Create A Lesson In Minutes

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012, CC

A speech takes hours to prepare and practice. A 15-20 minute lesson takes minutes to prepare. Here’s how:

1. Pick a topic you know well
2. Create a mind map
3. Include audience interaction

There’s no need to practice, but practice helps.

The Right Topic

Preparation takes time unless you pick a topic you already know well. Choose a hobby for instance. You'll cut your stress level and exude passion.

At our core, we're much alike. Pick a topic of interest and value to a general audience (even if you're talking to a specialized group).

Today, I'm giving a lesson on Mastering Time via three proven, simple techniques. It's based on a blog post I wrote a few months ago,

Mind Map

A mind map is a simple, visual way to organize, re-arrange and deliver your lesson (for a primer, read preplan your speech with a mind map). For a lesson, I use three branches

1. hook: draw the audience in quickly the way an action movie does
2. content: give the substance with the boring bits removed
3. action: leave the audience with a simple next step

Here's a screen shot (click to enlarge). This mind map took 21 minutes to develop. I might make minor refinements.

You can use a printed mind map for your delivery  but you’ll get more flexibility on a tablet.

Interaction

If you're just going to talk, spare your audience by putting a recording on YouTube. You'll be more polished and able to reach a larger audience.

If you're going to consume an audience's irreplaceable time and attention, invite them to participate. What do they think? What are their experiences? Do they have better ideas?

Interaction helps your audience build their skills too. That's an important part of Toastmasters.

Time Crunch

What happens if you have less time to give your lesson than expected? You can be irate and demand your full allotment. Or you can hone your skills by adjusting. 

Last week I had a lesson on Mastering The Mastermind (based on this post). I thought I'd have 20 minutes but only 10 minutes were scheduled. Other segments took longer than planned. To help the meeting end on time, I was asked to finish in eight minutes. I agreed to the challenge.

Here's how: I left the hook and action intact (and had them reasonably memorized). In the middle segment, I cut out portions and removed the audience participation. The result was essentially a speech. I finished in six minutes and 55 seconds. I don't think the audience noticed or suffered.

Without a mind map, I would have scrambled to prune. With the mind map, I made adjustments as I spoke.

Your Lesson

My lesson for tonight has taken 21 minutes to prepare (though I've been thinking about it for two days). I'll refine and practice a bit. The total time will be less than an hour.

If you're new to giving lessons, you needn't race the clock. You needn't fear that a lesson is tough to create either.

Links

• Three time tracking tools that work
• Prepare your speech with a mind map
• How to discuss taboo topics
• Overcome the chaos of English pronunciation and spelling

Promod Sharma conducts independent Actuarial Insurance Reviews in the Greater Toronto Area.

Annoying Toastmaster Guests With Attention

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012, CC

In a friendly club, members may refer to guests by name. This is easy to do when guests receive tent cards on which they write their names.

Guests may not appreciate the extra attention. You don’t know the struggle they overcame just to attend. Culture and gender may be factors too.

You may be adding more pressure by removing their anonymity. Saying a name is like pointing a finger or shining a spotlight.

Also, some names get mispronounced, which can be worse than silence.

My Tale

I don't like getting singled out in a new group. I can handle the attention but I’d rather  disappear into the background and observe. Afterwards, I might ask questions.

As President, I've been singled out on numerous occasions. Sometimes, I'm selected to start introductions or Table Topics. I don't mind but would prefer different criteria than a title.

Where The Trouble Starts

The club meeting starts with introductions. Each member stands up, gives their name and says when they joined. The greeting may start with

• "Good evening, fellow Toastmasters and welcome guests: that's safe
• "Good evening everyone": short and safe (what I use)
• "Good evening, fellow Toastmasters and welcome to our guests [followed by their first names]": may feel invasive, especially if several members name the guests

Clues

There's no perfect way to tell how much attention a guest wants. Asking would be awkward: “Would you like us to be friendly or pretend that you don’t exist?”

You can get clues by

• watching how comfortable guests are during introductions
• whether they participate during Table Topics and other interactive segments like the Debate or Viewpoint

Caution

You can't really tell how a guest wants to be treated. The safest solution is to use generic, all-inclusive terms like "Hello everyone".

If you want to be more personal, chat with the guest before the meeting, during breaks or afterwards. That's when using a name is much more appropriate.

Your thoughts?

Links

• Control the fear of public speaking
• The six basic fears according to Napoleon Hill
• A must-do for speakers (even beginners)
• Mommy, learn to speak better
• image courtesy of Yvonne Bogdanski

Promod ("pro-MODE") of Taxevity doesn't like having his name used by new groups. In part, that's because of mispronunciations, misspellings or both. You’ll find him on LinkedIn.

Getting A Video Recording Of Your Speech

by Jonathan Holowka, VP Membership 2011-2012, CC

The days of tape and standard definition video are over.

Goodyear Toastmasters just purchased a brand new HD video camera, a Canon Vixia HF R200 (Amazon link). Thanks Gulzar for doing the research.

The new camera records videos on an SD Card. This changes how you get your recorded speeches from now on. Essentially, you will have two options on how to view/receive your recorded speech. These are:

1. YouTube (using the club’s SD card)
2. Bring your own SD card

YouTube

Before worrying about putting your speeches on YouTube, please read the following about YouTube's three levels of privacy settings and how these apply if you wish to view your speeches this way.

YouTube Privacy Setting level #1 – PUBLIC

This is the default level setting of YouTube videos. If you were to search out "Jonathan Holowka Speech" then my videos would come up and you could watch them.

YouTube Privacy Setting level #2 – UNLISTED

In this setting, if you try to search out the video it will not be found. However, it is online and can be watched but only if you are provided with the direct link.

Here is an example. Our recent club video of the Executive Role Descriptions was set to unlisted. The only people that are able to see this video are club members. If you type the video title "ELECTION PANEL 2012" into the YouTube search bar, this video will not show up. Go ahead and try.

YouTube Privacy Setting level #3 – PRIVATE

This final level is the same as Unlisted, however even if you are provided with the link you will not be able to view it without being given explicit permission by the club officer who manages our YouTube channel.

Here is an example of a private video on my own YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/98y6xGbVtjM. Click it and see what happens.

If you wish to have your speeches recorded and put on YouTube, please let us know which privacy setting you wish for your video.

Why Put Video Online?

There are also 3 distinct advantages to having your video put online:

1. Convenience: there is no work from your end
2. Cost: you do not have to buy or maintain an SD card
3. Portability: you can watch from any computer that has Internet access and you will not be able to lose the video

Option #2 - Bring Your Own SD Card

I am not going to go into detail on this, However this option is very simple. Simply go out and purchase your own Class 10 SD card and bring it when you are doing a speech. We will use it in the club camera and you can take your SD Card home and do with it as you wish.

You can purchase a Class 10 SD Card from any store that sells camera supplies. A Class 10 SD Card usually costs between $10 - $20. You’ll want a minimum size of 4 GB. Larger is better.

What does "Class 10" mean? This is simply the recording speed of the card. If you use anything less than Class 10 (eg. class 9, class 8, class 7, etc.) it will not record properly. You can tell what class an SD card is by looking at the number circled on the front of the card.

Links

• Goodyear Toastmasters YouTube channel
• Get ready for your video debut (marketingactuary.com)

Jonathan Holowka is currently VP Membership 2011-2012 and founder of Create A Resume. On July 1, he starts his term as President 2012-2013.

Polish Your Presentation With Presenter View In PowerPoint

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012, CC


"It's easier to find a new audience than to write a new speech."
--- Dan Kennedy, marketer

If you deliver the same presentation over and over, you'll soon know what to say. That's comforting. It's also boring. Why not put a video on YouTube and get to something new?

My presentations keep changing. This is riskier but warranted: the audiences vary and my thinking evolves. Elements get re-used but there is usually something new.

The challenge is adding polish when your content is fresh. You can’t easily practice an hour long session. PowerPoint comes to your rescue.

Rescue

The Presenter View is your easy-to-overlook friend. When you’re designing a slide, you probably know what you want to say  --- especially if you tend to use bullet points. Even then, you may want to say things in a particular way.

The bigger challenge is the transition between slides. Polish comes from knowing what to say just before or just as the next slide appear.

Tips

To use Presenter View, you need two displays. On one you show what the audience will see. The other shows what you'll see. You can decide which monitor is which. I put the Presenter View on my notebook computer. The second display could be a monitor or a projector.

Depending on your computer, you may need to press a combination of keys to use an Extended Display with different content on each screen. In Windows 7, pressing the Windows key and P at the same time may be enough.

Live

When presenting live, I use Presenter View often. Projectors vary. They often show the same content on your screen and the big screen ("cloning"). That's of no use. If you arrive early, you'll have time to experiment and get the settings right.

For best results, use your own computer.

Links

• How to master your presentations using Presenter View (How-To Gook)
• Do you stay up late the night before your presentation?
• How to make your message stick
• Three permanent fears for presenters
• Presenting enthusiasm
• image courtesy of How To Earn And Keep Trust (presented for the first time, earlier today)

Promod Sharma has been using Presenter View for years when developing, practicing and delivering presentations like Be The One They Want for job seekers.

Do You Stay Up Late The Night Before Your Presentation?

by Promod Sharma, President 2011-2012, CC

‘Tis the night before a presentation
and all through the house,
not a creature is stirring
’cept my ‘puter mouse.

That's because I'm still making changes to my slides.

Get Rest

When you sleep early the night before a presentation, you're alert the next day. You look fresh. Your mind is sharp. You're in control. Your socks match. You're at your best.

What if you can't sleep because you're worrying about your presentation? You won't be fresh, sharp or at your best.

Stay Up

I tend to stay up late the night before. This allows time for last minute refinements that improve quality. When I do go to bed, I'm ready to sleep.

I should have trouble waking up the next morning. While I'll be tired, there's a nervous excitement that gets me out of bed and ready to go. Exhaustion doesn’t hit until after my session.

Haze

Presenting with a hazy mind can be an advantage. The content is fresher in your memory even if you're not fresh. You have a deeper understanding.

My haze evaporates just before I start speaking. Thanks nervous energy! I might make interesting deviations from what I planned to say. That's an advantage of a wandering mind.

There are drawbacks to lack of sleep. I tend to use more crutchwords and longer, run-on sentences. The conscious mind is less able to maintain quality control. I didn't realize this was happening until I started recording my sessions.

Why am I telling you all this? I have a presentation to freelancers on How To Earn And Keep Trust in the morning. I really should be asleep. Instead, I’m blogging and tweaking. Why break tradition?

Links

• The two tools PowerPoint presenters need
• Three tips to add impact to your content
• Beyond buzz words
• What goes wrong when presenting outside your club?
• Three mistakes seminar speakers make
• Make your presentation better than a TED Talk
• Speaking as a panelist
• Get feedback from the right group
• image courtesy of Wouter Tolenaars (Holland)

Promod Sharma is more of a night owl than an early bird. You'll find his presentations at http://www.promodsharma.com/presentations.