Friday, July 27, 2012

Getting Competent With The Competent Leadership Manual

I like the Competent Leadership (CL) manual. When the CL manual was introduced in 2005, I particularly liked how it took an approach similar to the Competent Communication (CC) manual in that it broke down particular skills associated with good leaders into 10 individual projects and allowed members to focus on and get feedback directly on those specific skills.

Unfortunately, the CL manual did not fit the model Toastmasters members were familiar with: one project with specific goals finished in one meeting and a simple order to the projects. The CL manual instead had multiple steps required to finish a project. Completing the manual requires jumping around from project to project depending on which role you happened to be performing. It takes at least 21 steps to complete the CL manual.

Educating members about the CL manual was difficult. Only a few members actually got it, particularly the very active members. Three years later, I was a club president and the CL manual had become mandatory for the leadership track. In that club, the President conducted club business at the beginning of the meeting. I made copies of questions from the CL manual for all those steps associated with meeting role. At the beginning of each meeting, I asked each person on the agenda if they had their CL manual. If they did I made sure they had passed it another member for an evaluation. If they did not have it, I pulled out a set of questions for that role and asked who would evaluate it. At the end of each meeting, everyone had a CL evaluation unless they had specifically declined. That did help participation a lot.

When the second version of the CL manual was published, a new tracking sheet had been designed which immensely improved the understanding of the average member. Today most members still do not think to bring along their CL manual or to pull it out and pass it around. I've heard of some clubs that keep everyone's CL manual with the clubs materials so they cannot be forgotten, but none of my clubs have done this yet.

I do hope that we can find a way to better educate new and old members alike in the usage and benefits of the Competent Leadership manual. It's so easy to do since you are not doing anything more than you already do as a club member. The only difference is you are getting feedback, and that's why you joined Toastmasters in the first place, right?

I know! We need to add one more project at the beginning of the Toastmasters curriculum and required every 6-12 months: Taking The Initiative!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Tracking Progress

I'm currently a VP Education which is an office I've held many times before. I have particular opinions on the role, such as asking for volunteers is great but assigning people to roles is better.

One of my weaknesses as VP Education is tracking members' progress. A big reason for that is simply a self-centered view. Since I am in multiple clubs, no one VP Education can keep track of me so I have to keep track of myself. It's not that hard, so all Toastmasters can do it, right?

Anyhow, there was a specific request recently that I find a way to track members' progress and make it visible for all the members. I logged in to our club's Google Docs account and created a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet doesn't automate or calculate anything, but I think it does make it incredibly easy to enter data and track progress. I even made the document editable for all the members so anyone can update it.

Since I thought it was useful, I saved a copy for myself and recorded all of my awards in it including my 7 CTM/CCs, my 5 ATM/ACs, my 4 OLCs, and my progress towards ALS. It's pretty easy to follow so I am sharing it here for others to use. Save a copy to your own Google Docs or download it for your preferred spreadsheet program.

There are six sheets in the document which you can see by the tabs at the bottom: CC, CL, AC, ALB, ALS, and DTM. All the requirements are listed in the headers for each sheet's table. The entries in each table correspond to one line per achievement.

If your club doesn't have a Google Docs account yet, get one! Get a Google Voice number too! More on those later.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Topping Table Topics - My Stories

Nearly everyone's first Toastmasters speaking experience is a Table Topic. Some love it; some hate it. I generally enjoy Table Topics, but many fear brain freeze: having no idea what to say -- and everyone staring at them.

Although I may not know what the Table Topic will be, there are still ways I prepare and tactics I use. In fact, these are the very skills I have used in job interviews and social situations with great success.
 
One of my strategies is to keep 1-3 stories in mind with the hope that the Table Topic can be somehow redirected smoothly into one of those stories.

Some stories I have used are:
  • Showing my son his first earthworm when he was 4. He pulled the worm apart.
  • A brief telling of a contest speech I had previously done.
  • My contest evaluation that was interrupted by the fire alarm.
  • How I nearly got married in a Star Trek uniform.
  • The backstory behind one of my songs.
  • How my son determined babies come from Babies-R-Us.
  • Scoring a goal in soccer from half field.
The underlying commonality, each of these stories are personal stories. The advantage is that I already know these stories, and I have told them many times. Telling these stories as a Table Topic is really no different than when I tell them over dinner,  riding in a car, or talking on the phone.

Sometimes none of the stories I had prepared fit nicely with the Table Topic provided. In some cases, I have ignored the Table Topic or contorted my response so I can tell my story anyway. In other cases, I have to abandon this strategy and a different one.

I have used this tactic to great success in speech contests, and I have also used it in job interviews -- and it has landed me job offers.

I am always interested in developing more stories to add to my repertoire. The more I have, the more I can draw on when the unexpected is thrust upon me. Uncertainty does not preclude preparation!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

In It To Win It

Why compete? Why would someone voluntarily get up and speak in public with the intent of being judged and the being found wanting?

Certainly there are some people who are very competitive, and some who love the spotlight. Why not just let them enter the speech contests. The rest of us can just keep time or count ballots, maybe occasionally run a contest or judge. There's no need to risk a blow to ego or self-esteem or experience public humiliation by failing to seize that first place trophy, right? Why go through all the effort to prepare for so little chance?

I have been in Toastmasters 13 years, and I have competed in over 140 speech contests to date. In my clubs, there have been some members who were afraid to compete against me even though I have lost more than half the time and I have yet to win a District championship. It might make you wonder, who would want to compete against a District champion or an International Speech finalist?

I would. I have! Why not compete? No matter how you perform, you will be applauded. Everyone will be encouraging you. In fact, the worst thing that could happen is that you win!


A few years ago, a new member in one of my clubs was an experienced Toastmaster who had just the year before placed third in the International Speech finals. When the next International Speech contest came up, I was the only one who signed up against him. I was eager to compete on the same stage with him, because I knew with such high calibre competition that I would be motivated to prepare and perform at my best.

Our two speeches could not have been more different. My competitor, quite sharp in his Marine dress uniform, drew first and he gave a solid speech about honor and perseverance from his bootcamp experience. For my speech, I was moving about and standing on chairs emoting about my divorce and what Toastmasters had done for me.

When I finished, I felt really good. I had performed my speech as I had planned and practiced, and the audience reaction had been very strong. During the break before the winners were announced, several of the club members told me they believed my speech had been just as good as the first speech and a couple thought that I had a chance at winning outright.

At that moment, I had already achieved my goal: I had given a speech that was important to me, and I had given it at a level that put me on par with an elite competitor.

As luck would have it, demographics were against me. The judges that evening were mostly men that appeared to be retired, and they all saluted during the Pledge of Allegiance indicating they were ex-military. I was not at all surprised that my competitor came in first. Quite simply, his speech connected with the judges far better than mine ever could.


I have learned that as a whole judges are neither perfect nor predictable. Yes, Toastmasters speech judges are supposed to be objective, but there is no way to enforce or even recognize objectivity. Even if a judge is making every effort to be objective, a speech that happens to resonate with the judge's own experiences, beliefs, or personality will subconsciously appear to be better organized with better use of voice and gestures and a stronger audience reaction. I have both witnessed and experienced contest results skewed due to a variety of factors related to judges including age, gender, personal bias, nationality, race, failure to fill out ballots correctly, ballots missed by ballot counters, tiebreakers applied improperly, a contest master or chief judge ignorant of the rules, and even an incorrect announcment of winners that ballot counters and timers failed to correct immediately.

What does all this mean? It means that winning a contest is completely out of my control! Therefore, winning a contest is not my goal. My goal is to perform at my peak and to make an impact on the audience.


A couple years ago, I finally had won my way to the District International Speech contest. When I took the stage, my goal was not to win; after all, I could not control what the judges would do. All that mattered to me was that I give my best performance. I spoke next to last. I got laughs and gasps, and the entire ballroom of 350 or more Toastmasters hung in rapt silence as I finished. I walked off that stage giddy and very satisfied.



I do not remember the speaker after me very well since I was still running on an adrenaline high. After the speeches completed, I made my way to the bathroom. (Nine 5-7 minute speeches and 10 minutes of silence was asking a lot of my body!) A gentleman there proferred me some advice that I had heard before: I ended my speech with an emotional downer, and I should have made it more positive instead. I had long since passed on that advice because the speech was designed specifically to leave the audience doing a deep and intense introspection.

On the way back to the ballroom, a woman in tears accosted me. She thanked me prolifically for my speech. I had reminded her of her son who had committed suicide, and for her my speech became a tribute to him.

I had made an impact! I accomplished my goal. I had already won.

When the results were announced, I placed second, the only time I have placed at the District level. I now have a speech that I know shocks, touches, and evokes great emotion. I would never have put the effort to put it all together if I had not been competing!

Do you have a story to tell? Do you want to make an impact on people? Do you have a passion you feel driven to share? Do you have a wound that needs help to heal?

Write that speech. Practice it. Get feedback. Rewrite it. Retell it. Then take that speech to the stage in competition and give your best such that you can walk away proud of yourself. I will meet you there, and I will be doing the exact same thing! We will both be in it to win it.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

By Design

At officer training this past Saturday, this question was posed: When the schedule for the week goes out, how do you get members to respond and confirm their roles?

Many Toastmasters I know hate being the Toastmaster of the Day because the scheduled members do not confirm or even respond to email messages. Come meeting time, many unconfirmed roles result in unprepared members, rapid agenda shuffles, and a stressed-out Toastmaster of the Day. I know some who have gone so far as to refuse to ever take the meeting organizational role again because the members are so lazy and discourteous that they do not want to deal with that frustration. "If only they would just respond and confirm!"

We all think this. If only the other cars on the road would get out of my way. If only the doctor would take me at the exact time of my appointment. If only my coworkers would answer the phone when I call. If only my significant other would recognize my mood. Life would be so much easier if only they would do what I expect of them!

It doesn't work that way, though, does it? Email is not reliable -- by design -- so messages can get lost. SMS text messaging is also -- by design -- unreliable. Even when a member confirms for a role, that member could later have a memory lapse, or something unexpected could come up at the last minute. Some Toastmasters hate to pick up the phone and make a call.

This is by no means unique to Toastmasters. At work, have you not had coworkers fail to attend or prepare for meetings? At home, have you had people fail to RSVP to events you were planning? Do your close friends ever forget to tell you about something important? In fact, if you think about it, people are not reliable -- by design. Life is not reliable -- by design!

Other people will not change to suit your desires. As long as you expect others to conform to your expectations, the problem is you!

When you are Toastmaster of the Day, take the onus upon yourself. If a member has not confirmed, call them! In fact, the evening before your meeting, make a voice phone call to everyone on the agenda whether or not they have already confirmed. Talk with them for a couple of minutes, remind them of their role, find out if they have any questions, and give them encouragement.

If you are one of those that hates making a phone call, have you every considered why? Is not a phone call just another mode of communication, and did you not join Toastmasters to improve your communication skills? Is your fear perhaps another form of stage fright?

There will always be last-minute shuffling at Toastmasters meetings. The same thing happens in the real world, too. The whole point of being Toastmaster of the Day is to learn how to deal with coordinating multiple people, to adjust to unexpected changes, and to develop skills to make a meeting run successfully despite the difficulties. You will not always succeed. In Toastmasters, you are supposed to fail! In your failures you learn what does not work, and in Toastmasters it is safe to fail. Your fellow Toastmasters will still applaud you, give you good feedback, and encourage you to try again. That is the whole point of Toastmasters.

The day will come that those organizational and motivational skills you developed will pay off handsomely. It could be for a small meeting at work, a grand social gathering, or an evening of games with friends.

If only you conform your expectations to others' realistic behavior, then your Toastmasters meeting will be a learning success. If only one person changes attitude, life will change to suit you -- by design.  That one person is you.

Monday, July 16, 2012

What, Me Scared?

"Do you still get scared?"

I first encountered Toastmasters when a new lunch club, Harris SpeakEZ Toastmasters, was forming where I worked at Harris Corporation in 1997. This was by no means my first time speaking in public. I was a member of the Student Senate at the University of Florida in 1995-1996. I was part of a very small minority; the majority was part of a political machine that dated back decades and tied in to the political good-old-boy network in the state of Florida.

Since our minority was so small, we had to be loud in order to accomplish anything. We were far more effective than we really should have been given our size. As a result, none of us were particularly popular. When I got up to speak, I faced a very hostile audience. I would be heckled, jeered, and insulted. I continued to speak my opinion, unpopular as it may have been, since that was what I believed I should do as a senator.

When I attended the first Toastmasters club meeting and discovered that everyone wanted to hear me speak, I was quite eager to take the stage. No, I never had stage fright. I do sometimes still get the adrenaline rush when I speak, especially during contests, but it is a fun rush and I enjoy it.

The few times I have had difficulty speaking were when the content was personal and painful. Why would someone ever want to talk about such things in public? Well, for me, I have found those speeches to be cathartic and healing. My fellow Toastmasters are there to help me become better, and they do that by listening and providing feedback compassionately.

So my answer is, no, I do not get scared when I speak. I love an audience, especially a friendly one! Any size audience is fine. I do still get a rush if I am really excited about my topic.  When it comes your turn to speak, talk about something you care about strongly!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

At The Core

Toastmasters is known as a place for people to work on public speaking. That has been Toastmasters' calling card since Ralph Smedley started forming speaking clubs a century ago.

Recently, Toastmasters International decided to rebrand itself, redesigning the Toastmasters logo and establishing the motto "Where leaders are made." to emphasize Toastmasters' leadership skills development program.

Developing members' communication and leadership skills has been the core emphasis of Toastmasters throughout my 13 years, however my experience is that Toastmasters' has something much more fundamental at the core.

Those who join and participate in Toastmasters come from all walks of life and all sorts of different experiences and beliefs, but they do have one thing in common: Every active member is working to improve himself or herself.

Every Toastmasters that I have ever known that completed the first 10 speeches in the Competent Communication manual has of course improved his or her communication and presentation skills, but each also improved his or her confidence, organization, perception, awareness, and self-esteem. Because of these changes, every member's personal and professional lives improved.

When I was going through my divorce, I was having an emotionally difficult time, and for several months there was almost no one I could really talk to. I was also very unhappy at my job, so the two Toastmasters meetings I went to each week were my only respite. Watching my fellow Toastmasters continue to grow and improve I was continually reminded that things do and will get better.

I finally needed to speak out in order to heal, so I gave a speech at each club telling them about my pending divorce and my emotional turmoil. I even broke down in front of everyone. My evaluator evaluated the speech with poise, empathy, and suggestions -- and stuck to evaluating the speech. My fellow Toastmasters were supportive and encouraging.

At the core, Toastmasters is not about communications or leadership; it is not about making leaders or public speaking. In truth, Toastmasters is the best support group not just for fear of public speaking, but for ANY problem. At the core, Toastmasters is about building better people.