Why A Master Of Ceremonies (MC) Matters

by Promod Sharma, CC

When you're speaking at an event, you feel important, and are. (You may also feel terrified, which is where Toastmasters helps if you join early enough.)

The Master of Ceremonies (or Moderator or Chair) is also very important. I didn't think this role mattered until I attended TEDxIBYork at the Ontario Science Centre. David Newland was exceptional. He made everything look smooth.

Since then, I've appreciated how an MC makes a difference. It's easy to find lousy ones. Maybe they aren't comfortable speaking or didn't care enough to prepare.

Best Practices

A great MC

• takes responsibility: this includes preparing and compensating for any problems which may arise
• improvises: reading entirely from a script drains energy
• exudes a personality: this helps in getting the audience ready for the speakers

Example

Last week, I gave a presentation on Building Trust With LinkedIn. The MC is Chris Paterson (LinkedIn profile), who I've known for several years. Watch what he does during the introduction and conclusion. You can skip the rest (for now!).

Introduction

Chris deviated from the bio I provided in advance. Instead, he told a story and endorsed me. This is valuable for the audience and speaker.

Conclusion

After I finished, Chris gave a summary and expanded on what I said. That helps the audience and feels good for the speaker.

Overall

Chris gave introductions and summaries for all three speakers. He also moderated the panel discussion which followed. He unified the event and made it bigger than the individual presentations.

Next time, pay more attention to the MC. You'll learn from the good and not-so-good ones. For practice, volunteer to be Chair at your Toastmasters club.

Links

• Murphy’s laws vs six presentations in a row
• How presenters under-deliver (and what to do)
• Five presentation lessons from Seth Godin
• image courtesy of Michal Zacharzewski (Poland)

You'll find Promod Sharma's presentations like Building Trust With LinkedIn on YouTube.

Running A Club Election

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012, CC

This is post is specifically about Goodyear Toastmasters but our process can apply to other clubs. We've already appointed an Election Chair and held an Election Panel.

Election Chair

The Election Chair oversees the whole election process. This includes informing/motivating members, collecting nominations and running the election. Our Chair is a former club President who is not running for a position.

Election Panel

Members may not know

• the specifics of an executive role
• the profile of a suitable candidate

As a result, members --- especially new ones --- may feel a role is beyond their capabilities.

To overcome these concerns, we had an election panel in which the current executive explained and answered questions.

Since some members were unable to attend and others might want a refresher, we put a video on YouTube. I can't share the link since the video is candid and some people get concerned about being filmed. That means viewing is restricted to club members.

Nominations

The Election Chair will send additional details to members and answer questions. The names of nominees are not announced until the time of the election. That means there is no formal campaigning.

Exceeding Expectations

If a club has problems, you can likely make improvements and get labeled a hero. What if the club is already running well? Candidates may wonder how to exceed the already high expectations. This is a false concern. Improvements can always be made.

The unexpected happens too. During this term, there were rumours that our room rental rates might skyrocket. That could have required an unwelcome boost in membership fees. Luckily, nothing materialized.

Voting

The club has excellent members which will make voting challenging. Members who do not get elected can still participate.

Links

• Three steps to get the most out of Toastmasters
• How to discuss taboo topics
• Toastmaster roles: Chair
• The six basic fears
• image courtesy of Igor Nikolayev

Promod Sharma has been in other groups which do not run elections as smoothly. He blogs about marketing and risk.

Thoughts On The Theme: Write A Book

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012

At Goodyear Toastmasters, the Chair picks the theme for the meeting. I had this role this week and chose Write A Book. You’ll find more details here.

Members with key roles provide their thoughts on the theme to the

• Chair: Table Topics Master, Debates Master, Lesson Master, Viewpoint Master, Toastmaster, or
• Toastmaster: General Evaluator, each speaker

The Chair or Toastmaster reads the thoughts when introducing the club member. Examples follow.

Thoughts From The Table Topics Master

This is what Magie wrote:

The title of my book would be “The Hard Asked Questions”. It would be recommended for married couples or those who plan to get married. My book would cover controversial questions that you dare to ask your significant other. It encourages open communication to help couples get to know each other better in your not-so-typical discussions. It would be located in the self-help section in the book store right beside Dr. Phil’s book called “Relationship Rescue”.

Thoughts From The Toastmaster

This is what Ed wrote:

My new novel is about a homeless man who kicks a can out of anger and frustration one cold night. He hears a rattling inside the can and empties it into his palm. A shriveled green pea falls into his hand. Something beyond his understanding compels him to make a wish. A most incredible, supernatural tale unfolds at this point but I shall not ruin the rest of the story for you. The book is called, " The Old Can and the Pea". My pen name is Bernie Hemway and I'm self-publishing because most publishers don't know a good story when they read it. Look for it in paperback. No tree has every saved me from anything.

 

Thoughts from the General Evaluator

This is what Jonathan wrote (not read due to timing constraints):

I LOVE writing - no joke! When I was less than 10 years old I started writing a Pokemon story that was nearly 100 pages long, handwritten (never finished it). I've been in the process of writing a fantasy novel for the past couple of years but so far I've really only worked on the backstory for it - hope to be able to take that a little more seriously!

As you can see, these thoughts are well-considered and diverse. They are also lengthy, which can affect the meeting timing.

Links

• Toastmaster Roles: Chair
• How to keep Toastmaster meeting on time
• image courtesy of Reynald Lassire

Promod Sharma generally limits his thoughts on the theme to a sentence or two. He wants to write a book. Here’s why and how.

Theme of the Week: RED

(Each club meeting has a theme selected the Chair. Here is what Leila selected and sent to club members to get them in the spirit. Members with key roles provide their thoughts on the theme, which get read during the meeting by the Chair or Toastmaster. — Editor)
 
by Leila Bates, VP Education 2011-2012
 
THEME | RED. It is the longest wavelength of light.

I ask myself......how can a three letter word evoke such a kaleidoscopic spectrum of emotions from nature, culture, tradition, beliefs, technology and politics.
It  has more personal associations than any other colour.

It is synonymous with LOVE|VALENTINES, ROSES, LOYALTY, HATE,  HIGH-ENERGY, ANGER|AGGRESSION, FERTILITY|BIRTH, LIFE, DEATH, VAMPIRES,  VITALITY|SUSTENANCE, BLOOD, PAIN, SEX|PASSION|SEXY|SEDUCTION, STILETTOS, VIRILITY, EMBARRASSMENT, ESPIONAGE, POWER|DOMINANCE, STOP, DANGER,  BEAUTY, FIRE, CONSERVATISM, SOCIALISM|COMMUNISM, WRATH, GUILT, SIN, NORTH AMERICAN NATIVES, PERFORMANCE|HEROISM, WINE|UB40, PIGMENT, HELP, DEBT, ATTENTION, INTELLIGENCE, INTEGRITY, APPLES|FRUITS, RGB, CORVETTE, SPICY, HOT SAUCE......

There is no question that it sends a clear message to the rest of the world!
 
ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA |
The word red comes from the Old English rēad.^[4] Further back, the word can be traced to the Proto-Germanic rauthaz and the Proto-Indo European root reudh-. In Sanskrit, the word rudhira means red or blood.

EXAMPLES OF RED PHRASES |

• Red carpet treatment: giving privileged treatment to an important person
• Caught red-handed: clearly guilty
• Red in the face: to become embarrassed
• Seeing red: to be angered
• Red flag: a warning of danger
• Not worth a red cent: having no value
• Red letter day: a memorable, joyful day
• Red tape: excessive formalities in governmental process
• In the red: a term to describe an economic loss
• Paint the town red.

Links

• Table Topics: RED (based on the theme)
• Research on the colour red shows definite impact on achievement (University of Rochester, Feb 2007)
• Phrases with red (sensationalcolor.com)
• image courtesy of Paul

Leila Bates is VP Education for Goodyear Toastmasters. For more about her, visit www.nuvediq.com.

How To Keep Toastmaster Meetings On Time

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012

Every minute counts. Every second counts.

The Chair has the overall responsibility to keep the club meeting on schedule. This can be the most difficult part of the role. In a vibrant club, there's more to do than time allows. It's easy for a meeting to go off track. Here are the three biggest places

1. Introductions
2. Table Topics
3. The Business Session

Meetings are meant to start on time and end on time. That's tough when some sections are unpredictable in length. Some meetings have extra guests. We can all help the Chair by being quick. 

Introductions

Introductions by members are often boring and routine.

"Hello fellow members and honoured guests. I'm (insert name here) and I've been a member of this club for (insert length here). Tonight I'm your (insert role here)."

This a good time to be creative. For example, you can inject a short snippet of good news that you’re bubbling to tell other members. For example,

"Good evening. I’m (insert name here) and today is my one year anniversary at this club."

That’s short and more memorable. Since you know you’ll introduce yourself, be ready. Push your chair back so you can stand up gracefully and without delay. Your introduction time is your own. You needn’t rush. Don’t start your introduction until you’ve finished standing up and paused.

After the introductions, the Chair may repeat the roles (which may also be on a handout, screen or whiteboard). Who’s paying attention. In the beginning, being redundant may help boost your confidence and reduce your nervousness. As you gain experience, you can streamline.

Table Topics

Speaking without preparation builds our skills. The Table Topics Master helps by keeping the preamble short and the instructions simple. Attendees help by avoiding filler phrases like "Hello fellow Toastmasters and honoured guests". Interjecting irrelevant stories before starting wastes time too. Even worse, you're robbing yourself of the opportunity to speak impromptu.

We aren’t robots but can be efficient. Once again, push your chair back before it's your turn. 

If there are more attendees than usual, the Table Topics Master can compensate by reducing the speaking time slightly (say from 60 seconds to 50 seconds). With 25 attendees, that’s a saving of about four minutes.

Business Session

If there is a motion, the schedule can get disrupted — especially when there's a motion. The goal isn't to rush or muzzle the discussions but to maintain momentum by paying attention to the clock. If Table Topics went unusually long, the business session can be shortened to compensate.

Major Roles

If you have one of the major roles such as Table Topics Master or Debate Master or Lesson Master or Viewpoint Master, you've got an obligation to help the meeting flow smoothly. You'll appreciate this when you're Chair. It's best to deal with delays in a way that the group doesn't notice. Sometimes nothing can be done (e.g., a computer needs to be rebooted). That’s the time to “go with the flow" rather than getting tense and making others tense.

What if we're too good? Our “penalty” is a longer break or an earlier exit.
Do you have other suggestions?

Links

• Revisiting New Year's Resolutions
• Turbocharge your club with social media
• Revitalizing this blog
• image courtesy of daino_16 (US)

Promod Sharma is currently in a 12 week Pick Four goals program (blog post). You’ll find him on LinkedIn.