Spirited Communication

Tag: Toastmasters

Prepare for Brief Encounters

bigstock-Young-woman-in-jobWhether you need to provide an unexpected update to a boss, engage in a conversation with a stranger at an event, or “sell yourself” during a job interview, the ability to deliver an organized message off-the-cuff is a valuable skill to employ.

Many people feel unsure of their ability to respond in such situations, and can benefit from training and practice.

One activity that has worked wonders for me is “Table Topics” during Toastmasters meetings.

Table Topics help members develop their ability to organize thoughts quickly. During Table Topics, members respond to a question or statement that they hear just before they begin to speak. They are given one to two minutes to respond.

You don’t have to be a member of Toastmasters to practice this skill. Take time (10 minutes should suffice) during team meetings, small gatherings of colleagues or at job-search circles. Have one person ask a question that another person needs to address in one to two minutes. Use the stopwatch function on your phone to time them. You also can do a “round-robin” exercise, where several people take turns asking questions of others.

Encourage every participant to keep talking for at least the minimum time of one minute. Toastmasters uses a color-code system to advise the speaker about how much time has transpired:

  • Green at the minimum time of one minute
  • Yellow at the mid-point of one and one-half minutes
  • Red at the maximum time of two minutes

A “grace period” of 30 seconds is offered by Toastmasters, so that someone who speaks for up to 2 and one-half minutes is considered to have successfully completed the exercise.

I have seen how Table Topics have improved my ability to speak cogently at work and at events in my profession. It can work for you and your team, as well!

The ability to speak persuasively and in an organized fashion is just one aspect of effective communications. If you would like me to address a communication challenge or opportunity facing you and your organization, contact me to set up time to discuss it.

Competition

Keefe Toastmasters trophiesThese are some of the trophies that I’ve won in various contests since joining Toastmasters. When I began to compete, these trophies were the prime motivator for me. I wanted one in every contest I entered, and the one I wanted most was the first-place trophy!

Now as a more seasoned speaker, I understand something that some of my Toastmasters peers told me years ago. The value of entering competitions isn’t the hardware you might acquire. It’s the personal growth that you obtain in the effort and experience.

In Toastmasters, and in other areas of our lives, we compete against ourselves, not against each other. When we compete against someone else, we focus energy on ways to “overcome” that person. To “one-up” them. Perhaps to belittle or beat them down in a fruitless effort to make ourselves look or feel better than them.

That is selfish and self-centered thinking that, in its extreme, is destructive to relationships and self-esteem.

When we compete against ourselves, we focus energy on ways to overcome past mistakes and obstacles that achieved a certain result. By learning from our mistakes and exploring ways to overcome those obstacles, we improve and move forward.

I can compete against myself and still support and cheer for someone else who is in the same “arena” as me. That is part of the reason why some teams succeed; each member works to do his or her best, while supporting each others’ efforts.

Another key is that, by not considering others as my “competition,” I remain open to learning from them, which can provide insights and ideas that I otherwise wouldn’t think by myself. That is the another reason why some team succeed; each member remains teachable and absorbs lessons from the experience and perspective of fellow teammates.

Early on, I didn’t work with other Toastmasters when I wrote and delivered my speeches in contests. I was competitive to a fault, and my speaking and delivery skills suffered–even when I occasionally took first place.

Today, I practice my speeches in Toastmasters meeting attended, in part, by people with whom I will share the stage at speech contests. We offer each other pointed, practical suggestions and encourage each other to do our best.

Each of us still wants to take home the trophy, of course. But I can say, for myself, that I have peace when I deliver a speech as well as I possibly could—even if someone else’s speech and delivery is rated higher that day by the judges.

And I can applaud my fellow contestants enthusiastically, because they, like me, know that the person they are competing against is themselves.

If you would like me to address your group or organization on the topic of teamwork, competition, speaking skills or a related topic, contact me.

Next Saturday! Free Leadership Workshop

Plan to attend a special workshop that will help you to be a more effective leader.

Plan to attend a special workshop that will help you to be a more effective leader.

If you are in the Chicago area next Saturday, consider joining me and several other communications professionals who are offering FREE workshop sessions under the general heading, “Unleashing the Leader Within.”The workshop sessions will be held from 1:45 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014 at Aon Hewitt, 4 Overlook Drive, Building A, Lincolnshire, IL 60046. Building security requires that you register in advance at this link. (http://j.mp/d30toastmasters)I’ll lead two workshop sessions:

  • Developing Your Leadership Skills
  • Characteristics of Effective Leaders

Other communication professionals will lead sessions on:

  • The Art of Effective Evaluation
  • Improving Your Management Skills
  • Building Your Thinking Power – Power of Ideas
  • Building Your Thinking Power – Mental Flexibility

This workshop is offered compliments of Toastmasters District 30, North Division.

I hope to see you there!

Presenting Results That Tell a Sad Tale About Presentation Skills

Businessman giving presentation at podiumThis afternoon, I returned to my desk after delivering a speech during an open house organized by my company’s Toastmaster’s club, and spotted an email about presentation skills.

The email was from Distinction Communication Inc., announcing publication of results from Distinction’s 2013 Presentation Impact Survey. Although the survey sample was small (150 people), it provided some data that lends credence to the notion that companies and their employees (including leaders) need help to develop their presentation skills.

Even after decades of experience as a communications professional, I saw the need a few years ago to ramp up my speaking and leadership skills through Toastmasters. The support and guidance provided by Toastmasters and companies such as Distinction is worth the investment of time and money.

Here are results of the Distinction 2013 Presentation Impact Survey. I think they track well with what I see within my company.

1) What best represents your role in the organization?

11% Senior Management
42% Sales or Marketing
17% Training & Development
3% Corporate Communications
5% Operations or Finance
22% Other (Education, mid-level management, directors etc)

2) How would you rank the importance of personal presentation skills on your career and income?

89% Communicating with clarity/directly impacts my career and income (Up 3% from 2012)
10% Presentation skills are helpful but only impact my job somewhat
1% Good presentation skills probably don’t impact my job at all

3) What is the mix of face-to-face presentations vs. web-based presentations you deliver?

33% I only deliver face-to-face presentations.
37% Most of my presentations are face-to-face with a few that are web-based.
16% An even mix of face-to-face and web-based presentations.
14% More than half of my presentations are web-based. *(Doubled from 2012 results)

4) Which best reflects your ability to get honest and constructive feedback on the presentations you deliver?

39% I get regular, constructive and helpful feedback on how well I’m presenting.
36% The feedback I receive is very infrequent and not always helpful.
25% I rarely or never receive direct input on my presentation skills.

5) Do you believe you are a good presenter?

49% Yes, I believe I’m a pretty good presenter
41% I think I’m a somewhat average presenter
10% My presentation skills are not as strong as I would like

6) What best describes the PowerPoint (or equivalent) presentations you or your team deliver? (Be as objective as you can)

12% Very simple- sometimes bordering on too elementary
16% Overly complicated – way too much information on a slide
50% Average visuals- no better or worse than others I see
22% Awesome- high caliber and well-designed presentation visuals

7) Rank these presenter behaviors from most to least irritating or distracting, 1 being the worst (listed below from most irritating average score to least)

#1 – Reading directly from notes or off the screen
#2 – The use of umm’s and uhhh’s (filler words)
#3 – Pacing or nervous movement
#4 – Eyes wander and won’t make eye contact with the audience
#5 – Presenter wants to stay behind a podium or lectern

8) On a 1-10 scale, rank the average presenter you see in your organization every week.

5.6

9) Does your company provide meaningful and ongoing resources and tools to help you become a more effective communicator and presenter?

31% Yes- my company supports the ongoing development of these skills in a number of ways
55% Limited- my company provides only occasional or limited resources or tools
14% No- my company does not offer any resources for presentation skills development

10) When asked to deliver an important presentation, your gut feeling is…

35% No sweat… I really love giving presentations
64% I would be anxious but I always make it work out
1% I’d rather have a root canal at the dentist’s office

11) When it comes to creating the underlying message for my presentations…

37% I don’t have a consistent plan for shaping important presentation messages
8% Someone else usually creates the messages for my presentations
55% I have a very specific messaging game plan that I use

*Survey respondents January 2013= 150

This annual survey is conducted by Distinction Communication Inc., a Portland, OR–based presentation services company that provides delivery skills coaching, messaging and advanced design support to clients around North America and the world.

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