Efren Penaflorida's acceptance speech is truly moving. Like all true heroes he inspires us to be the best we can be.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/11/16/cnnheroes.tribute.show/index.html
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'Gimme More Money' or I won't play
10 hours ago
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Speech Contest Double Win!
My Toastmaster colleague, John Zimmer, from Switzerland, recently scored a double win at the District 59 Fall Conference this month.
To accomplish this feat, a speaker has to win several preliminary competitions and then competes against the top speakers in his or her district. In District 59, that means speakers from all over continental Europe. To reach the finals in one contest is amazing--speaking from personal experience I can say that. But to do it in two different speech contests at the same time is unique.
The contests that John competed in were Table Topics and Humorous Speech. Table Topics requires no advance preparation, but you have to put together a well organized, effective one to two minute speech based on a topic you have no advance notice about. With just a few seconds' preparation, you have to sound like an expert on whatever topic is thrown at you. John told me that luckily he had a story in his head that would fit the topic he got perfectly. Are you making note of the great stories you want to share? You never know when you'll be 'called on' to come up with a persuasive speech.
Humor is a tricky thing, and a fine art. I marvel at how people who are funny, and timelessly funny, make us laugh. I know, among other things, it takes a sense of irony, self deprecation, and timing to make something sound funny. It also takes a keen eye and ear--most of us let funny situations pass us by. In John's case, he did all of this, and he custom fit the speech to the Toastmasters audience. In seven minutes, he had them laughing......a lot. Hear and see for yourself.
http://tinyurl.com/ykjavvc
To accomplish this feat, a speaker has to win several preliminary competitions and then competes against the top speakers in his or her district. In District 59, that means speakers from all over continental Europe. To reach the finals in one contest is amazing--speaking from personal experience I can say that. But to do it in two different speech contests at the same time is unique.
The contests that John competed in were Table Topics and Humorous Speech. Table Topics requires no advance preparation, but you have to put together a well organized, effective one to two minute speech based on a topic you have no advance notice about. With just a few seconds' preparation, you have to sound like an expert on whatever topic is thrown at you. John told me that luckily he had a story in his head that would fit the topic he got perfectly. Are you making note of the great stories you want to share? You never know when you'll be 'called on' to come up with a persuasive speech.
Humor is a tricky thing, and a fine art. I marvel at how people who are funny, and timelessly funny, make us laugh. I know, among other things, it takes a sense of irony, self deprecation, and timing to make something sound funny. It also takes a keen eye and ear--most of us let funny situations pass us by. In John's case, he did all of this, and he custom fit the speech to the Toastmasters audience. In seven minutes, he had them laughing......a lot. Hear and see for yourself.
http://tinyurl.com/ykjavvc
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Radio Interview--Part Two
Given our short attention spans, the thousands of Internet radio stations, the number of traditional broadcast radio stations, not to mention those preset buttons on your car radio, show content has to be pretty compelling and/or interesting to keep listeners hooked. Stephen King's recent radio interview, which I referred to in my last blog post, hit a home run for me. The interview was to promote his new book, to be released that day, entitled Under the Dome. Here are some non-technical reasons this interview worked so well, and some ideas to help your next interview be successful.
*Aim for the audience. This interview aired on Northeast Public Radio. You can bet that King or his agent, or both, had a good grasp of the demographics of who listens live at 3 p.m. mid-week, and who doesn't. I'm sure many listeners already had some knowledge of the kinds of books that King writes, and were eagerly anticipating the interview. Many people in this region of the USA have also visited Maine, where King's stories often take place. His remarks gave many descriptive details about Maine, and the small town he fictionalizes in his book. The written word and the spoken word are not the same. If you're on air, your voice and your words need to help listeners paint pictures.
*Add personal tidbits for flavor. King described the history of the novel, how this was his third attempt to write it, after abandoning it decades ago. People want to know why you do things, not just the facts. I don't typically read King, but the interview convinced me he is a skilled story teller. There was just enough personal information to make reading the book seem like a way to get to know King better. A good writer always writes from his or her personal life experience, and talented speakers do the same.
*Relate your product or service to the real world. King's novel takes place in a small town that has suddenly been covered over by a dome. This is his metaphor for a closed society, and he found several examples of places we all know about that are similar in some ways to his fictional town. He described his characters, and there are many of them, in terms that made it easy for us to recognize personality types. Do you include personal stories when you talk about what it is you are being interviewed about?
Click on the link in the last post to listen to the interview. Click on this link to see and hear more about King: http://www.stephenking.com/multimedia.html
Listen to radio interviews, and see what you can learn before your next on air appearance.
P.S. I bought King's book for my husband, that day.
*Aim for the audience. This interview aired on Northeast Public Radio. You can bet that King or his agent, or both, had a good grasp of the demographics of who listens live at 3 p.m. mid-week, and who doesn't. I'm sure many listeners already had some knowledge of the kinds of books that King writes, and were eagerly anticipating the interview. Many people in this region of the USA have also visited Maine, where King's stories often take place. His remarks gave many descriptive details about Maine, and the small town he fictionalizes in his book. The written word and the spoken word are not the same. If you're on air, your voice and your words need to help listeners paint pictures.
*Add personal tidbits for flavor. King described the history of the novel, how this was his third attempt to write it, after abandoning it decades ago. People want to know why you do things, not just the facts. I don't typically read King, but the interview convinced me he is a skilled story teller. There was just enough personal information to make reading the book seem like a way to get to know King better. A good writer always writes from his or her personal life experience, and talented speakers do the same.
*Relate your product or service to the real world. King's novel takes place in a small town that has suddenly been covered over by a dome. This is his metaphor for a closed society, and he found several examples of places we all know about that are similar in some ways to his fictional town. He described his characters, and there are many of them, in terms that made it easy for us to recognize personality types. Do you include personal stories when you talk about what it is you are being interviewed about?
Click on the link in the last post to listen to the interview. Click on this link to see and hear more about King: http://www.stephenking.com/multimedia.html
Listen to radio interviews, and see what you can learn before your next on air appearance.
P.S. I bought King's book for my husband, that day.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Radio Interview--Part One
Most radio interviews don't hold my interest for long, and it's easy for me to change the station when I get tired of listening. The interview linked below, with author Stephen King, was so interesting, I wanted to post it here, as an example of what to do to keep the audience enthralled. Well worth the 30 minutes it takes to listen:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/664/0/1576769/The.Book.Show/The.Book.Show.1112.-.Stephen.King
Mr. King is not a professional speaker. Yet, there is much we can learn from him in this interview. Joe Donahue is a professional (key word)reporter, but he is not the regular host of this show. His engaging voice keeps you interested, however, and that's the point of radio--to keep you tuned in.
There was so much 'right' about this interview, I will divide it into two blog posts. In part one, I'll point out technical aspects, from the speakers' and audience's points of view, that make a radio interview work.
>Audio was clear, and easy to understand. Most interviews today are not done in person, they are done on the telephone. Do you drink lots of water before you speak, so that the audience hears your clear, confident voice instead of a dry, breathless voice? Is your phone connection crystal clear, e.g. Skype or internet based, versus a risky cell phone connection?
>No background noise. Have you minimized background noise? Do you do a microphone check before the interview starts, and do you adjust your microphone, so that it's the right distance from your mouth? Are you using a hands free method as you speak, e.g. not speaking into a traditional telephone handset/receiver.
>No filler words. Believe it or not, most interviewees I hear, and sadly, many of the radio talent, still pepper their speech with filler words. Since radio shows are most often recorded, it is worthwhile to lisiten to your interview with an ear for filler words. To eliminate them, pause whenever you are tempted ot say "um," or another filler word, or, better yet, join Toastmasters.
>Pace was just right. Neither King or Donahue rushed through their words, or did they slow down so much that you lost interest. Thirty minutes flew by, and you wanted to hear more, just like a great story.
Next post--the elegant and enthralling content that made this interview shine.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain/article/664/0/1576769/The.Book.Show/The.Book.Show.1112.-.Stephen.King
Mr. King is not a professional speaker. Yet, there is much we can learn from him in this interview. Joe Donahue is a professional (key word)reporter, but he is not the regular host of this show. His engaging voice keeps you interested, however, and that's the point of radio--to keep you tuned in.
There was so much 'right' about this interview, I will divide it into two blog posts. In part one, I'll point out technical aspects, from the speakers' and audience's points of view, that make a radio interview work.
>Audio was clear, and easy to understand. Most interviews today are not done in person, they are done on the telephone. Do you drink lots of water before you speak, so that the audience hears your clear, confident voice instead of a dry, breathless voice? Is your phone connection crystal clear, e.g. Skype or internet based, versus a risky cell phone connection?
>No background noise. Have you minimized background noise? Do you do a microphone check before the interview starts, and do you adjust your microphone, so that it's the right distance from your mouth? Are you using a hands free method as you speak, e.g. not speaking into a traditional telephone handset/receiver.
>No filler words. Believe it or not, most interviewees I hear, and sadly, many of the radio talent, still pepper their speech with filler words. Since radio shows are most often recorded, it is worthwhile to lisiten to your interview with an ear for filler words. To eliminate them, pause whenever you are tempted ot say "um," or another filler word, or, better yet, join Toastmasters.
>Pace was just right. Neither King or Donahue rushed through their words, or did they slow down so much that you lost interest. Thirty minutes flew by, and you wanted to hear more, just like a great story.
Next post--the elegant and enthralling content that made this interview shine.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Are You A Tech Master?
Here are a few signs that you master technology and use it to improve your speaking.
*You own only the tech tools you get the most value from. You define what value actually means to you. You've taken time to evaluate which tools you actually need, that give you room to explore new options, and handle all the day to day tasks you do most often. NOT mastering tech--owning the latest, sophisticated wireless hand held device when you don't travel frequently, speak for a living, or want to spend a lot of time tied to a ringing phone. Simpler is often better, and definitely less expensive. A net book, on the other hand, is more portable, and can help you capture your thoughts for future speeches easily.
*After a reasonable learning curve, you can easily manipulate the tech device and software, without constant frustration. Instant time and sanity saver.
*Tech does not take the place of conversation, listening, and creative thinking. Access to all that tech offers contributes to these things, and can't replace them. Example--using Skype to see and hear others connects you in a more intimate way than a traditional phone or cell phone. Skype is what I call Smart Tech, and helps you gain more Stage Time.
*You can take a tech break, e.g. unplug, and your stress level doesn't increase. You have mastered your email box by streamlining it, posting automatic messages telling people you are away, or using a Virtual Assistant.
*You understand that unplugging helps those other parts of your brain, that aren't tech wired, to flourish. The best speakers and writers of our past, whose published works, recordings and speech transcripts are still being read, heard, and watched, never had access to the type of tech that we do. Huckleberry Finn is considered one of the essential works of American fiction. Mark Twain captured the subtleties of spoken dialects by listening to people speak, over and over. He used that knowledge to not only write, but also to speak on the lecture circuit of his day, and was highly paid to do it.
Are you a Tech Master?
*You own only the tech tools you get the most value from. You define what value actually means to you. You've taken time to evaluate which tools you actually need, that give you room to explore new options, and handle all the day to day tasks you do most often. NOT mastering tech--owning the latest, sophisticated wireless hand held device when you don't travel frequently, speak for a living, or want to spend a lot of time tied to a ringing phone. Simpler is often better, and definitely less expensive. A net book, on the other hand, is more portable, and can help you capture your thoughts for future speeches easily.
*After a reasonable learning curve, you can easily manipulate the tech device and software, without constant frustration. Instant time and sanity saver.
*Tech does not take the place of conversation, listening, and creative thinking. Access to all that tech offers contributes to these things, and can't replace them. Example--using Skype to see and hear others connects you in a more intimate way than a traditional phone or cell phone. Skype is what I call Smart Tech, and helps you gain more Stage Time.
*You can take a tech break, e.g. unplug, and your stress level doesn't increase. You have mastered your email box by streamlining it, posting automatic messages telling people you are away, or using a Virtual Assistant.
*You understand that unplugging helps those other parts of your brain, that aren't tech wired, to flourish. The best speakers and writers of our past, whose published works, recordings and speech transcripts are still being read, heard, and watched, never had access to the type of tech that we do. Huckleberry Finn is considered one of the essential works of American fiction. Mark Twain captured the subtleties of spoken dialects by listening to people speak, over and over. He used that knowledge to not only write, but also to speak on the lecture circuit of his day, and was highly paid to do it.
Are you a Tech Master?
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