ISSUE 05/13 | MAY 2013 Brendan does NAB Toastmasters proud in the district evaluation contest. Congratulations to Brendan Farrell for coming second in the District Evaluation Contest final, representing our club. Here Brendan describes the contest and gives invaluable advice. Brendan also came second in the humorous speech contest, representing Ivanhoe. In the weeks preceding the District Evaluation Contest final, I delivered evaluations across four clubs and I implored members to provide only improvement-oriented feedback. From that I realised the art of evaluating is no different to any other form of verbal communication – the simpler the approach the more effective the delivery. The message must be efficient in structure and clear in purpose: less words, less syllables and, most importantly, less thoughts. On the morning of the contest my biggest concern was remaining calm and focused. The contestant speaking order was drawn from a hat and I drew lucky seven, the coveted final speaking slot. Brendan demonstrates how he focusses on the target speech When the target speaker took the stage she exuded the confidence of a highly accomplished speaker. Her delivery was of an International Contest standard and, having witnessed and evaluated dozens of exceptional speeches at our club, I was in familiar territory. She presented an abundance of praiseworthy attributes but I patiently waited for her to reveal areas for improvement – eventually they came. During the speech I wrote very few notes, just thirty words and two short quotes that I would reference. Following the target speech, all contestants left the room for the five minute closed session to make our final preparations. Feeling confident that I had secured sufficient ammunition for a three- minute delivery, I decided that I would not transcribe or restructure my notes. TIP: With a highlighter pen I simply highlighted the five words that represented each of my points of praise and improvement. I spent most of the five minutes focused on memorising the five words and one quote. With a highlighter pen I simply highlighted the five words that represented each of my points of praise and improvement. I spent most of the five minutes focused on memorising the five words and one quote. Before the five minute session had concluded I was already mapping out a constructive, simple evaluation. By the time I took the stage I had in my head a well prepared and rehearsed evaluation. What I also had was an extraordinary build-up of nervous energy. On the stage I started speaking before my eyes had settled on the audience and I was banging out my words much faster than my rehearsal. I pulled the speed back a little and completed the evaluation knowing that I had covered all of my points. I slipped on my words a couple of times and glanced at my notes on one occasion which wasn't necessary. That said, I gave it my best shot and I knew that I had not let myself down. Moreover I knew that I had not let the team down. And I took second place which I am super happy with. Through the experience, I am again reminded that ours is a great club. The support that I received in the lead up to the contest was brilliant. Kevin’s support and generosity in providing me much more than my fair share of “stage time” proved invaluable. At the convention Kevin, Andrew and Ann gave me the best advice possible which was to enjoy myself and have fun. I would encourage all members to enter contests this year. Last year I started at club level contests as an inexperienced Toastmaster having never delivered a properly structured evaluation and through the process was able to advance my proficiency to tackle each contest stage. Regardless, of how far you progress through the contests, by simply participating you will accelerate your development as a speaker. The beautiful thing is that the art of public speaking cannot be truly mastered, so for all of us the journey continues and so do the triumphs. Brendan Farrell On Tuesday 14 May, a group of NAB Toastmasters attended a workshop to listen to Rory Vaden (far right). Rory is a world champion speaker and a keynote speaker at the District 73 conference. His message is “take the stairs” – avoid taking the easy options in life and tackle the hard work needed to achieve your dreams. Triple treat for Kevin and Andrew Triple Crown badges are awarded to Toastmasters who complete three projects within the year. Both Andrew and Kevin were awarded Triple Crown badges at the District 73 Conference: Andrew for completing his Competent Leader, Advanced Leader Bronze and Competent Communicator projects, and Kevin for his Competent Leader, Advanced Communicator Bronze and Advanced Communicator Silver projects. Kevin’s completion of the ACS means our club now has all 10 possible Distinguished Club points – the third club in the entire district to have achieved this. Funny lady Uma Uma Thakar, a member of Tuesday Chatterers Toastmasters and a headline speaker at the District 73 Conference, took the opportunity to practise her speech How to overcome fear with laughter at the NAB lunchtime meeting on 14 May. Uma is a natural comic and had everyone laughing at the funny stories of her upbringing in India, “Bollywood Shakespeare” and her eccentric grannie. We now can also decipher the different meanings of the Indian head wobble. The convention attendee I arrive at the convention at midday on Friday, several hours before the program kicks off. I make my way to the foyer lounge and I am immediately engaged in lively discussion with Toasties, many that I am meeting for the first time. I spot Andrew and Kevin engaged in animated discussion across the room. It seems that everyone has something to say and everyone is heard. This is Toastmasters’ Utopia. As the afternoon wears on Toasties continue to stream into the hotel, easily identifiable from other hotel guests by their high spirits and eagerness to converse. Mixing with fellow orators from the 126 clubs across the district is one of the genuine highlights of the convention. From the mezzanine level, I look down on the foyer lounge as it continues to fill with Toasties. It’s an extraordinary sight. New conversations appear to erupt and interlace with nearby discussions. From above it’s a chaotic cacophony and as I return to the lounge it’s more a verbal symphony. Like freewheeling Brendan: happy to be a jazz, the conToastmaster Tragic versations are creative, spontaneous and robust, as one might expect from a band well versed in prepared speeches, table topics and evaluations. The rhythms of constant laughter hold the tune. In the evening, attendees make their way to the cocktail opening. I catch up with NAB's Empress of Eloquence Ann Banham. All NAB delegates are in house. Game on! One new friend comments that she had never seen so many Toastmaster tragics under one roof. We conclude that a tragedy is quite possibly the collective noun for a large group of Toastmasters. We laugh as our conversation merges with another and we happily drift apart with the currents of conviviality. Uma Thakar says head wobbles can mean yes, no or maybe It was particularly pleasing to see Uma’s knockout routine again at the Conference. She seemed to step up a notch in reaction to a larger and very responsive audience – and as she had incorporated some of the suggestions we had given her at our lunchtime preview, we felt very special. At 7.00 pm, members make their way to the Grand Ballroom. The convention is officially set to roll. It is the people that make the convention so great. At a club level, important alliances are made and success oriented ideas are exchanged. For the individual, old mates reconnect, new friendships are forged and mentoring relationships are established. And we all come away as better communicators. This is the start of the convention. And it's only warming up. Brendan Farrell 2 National Australia Bank Toastmasters- Club 3901, District D73/S40 http://nabtm.toastmastersclubs.org/ Editor: Ann Banham [email protected] Rory’s masterclass in how to talk ‘strine. Just say yes “USA and Great Britain: two nations divided by a common language” George Bernard Shaw. Have you read Yes Man? It was made into a pretty awful film starring Jim Carey, but the book by Danny Wallace is one of my favourites. The author decides to say yes to every opportunity in life and he recounts all the hysterical adventures this decision gets him into. Ultimately saying yes alters his attitude to everything and brings about profound and positive changes to his love life, his career and his finances. Aahh … I do love a happy ending. Rory Vaden, keynote speaker at the District 73 Toastmaster conference, must now be shaking his head and saying: “… and those Australians have a vernacular all their own!” When I joined Toastmasters I decided to say yes. I said yes to every opportunity presented to me: evaluating a speech, entering a competition, taking part in the executive committee, completing a newsletter in four days, sending an article to Toastmasters magazine. When Kevin asked me to present my CC10 speech with just a couple of days’ notice so I could complete my Competent Communicator manual and earn points for our club, I didn’t hesitate. I said yes. The CC10 speech requires research and preparation and is designed to be a showcase of what a Toastmaster has learned over the past nine speeches; it isn’t something that can be presented off the cuff. So it meant head down and slaving over a hot computer for a couple of days, but I pulled it off. Rory gets a crash course in 'strine It was at Rory’s masterclass and he was talking about humour. “Words with the hard ck sound are funny”, he told us.” Words like monkey, cacophony…” “Can you think of any other funny words with the hard ck sound?” he asked. Now remember, this was a room of Victorians and South Australians and of course someone at the back of the room shouted out Collingwood. The audience rocked with laughter and Rory looked slightly perplexed but moved right along. So my advice to anyone just joining Toastmasters – or indeed established members – is say yes to every opportunity that is presented to you, whether it is taking a role in a club meeting, entering a competition or taking part in area training days. It can sometimes be scary and can push you out of your comfort zone. You may find yourself in a venue talking to a much larger audience that you’re used to. You may be asked to run a meeting, a contest or a social event. But you may find hidden talents you never knew you had such as a flair for running meetings, competition speaking or event management. Next he gave us examples of using specifics rather than generalities. For instance, don’t say I was like a wet dog, say I was like a soggy shiatsu. “Any other examples of being wet?” “Like a shag on a rock” someone suggested. More laughter. Rory had confessed to using rooting inappropriately in Australia (in America it means cheering for someone; in Australia it means … well it means something else) and he asked accusingly: “Are you cussing at me?” “OK,” he asked, “another word for roadway?” Well, have you ever been in an audience of mature adults who suddenly turn into a Year 10 class with a student teacher? Yep – one sophisticated grown-up Toastmaster found her inner 16 yearold unruly brat and yelled out nature strip. Rory was obviously very puzzled by this term but was laughing along with his audience by this time. He was a good sport, a charming and generous man and everyone at the conference benefitted from his session. And hopefully he also benefitted from his crash course on talking ‘strine. Ann receives her CC10 ribbon from Andrew Saying yes can also rub off into other aspects of your life and career. A positive attitude can take you down unknown paths and lead you to profound changes in your career and finances and, who knows, even your love life. I am now embarking on new challenges with Toastmasters. I will have new manuals to complete and new paths to negotiate. But I will continue to say yes and enjoy the adventures that this will bring. Ann Banham 3 National Australia Bank Toastmasters- Club 3901, District D73/S40 http://nabtm.toastmastersclubs.org/ Editor: Ann Banham [email protected] NAB welcomes visitors to our club Vijay Jagannathan honoured NAB Toastmasters by presenting his tenth speech in the Competent Communicator manual at our club meeting on 7thx May. Let’s rock the conference next year The District 73 Toastmasters Convention, with the overall theme Connect, Create and Communicate, is in Melbourne next year (16-18 May 2014). It is a wonderful opportunity to take your speaking skills to the next level, to network with other Toastmasters and to have a lot of fun. Let’s really pull out all the stops and get the majority of NAB members registered for the 2014 conference. More information at www.2014convention.d73.toastmasters.org.au The dinner on Saturday night is traditionally a great occasion to let your hair down. This year the theme was the 70s and the majority of delegates got into the spirit of the age of peace, love and funky dance moves: there were more flares, platform shoes and afro hairdo’s than you could poke a disco glitter ball at. Vijay was a member of Mecon Communications Club in Bangalore, India where he gave the first nine speeches in the CC project. In defence of the English language I received an official letter recently, asking me to fill in a form in the spaces indicated by an asterix. Although I looked really carefully, I couldn’t see any instances of the French cartoon figure Asterix the Gaul. Finding the 70s groove at the 2013 conference dinner Asterix does not want to be confused with a little star! Am I expecting too much for an educated writer to differentiate between Asterix and an asterisk * (from Greek asteriskos, "little star”)? The theme for the 2014 conference dinner is Be Fabulous. And it really would be absolutely fabulous if we could field a couple of tables of NAB Toasties. (Oooh … I can feel my inner Patsy already!) Other important dates: NAB wins second place in Positive Promotions Program District 73 runs a Positive Promotions Program from July to April each year. It encourages clubs to actively promote their club to new members and to foster good communications with existing members. Thanks to Kevin’s outstanding job in promoting the club on the NAB internal communications tool ‘Yammer’ and his sterling effort in pulling together nine months’ worth of promotional activities (MeetUp, Facebook, the NAB TM website, our newsletter) we were awarded second place at the recent District 73 conference, which included a $100 voucher to be used on the TM website. 4 23 June: Speaker to Trainer workshop,1.00-5.00 South Melbourne Community Centre, cost $10 rsvp by 15 June to [email protected] 25 June: 7.30 am. Back-to-front meeting The Gavel is the monthly newsletter of the National Australia Bank Toastmasters Club. Thanks to Brendan Farrell, our embedded reporter at the District 73 Toastmasters Convention, for his contributions to this issue. Next month the guest editor will be Andrew Cowell. Please send all contributions, stories, articles or photos for the June edition of the Gavel to: [email protected] National Australia Bank Toastmasters- Club 3901, District D73/S40 http://nabtm.toastmastersclubs.org/ Editor: Ann Banham [email protected]
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