Toastmasters - Share Wisdom

Theme Idea for a Meeting and Thoughts on Table Topics

During my presidency in Basharia Club # 606239, the theme of a meeting was Visual Aids. Right from the opening of the meeting by our Sergent at Arms, everything used visial aids such as props, powerpoint presentations, flip charts etc. Evaluators used smilies, carrot, stick etc. Table Topic were in a goody-bag. Table topic speakers were asked to pull out someting from the bag and start speaking on it. Here are a few examples: 1) Cow 2) Car 3) Heart 4) Pencil 5) Toastmaster's pin etc. Here is a Table Topics idea. During one of our meetings, our Table Topic master said that instead of announcing the topic first, he would announce the speaker first. He came to me, handed me a cell phone and said, "SELL THIS." Surprisingly, I was voted the best TT Speaker of the meeting.

Notes for the Chairperson at a Toastmasters Meeting

I chaired a Toastmasters meeting for the first time this week. My job as chairperson was made so much easier by a set of notes that were made by a member of our club to assist the chairperson. The notes contain the order of events in our meeting and remind the chairperson of their responsibilities. These notes are so useful that they are used by most members of our club, whether they are seasoned members, or first timers as chairperson. Here are some excerpts from our notes. CHAIRPERSON Thanks the Sergeant-at-Arms, addresses and greats the Assembly and Guests. Singing of our National Anthem - Please stand for the singing of our National Anthem. Toast/Invocation - Please remain standing for our toast which will be given by .... Chair leads the applause Guests - Our guests tonight are ... Each club has different duties and protocols for their chairperson, therefore, one set of notes can't be used for all clubs. I highly recommend creating a set of notes if your club members does not have something to refer to. A set of notes will make it much easier for a new member to step up and fill the role as chairperson. A set of notes will also help your club have a more uniform execution of the chairperson's role as everyone will be reading from the same script. Notes should never be mandatory but they will certainly be helpful to those who wish to use them. If your club does not have a set of notes for the chairperson to refe

A Relaxed Speaker Means a Relaxed Audience

During an evaluation last week, a seasoned Toastmaster in our club said something which really caused a light bulb to go off in my head. I don't remember his exact words but they were something to this effect: "When you are nervous as a speaker, your audience is nervous and uncomfortable. If you are relaxed when speaking, your audience will be relaxed." This is so true and requires no explanation. I had never consciously understood this before and wanted to share this.

Suggestions for New Members Choosing and Joining a Toastmasters Club

Toastmaster members come and go. The average length of time of a Toastmaster stays registered is 18 months. To a certain degree, Toastmasters and similar groups will always have a transient and changing nature. From my own experience and listening to the stories of others, I though it would be good to share some ideas on choosing the most suitable club. This is intended to help Toastmasters be Toastmasters for as long as possible. These suggestions may not only help those joining clubs, but also Toastmasters members who are helping others choose a Toastmasters club. Choose a Club That Is Easy To Get To Life is busy and it seems like all of us increasingly have more commitments and obligations vying for our time. Toastmasters is one of those things that will compete for our time and attention. It therefore important to choose a club that is easy to get to. Where possible, try and chose a club that is less than 20 minutes away, a club that requires only 5-10 minutes to get to is ideal. Of course, this is not always possible as there may simply not be clubs that are closer to you. If you find your self driving 30 minutes to 1 hour each way to Toastmasters, this will become difficult for you when your life and schedule come under time pressure. Choose a Club That Feels Right for You Distance to a club is important but so is being part of a group, being comfortable, and feeling welcome. I am lucky because the Toastmasters in my club have become friends

10 Tips for Giving a Good Speech

I came across 10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking on the Toastmasters International website and wanted to share it in case you have not come across it there. 1. Know the room. 2. Know the audience. 3. Know your material. 4. Relax. 5. Visualize yourself giving your speech. 6. Realize that people want you to succeed. 7. Don't apologize. 8. Concentrate on the message -- not the medium. 9. Turn nervousness into positive energy. 10. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence. I think these tips lay the basic foundation of giving a great speech.

Untested Table Topics Idea

I thought of a challenging Table Topics idea that I have not yet used. I would pass out to each Toastmaster a piece of paper. When they are called upon to participate, they would unfold the piece of paper and read it, but they would read it only to themselves and not out loud to the club. When they are finished reading their topic, they would then speak on the topic without mentioning what the piece of paper specifically says. Here are some examples of what might be written on the pieces of paper.

Listening is more important than talking.

Success comes from making many mistakes.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

We turn into our parents.

I would have enough time in my life if I prioritized everything properly.

If you are persistent and learn from your mistakes, you can do anything.

Regret is an important part of finding our way in life.

Kids are a payback for everything you put your parents through.

Conquer your fears and you can do anything.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I plan on trying simple statements such as this that try and convey truth. To speak on the topic without specifically mentioning what the paper said would be challenging. The Toastmaster might choose to agree or disagree with the statement, or they may instead tell a story or give an example relating to the statement. I am looking forward to trying this Table Topics idea.

Consider Point Form Notes Instead of Full-Text Notes

Most of us use notes to assist us when we are delivering a speech. Many Toastmasters leave their notes at the lectern and then proceed out from behind the lectern to give their speech. In this case, they have most of their speech memorized and they are just using their notes in case they forget something or get lost in their speech. If and when they forget something, they return to the lectern, glance at their notes and then continue with their speech. On several occasions, I have seen Toastmasters have to go back to the lectern, turn pages, and then scrutinize those pages very closely before being able to continue where they left off. I have noticed that on these occasions, the Toastmaster was using the entire text of their speech as their notes. Their notes were not bullet points of the speech to jog memory; instead, every word of their speech was being used as notes. I was surprised to see the use of 'full-text' notes. I don't recommend using the entire text of your speech as notes for the following reasons: 1) Using the entire text of your speech as notes makes it very hard to find your place in the speech when you have forgotten something. You have more pages of notes to look through and those pages are more densely packed with text. 2) Using the entire copy of the speech often forces you to put a greater emphasis on memorizing every word, as opposed to every thought you want to convey. This takes way from a fluid, natural speech. I will emphasize this sec

Word Of The Day - 'Diffident' versus 'Determination'

Last night our grammarian chose 'diffident' as our 'word of the day'. Diffident means shy, timid, or showing modest reserve. What a wonderful 'word of the day'! It is a word that either expands our vocabulary, makes us recall its exact meaning, or challenges us to use it creatively during the meeting. I would like to contrast using a word such as 'diffident' to using a word such as 'determination'. A word like 'determination' is too simple and common for a Toastmasters meeting, but unfortunately, I see words similar to this being chosen for the 'word of the day'. Simple and familiar words do not expand or vocabulary or challenge the majority of members at a Toastmasters meeting - they just lead to a lot of parliamentary claps. It is important to try and enrich a Toastmasters meeting by choosing a challenging 'word of the day' that expands our vocabulary.

Conversational Table Topics

As Table Topics Master, my best Table Topics sessions have come from what I call 'conversational table topics'. These are simple, straightforward topics that you might encounter over a dinner table - no tricks, gimmicks or mind teasers. I try to make the questions fun, light and entertaining. Here are some of my favorite questions:

Do you like your name or do you wish you had another one?

Is your job something you love to do?

If you had to choose between your cell phone, the internet or your TV, which one would you choose?

What is your favorite TV show and why?

Tell me about your best bosses and what you liked about them?

What's the best thing about being married?

What does retirement mean to you?

Other than myself, who do you find really funny?

Do you believe in palm reading and tarot carrots?

What is your favorite TV show and why?

What do you like best about Toastmasters?

What is your ideal vacation?

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Do you think it is important to vote?

What is your favorite fast food place?

What kind of drivers bother you the most?

What do you think of Wal-Mart?

Which do you like better, dogs or cats?

Is the world less safe or is this just hype?

Do the Toronto Maple Leafs really have a shot of winning the Stanley Cup this year? (You could use your own local sports team) I find questions like this make people feel comfortab

A Toastmaster Should Always Be Ready With a Toast

We start our meeting off with the singing of our national anthem followed by a Toast. On the rare occasion that the person giving the Toast is either late or absent, our Chairperson usually calls upon a Toastmaster from the group to give a Toast. I can't help but notice the feeling of dread, including my own, when we are called upon to give a Toast and are unprepared. Luckily, our club has some seasoned members who can think quickly and eloquently on their feet and rise to the occasion with a nice toast. I have learned from this the importance of having a Toast ready at all times. While we don't necessarily have to have it memorized, we should at least have a topic and the message we are trying to convey. If you can think quickly on your feet or prefer to do impromptu toasts, congratulations. For those of us who are not as comfortable or quick thinking on our feet, consider having a toast prepared - you can keep it in the back of your mind and then use it to rise up in an occasion of need.

The Golden Opportunity of the Table Topics Master

Table Topics is one my favorites parts of a Toastmasters meeting. It brings the meeting to life with wisdom, laughter, spontaneity. At Table Topics, there is a golden opportunity that is sometimes missed. I believe that it should be a goal every Toastmasters meeting to have all the attendees speak or at least be given the opportunity to speak. The Table Topics Master has a unique opportunity to seek out attendees who are not on the agenda and ask them to participate in the meeeting. Here is how I try to specifically accomplish that. Before I go up to fill my role as Table Topics Master, I take the agenda and then look around the room. I write down the name of anyone that is in the room but not on the agenda. I take the list up with me and my introduction includes a line to the effect of: "Table Topics is also an opportunity to have people speak that are not on the agenda. I will first try to call upon people who do not have a role in tonight's meeting." I then proceed to choose people from my list. There is a reason I mention the line above as opposed to just calling upon the list of people I wrote down. In using this explanation, it subtly reminds people that when they are the Table Topics Master, they too should try and seek out people that are not on the agenda. In drawing attention to what I am doing, rather than simply doing it, to reminds or teaches this practice to others. I feel this periodic explanation of calling upon people who are not on the agend

Keep Scaring Yourself at Toastmasters

Toastmasters is not just about public speaking, it is about confronting your fears. Many of us came to Toastmasters being scared and nervous about public speaking. Most of us have come a long way and developed as public speakers. Sure we may get nervous before giving a speech but generally, when we are prepared, giving a speech in front of our club is not something that really scares us. Unfortunately, I often see growth measured by the refrain, "How many speeches have you done?" While prepared speeches are an essential part of growth as a Toastmaster, I believe it is important to realize the following: If prepared speeches don't scare you, you have to find new ways of scaring yourself at Toastmaters so that you can confront your fears and expand your comfort zone. If prepared speeched don't really scare you, perhaps consider some of the following:

Have you done an evaluation yet? Are you comfortable evaluating a speaker you consider more advanced?

Do you always choose to do a "thought of the day" when doing a "joke of the day" would make you feel less comfortable?

Do you shy away from chairing a meeting?

Are you scared of a giving a humorous speech? How about serious, heart-moving speech?

Have you visited and spoken at a new and unfamiliar club?

If you are interested in learning another language, would going to a Toastmasters meeting in another language be intimidating to you?

Have you joined a contest with the inten

Speak on Something You Don't Believe In - Tabletopics Idea

Last night, I was very impressed with tabletopics in our club. Our tabletopics master had us speak in favor of a statement he made even though we may not necessarily agree with it. I had seen variations of this in the past but what I really liked were the questions he came up with. Here are some of the specific tabletopics he used from my memory:

I have all the time in the world.

My partner (i.e. husband/wife/spouse) is perfect!

My dream car is sitting in my driveway right now.

I have all the money in the world.

I always rise to the occasion.

I never lie. The sentences he chose were clever and thought-provoking and they were most often not true. There were several approaches used by the Toastmasters who spoke on these tabletopics. The best were the ones that used humour and this resulted in some funny and light moments. Others tried to change their perspective by looking at the statement from another angle and speaking from a different that view point. I later learned that one of the goals of our Table Topics Master was to impress upon us the importance having a belief before we can create a reality. The results were good - people spoke freely and they came up with something clever or entertaining. I encourage you to try something similar to this for tabletopics at your club for I think it will be a hit.

Grammarian and the "Excellent Use Of Language"

I rarely see Grammarians pointing out "excellent use of language" despite the fact the Toastmasters manual includes it as something that a Grammarian should be looking out for. Were you moved or touched by a few words that were part of a speech or an evaluation? Did a Toastmaster sum up a difficult table topic with one sentence? As the Grammarian, this is your opportunity to commend a Toastmaster for excellent use of language and to share with your club the beautiful words that touched you. The next time you are the Grammarian, please do not just count um's and ah's - point out and praise wonderful examples of speech.

Entering Contests Expands Your Zone of Comfort

A member of my club recently entered our humorous speech contest. She won at the Club level and she moved on to the Area contest. At the Area contest, she looked calm and relaxed and she did a good job with her speech. She did not place in the contest but I was proud of her. After the contest was over, she told me she was nervous about the whole thing but she said she was glad that she had done it. The next day, we had our regular club meeting. The same lady who was in the humorous contest did an evaluation. She looked truly calm and relaxed and the words just flowed out of her. She had done some very nice evaluations in the past, but this was clearly her best evaluation so far and she agreed. In talking to her afterwards, it was clear to see that entering the humorous speech contest did wonders for her. She expanded her zone of comfort and took on something big. Returning to speaking at the club was now much easier than it had ever been. Entering a contest will help you expand your zone of comfort - speaking on a bigger stage makes speaking on smaller stages much easier.

Practice Important Speeches at Toastmasters

I highly recommend practicing important speeches at Toastmasters. Last year, I gave two important speeches in my personal life. One was a toast for a friend's wedding and the other was a speech at my father's 80th birthday party. I practiced by giving both speeches at Toastmasters. I must say that it is very difficult delivering these kinds of speeches at a Toastmasters meeting - the environment is not the same as the event, the members of the club are unfamiliar with the topic of the speech. But practicing both these speeches at Toastmasters helped transform them from mediocre speeches to very good speeches and this was the direct result of feedback from the club and the experience of practicing them there. Typically, at Toastmasters, we have one evaluator per speech. Because these were 'special' speeches, I asked that we did shorter evaluations by several members. This meant that three or four members would just stand up and give me their thoughts after my speech for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. The feedback from the club was invaluable. I re-wrote both speeches to a large degree based on their input. I also practiced my pauses and worked on my overall delivery. A very kind senior member of my club also took the time to go over every sentence of each speech with me the next day one the phone. This gave me the confidence to know I had a good speech. When I first delivered the speeches at Toastmasters, I would have rated those speeches both a 6 out of 10. Wh

Keep the 'To' Part of a Toast Short

Let's do this by example. Say you are toasting firefighters. Your toast might be as follows: Firefighters risk their lives each day under perilous conditions to save our lives. They are courageous workers whose reward is helping others. To courageous firefighters. And then the audience would say, "To courageous firefighters" and drink. Don't stuff to many words after the "To". For example, say you ended with: To courageous and giving firefighters who risk their lives each and everyday to serve and protect us. This is not a good ending for a toast. There are too many words after the 'to'. Remember that the audience has to say this back to you. Get a room of 30 people and you will have people not remembering what they are going to say and fumbling over words. Keep the "to" part of a toast short and sweet so that others can easily repeat it.

Don't Whitewash Evaluations - Be a Diplomat

We Toastmasters are good people - most of us are more comfortable commending rather than recommending. Sometimes as evaluators, we will evaluate a speech which we honestly feel needs a lot of work or was poorly done. For such an evaluation, it is important to commend the speaker for what they did do well but it is equally important to address the deficiencies in the speech. We can't just whitewash the speech and heap undue praise upon it. By not tackling issues and problems with a speech, we do a disservice to the speaker, to ourselves and to the club. Lack of sincerity is something that is noticed by the speaker and the group which hears the evaluation. Being a good evaluator is being a good diplomat. Even speeches that need a lot of work have many elements that can be praised and part of the challenge is finding and bringing to light those elements. As an evaluator, you also can't ignore the negative aspects of the speech and pretend they are not there. You address shortcomings in a diplomatic way and give constructive, sincere recommendations for improvement. Of course, an evaluation must take into account the level and nature of the speaker. Toastmasters delivering ice-breakers or their first few speeches do generally require a more gentle and supportive evaluation. Evaluations are important, don't take the easy way out by being too nice. Address the tough issues in a diplomatic way. The speaker will grow and so will you as an evaluator.

Making Guests Feel Welcome at the End of a Toastmasters Meeting

Being a member of Toastmasters is about becoming a better public speaker, listener and leader. It is also about being part of a group, being accepted and feeling welcome. The toastmaster clubs I have attended have been excellent in welcoming guests when they arrive. They are usually greeted at the door and then are seated with a member who will help them get settled and perhaps introduce them at the start of the meeting. I wish we were as good about making guests feel welcome at the end of a meeting. Very often I see guests just pick up there things, look around and leave a meeting without saying too much to anyone around them. Some clubs are great at speaking to guests at the end of a meeting. They do what is suggested below and more. For those that aren't very good at speaking to guests at the end of a meeting, here is some advice. At the end of every meeting, each guest should be appraoched by one or more members of the club. They should be thanked for coming and asked how they enjoyed the meeting. They should be asked if they have any questions. If they participated in Tabletopics or they took on a small role, they should be commended. They should be reminded that they are always welcome to come again and that you hope to see them next week. Of course, this is done in an informal and friendly way. Making guest feel welcome at the end of a meeting will keep them coming back and will help grow the membership in your Toastmasters club.

Coloured Nameplates for Guests at a Toastmasters Meeting

Each guest at our club is introduced at the start of a meeting. Guests in our club use a bright green paper nameplate whereas members of our club use white paper nameplates. (The green nameplates are made by taking a bright green piece of paper and folding the length into three equal sections.) This system of bright green nameplates makes it easy for the chairperson to visually identify guests for introductoins. I assumed that coloured nameplates for guests was a standard that was used at all clubs but I was surprised to hear of a club nearby that was not using this system. I highly recommend coloured paper nameplates to help the chairperson easily identify guests for introductions.