach and purchased it thinking I would learn a lot about debate from it.  Unfortunately, it didn't help me very much because it was too general and I was working in a very specific category of high school debate.  But I always wanted to see more Toastmasters debate because sometimes, very rarely, I'd see a table topics challenge that was a debate. The very first Toastmasters meeting I attended, the table topics leader pulled out a tomato and challenged the volunteers to debate whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. This is not the type of debate I was used to, but I was up for the challenge. This is the other common type of debate:  one thing versus another.  For example:  cars vs. bikes.  Houses vs. apartments.  Mountains vs. beaches.  Socialism vs. capitalism. Not a very clear resolution, but often it can be structured into one:  Tomatoes are a fruit. And that's where the debate begins. Toastmasters Debate Clubs Maybe 5 years ago, a club in District 10 decided to try debates.  I attended and thought it was great.  The club… didn't.  The debates took time away from them completing speeches toward their education awards.  The debates were scrapped. A couple of years ago, I heard about a club in the middle east that focused on debate.   I wanted to attend! Then the pandemic hit and every club moved to online meetings.  And I found out that there are Toastmasters who are doing debates.  I didn't know about them because we didn't have any way to find them and attend. With everything now online, I found out about a start-up club in Texas, USA, that wants to focus on debate. Then they told me about two clubs in New York City that have an annual debate between the clubs.  And two more on the western coast of the United States. It looks like debate clubs are springing up all over the place!  And I can attend them! Why should you check out a debate club? Right now, it's hard to have a civil discussion because we're in a volatile position right now.  Communication skills are critical.  If you want to change the world, you have to be able to communicate your vision. At its core, that's what Toastmasters is about.  Communication skills.  Learning how to debate – essentially, how to defend your point effectively. That people are starting Toastmasters clubs that focus on debate – that's a clear indication that I'm not the only one who sees that being able to debate effectively and persuasively is important. That we want to have conversations that don't become shouting matches where there is no communication. Where the end goal isn't to grind your opponent into the ground, but to understand them and help them understand you. I hear there's a path being submitted to Toastmasters International focusing on debate.   I want it.  NOW. The main reason to join a Toastmasters debate club is that you – that we all need to improve our ability to communicate with logic, with emotion, without crushing our opponents with insults and insinuations that they're bad and evil people.  To be able to respectfully discuss and disagree is what everyone needs.  That's why you should check out a Toastmasters debate club.  You'll learn the skills and have fun doing it. Debating isn't easy.  It requires preparation and an understanding of both sides of the topic. That's the superpower of debate. That's how good debaters win – they know what the arguments on the other side will be and prepare for them.  That's how to be persuasive – know the opposition's position.  In sales, it's the ability to show why a reason not to buy isn't valid before it's been brought up.  Inspirational speeches use ethos, logos, and pathos to create a memorable and effective speech.  Debate hones those skills and improves your message.  Debates are work, but they yield results. In the meantime, I invite Toastmasters clubs who are doing debates to send me a note so I can add them to the list in my show notes.  I'll add a link to your Toastmasters.org Find a Club page to help others discover how much fun debate can be, and that everyone can learn how to do it! Wrap it up, Kim Toastmasters 101 is a podcast production of Toastmasters District 10. Our music is from incompetech.filmmusic.io.   You know someone who needs to hear this podcast.  How about you tell them about Toastmasters 101 this week? See you next time on Toastmasters 101. Toastmasters Debate clubs Caltech Debate https://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club/06606328-caltech-debate       The post Toastmasters Debate appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Great Toastmasters Speech Evaluations don’t happen by accident. How do you get them and how do you keep them? Toastmasters speech evaluations are the key tool to improving your public speaking. I just came across a speech evaluation that I have a picture of on my phone. I don’t know why I had it.  It … Continue reading "Great Toastmasters Speech Evaluations: How to Get and Keep Them" The post Great Toastmasters Speech Evaluations: How to Get and Keep Them appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Great Toastmasters evaluations start with the speaker. How do you get the evaluations you need to improve your public speaking? Today's podcast takes a look at the simplest way for a speaker to get the evaluation they need and manage the paperwork.

Does the Level 4 Create a Podcast intimidate you? Did you ever get a two-fer? Like being in college and writing the same paper for 2 classes. Or discovering that you have a vacation day and being given an extension because the office is closed. I hear people say they don’t have any ideas about … Continue reading "Toastmasters Level 4 Project: Create a Podcast" The post Toastmasters Level 4 Project: Create a Podcast appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Does producing a podcast intimidate you? Are you ignoring the Level 4 Create a Podcast in your path? Toastmasters is here to help you develop your voice and share your message with the world - and there's no better way to do that than podcast. We cover the Create a Podcast project and cover some material that Toastmasters left out of their training.

Giving a speech is an art.  That’s my firm belief.  It’s art like singing or dancing – it’s the creation of a moment that has an impact on those who present and those who partake.  When we’re faced with the most important speech we have to give – we need to have that same grace … Continue reading "The Most Important Speech You Have to Give" The post The Most Important Speech You Have to Give appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

What's the most important speech you have to give? Do you know what you need to make it a success? We talk about the three key components to building and delivering your most important speech.

Should you say “thank you, Toastmasters” at the end of your speech? We are celebrating Thanksgiving here in the United States this week.  It’s a time to think about the things we’re grateful for and express our gratitude to those who have blessed us. I am extremely grateful to many Toastmasters I have met over … Continue reading "Thanks Giving in Toastmasters “Thank You, Toastmasters”" The post Thanks Giving in Toastmasters “Thank You, Toastmasters” appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Absolutely, an audience should thank the speaker for their time and preparation to give a presentation. But should the speaker thank the audience? It's a Toastmasters controversy!

Let’s take a look at the Toastmasters Path final project:  Reflect on Your Path. Reflect on Your Toastmasters Path Have you ever cleaned out a garage or storage shed and had the great sense of completion that one gigantic task is done? It’s so satisfying when you close the door and you know that it’s … Continue reading "Reflecting on Your Path: Toastmasters Finale" The post Reflecting on Your Path: Toastmasters Finale appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

What's the last project in your Toastmasters path? It's your chance to look back and examine your experience, what you've learned, and how your new skills have an impact on your life. What's next?

Sometime in the next few months, your Toastmasters club is going to hold a contest.  For new members, a Toastmasters speech contest sounds maybe a bit… childish?  unnecessarily competitive?  waste of time? I suspect that you’ve never seen a Toastmasters speech contest. On today’s podcast, let’s take a look at one of the biggest events … Continue reading "Toastmasters Speech Contest: Are You In?" The post Toastmasters Speech Contest: Are You In? appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

It's the Toastmasters Speech Contest season! What do you think about the contests? Do you think they're worth the effort or a waste of time? Today on the podcast, we talk about 3 reasons why the Toastmasters speech contests benefit you and your club.

I’ve mentioned my friend Terry in previous episodes.  Terry owns a painting company here in Ohio.  Because of his successful business, he was asked to give a 45-minute break-out professional presentation session at an international conference about how he built his business. If you were in his shoes, what would you have done? Many people … Continue reading "A Professional Presentation at Toastmasters?" The post A Professional Presentation at Toastmasters? appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

People come to Toastmasters because their bosses send them - and then they wonder how Toastmasters can help them with professional presentations. In today's podcast, we talk about the professional presentations - the skills you know you need and how we can help you develop them.

Get ready for your area director visits now. Toastmasters International is a worldwide organization.  We are seeing massive growth outside of the United States, where Toastmasters is based.   Do you ever wonder how they manage over 300 thousand members and thousands of clubs?  Do they know what’s happening in the clubs?  How do they know … Continue reading "Area Director Visits" The post Area Director Visits appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Your area director visits are coming up in the next 2 months. What should you expect when the area director comes in? Should you worry? What are they putting on that report to Toastmasters International anyway?

What does your online meeting agenda look like to a guest of your club? What?  You don’t have one? Can you imagine trying to cut down a tree with a power saw – without starting it up?  Absolutely ludicrous idea, isn’t it?  The power tool is designed to be used to solve a problem quickly … Continue reading "Your Online Meeting Agenda: The Power Tool You Need" The post Your Online Meeting Agenda: The Power Tool You Need appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

The club meeting agenda does not have to be only a checklist for roles to be filled. It's a powerful tool that deserves your attention - and for you to sign up for your roles regularly.

What’s a general evaluator?  What do they do?  Why should you take on the role? As I was chatting with my protege Joy today about tomorrow’s meeting, she told me that it took her 3 weeks to figure out how to spell our club’s name. Yeah, Cuyahoga is not the easiest word to spell or … Continue reading "The General Evaluator Creates Great Meetings" The post The General Evaluator Creates Great Meetings appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

The role of General Evaluator at the Toastmasters meeting is often underappreciated. But the key to future successful meetings is directly connected to how well the General Evaluator does their job.

Peole leave Toastmasters clubs for many reasons.  What reasons do we have for them to come back to Toastmasters? In today’s podcast, we have interviewed past District 10 Governor Deonna More Taylor.  She’s a 7.5 time DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster Award) with the next one just one project away from completion. Deonna More Taylor, DTM x … Continue reading "Come Back to Toastmasters" The post Come Back to Toastmasters appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Is it time to come back to Toastmasters? Have you noticed your public speaking skills are less sharp? More filler words? Maybe it's time to come back and see what Toastmasters has to offer for public speaking and leadership skills development.

How do you customize your Toastmasters experience? “At least, they didn’t have to amputate my foot.” That’s how my conversation with Joy, my Toastmasters protege, started yesterday. “What?” I must have screeched into her ear. “I think it might make a good speech at the Toastmasters meeting,” she continued. Ya think? Joy is a gifted … Continue reading "Customize Your Toastmasters Path" The post Customize Your Toastmasters Path appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

What are your personal goals? How do you want to use Toastmasters to achieve them? Today on the podcast, we talk about customizing your Toastmasters experience for your needs - as well as review the complicated Level 1 Project 2 speech projects which all Toastmasters must complete.

How do you show your audience what you want them to see?  How do you add images that support the vision of your speech? The Nature of Communication Like dance, like acting, public speaking is a movement of ideas from the artist to the audience. I believe that public speaking is an art.  It comes … Continue reading "Adding Images and Vision to Your Speeches" The post Adding Images and Vision to Your Speeches appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

How do you decide to use images and presentation software for your presentation? What's the deciding factor?

How an introduction visit to a different Toastmasters meeting changed my club meeting participation forever. Two shocking changes improved our Toastmasters meetings – you can do these too! Do you get emails with this kind of subject line? Do you see ads with phrases like “You won’t believe what happened next!” Yep, me too. In … Continue reading "Your Speech Introduction: Sell Your Speech First" The post Your Speech Introduction: Sell Your Speech First appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Your speech projet success doesn't start with your first word - it starts with the introduction you're given by the Toastmaster of the Day. How do you title your speech? How do you write an introduction? Today's podcast helps you with both.

What are your goals this year in Toastmasters?  Have you given that much thought?  What if you decide to think big and go for a Triple Crown? What’s a Triple Crown, you ask? Today on Toastmasters 101, let’s discuss your work and what you can do to win three awards in this Toastmasters year. Do … Continue reading "Toastmasters Triple Crown and Smedley Awards" The post Toastmasters Triple Crown and Smedley Awards appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Do big challenges motivate you? Then consider the Toastmasters Triple Crown Award! What is it? How do you earn it? We also cover the Smedley Award for clubs. What's a Smedley?

The fear of public speaking is an insidious thing.  It grabs us when we have time to prepare our presentation, and its hold is just as strong when we don’t have time to prepare.  But so much of our communication is impromptu speaking – how do we cope with our fear of public speaking when … Continue reading "Table Topics: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking" The post Table Topics: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

The fear of public speaking is an insidious thing.  It grabs us when we have time to prepare our presentation, and its hold is just as strong when we don't have time to prepare.  But so much of our communication is impromptu speaking – how do we cope with our fear of public speaking when … Continue reading "Table Topics: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking"

Let’s talk about dealing with your body’s reactions to your fear of public speaking Our bodies are supposed to do what we want them to do, right?  So why do we get the shakes, feel our knees go weak, or get nauseated as we approach the podium to give a speech? My friend Joy said … Continue reading "2 Keys to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking" The post 2 Keys to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

If you have to give a speech, are you afraid of your audience - or are you afraid of what your body is going to do? In this episode, we look at 2 keys to cope with your fears.

Last week, we talked about overcoming your fear of public speaking.  This week is part 2 – your voice.  Overcoming your fear when you think everyone can hear your fear in your voice?  This is the battle we face. It’s very hard to talk about fear.  I spent hours writing this podcast and feeling really … Continue reading "Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking: Your Voice" The post Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking: Your Voice appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

When you are overcoming your fear of public speaking, what are you really afraid of? Sometimes our fear isn't of the speech but fear of what our body is about to do to us. Today's podcast gives a few tips how to give a speech when fear robs you of your voice.

What’s your biggest challenge in public speaking?  Is it overcoming your fear of public speaking? Do you struggle to tell your stories?  Does the stage fright scare you off?  Are filler words filling up your speeches?  Maybe you’re lost with no idea what to give a speech about? At one point or another, we all … Continue reading "Overcome Fear of Public Speaking with Toastmasters" The post Overcome Fear of Public Speaking with Toastmasters appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

Do you need to overcome your fear of public speaking? How does Toastmasters help you do that?

If you’ve been in Toastmasters very long, you’ve probably seen the Toastmasters speech project that went wrong.  So wrong.  Cringe-worthy bad.  The speech that makes you look at the cobweb in the corner of the room and try to avoid eye-contact with the speaker. Yeah, that speech. Here’s a small consolation:  we’ve all done it.  … Continue reading "Toastmasters Speech Project FAIL" The post Toastmasters Speech Project FAIL appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

If you've been in Toastmasters very long, you've probably seen the Toastmasters speech project that went wrong.  So wrong.  Cringe-worthy bad.  The speech that makes you look at the cobweb in the corner of the room and try to avoid eye-contact with the speaker. Yeah, that speech. On today's episode of Toastmasters 101, we go back to the beginning and talk about the speech that failed from the points of view of the speaker, the evaluator, and the vice president of education.

Are you a new Toastmasters club officer?  Have you heard about the club success plan meeting? I got a message on Linked In last week from Roy Monarch, a Toastmaster from the Word Doctors club in Texas.  He asked, “Do you have a plan what we could model as we work on our first DCP … Continue reading "Club Success Plan Meeting" The post Club Success Plan Meeting appeared first on Toastmasters 101.

New club officers are challenged with the Club Success Plan. What is it? What are you expected to do? In this podcast, we talk about how to hold the planning meeting, where to hold it, and how to use it to motivate members to work toward their personal Toastmaster goals.

We’ve got a new member or two in our Toastmasters club.  They’re working through the Toastmasters education program Pathways and selected their paths.  As they get ready to give their ice breaker speeches, I’ve been asked for advice. What do you tell someone who’s getting ready to give their first speech in Toastmasters? Today, we’ll … Continue reading "New Toastmasters and Ice Breaker Speeches" The post New Toastmasters and Ice Breaker Speeches appeared first on Toastmasters 101.