Toastmasters Club #1307

Even though I am a teacher and I should be comfortable talking before an audience the idea to attend a meeting with speakers and contemplating the idea of speaking in public for a number of strangers was something that I was not looking forward this week.

I went as a guest to a Toastmaster meeting near my house on Thursday from 6:15 pm to 7:30 pm.

I was greeted by one of the members and the president, Irene, introduced herself giving me information about the Club “Diagonals Toastmasters Club #1307”. We had a chat while waiting for the rest of members. At 6:15pm most of the members were there.

The meetings started with the president welcoming everyone. The Pledge of Allegiance was directed by one of the members. Next came the introductions from every member, including me, saying our names, who we were, and something about the day or our professions. That was a nice and simple ice breaker. Then they introduced the Functionaries, and the overview of table topics, evaluators, “Ah” counter/grammarian, and timer rules.

The meeting was not one with prepared speeches. The next step was the presentation by the Table Topic Master informing about the topic for the day. The members received a card where they need to write what was for them the best or worse job. The cards were collected and distributed to a different person who needed to give 3 minutes speech about why he/she thought that job in the card was the best or worse job in the world. The Timer-teller showed the speaker a green card at the one minute and a half, a yellow card at 2 minutes, and a red card at 2 minutes and a half to notify they have 30 seconds to wrap up. One by one every member participate talking why they believed that being the assistance of 007 was the best job, or why the Apprentice of Donald Trump was the greatest job. Each of the speakers was funny and very entertaining. All of them showed an introduction, a body, some personal examples, and finishing connecting and wrapping all together.

After the table topic speeches, the evaluators commented in every speech which they believed were the strengths and the weakness points. I found this part very informative.

We all voted for best speech and best evaluator and the same person won both awards.

The “Ah” counter/grammarian report the number of times each speaker made a mistake and the numbers were very low, just once or twice.

Here was when my turn to speak came as comments from members and guest. I thanked them for the opportunity to attend the meeting and shared that I had such a educative time.

They adjourned the meeting after those comments around 7:30pm.

I really enjoyed going to the meeting. It was not as bad as I thought. I had to speak in front of strangers but they made me feel comfortable and welcome. I was familiar with many of the ideas and points that they mentioned in their evaluations, as gestures, standing positions, so knowing the material was very helpful. Dr. D prepared us well!!!

Chapter 16

This chapter pays attention to HOW to deliver the speech and some other pieces that could contribute to the delivering of the presentation.

Some ideas that I consider important in HOW to present the ideas in the speech:

First is coping with anxiety and fears, there are many techniques that help controlling anxiety, like deep-muscle relaxation and breathing exercises. Also, organization of materials and practice the speech gives confidence. Believing and getting familiar with the content of the speech is another approach to control the anxiety and fears. This is very familiar to me, I know about that fear and anxiety that the textbook presents. I am very personal and private person and being in front of people is something that I avoid as much I can because it makes me very uncomfortable. I can do it, I even get good reviews. I learned how to cope but those techniques do not make it easier for me.

When it came to the speakers’ tools I found very interesting how they can assist to deliver a credible and powerful, or a misleading, weak speech, depending how those speakers’ tools were use. How the clothes, the posture, the gestures, movements, the eye contact, the voice can deliver some of that presentation. Reading about this tools it made me remember those political speeches when the speaker transmits a feeling of confidence. It leads you to believe in the words because the speaker seems secure, strong, confident. Other times the speaker cannot even read a speech and mumbles through it (any President comes to mind?), leans over the podium, move nervously, repeat gestures over and over. That are clear examples of insecurity, weakness, and lack of self confidence that a good speaker needs to avoid.

Know the problem YOU SOLVE!!

“Know the problem you solve” was a superior reading that I want to remember. The two main ideas I would like to point out are:

One, “People care about what you can do for them” that is so true. We all at some moment we care about what other can do for us.

Second, “Think as a problem solver” What a positive idea to others and to ourselves, instead of concentrate in problems (negative) work on solving those problems. Outstanding ideas, that remember me the concept that is not what a person say is HOW it is said what is important.

Handouts week 4

I read the handout this week and I went over the first document October 2006 – “The Great Presenter” like 3-4 times. I was reading those skills for a solid presentation in leadership and many of those I use them when preparing my classes. I teach Spanish to 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders, none of the classes (audiences) are the same, so it took me some time to learn and prepare a little presentations according their own personalities (Customize it).

Another important part is the context that a speaker or a teacher wants to transmit. Any person that is delivering a speech or a lecture needs to be prepared for any question the audience (or students) could have. I notice that my best classes are when students participate as I am delivering the content; they turn into active listeners when they are part of the lecture making the content easier to understand and easier to remember. The handout said almost the same when referring to speakers and involving the audience.

With every lesson I prepare, I practice different methods, ideas, tones of voices to get the attention from my students (audience). Being prepare makes the class easier for the students and for me, allowing me to relax and have fun.

I am discovering that a teacher shares many of the same skills needed to be a leader. I thought that a leader was something in a higher level, but leaders are found at every level in our daily lives. It is as important to learn how to work in groups as it is to learn how to be a good leader in order to help others.

CHAPTER 13

This chapter is dedicated to another aspect on delivering a speech. The reading presents us with the importance of knowing the audience that will receive the message. A great leader has to learn about the listeners. A leader can not deliver a message in the same way to an audience of 20 year olds or an audience of 50 year olds. Audience is determinate by many factors like gender, educational level, cultural background, religion, or socioeconomic status to name some.

The textbook makes us consider also the necessity of organization as to understand the occasion for the speech, the length of the presentation, the location of the presentation, familiarity with the place. These are aspects to considerate that will help a speaker be organized and make him feel strong and secure at the time of delivering the speech.

The last portion of the chapter is dedicated to another part of the presentation the topic. Finding and developing an appropriate topic provides the speaker with a powerful initial interest and pre-dispose the audience to listen. The interesting topic and contents can maintain the attention and acceptance of the audience.

Quotes of the week in eloqui

I went to the site Eloqui and I found this section about tips, quotes, testimonials, words of the week. My blog and my Space start with quotes every week so I find very appeal those quotes and I wanted to share them.
Enjoy them... Those a little 'touch of culture and knowledge' as some teacher of mine put it referring to quotes.

TIP OF THE WEEK: Differentiators

Consider what is unique about you that your competitor cannot say. Were you on the high school debate or wrestling team and learned to read your opponent? Did you have a difficult set back or disappointment that made you more resilient? Or were you a military kid who attended a new school every year and learned to be adaptable?

In acting parlance, this history is your back story and gives you credibility. The old business model frowned upon injecting your own values and personality into a professional presentation. Today, in order to be trusted and liked, we want to know what shaped your character and viewpoint. The next time you are asked "why you?" you will be prepared-- both personally and professionally.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Poem 875 by Emily Dickinson:

I stepped from Plank to Plank
A slow and cautious way
The Stars about my Head I felt
About my Feet the Sea.

I knew not but the next
Would be my final inch--
This gave me that precarious Gait
Some call Experience.

TESTIMONIAL OF THE WEEK:

"... The entire business world should take your training."
Panos Papadopoulos
Strategic Sales Planning
Mattel

WORD OF THE WEEK:

Animus (AN-uh-muhs) noun. 1. Strong dislike or enmity; hostile attitude; animosity... 2. Purpose; intention; animating spirit... 3. In the psychology of C.G. Jung, the masculine principle, esp. as present in women

Leaders

Great leaders in history are born. I do believe that to be true, and I must disagree with my classmate Darcey, she believes the opposite. Many of us are leaders in many situations in our life, other times we belong to a group and we follow and contribute as a member. I believe being a leader is not hard, being a good leader is difficult. In an earlier post in the discussion site, I mentioned that a leader is like a parent. Brandon put that idea in my mind when I read his post where he mentioned his father as a good leader. A good parent shares many of the skills of a good leader. They are leaders, they need good communication skills, they need to listen to the children, they need to solve conflicts, find solutions, they need to control, direct, influence, and create good members of society.

The part that I read with especial attention was the one dedicated to conflicts, solving conflicts, skills and strategies about management conflicts. Leaders who are skillful in the area of conflicts are valuable leaders because preventing or solving conflicts is something that many of us would find in our groups. I like to learn that conflicts could be seen as positive, depends the personal attitudes toward the conflict. The different approaches to conflict from gender and culture was very informative for me and useful because we live in a community with different cultures and each culture could approach the same conflict in different matters.

The skills and strategies about conflict are points to memorize specially when trying to solve a conflict with my own children. The cool mind, the critical mind to settle conflict rationally given a better chance to solve it by avoiding some behaviors that we could have when approaching a conflict situation. Defining the conflict is something that I knew and I try to use "I" instead of "you" in every conflict. The way we said thing is important. Checking the perception, many times what a person perceive is not the message that was intended. Suggesting solutions works great. I tried this too, and it makes a person focus in a positive way in the direction of problem solving, not in creating a bigger conflict. Looking for alternative solutions and evaluate them, meaning thinking positive for a future agreement. If the conflict is evolving in negative "you" sentences accusing, believing in one perception, not looking for solutions then the problems and conflicts become bigger problems, impossible to be solved until attitudes change.