Every six months, the District 7 Toastmasters hosts an all day conference which includes a couple of key note speeches, the district level contests, and a number of breakout sessions. The one in the fall focuses on Leadership and the one the spring focuses on Communication. This one held in November, hence the name “Leadership ‘11”
District 7 is the network of Toastmasters clubs in most of Oregon, a bit of northern California and part of south western Washington.
This year, there was an additional session on Friday night before the full day on Saturday.
I attended both the Friday event and the all day session on Saturday and I would like to share with you what I saw and learned and some of my impressions.
Friday Night
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel
Check-in / Light Snacks
There was a nice variety of finger foods and a cash bar so people could mingle while other arrived and checked in for the event.
Presentation: “The Audience is Not in Their Underwear” by Rory Vaden
Rory Vaden competed several times in Toasmasters’ International Speech Contest, even winning first runner up (2nd place) in 2007. He shared with the audience details of how to keep an audience interested, by likening an audience’s attention to an EKG, and how to spark people’s attention during a speech.
A - Attentive
Use your voice, varying speed & volume to communicate different feelings
L - Laughter
He didn’t go into much detail about the mechanics of this, saving it for a different workshop.
I - Interested
When the audience first starts listening, they aren’t very interested, but keep growing as you talk. At a point, the interest starts to wane, so you should wrap up before you go on too long.
Plan your 2 minute drill, a way to wrap up the speech, and go into that when you see the green light.
The secret to most winning speeches is not that they are 9 minutes of talking crammed into 5-7 minutes. It is that they are 4 minutes of talking stretched out to 6 ½ minutes to allow for laughs, emotional connections. Less is more
V - Vurnable
1) Use names of people in the audience
To remember peoples name, use them when you first meet them. This allows you a better chance to remember the names in the next couple of hours,
2) CPR - to revive a speech
E - Engaged
Use stories. They are like mental coat hangers upon which the audience attaches feeling.
Hologram the stage. Use specific areas for specific stories and continue to respect those spaces.
Enhance the stories by making them VAST. Include Visual, Audio, Smell and Touch
In addition to giving us all this information, Mr. Vaden played examples from TV shows, movies and excerpts of speeches to show the use of different ideas. At the very end, he also showed one of his speeches which was very moving. He was a very enaging speaker and the information he provided was very useful All it all it was well worth the price of admission.
More information about Rory Vaden: http://roryvaden.com/bio.html
Networking
After his presentation, there was some time to talk with people. I enjoyed it because I got to talk to people I don’t see very often as well as meet new people
Tall Tales Exhibition
Five speakers gave Tall Tale speeches.
A Tall Tale is a story whose details have been enhanced or exaggerated.
All of the speeches made people laugh and wonder what parts were true and what parts were larger than life.
I must have enjoyed this too, because I was laughing a lot.
Saturday
Location: Oregon Convention Center
Working as greeter
I arrived at 6:30 am to help direct people to the correct location. The Convention Center is huge and if you enter on the wrong side, it may take you 15 minutes to get to where you need to be. I was stationed near the entrance and got to say good morning to most of the attendees before pointing them in the right direction. Before I knew it, it was 8:00 am and time for the keynote speaker.
Morning Keynote Speaker: “Take the Stairs”by Rory Vaden
The focus of this speech was on self- discipline. It was full of stories explaining how taking the easy way can often prolong the bad results one it trying to avoid.
Some of the keys ideas included
Leveraging long term vision to help short term performance. The more you have invested in something, the less likely you are to let it fail.
How to move questions from “Should I...” to “How Will I...”
Cannot lie with our actions. Look at your calendar and your checkbook to understand what your intentions truly are.
Cultivate the habit of action by demanding progress rather than perfection.
Success is never owned. It is only rented and the rent is due every day.
Mr. Vaden’s book “Take The Stairs” will be available in February via Penguin Publishing
Morning Workshop: “Embrace the Brand -- A User’s Guide to Rebranding”, by Phyllis Harmon
Phyllis Harmon is very active in Toastmasters in District 7, including being the web master, as well serving as Sunset Division Governor, club coach and club mentor.
She provided a handout, a copy of the slides from her powerpoint presentation.
Cathy Armillas (former District 7 Governor) also gave short talk about the benefits of a standardized look, feel and message across clubs and organizations
Consistency beats Ability - Having the same, consistent message produces better results than just having have a superior product or service.
Perception is Reality - What people think matters, so have to guide them to the new message
Everything is Marketing - Everything matters - the smallest flyer to the biggest billboards.
Some ideas regarding how to make the brand more clear and presentable
Use the logo on business cards, agendas, flyers
Update web site
Continually add new content to the web site
Have the front page be the promo page
Highlight leaders in the club - leaders don’t necessarily have to be leaders in a business. They can be leaders with charities, churches, in the home - include stories of people.
Ensure you use keywords in the text of copy - leadership, communication, etc.
Include location of club on the front page
Questionaire for visitors about the web site
Web log
Imbed video on front page of recent speakers
Use a Facebook page conversation to show vibrancy of the club.
There were also examples of other web sites to use but there was not enough time to go into detail.
All in all, I received some useful ideas on how to the improve the web site so it was some time well spent.
Table Topics Contest
Toastmaster: Marc Delphine, 1st Place Winner of 2010 Table Topics Contest
Contest Chair: Maria Lee
Chief Judge: Le Snelling
Contestants (no information provided regarding Club or Division)
Question: “What is your passion?”
2nd Runner Up (3rd place): Glenn Bridger
1st Runner Up (2nd place) Alexis Mason
Winner: Ann Louise Steary
Lunch
This was a buffet including pasta salad, arugula green leaf salad, chicken cesar wraps, egglplant wraps, cup of soup and a cookie for dessert.
Over lunch, I was able to meet people from some other clubs and we shared what we had learned in the morning workshops with each other.
The people who attended Frances Portillo’s “I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like:Finding Your Metaphor for Leadership” told me about how the speaker talked about using spoons to break the ice at events by showing how you can hang them on your noses, but at a formal event she thought on her feet, and used the spoons as metaphors for the students when they start school, ready to be filled with knowledge. She also talked about understanding what metaphors work well for your audience - Sports, Travel, Hobbies, etc.
There were also good words about other presenters, but the people I talked with didn’t share any memorable stories.
Keynote Speaker: “Striving for Imprefection” by Scott “Q” Marcus
Yes, that’s how the title was spelled and if it irritates you, then maybe you too are a perectionist.
Scott Q. Marcus is a Toastmaster from northern California, winner of several district and area awards, and a past president of the northern California chapter of the National Speakers Association.
His speech was very animated, showing example after example of how being a perfectionist and a procrastinator are very similar. Some of his ideas included
Do many things well instead of nothing perfectly.
The speech was short, sweet and to the point.
More about Scott Q. Marcus: http://www.thistimeimeanit.com
Bonus Session: “Work Hard Play Hard” by Rory Vaden
This was our third time with Rory, (including the Friday night event) and this focused on how to use humor in speeches and become a funnier person.
His presentation included snippets of audio and video as well interactive sections with the audience.
Why Be Funny
We like funny people
Keeps attention
Lubricant for the message
Be funny - make money
It’s challenging
It’s a blast
Debunk the myth
Humor is a skill
It take practice
Great lines are re-written
Humor doesn’t mean just jokes
You are now funnier
Record as much as possible
Change in Expectation
We laugh when our minds are tricked
Set up - Pause - Punch
a.k.a. Misdirection
Conjoining Unrelated Ideas
Exhale of Tension
Acknowledge the cause / existence of the tension.
Overcoming the fear
Don’t strive for perfection
Use Saver Lines
when a joke doesn’t work
Side bar: Brand is what people think of when they hear your name.
Humor Tool Box
Funny words / numbers
k sound, ch sound
odd numbers over even
Visual Images
Paint funny pictures with words
Acronyms
pain associated with the acronyn
Rule of Three
1st two are the setup
Fast List
Huge list, very fast.
Self Deprecating Humor
Lots of material :-)
Again this was a very well run workshop, well worth the time.
Afternoon Workshop: “How Leading Well Is Like Being a G.I.R.A.F.F.E.” by Victoria Trabosh
Vicotira Trabosh is an executive coach and speaker.
Ms. Trabosh used the giraffe as a metaphor for a leader as the Rwandan word for giraffe means “head above the trees” She also use the letters of the word giraffe to explain different aspects of good leaders
Grounded - Intentionally operates from integrity. Executes on plan while overcoming obstacles
Invested - In people...In profitability...In strategy
Radical - Never wastes a crisis. Shows leadership when others might hesitate. Believes in the goal in spite of present circumstances.
Accountable - To stakeholders, goals, to him/herself
Fearless - Acting in spite of our fear is truly bravery
Factual - Operates from a place of reality not fantasy. Builds the biggest dreams from a strategy.
Effective - Believes and knows behavior matters.
More about Victoria Trabosh: http://victoriatrabosh.com
Humorous Speech Contest
Toastmaster: Curt Short, 1st Place Winner of 2010 Humorous Speech Contest
Contest Chair: Maria Lee
Chief Judge: Le Snelling
Contestants & Speech Titles (no information provided regarding Club or Division)
2nd Runner Up (3rd place) - Anna Louise Steary - “A Little Piece of Joy”
1st Runner Up (2nd place) - John Davies - “The Truth About Romantic Relationships: Real Advice for Real People”
Winner - Barbara Bigham - “Before the Pen, The Gun”
In summary, I enjoyed attending the district conference because I had the opportunity to have fun, meet new people and learn a few things, just like a big toastmasters club meeting.
Save the Date
Toastmaster Leadership Institute - January 21, 2012
Club Officer Training
Regular members are also welcome
Location: TBD
Communication ‘12 - May 5th, 2012
Key Note Speaker: Dana LaMon, DTM, World Champion of Public Speaking, Toastmasters Accredited Speaker
District 7 is the network of Toastmasters clubs in most of Oregon, a bit of northern California and part of south western Washington.
This year, there was an additional session on Friday night before the full day on Saturday.
I attended both the Friday event and the all day session on Saturday and I would like to share with you what I saw and learned and some of my impressions.
Friday Night
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel
Check-in / Light Snacks
There was a nice variety of finger foods and a cash bar so people could mingle while other arrived and checked in for the event.
Presentation: “The Audience is Not in Their Underwear” by Rory Vaden
Rory Vaden competed several times in Toasmasters’ International Speech Contest, even winning first runner up (2nd place) in 2007. He shared with the audience details of how to keep an audience interested, by likening an audience’s attention to an EKG, and how to spark people’s attention during a speech.
A - Attentive
L - Laughter
I - Interested
V - Vurnable
E - Engaged
A - Attentive
Use your voice, varying speed & volume to communicate different feelings
Loud & Fast: Enthusiasm
Loud & Slow: Authority
Soft & Slow: Endearment
Soft & Fast: Anticipation
Using only one way of talking gets monotonous or annoying, so when you move from one to another, you pique the audience’s interest.L - Laughter
He didn’t go into much detail about the mechanics of this, saving it for a different workshop.
I - Interested
When the audience first starts listening, they aren’t very interested, but keep growing as you talk. At a point, the interest starts to wane, so you should wrap up before you go on too long.
Plan your 2 minute drill, a way to wrap up the speech, and go into that when you see the green light.
The secret to most winning speeches is not that they are 9 minutes of talking crammed into 5-7 minutes. It is that they are 4 minutes of talking stretched out to 6 ½ minutes to allow for laughs, emotional connections. Less is more
V - Vurnable
1) Use names of people in the audience
To remember peoples name, use them when you first meet them. This allows you a better chance to remember the names in the next couple of hours,
Relaxation - Be relaxed and have fun
Repetition - Repeat in your mind the person’s name over and over again.
Utilization - Out loud, use their name 3 different ways: at the beginning of a sentence, in the middle and at the end.
Association - Find a nickname or ask if they have one
Visualization - associate their face the face of a friend with the same name
Pictualization - Some namesmay even conjure up pictures of items or motions: Reed, Leif, River, Bob
Finalization - Use the person’s name as you part ways.
2) CPR - to revive a speech
Cut open the wound - develop a problem
Pour salt on it - help the audience feel the pain
Remedy the pain - provide a way to make it better
E - Engaged
Use stories. They are like mental coat hangers upon which the audience attaches feeling.
Hologram the stage. Use specific areas for specific stories and continue to respect those spaces.
Enhance the stories by making them VAST. Include Visual, Audio, Smell and Touch
In addition to giving us all this information, Mr. Vaden played examples from TV shows, movies and excerpts of speeches to show the use of different ideas. At the very end, he also showed one of his speeches which was very moving. He was a very enaging speaker and the information he provided was very useful All it all it was well worth the price of admission.
More information about Rory Vaden: http://roryvaden.com/bio.html
Networking
After his presentation, there was some time to talk with people. I enjoyed it because I got to talk to people I don’t see very often as well as meet new people
Tall Tales Exhibition
Five speakers gave Tall Tale speeches.
A Tall Tale is a story whose details have been enhanced or exaggerated.
All of the speeches made people laugh and wonder what parts were true and what parts were larger than life.
I must have enjoyed this too, because I was laughing a lot.
Saturday
Location: Oregon Convention Center
Working as greeter
I arrived at 6:30 am to help direct people to the correct location. The Convention Center is huge and if you enter on the wrong side, it may take you 15 minutes to get to where you need to be. I was stationed near the entrance and got to say good morning to most of the attendees before pointing them in the right direction. Before I knew it, it was 8:00 am and time for the keynote speaker.
Morning Keynote Speaker: “Take the Stairs”by Rory Vaden
The focus of this speech was on self- discipline. It was full of stories explaining how taking the easy way can often prolong the bad results one it trying to avoid.
Some of the keys ideas included
Leveraging long term vision to help short term performance. The more you have invested in something, the less likely you are to let it fail.
How to move questions from “Should I...” to “How Will I...”
Cannot lie with our actions. Look at your calendar and your checkbook to understand what your intentions truly are.
Cultivate the habit of action by demanding progress rather than perfection.
Success is never owned. It is only rented and the rent is due every day.
Mr. Vaden’s book “Take The Stairs” will be available in February via Penguin Publishing
Morning Workshop: “Embrace the Brand -- A User’s Guide to Rebranding”, by Phyllis Harmon
Phyllis Harmon is very active in Toastmasters in District 7, including being the web master, as well serving as Sunset Division Governor, club coach and club mentor.
She provided a handout, a copy of the slides from her powerpoint presentation.
Cathy Armillas (former District 7 Governor) also gave short talk about the benefits of a standardized look, feel and message across clubs and organizations
Consistency beats Ability - Having the same, consistent message produces better results than just having have a superior product or service.
Perception is Reality - What people think matters, so have to guide them to the new message
Everything is Marketing - Everything matters - the smallest flyer to the biggest billboards.
Some ideas regarding how to make the brand more clear and presentable
Use the logo on business cards, agendas, flyers
Update web site
Continually add new content to the web site
Have the front page be the promo page
Highlight leaders in the club - leaders don’t necessarily have to be leaders in a business. They can be leaders with charities, churches, in the home - include stories of people.
Ensure you use keywords in the text of copy - leadership, communication, etc.
Include location of club on the front page
Questionaire for visitors about the web site
Web log
Imbed video on front page of recent speakers
Use a Facebook page conversation to show vibrancy of the club.
There were also examples of other web sites to use but there was not enough time to go into detail.
All in all, I received some useful ideas on how to the improve the web site so it was some time well spent.
Table Topics Contest
Toastmaster: Marc Delphine, 1st Place Winner of 2010 Table Topics Contest
Contest Chair: Maria Lee
Chief Judge: Le Snelling
Contestants (no information provided regarding Club or Division)
- Glenn Bridger
- Jennifer Anderson
- Molly Marte
- Jane Whaely
- Ron Bessin
- Jeannie Corello
- Ann Louise Steary
- Alexis Mason
- Barbara Bigham
Question: “What is your passion?”
2nd Runner Up (3rd place): Glenn Bridger
1st Runner Up (2nd place) Alexis Mason
Winner: Ann Louise Steary
Lunch
This was a buffet including pasta salad, arugula green leaf salad, chicken cesar wraps, egglplant wraps, cup of soup and a cookie for dessert.
Over lunch, I was able to meet people from some other clubs and we shared what we had learned in the morning workshops with each other.
The people who attended Frances Portillo’s “I Never Metaphor I Didn’t Like:Finding Your Metaphor for Leadership” told me about how the speaker talked about using spoons to break the ice at events by showing how you can hang them on your noses, but at a formal event she thought on her feet, and used the spoons as metaphors for the students when they start school, ready to be filled with knowledge. She also talked about understanding what metaphors work well for your audience - Sports, Travel, Hobbies, etc.
There were also good words about other presenters, but the people I talked with didn’t share any memorable stories.
Keynote Speaker: “Striving for Imprefection” by Scott “Q” Marcus
Yes, that’s how the title was spelled and if it irritates you, then maybe you too are a perectionist.
Scott Q. Marcus is a Toastmaster from northern California, winner of several district and area awards, and a past president of the northern California chapter of the National Speakers Association.
His speech was very animated, showing example after example of how being a perfectionist and a procrastinator are very similar. Some of his ideas included
Do many things well instead of nothing perfectly.
The speech was short, sweet and to the point.
More about Scott Q. Marcus: http://www.thistimeimeanit.com
Bonus Session: “Work Hard Play Hard” by Rory Vaden
This was our third time with Rory, (including the Friday night event) and this focused on how to use humor in speeches and become a funnier person.
His presentation included snippets of audio and video as well interactive sections with the audience.
Why Be Funny
We like funny people
Keeps attention
Lubricant for the message
Be funny - make money
It’s challenging
It’s a blast
Debunk the myth
Humor is a skill
It take practice
Great lines are re-written
Humor doesn’t mean just jokes
You are now funnier
Record as much as possible
Change in Expectation
We laugh when our minds are tricked
Set up - Pause - Punch
a.k.a. Misdirection
Conjoining Unrelated Ideas
Exhale of Tension
Acknowledge the cause / existence of the tension.
Overcoming the fear
Don’t strive for perfection
Use Saver Lines
when a joke doesn’t work
Side bar: Brand is what people think of when they hear your name.
Humor Tool Box
Funny words / numbers
k sound, ch sound
odd numbers over even
Visual Images
Paint funny pictures with words
Acronyms
pain associated with the acronyn
Rule of Three
1st two are the setup
Fast List
Huge list, very fast.
Self Deprecating Humor
Lots of material :-)
Again this was a very well run workshop, well worth the time.
Afternoon Workshop: “How Leading Well Is Like Being a G.I.R.A.F.F.E.” by Victoria Trabosh
Vicotira Trabosh is an executive coach and speaker.
Ms. Trabosh used the giraffe as a metaphor for a leader as the Rwandan word for giraffe means “head above the trees” She also use the letters of the word giraffe to explain different aspects of good leaders
Grounded - Intentionally operates from integrity. Executes on plan while overcoming obstacles
Invested - In people...In profitability...In strategy
Radical - Never wastes a crisis. Shows leadership when others might hesitate. Believes in the goal in spite of present circumstances.
Accountable - To stakeholders, goals, to him/herself
Fearless - Acting in spite of our fear is truly bravery
Factual - Operates from a place of reality not fantasy. Builds the biggest dreams from a strategy.
Effective - Believes and knows behavior matters.
More about Victoria Trabosh: http://victoriatrabosh.com
Humorous Speech Contest
Toastmaster: Curt Short, 1st Place Winner of 2010 Humorous Speech Contest
Contest Chair: Maria Lee
Chief Judge: Le Snelling
Contestants & Speech Titles (no information provided regarding Club or Division)
- Harlan Wheeler - “One Hour Early” Stories of how taking it slow can lead to better connections
- Dianne Eddington - “The Rest of the Story” What really happened with the big bad wolf and the three little pigs
- Kurtis Teal - “Asthma & the Middle Aged Man” Coming to terms with getting older
- Barbara Bigham - “Before the Pen, The Gun” Stories from the police force before the speaker was witer, and where the nickname ‘Two Buck Barb’ came from
- John Davies - “The Truth About Romantic Relationships: Real Advice for Real People” Very energetic speech about what to do (or not) to keep romance alive.
- Bill Hernandez - “Zen & The Art of Driving” Stories of how to cope with a teenage daughter learning to drive
- Anna Louise Steary - “A Little Piece of Joy” How an expected visit on a really bad day turned things around for the better
- Tracy Martel - “Princess Shminess” The truth and fiction behind each of the Disney princesses.
2nd Runner Up (3rd place) - Anna Louise Steary - “A Little Piece of Joy”
1st Runner Up (2nd place) - John Davies - “The Truth About Romantic Relationships: Real Advice for Real People”
Winner - Barbara Bigham - “Before the Pen, The Gun”
In summary, I enjoyed attending the district conference because I had the opportunity to have fun, meet new people and learn a few things, just like a big toastmasters club meeting.
Save the Date
Toastmaster Leadership Institute - January 21, 2012
Club Officer Training
Regular members are also welcome
Location: TBD
Communication ‘12 - May 5th, 2012
Key Note Speaker: Dana LaMon, DTM, World Champion of Public Speaking, Toastmasters Accredited Speaker
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