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I am a “virtual bachelor” for the next 9 days (OK, technically I am a “real” bachelor until I get married in October) but my fiancee has left the continent … So I am going to see how many Toastmasters meeting I can attend. Today I hope to get to 3. The first one was [...]
I love Toastmasters contests. Well not everything about them. I love the contestants performing – and I love competing myself. I love chairing contests and chief judging. I hate the briefings usually given by contest chairs and chief judges. And now, I present “My ideal contest preliminaries”: Sgt At Arms (SAA) – opens meeting – [...]
Also subtitled: Thou shalt not compete (more than 4 times) Here’s The Facts: TI is an educational institution. TI believes that Districts are/will be diverted from their mission if they hold or allow to be held a 5th contest in a calendar year. This means that in a District which holds 2 fall and 2 [...]
I actually mean NO JOKE READING! PULEEEZ! Many clubs include a JokeMaster or Humor Master or have the timer or “Toaster” give a Toast, tip or joke. So far so good. I regret the internet for one reason only – I used to be the best joke teller almost anyone had ever met (before the [...]
Honestly, I love going to Toastmasters meetings and I enjoy them … Here’s some more stuff I don’t like When speakers (in any role) say “Thank You” at the end of their talk. If they have some gratitude to express and can be specific about who and why, great! But No “Walk-Off” Thank You please. [...]
It isn’t really – but it has been (mis) used so much that a second definition of Podium is now Lectern. It’s similar to imply and infer. Infer DOES mean the same thing as imply in secondary definition. I am not happy about this but I have come to peace with it. Lectern vs. Podium
Until you have hosted a nationally televised talk show for 10 or more years you need a GREAT introduction to your talks and presentations. Let me be more specific. The talks, speeches and presentations which you deliver need great introductions. And the best introductions are not about YOU – they are not even really about [...]
Is it a good/bad/great idea for Toastmasters websites to make available to District POTs (Plain Old Toastmasters) the weekly District Performance Reports.These detail, among other things, the District goals and performance against those along with list of people who have sponsored members, achieved educational awards, clubs which have not submitted officer lists yet, etc. They [...]
I recently attended a local Toastmasters club as a guest and it was a great meeting: Run crisply on time, with energy and enthusiasm with a nice. welcoming. inclusive community feel. A very nice group of people. (Of course, I made some recommendations to the club at the end They are an appreciative bunch – [...]
Dark as in NO MORE WHITEWASHING! I mean it – I heard a speech evaluation this week which ended with: “And I tried really hard but I couldn’t come up with any suggestions”. That is WHITEWHASHING. And it does little to benefit the speaker or anyone else in the audience. Today, I talk about why [...]
The Toastmasters Word of The Day is a nice feature of almost every meeting. It is also very often selected poorly, ignored or forgotten during most of the meeting and used in contrived ways. Yeek! I still like the WOTD, but there are ways to get a LOT more out of it.
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