Publicly Speaking

Workshop: 18 Sep 2010

2010-08-05T09:12:00.000+08:00

We are pleased to confirm the date of our first public workshop!

Many of our clients have been asking for this workshop for a long time.

Details:

Date: Saturday, 18 September 2010
Time: 10:00am to 5:00pm
Venue: TBC - HK Island
Cost: HK$1,888

Register for two: 10% off
Register for three: 20% off

Looking for a new job or a promotion? Are your speaking skills holding you back?

One short speech to the right group of potential clients, seniors or colleagues has the power to double or triple your income and open doors of opportunity that are closed to 95% of people.

Great speakers are seen as leaders in business. Public speaking is the single most important skill you can possess as a leader.

This workshop is for you if:

you’ve attended interviews and not been offered the job

you are stuck in your career and need a leg up

you feel shy/scared/stupid in social situations with people you don’t know
you know that excellent speaking skills are necessary for the success you want.

Your workshop leaders: Brian Hodgson/Ruth Benny

Brian and Ruth walk the talk.

Chances are that any presentation skills classes you’ve taken before were not very effective. The reason is simple. Most classes are taught by teachers, not speakers. Both Brian and Ruth are very much in-demand speakers and regularly speak at professional events.

They are champion Toastmasters. Collectively, they have won more than 30 contests in Hong Kong and Asia.

Ruth and Brian have more than 30 years' of corporate training experience between them.

Improve your speaking skills in just one day and have fun doing it!

A presentation is one of the most important business tools. Whether you are persuading colleagues, selling to a client, energizing a team or showing an idea to senior management, the power of your presentation makes the difference between success and failure.

With so much riding on your presentation ability, you will not want to miss this opportunity to sharpen it to perfection.

You will learn to:

defeat your natural public speaking fears

overcome negative or distracting mannerisms

speak of the solutions to your audience’s problems

create a sincere rapport with your audience

create a great first impression

turn a “speech” into a “conversation”

use your eyes, gestures and voice for maximum effect

develop, organize and design a presentation for any occasion

discover your own intuitive presentation style

move past “presentation skills” to natural ease

involve the audience

use personal stories that will connect with your audience immediately

avoid the five critical mistakes that trap most public speakers

answer questions spontaneously and impressively

You will discover that its considerably easier to look and sound great than the way you're doing it now. Believe it or not, you will actually look forward to your next presentation!

interactive approach • supportive environment • plenty of practice • outstanding results

This is Passion

2010-05-25T10:35:00.000+08:00

"Forget all the conventional 'rules' but one. There is one golden rule: Stick to topics you deeply care about and do not keep your passion buttoned inside your vest. An audiences' biggest turn on is the speakers' obvious enthusiasm. If you are lukewarm about the issue, forget it!"
Tom Peters

We all know how passion is the basis of public speaking. But, it's an abstract concept.

The best concrete illustration of passion I have seen recently is Benjamin Zander. Watch his passion and learn:

Canadian Toastmasters Videos

2010-05-20T10:28:00.000+08:00

Came across a couple of interesting videos today.

Interesting from my perspective for three reasons:

- such a diverse group with members from so many different countries
- clearly, the meetings differ from Asian meetings, yet are so similar too
- whilst the formats of the meetings vary, the benefits remain constant.

Enjoy:

"I'd like to tell you a story..."

2010-04-26T10:27:00.008+08:00

I had the honour of judging a public speaking contest at the weekend (not Toastmasters).

The speakers were professional adults; the standard variable. Without a doubt, the stand-out speakers were the storytellers. Yet, many of them made a basic error. This error, in my opinion, reveals the speaker to be inexperienced, unconfident and unaware of the audience's needs.

Too many of the speakers signposted parts of their speeches:

"Before we start, let me ask you two questions".
"Today, I'd like to share a personal story".
"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen".
"I have a story I'd like to tell you".
"Before starting this story, I'd like to share some facts with you."

Let's look at these one by one:

"Before we start, let me ask you two questions".

But you've already started!! Just ask the questions! It will have much more impact... And, remember Craig Valentine's tip:
"Have you ever...?" rather than "How many of you have ever..."? Subtle difference; significant impact.

"Today, I'd like to share a personal story".
Just tell me the story. It'll be obvious that it's a story and a personal story if you tell it right.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen".
Just dive straight in. Ask your questions or tell your story. If you absolutely feel the need to address the audience, do it near the beginning but not at the beginning. Start strong. You have about 15 seconds to grab the attention of the audience. Don't waste valuable seconds on niceties.

"Before starting this story, I'd like to share some facts with you."
Facts, schmacts. Who cares? Audiences are persuaded by emotion, not logic. Relate your facts to something the audience understands or weave them into a story but don't lead with facts.

Having listened to some thirty speakers on Saturday afternoon, this unnecessary signposting was one of the issues that struck me the strongest. I'll write about others in later posts.

If there's one thing a mediocre speaker can do to become a good speaker is: have the confidence to launch into your material without the hedging. You will appear more confident and more respectful of the audience's needs.

Who moved the furniture?

2010-04-01T17:57:00.007+08:00

When I arrive at a venue to deliver a talk, I usually find myself rearranging the furniture. I am often met with objections and/or surprise. Yet, the way most rooms are set up are NOT conducive to delivering a good presentation. No matter how good a presenter you are, if the audience can hardly hear you or see you, it's going to be a challenge to connect.

Most rooms are set up all wrong.

They usually have:
a podium or table that the speaker is expected to stand behind
a handheld microphone, sometimes bolted to the podium/table
a short cable to connect your PC to the projector/power (or no cable at all; just a desktop PC)
a screen at the back of the stage, set dead centre

Who moves the furniture? Do you?

David Gurteen wrote on his excellent blog a post entitled 'Burn all podiums'. The photo to the left is his - look closely and you'll see the tip of the speaker's head. I'm sure that was a riveting session!

Podiums tie the speaker to one place and restrict the audience's view to the speaker's upper body. The audience wants to see you! You should want to get closer to them. If you're offered a podium, do you accept?

Handheld microphones - even ones you can move around using - restrict what you can do with your hands.

I have colleagues that use mics in a room that seats 60. This seems to give them licence to mumble and make zero eye contact with anyone. It's really not necessary. If you absolutely need a mic, make sure you can get (or bring) a lapel mic.

Screens are usually positioned at the bottom of the centre of the stage. This means that you need to stand off centre to avoid blocking the projection stream. I love it when the screen is off to one side. Or, as they do at TED, above the speaker (suitable for a very large room).

In fact, the way the stage is set at TED is interesting. It's perfect. If only more rooms were set up this way. The presenter can see the current slide, the previous/next slide, their notes and the timer all without ever turning away from the audience. The audience sees the whole slide, without any blockages and the whole speaker.

So, next time you arrive at a venue to deliver a talk, ask yourself "Shall I move the furniture?"

Friday Funny

2010-02-26T14:29:00.002+08:00

Nuff said!

How to cope with a disrespectful audience

2010-02-22T15:41:00.006+08:00

I'd arrived early to hear the previous speaker. I thought it was a good idea to get a feel for the audience, know what they'd heard and generally get 'in the mood'.

Big mistake!

Well, normally, it might not be a mistake. It's sensible advice that most professional speakers give out. It's just that the speaker before me was so BORING that he zapped all my energy. As I observed the audience chatting, playing with their phones or PCs, sleeping and staring into space, I started to get annoyed with them. I felt they were not being respectful to the speaker.

But, on the other hand, the speaker was not being respectful to them. He was droning on and on, using slides with dozens of words on them without pointing out the relevance to them.

All I could do was do my best.

I took centre stage. The first words out of my mouth were a question. I started to get them involved. I asked for suggestions. I made a few funny comments and they were paying attention.

Same audience. Different speaker.

A speaker must earn the respect of an audience. If the audience is bored, it's the speaker's problem, not theirs.

Don't be boring!

Donald Yee workshop: 30 Jan 2010

2010-02-01T10:09:00.004+08:00

Almost 100 aspiring champions - or otherwise curious - Toastmasters gathered at the PolyU last Saturday to hear Donald Yee.

Donald Yee. This is a man that almost needs no introduction. If you are a TM in HK, you heard about him before you heard him speak. And unlike a lot of what is lauded in HK, Donald doesn't disappoint.

Just to give you a taste, here's a speech he delivered back in 2001:

On Saturday, Donald shared his top tips for winning in contests. Why would he do that?!! He is himself striving for the title of World Champion! Why give away all his secrets?!!

I'd say, firstly, that Donald is a generous guy. In the true spirit of Toastmasters, he's sharing his experience with others and encouraging some healthy competition. (Also, I'm sure he did keep a few crucial secrets for himself.)

If you missed it, here's a link to the slides he prepared: http://dynamic.freetoasthost.info/files/YoutoocanbeaChampion-30Jan10.pdf

Slides are Free!

2009-12-23T12:53:00.011+08:00

I just delivered a session on designing visual slides for presentations.

Part of my job is to undo some of the participants' previous learning. People learn some funny things. I've heard it all:

- never start a sentence with a preposition
- use lots of animation to gain attention
- pretend your audience is naked

So, at the end of my session, one participant - a very senior manager - told us what she'd learned in regard to slide presentations:

Cram all the info into 10 slides.

Ten slides! Why?!!

When you cram all your info into ten slides, what happens? Think about it: the text gets smaller, the number of words gets bigger and the audience...takes a trip to Snoozeville!

Slides are free!

I advise presenters to do the opposite. Spread it all out and use more slides than you think you need.

Let's take an example. Here's a real slide a client of mine used just last month:

What you have here is four points. So, since slides are free, use four slides. I reworked it:

In slide design, less is more. Chunk up your information into small pieces and put a little information on each slide. This will greatly help your message to stick.

ebook: What matters now

2009-12-15T10:18:00.002+08:00

I make it a rule to read everything Seth Godin writes and a lot of what he recommends. Here's a new ebook he's compiled.

Lots of great ideas for speeches. Enjoy.

null

Lance Miller's Life Force

2009-12-03T16:58:00.005+08:00

We were privileged to have Lance Miller stop by Hong Kong this past Monday. On his way back from a convention in Shenzhen, Lance delivered a workshop entitled 'Find your Voice' to over 100 Toastmasters at Polytechnic University.

One point struck me. Where other speakers talk about 'passion', Lance talks about 'Life Force'. He describes it in this way:

Life force is the power, sincerity, conviction, humility and passion you can imbue into your words. I like that.

When you have the energy to deliver this life force as if your life depended on it, the rest will flow. Imagine your building is on fire. With what kind of energy will you deliver "Get out! The building's on fire" to your family? That's the kind of energy we need in our speeches.

When he achieve that, the mechanics of the speech such as vocal variety and gestures will take care of themselves, provided we have invested 80% of our time preparing them.

What do you think?

Going Analog

2009-11-26T10:24:00.007+08:00

Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen suggests planning a presentation away from the computer. He calls this 'Going analog'.

It makes a lot of sense. When presenters prepare their content in Powerpoint/Keynote, their content becomes just a series of slides.

Sitting down with a pen and paper, you can focus on the bigger picture and identify your core message.

I tried it. I tried mind-mapping which I've never been very good at. Here's what I came up with:

This will be a workshop entitled 'Crimes presenters commit (and how not to)'. If you're interested, invite me along to your club and I can try it out!

The Case for Characters

2009-10-29T17:26:00.007+08:00

Businesspeople I coach often challenge the idea of using stories and characters in their business presentations.

It doesn't come naturally to them. So I show them these videos.

If you only watch the first few minutes of this TED talk, you'll see how the speaker - Paul Romer - creates a compelling opening by creating a character and personalising the issue. Stick with it if you can; he talks about Hong Kong later on.

Paul Romer is not a natural speaker and he's improved a lot. See an earlier presentation here:

He's clearly had a lot of help and it's paid off. Adding a character or two certainly hasn't hurt his style.

Try it.

Macau Semi Annual Conference Backchannel

2009-10-28T15:03:00.004+08:00

Will you be attending? Would you like to chat with other attendees online?

I've created a backchannel to do exactly that at:

http://www.backnoise.com/?TMD80SAC

If you use Twitter, add the hashtag #TMD80SAC to your tweets and they'll show up automatically.

If you don't use Twitter, you can still join the chat. You can even remain anonymous.

Should be fun!!

85th Anniversary Testimonials

2009-10-28T10:21:00.003+08:00

To mark the 85th anniversary of the world’s leading organization devoted to communications, I invite you to share your stories of growth through Toastmasters.

What's your answer to the question: How has Toastmasters made a difference in your life?

Here's my answer:

"I was bullied into joining a corporate Toastmasters club. By the time I left the company, I was hooked and joined a community club.

I've been a regular attendee for 8 years now and look forward to the almost weekly meetings as my refuge from the busy week.

I've grown not only as a speaker, but also as a person. I've met many people from different backgrounds I would not have had the opportunity to meet. And I'm proud to call these people my friends.

Toastmasters is touted as a place to improve 'communication and leadership skills'. If you think about life, that's really all there is - communication and leadership. So, through Toastmasters we learn to improve our relationships, our careers and our self esteem. I certainly have."

Please leave your comments.

Sling the Cantonese slang, la!

2009-10-14T17:41:00.003+08:00

At the Division contest last week, I listened intently to all speakers from both Divisions! I laughed, I evaluated and I puzzled.

You see, I think my English is pretty good. So, I was puzzled at three points that afternoon when speakers, seemingly delivering speeches in English, switched to Cantonese slang.

o靚模

One speaker dwelled on the phenomenon surrounding the book-fair this year, the lan/leng mo [o靚模]. The what?!! Now, if you understand Cantonese, you’re OK. But this was a speech in English! I could just about fathom what he meant as I’d followed the whole story, but his repetition of this word that I didn’t understand throughout the whole speech was distracting, to say the least. The English press came up with a new term - ‘pseudo-model’ – to describe these young girls (which was met with some criticism).

The speaker didn’t place.

等到頸都長

This phrase popped up in the winner’s speech – just once. Apparently, it can be translated as ‘waiting for a very long time’. It was delivered as ‘My neck is getting longer and longer’. I had to ask.

As a non-Cantonese speaker, this phrase jarred with me. And while I was puzzling over what it meant, I wasn’t listening to the speech. My brain can’t puzzle and listen at the same time.

This was an isolated insertion of another Cantonese slang expression. Other than that, it was great speech. Humourous and well deserving of the win.

So what?

It’s a very unusual situation in Hong Kong where we have Cantonese speakers delivering speeches in English to mostly other Cantonese speakers. Nevertheless, I’d remind all speakers to sling the Cantonese slang for the following reasons:

It’s important to know the audience. And the judges. That includes knowing who/how many members of the audience will not get your joke(s).

If the speech wins in Hong Kong, it’ll be necessary to do an awful lot of rewriting to make the speech work outside of Hong Kong. Even mainland Chinese culture and language differs from that in Hong Kong.

Craig Valentine's new blog

2009-10-08T12:31:00.000+08:00

Be one of the first to subscribe!

http://dreamisnotforsale.com

Is Donald Tsang HK's most boring speaker?

2009-08-20T10:39:00.005+08:00

He's in the running but he has stiff competition from his colleagues. An article in yesterday's South China Morning Post lamented the public speaking skills of our politicians.

Stephan Engel writes:

"In a few weeks, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen will deliver his annual policy address to the Legislative Council. While his speech covering the latest government plans and initiatives will be new, in terms of content, the style of its delivery will be exactly the same as in previous years.

With all the charm of a North Korean television presenter, Mr Tsang will read the text straight from a piece of paper placed in front of him. No sudden smile will brighten up his otherwise monotonous facial expression. Occasionally he will look up, stony-faced, his lips firmly pressed together, nervously scanning the ranks of the chamber.

There won't be a single joke, a witty remark or an intelligent play on words spicing up his oratory. Sentence after sentence, he will subject his audience to more than 10,000 words of dull and uninspiring language.

Welcome to Hong Kong politics, where the boring people rule.

It is a sad fact that, despite the openness of our society, our freedom of speech and an increasingly dynamic political process, our local politicians and officials seem to be seriously orally challenged. Whenever speaking in public, they almost completely miss the light touch, rarely displaying any charm, emotion or sense of humour."

Whilst I agree that, on these occasions and many others like them, Donald Tsang plays safe and reads a script that was probably prepared by someone else, I have seen him more animated. When he's on a talk show or speaking to a group of people without a script, he does project charisma. He just needs to do it more often. And encourage his colleagues to do the same.

If they'd just consider the audience (and their low boredom threshold, relax and rely less on the script, we'd all have a better time of it.

If you have a subscription to the SCMP, read the full article.

Engel ends by saying:

"It is finally time for Hong Kong's politicians and leaders to take public speaking more seriously and invest in their communication skills. The audience is getting impatient."

I'll end by saying we either:

a) vote for our political leaders
b) welcome them to our Toastmasters community.

Donald Yee, Mark Hunter and Sean Lin

2009-08-16T19:39:00.004+08:00

Just a great photo:

L-R: Donald Yee, District 80 Champion; Mark Hunter, 2009 World Champion of Public Speaking; Sean Lin, Division H Governor 2009/10.

Australian Mark Hunter: World Champion 2009

2009-08-16T00:43:00.002+08:00

World Champion 2009 : Mark Hunter from Australia, "A Sink for a green tomato".

2nd Place : Mary Cheyne of Region VII, "Naly". Mary is Hong Kong Chinese and moved to Australia at the age of 7.

3rd Place : Erick Rainey of Region I, "Feed the Right Dog".

Rich Hopkins says of the champion, "Mark is wheelchair-bound and has a sharp wit to go with a caring demeanor. From Brisbane Australia, I believe he's in D69, now Region 14? He took third in 2007, and did VERY well in 2001 despite not placing that year. The 2001 year, btw, now has 3 World Champions from its class, as well as repeat contestants Rich Breiner and J.A. Gamache. Often considered the best class ever, this certainly clinches that argument."

HK to join District 85 from 2009/10

2009-08-15T19:04:00.004+08:00

"Proposal A" was passed by a two-thirds majority vote at the Annual Business Meeting held this morning at the TI Convention 2009.

Despite some intense resistance, notably from Rich Hopkins in the US, the proposal passed.

This brings significant changes to Hong Kong Toastmasters.

Starting 2009/10, there shall be 14 Regions worldwide, meaning that HK will no longer will be within a "District not assigned to a Region" (DNAR).

Also, Hong Kong and Macau, starting 1 July 2010, will be part of District 85, with the existing 85 clubs in mainland China, to become Greater China; i.e. mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR.

Sean Lin, Division H Governor says:

"I have met and briefly discussed the matter with the delegates from District 85, including their current District Governor Rebecca Hong, LGET Yingdan, LGM Ligo and Past District Governor Victor. Looking forward to a good transition and benefits to every member in Hong Kong."

Are you a sheep walker or a sweet talker?

2009-08-13T11:17:00.006+08:00

Sheep walkers walk with the sheep. They do what everyone else is doing. They follow.

Sweet talkers do what works. They make a connection with the audience (in the context of speaking and Toastmasters).

Here are three tried and tested techniques for sheepwalking Toastmasters who want to be better than just OK.

1. Abstract - > Concrete
2. Telling -> Reliving
3. Narration - > Dialogue

These three techniques need to be embraced as a ‘set’. I don’t believe you can choose one of these techniques and apply it well as a standalone technique. Use all three.

Abstract - > Concrete

Many speakers fall back on a teachery, preachery style. That is, to talk about the theory with not much practice. For example:

“To better manage your time, focus more.”
“Be positive in the face of adversity"
“Think of others first”

These statements are fine only when supplemented by lots and lots of practical examples and stories. A speaker that fails to add this necessary elaboration will fail to connect with an audience in the same way most of our teachers and preachers fail(ed) to inspire us.

So, abstract must lead into the concrete. Or, it could be the other way around.

Telling -> Reliving

Have you heard a speaker tell a story and found yourself wondering:

* Did they make it up?
* Were they really there?
* Did they read this in an email and pretend it’s their story?

I have. Many times.

So, when you go into your practical examples and stories, take your audience there. Presuming you were really there at some point in the past, recreate the scene for your listeners. Use language to stimulate the senses, use your voice to convey the mood and use all that you have to relive the moment, rather than just tell your audience about it. That means using the present tense.

Compare the following (you’ll have to imagine the vocal variety):

“It was a dark and stormy night. I was driving down the road and I could see lots of lightening. I started to feel afraid.”

“It’s pitch black, the rain is coming down in sheets. Out of the passenger window, I see three bolts of lightening followed by the most thunderous thunder I have ever heard. I feel my heart thumping and realize I am afraid…very afraid.”

The second version uses lots of visual, sensory language in the present tense. The first version is strictly for sheepwalkers.

Narration - > Dialogue

“So I told her that I was afraid and she asked why. I thought about it and replied that it was because I feared failure. She did not look surprised. She smiled and told me that was completely normal.”

This is narration. Boring! Baaaa!!!

If you are to relive your story, you’ll need to add dialogue.

Take that piece of narration and try turning it into dialogue. Do it now.

It’s not that difficult, is it? And when you deliver dialogue, you are reliving the moment and you’re able to use your characters, your voice and the stage to create an emotional connection with your audience. You simply can’t do that with narration.

So, there you have it. Three techniques to help you become a sweet talker.

Inter-District International Speech Contest 2009 Results

2009-08-12T09:39:00.007+08:00

About 40 minutes ago, the results of the Inter-District International Speech Contest were announced at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Conneticut, USA.

Donald Yee, District 80 contestant, delivered a new speech entitled 'Unbreakable'. And, the results:

1st place : Herminigildo Garrobo, District 75 Philippines
2nd place : Douglas Kruger, District 74 S. Africa
3rd place : Donald Yee, District 80 Hong Kong

Herminigildo Garrobo, a faculty member of theDepartment of English,
College of Human Sciences, Saint Louis University, Baguio City, goes through to compete in the World Championship at the weekend.

Congratulations, Donald. You did us proud!

Thanks to Sean Lin, reporting in via iphone!

Being visual with visual aids

2009-08-11T10:58:00.008+08:00

CC Project #8 is often a low point in a Toastmaster's journey. Why? Powerpoint!

Why a Toastmaster feels compelled to use Powerpoint when the project objectives simply call for 'visual aids', I'll never know!!

The way most people use PP is almost the opposite of visual. Words and text are not visual objects. Verbal and visual information is processed in different parts of our brain.

Dr Medina, author of Brain Rules, believes that we remember visual information better than other types.

Here's Garr Reynolds' interpretation of how Brain Rules relate to presenting with slides.

Brain Rules for Presenters

View more documents from garr.

Remember, slides are free! It's better to create 100 of visual slides with little text than 10 slides of bullets, bullets and more bullets.

Now shoot me!

WCPS#2: Darren LaCroix

2009-08-04T13:03:00.004+08:00

With the humourous contest coming up, I read and watched WCPS 2001, Darren LaCroix, the funniest Champion. As a student of comedy, Darren calls himself a comedian as well as a keynote speaker and author.

Darren's website

To see the speech, you'll need to buy the DVD.

But, I just learned last week that Darren actually went overtime in his championship speech. I checked and it's true.

"I actually went overtime," said Darren. "When the red light came on I went into my close. I left the podium and sat down knowing I had stayed within the time limit.

"However, people who were using their watches or had brought stop watches, knew I had gone too long.

It turned out that there had been a timing error and the rules of the contest state that if a timing error occurs, the speaker shall be granted 30 extra seconds. I was within the extra 30 seconds.

Darren's winning speech script

Who said luck has nothing to do with it?

Eureka! - Powerpoint's Presenter view

2009-07-30T11:55:00.005+08:00

I like Powerpoint. I do.

I don't like the way most people use it but I like to use it.

Last week, I discovered a "new" feature and now I like it even more.

Preparing to deliver a seminar to about 120 people, I was fumbling with notes for all of my 97 slides. I was complaining that Powerpoint lacked an essential feature - the ability to see your notes on the laptop screen while the audience sees only the slide.

Duh! Silly me didn't realise that in fact, at some point between the last time I was complaining about PP and this time, the nice folks at MS introduced this feature. It's called 'Presenter View' and it's dead simple.

Even MS's Help page is simple and easy to understand.

Use it. Try it. I hope you like it.

WCPS # 1: Craig Valentine

2009-07-23T16:31:00.002+08:00

The first post in a series on World Champions of Public Speaking I have known (ok, met!)

Let's start with Craig Valentine. I first saw Craig in Hong Kong at the Annual Convention in May 2007. Apart from being just a really nice guy, Craig is - in my opinion - the stand-out of all past World Champions.

Here's Craig in action:

So, what makes Craig a great speaker? Over to you....

RIP Myra Siu, GAP Toastmasters

2009-07-12T09:43:00.005+08:00

RIP: Myra Siu Man-wa

Sad to hear of Myra's passing this week.

Founding President of GAP Toastmasters (2000-2002), Solicitor Myra stood for Legco last year under the platform: Know people's hardships. Actualize People's Yearnings.

Here's what she said on her election website about TM:

"Introduced by a HKU alumnus, Mr. Alex Lai, I came to know of the HK Toastmasters Club and joined as a member since Sept 1997.

HK Toastmasters Club opens an important chapter in my life. Through this club, I met like-minded young professionals from different parts of the world, they came to HK for career development, or settlement. We became good friends.

Toastmasters is all about better communication and leadership.

When I joined the Toastmasters , it was a small community of 5 Toastmasters Clubs, perhaps, with less than 200 members. My joining coincided with the great leap forward of the Toastmasters Movement in HK. In 3 years time, Toastmasters Clubs mushroomed all over HK. Toastmasters has become a very dynamic group well to HK people. Then, we set up Toastmasters programs for the undergrads and secondary school students. After the Millennium Year, the HK Toastmasters Movement spread northward into the cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. Now, there are over 40 Toastmasters Clubs in HK, Toastmasters about 2000.

In Feb 2001, with the support of a group of HKUGA friends, I founded the Graduates and Professionals Toastmasters Club (“GAP”). As the Founding President, I served as GAP’s President in its first 2 years, thereafter, I stayed with its EXCO. In March this year , GAP held its 8th Anniversary Celebration Party."

Rest in peace, Myra.

Book Signing: The Secrets of Superb Public Speaking

2009-07-09T17:57:00.006+08:00

Bookazine is hosting a book signing and talk with John Miers, author of Hit Me Again! I Can Still Hear Him! The Secrets of Superb Public Speaking on Thursday, 16th July at 6:30pm at Bookazine, 3/F Prince's Building.

Enjoy a glass of wine courtesy of Limestone Coast Wines.

10% off the book for Toastmasters!! Just say "I'm a Toastie!"

RSVP - Tel: 2525 0218 bookazinepb@yahoo.com

Three tips from Eric Feng

2009-06-29T09:25:00.002+08:00

I first met Eric Feng at a TM conference in Hong Kong a couple of years ago. An impressive young man, he has now 'gone pro' and is running a successful speaking and training business in Singapore. He's a shining example of what TM can do. Here, I am reposting an entry from his blog 'cos I simply couldn't have said it better:

***

Remember Pareto's Principle? Where 80% of the results comes from
20% of your effort. Or 80% of your revenue generated by 20% of your
customers. This principle works here in public speaking as well. If
you are tight for time, and you want to know what you can do
minimally to cause maximum results, this is it. The 20% work that
will make a huge positive difference in your upcoming speech or
presentation.

1. One Powerful Message

No point flooding your audience with too many messages as they
won't remember all of them anyway. Instead, you will have a better
chance of impacting them if you focus on just one message. Find
various ways (stories, demonstrations, quotes, analogies, visuals,
jokes, examples) to illustrate your message.

I would also suggest that you believe in the message. There must be
an inner drive/reason that is pushing you to deliver the message.
Else... it will merely be a public announcement. One way to create
drive/belief/enthusiasm in your speech is to ask yourself two
questions:

(i) How will the audience benefit from listening to my
speech/presentation?

(ii) Why is it important for them to hear it?

2. Be Authentic

Nothing beats speaking from the heart. Ask anyone and they will
tell you that sincerity wins it all. Ask yourself this question:
Why is it important for YOU to share this message with them?

To increase the authenticity of your speech, include stories of
your own. Audience love it when speakers share personal stories as
they create instant connection. As you open up to them, they too
will open up to you. DO NOT use stories from the internet or worse,
Chicken Soup for the Soul, for a very simple reason - they aren't
yours!

3. Strong Content

Not only must you have a strong message i.e. one that is obvious to
your audience, there must be some takeaway points. These takeaway
points got to be tangible and useful to them immediately. They
should also feel motivated to take some action. It could be to
start exercising or writing down their financial goals. At the end
of the day, your audience MUST take some action. Otherwise, it will
be a wasted speech.

Cheers,
Eric Feng
Your Public Speaking Coach
http://www.TakingTheStageNow.com/index1.html

How to Prepare an Impromptu Speech

2009-06-26T11:14:00.003+08:00

Whilst it may sound like an oxymoron, we can all learn to prepare impromptu speeches.

You've heard it said before that 'an impromptu speech is a mini-speech with a beginning, middle and end'. That's true, but it doesn't go far enough. I prefer to think of an impromptu speech as a flight with a take-off, flight and landing. During the flight, the plane does not fly in a straight line. The captain has carefully plotted the course and follows it as far as possible. At the same time, the crew must be flexible and cope with unexpected weather conditions and the like.

The part that the simple 'beginning, middle and end' advice leaves out is the course of the flight, which is planned. This equates to your speech structure.

We've all heard (and given?) speeches without any obvious structure. They wander all around the houses without ever really arriving at a point. They lack structure.

The trick is to know a number of structures so well that you'll easily be able to recall the most appropriate structure to fit the topic.

If you'd rather not be giving such speeches in the future, check back next week when I'll share three such structures.

Go Donald!!

2009-06-05T10:03:00.006+08:00

Donald Yee has done it again!

18 May, Shatin, Hong Kong: Donald Yee triumphed in both the International Speech Contest and the Table Topics contest. Beating contestants from Singapore, Thailand and Macau, Donald will go on to represent District 80 at the Inter-Disctrict Contest in Conneticut in August.

Also, thrilled that Brian Hodgson of Victoria Toastmasters took first runner-up!

Donald's speech delivered the message 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'. I heard Donald do the same speech at Area level, I missed division but it was greatly improved by the time District came around.

Donald needs to deliver an entirely new speech for the Inter-district Contest. If he makes it through to the finals, he'll need another entirely new speech. Go Donald!!

Hong Kong Toastmaster is the District Champion!

2008-05-27T13:43:00.001+08:00

Arthur Ting took First Place in the District 80 International Speech Contest in Singapore on Sunday.

Arthur's speech entitled "Three words, Four Syllables" delivered a very simple yet powerful message: that we should practise saying "I'm sorry".

Arthur beat seven other finalists from Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand to be crowned District Champion 2008. Judges included Past World Champion of 2006, Ed Hearn and Anne Barab, DTM and Accredited Speaker from the USA.

Arthur will go on to compete in the Inter-District contest in Calgary, Canada on 12 August 2008. The winner of that contest will compete in the World Championship.

This is the second consecutive year that a Hong Kong Toastmaster has walked away with this coveted prize. Last year, Eddie Lee, went to Phoenix and took second place in the Inter-District.

We are all very proud of Arthur and support him all the way to the World Championships.

Christine Lau

2008-05-21T17:47:00.001+08:00

I am sorry to hear of the passing of one of the best of us, Christine Lau, who passed away peacefully yesterday, after a brave fight with cancer.

Christine was as passionate about Toastmasters as it gets. She was a regular contestant and champion.

Our condolences to her friends, her immediate family and her extended family including her students and Toastmasters friends.

Christine, we'll miss you. Rest in peace.

Anne Barab in Hong Kong

2008-05-20T16:59:00.002+08:00

Just days after David Brooks' excellent workshop, we had another workshop by DTM and Accredited Speaker, Anne Barab. Tootin' all the way from Texas, Anne's workshop was entitled 'So You Want to be Funny'.

The punctuation problems in that title should have been a warning.

A lot of what Anne delivered was valid. Some of it was humourous. But almost none of it was applied. By that I mean, the content was very theoretical. She had a colour handout with bullet points under headings such as 'Rules for Using Humor', 'How to Deliver Humor' and '10 Humor Tools'. She explained beautifully what each point meant. She just forgot the examples and the application.

She ended with a too-long story which was, I presume, intended to impress us. We were supposed to be blown away by her speaking skills. We were supposed to be envious of her style and panache. We were not supposed to be thinking 'What's for dinner'?

These last three sentences adhere somewhat to the 'Rule of Three' which was so much a feature of the presentation that we were all asked to stand and sing some inane song about it to the tune of the 'chicken dance'....twice!!!

A nice lady, I'm sure, but this workshop missed the mark for me.

http://www.annebarab.com/indexreturn.html

David Brooks in Hong Kong

2008-05-13T10:35:00.001+08:00

Roughly a hundred intrepid Honky Toasties ventured into Admiralty yesterday to hear the 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking, David Brooks.

How was it? Allow me to quote a fellow member. Her email sums it up nicely:

"The talk was GREAT. It was enriching and inspiring and practical... Most of all, it made me realize that public speaking is not just about techniques and skills and delivery. There's a lot of science, psychology, life experience, and above all, it's a great avenue for personal development."
I've seen David Brooks before. He's one of about five world champions that I've seen present and they are all exemplary. We have so much to learn from them.

David's website has a lot of great resources. He studied journalism and also teaches writing skills. Since I do that too, I read his blog on the written word with interest. Most of what he says is spot on. Some is just for Americans. That stuff on further/farther is not correct, in my book.

If you'd like to know more about writing well, get in touch!

Results & Thoughts on the Divison Contests 2008

2008-04-28T12:32:00.001+08:00

Congratulations to all contestants and champions of the Division contests 2008!!

Results:

Division K

Int'l Speech
1st: SK Lau
2nd: Eddie Lee
3rd: Louis Lam

Table Topics
1st: Edward Lo
2nd: Jacky Lai
3rd: SK Lau

Division H

Int'l Speech
1st: Arthur Ting
2nd: Matchy Ma
3rd: Melanie Hoi

Table Topics
1st: Gordon Kerr
2nd: Asta Lee
3rd: Irene Chen

The standard of the speakers has improved so much since I started attending (and sometimes participating in) these contests five or so years ago.

Yet, we always say it, the results are often a surprise. Here are some of my thoughts on this year’s results:

Division K

Well, we all thought Eddie was the strong favourite and, after all the performances, I was convinced that – overall – Eddie’s speech was a winner. SK Lau’s speech was, to be honest, forgettable. When it was announced that he was the champion, I had to ask my neighbour to remind me what he'd spoken about. The title was, I was reminded, ‘Daddy’s always right’. I do remember some touching moments as he urged the audience to connect with their fathers before it was too late. In my case, it already is too late, and I could relate to the message. Yet, in terms of overall delivery – structure of the message, verbal and vocal ability as well as body language - it was far short of Eddie’s performance.

In TT, my favourite, Jacky Lai, lost out to Edward this time. The topic ‘I wish, I wish, I wish’ was generic enough and whereas most of the contestants anwsered this topic literally, Edward was able to divert it slightly by saying that the wishes he had were irrelevant; it was his method of achieving them that was the issue. He ambled around a little, but this simple trick seemed to win over the judges.

Division H

I am so thrilled that Arthur took home the 1st place trophy this year! His speech (I forget the title) carried the message that we should all say ‘Sorry’ when necessary to preserve relationships. Despite a rocky start with a tongue twister that sounded a bit twisted (!), his brave decision to use the prop of Jenga visually supported his idea that relationships are fragile.

Again, I think the audience was surprised when it was announced that Matchy was to take home the second prize, but I was delighted. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I believe the sincerity of the speaker shines through. What Arthur lacked in polish, he made up for with genuine authenticity (Do I sound like Paula Abdul?). I loved the speech and I’m sure Arthur can work it up to be a winning speech in Singapore in a few weeks.

Table Topics was well represented by the fairer sex, unlike the other contests. Yet, a guy took the crown: a speaker I’ve not seen before by the name of Gordon Kerr. He won hands down. By far the best table topic speaker I’ve seen in a long time. And a speech which was truly spontaneous, unlike some of the others.

Well, another Division contest bites the dust and Hong Kong celebrates FOUR new champions who’ll go on to represent our fine SAR in Singapore at the end of May. See you there!

Poor pronunciation? Learn the ‘26 + 5 secret’ of native-sounding English!

2008-02-22T19:03:00.000+08:00

Be more confident in meetings, conference calls, presentations, interviews and briefings
Be understood every time, first time!
Be impressive and earn the respect of your colleagues, clients and bosses.

If you have ever felt like your poor pronounciation may be holding you back, you need to attend this workshop.
If you are often asked to repeat yourself, you need to attend this workshop.
If you thank all the ‘guesses’ at the end of the Toastmasters meeting, you need to attend this workshop.

Ray Lee, will share his unique method of learning accurate pronunciation in English. His methods are instantly effective and demonstrated through, fun, interactive activities focusing on essential but often overlooked aspects of English usage.

Note: This workshop is designed for professionals for whom English is a second language.

Topics

1. How understandable is our spoken English?
2. Pronunciation starts with the 26 letters especially the 5 vowels!
3. The ease and fun of using IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet).
4. Applying simple rules to fix most pronunciation.
5. Feeling the improvement and gaining confidence on the spot!

When: 2 April 2008; 7-9pm
Where: Centraler Toastmasters

See http://www.centraler.org/ for details.

Ray Lee

Professional trainer in communication, presentation skills, management and leadership programs
Holds MBA, Msc (ISMT), GradDip (eSCLL) & BBus (Marketing) and Certificate of Proficiency in English (Cambridge Uni) with top marks in "Speaking Section".
Started training career in Australia on tertiary Courses & corporate programmes
Speaks fluent English, Cantonese and Putonghua
Is passionate about the learning of English!

Herbert is a Poet and we didn't Know it!!

2008-02-04T10:35:00.001+08:00

Herbert Lee, ATM-G, Area Governor of Macau Toastmasters wrote in verse of a recent visit by a couple of distinguished Sing Toasties. We know Herbert is a talented speaker and now we know his poetic skills.

"Tonight we welcomed DTM William from Singapore
He taught us a lot but we wanted more.
With many years of experience under his belt
We could see how his words & ideas melt
He told us everything we wanted to hear
How to craft a talk and overcome our fear
He touched our mind and also our heart
And encouraged us to make a flying start
And instead of giving us the usual show
He motivated us to get ready and go
His style is unique and in a different class
He puts things together like playing jazz
He humbly asked me to evaluate his talk today
But it's rather hard for me to say
He is fluent in English and poutonghwa
And his words have meaning not blah,blah,blah
My point for improvement would be to go deep
Give us some ideas to use and keep
His words & message have great merit
And exemplifies the tm spirit
We're anxious for William to come again
And take us to another plane
Please come again with another tune
We'd welcome you to Macau-real soon!"- Herbert Lee, ATM-G

Do 'class' and 'jazz' rhyme? Perhaps in a Amerian accent. And 'belt' and 'melt'?? Hmm...I should allow some creative licence here. May I suggest instead 'gel' since mesh doesn't rhyme?

BTW, in the photo, Herbert is on the left and the other dude on the right is not William Lim. Thanks, Neil!

A Visitor from Mars?!!

2008-02-01T13:42:00.000+08:00

I see that Graduates & Professionals Toastmasters Club are promoting an event titled
"South African Toastmaster visiting GAP". See details.

Is that it? Now, if she were from Mars, that may be worth announcing to the world, but she was last spotted in Central and an appearance in Wan Chai is really not all that earth-shattering!

Having visitors from overseas - or for that matter, other clubs - is surely a healthy practice and something to be encouraged always.

But...

Why promote this as some special event? It makes the idea of having visitors almost freaky and something extremely out of the ordinary. So, you have a GE who is not your member? OK, good! No need to send out a press release.

One with inaccuracies, too. In fact, I know the lady in question and she's visited our club several times. She is not South African!! She is Indian and lived in Hong Kong for many years - she is like many of our members: a global Toastmaster. From Earth, that is!

Contest Champions

2007-11-09T11:18:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been a while. What's been happening in the world of Hong Kong Toasties? Most notably, the Division contests were held producing some interesting results.

Now, I have to confess I wasn't there, but here are my thoughts on the results...
Matchy Ma makes a comeback (where has he been?). Always a popular speaker but a little theatrical for my tastes, though it's been a while since I've seen/heard him. A shame Jimmy didn't make it this time. I enjoy his speeches a lot; some great humour . His style is just so natural and unaffected unlike so many of our so-called 'good' speakers.
As for Division K, I did hear PC's speech at Area level and I reckon he's doing great for a relatively new Toastmaster.

So how come the Evaluation H Champion of Champions only came in 3rd?!!

I am always suprised by contest results. This year, the organisers went to great lengths to select judges who were impartial. But that excluded anyone who had competed even at club level and been knocked out. It excluded - as always - area governors and all other organisers. And it excluded - of course - other contestants. That doesn't leave much choice!! And it still can include members of Chinese language clubs, which I believe is barmy. If we have no official selection citeria, let's at least exclude those who do not choose to use the language of the contest in their club!!

OK, let's see what happens in Singapore. Please send in your reports!

The Results are In!!!!

2007-09-03T23:22:00.000+08:00

Contests are well underway and I am happy to publish those results I am privy to here. If I have enough info, I will sort by area.

TGIT :
Humorous Speech Contest
1st: Christine Lau

2nd: Ray Arsensault

3rd : Irene Chen

Evaluation Contest

1st : Christine Lau

2nd : Irene Chen

3rd : Ray Arsensault

Wayfoong
Humorous Speech Contest
1st: Frank Lui
2nd: Connie Ng
3rd: George Lai

Evaluation Contest
1st: Kristy Chum
2nd: Brendan Wong

Kowloon

Humourous speech contest

1st: P C Chan

2nd: Alex Mok

Evaluation speech contest

1st: Alex Mok

2nd: Helen Pang

GAP

Humorous Speech Contest:

1st: Kate Chan

2nd Christine Lau

3rd Victor Ng

Evaluation Contest:

1st: Victor Ng

2nd Christine Lau

3rd Myra Siu

Victoria
Humourous Speech contest
1st: Brian Hodgson
2nd: Charlie Lang
3rd: Lorna Christofis

Email results to toastieposter@gmail.com for publication.

Toasties' Babies

2007-09-03T23:15:00.000+08:00

Teresa Lee, Area H5 Governor of Oasis Toastmasters, with her 8 month old daughter, Natalie & Neil Sy, Lieutenant Governor of Marketing, with his 2 month old daughter, Sabrina (having a nap or camera shy).

The Honky Toasties of tomorrow!! AAhhh....

Humour Across Cultures

2007-09-01T12:51:00.001+08:00

It is generally accepted wisdom that what may be funny in one culture is not necessarily so in another.

A Toastmaster from Singapore, Eric Feng, wrote an article for a blog for Americans. Read it here.

He's talking about speaking to Singaporeans from the perspective of a 'foreigner' speaking to a homogeneous group of Mandarin speakers. That would almost never happen - either in Singapore or in Hong Kong!
,
Unfortunately, it's very easy but dangerous to make assumptions about your audience. We don't know what languages they speak, whether they are foreign, local, married, divorced, straight or gay.

Anyway, reading that article prompted me to reflect on the quirks of "Hong Kong Humour". As I see it:

Physical humour is more effective than verbal humour. Word play, sarcasm, irony, satire and the like do not go down so well. Costumes, props, exaggerated body language and drama do get lots of laughs.

Humour in the context of boy/girl relationships is funny. Most speakers choose to situate their story in a torrid love affair or a failing relationship. If not, the boss/employee partnership comes in second.

And, as mentioned in previous posts, speakers sometimes pokes fun at others because of their differences - in looks, origin, sex, etc, which, to my astonishment, often gets the audience laughing.

Going back to Eric's article, we have to remember that humour is culturally bound. And, therefore, to be funny when speaking to an audience outside of Hong Kong, or even Asia, requires knowledge of their culture and, ideally, experience.

What do you think?

Stand-Up Comedy Contest

2007-08-19T22:26:00.001+08:00

Oasis TM Club hosted a stand-up comedy contest on Saturday night.

Watch the champions and runners-up, Tong Cheung, Tony Chan, Jacky Lai and KF Tam on You Tube:

The judges were apparently impressed by toilet humour; jibes at pregnant, hormonal, spouses and breast size. Let's hope the upcoming Humourous Speech Contests are not in the same vein.

A Weighty Issue

2007-08-17T12:17:00.000+08:00

An appeal...

Contest season is coming and it seems a good time to get this off my chest. OK, here goes...

It is the opinion of this less-than-svelte Toastmaster that frequent references to body size during contests, conventions, workshops and other events are wholly inappropriate.

We've had a couple of high profile guys in the last year or so subjected time and again to an MC's indiscretion. We've heard intros such as:

"He's a heavyweight Toastmaster" or "... a huge - ly competent Toastmaster".

To me, such references are not only totally cringeworthy, they are potentially - even probably - offensive. Even in the absence of direct complaints, we, as Toastmasters, should be more sensitive and be models of politically-correct communications. Hong Kong may be lagging behind in this concept generally, but we - Hong Kong Toastmasters - should be demonstrating best practice, not succumbing to the level of playground banter.

Let's leave the 'Fat jokes' behind, please!

Right, I'm off for a pizza...

Eddie Lee Triumphs in Phoenix!!

2007-08-15T13:03:00.000+08:00

Our District 80 champion, Eddie Lee, from Hong Kong took third place at the Inter-District contest in Phoenix, Arizona a few hours ago.

Sadly, this means he'll not go through to the next round this time.

Eddie, you've done Hong Kong proud!

L-R: IPDG Poh Kim Siong, Donald Yee, Eddie Lee & Bernard Yue at the District Contest in Hong Kong in May.

What is a Competent Communicator?

2007-08-14T16:31:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, I visited a club I've never been to before.

A member delivered his P9 speech. Let's call him Gary. Gary had prepared well, writing his speech word for word. He'd done his research. The content was valid and of interest to his audience. So, what was the problem? Gary delivered his speech, displaying none of the speaking skills we would expect of a Toastmaster with eight speeches under his belt.

He read the entire speech - word for word - from his notes on A4 paper. He made almost no eye contact with the audience, stood rooted to the same spot throughout with a deadpan look on his face.

And his evaluator - who has not yet completed nine projects - made no mention of these facts.

Brian previously commented on this blog that "we are too kind in giving evaluations and seldom fail people." I have to agree and, if I'd been Gary's evaluator, I would have failed him. I might have been a bit scared, but I hope I would have had the guts to be 'cruel to be kind'.

I also agree with Brian that there are CTMs/CCs who really do not possess the skills we'd expect them to. But, what to do when we have evaluators who are not qualified to evaluate and committee members who want to rack up their club's educational awards and earn DCP points?

Twisted Linguist - Part 1

2007-08-10T15:22:00.000+08:00

Are you a twisted linguist?

Take a look at the following utterances:

We are very honoured to have two guesses here tonight.

Please join Toastmaster!

It's important to build rappor with your audience

We hear these phrases a LOT at Toastmasters meetings. Like any trade or profession, Toastmasters has its own technical language. Words and expressions peculiar to public speaking shoud be part of every Toastmaster’s vocabulary – and every Toastmaster should master them.

The trouble is, so few do!

I am not suggesting that all Toastmasters should be able to speak perfect English, but these words and phrases are heard with such high frequency and everytime I hear them spoken incorrectly, I tear out another few hairs in exasperation.

So, I will, for the sake of my hairdo, clear this up right here and now.

Guests
Not a difficult word to understand but difficult to pronounce. Often, it sounds like ‘guesses’. It's a consonant cluster and difficult for Chinese speakers (and Americans!). Just try saying 'Grasp crisps for guests' three times. 'Grasp' usually comes out as 'grabs' and 'crisps' sounds like 'crips'. There's really no need to use the words 'grasp' and 'crisps' as there are so many alternatives. 'Guests', however, is worth practising.

Toastmasters
The only difficulty here is the choice between the singular and the plural. One Toastmaster, but many Toastmasters. The organisation name is always plural. It's probably often a pronunciation problem. I can't count how many times I've seen it written wrongly, though, on signs, websites and agendas.

Rapport
From the French language (meaning ‘relationship’), ‘rapport’ has a silent ‘t’ at the end. Usually, I hear it with a hard 't' sound at the end. It's hard to avoid this word in Toastmasters but easy to pronounce it correctly.

Ladies and gentlemen, I appeal to you to avoid these blunders forever more (and save me from baldness) in anticipation of Part 2.

Wow! Thanks guys....

2007-08-09T18:13:00.000+08:00

You guys are 'Simply Amazing'!!

I couldn't have anticipated such a great response to this blog. In the first day, you have read, commented and subscribed with great enthusiasm. I suppose I should have expected nothing less. I have learned that TMs are not at all shy...and nothing if not supportive of a good idea. However, as we know, there is no such thing as a good idea that can't be improved, so I welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Although I am a beginner blogger, treat me as a competent blogger and be honest in your evaluations! Give me a battering, not flattering.

To those of you who have sent me private messages, please be kind enough to post a comment, in the spirit of a blog for all to share.

I'll be picking up some of the issues you have raised over the coming days/weeks 'cos it seems you have lots on your chests!

Together, we can make miracles.

2007-08-08T18:26:00.001+08:00

Would you like to blog here (and have a part in making a small miracle (perhaps?)? I figure that, while my rantings are of course witty, meaningful and insightful, a little help from my friends wouldn't go amiss.

So, my dear Toasties - please consider extending your communications skills and become a bonafide blogger. Just leave a comment saying 'I can make miracles!'.

Judges' Training?

2007-08-08T14:24:00.000+08:00

Who would have thought... judges need training!!! In all my years as a Toastie, the subject of judges and their 'qualifications' (or lack thereof) has been a hotly-debated topic.

Some have been VERY vocal about it. After all, it is the LOSERS who become the judges! If I lose my club contest, I will very likely be invited to judge at the area contest.

A judge needs NO qualifications. A brand new member:

who has not delivered Project 1
who is terrified of standing up to speak in front of a group
who is a member of a Putonghua club
who speaks minimal English...

can judge! OK, so this is a slight exaggeration, but it makes my point.

So, last Saturday Talis Wong & Michael Wee - both DTMs - conducted a training workshop. I couldn't make it myself, but let's hope the attendees are better-equipped to assess the speeches of their counterparts at the upcoming contests.

About

2007-04-16T19:48:00.002+08:00

Hi and welcome to the blog for all Hong Kong Toastmasters, potential Hong Kong Toastmasters and others interested in Hong Kong Toastmasters.

I first joined Wayfoong Toastmasters in 2002. When I left the company, my good friend Brett persuaded me to join Centraler Toastmasters. And I've been there ever since.

By profession, I am a trainer in communications skills. So public speaking is not just a hobby for me. I also train and coach for writing skills. So, this blog is a way to combine my skills and give back to the local Toastmasters community that has given me so much. Thank you!

In the spirit of TM, I welcome your evaluation of this blog. Please email me with questions, comments and suggestions.

See you at a meeting very soon!