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The ToastOctober 2010

Letter from the VP of PR

September Re-wind

And much more,..

Power Speakers of Manatee County Government News Mag

ToastmastersDistrict 47, Division F, Area 61Club #1197988Power Speakers of MCG

The ToastPower Speakers of Manatee County Government News Mag

October 2010

Message from the Vice President of Public Relations

District Events

Confessions of a Public Speaker

A Question of Manners

September Rewind

And much more...Lights, Camera, Action! Toastmasters Fashion

Show @ Chef Sean’s

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Letter from the Vice President of Public RelationsHave you visited us on the web lately?We have made updates to our website. Check out videos to see how Toastmasters have helped others and how it could help you. Minutes, club membership and other info has been updat-ed as well. We also have a club e-mail address, toastmasters@mymanatee.org.

Setting and Achieving Your GoalsMembers, we have 8 months before the deadline to reach the club’s goal of being a President’s Distinguished Club. Although this is a club goal, we all need to have a personal goal in mind.

Take a moment to think about what you would like to accomplish between now and June 30, 2011. Do you want to complete your Competent Communicator (CC) and Competent Leadership (CL) manuals? Or do you just want to move, one manual at a time? Have you completed your CC and looking to challenge your speaking skills by aiming for the Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS) , Bronze (ACB) or even Gold (ACG)? Or perhaps you’re trying to work on your Advanced Leadership Bronze (ALB) or Silver (ALS)? For those who stick with Toastmasters long enough, perhaps you’re looking to become a Distinguished Toastmaster.

Whatever your goal, you need to plan and prepare if you want to reach your goal by June 30, 2011.

If you are still in need of manuals, talk to the Vice President of Membership (Rossina Leider) and/or the Treasurer (Deborah Carey-Reed) to verify your mailing information is correct.

Although there are 8 months in between the deadline, begin aggressively tackling your goal now. There are only 40 Fridays left to complete speeches and roles. That’s not counting holidays. Vacations, sick days, etc. always creep up on us when we don’t expect it. So plan accordingly. It’s our mission to have everyone reach their goals.

If you haven’t done so already, let the Vice President of Education (Mary Moeller) know of your goal. That way she can keep you in mind when developing the schedule.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, visit us on the web or email us at toastmas-ters@mymanatee.org.

Remember if it’s not fun, it’s not Toastmasters!

Simone PetersonSimone Peterson, CC1112 Manatee Avenue WestBradenton, Florida 34205941.749.3029 x6929

CC= Competiet Communicator

Have any questions about Toastmasters?

E-mail us: toastmasters@mymanatee.org

Power Speakers of Manatee County

Government Toastmasters

application

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October 2010 Issue3

MeMber Profile

Phyllis Strong

1. How long have you worked for Manatee County Government?Since January 30, 1989

2. Title and department?Development Services Supervisor, Planning Department

3. How long have you been a member of Toastmasters?Since June 2010

4. How did you find out about Toastmasters?Stephanie Moreland, Club President, who told me about it every time she saw me.

5. Why did you join Toastmasters?Stephanie Moreland finally convinced me that I’d have a lot of fun and she was right.

6. What do you like about the Club?Finding out everyone has an interesting story to tell, the icebreaker speeches are wonderful, I also love the table topics portion of the meeting it makes you think on your feet.

7. What is your Toastmasters goal?To challenge myself to become a better speaker, lose the “you knows” and become more comfortable when speaking to an audience.

8. Any awards received or working on?I’m working toward my competent communicator certification, I’ve given three speeches so far and won best speaker ribbon for two, I’ve also been awarded the best evaluator ribbon twice. (thanks fellow Toastmasters)

9. Why should employees join the Toastmasters?I feel that everyone can benefit from Toastmasters, if you are required to speak before a crowd or just want to feel comfortable in social situations when meeting new people, Toastmasters can give you the skills.

10. What tip would you give regarding public speaking?Find your comfort zone, don’t let nerves defeat you make them work to your advantage.

11. What do you do in your leisure time?Reading and spending time with my two grandsons, Christopher and Christian.

12. Favorite type of music?I have three, Classic R&B, Gospel and Classic Rock

Toastmasters Mission

StatementThe mission of a

Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and posi-

tive learning environ-ment in which every

individual member has the opportu-

nity to develop oral communication and

leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and

personal growth.

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Power Speakers of MCG NewsMeeting DatesFor convenience of members and guests, Power Speakers of Manatee County Govern-ment will be holding meetings at Public Works and the downtown Administration Building.

Generally, the first and second Fridays of the month meeting will be held at Public Works at 1022 26th Street East and meetings on the 3rd or 4th Friday will be held in the Manatee Room or Osprey Room on the 4th floor of the Administration Building. Everyone is invited to attend. All meetings take place from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

October 22 Meeting- County Admin. Bldg., 1112 Manatee Ave. W. Bradenton Manatee RoomOctober 29 Member Open House- Public Works 1022 26th Ave. E. Bradenton

Fashion Show @ Chef Sean’s Come see the Power Speakers of Manatee County Government strut their stuff at Chef Sean’s luncheon Oct. 28 at 11:30 a.m.

Toastmasters members will model various out-fits ranging from business wear to evening wear all while practicing their public speaking skills.

Although Boss’s Day has come and gone, why not treat your boss and invite fellow co-workers to a delicious meal and for a small $2 fee, some grand entertainment as well? Everyone involved will surely be in for a treat!

Door prizes will also be available. Tickets will sell for $1 each or 6 for $5.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcome New MembersNick Azzara, County Administrator’s Office

Toastmasters Open House for MembersOn October 29 an open house for Toastmas-ters members will be held at Public Works in lieu of our regular meeting.

In addition to any questions members may have, the two educational tracks, officer positions, district information as well as men-tors, helpful hints and tip for completing your manuals and other materials.

MeMber Corner Confessions of a Public Speakerby sCott berkunIn giving hundreds of lectures over the years, and reading books about other speakers who have done many more, it’s become clear to me that everyone has things go wrong. All public speaking is a kind of performance, and no matter how well you’ve prepared your material, you must expect there will be unique challenges every time you speak. The best attitude is to go in prepared for the most common challenges. To help, here’s my list of situations that I know speakers fear, with advice on how to prepare and respond:

You’re being heckledHecklers are rare. When it happens, the audience is as frustrated with them as you are. Use this to your advantage. If you take a heckler on directly you’ll look mean, but if you get the audience on your side, things end quickly. Hecklers are people who either: wish they were on stage, are drunk or think they are helping you by contributing.

How to prevent: • Set the rules for people to interact with you. If you want questions held until the end, say so. Pro-viding your e-mail address early gives everyone a way to contact you without taking the floor.

How to respond: • Ask the audience to hold their comments un-til the end. Done politely and calmly, this often works. It keeps you in control. Even if someone makes a joke at your expense, don’t turn it into an argument; politely ask the person to wait until the end to comment.

• If you are confident you can dispatch a heckler with a joke or funny comment, do it – but be care-ful. It’s safer to defuse them by saying, “That’s interesting” – to acknowledge they were heard – and continuing with your point. This gives them some respect, since you’re acknowledging their voice, but you keep control.

• If someone is truly disruptive, ask the host of the event to help. They invited you, and they should take responsibility.

Everyone in the room hates you There are days when the vibe in the room is all wrong, and it feels like they either hate you or just

Scott Berkun is a freelance

writer, author of three books and

public speaker for Fortune 500 companies and universities on topics related

to creativity and management.

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want you to shut up. Speaking in foreign countries or at corpora-tions that have just announced major layoffs (but no one has told you this) can feel this way. Or sometimes, you actually did something stupid that they rightfully hate you for.

How to prevent: • Your host is your guide. They should tell you if there is something you need to know, like recent pay cuts or other bad news. If you’re paranoid, you can ask, “Is there anything that’s hap-pened recently I should know about?”

• Arrive early. If you are early you can introduce yourself to people who will be in your audience, giving you a sense for the larger group.

How to respond: • Sometimes you have to go into robotic mode, and give your presentation as if you are speaking to a crowd you think likes you. If they hate you they hate you, but don’t fall into the trap of trying to change your presentation on the fly out of fear that they don’t like you.

• Cut material to get to your Q&A quickly. If you have optional stories, drop them. The sooner you get to Q&A the faster you can diagnose what’s going on. And at worst, the sooner your talk will be over.

There is a rambling question that makes no sense and takes three minutes to ask A good warning sign is when a question has a 60-second preamble. Whoever is ask-ing a question this long hasn’t thought hard enough yet to even form a question.

How to respond: • Ask a clarifying question: “Do you mean X or Y?” Interrupt the person if necessary. If they seem lost, ask them to focus their question while you answer the next question. Then go back to them later. This is pushy, but if you do it with charm the audience appreciates it.

• Realize the audience hates these people. They didn’t come to the session to hear someone’s rambling, poorly formed, pseu-do-question. You are the only person who

can do anything to stop the rambling.

• If you do cut them off, remind them of your e-mail address, and mention longer

questions are fine, just not in real time.

Everyone is staring at their laptops Sometimes people are just taking notes or sharing what you say with other people online, which is good for you, but they might also be playing soli-taire. People in the audience should be free to choose how they want to

listen. But you are also free to influ-ence them in that choice.

How to prevent: • Sometimes I say this: “Here’s a deal. I’d like your undivided attention for five minutes. If after five minutes you’re bored, you are free to do something else. In fact, I won’t mind if you get up and leave after five minutes. But for the first 300 seconds give me your undivided attention.” Most people close their laptops. At that point, I hit them with an irresistible hook in my opening.

How to respond: • There isn’t much you can do. Focus on the people who are fully engaged and in the room. Ignore the rest. It’s their loss.

• Ask the host to monitor Twitter, or the event chat room, and use her as a way to get the best ques-tions and comments from the back channel into your presentation.

You are asked an impossible question There is nothing wrong with a tough question you can’t answer. There is no law that says you as the speaker must know everything.

How to prevent: • The only way to prevent it is to have a talk so bor-ing, or so obscure, that tough questions are impos-sible, since the audience doesn’t know what your point was. Don’t do this.

How to respond: • Learn to say three words: “I don’t know.” They are easy to say.

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• Write down the question, or ask someone to e-mail it to you, and promise you’ll respond.

• Offer the question to the audience. Maybe you’re not the only one who can’t answer the question. If no one in the audience knows, they seem at least as clueless as you. And if there is an answer, you’ve at least helped the person who asked the tough question to get an answer, even if it’s not yours.

The microphone breaks Often microphones only partially break. They have feedback, or flitter in and out. This is distracting for an audience and they will blame you for it. If after a couple of minutes the problem doesn’t resolve itself, assume the microphone is broken.

How to prevent: • Pray to the gods of AV equipment.

• Demand a sound check before your talk.

• Ask the AV people where there are sound problems in the room.

How to respond: • Confirm with the audience they are hearing the same problems you are. Sometimes the prob-lems are only heard at the front of the stage.

• Get the tech crew involved. This is why they are paid. As embarrassing as it is for you, if you get them involved the audience will know it’s not entirely your fault.

• In moderately sized rooms, 100 people or less, the acoustics are often good enough for people to hear you if you project well. Step forward and you might be able to get started while the tech crew fixes things.

Your laptop explodes At every conference there is always at least one person who has technical problems

with their computers. Some events force you to use their podium computers to help minimize problems, but with video codecs and font issues, this sometimes makes it worse. Macs and PCs have problems and every projector and video sys-tem has charming idiosyncrasies that the tech people who manage them will absolutely deny.

How to prevent: • Use your own gear.

• PC laptops are more popular and I’m con-vinced have fewer issues with projector com-patibility. Problem is, they’re PCs.

• Demand a video check before your talk.

How to respond: • The big question is when to aban- don your laptop. Ten minutes is the cut- off point. If after 10 minutes you’re still not sure how to fix it, I’d go with Plan B.

• Plan B: Know your main points. Be able to write them down as a short bulleted list. Do a shorter, less formal version of your talk. Do not constantly say “If I had my slides” or “In my real presenta-tion…” The audience doesn’t care about what they might have seen.

• Have a printout of your slides with you. Worst case, you can use this as your notes.

Running out of time This happens much more often than speak-ers ending their presentations early. Since most people practice to finish exactly on time, with little buffer, it’s not a surprise.

How to prevent: • If you build your presentation right, there should be a steady rhythm throughout the talk that in-forms you about pace every step of the way. This prevents discovering you have one minute left to cover half of your talk.

• Practice each speech to use less time than you are given.

• Always plan to have at least 10 to 20 percent of your time slot for Q&A. If you run over you can eat some of that Q&A time.

How to respond: • If you can’t get through the material, put the ma-

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Check out the official

Toastmasters video.

terial aside and focus on your audience. If there are three sections left and only time for one, let the audience vote on which one it should be.

You left your slide deck at home How to prevent: • Put your slides in three places: on a flash drive you bring, on your own laptop and on a Web site you can access from any Web browser. Redundancy wins.

What to do if your situation is not here Well, my friend, there is only one fail-safe ma-neuver. You must pay attention to what happens so you can tell your friends about it later. True disasters always make for great tales. By defini-tion, few of us are immune to its power.

Guest CornerA Question of MannersTo thank, or not to thank, your audience.by MarGaret PaGe, dtM To thank or not to thank – that is the question. When you are finished giving a speech, should you say “thank you” to your audience?

Proper etiquette plays a big part in Toast-masters meetings, and the “Do you thank the audience?” question lies at the heart of good “Toastmanners.” The issue sparks spirited debate in the Toastmasters world, as shown by a discussion earlier this year among the Official Toastmasters International Members Group on LinkedIn.

Some mem-bers said that when you finish a speech with the words “thank you,” your conclusion lacks creativ-ity; end it with more dramatic impact, they urged. “Picture leaving your audience with a ‘Big Bang’

[ending] – a story or thought that will leave them wanting more,” said Sarah Hilton, a member of two clubs in London, Ontario, Canada. “‘Thank you’ does not create this experience for your audience.”

But others argued that a thank you at the end is like an unwrit-ten social contract between speaker and audi-ence. “I have tried the most thunderous, rousing endings in the world, and the audience will not clap until I say, ‘Thank you.’... that is their cue to clap,” notes Sue Gaulke, a member of the Hood River club in Hood River, Oregon.

Other members said each situation needs to be judged on its own. For example, you might say “thank you” if you’re speaking at a fund raiser but not if you’re giving a speech to inform or convince.

As an etiquette professional, I side with those in the pro-thank you camp who advocate thanking one’s audience every time. I believe gratitude on the part of the speaker should be clearly conveyed.

A Little Background… I first wrote about this subject in the August 2007 issue of the Toastmaster magazine. (That “My Turn” article was referenced in the LinkedIn discussion.) My position is that audience mem-bers give speakers something of great value that deserves a thank you: They give their pre-cious time and (presumably) their full attention. Those two things alone allow you to do what you came to the lectern to do – present material of importance to them.

Margaret Page is a member of Sunshine

Toastmasters in Sechelt,

Canada, and a Vancouver-

based etiquette and protocol consultant.

DTM= Distinguished Toastmaster

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I once heard Bill Clinton, the former U.S. president, give a speech in Vancouver, Canada, and at the end of the speech he took the time to thank everybody, right down to the lighting techni-cians. I found this impressive – it demonstrated thoughtfulness and impeccable

manners.

However, it’s also true that concluding your speech with a polite “thank you” simply doesn’t produce a Big Bang dramatic end-ing. If you have not conveyed your gratitude somewhere during the speech (and I don’t condone starting off with a thank you), I sug-gest ending the speech with that Big Bang, taking a pause, and then ending your time on the podium with a sincere thank you to the audience. As Croix Sather, a member of sev-eral clubs in Connecticut, said in the LinkedIn discussion: “If you have to choose between saying thank you or not, always say thank you (after a very long pause) with the sincer-est and truest way you can.”

In recent years, Toastmasters International’s official stance on the “thank you” issue has shifted a bit. The old Communication and Leadership Program manual (now, called the Competent Communication manual) used to say this about speech conclusions:

Don’t end by saying “Thank you.” The audi-ence should thank you for the information you’ve shared. Instead, just close with your prepared ending, nod at the Toastmaster of the meeting, and say, “Mr. (or Madam) Toast-master” – then enjoy the applause!

The current ver-sion of the manual is more flexible on the matter, stating: “Some speakers say ‘thank you’ at the very end to sig-nal to the audience

that they are finished, but this is not necessary.”

Three years after I first wrote about the issue, my conclusion remains the same: Gratitude and good manners belong wherever people gather, and should especially be on display when you’re on the podium. Isn’t life better for everyone when we grab more – not fewer – opportunities to thank those who give us their valuable time and attention?

toastMasters distriCt 47 newsMeet Rick Furbush, District Governorby riCk furbush, dtMIt is an honor and privilege to be your District Governor. I have been blessed to work with our past two District Governors who have done a fantastic job for our District.

We have had an extraordinary two years since our District split. The highest award a District can receive is President’s Distinguished, which is reserved for the top 6 Districts (out of 81) in the world.

Last year under the guidance of District Gov-ernor Antionette Fox, we were number 5 in the world, a feat very rarely achieved. This year, un-der the guidance or our District Governor, Kris-tina Kihlberg, we were number 2 in the world, a first for our District.

Our goal this year is to complete the “Hat Trick” – three in a row. This

year we not only want to be President’s Distin-guished again but we want the elusive, never before attained achievement of being # 1.

So … What does it take to be number one?

First, it takes having an extraordinary team of hard working, dedicated Toastmasters. Those who also have experienced what it takes to be President’s Distinguished. That we have in flying colors. You will meet them on the following pages.

District 47 Events

Saturday October 16

Division B Humorous Speech & Evaluation

Contest 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

MondayOctober 25

Building Your Thinking Power,

Part 2 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Friday, Novem-ber 5 - Sunday,

November 7 District 47 Fall

ConferenceConference

FlyerListing of

Workshops

Monday November 15 How to Listen

Effectively 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

MondayDecember 13

The Art of Effec-tive Evaluation6 p.m. – 9 p.m

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Questions?Suggestions?

Comments?

We want to hear from you!

Second, it takes a District membership that is excited about Toastmasters, about helping others succeed,and wanting to make a difference in the world. That we have for sure. You are the whole reason our district has been in the top 6 for the past two years.

Third, it takes having a BIG GAME and being excited about it. In order to be Number One in the world, the members have to be winning, achieving their goals and having FUN.

Our Goals: This year we want to do something that has NEVER been done before in the history of Toastmasters, and that is for:

Every club in our district to be at least distinguished.

If each member of our district worked at achieving the most out of Toastmasters and helping fellow members aspire to do their best, we can achieve this goal and that would make us number one.

I invite you to share your Toastmasters’ skills with the world, which is why our theme this year is:

“Find your voice … and Make a Difference.”

Finally, I know that the most important part IS the journey.

To get the most out of it, it has to be FUN. So, remember …

“If it isn’t fun, it isn’t Toastmasters!”

September RewindSeptember 3Best Table Topics- Erika BarrettBest Speaker- Tammy Boggs & Chuck Froman Best Evaluator- Sharon Tarman

September 10Best Table Topics: Rossina LeiderBest Speaker: Stacy HaagBest Evaluator: Jerson Lopez

September 24Best Speaker: Phyllis StrongBest Evaluator: Tammy Boggs

E-mail us: toastmasters@mymanatee.org

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toastMasters internationalOn the Road to Becoming a Distinguished ClubWhere does the Power Speakers of Manatee County Government Stand?Power Speakers of Manatee County Government recently received the “President’s Distinguished Club” status from Toastmasters International.

The Distinguished Club Program monitorsand measures your club’s achievements in twocritical areas.

The Distinguished Club Program is an annualprogram, running from July 1 through June 30. The program consists of 10 goals your club should strive to achieve during this time using the Club Success Plan as a guide.

World Headquarters tracks the progress of your club toward these goals throughout the year, sending quarterly progress reminders to your club president.

At year-end, World Headquarters cal-culates the number of goals the club achieved and recog-nizes it as a Distin-guished Club, Select Distinguished Club or President’s Distin-guished Club based on the number of goals achieved and the num-ber of members it has.

In addition, your club must meet a member-ship requirement. At year-end (June 30) it must have:-at least 20 members or-a net growth of at least five new members

Let’s keep up the good work!