Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | Behind the magic curtain
I am a public speaker. It’s not that way by my design, however. If I had my way, I’d slink off to the back of the crowd and be happy to blend in. However, despite my introverted tendencies, my employment position requires that I spend time in front of various audiences. From students, to classroom teachers, other administrators, parents, citizens of our city, and government officials, I often find myself in front of audiences.
Although I’m a perfectionist, it is interesting to note that I’m not that way in front of a crowd. While others will spend too much of time preparing for a speech, I’m often happy to map out the major points I want to make and then speak without the benefit of notes. Most times, I’m happy with the outcome. I know, though, that more preparation time provides me more confidence during the speech and a better quality “product”. That is why I joined Toastmasters International after talking by email to Steve Pavlina about his experiences in Toastmasters. I wanted the discipline and structure I would gain in Toastmasters to support my public speaking efforts. Toastmasters has given me this and so much more. I spend more time in preparation and, as a result, my message is more clear, my timing is improving, my arguments more compelling, and my presentation skills improved.
My preparation methods changed so radically that I began to worry that I had gone 180 degrees and was spending too much time on preparation. Then I heard a quote from John Lennon, who, while advising young aspiring entertainers, told them to spend 100 minutes in rehearsals for each minute spent onstage. Some quick figuring let me know that I spend roughly that amount of time preparing for my speeches for Toastmasters. I began to feel quite proud of myself. I felt humbled, however, when I found an article by Mike Evangelist, formerly at Apple, that described how Steve Jobs prepares for his keynote addresses that introduce new products developed at Apple. Jobs takes presentation preparation to new levels. A perfectionist, Jobs demands excellence from himself and others who might also be speaking with him.
After reading the article, I felt inspired to renew my efforts to become, not only a better public speaker and presenter, but to raise the level of my efforts in all things I do to a professional one.
Hey Bert, great to have you back online. I can't say enough about the Toastmasters program. It has really changed my life and really helped with my leadership skills. I received my DTM back in April and I really encourage people to stick with the program and explore leadership roles within the organization.
TI is currently expanding it's leadership series and will have a new leadership certification available in July. I think that anyone who is serious about personal development should visit a club and see first hand what Toastmasters is all about.
John
Posted by: John Richardson | January 23, 2006 at 07:17 PM
John--
Thanks! It's good to finally be back. I've been in Toastmasters since last Aril and love it. I'll have my CTM by the end of March. DTM, huh? You are so much more beyond me, but I'll get there. I know that the TM curriculum is changing but haven't seen the new materials first-hand yet. I've started a blog for my local club (http://hwebbjr.typepad.com/friendlytoastmasters) and one for the local club presidents of District 37 (http:hwebbjr.typepad.com/gavel). I'm also encouraging other TM clubs to blog as well. In fact, I'm giving a presentation on blogging at our district conference in May. Since this will be my first conference, I'm wondering how many will be in the audience!
Posted by: Bert | January 23, 2006 at 10:34 PM
Out here in District 12 (Southern California-Riverside County) we usually have 120-150 people at our Toastmasters district conferences. It's great fun and there are always great speakers and break-outs. I was the conference chairman for our district conference last year and it was a great experience.
The logistics of securing a site and catering is always a challenge. We ended up holding ours at our new High School's performing arts center. Our keynote speaker at our Fall conference was Sheryl Roush (http://sparklepresentations.com)along with seminar speaker Chris Witt(http://www.wittcom.com). Both gave amazing presentations and I came away with a much better idea of the path to becoming a professional speaker.
I enjoyed your TM blogs! Great Job. I have put one up for our club at http://successbeginstoday.org/speakingpath/ and added a link to your site! Our district site is http://tmdistrict12.org .
The new TM leadership program sounds impressive. I think it will be a great draw for clubs in addition to the communication program.
Congrats on the CTM!
John
Posted by: John Richardson | January 24, 2006 at 07:05 PM
Great Article. Thank you from the toastmasters at Art of Speaking toastmasters http://www.artofspeaking.org
Posted by: Santosh | February 17, 2007 at 05:55 PM