"Slow and Steady" Is Ana's Pace

Many of us are familiar with the tale of The Tortoise and the Hare. The hare, fast as lightning, thinks that he has the race in the bag over the slow tortoise. The tortoise, making slow but consistent progress, eventually wins the race. I think of myself as a tortoise - I'm not fast but I move forward in a consistent manner, and learn new things along the way.

Not too long ago I was at a class in my gym, and the goal this particular workout was to complete as many sets as possible in a set amount of time. We had a new hare in class who was speeding through the workout and pretty soon he was huffing and puffing trying to catch his breath. Me, the tortoise, progressed at my usual slow but consistent pace. And guess what?  Both the hare and I completed the same number of sets within the set time!

In my Toastmaster journey as well, I'm a tortoise - I may not speed through my speech projects or have ambitious goals to attain DTM within a short timeframe, but I am slowly moving forward and constantly improving. I'm also enjoying myself along the way - because learning should be fun!

The beauty of Toastmasters is that it's a self-paced program where you can go as slow or as fast as you like. I've been around Toastmasters long enough to see club members be like the hare and race through their first ten speeches and attain their CC award. But there are plenty of us tortoises, taking our time to attain our education goals. I personally think the tortoises have a better experience and tend to be in for the long haul.

Whether you choose to be a tortoise or a hare, Toastmasters will work for you - it's really all about you and how quickly you want to finish your journey. So, which are you? The tortoise or the hare?

Ana Ortega, ACB, ALB


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Simple, Obvious Plan for Success

I know you have only read the title, but before you lose focus, follow these steps:

1) Get a pen and paper and write down five goals. Any 5 will do for now. Be Aggressive.
            Ex/Travel to Chile, Run a Marathon, etc.
2) Take these longer term goals, and turn them into shorter term goals.
            Ex/Buy Plane Ticket to Chile, Run a Half Marathon, etc.
3) Cut these down even further, to active steps you can take TODAY.
            Ex/Research Trip Cost and Set Savings Plan, Buy Running Shoes, etc.

The key here is to actively progress at least one aspect every day. It could be something as simple as sending an email out to someone or making a phone call even.

Keep it all on one sheet of paper. Take one minute to review the list every morning to stay focused; do not lose track of what is important to you. Step outside of your comfort zone, but avoid doing things that will make you miserable. Is this something I really want and am willing to put in a little effort for each day? If not, replace the goal.

As you dive into one area you thought was interesting, you might discover a new passion for something else. Or if your goals remain the same, you will at least be one step closer to reaching them every day. And if you do not have an interest in improving yourself, you would not be reading a Toastmasters blog.

Joining Toastmasters was actually the beginning of an ultimate goal of mine of using public speaking as an effective tool for communication rather than as a tool that effectively makes me look like a moron. I am admittedly very far from where I want to be in this regard. However, with a plan to address this issue, I have complete confidence in myself.

Seriously, if you have not started jotting down some goals, do it. The hardest part is putting the pen to the paper. Once you have something to work with, you can go from there. Life is short – take control today.

Thomas Kelliher

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The Three Musketeers of Persuasive Speaking

In The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas give us the characters Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. With the motto "All for one, and one for all" they use the tip of a sword to foil plans of Cardinal Richelieu and  persuade allegiance to the French crown.

In modern times, using a sharp pointy object as a tool of persuasion is frowned upon heavily. We instead must rely on words to get across meaning and elicit response to our cause.

Fortunately Aristotle gave us another set of Three Musketeers to rely upon  when words are our only weapon - Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. In his discourse on rhetoric he tells us that there are three elements, or three musketeers to extend the analogy, in a persuasive speech. Like their French cousins, these three elements share the motto "All for one and one for all". Each of the three must be present to be effective.

Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word that essentially means 'character'. In your speech this is where you establish credibility, helping your audience understand who you are and why you have expertise on the topic. It is more than just listing credentials however. To be effective, Ethos should include narratives that highlight your experiences.

Pathos
Pathos is where the attention is shifted to the issues of your audience. This is an emotional appeal to the listener's higher instincts. This is where you identify with their issues, extending understanding and empathy.

Logos
Logos is your call to action. This phase of your speech should outline solutions and provide concrete actions to be taken by your audience. It capitalizes on the credibility you've established and upon the emotional connection made with the audience.

Call to Action

This is all very interesting, but 'yawn', so what?

Let's boil it down. Here is how to use these Three Musketeers in your next speech project. Each of the three elements should be structured like the list below.

1. Ethos -  I have character and experience with which you can identify.
2. Pathos - Because I have character and experience, I understand your issues and concerns.
3. Logos - Because I understand your issues and concerns, you can trust the solution I am providing.

You can also use this structure to analyze a speech.
1. Did the speaker establish credibility?
2. Did he/she make an effective emotional appeal?
3. Was there an appropriate and concrete call to action?

I would love your feedback on this idea. Is it useful to you? How do you think it can be applied for improving your Toastmasters learning experience?

Please use the comment section to let me know your thoughts.

Jeff Wright, CC

Creative Commons Photo Credit to chibichii via Flickr

Are We There Yet?

Vacation transportation in the olden days

This Saturday morning (May 17) was a lively one, with Ana Ortega leading the way with the theme “Summer Vacation.” Memorial Day is right around the corner, so everyone knows that summer is too! Ana has begun her planning for summer vacation and brought up a good point: travel agents are very convenient to have, but people would rather plan every detail on their own to save money.

Jeff, our sole speaker for the hour, used the fifth speech out of the Speaking to Inform manual, The Abstract Concept. The objective of this speech was to speak on an abstract concept or theory and explain the idea in a clear and interesting manner. Jeff’s speech, titled, “A Framework for Personal Knowledge Management,” went into detail of how we can capture and measure knowledge in the Information Age. He opened with an interesting question, “How do you know what you know?” Cindy noted that it was a challenging speech, and that Jeff explained the theory well.

Table Topics was fun, covering everyone’s summer experiences. Snippets include:

• Thomas's memorable vacation spot - Clear Lake in Michigan.
• Ken’s childhood experience - being stuck behind a logging truck, taking a shortcut around, then ending up behind the same logging truck.
• Aparna’s childhood experience - nagging her parents about the eternities that took place before arriving at their destination.
• My favorite summer treat - the Sonic menu.

It was a fun, clever meeting, and I look forward to seeing even more people in two weeks!

DeAnna Wolf


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It Was All About Mothers!

Aparna led the meeting as Toastmaster with the theme of Mother’s Day. We learned about the youngest and oldest mothers recorded in history and how Mother’s Day began.

Aparna delivered an interesting and informative speech about Factory Farming, focusing on Pig Farming and Gestational Crates where pregnant female pigs, known as Sows, are housed in a 2 foot by 6 foot metal crate. The breeding female pigs stay in these confined crates for most of their adult lives. Opponents of this type of farming believe it to be a form of animal abuse, while proponents argue that it decreases fighting and disease. In the United States, gestational crates have been banned in Florida, Arizona and California.

Table Topics had everyone participating with questions related to the meeting theme. We learned about DeAnna’s siblings, Sandra told us about making the best of a bad day, Aparna spoke about the sacrifices her Mother and Grandmother made,  and DeAnna won best table topic with her Super Mom Power of Deflection.

Sandra presented the nominating committee report for the next term. Nominations for Club Officers are as follows:
President – Jeff Wright
VP Education – DeAnna Wolf
VP Membership – Sandra Price
VP PR – Lina Choun
Secretary – open slot
Treasurer – Anne Brown
Sgt at Arms – Ana Ortega

We held an officers' meeting afterwards.

Anne Brown

An Achievement That Was Earned

This past weekend has been a weekend for me to remember. As all of Top of Texas knows, I made it to District to compete in the Tall Tales contest. It's an interesting feeling, the first few moments of a contest, when the contest Toastmaster asks all the contestants to stand in a packed room of around 200 people. To be one of the few who made it that far, to be looked at in admiration by the entire audience, one either feels incredibly proud or incredibly nervous. I felt proud. Before each of the other contests I was shaking in uncontrollable fear, fear of letting myself down. I felt fear that I would slip up, fear that everyone would find ten, twenty, one hundred things wrong with my speech, and that people would look at me in pity after two years of trying my hardest to be a better speaker. This time around though, I knew I was better speaker. I made it this far! I achieved something I never thought I would.

That's how I see it. I see it as an achievement. Not as a failure that I didn't make it in the top three, no. Standing on the District stage brings a feeling no one will ever know until they are up there. When a room full of people have their eyes on you, when those in the back voluntarily paid ten dollars apiece to hear you speak, and you know you earned your way to that masking tape "x" marked on the stage, placing or not placing is merely secondary. Now, don't get me wrong, I would have loved to earn a trophy, but I achieved a victory of my own that night, and that was to have the attention of an audience, to captivate them, to make them laugh, and to hear their applause. Two years ago, if anyone told me that was in my future, I probably would have shrugged it off.

It is also interesting to note that entering the Tall Tales contest at the club level was something I was very unsure about probably until a week before the contest. I thought, I am not a competitor, I am not good enough to compete against all those out there who have been in Toastmasters much longer than I have. I am not a natural. I am not even a Competent Communicator! I'm not Competent! All of the self-doubt bogged me down. Toastmasters though, is so encouraging, everyone in my club dragged me out of that muck and told me to get out of my comfort zone and try the Tall Tales, just try it. I did and found myself on the District stage.

Toastmasters helped me realize that I am greater than I give myself credit, and you all who are reading this, you too, are greater than you give yourself credit. You'll never understand the capabilities you have if you only stick to what you know. Push your envelope, peek through your own barriers, dip your toes, any other cliche about trying something new that will make you reach further, I'm throwing it at you. I want to see you all shine, and if I could give you the feeling I felt Friday night, I would, but I think you would probably want to earn it for yourself.

DeAnna Wolf

Surely a Special Moment

Contest season began in February of this year when our club had the club contest. I can’t believe it’s already close to 3 months. What I like about these contests is the enthusiasm in the atmosphere, weeks/months of preparation by the contestants, and finally getting to listen to some of the best speeches. I am just amazed at the amount of preparation so many members put into getting these contests organized. The contest chair has a lot on his/her plate in coordinating these contests, like getting a contest toastmaster, judges, refreshments chair, planning the location, brochures, contestants briefing, etc. I am positive I have might have missed many more details. Hats off to all the staff members who pulled off a massive event of enormous size, the District Conference, including over 150 clubs.

Friday night's Tall Tales contest was phenomenal. I couldn’t help but appreciate the creativity and originality of each contestant as they progressively built their speeches loaded with humor and dynamism. Six great speeches that definitely fit into the category of Tall Tales. Some of them had stories of Armadillos in backyards to contestants shaking hands with President Obama at some point in their life. DeAnna represented our club and did a fabulous job. We are very proud of her.

Saturday afternoon was the International speech contest. I was pleasantly surprised to see our very own Susanne Nickerson come all the way from Seattle to cheer for me. I cannot thank her enough for her support.

Also in the audience were my close friends, members from Top of Texas and my family from India. It surely was a special moment in my life to deliver a speech in front of my parents at the District conference.  The competition was stiff, with contestants presenting wonderful, motivational speeches. I felt great when people walked up to me and said that my speech hit home and touched their heart.

Aparna Valluri, CC, ALB

D25 Spring Conference - First Timer's Impressions

First Timers Reception

I have a confession to make. I've been a Toastmaster for almost two years but until this Spring had never attended a district conference.

I know what you are thinking ..."He must be a mental defective of some sort."

After Riding the Wave in this last weeks conference, I tend to agree with that thought. There was so much value imparted during the weekend I am kicking myself for skipping the last three opportunities to attend. It won't happen again!

Here are reasons why you shouldn't miss out on the next District Conference.

Education Sessions

Karen Blake

There were a number of education options offered on Saturday. In fact there were more presentations to choose from than time to attend. Both morning and afternoon breakouts had training track options of Leadership, Communication, and Personal Growth from which to choose. I took quite a few notes from my two sessions.

The entire conference also had an opportunity to hear from our International Director, Karen Blake.  She spent an hour explaining to us the new Toastmasters education program which starts in 2014 - 2015. The training material is still in development and review. But at a high level it will contain a much heavier focus on mentoring activities and elements that help clubs build a stronger membership base. I look forward to hearing more as the material becomes available.

Speech Contests

How could I stay away from a conference where two Top of Texas members were competing?

What I learned is that competition at the District level is quite tough. There were six magnificent performances delivered in each contest. My favorites didn't always place the way I scored them. However I gained an enormous appreciation for how hard it is to determine a contest winner from among such top notch speakers.

District Business

2014-2015 Elected Officers

The conference provided me a better understanding of how the Toastmaster organization functions from the club level up through Area, Division, District, and International levels.

An exciting District Council Meeting provided insights into how the D25 clubs select District officers. It was interesting to see how close the vote was in some of the officer races.

Congratulations to our very own Cindy Hinckley and Jodie Sanders for their new District Officer roles!

Other Benefits

• How can you place value on networking? I made several new friends during the course of the weekend and look forward to meeting them again at other district events.
• Award and recognition for outstanding clubs and individuals form the last half of last year were also an important part of the event. 
• Of course, the conference wouldn't have been complete without guys in hula skirts!

The Fall District 25 Conference is coming in November. Please plan on joining me!

Jeff Wright, CC

More photos available on the D25 Facebook page.

Behave Yourself

This blog started out 2014 talking about New Year's Resolutions. We had tales of long term goals, encouragement to keep trying even when we are broken, and advice to focus one day at a time on our goals.

One of my goals for this year is to get fit and healthy, which is a fancy way to say I need to loose 75 pounds. This isn't the first year my weight has been on the "I've got to fix this" list. Yet each recent year has concluded with the scales moving in the wrong direction.

What did I do about it for the first 3 months this year? Basically nothing.

I was aware of it as a goal. I was tracking what I ate in an online tracking program. However my food choices were not consistently altered to match the stated goal. In other words, I failed to implement any of the necessary behavior changes required to make the end goal a reality. The weight loss outcome in and of itself wasn't powerful enough to drive the necessary behavior change.

In April this all changed. Thanks to a speech earlier this year by Ana Ortega, I decided to accept the Whole 30 Challenge and spend the month eating a very strict Paleo diet. This meant I had to admit my addiction to Dr Pepper, cut out all breads, added sugars, and any form of processed foods. Every meal was pre-planned to eliminate food choice decisions when I was hungry. Every day I was reading information about recipes and how to make proper clean food choices.

The plan worked. During the month of April I lost 13.5 pounds and dropped 11 total inches in my chest, waist, and hips. Those numbers by themselves are exciting. But what I am most proud of is that I now have a system in place for continued improvement. It will take more than 30 days for this eating template to become an ingrained habit. This time however I finally feel like the 75 pound reduction will be a piece of (gluten free) cake!

What does this have to do with Toastmasters?

The same principals of behavior modification apply for for attaining your speaking and leaderships goals. What systems have you put in place to reach your Toastmasters goals for the year? Are you writing down speech ideas as they occur to you? Do you have a specific plan in place, with target dates set, for moving through your speech manual projects?

If not, let me encourage you to spend time thinking about the behaviors required to take you to the next level of success.

Jeff Wright. CC


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