First day of speechcraft
More photos for first day, please click here
Second day of speechcraft
For more photo on day 2, please click here
Posted by : Calista Chan
Photo, Photo and more PHOTO....
More photos for first day, please click here
Second day of speechcraft
For more photo on day 2, please click here
Posted by : Calista Chan
SPEECHCRAFT PROGRAM AT MECHMAR CORP BHD
"Dear Members of MMKL,TM,
The Speechcraft Programme was a great success and it made all of us very happy.
1) I had benefited in making new friends and increased my bondage with fellow members.
2) Discovery of new skills, like How to Motivate Someone Reluctant to prepare and give his 1st speech.
3)Felt so happy when they did the speeches successfully. The best moment was when they end up a much better person and speaker, upon completion of the course and join us.
4) Calista's Ice Breaker speech, done on stage , did it very well, made me feel proud of her success and her courage and confidence.CONGRATULATIONS! Calista.
5) The help of Siew Yin and Huey Yee to help Calista and Erica with the proper use of English, grammar and Rhetorical Devices in their 4th Speech - How to say it - made Calista the BEST SPEAKER in our meeting on 25th Nov,2008. ERICA also did very well.Erica,Keep up the good work. Thank You - Siew Yin and Huey Yee, you also did a great job in the Speech Craft Programme.I appreciate both of you,thanks very much.
6) I was very impress with President Hj Hashim's speeches, delivered in a very professional way with dignity, excellent use of words,very expressive, spoken with feelings of joy.
CONGRATULATION! President Haji Hashim.Many members and participants said the same.
7) If I go on expressing my gratitude and appreciations, It will take me many hours, I will cut short my email.For the rest of you A Big THANK YOU!
Special Thanks to ACG KL Loh for the GRAND OPPORTUNITY and DTM Francis Ng for coming up with the very detail programme.To others,Thank you very much for being my friend.
Bye! SMILE and see you soon,"
Paul Tan
Paul Tan has said it in his email dated 27th Nov. 2008, to show his appreciation and to let everyone knows how successful was the speechcraft that we had conducted for the management staff and senior executives of Mechmar Corporation Bhd on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2008. For the record and references of the club I posted Paul Tan's message into the blog. Paul Tan summed it very well indeed. Thank you Paul Tan.
Just to add a few more points, according to Francis Ng who had experienced many speechcrafts before, this speechcraft was the best so far that he has attended and helped organise. Our profound appreciation and gratitude off course goes to Francis Ng who spent sleepless nights and more than 40 hours (according to him)to come up with the two-day speechcraft program for Mechmar Corporation. This program can be adapted as a template for future programs and can be customised to suit the needs of any organisation that wishes to organise such program for their staff and members.
Our profound appreciation and gratitude also goes to our ATM-G KL Loh who is the CEO of Mechmar Corporation who gave us the golden opportunity and who also gave us the the confidence and trust to our team to conduct the program for his company. Our team led by Francis and President Hj Hashim, as the Chief Coordinator, comprised of Hj Naburi, Paul Tan, Tan Ben Hoe, Liew Siew Yin, Chong Huey Yee, E. K. Yeo, Gean Lau, Janice Ooi, Calista, Erica, James, Cindy Foong, Jeff Saw and Khoshim and of course KL Loh who took up the roles of facilitators and time-keepers. Everyone performed to their level best and gave unselfish probono service to make the program a great success. Kudos, thank you and congratulations to all of you.
On the first day of the program, there were 23 paticipants including two lady managers from Jakarta and Medan and one manager from Pasir Gudang Johor. The program was so well coordinated like professionals and we proved to those involved, speechcrafters and facilitators alike, of the importance of time management as the events were conducted right on the dot according to the stipulated time. Within two days the speechcrafters were assigned to prepare and present five speeches and to a many of them it was a mind boggling exercises and they come up a better speakers at the end of the two days. As has been proven seven of them comprising of Julia, Sanjay, Sook Meng, Shirley, Teh Yi Ling, Bay Tan and Soon attended our meeting on the 25th Nov., 2008, two days after the progam. I observed that Sook Meng and Yi Ling had booked their slots to do their project speech no four in our next meeting to be held on 9th Dec., 2008. Kudos to both of you. This is indeed the best pay off to all of us who helped conduct the speechcraft program with great success.
The Speechcraft Programme was a great success and it made all of us very happy.
1) I had benefited in making new friends and increased my bondage with fellow members.
2) Discovery of new skills, like How to Motivate Someone Reluctant to prepare and give his 1st speech.
3)Felt so happy when they did the speeches successfully. The best moment was when they end up a much better person and speaker, upon completion of the course and join us.
4) Calista's Ice Breaker speech, done on stage , did it very well, made me feel proud of her success and her courage and confidence.CONGRATULATIONS! Calista.
5) The help of Siew Yin and Huey Yee to help Calista and Erica with the proper use of English, grammar and Rhetorical Devices in their 4th Speech - How to say it - made Calista the BEST SPEAKER in our meeting on 25th Nov,2008. ERICA also did very well.Erica,Keep up the good work. Thank You - Siew Yin and Huey Yee, you also did a great job in the Speech Craft Programme.I appreciate both of you,thanks very much.
6) I was very impress with President Hj Hashim's speeches, delivered in a very professional way with dignity, excellent use of words,very expressive, spoken with feelings of joy.
CONGRATULATION! President Haji Hashim.Many members and participants said the same.
7) If I go on expressing my gratitude and appreciations, It will take me many hours, I will cut short my email.For the rest of you A Big THANK YOU!
Special Thanks to ACG KL Loh for the GRAND OPPORTUNITY and DTM Francis Ng for coming up with the very detail programme.To others,Thank you very much for being my friend.
Bye! SMILE and see you soon,"
Paul Tan
Paul Tan has said it in his email dated 27th Nov. 2008, to show his appreciation and to let everyone knows how successful was the speechcraft that we had conducted for the management staff and senior executives of Mechmar Corporation Bhd on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2008. For the record and references of the club I posted Paul Tan's message into the blog. Paul Tan summed it very well indeed. Thank you Paul Tan.
Just to add a few more points, according to Francis Ng who had experienced many speechcrafts before, this speechcraft was the best so far that he has attended and helped organise. Our profound appreciation and gratitude off course goes to Francis Ng who spent sleepless nights and more than 40 hours (according to him)to come up with the two-day speechcraft program for Mechmar Corporation. This program can be adapted as a template for future programs and can be customised to suit the needs of any organisation that wishes to organise such program for their staff and members.
Our profound appreciation and gratitude also goes to our ATM-G KL Loh who is the CEO of Mechmar Corporation who gave us the golden opportunity and who also gave us the the confidence and trust to our team to conduct the program for his company. Our team led by Francis and President Hj Hashim, as the Chief Coordinator, comprised of Hj Naburi, Paul Tan, Tan Ben Hoe, Liew Siew Yin, Chong Huey Yee, E. K. Yeo, Gean Lau, Janice Ooi, Calista, Erica, James, Cindy Foong, Jeff Saw and Khoshim and of course KL Loh who took up the roles of facilitators and time-keepers. Everyone performed to their level best and gave unselfish probono service to make the program a great success. Kudos, thank you and congratulations to all of you.
On the first day of the program, there were 23 paticipants including two lady managers from Jakarta and Medan and one manager from Pasir Gudang Johor. The program was so well coordinated like professionals and we proved to those involved, speechcrafters and facilitators alike, of the importance of time management as the events were conducted right on the dot according to the stipulated time. Within two days the speechcrafters were assigned to prepare and present five speeches and to a many of them it was a mind boggling exercises and they come up a better speakers at the end of the two days. As has been proven seven of them comprising of Julia, Sanjay, Sook Meng, Shirley, Teh Yi Ling, Bay Tan and Soon attended our meeting on the 25th Nov., 2008, two days after the progam. I observed that Sook Meng and Yi Ling had booked their slots to do their project speech no four in our next meeting to be held on 9th Dec., 2008. Kudos to both of you. This is indeed the best pay off to all of us who helped conduct the speechcraft program with great success.
SPEECH BLOOPERS MADE BY PRESIDENT BUSH
GWB - We will miss him.......sort of
"The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."
- George W. Bush
"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
- George W. Bush
"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one
word is 'to be prepared'."
- George W. Bush
"I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the
future."
- George W.Bush
"The future will be better tomorrow."
- George W. Bush
"We're going to have the best educated American people in the world."
- George W. Bush
"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."
- George W. Bush
"We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm
commitment to Europe. We are a part of Europe."
- George W. Bush
"Public speaking is very easy."
- George W. Bush
"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."
- George W. Bush
"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
- George W. Bush
"For NASA, space is still a high priority."
- George W. Bush
"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."
- George W. Bush
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in
our air and water that are doing it."
- George W. Bush
"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system."
- George W. Bush
Contributed by: Hj Hashim Adnan, CC., CL
(President)
Posted By: Hj Naburi Idin, CTM.,CL
(VPPR)
"The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."
- George W. Bush
"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."
- George W. Bush
"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one
word is 'to be prepared'."
- George W. Bush
"I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the
future."
- George W.Bush
"The future will be better tomorrow."
- George W. Bush
"We're going to have the best educated American people in the world."
- George W. Bush
"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."
- George W. Bush
"We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm
commitment to Europe. We are a part of Europe."
- George W. Bush
"Public speaking is very easy."
- George W. Bush
"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."
- George W. Bush
"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."
- George W. Bush
"For NASA, space is still a high priority."
- George W. Bush
"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."
- George W. Bush
"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in
our air and water that are doing it."
- George W. Bush
"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system."
- George W. Bush
Contributed by: Hj Hashim Adnan, CC., CL
(President)
Posted By: Hj Naburi Idin, CTM.,CL
(VPPR)
AWESOME MEETING OF 162ND -25TH NOV. 2008
It was really an awesome and fantastic meeting that we had last night. There were 21 members turned up for the meeting plus 7 new members from Mechmar Bhd who made up of the speechcraft graduates that we had conducted over the weekend. So WELCOME to Julia, Sanjay, Sook Meng, Shiley, Soon, Yi Ling and Bay Tan to the Club. We also have as our guests Joseph and Shireen, Uncle Kasi (an old timer toastmaster from Penang), Jaleen and KM. Our AGW1, CC, CL Satchit Anantha was gracious in playing the role of General Evaluator. Altogether there were 34 attendants at the meeting last night. I believe this is the biggest turn out so far at our club meeting. Congratulations to all who made the meeting awesome and successful. All our guests were very happy and very impressed with the proceedings of the meeting.
We also welcome the presence of our newest member, Duncan to the club who took part in the Table Topic sessions conducted by Victor Wan. 5 speakers took the challenges to think and speak on their feet on topics that was quite tough given by Victor. But the speakers did their best especially Sook Meng and Duncan who are new to this session. Kudos to both of them.
The ASAA's role was taken by Aziz who perform his duty in his usual jovial manner and he always brings laughter to the audience whenever he had the chance to stand in front and speak, especially during the Table Topic session of which he was one of the participant. However congratulations to Paul Tan who won the Best Table Topic Speaker award.
The President, last night in his usual manner, gave us an inspiring opening message of "Lift People UP & Respect Them." which I had posted in the Blog. The President also played the role of Toastmaster of the Evening and it goes without saying that his manner of conducting the meeting was superb. The meeting went through with full of laughter and fun right to the end with the added humor of Hj Naburi and the GE Satchit who made everyone laugh right through the evaluation sessions.
The seasoned evaluators of Tan Ben Hoe, KL Loh and Francis did their speakers justice in giving fair and useful feedback to Calista, Erica and Cindy Foong. The three speakers gave inspiring speeches of their experiences either through Cyberspace, or the reality of selling experience or the trip to South Africa with its inclement weather. Calista's speech really touched everyone's heart and she was voted the best project speaker of the evening.
All in all it was a night full of fun and laughter whilst we help each other to improve our communication skills and true to the motto of Friends Helping Friends Succeed. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE MEETING WORTH ATTENDING. KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU.
Posted by:
Hj Naburi
VPPR
We also welcome the presence of our newest member, Duncan to the club who took part in the Table Topic sessions conducted by Victor Wan. 5 speakers took the challenges to think and speak on their feet on topics that was quite tough given by Victor. But the speakers did their best especially Sook Meng and Duncan who are new to this session. Kudos to both of them.
The ASAA's role was taken by Aziz who perform his duty in his usual jovial manner and he always brings laughter to the audience whenever he had the chance to stand in front and speak, especially during the Table Topic session of which he was one of the participant. However congratulations to Paul Tan who won the Best Table Topic Speaker award.
The President, last night in his usual manner, gave us an inspiring opening message of "Lift People UP & Respect Them." which I had posted in the Blog. The President also played the role of Toastmaster of the Evening and it goes without saying that his manner of conducting the meeting was superb. The meeting went through with full of laughter and fun right to the end with the added humor of Hj Naburi and the GE Satchit who made everyone laugh right through the evaluation sessions.
The seasoned evaluators of Tan Ben Hoe, KL Loh and Francis did their speakers justice in giving fair and useful feedback to Calista, Erica and Cindy Foong. The three speakers gave inspiring speeches of their experiences either through Cyberspace, or the reality of selling experience or the trip to South Africa with its inclement weather. Calista's speech really touched everyone's heart and she was voted the best project speaker of the evening.
All in all it was a night full of fun and laughter whilst we help each other to improve our communication skills and true to the motto of Friends Helping Friends Succeed. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE MEETING WORTH ATTENDING. KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU.
Posted by:
Hj Naburi
VPPR
LIFT PEOPLE UP & RESPECT THEM
In line with the theme of the Day: "Respecting Each Other", the President, CC, CL Hj Hashim at our 162nd meeting last night the 25th. Nov., 2008 began his speech by giving the audience this inspiring message: "..one of the most exciting decisions you can make is to be on the lookout for opportunities to invest in others. This has been one of the most powerful principles of momentum in life.
Zig Ziglar said, "You will always have everything you want in life if you will help enough other people get what they want". One of the marks of true greatness is to develop greatness in others. "There are three keys to more abundant living: caring about othersw, daring for others, and sharing with others' says William Ward.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give, says Norman MacEwan. Assign yourself the purpose of making others happy and successful. People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be. Ralph Waldo Emerson observed "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and help them to become what they are capable of being."
There is no investment you can make that will pay you so well as investing in the improvement of others throughout your life. There are two types of people in the world: those who come into a room and say "Here I am" and those who come in and say,
"Ah, there you are". How do you know a good person? A good person makes others feel good. Find happiness by helping others find it. Respect others and you will be respected.
Posted by
Hj Naburi
VPPR
Zig Ziglar said, "You will always have everything you want in life if you will help enough other people get what they want". One of the marks of true greatness is to develop greatness in others. "There are three keys to more abundant living: caring about othersw, daring for others, and sharing with others' says William Ward.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give, says Norman MacEwan. Assign yourself the purpose of making others happy and successful. People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be. Ralph Waldo Emerson observed "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and help them to become what they are capable of being."
There is no investment you can make that will pay you so well as investing in the improvement of others throughout your life. There are two types of people in the world: those who come into a room and say "Here I am" and those who come in and say,
"Ah, there you are". How do you know a good person? A good person makes others feel good. Find happiness by helping others find it. Respect others and you will be respected.
Posted by
Hj Naburi
VPPR
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS
For the Toastmaster of the Meeting: Tips for a Successful Meeting
Note: These tips are written for members of Village Toastmasters and apply to our particular traditions. Our meetings are held Thursday mornings, and the timeframes here reflect this. However, the basic principles contained herein can be applied to any club's meetings.
Have you noticed that all of our meetings are good, but some are just better? Sometimes it seems like a second waker-upper is needed, while other meetings are full of energy. What's the difference?
The difference is preparation. The job of the Toastmaster of the meeting is not particularly difficult. The Toastmaster need not make speeches or evaluations. The Toastmaster is the person who ties the meeting together - the common face seen from beginning to end. However, for a meeting to go from ordinary to extraordinary, the Toastmaster should make his or her presence felt not only during the meeting, but from the time the previous meeting has ended!
1) Confirm your speakers and general evaluator before the previous meeting ends. Your speakers are responsible for finding their own replacements if they can't make it, but some do not, so finding those replacements at the meeting is much easier.
2) Call your speakers, general evaluator, and functionaries twice! The first time should be Thursday morning, just after everyone is back to work, when you can catch them by the phone.
Don't wait until the weekend - that's the time your speakers need to practice. Better yet - call them the day before the meeting which precedes yours, you will know who can't make it, and can try to find replacement functionaries at that meeting. Even though it is the functionary's responsibility to find a replacement, the Toastmaster often gets stuck with this task!
Don't delay placing your first calls because you have not come up with a meeting theme. Instead, solicit suggestions during those first calls. Your functionaries will be glad to be able to contribute to the selection of theme.
The second calls should be placed Sunday evening. This should be a follow-up call to remind people of their duty, and find out if there are any problems in time to correct them.
3) Don't call evaluators. Delegate this job to the General Evaluator. But check up on your General Evaluator, and be prepared to scrounge up Evaluators at the last minute.
4) Do not trust voicemail. I find that about 75% of our members do not respond to voicemail (!). Do not considered someone notified until you speak to them in person. Do not give anyone more than a day to respond to voicemail; in fact, try calling back an hour or so after you leave your message. Leave messages at home and work. Stress the importance of calling back either with a confirmation, or the name of their replacement.
The best way to avoid voicemail is call people when they are likely to be there! During the week, this is between 8:30 AM and 10 AM in the morning, when people are at their desks, or at home around 7:00 PM in the evenings. Calls on weekends should be made early Saturday morning, before people go out, or early Sunday evening.
5) On Wednesday, call everyone else on the roster. I like to say, "I'm not sure I'm going to need a Waker-Upper tomorrow, and it would be great if you could help me start the meeting." If you're uncomfortable with this, just say that you're not sure all your functionaries will show up, and you may need help with perhaps timer or waker-upper or ah-counter. This not only gives members a reason to come, but you can make this statement truthfully because functionary switching is a fact of life. A third call to your functionaries would be a good idea.
6) Prepare introductions. Before you call your functionaries with the meeting theme, see if you can think of an introduction for them on your own, first. Then, run it by them. They will often suggest something else, so you have two choices to make. Don't get bent out of shape about being entirely accurate about an introduction. It should be lively, colorful, and complimentary, and the Toastmaster is entitled to use a little artistic license here and there to make this happen.
7) Make an agenda so that members and guests can follow the flow of the meeting. List your functionaries names, speech titles, times, and which manual speech is being presented.
8) On Thursday morning, show up early. Greet your functionaries. Loosen up and say 'hi' to your friends, and even guests. The key here is to loosen up. Ensure that the meeting starts on time even if not all of your functionaries are present.
Don't worry if you can't find a replacement for a missing functionary before the meeting starts. It is an always an easy matter to get a volunteer at the time the functionary is to be introduced. For example, when it is time to introduce the timer, say "It would appear that my Timer is not here yet. Would someone mind volunteering as Timer? ... Mary, would you mind doubling up as Timer and Grammarian? Thank you!" You don't need to berate the person who does not show up. First of all, it is possible that an emergency prevented them from showing. Second, it will be obvious to everyone that they did not show up, especially if their name was listed on your agenda. You need not be embarrassed, because you have done your job - in fact, more than your job, because you have found their replacement for them! This problem is a fact of life in any meeting, so if you are able to handle it deftly without getting bent out of shape or being apologetic, you have truly become a Toastmaster.
Good Toastmasters know that meetings are fluid and cannot be completely planned out. They are flexible so that they can not only overcome small problems with ease, but can take the meeting in new directions if these opportunities present themselves!
9) Afterwards, thank all those who came for showing up to the meeting. It does not hurt to call. It will make them feel good, and be willing to help again next time you are Toastmaster.
The short list of all this follows. As you can see, there is not a particular large amount of work involved, but a time commitment is required. I would suggest writing these in your planner as action items.
* Thursday AM:
Confirm functionaries Thursday morning after the preceding meeting. Solicit ideas for a meeting theme if necessary.
* Saturday AM:
Find replacements for functionaries who have not responded to repeated voicemail messages. (This is not your job, but having to do it from time to time is a fact of Toastmasters.)
* Thursday through Sunday:
Think about your theme, and write down some ideas for introductions for your functionaries.
* Sunday evening:
Reconfirm functionaries. Finalize ideas for introductions. Practice anecdotes you plan to tell as part of your introduction, between speeches, and at the end of the meeting.
* Monday, Tuesday:
Handle any last minute functionary changes.
* Wednesday morning:
Call the rest of the members on the roster for "possible functionary replacements." (If the roster is particularly large, ask your President and other board members for help.)
* Wednesday afternoon:
Prepare your agenda and print 20-30 copies. Prepare your meeting notes. I suggest one small sheet of notes for each time you will be at the podium. See if you can eliminate your notes.
* Wednesday evening:
Get a good nights sleep.
* The Meeting:
Arrive early. Give every functionary a warm welcome and a thank-you before the meeting starts! Find any replacements if you can, but don't let it consume you or prevent you greeting your functionaries. Tell your waker-upper to start the meeting on time, even if everyone has not yet shown up. Remember that you are talking to your friends, and volunteers are easy to find even mid-meeting!
* After the meeting:
Follow up with a thank you to your functionaries.
The reason that these tips lead to a successful meeting is that your attendees are no longer bystanders, they are participants. You don't need to work hard to build up energy during the meeting, because they have arrived already full of it. They feel good because they know they are playing a key part in making your meeting successful. Being Toastmaster is one of my favorite jobs, because after building up this energy, I get to be "king of the hill" for a day, and have an opportunity to flatter everyone with fun introductions. Approach the job of Toastmaster with preparation, enthusiasm, and an open attitude for the unexpected, and you and your audience will have a great time and a rewarding experience.
Sean Sheedy
Note: These tips are written for members of Village Toastmasters and apply to our particular traditions. Our meetings are held Thursday mornings, and the timeframes here reflect this. However, the basic principles contained herein can be applied to any club's meetings.
Have you noticed that all of our meetings are good, but some are just better? Sometimes it seems like a second waker-upper is needed, while other meetings are full of energy. What's the difference?
The difference is preparation. The job of the Toastmaster of the meeting is not particularly difficult. The Toastmaster need not make speeches or evaluations. The Toastmaster is the person who ties the meeting together - the common face seen from beginning to end. However, for a meeting to go from ordinary to extraordinary, the Toastmaster should make his or her presence felt not only during the meeting, but from the time the previous meeting has ended!
1) Confirm your speakers and general evaluator before the previous meeting ends. Your speakers are responsible for finding their own replacements if they can't make it, but some do not, so finding those replacements at the meeting is much easier.
2) Call your speakers, general evaluator, and functionaries twice! The first time should be Thursday morning, just after everyone is back to work, when you can catch them by the phone.
Don't wait until the weekend - that's the time your speakers need to practice. Better yet - call them the day before the meeting which precedes yours, you will know who can't make it, and can try to find replacement functionaries at that meeting. Even though it is the functionary's responsibility to find a replacement, the Toastmaster often gets stuck with this task!
Don't delay placing your first calls because you have not come up with a meeting theme. Instead, solicit suggestions during those first calls. Your functionaries will be glad to be able to contribute to the selection of theme.
The second calls should be placed Sunday evening. This should be a follow-up call to remind people of their duty, and find out if there are any problems in time to correct them.
3) Don't call evaluators. Delegate this job to the General Evaluator. But check up on your General Evaluator, and be prepared to scrounge up Evaluators at the last minute.
4) Do not trust voicemail. I find that about 75% of our members do not respond to voicemail (!). Do not considered someone notified until you speak to them in person. Do not give anyone more than a day to respond to voicemail; in fact, try calling back an hour or so after you leave your message. Leave messages at home and work. Stress the importance of calling back either with a confirmation, or the name of their replacement.
The best way to avoid voicemail is call people when they are likely to be there! During the week, this is between 8:30 AM and 10 AM in the morning, when people are at their desks, or at home around 7:00 PM in the evenings. Calls on weekends should be made early Saturday morning, before people go out, or early Sunday evening.
5) On Wednesday, call everyone else on the roster. I like to say, "I'm not sure I'm going to need a Waker-Upper tomorrow, and it would be great if you could help me start the meeting." If you're uncomfortable with this, just say that you're not sure all your functionaries will show up, and you may need help with perhaps timer or waker-upper or ah-counter. This not only gives members a reason to come, but you can make this statement truthfully because functionary switching is a fact of life. A third call to your functionaries would be a good idea.
6) Prepare introductions. Before you call your functionaries with the meeting theme, see if you can think of an introduction for them on your own, first. Then, run it by them. They will often suggest something else, so you have two choices to make. Don't get bent out of shape about being entirely accurate about an introduction. It should be lively, colorful, and complimentary, and the Toastmaster is entitled to use a little artistic license here and there to make this happen.
7) Make an agenda so that members and guests can follow the flow of the meeting. List your functionaries names, speech titles, times, and which manual speech is being presented.
8) On Thursday morning, show up early. Greet your functionaries. Loosen up and say 'hi' to your friends, and even guests. The key here is to loosen up. Ensure that the meeting starts on time even if not all of your functionaries are present.
Don't worry if you can't find a replacement for a missing functionary before the meeting starts. It is an always an easy matter to get a volunteer at the time the functionary is to be introduced. For example, when it is time to introduce the timer, say "It would appear that my Timer is not here yet. Would someone mind volunteering as Timer? ... Mary, would you mind doubling up as Timer and Grammarian? Thank you!" You don't need to berate the person who does not show up. First of all, it is possible that an emergency prevented them from showing. Second, it will be obvious to everyone that they did not show up, especially if their name was listed on your agenda. You need not be embarrassed, because you have done your job - in fact, more than your job, because you have found their replacement for them! This problem is a fact of life in any meeting, so if you are able to handle it deftly without getting bent out of shape or being apologetic, you have truly become a Toastmaster.
Good Toastmasters know that meetings are fluid and cannot be completely planned out. They are flexible so that they can not only overcome small problems with ease, but can take the meeting in new directions if these opportunities present themselves!
9) Afterwards, thank all those who came for showing up to the meeting. It does not hurt to call. It will make them feel good, and be willing to help again next time you are Toastmaster.
The short list of all this follows. As you can see, there is not a particular large amount of work involved, but a time commitment is required. I would suggest writing these in your planner as action items.
* Thursday AM:
Confirm functionaries Thursday morning after the preceding meeting. Solicit ideas for a meeting theme if necessary.
* Saturday AM:
Find replacements for functionaries who have not responded to repeated voicemail messages. (This is not your job, but having to do it from time to time is a fact of Toastmasters.)
* Thursday through Sunday:
Think about your theme, and write down some ideas for introductions for your functionaries.
* Sunday evening:
Reconfirm functionaries. Finalize ideas for introductions. Practice anecdotes you plan to tell as part of your introduction, between speeches, and at the end of the meeting.
* Monday, Tuesday:
Handle any last minute functionary changes.
* Wednesday morning:
Call the rest of the members on the roster for "possible functionary replacements." (If the roster is particularly large, ask your President and other board members for help.)
* Wednesday afternoon:
Prepare your agenda and print 20-30 copies. Prepare your meeting notes. I suggest one small sheet of notes for each time you will be at the podium. See if you can eliminate your notes.
* Wednesday evening:
Get a good nights sleep.
* The Meeting:
Arrive early. Give every functionary a warm welcome and a thank-you before the meeting starts! Find any replacements if you can, but don't let it consume you or prevent you greeting your functionaries. Tell your waker-upper to start the meeting on time, even if everyone has not yet shown up. Remember that you are talking to your friends, and volunteers are easy to find even mid-meeting!
* After the meeting:
Follow up with a thank you to your functionaries.
The reason that these tips lead to a successful meeting is that your attendees are no longer bystanders, they are participants. You don't need to work hard to build up energy during the meeting, because they have arrived already full of it. They feel good because they know they are playing a key part in making your meeting successful. Being Toastmaster is one of my favorite jobs, because after building up this energy, I get to be "king of the hill" for a day, and have an opportunity to flatter everyone with fun introductions. Approach the job of Toastmaster with preparation, enthusiasm, and an open attitude for the unexpected, and you and your audience will have a great time and a rewarding experience.
Sean Sheedy
IMPROMPTU SPEECH
Giving Impromptu Speeches
Have you ever had work commitments keep you from practicing a speech? Have you ever been asked to speak for someone at the last minute? When I started my consulting practice and became a father of twins in the same year, I often found myself lacking time to prepare and practice my speeches.
One of my evaluators wisely pointed out that it is not how long you prepare for a speech, but how efficiently you prepare. If you learn how to refine your preparation and delivery skills, you can deliver a great impromptu speech from your own foundation of knowledge and personal style.
I would like to share with you some of the tricks I have learned about this important skill from my own recent "trials by fire":
1. Don't quit your day job. Your day job in Toastmasters is preparing, practicing, and delivering manual speeches. You should attempt impromptu speaking only after you have completed a number of manual speeches and are already comfortable as a speaker. By this time you should know your natural style and the skills needed for successful impromptu speaking. Speeches in the beginner's manual should never be performed impromptu the first time. Each manual speech is focused on the development of a particular skill. Giving these speeches impromptu is like trying to learn calculus without knowing how to add. If you find that your speeches are becoming increasingly impromptu, you may need to reexamine your business and personal priorities.
2. Know your natural style. Impromptu speaking is much easier if you know your own natural speaking style. I discovered my natural style on my fourth or fifth manual speech. I discovered that I can easily tell short, humorous stories of things that have happened to me. As a result, my best speeches are those that consist of stories which come from my heart. What is your natural style?
3. Use positive self-talk. My early impromptu speeches were hobbled by negative self-talk. My inner voice kept telling me that I was inadequately prepared and was destined to falter. When I hit the stage, I focused on my self-consciousness instead of the audience, and guess what - I faltered. I turned around this self-talk by realizing through evaluations that I was speaking to friends who enjoyed my personal stories, and who often did not notice when I forgot a point I wanted to make. Suddenly, I found myself connecting with my audience, as if I was talking with each one of them personally.
4. Make a point. Even when you give an impromptu speech, you need structure. The classic "opening, body, and conclusion" falls in place if everything you say relates to a point which you reveal at the end. For example, I recently gave a speech about a family vacation to visit relatives. I opened by saying how much we needed the vacation to escape from work and stress at home. Then I created a body by telling stories like how we stayed in a converted garage which seemed more like a cave, and tried to sleep on a leaky air mattress. Finally, I told how relieved we were to return home, where I drove home my point: a vacation is not so much an escape as it is an opportunity to appreciate what you already have. By making a point, I turned what could have been a boring recitation of a family vacation into a funny story with a memorable lesson.
5. Avoid using notes. An impromptu speech is like a flash flood - it goes where it wants to. If you only have ten minutes to create your notes, you are bound to come up with better ways to express your ideas while you are speaking. Trying to force your speech back to your notes is at best awkward and at worst will throw you completely off track. Abandon your notes, and let the rest of your speech flow from your heart. If you must use notes, they should contain only the point you wish to make, plus a couple of words to trigger any stories you wish to tell.
6. Deliver it as if you've practiced it many times. Don't reveal beforehand that your speech is impromptu. This will undermine your audience's reception of your speech before you even begin. Approach the audience with confidence, as if you've practiced many times before. Deliver it with vigor and confidence, letting your ideas flow as if you are talking to friends. Present your conclusion as if you're revealing something very important. Prepare yourself for the praise you receive when your evaluator reveals that this speech was impromptu!
About apologies: When you're in the spotlight, do not apologize for nervousness, lack of preparation, missing functionaries, or poorly run meetings. The spotlight will turn immediately toward the very flaw you are trying to overcome. I've seen too many cases where a perfectly good speech or meeting was ruined because a problem which otherwise would have gone unnoticed, became the foremost thought of the audience. Let the evaluator or general evaluator judge the severity of any errors you make and point them out at the appropriate time.
7. Be willing to cut it short. Sometimes you'll have covered only half your thoughts, and you'll find a great way to end your story, right there. If you think you're close to the green light, cut to the conclusion! Even though I have to force myself to drop things I wanted to say, my speeches are much better when I dump unnecessary content in favor of a clean conclusion.
8. Tell your evaluator that your speech is impromptu. Ask him to focus their evaluation on what you did to make your impromptu speech successful, and on suggestions that you can use to improve your impromptu speaking technique. It's OK for the evaluator to point out that impromptu speeches should be an exception in a Toastmasters club. It's not OK for the evaluator to chastise you for not spending more time preparing (unless you are making this a habit.) You may want to ask the General Evaluator to assign you an experienced evaluator who has been in your shoes.
9. Practice at table topics. Be bold, and ask the Table Topics Master to choose you during table topics. If you can master table topics, then you will be able to string together an impromptu speech from a series of anecdotes.
10. Volunteer to be an evaluator. This is a great opportunity to learn how to organize thoughts quickly and effectively, and deliver them seamlessly. Force yourself to leave your notes behind when you give your evaluation, so that you learn to think on your feet.
About evaluating without notes: The idea of giving an evaluation without notes used to give me the willies. Then I realized that the worst thing that would happen would be that I might not remember all I wanted to say. I realized that this would mean that my evaluation would merely be too short to qualify for "Best Evaluator." What a small price to pay for learning how to impress my audience with my hands free of notes!
11. Relive the high points. Immediately after your speech, think about the places where you were on a roll. It's likely this is where your self-confidence peaked and you connected with your audience. This is your natural style! Think about your state of mind, and how you got there. Then, do more of it in future speeches.
Conclusion
In real life, many speeches and calls to action are impromptu, and being able to deliver one expertly is a valuable skill. It requires you to organize your thoughts quickly before you reach the stage. This skill can be learned by doing evaluations. It requires you to approach the podium with confidence, as if you've done this many times before. Then you must deliver your speech in your own style, with vigor and energy. When you are done, you can enjoy remembering what you did that made your speech successful.
The ability to perform an impromptu speech well is a skill shared by the best speakers and leaders of the world. When such a speech is prepared and delivered so well that the audience does not even know it, your self-confidence will reach new levels that will carry over into other aspects of your business and personal life. In Toastmasters, these speeches are the exception rather than the rule, but being able to give them is a skill that should be in every Toastmaster's repertoire.
Sean Sheedy V
Have you ever had work commitments keep you from practicing a speech? Have you ever been asked to speak for someone at the last minute? When I started my consulting practice and became a father of twins in the same year, I often found myself lacking time to prepare and practice my speeches.
One of my evaluators wisely pointed out that it is not how long you prepare for a speech, but how efficiently you prepare. If you learn how to refine your preparation and delivery skills, you can deliver a great impromptu speech from your own foundation of knowledge and personal style.
I would like to share with you some of the tricks I have learned about this important skill from my own recent "trials by fire":
1. Don't quit your day job. Your day job in Toastmasters is preparing, practicing, and delivering manual speeches. You should attempt impromptu speaking only after you have completed a number of manual speeches and are already comfortable as a speaker. By this time you should know your natural style and the skills needed for successful impromptu speaking. Speeches in the beginner's manual should never be performed impromptu the first time. Each manual speech is focused on the development of a particular skill. Giving these speeches impromptu is like trying to learn calculus without knowing how to add. If you find that your speeches are becoming increasingly impromptu, you may need to reexamine your business and personal priorities.
2. Know your natural style. Impromptu speaking is much easier if you know your own natural speaking style. I discovered my natural style on my fourth or fifth manual speech. I discovered that I can easily tell short, humorous stories of things that have happened to me. As a result, my best speeches are those that consist of stories which come from my heart. What is your natural style?
3. Use positive self-talk. My early impromptu speeches were hobbled by negative self-talk. My inner voice kept telling me that I was inadequately prepared and was destined to falter. When I hit the stage, I focused on my self-consciousness instead of the audience, and guess what - I faltered. I turned around this self-talk by realizing through evaluations that I was speaking to friends who enjoyed my personal stories, and who often did not notice when I forgot a point I wanted to make. Suddenly, I found myself connecting with my audience, as if I was talking with each one of them personally.
4. Make a point. Even when you give an impromptu speech, you need structure. The classic "opening, body, and conclusion" falls in place if everything you say relates to a point which you reveal at the end. For example, I recently gave a speech about a family vacation to visit relatives. I opened by saying how much we needed the vacation to escape from work and stress at home. Then I created a body by telling stories like how we stayed in a converted garage which seemed more like a cave, and tried to sleep on a leaky air mattress. Finally, I told how relieved we were to return home, where I drove home my point: a vacation is not so much an escape as it is an opportunity to appreciate what you already have. By making a point, I turned what could have been a boring recitation of a family vacation into a funny story with a memorable lesson.
5. Avoid using notes. An impromptu speech is like a flash flood - it goes where it wants to. If you only have ten minutes to create your notes, you are bound to come up with better ways to express your ideas while you are speaking. Trying to force your speech back to your notes is at best awkward and at worst will throw you completely off track. Abandon your notes, and let the rest of your speech flow from your heart. If you must use notes, they should contain only the point you wish to make, plus a couple of words to trigger any stories you wish to tell.
6. Deliver it as if you've practiced it many times. Don't reveal beforehand that your speech is impromptu. This will undermine your audience's reception of your speech before you even begin. Approach the audience with confidence, as if you've practiced many times before. Deliver it with vigor and confidence, letting your ideas flow as if you are talking to friends. Present your conclusion as if you're revealing something very important. Prepare yourself for the praise you receive when your evaluator reveals that this speech was impromptu!
About apologies: When you're in the spotlight, do not apologize for nervousness, lack of preparation, missing functionaries, or poorly run meetings. The spotlight will turn immediately toward the very flaw you are trying to overcome. I've seen too many cases where a perfectly good speech or meeting was ruined because a problem which otherwise would have gone unnoticed, became the foremost thought of the audience. Let the evaluator or general evaluator judge the severity of any errors you make and point them out at the appropriate time.
7. Be willing to cut it short. Sometimes you'll have covered only half your thoughts, and you'll find a great way to end your story, right there. If you think you're close to the green light, cut to the conclusion! Even though I have to force myself to drop things I wanted to say, my speeches are much better when I dump unnecessary content in favor of a clean conclusion.
8. Tell your evaluator that your speech is impromptu. Ask him to focus their evaluation on what you did to make your impromptu speech successful, and on suggestions that you can use to improve your impromptu speaking technique. It's OK for the evaluator to point out that impromptu speeches should be an exception in a Toastmasters club. It's not OK for the evaluator to chastise you for not spending more time preparing (unless you are making this a habit.) You may want to ask the General Evaluator to assign you an experienced evaluator who has been in your shoes.
9. Practice at table topics. Be bold, and ask the Table Topics Master to choose you during table topics. If you can master table topics, then you will be able to string together an impromptu speech from a series of anecdotes.
10. Volunteer to be an evaluator. This is a great opportunity to learn how to organize thoughts quickly and effectively, and deliver them seamlessly. Force yourself to leave your notes behind when you give your evaluation, so that you learn to think on your feet.
About evaluating without notes: The idea of giving an evaluation without notes used to give me the willies. Then I realized that the worst thing that would happen would be that I might not remember all I wanted to say. I realized that this would mean that my evaluation would merely be too short to qualify for "Best Evaluator." What a small price to pay for learning how to impress my audience with my hands free of notes!
11. Relive the high points. Immediately after your speech, think about the places where you were on a roll. It's likely this is where your self-confidence peaked and you connected with your audience. This is your natural style! Think about your state of mind, and how you got there. Then, do more of it in future speeches.
Conclusion
In real life, many speeches and calls to action are impromptu, and being able to deliver one expertly is a valuable skill. It requires you to organize your thoughts quickly before you reach the stage. This skill can be learned by doing evaluations. It requires you to approach the podium with confidence, as if you've done this many times before. Then you must deliver your speech in your own style, with vigor and energy. When you are done, you can enjoy remembering what you did that made your speech successful.
The ability to perform an impromptu speech well is a skill shared by the best speakers and leaders of the world. When such a speech is prepared and delivered so well that the audience does not even know it, your self-confidence will reach new levels that will carry over into other aspects of your business and personal life. In Toastmasters, these speeches are the exception rather than the rule, but being able to give them is a skill that should be in every Toastmaster's repertoire.
Sean Sheedy V
THE RIGHT WAY TO SPEAK
The RIGHT Way to Speak"
In an effort to maximize our ability to communicate publicly, we often search for the "right" way to speak.
Finding the "right" way, however, is like grabbing a handful of water.
Why? It is because the right way is slightly different for each person.
It's a combination of who, what, and where we are at the moment.
Of course, we can all apply certain fundamentals and techniques to elevate our skill, but each of use will use them with varying results.
Have you ever heard the same joke from two different people and one time it was funny and the other time it was not?
Chances are high that the first was simply a funnier person than the second.
Here's the secret to speaking the right way...
1. Know your speaking ability at the moment and use a majority of techniques that fit within that level.
Go with what works for you right now.
2. Continue to learn and apply new skills as you master your present set.
For most, public speaking does not come naturally; it is an acquired and admired skill that comes through education and application.
3. Use one new speaking technique each speech or presentation.
Try out a new story, or a new prop, or a new close.
I say one because if it doesn't work out the way you expected, you have your sure bet techniques already doing a great job for you.
The right way is simply YOUR way at the moment.
Do your best. Share the greatest value with the audience.
Don't beat yourself up if you are just starting.
Don't give yourself too much slack if you've been speaking for years, but refuse to learn and apply new things.
(Paul Evans - Instant Speaking Success)
In an effort to maximize our ability to communicate publicly, we often search for the "right" way to speak.
Finding the "right" way, however, is like grabbing a handful of water.
Why? It is because the right way is slightly different for each person.
It's a combination of who, what, and where we are at the moment.
Of course, we can all apply certain fundamentals and techniques to elevate our skill, but each of use will use them with varying results.
Have you ever heard the same joke from two different people and one time it was funny and the other time it was not?
Chances are high that the first was simply a funnier person than the second.
Here's the secret to speaking the right way...
1. Know your speaking ability at the moment and use a majority of techniques that fit within that level.
Go with what works for you right now.
2. Continue to learn and apply new skills as you master your present set.
For most, public speaking does not come naturally; it is an acquired and admired skill that comes through education and application.
3. Use one new speaking technique each speech or presentation.
Try out a new story, or a new prop, or a new close.
I say one because if it doesn't work out the way you expected, you have your sure bet techniques already doing a great job for you.
The right way is simply YOUR way at the moment.
Do your best. Share the greatest value with the audience.
Don't beat yourself up if you are just starting.
Don't give yourself too much slack if you've been speaking for years, but refuse to learn and apply new things.
(Paul Evans - Instant Speaking Success)
STAGE FRIGHT STRATEGIES
Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too!
Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.
Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.
Symptoms of Stage fright
Dry mouth.
Tight throat.
Sweaty hands.
Cold hands.
Shaky hands.
Nausea.
Fast pulse.
Shaky knees.
Trembling lips.
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation.
(Wow! What a dry mouthful!).
Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.
Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
Concentrate on how good you are.
Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
Remember happy moments from your past.
Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
Picture the audience in their underwear.
Strategies in advance of program
Be extremely well prepared.
Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice
Get individual or group presentation skills coaching.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Anticipate hard and easy questions.
Organize.
Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.
Strategies just before the program
Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
Notice and think about things around you.
Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your talk (especially in the opening).
Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.
Yawn to relax your throat.
Doodle.
Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.
Look at your notes.
Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.
Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
Take a quick walk.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Double check your A/V equipment.
Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.
Concentrate on your ideas.
Hide notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
Concentrate on your audience.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
Use eye contact.
Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.
Strategies when the program begins
If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move.
Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.
Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
Joke about your nervousness. "What's the right wine to go with fingernails? "
Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels.
Before each presentation make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.
Use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.
- by Tom Antion
end of artcle...
Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.
Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.
Symptoms of Stage fright
Dry mouth.
Tight throat.
Sweaty hands.
Cold hands.
Shaky hands.
Nausea.
Fast pulse.
Shaky knees.
Trembling lips.
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation.
(Wow! What a dry mouthful!).
Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.
Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
Concentrate on how good you are.
Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
Remember happy moments from your past.
Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
Picture the audience in their underwear.
Strategies in advance of program
Be extremely well prepared.
Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice
Get individual or group presentation skills coaching.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Anticipate hard and easy questions.
Organize.
Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.
Strategies just before the program
Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
Notice and think about things around you.
Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your talk (especially in the opening).
Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.
Yawn to relax your throat.
Doodle.
Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.
Look at your notes.
Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.
Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
Take a quick walk.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Double check your A/V equipment.
Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.
Concentrate on your ideas.
Hide notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
Concentrate on your audience.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
Use eye contact.
Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.
Strategies when the program begins
If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move.
Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.
Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
Joke about your nervousness. "What's the right wine to go with fingernails? "
Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels.
Before each presentation make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.
Use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.
- by Tom Antion
end of artcle...
HOW TO RECOGNISE A STROKE
From: Alan Subject: BLOOD CLOT----STROKE
How to Recognise a StrokE !!!!!!!! ?????
Some don't die, they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this .. .
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim
within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a
stroke .. . to tally . He said the trick was getting a stroke
recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters .. .. S.T.R.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' STEPS: STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMP LE SENTENCE
(Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY O NE of these tasks,
call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke ------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person
to 'stick' out his tongue .. If the tongue is 'cr ooked',
if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an
indication of a stroke.
How to Recognise a StrokE !!!!!!!! ?????
Some don't die, they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this .. .
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim
within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a
stroke .. . to tally . He said the trick was getting a stroke
recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters .. .. S.T.R.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' STEPS: STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMP LE SENTENCE
(Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY O NE of these tasks,
call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke ------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person
to 'stick' out his tongue .. If the tongue is 'cr ooked',
if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an
indication of a stroke.
160th meeting 11th Nov., 2008; A Success
This report should have been written by Huey Yee. But last minute she "threw the pen" at me.Like it or not I have to do it. I'll try my best to write down what happened at the meeting.
The meeting was attended by: The President, Hj Hashim, who played the role of an invocator. As usual Hj Hashim gave a very inspiring invocation entitled "GET UP WHEN YOU FALL". The gist of it, is that every success must experience failures and mistakes in life. Everyone should learn from their failures and when you fall down, you will get up and rebounce upward far greater than your drop-down. Anyway I will post the actual text in our BLOG so you can read it there.
The President was suppose to be the evaluator for Derrick Teh, but he did not turn up. Hopefully Derrick will attend the next meeting on 25th Nov. to do his Ice-breaker speech.
The VPE Siew Yin, also took up a dual role as Ah Counter as well as Table- Topic Master. She gave a very interesting topic to the five speakers led by Hj Naburi, then KL Loh, followed by our guests, Duncan and Kumaran and lastly Raymond Sii, the member who was MIA (missing in action) for some time. He was lost for words due to his long absence. But he made a courages comeback by delivering his first advance speech from the Professional Speaker Series. "Welcome back Raymond", and from now on, we will see more of you at our future meetings.
Congratulations to our guest Kumaran who won the Best Table Topic Speaker award. Both Duncan and Kumaran have decided to join our club. Congratulations to both of them for making the right decision in choosing our club. WELCOME Duncan and Kumaran.
As Ah Counter, Siew Yin had a field day ("night") in making money for the Club. Abu Bakar, the TME who did a very good job in conducting the meeting also had to pay the most fines of RM4.20 for having 42 speech crutches. So much so he had no small change for car park. As usual Hj Naburi, the next champion contributed RM2.30. I presume it's a record collection for the club and Song,the club treasurer, will be laughing his way to the bank. Unfortunately he was absent.
The evening was made hilarious by KL Loh's jokes with interjection from the members especially Hj Naburi with his letter from Osama to Bush with the message :
370H-SSV-O773H. To understand it you have to read the code upside down then you get the message.
The project speeches were all from the Advance series with Victor Wan's "Roasting" of Hj Naburi, who got carried away when he was doing the evaluation. Instead of evaluating Victor he went through the history of the club and definitely overshot his time allocations. Not only was Hj going overboard with time, but the other two speakers, Raymond Sii, and Wan Chee Wing and their evaluators, Huey Yee and Janice Ooi respectively, also overshot their time allocation. For the first time there was no Best Speaker and no Best Evaluator award given tonight.
The absence of our advisor, Francis Ng was greatly felt by the meeting especially to Victor Wan who was supposed to Roast him. This is one of the rare occassion that Francis did not come to the meeting as he is attending the District 51 Convention in Bali. Without Francis we still manage to run a successful meeting. Touche to the President, who was the earliest to arrive to arrange table and chairs and placing the banners and helping Paul to prepare the nasi lemak. He was the last to leave the meeting room to rearrange the table and chairs with the help of Paul, Duncan, E.K. Yeo and Hj Naburi. Normally, all these were done by Francis.
The birthday cake was also prepared by the President. Hj Naburi and Janice and Wan Chee Wing except for Alwin who left early, had their birthday song and blowing candles ceremony and Huey Yee helped to cut the cake for everyone.
Well done to all the role players. Abu Bakar, the TME,- a well run meeting. Cindy Foong, the Timer, even though with an injured hand after being attacked by snatch thieves a couple of nights before, Cindy still turn up to take up role. Thank you and kudos to Cindy. We pray that you will overcome the trauma soon and our sympathy to you Cindy.
Paul Tan was Grammarian and as usual gave his lengthy report and advice.
The General Evaluator was Chen Voon Hann who is no stranger to our club, our friend from MIA TMC, did a very good job in his duty and tried to bring us to the next level by suggesting that we ought to think seriously about practising open evaluation which is a good idea. We should try it sometime.
Not to forget Tan Ben Hoe our cool IPP in his usual style was the Table Topic evaluator, appreciated by everyone.
All in all, it was a successful meeting and everyone had a good time. Our guest, Kumaran who came for the first time was very impressed with our performances decided to join as a member of our club together with Duncan.
Well done guys and gals. Keep it up.
Report by:
Hj Naburi
VPPR
The meeting was attended by: The President, Hj Hashim, who played the role of an invocator. As usual Hj Hashim gave a very inspiring invocation entitled "GET UP WHEN YOU FALL". The gist of it, is that every success must experience failures and mistakes in life. Everyone should learn from their failures and when you fall down, you will get up and rebounce upward far greater than your drop-down. Anyway I will post the actual text in our BLOG so you can read it there.
The President was suppose to be the evaluator for Derrick Teh, but he did not turn up. Hopefully Derrick will attend the next meeting on 25th Nov. to do his Ice-breaker speech.
The VPE Siew Yin, also took up a dual role as Ah Counter as well as Table- Topic Master. She gave a very interesting topic to the five speakers led by Hj Naburi, then KL Loh, followed by our guests, Duncan and Kumaran and lastly Raymond Sii, the member who was MIA (missing in action) for some time. He was lost for words due to his long absence. But he made a courages comeback by delivering his first advance speech from the Professional Speaker Series. "Welcome back Raymond", and from now on, we will see more of you at our future meetings.
Congratulations to our guest Kumaran who won the Best Table Topic Speaker award. Both Duncan and Kumaran have decided to join our club. Congratulations to both of them for making the right decision in choosing our club. WELCOME Duncan and Kumaran.
As Ah Counter, Siew Yin had a field day ("night") in making money for the Club. Abu Bakar, the TME who did a very good job in conducting the meeting also had to pay the most fines of RM4.20 for having 42 speech crutches. So much so he had no small change for car park. As usual Hj Naburi, the next champion contributed RM2.30. I presume it's a record collection for the club and Song,the club treasurer, will be laughing his way to the bank. Unfortunately he was absent.
The evening was made hilarious by KL Loh's jokes with interjection from the members especially Hj Naburi with his letter from Osama to Bush with the message :
370H-SSV-O773H. To understand it you have to read the code upside down then you get the message.
The project speeches were all from the Advance series with Victor Wan's "Roasting" of Hj Naburi, who got carried away when he was doing the evaluation. Instead of evaluating Victor he went through the history of the club and definitely overshot his time allocations. Not only was Hj going overboard with time, but the other two speakers, Raymond Sii, and Wan Chee Wing and their evaluators, Huey Yee and Janice Ooi respectively, also overshot their time allocation. For the first time there was no Best Speaker and no Best Evaluator award given tonight.
The absence of our advisor, Francis Ng was greatly felt by the meeting especially to Victor Wan who was supposed to Roast him. This is one of the rare occassion that Francis did not come to the meeting as he is attending the District 51 Convention in Bali. Without Francis we still manage to run a successful meeting. Touche to the President, who was the earliest to arrive to arrange table and chairs and placing the banners and helping Paul to prepare the nasi lemak. He was the last to leave the meeting room to rearrange the table and chairs with the help of Paul, Duncan, E.K. Yeo and Hj Naburi. Normally, all these were done by Francis.
The birthday cake was also prepared by the President. Hj Naburi and Janice and Wan Chee Wing except for Alwin who left early, had their birthday song and blowing candles ceremony and Huey Yee helped to cut the cake for everyone.
Well done to all the role players. Abu Bakar, the TME,- a well run meeting. Cindy Foong, the Timer, even though with an injured hand after being attacked by snatch thieves a couple of nights before, Cindy still turn up to take up role. Thank you and kudos to Cindy. We pray that you will overcome the trauma soon and our sympathy to you Cindy.
Paul Tan was Grammarian and as usual gave his lengthy report and advice.
The General Evaluator was Chen Voon Hann who is no stranger to our club, our friend from MIA TMC, did a very good job in his duty and tried to bring us to the next level by suggesting that we ought to think seriously about practising open evaluation which is a good idea. We should try it sometime.
Not to forget Tan Ben Hoe our cool IPP in his usual style was the Table Topic evaluator, appreciated by everyone.
All in all, it was a successful meeting and everyone had a good time. Our guest, Kumaran who came for the first time was very impressed with our performances decided to join as a member of our club together with Duncan.
Well done guys and gals. Keep it up.
Report by:
Hj Naburi
VPPR
Presidential Invocation at the 160th meeting on 11th Nov., 2008
The President, Hj Hashim had to do the invocation since Khoshim Malim who was assigned to do it did not turn up. The attendance at this meeting was not up to expectation as only 13 members were present. We had 2 guests, Duncan and Kumaran who later signed up to be members and Chen Voon Hann from MIATMC was the General Evaluator and a guest speaker, Wan Chee Wing from Maxis who did advance speech.
Hj Hashim's invocation: "GET UP WHEN YOU FALL"
Have you ever failed or made a mistake? If your answer is "YES" then it's good for you. The fact that you've failed is proof that you're not finished. Failures and mistakes can be a bridge, not a barricade, to success. Successful people believe that mistakes are just feedback. It's not how far you fall but how high you bounce that makes all the difference.
One of the riskiest things you can do in life is to take too many precautions and never have any failures or mistakes. Failure is the opportunity to start over more intelligently.
No one has ever achieved genuine success who did not, at one time or another, teeter on the edge of disaster. If you have tried to do something and failed, you are vastly better off than if you had tried to do nothing and succeeded. The person who never makes a mistake must get awfully tired of doing nothing. If you are not making mistakes, you're not risking enough.
Vernon Sanders says, "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." Experience is what you get when you are looking for something else.
Success consists of getting up just one time more than you fall down. So get up and go on. Proverbs says, "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful, but if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance."
Remember the old poem that says:
Success is a fiure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are:
it may be near when seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you"re hardest hit;
it's when things seem worse that you must not quit.
(Unknown)
Hj Hashim's invocation: "GET UP WHEN YOU FALL"
Have you ever failed or made a mistake? If your answer is "YES" then it's good for you. The fact that you've failed is proof that you're not finished. Failures and mistakes can be a bridge, not a barricade, to success. Successful people believe that mistakes are just feedback. It's not how far you fall but how high you bounce that makes all the difference.
One of the riskiest things you can do in life is to take too many precautions and never have any failures or mistakes. Failure is the opportunity to start over more intelligently.
No one has ever achieved genuine success who did not, at one time or another, teeter on the edge of disaster. If you have tried to do something and failed, you are vastly better off than if you had tried to do nothing and succeeded. The person who never makes a mistake must get awfully tired of doing nothing. If you are not making mistakes, you're not risking enough.
Vernon Sanders says, "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." Experience is what you get when you are looking for something else.
Success consists of getting up just one time more than you fall down. So get up and go on. Proverbs says, "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful, but if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance."
Remember the old poem that says:
Success is a fiure turned inside out,
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are:
it may be near when seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you"re hardest hit;
it's when things seem worse that you must not quit.
(Unknown)
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