Podcast
Toastmasters 101
Hosted by Kim Krajci · EN
A Podcast Production of Toastmasters District 10
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Getting On the TED Stage: A Toastmaster’s Story
Sep 24, 202100:17:07Tap to summarizeJenilee Taylor’s TED Talk link JenileeTaylor.com Welcome back to Toastmasters 101. We kick off this season with an interview with Jenilee Taylor, DTM, about her experience stepping into the red circle on the TEDx stage. Kim (00:01): Do you want to get on the Ted stage? The Ted platform has a huge audience in person. And on video that you may want to speak to today’s guest is generally Taylor, who has done exactly that. I’ve asked her to share her story about how to step onto the red circle of the Ted stage today on Toastmasters 101. Intro Do you want to find your message? Do you want to hone your skills to deliver it? Do you want to step onto the stage and change the world? Then you need Toastmasters in an hour, a week. We can teach you the skills that you need to refine your message and present it to the world. This is Toastmasters one-on-one. I’m your host. Kim Krajci. Get On the TED Stage If I have a most frequent guest, it is Jenilee Taylor. Jenilee is a DTM from my club. The Cuyahoga falls Toastmasters club in Northeastern, Ohio district 10 generally is a recently retired regional adviser. And she’s a very good friend. She’s celebrating an event, the anniversary of her Ted talk that she gave three years ago. I asked her to come on the show today to talk about Toastmasters and Ted talks. Hello, Jenilee. The reason I wanted to talk to you today is it’s a big anniversary. Jenilee Taylor (01:33): It is the third anniversary of my Ted talk, Kim (01:38): And that’s what I want to talk about. You’ve done something that a lot of people want to do. So why did you want to do the Ted talk? Let’s just start at the very beginning. Jenilee Taylor (01:49): You know, honestly, Kim, I never saw myself being a TEDx speaker. That was not something that I had on a list that was posted on my wall that I looked at every day. I did not wake up every morning saying Jenilee, you were going to stand in a red circle on a stage, terrified in front of hundreds of people waiting for a video to go out to the world.</p...
Transcribe →The End of Your Speech
Jun 30, 202100:11:58Tap to summarizeWhat do you do at the end of your speech? When judging speech contests, it’s a recognized phenomenon that the first and last speakers are the ones that get the most brain space in the judge’s mind. It’s the same with our speeches. People remember the opening and the conclusion. We hope they will remember our call to action. This is why it is critical to put effort into the end of your speech. This is my worst skill. I struggle over conclusions. Despite my insistence on this podcast to write your ending first, I still fail to nail the landing more than I succeed. Today on the podcast, we’ll talk about the end of a speech: how to build to a great conclusion – as soon as you know what that is. INTRO Are you looking for a way to change the world? To make an impact on the people and situations around you? Then you need public speaking and leadership skills. That means you need Toastmasters. Every week, you can spend an hour learning the techniques and finding your voice and have fun while you do it. This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. The End of My Speech: Crash and Burn? Last week, I gave a speech from the Visionary Communications path from Level 5: Develop Your Vision. The irony dripped from this speech. The purpose of that project is to develop a vision and long-term goals to achieve a specific change in your life or your business or organization. I have issues with this idea. Frankly, I think we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels talking about vision statements and mission statements and goal setting – and wear ourselves out, drowning whatever motivation we had in the swamp of building expectations and plans. Ok, so that’s my take. I know that I’m not in agreement with the rest of the world, but hey, I do me. If you have a problem with a speech project, it’s hard to do it. And this is why this project sat on my to-do list for so long. It’s been 5 months since I finished all the other projects for this path. Irony in My Speech And frankly, although I say I don’t like visions, missions, and goals, essentially, that was what the whole “create a storytelling path” was. As I said, lots of irony here. I created a presentation to go along with my speech – I had the perfect graphics, including pictures of the references I used to put this path together. But when I started the presentation – all of the graphics disappeared. They were there before and they’re back – but for the 10 minutes of this presentation, they were not to be seen. Which means I skipped to slide 4 where my text was visible. That noise you hear? That’s me banging my head on my desktop. I didn’t want to take time to reboot or reload, s...
Transcribe →How Toastmasters Clubs Work
May 26, 202100:13:23Tap to summarizeHave you ever walked into a situation where “pandemonium” and “disorganization” and “Who’s running this mess?” crosses your mind? (I hope it wasn’t a Toastmasters meeting.) You know there’s a leadership problem when you find yourself in this place. People aren’t doing the work, or it’s unclear what they’re supposed to do. Fortunately, in Toastmasters, we have some leadership roles that should prevent that chaos. Today on Toastmasters 101 podcast, we’re talking about how Toastmasters clubs work. INTRO How do you develop your leadership skills? Are you looking for simple steps that stretch you slowly but teach you in a safe place to find the leader inside you? Then you need Toastmasters. We will give you the training and opportunities to become a leader. This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. Toastmasters: Where Leaders Are Made Leadership doesn’t come naturally for everyone. We all know those charismatic people who draw followers. It’s not just Instagram influencers. I’ve met a few young people in my life that became leaders in the schools or social groups without any specific training. I never thought of myself as a leader. I’m just inviting my friends to come along and do things with me. But that threatened the leadership of an organization I was a part of and they wanted me out. I went to my friends and family and asked “Am I a leader?” and pretty much everyone laughed at me and said, “Of course you’re a leader.” It took me quite a while to believe them. Leadership is one of those success metrics that gurus talk about. Leaders get the money. Leaders get the power. Leaders define success. Um… no? Yes? If I was a leader in that organization, I didn’t have any of them. No power, no money, no success. But apparently, I did have some influence that threatened those who had the titles. At that time – which was long before I joined Toastmasters – I didn’t understand leadership and power. I’m not sure I do yet. But what I do know is that I probably would have handled that situation differently now because I’ve gotten leadership experience in Toastmasters. What’s more, I didn’t even really think that I was getting it at the time. Starting at the Bottom I was willing to become a club officer. I just didn’t want one that I knew I could seriously harm the club. My choice was to be the Sergeant at Arms. It’s the lowest ranking officer in the club. How much damage could I do? I personally also believe it’s the most important. Without the SAA, we didn’t have a meeting site OR the equipment to hold the meeting OR the materials we needed to make it a successful meeting. I can manage stuff, I thought. At that time, the meetings were held in an office building every Thursday morning at 7:30 am. We did not store our materials on site. I had to haul everything in and out for ever...
Transcribe →Toastmasters Debate
Apr 16, 202100:13:43Tap to summarizeWhy You Should Look at Toastmasters Debate Clubs We’ve all been there. That discussion that you want to have, that we need to have. Whether it’s politics, society norms, or the intrinsic value of moosetracks ice cream – you want to discuss it. You want to explore it with friends, family, or the person in front of you at the ice cream stand. You want a debate – an honest-to-goodness discussion with facts, explanations of why these facts are important and the impact of the topic on the world – ok, your ice cream choice. You want a debate. Debate often has a bad smell to it. In the US, we have these abominations called “presidential debates” which are nothing more than people slinging sound bites at each other for the media. Then we have the current “social media” debate, which appears to focus on insults and accusations. Whatever happened to civil discussions? Have we lost the ability to have them? Today on Toastmasters 101, we’re going to talk about an increasing need for the ability to communicate with discussions where people don’t agree, and a terrific rise in the Toastmasters grassroots community to discover the power of debate. INTRO Do you want to find your voice and change the world? Then Toastmasters is for you. In one hour a week, we can teach you how to develop your public speaking skills and your leadership skills to have an impact on the world. This is Toastmasters 101, and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. Debate vs. Discussion Let’s start out by saying: moosetracks is a flavor of ice cream in our area. I have no idea if you’re familiar with it. Locally, it has fudge swirled into vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate candies mixed in. For me, that’s one too many ingredients. I don’t disapprove of people eating it, I’m just kinda… not sure why people like it. It’s not a very debatable topic. Discuss, yes, and certainly we can agree to disagree. People can disagree. Will disagree. It’s the nature of human nature and free will. People can disagree about almost everything, not just about taste. I may believe a certain policy will achieve a goal. That doesn’t mean I get to assume that the person who disagrees with that policy I prefer is a person who is evil or bad or doesn’t deserve respect. Let’s define our terms. (That’s a debate joke – you’ll get it in a minute) I like the Heritage Dictionary’s definition: Consideration of a subject by a group; an earnest conversation. I think that a discussion allows each participant to free-range around a topic: to look at the topic from several perspectives and to concede the other’s points as we come to an agreement. That doesn’t mean that a discussion is going to end on agreements. I want to make it clear: I don’t see disagreement as a bad thing. I see it as a human thing. It’s how we treat each other in the discussions th...
Transcribe →Great Toastmasters Speech Evaluations: How to Get and Keep Them
Mar 18, 202100:15:06Tap to summarizeGreat Toastmasters Speech Evaluations don’t happen by accident. How do you get them and how do you keep them? Toastmasters speech evaluations are the key tool to improving your public speaking. I just came across a speech evaluation that I have a picture of on my phone. I don’t know why I had it. It didn’t have the evaluator’s name or the speech title on it. No date, no project, no recognizable phone number. Someone had sent a picture of it to me. So… essentially, I had an evaluation that did nothing for me. Are you struggling with the online evaluations process? Let’s put some thought into how we are handling our speech evalutions online – from the speaker side and from the evaluator side. Intro Do you want to improve your public speaking? Are you effective in spreading your message to impact the world? Toastmasters provides you with a fun and safe meeting to give you the opportunity to stretch and develop your public speaking skills online and on site. This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. Why we need Toastmasters speech evaluations I’m attending an online conference this week about podcasting. This is my fifth year attending. Sadly, we’re not in person this time. Even more sadly, I’m watching these presentations online and I’ve seen a significant number of speakers who need Toastmasters. I want to give them Toastmasters speech evaluations. But – it’s not a Toastmasters meeting. It’s where the rubber hits the road, as we say here in Akron, Ohio. These presentations are what we train for during our Toastmasters meetings. This is why it is critical that we get and give good evaluations at our Toastmasters meeting. Look, if that guy who just gave an insightful, fact-full presentation that I feel was worth my time to listen to – but his slides were abominable – had taken this presentation to a Toastmasters meeting, I believe that someone – either his evaluator, the general evaluator, or just a fellow Toastmaster after the meeting – would have said, “Dude. Can’t read the slides. Don’t read from the slides.” That presenter could have changed just a few things to improve his presentation 100%. Does your club assign evaluators at the meetings? I’d say that 75% of the time (a number I just made up) that our evaluators are appointed approximately 5 minutes before they start. That’s not 5 minutes before the meeting – too often I see the evaluators are the last people in the room and they get asked to step up at the last minute. So, speakers, here are a few things you can do to improve your Toastmasters speech evaluations Recruit your evaluator and get them to sign up in advance. This is...
Transcribe →Toastmasters Level 4 Project: Create a Podcast
Jan 31, 202100:16:27Tap to summarizeDoes the Level 4 Create a Podcast intimidate you? Did you ever get a two-fer? Like being in college and writing the same paper for 2 classes. Or discovering that you have a vacation day and being given an extension because the office is closed. I hear people say they don’t have any ideas about speech topics. They can’t think of anything to talk about. I think it’s simple: if you’re doing something in your life, you can talk about that. I’ve listened to dozens of professional speeches in Toastmasters and I never mind it. I enjoy learning about other people’s jobs. Surveying streets for new sewer lines? I’ve heard it. How to do renovations – which might have been better called “how not to do renovations” – I loved it. How to open your own business, how to close your business, how to… how to anything fascinates me. Level 4 Create a Podcast Which brings me to today’s podcast: This is a two-fer. I was asked to give a presentation at one of District 10’s officer training sessions and apparently, the Level 4 Create a Podcast Project is on people’s minds. As I was writing that presentation, it occurred to me: this is a two-fer. I haven’t talked about podcasting on the podcast, but as a podcaster, I have experience that I can share. So I can do both with one presentation. I WIN! Today on Toastmasters 101, we talk about the Level 4 Create a Podcast, and a few thoughts I have. INTRO Are you interested in spreading your message to the world? Do you need to develop the skills to do it well and make an impact? Then Toastmasters is for you. In an hour a week, you can learn public speaking and leadership skills together, and have fun while you do it. This is Toastmasters 101, and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. Podcasting Equipment Fried You might have noticed that I’ve missed several episodes of the podcast. That’s because on Christmas Day, my power went out 4 times in about 5 minutes, and it fried some equipment that I use in podcasting. School of Podcasting Recommendations A friend of mine, Dave Jackson of the School of Podcasting – schoolofpodcasting.com – loaned me some equipment to tide me over when my pusher – I mean the company I buy my equipment from – said the supplier was predicting a ship date to Sweetwater.com was moving further and further out. So let me start this by saying a huge thank you to THE Dave Jackson, who has been my mentor in podcasting since I started and I recommend his podcast to you. Why am I starting the podcast with a thank you? Because Dave helps people understand that podcasting isn’t just about monetiziation. For most of us, podcasting is a hobby. How to Start Your Level 4 Create a Podcast Project That’s why I d...
Transcribe →The Most Important Speech You Have to Give
Dec 10, 202000:11:56Tap to summarizeGiving a speech is an art. That’s my firm belief. It’s art like singing or dancing – it’s the creation of a moment that has an impact on those who present and those who partake. When we’re faced with the most important speech we have to give – we need to have that same grace that only comes from lots of preparation and acute understanding of how to build on the basics. Today on Toastmasters, we’re going to talk about the most important speech you have to give – and what I think it is in the Toastmasters Pathways education program. INTRO Do you need to give an important speech? Whether it’s a keynote, a commemoration, or a quick bridal toast, Toastmasters can help you. In an hour a week, we can teach you the skills you need to create a memorable presentation to achieve your goals. This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci Your Important Speech I don’t want to say it’s a stereotype. But we’ve learned to recognize that look. It’s a man, at a certain age, who comes to Toastmasters because… his daughter is getting married. He knows he needs to give a toast at the wedding reception and he knows he needs to do it well. It may not be the most important speech of his career, but to him, this is the most important speech of his life. His daughter certainly thinks so. Here’s another – we don’t want to call it a stereotype, but we see this: a young professional who wants to move up in their career. They see the upcoming work presentation as a make or break critical point before their bosses and peers. It may not be the most important speech of their lives, but right now, nothing comes close. Here’s another – a successful mid-life person who has a lot to share but can’t seem to make the words work for them, or they’re afraid of that stage but the need to get their message out into the world is so compelling. The most important speech to them may look like the TED stage, or a keynote to their fellows in their field. What’s your important speech? Because speech is like singing or dance; it’s a performance and you want to do it right. Do it well. Do it perfectly. Perfecting Your Important Speech? If there’s one thing any speaker, Toastmaster or not, can tell you is: There is no perfect speech. Every speech actually has three iterations: The speech you prepared. The speech you gave. The speech you wished you’d given. Regardless of how often you practice, something will happen and you’ll either stumble in some small way – or you’ll be in the middle of the speech and something will click – the audience’s chuckle or nodding agreement and you’ll f...
Transcribe →Thanks Giving in Toastmasters “Thank You, Toastmasters”
Nov 26, 202000:09:07Tap to summarizeShould you say “thank you, Toastmasters” at the end of your speech? We are celebrating Thanksgiving here in the United States this week. It’s a time to think about the things we’re grateful for and express our gratitude to those who have blessed us. I am extremely grateful to many Toastmasters I have met over the years. My life has been blessed by men and women who have demonstrated public speaking skills and leadership skills. And frankly, they’ve made my life a lot more fun. Where else would I have learned about self-priming jiggle pumps? I should thank my club for teaching me about painting with diamonds or why your arteries are like pumpkin roll pastries – neither of which I knew before tonight. Yes, an audience should thank the speaker. But what about the speaker thanking the audience? It’s a Toastmasters controversy. INTRO Do you want to learn to be a great public speaker? Do you develop your leadership skills? Then Toastmasters is for you. We will give you the opportunities to learn and grow in an hour a week! This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. Say Thank You, Toastmasters? I was watching a webinar yesterday and the host introduced the speaker who immediately said, “Good afternoon. Like the host said, my name is Dr. X and I would like to tell you why I’m leading this webinar.” Then, her feed froze and we looked at her stationary PowerPoint slide presentation for about 3 minutes till the host came back to the meeting. Then the speaker restarted her speech and ran long, concluding with “thank you.” Evaluation Mode You know what I did. I went into Toastmasters mode. The evaluation mode. Why didn’t the host have a better introduction? Why did the speaker waste our attention on details that the introduction should have covered? What happened to the feed? What could both of them have done better? What challenges do they have? It’s the danger of being in Toastmasters. Most people don’t expect an evaluation of the technical aspects of public speaking. Fortunately, I had to leave before I succumbed to the temptation to make some comments. People do not say thank you Toastmasters when you point out their points of improvement when they don’t ask. Since I wasn’t really getting into the material of the webinar and focusing more on the style of presentation, quite honestly, I wasn’t very grateful to the presenter. When she got to the conclusion and said “thank you,” it caught me up. “You’re not supposed to say thank you. The audience is supposed to thank you.” The Controversy of Thank You, Toastmasters There are some Toastmasters who will always point out when a speaker thanks t...
Transcribe →Reflecting on Your Path: Toastmasters Finale
Oct 28, 202000:11:57Tap to summarizeLet’s take a look at the Toastmasters Path final project: Reflect on Your Path. Reflect on Your Toastmasters Path Have you ever cleaned out a garage or storage shed and had the great sense of completion that one gigantic task is done? It’s so satisfying when you close the door and you know that it’s done… for now but right now… Ahhhhh. This summer, my husband and I have been cleaning out not our own garage, but my parents’ garage. My parents have lived in this home since… since… Ok, 50 years. Over the years, they have accumulated objects that well, have some sentimental value, some tools that have lost their value, and a whole lot of dead leaves and spider webs in the corners. Bit by bit, we’ve tackled this task, and this week, we addressed the back wall – the place where half-full bottles of bug spray and undrinkable soda pop go to die. The wall of unloved tools and broken ladders and that shelf that we’re all afraid to look behind… Ok, maybe I’m getting a bit over-descriptive here. But you know what I’m talking about. That final hurdle of the big task that justifies sitting down with your feet up and something comforting to drink in your hands. We brought home a trunk full of recyclables, a backseat full of donations, and a significant number of things that just don’t have any value to anyone anymore. What was left behind? My childhood sled and a spool of string. What’s this got to do with Toastmasters? When you’re done… are you done? What do you do with what you’ve got when you’re done with a Toastmasters Path? Today on the podcast, we’ll talk about the last project and why it should be last. Do you need to be able to speak to a crowd? Persuade them? Motivate them? Then you need Toastmasters. In an hour a week, we can teach you public speaking and leadership skills and you’ll have fun while you do it. This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci The Ups and Downs of the Toastmasters Path Want to feel nostalgic? Pick up your childhood sled and remember how big it was when you and your brother could both sit on it as you head down the hill. Yes, a Flexible Flyer, to those of you old enough to remember – is still in my father’s garage. It’s not entirely abandoned – I know my kids used it on the same hills I rode down. But these days, we don’t have any kids in the family who are going to use it… and maybe I should… When we finish up the big project of Level 5 in any path, we may get that sentimental feeling, looking back at the fun and the work – the sled ride down the hill and the trudge back up to do it all again. Or maybe all you can think about is the time you fell off and ended up at the bottom of the hill before the sled got there. We reflect on our paths – ups, downs, slides down and the trips up the hills. This project stops us for a final project to evaluate o...
Transcribe →Toastmasters Speech Contest: Are You In?
Oct 15, 202000:12:23Tap to summarizeSometime in the next few months, your Toastmasters club is going to hold a contest. For new members, a Toastmasters speech contest sounds maybe a bit… childish? unnecessarily competitive? waste of time? I suspect that you’ve never seen a Toastmasters speech contest. On today’s podcast, let’s take a look at one of the biggest events in Toastmasters around the world, and the benefits to you and your club when you hold a contest. INTRO Do you need to be able to speak to groups of people? Do you have ideas that can help create a better world, if only you could get them out? Then Toastmasters is for you. In an hour a week, we can teach you public speaking and leadership skills and have fun while we do it. This is Toastmasters 101 and I’m your host, Kim Krajci. Toastmasters Speech Contests I joined Toastmasters because I was a high school speech and debate judge. My experience with public speaking was already competitive, so a speech contest in Toastmasters didn’t surprise me. Whether or not you’re competitive in nature, it’s pretty natural for people to compete against each other. My kids used to compete over whose side of the car had the better Christmas decorations on the houses that we passed as we drove around town. Yes, that makes no sense. Don’t try to figure it out. Competition is built into us. There are certainly those who think we ought to outgrow it when we become adults. We need to be cooperative, not competitive. I don’t disagree with “cooperative.” I think we can do both and have everyone benefit from it. Which is why I think that the Toastmasters contests are so valuable to all members, even those who will never compete. Let’s start with those who don’t want to compete. There are reasons to not compete in a Toastmasters speech contest. Dislike the pressure of producing a “contest speech.” That’s an issue for some people because Toastmasters speech contests are driven by some written rules and unwritten expectations. Toastmasters International provides the official rule book for all contest events. Timing. Originality. Type of speech – prepared, impromptu, evaluation. The stage space. Now, with covid, we have video recordings with strict instructions. Disqualifications. I don’t have a problem with a rules manual. I’m sad that it has to be modified every year because someone finds a way to circumvent the rules – aka cheat. There are clear rules – but there are also some unwritten expectations about speeches – in particular, the World Championship of Public Speaking. I’m very close to opening a can of worms here… The rule book says that any type of speech is acceptable for the international speech con...
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