Speaking and Listening: Toastmasters Experience

 What do you value? At the Toastmasters Convention in August, Cait Donovan spoke of the value of knowing your own values in her session on "Dismantling Burnout."  How does knowing your values help dismantle burnout?  One situation that might lead to burnout - exhaustion, cynicism, and low productivity - is a disconnect between a person's own values and the values of the company they work for or the team they work with.  If you are feeling burned out due to this disconnect and don't realize it is the cause, it will be very hard to fix.  You won't know if there is a disconnect unless you understand your own values  as well as the values of your team and company. When identifying your values, it is critical to be completely honest .  Don't worry about what others will think of your values or what society thinks you "should" value.  Consider what you  value. Once you know your own values, then  you can compare them to the values of an organi...

One of the complaints I hear about the Toastmasters educational program, Pathways, is that there are projects and skills "missing" from the curriculum.  Before Pathways, Toastmasters provided a total of 85 different "projects" members could do tied to communication.  In Pathways, there are around 40 projects, so those who say we "lost" something may at the surface seem to be correct.  However, just comparing the numbers doesn't tell the whole story. Though there are fewer "projects" available in Pathways, each project comes with more information and resources than the pre-Pathways projects.  The pre-Pathways projects were grouped into "manuals", most with five speeches per manual.  Some of those five-speech manuals have been combined into a single speaking project in Pathways.  For example, Pathways has a "Connect with Storytelling" project that covers many aspects of Storytelling.  The member completes this "project...

I love that in Toastmasters, we have an opportunity to get feedback on everything, including on how we collect and present feedback! This "feedback on feedback" starts in Level 1 of the Pathways educational program.  In a level 1 Pathways project, the member is evaluated on an evaluation they give to another member.  Knowing how the feedback we supply is received is a great opportunity to improve our feedback-supplying skills. I recently took advantage of another opportunity to receive "feedback on feedback."  In my role as a Toastmasters District leader, I am hoping to collect feedback from our members on what we as a District do well and what we can improve.  I presented my initial survey to the District leadership team and got some great feedback on how I can improve the feedback survey itself!  I love the ideas and input I received.  I believe the final result of this feedback will be a better and more actionable feedback survey than what I came up with...

I love Toastmasters and can't imagine myself giving up my membership in the group.  However the reality is that most people do choose to leave Toastmasters at some point.  Why to people leave such a wonderful organization?  There are a variety of reasons, some positive and some not so positive, which I believe fall into four general categories.  In this post, I reflect on these categories and their implications for those of us who remain in Toastmasters and want to see its membership grow. 1.  They got what they wanted .  Some people join Toastmasters for a very specific reason.  Perhaps they are looking for a job and want to refine their interviewing skills.  Maybe they just got a job where they have to give more presentations and they want to gain the speaking skills and confidence they need to do well  There could be one specific event they want to prepare for, such as a wedding toast or a conference speech.  Once such a member feels ...

As the US holiday of Thanksgiving approaches, I reflect on what I am thankful for.  In addition to my faith, my family, my job, and of course my cats, Toastmasters is also on my list of things to be thankful for.  Here are my "top 5" reasons to be thankful for Toastmasters: 5.  A chance to share my passions (such as my family, job, and cats) through speeches 4.  Seeing the creativity of those who come up with fun meeting themes and table topics 3.  Learning new ideas from the presentations of others - members know so much about so many different things! 2.  Meeting people I would have never met had I not joined Toastmasters 1.  Endless opportunities to improve myself and help others improve! If you'd like to see all there is to be thankful for with Toastmasters, I'd be happy to invite you to join one of my clubs, or you can find one that's right for you at  https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club .

 This week at my Rail Talkers Toastmasters club I will present a speech called "POWER Speaking."  The speech covers a collection of tips for giving powerful presentations with the tip categories forming the acronym "POWER": P - Pick a topic O - Organize your speech W - Word choice E - Emotion R - Rehearsal and review What makes me especially excited about this speech is its versatility.  The speech consists of the tips, then a demo presentation, then discussion with the audience.  Within this format, I can adjust the speech for the given audience by giving different examples or a completely different "demo" presentation. For example, a fellow Toastmaster and I first gave this presentation at a conference for the National Association of Railroad Business Women.  When it came to "Pick a topic," I talked about being asked to speak at the conference and how that led to the topic of "POWER Speaking."  When I give the speech at my Rail Talker...

This weekend, my Toastmasters District is hosting our "Region Advisor" for a visit. What is a region advisor?  A region advisor is someone who "support[s] District leaders in fulfilling the District mission to build new clubs and support all clubs in achieving excellence." One of the ways the region advisor does this is by "Establish[ing] trusting relationships with District leaders through frequent and consistent communication." (https://www.toastmasters.org/leadership-central/region-advisor-tools). Our region advisor is certainly supporting us and helping to develop trusting relationships through her visit!  She is contributing her precious time and knowledge as she visits Toastmasters meetings, meets with prospective clubs, and shares meals with District leaders.  Even apart from this in-person experience, she holds monthly Zoom calls with leaders, hosts online training, and makes herself readily available by phone and Zoom for anyone desiring addit...

At last weekend's District 24 Toastmasters Conference, one of the guest speakers, Dr. Dilip Abayasekara, talked about the importance of the "two legs" of excellent Toastmasters club meetings: 1. Emotional Experience 2. Educational Progress This was an "ah-ha" moment for me because it perfectly captured what I love about Toastmasters:  I get to form real connections with my fellow club members as we support one another ("emotional experience") while also learning new things and improving my speaking and leadership skills ("educational progress").  These two "legs" reflect that we have both emotional  and educational  needs that Toastmasters can help fulfill. For those who are Toastmasters members, Dr. Dilip gave us two questions to ask after each meeting to make sure we are fulfilling both of those needs: 1. Do I feel emotionally enriched? 2. Am I learning and improving? If you find you cannot answer "yes" to both question...

 I wrote the title of this post a full week ago and was amused to see that between writing the title and finally writing the post, the exact same phrase was used in the exact same context in which I intended it. What is that context?  Planning a Toastmasters Division-level speech contest for two different Divisions as part of a single event.  A speech contest is quite an affair in and of itself, but double the contest means double the fun and potentially double the work.  Fortunately, I was far from alone in planning this event.  Double the contests also means double the pool of potential helpers, and the helpers were amazing! The biggest challenge for me in planning this event was giving up control and letting others do what they were meant to do.  If I had tried to do it all, it would have been far too much.  (Plus the guidelines of the contest make it so that I wasn't even allowed to "do it all.")  By dividing up tasks between a contest chair, ...

 Is there a "right" way or a "wrong" way to be a mentor?  I would say there are some pretty obvious "wrong" ways: Never talking to your protege == WRONG Not listening to your protege == WRONG Not showing any interest in your protege == WRONG Not answering questions while also not trying to find answers == WRONG Mentoring just to "check a box" == WRONG These "wrongs" are pretty obvious, by after reviewing the "Advanced Mentoring" project from Toastmasters, I realized there was a key thing I'm not  doing as a mentor that I really should, and that's getting feedback on how I'm doing . As with most things, I can't really know if I'm doing well or not unless I have some way to assess how I'm doing.  With being a mentor, that means checking with my protege from time to time on how our relationship is going.  Toastmasters provides some questions both for regular (suggested monthly) check-ins on the relationshi...

Yesterday I attended a Toastmasters workshop on "corporate clubs," meaning Toastmasters clubs that are fully supported and managed by a corporation.  The workshop, led by Pat Johnson, DTM, PIP, emphasized the importance of the corporation  partnering with Toastmasters in this effort.  Rather than simply "allowing" the club to exist, the decision-makers in the corporation actively work with the Toastmasters leaders to ensure the educational program provided by Toastmasters is effective at their corporation. This got me thinking about the difference between "allowing" something and actively partnering with others to make it successful.  If I think something is a good idea but I'm not really invested in it or I have higher priorities, I might "allow" someone else to work on it - I won't get in their way and I might even offer advice - but I won't be active in making it happen.  There is no "partnership" and no "ownership...

Every month, Toastmasters District 24 leaders (folks who help Toastmasters clubs in mostly Nebraska) get together for an educational session. This month was a special session presented in person by our Region Advisor (someone who assists several Districts) Jamie Pickering. The session was about self-motivation and self-leadership, including discovering the power you may already have without realizing it.  Though the session mostly covered things I had already considered, I thought it was worth drawing attention to the "five points of power" that Jamie discussed.  As Jamie stated, we are unlikely to have large amounts of all five points of power, but we certainly have at least some degree of some of them. The five points of power are: Knowledge - what you know Personal - interpersonal skills and vision Relationship - connections to others in power Task - control over resources or tasks Position - title or authority to make decisions In my job, I feel I have a lot of knowledg...

Rail Talkers invites you to their special event:  "Breadwinners' Tricks and Treats" on Saturday, October 21 at 1:30pm at the  Benson Branch of the Omaha Public Library, 6015 Binney St, Omaha, NE, 68104. Join us to tell a tale, share a reading, or simply be delighted by what others have to say! Those wishing to actively participate get up to 10(ish) minutes to read from the work(s) of others or tell a story of their own creation.  The theme of "Tricks and Treats" is meant to inspire you, though using the theme is not required. The event will have three categories, with a prize for the audience favorite in each category: 1. Readings (read a favorite short story, poem, or other work) 2. Compilations (combine excerpts from various works into a cohesive narrative or message) 3. Stories (tell an original story - real or imagined) Speakers also have the option to receive an evaluation for credit in Pathways!  The "Connect with Storytelling" and "Vocal Va...

 Today was "Dundee Day", an annual street festival in the neighborhood where one of my Toastmasters clubs meets.  As a part of the community, our club hosted a booth at the festival.  At the booth, many people (mostly kids) engaged with club members as we asked them to speak into a microphone and share their name along with a story, joke, or what they liked about Dundee Day.  In return, they got to pick a prize from our table. I saw a wide variety of reactions to this "ask" to speak up.  Some were excited to speak to speak; some needed encouragement before realizing it wasn't so scary; some outright declined the opportunity.  In all cases, though, we got to show people a taste of what Toastmasters is about:  giving people a platform to find their voice and helping them become better communicators in a positive and encouraging environment. When Toastmasters, or any organization, can go beyond our normal meetings and get out into the community, we can re...

Team Building and High Performance Leadership.  These are two projects that popped up in my Toastmasters Pathways curriculum that tied in very nicely with things I already planned to do in my work place.  Thanks to Toastmasters, I can get awards for completing these items, and I get access to additional resources to help me make my efforts more successful. Team Building is a requirement for me to complete Level 5 of my Motivational Strategies path.  An interested thing I saw in this project was that I am encouraged not just to organize a team building event on my own, but to work with a small team to organize an event with a larger team!  This "requirement" prompted me to seek out input from teammates in my workplace as we plan an event for the fall.  Thanks to Toastmasters, I have been encouraged to not just "go it alone" in planning something, but to work with others.  After all, a team building event is most successful if the team it is serving is bought...

 Happy New Year!  Today, July 1, marks the first day of the new Toastmasters year.  I have several "roles" in the year ahead, all of which I have some familiarity with, and all of which merit some goals.  Here are my current thoughts on my goals for my various roles: Treasurer of Club 229 :   Earn the "Early Bird" award both terms (at least 8 membership dues submitted 15 days prior to deadline) Make good use of the discount coupon we received for membership growth - Don't let it expire without use! VP PR of Rail Talkers Get at least one article about the club posted on the internal website of the company (Union Pacific) that supports the club Publish a newsletter summarizing club and member accomplishments at least once a quarter Promote the winner of "Rail Talker of the Year" (and make sure "Rail Talker of the Year", our annual award that we did for several years and stopped doing in 2020, returns!) President of Tech Talkers Complete our Clu...

 A fellow Toastmasters member asked me for tips on running a hybrid meeting and I realized:  What a great opportunity for a blog post!  So here it goes... In our "life with COVID" world, many organizations (including Toastmasters and its clubs) are seeking to offer flexible participation in events.  In other words, we give people the option of whether they want to travel to a designated location to participate in a meeting where fellow participants are also gathered OR join on their own computer, tablet, or phone from their home, office, etc.  This meeting with options for how to attend is often referred to as "hybrid." To run a successful Toastmasters hybrid meeting, you need to consider all four of the following types of participants: "In person" audience member "In person" speaker Remote audience member Remote speaker You will always have both "in person" and remote audience members.  Whether you currently have an "in person...

Last month, I was elected to the position of "Division Director" within Toastmasters.  In this role, I must recruit three "Area Directors" who will each provide insights and guidance to five Toastmasters clubs.  As I reach out to individuals and ask them to fill this role, I reflect on my experience as Area Director back in 2015-2016.  When I agreed to the role, I knew some basics of what was expected of me, but did not understand the whole scope of what I would experience until I was "on the job."  Fortunately, the surprises were overwhelmingly positive and I learned a lot.  What follows are some of my key experiences from my time as an Area Director. Leadership Skills Training .   Area Directors in my District get to attend training every month.  While this may seem like a "responsibility," I found it to really be a reward of the role.  The year I was Area Director, we all took an "Emotional Intelligence" test and reflected on our res...

When something matters to us, we strive for excellence .  Excellence is not perfection, but it is the outcome of continuing to do one's best over a period of time.  Even if an intermediate outcome is not something you would call excellence , you can achieve something closer to excellence  the next time by learning from what did not go well and acting on ideas for how to improve.  Excellence  is closely related to caring about something . When it comes to the development of any skill, you won't go far if you don't care.  Having  excellence  as a core value of Toastmasters reminds us of why most members join Toastmasters in the first place:  to improve their communication skills, leadership skills, and/or self-confidence.  Continuous improvement is the path to excellence  and you only advance on that path by caring  about the outcome, by giving it your best effort and learning from any mistakes you make along the way. There ...

When I joined Toastmasters, my focus was mostly on myself.  I considered:  What can I  gain from membership?  How will this help me  improve my skills?  What do I enjoy about the meetings?  I think this is common when starting any educational journey - we start the journey to grow our own skills and knowledge.  As the journey progresses, we gain knowledge, skills, and confidence.  And what do we do after  we have gained the knowledge, skills, and confidence we sought?  In addition to continuing to grow ourselves even further, we can start seeking opportunities to help others grow their knowledge, skills, and confidence.  This is where the Toastmasters core value of service  comes in. Toastmasters members can serve  fellow members in many ways.  One way is through mentorship , which includes helping a new member set and work towards their goals.  This is service  to another individual.   Member...