Archive for October, 2009

Passion for Performance

Author: rebecca

Oct 26

It was Oscar Wilde who said that “passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young.” My passion for speaking/performance has been growing exponentially over time. I recently joined a second Toastmasters club (Stone Road TM) to increase my speaking/leadership opportunities. Tonight was my first speech at the new club. What a fantastically brillant experience! I presented speech #3 in the Storytelling Manual: The Moral of the Story, entitled “Dinner is Served”. I have had a few weeks to work on this one; it was first performed at the Guelph Guild of Storytellers October event, and I am going to write a version to e-publish, if you will. Although I most enjoy (and excel) at creative off-the-cuff speaking, I am also recognizing the value in preparation and polish. In my case, it appears that passion for performance is *my* secret to remaining young!

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Filed under: Storytelling

A Lesson from the Crickets

Author: rebecca

Oct 19

The area contest was definitely a success. I was thrilled to see that my Table Topics work has paid off and resulted in a 2nd place finish. I was a little less than thrilled to discover that my humorous speech resulted in a plethora of… silence. It was the type of silence that would welcome the sound of crickets chirping – anything to break up the monotony. Dealing with an audience that doesn’t laugh when expected is a challenge and a lesson in perseverance. The TM “Humorously Speaking” manual provides a useful article on dealing with failed humour.

  1. Don’t panic
  2. Don’t repeat it
  3. Don’t explain it
  4. Don’t blame the audience
  5. Don’t apologize

Experience shows this to be spot-on. However, it seems advantageous to also stress what one should do. Do: have courage, momentum, a confident unwavering voice, hear laughter in your head. The speech will be over soon enough. Carry through to the conclusion with fierce dignity and confidence!

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Filed under: Miscellaneous, Speaking, Tips

Happy Thanksgiving

Author: rebecca

Oct 12

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

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Filed under: Uncategorized

A Lesson in Listening

Author: rebecca

Oct 5

Listening. How often do we consciously and mindfully listen? Are we truly taking in the words, or are we impatiently waiting for our next turn to speak? Unconscious listening is simply another way of saying “not paying attention.” When I am not absorbing words and resonating with their content and meaning, I may as well be wearing headphones in terms of my understanding. This is my segue way into describing our club Table Topics contest today. Even though I listened to the rules of the contest, I obviously didn’t hear them. I broke one of the rules and was disqualified as a contestant. Otherwise, I know I would have won.

In the future, I will be listening with a greater consciousness. To be a strong leader and an inspiring and commanding speaker, I need to be a mindful listener.

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Filed under: Tips