Toastmasters Friday: The Big Stage

Is it finally LeBron's time? LeBron James has made it back to the Eastern Conference finals, this time with the Miami Heat, leaving Cleveland and his legion of hometown fans behind. He still has to get past the Bulls, and likely the Dallas Mavericks, on the NBA's Big Stage - The Finals - in order to fulfill his youthful ordainment as King James, but many say this is the year.

This time of year, many Toastmasters are saying the same thing. LeBron has essentially gotten himself out of District - and is heading to the semifinals, in hopes of another shot at the big stage and the big trophy. 

About half the Toastmaster Districts have crowned their champions for the semi-finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking in Las Vegas the third week in August, with the rest to be crowned in the next 3 weeks. Every year, 81 winners compete for the 9 finalist spots on the final Saturday morning of the Toastmasters Int'l Conference, where one will be crowned champion. (Yes, I know, the current format is only two years old, but work with me here...)

Did you compete this year? Are you still competing? Are you watching your friends fret and sweat and practice as they compete? As if speaking in public isn't frightening enough to most, whose idea was it to pit speakers against each other, leaving 29,999 losers in the search for a final winner? Well - its not quite that bad - but it is a bit daunting when you think about it.

I have been among that large group of losers 9 of the last 11 years. I took a year off, and I'm still alive, just barely, this year. I've lasted a long time most years - getting to the semi-finals six times, and the Finals twice, but, like LeBron, I have fallen short, just like the other 29,999 competitors worldwide. 

Competition, win or lose, has been a wonderful teacher for me over the years. Without it, I would never have spoken professionally, chosen to go out and coach others, or learned to Speak & Deliver.

In 2006, I experienced my best finish - third in the world, with Douglas Wilson finishing second, and Ed Hearn taking home the Holy Grail of Toastmasters Speaking. After the championship, the three of us wrote a book - Win, Place, & Show.

It features all nine of our speeches from the contest rounds, in the format we worked from when we wrote them (Douglas was a stickler for stage direction), and includes our personal stories from the journey - how we dealt with doubt, evaluations, pressure, health issues, and victory along the way.

I've turned it into an ebook, and its available for the next six days (right up until my conference next week, where I will once again compete to reach the semifinals against 5 other tremendous speakers from CO, NE, and WY) for only $10. 

Even if you aren't competing - the speeches themselves (at least Ed's and Douglas') are worth thirty-seven times the investment in and of themselves. Inspiring, funny, and memorable - and a tremendous teaching tool for you, your hyper-competitive friends, and your Toastmasters club.

Click here for your copy of Win, Place & Show!

If you are still competing - hopefully you aren't experiencing the pressure Mr. James is under. Go out, have fun, and remember you get the chance to change the mood, opinion, and actions of your audience. And if you lose, no one is going to drop beer on you as you head to the tunnel!

Ask Your Future Into Existence

"How do I get speaking gigs?"

This is a primary question for speakers just getting themselves started in the business. It feels like an 800 lb gorilla. We go through so much preparation work to make sure we're a good speaker, that we have a great message, and that our website looks just so - and then we're left with nowhere to speak.

There are lots of options out there for free speaking opportunities (gigs is so 'Wedding Singer' - be above that term). Service clubs like Rotary and Kiwanis. Local associations always looking for their monthly speakers. Low hanging fruit, where a home run speech may land you more audiences.

You can spend a fortune on one-sheets, brochures, and a demo video of you in front of an audience, assuming you can get one together - then spend another fortune getting in front of people you think will pay you to speak. If you've got two fortunes to spend, you might consider this option, but its still far from guaranteed.

You can even roll the dice on a 'free' seminar - you book the venue, provide the food, and hope people come flocking in to hear you inspire them to change their lives by buying your book and cd set. You DO have a book and CD set, right? (insert facetiousness warning)

The easiest step most people miss is free, and can be amazingly effective. Speak about the fact that you speak. Tell your friends. Tell your boss. Tell your church. Tell your Toastmasters club, your chamber of commerce contacts, and even your drinking buddies. Go to networking groups, and tell them. Tell your Facebook friends, your Twitter tweeps, and your Linked In contacts.

If people don't know you speak, if they haven't heard you even speak about the fact that you speak, you may as well be sitting in your house knitting - you'll get the same number of speaking opportunities.

Once people know you can speak, you'll be amazed how quickly they will get you in touch with the people they know, and the people the people they know know, etc. Especially if you take the NEXT step. It's a concept that may be tough to swallow: after you speak - you ASK them to help you find places to speak!!

After a few initial opportunities - you'll have a good gauge of how well you are able to Speak & Deliver in front of a real live audience - by how many people you didn't know before start referring you to their friends.

ASK. SPEAK. DELIVER....and repeat.

Everyone's Got an Angle

Last night, during our Mother's Day family meeting, I asked each of my six kids to tell their mother something they love about her. The answers were pretty cool, and each came from their own personal angle of importance.

"I love Mommy's hugs" - 3 year old Brooklyn
"I love Mommy's kisses" - 6 year old Riker
"I love Mommy's hugs AND kisses!" - 8 year old Rachel
"I love that Mommy loves us, even when she's angry" - 10 year old Riley
"I love Mom's Thriving attitude - that no matter what she tries to look at the good side of life" - 15 year old Bailey

Then it's 13 year old Braden's turn: "I love Mom's nachos!" It didn't stop there - he listed off about 10 other of Mom's culinary masterpieces before he was done. Braden has a great sense of humor, but he also knows what he likes - and that's what he focused on. Of all the things Mom does for him and our family, cooking was his number one.

That's an audience of six kids talking. What do you think your audience of 25, 100, or 500 adults are thinking about you? Different types of people will leave with different take-aways from your presentation, and you only have so much control over what those will be from person to person. In every case, they will take away what they feel is important to them.

It might be a particular phrase. They may remember your humor, or a story that stood out to them. Others are remembering a Power Point slide, a prop you might have used, or even a memorable gesture. Is every angle of your presentation focused on your overall message?

Even though Braden may have seemed a bit off-topic, he was still keyed in to his Mom's main message: Love. He just focused on it from a different angle - sustaining and care-taking love, vs. affection or example.

The more ways you give them to reach your main message, the more people you will touch. How many angles can your audience reach your message from? How many angles are you considering when you prepare your presentation? Everyone is coming from a slightly different direction. To Speak & Deliver, it is your job to find every way possible to lead them to the same horizon point.

Even if you have to make great Nachos to get them there!

Toastmasters Friday: Rebranding Could Change Everything

There's been a lot of debate on the internet boards about the upcoming rebranding effort in Toastmasters International. People always worry about change, and there's worry about costs for clubs, freedom of District expression, and, of course, whether or not the logo should keep the gavels in today's electronic age.

Toastmasters says it wants to create a more consistent perception of the organization and its benefits across the board, and feels that a change in graphics will help accomplish that goal. Specifically, they feel the change in look will:

• - Accurately set and maintain the public’s perception of Toastmasters.
• - Expand the organization's reach into emerging markets.
• - Reduce the volunteer leaders’ workload by providing brand guidelines to use when creating materials.
• - Garner more recognition and media coverage.
• - Become the consistently recognized world leader in leadership and communication development.
• - Create a more consistent member experience, regardless of geography.
     (from the TI Website)

Today, Toastmasters graphic identity is all over the map. District websites look wildly different from one another, as do the individual club sites. Even the logo offers many variations - not all of which have ever been sanctioned by Toastmasters itself.

Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, rebranding is going to occur. I believe it will take awhile to trickle down to the club level, much as the FreeToastHost club internet site directive has done, but in 5 years, most of the members and potential members of Toastmasters will know us primarily by whatever new look TI puts together - gavels or no.

For all the power a new logo may have for the organization, and for all the wide-reaching goals the organization has set for itself, I suggest that rebranding needs to go deep as well as wide. Deeper into our clubs and individual members - to go beyond how we look on paper - and into the mindset of every Toastmaster.

Let's rebrand the perception of being a Toastmaster Speaker. I've talked about the differences between Toastmasters speaking and real-world speaking before, and I even wrote a post in 2009 about not letting Toastmasters hurt you in 2010 (you can bet my friends on the board were less than thrilled with that title, until, hopefully, they read further...).

If I had a nickel for every time I've heard someone say "you can tell they are a Toastmaster" in a derogatory way, I'd be rich in more than just my name.

For all the tremendous training Toastmasters offers, it also has a reputation for creating the 'Toastmasters Style' in speakers. Speakers who get used to the rhythm of a 5-7 minute speech, to shaking the hand of an introducer, to using overblown gestures, to talking 'at' the audience instead of 'with' them, to having a general tendency to 'go over the top', to getting praised for almost anything they do in their speech beyond fainting altogether.

The Toastmasters style is tough to completely describe, and has as many combinations as the TI logo, but you know it when you see it. 

It's a combination of tone, stance, and speech construction that comes with delivering speech after speech to loving audiences that don't tend to give much feedback beyond the evaluator, who may or may not be able to evaluate with the precision and power the speaker really needs. "Amateurs coaching amateurs" is the phrase I repeatedly hear in the professional speaking arena. And, it's true, and still, for the most part, it works.

Toastmasters accomplishes its goal of getting people in front of an audience and enabling them to put together a string of sentences intelligibly for 5-7 minutes, even if they came to their first meeting unable to complete a one minute table topic. This is a wonderful achievement.

Once we've gone through the basic manual, what if we took it a step further? What if each of us, individually, rebranded who we are as a Toastmaster? Instead of pursuing Toastmasters for the sake of Toastmasters, for the next level of awarded achievement, a best speaker ribbon, or even a contest victory, we used Toastmasters and its treasure trove of tools to become a better speaker in the REAL WORLD?

How would this change the way you approached each speech? How would it affect your topic choice? How would it change you as an evaluator? Could you be a better mentor? Would you ask better questions of YOUR mentor?

Toastmasters offers a top of the line workshop, with virtually every available tool at our fingertips. Yet most of us spend our time building basic birdhouses - because we get rewarded for completing a project, whether we improve much from our last one or not. In general, the expectations put upon us are too low - and those expectations start from within.

The awards and the ribbons and the trophies and the leadership offices should not simply be a completion on our checklist - but a natural outgrowth of our desire to improve. Instead of writing our speeches in our cars before we walk into the building, we prepare them with the intent of it being our best effort yet. Instead of giving the same old evaluations, we work with our speakers to find out how we can better guide them in achieving their goals outside the meeting as well as inside the manual. Instead of just going through the motions, making the most of each opportunity in our meetings to improve as speakers, regardless of the role.  

You may be saying to yourself, "Rich, I do all those things - you're not talking about me." If you're reading my blog, you're probably right - you're more proactive and interested in learning than the average TM. But look around you. Are you showing others around the workshop? Are you raising the level of your club dynamic? Are you taking an active role in preventing the creation of yet another 'Toastmaster Speaker'? 

I'm certainly guilty of going through the motions at times. And just when I thought I had reached my highest point in Toastmasters, I realized that's exactly where I was - the highest point IN TOASTMASTERS. I was a terrific Toastmasters speaker. But there is more available to us than that in our organization.

Toastmasters purpose is not to create great Toastmasters. It's to create great communicators. That's the rebranding I'd like to see. A rebranding within each one of us. A change in our personal perception of what it means to be a Toastmaster, and a Toastmasters Speaker. Until we rebrand THAT concept in our heads, many in our organization will never get past the birdhouse. 

Take a new blueprint to your next meeting. Pick up that soldering iron for the first time. Start taking yourself, and those in your club, to a new level. When we never have to hear the words "Yeah, you can tell he's in Toastmasters" uttered with a sarcastic groan again, our organization will have accomplished something much more important than standardizing our websites, business cards, and lecterns. 

It will have proven that Toastmasters does indeed teach people to Speak...& Deliver.

Burden of Proof: A Speaker's Responsibility

We got him! Osama bin Laden is swimming with the fishes, according to military officials, and out of our hair forever. Or is he? There is already a faction of non-believers forming. Buried at sea? How convenient. Just got him now, on the heels of low approval ratings and Birther rants? Sure we did. Prove it!

No, I don't want to start a debate here on whether we actually got bin Laden or not. The point is that we are a world that demands proof, whether we're discussing place of birth for the oval office, proof of age for buying alchohol and getting into R rated movies, or even the veracity of public speakers.

Yes, you as a speaker are expected to offer proof. Proof that what you are saying is true, has the value you promise, and will work for the audience hearing it. What does that mean, exactly? Are we to bring in our paystubs? Bring in people who we've led to the promised land? Release pictures of the body?

Well.....maybe - and maybe not.

7 Ways to offer proof from the Stage

Implied Proof:

Existence - the fact that you are there offers proof that someone, somewhere, for some reason felt you already offered proof, and the audience generally works under the assumption of proven until proven unproven.

Demeanor - your confidence on stage will reveal the existence of proof of what you say, even if you never offer it. Confidence often substitutes for proof in politics, sales, and relationships. What that confidence is based on will eventually reveal itself.

Physical Presentation - Sam Walton offers a famous example of a rich man not caring about his physical presentation, often being seen in overalls and a John Deere hat, as legend goes. You are not Sam Walton. Your outfit offers proof of both your success and your confidence in yourself.

Actual Proof:

Introduction - while you don't want you introduction to be a laundry list of your awards and achievements, adding in a relevant or recent accomplishment can give the audience an anchor point for your credibility.

Storytelling - the stories you choose will often reveal your veracity. If you use the same stories they've heard for years, or just last Sunday in church, you are only proving you listen to other speakers. Use your stories, and prove your experience. Use stories that prove the use of your information, and you prove your message.

Leave Behinds - The information you provide on leave-behind material can provide concrete references, websites to visit, and depth of detail into your subject. Don't lead with them, however, or you may find yourself faced with an audience of heads buried in their handouts.

Products - Got a book? A CD? A DVD? Instant proof - at least further proof than the occasion of the speech. It means you've given your message before, and have enough confidence in it to sell it.

President Obama has refused to release 'death pictures' or video of the burial at sea, stating to CBS that "We don't need to spike the football" - and I think that's fair.

You will always run into people who don't believe in your message, or in you. More often than not, those people often don't believe in themselves, either - which means your message won't work for THEM.

As speakers, though, a bit of a celebratory dance is needed, as long as its done with the intent of benefiting the audience, by offering proof to them of what we're offering them, be it inspiration, finding a better career or relationship, or making efficient use of their time.

Of course, none of this proof will matter in the long run if what the speaker is saying isn't actually true - if their methods aren't effective, the promise isn't real, or the product is garbage. 

The integrity of your proof will reflect the integrity you possess. Many are willing to speak on broken promises, pipe dreams, and miracle cures. Their proof sparkles and glitters, but fades in the face of reality.

Provide your audience with proof of all kinds, implied or actual, but ALWAYS REAL - and you will be one of the few who Speak....and Deliver.

Speaking of Religion - Part II

Last week, in Speaking of Religion - Part I, I put forth a question about how speakers handle religion in their speeches. The response I got was interesting, to say the least.

Religion vs. Spirituality

Some argued over the term religion, and suggested spirituality was a better point of discussion for inclusion in speeches. Nina John, from the Chenai area in India, quoted one of her students, who made a profound remark "where religion ends spirituality begins".

This argument seemed semantic to me, but many felt strongly that religion and spirituality held very different territories - religion demarcating spirituality into smaller territories and more specific belief systems which made adding to a speech more problematic. Spirituality was more general, and allowed greater leeway.

Know Your Audience

The overwhelming recommendation came in the statement: know your audience. fellow speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite suggested asking yourself - "how does it benefit the audience, or provide value and tools relevant to the topic, to include your personal religious beliefs in the presentation?" - and suggested "different kinds of presentations allow for different kinds of personal expression."

Is your audience in need of hearing about your convictions for your to get your basic message across? Will you offend people? My friend Amelia put it this way - If I want a new hairstyle, I'll go to a salon. If I want to preach or be preached too, I'll go to church. I do not force my religious principles on others, and I do not appreciate others forcing theirs on me. I feel the same way about politics. 

Change your Language

Can you change spiritual language to a less 'charged' vocabulary and make the same point? Instead of invoking God, many invoke creator or universal force. Instead of mentioning Jesus, they say 'the Prophet' or 'the Great Storyteller'.

David Goad mentioned making a small change in his speech - from "Sometimes God sends us reminders that we are not alone" to "Sometimes we receive reminders that we are not alone." - which he felt made it more accessible. Still others said that ADDING scriptural references increased the impact of their speeches.

Atheism


This post also brought out a large contingent of Atheist discussions on my Facebook page. Comments ranged from "It doesn't bother me" to "why should I have to hear your spiritual views when I can't express my atheist views without being attacked."


My Thoughts


I can certainly see the value in the perspectives listed above. They make sense, particularly from a business standpoint. In particular, knowing your audience is a vital component to being a successful speaker. 


But I'm going to suggest that the solution to this issue begins earlier - that is, Know Your Self. 

Judi Rogers commented on Linked In: My mother used to quote Shakespeare to me: "To thine own self be true.." and I believe that includes your feelings on religion as well. It is very hard to ignore when it's so much a part of your life..and shouldn't be denied. It's part of our being and certainly our walk! However, you can include it in a non-threatening way...perhaps by saying something like "have you discovered that wonderful peace in your life??" You are not accusing or blaming, just speaking on a personal basis. Whenever I have done this, it receives nothing but positive feedback. It is hard to deny your own PERSONAL story! Or the repeating of someone else's story. If doesn't have to point out any particular denomination or persuasion--just the positive influence on your life or the "hero of your story."


Whether the matter at stake is religion, spirituality, or atheism, you must know yourself well enough to determine what you want to do with it as a speaker. Do you feel called to speak about it in your speech, regardless of the consequences? Do you feel compelled to share your God no matter the situation? Do you feel it is your mission in life to stop others from wasting their time in a false belief system about some old man in the sky? Then talk about it.


Its unlikely that many of us fall into the above categories. We are surrounded by teachings of political correctness and tolerance (two terms Lisa Braithwaite accurately describes as mocking true acceptance of actual differences), and are often uncomfortable with putting our beliefs on display in everyday life in general, much less on stage.


Even those of us with strong evangelical backgrounds worry about sabotaging our careers by talking about our faith, and unless we're in front of a faith-based audience, can easily justify sticking to the topic without adding any spiritual spice.


But until we come to terms with our own 'calling', our own take on how we share our theism or atheism, are we really being true to ourselves? 


Not everyone is called to evangelize their point of view - but if you ARE - that should be OK, and should be your first consideration. It may cost you business, and it may give you challenges when adding it into presentations, but it will ultimately give you more satisfaction knowing you are being true to yourself as a speaker.


Crazy advice, I suppose, in the eyes of most. But it all depends on what is most important to YOU to Speak & Deliver.

Speaking of President Obama

I was so pumped up yesterday watching the videos from President Obama's White House Correspondents Dinner speech - there were so many things he did well in his speech, and a couple places he (and his writers) could have provided greater impact.

First of all, he had some great jokes and jibes throughout the speech - the dinner is designed as a bit of a roast for everyone in attendance, and everything he said was justifiable in the moment. Overall it was very effective - from the videos to the Matt Damon to the 'doubts' cast on his potential opponent true nationality to his sarcasm-laden compliments of Donald Trump. While he went light on his actual 'political' opponents, he went for the jugular on "The Donald", in front of a crowd that clearly didn't hold Mr. Trump in high-esteem.



What didn't work quite as well - the supposed topper in the midst of his Trump riff - the picture of the White House if Trump were to move in. He had reached such a crescendo with the 'decisions that would keep me up at night' comment, that this, despite drawing laughter, seemed anti-climactic. Humor is always a risk, of course. The well-produced King's Speech spoof, went on a bit too long, and offered some uncomfortable moments more fitting for Michael Scott than the President and VP, though it offered a great send-up of movie previews in general, perhaps unintentionally.

While many still see President Obama as a superstar speaker, I have always a hard time with his halting style. His timing with his humor was off in countless places - punching the wrong word and failing to pick up the pace when humor fell flat. He chuckled at much of his own humor, which appeared  either self-serving or indicated it was the first time he'd seen it in front of him.

His transition at the end, however, was delivered well. His change in demeanor, from his facial expressions to the edge in his voice, was wholly appropriate, and brought the audience into an entirely different state of mind.

Overall - it was a great oratorical victory for him when he needed one desperately. He appeared human, he skewered his opposition, and he paid tribute to our military in one 20 minute speech.

What a great blog post this was going to be - as I delved into a minute by minute analysis of humor in leadership. And then, it all changed.



This 'victory' speech showed the strength in tone we have been looking for in our leader, whether we agree with him or not. He took the high road in his tone, despite having just struck a mighty blow in the name of the United States. He gave us a description of how we did it. He honored those who accomplished it and those who died in 9/11 and their families. He reminded us gently that we don't oppose Islam. He even ended with a patriotic excerpt from the Pledge of Allegiance, including the 'under God' portion, without looking like a gloating, red, white, and blue fanatic.

This speech was both well-written and well-delivered, and showed that when he is put in a position to speak on an event carrying this much weight, he is up to the task.

In addition, it makes the dinner speech that much more impressive, when we realize he was the only one in the room knowing how close we were to finding Osama bin Laden, and the risks we were taking to get him, even as he invoked the names of Meatloaf and Gary Busey in the same sentence.

Still, did our President Speak & Deliver this weekend. I still have my reservations about him being a great speaker, regardless of his politics.

It appears that when the pressure is on, President Obama can really Speak & Deliver. Unfortunately, I wonder if he doesn't put enough pressure on himself in his other settings? Does he not realize his every word will carry weight and endure scrutiny? Or does he simply choose not to care unless the situation is important enough to him to do so?