I’ve never been a big fan of “date” movies – romantic comedies where you know the guy and the girl are going to get together at the end, but not sure exactly how they’ll get through the mess created during the first twenty minutes of the film. With these types of films, part of the plot line usually has to do with a guy who’s afraid of commitment.

I usually get frustrated with this plot line – the gal should just move on (or to make it a movie more to my liking, blow up his car while he’s driving away). But no, it gets drawn out for 90+ minutes and somehow the guy sees the err in his ways and decides that he was wrong to not commit in the first place and spend the second half of the movie trying to correct the situation. In most cases, there’s a happy ending but not always. But what’s interesting is that fear or lack of commitment happens a lot in real life and the results are often not a happy ending.

Lack of commitment is the biggest reason for failure – period. It’s not just with relationships either. If you know someone struggling to lose weight, 99% of the time it’s their lack of commitment that’s the problem. 80% of businesses fail during the first five years and the reason such a good chunk of them do is because the people running them aren’t as committed as they need to be. And of course, with over 50% of marriages ending in divorce, lack of commitment towards the relationship is the prime culprit.

When I was involved with Toastmasters, I used to tell people that they could overcome any fear they had with public speaking as long as they are committed to doing so. It’s easy to come to a meeting and sign up as a member. It’s even easy to schedule that first speech. But finding the time to do the nine extra speeches to complete the manual – especially when things like work, family and other commitments come into play – is where the challenge lies. I met my goal of completing my first ten speeches during my first year because I committed to speaking whenever I could. I set other goals within Toastmasters – some which I reached and others I didn’t. And to be fair, sometimes our goals change so it’s not lack of commitment, it’s a change to focus on a new goal. When I started out as a professional speaker, my speaking goals changed. That DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster – one of the highest awards a Toastmaster can receive) wasn’t as important as getting more speaking gigs.

So one of the first things I explain to the people that attend my public speaking seminars is that they can overcome their fear provided they are committed to doing so. I also share that it’s easy to overcome their fears – they simply have to get up and speak. While I do my best to encourage them to get up and speak and try to make the experience as fun and as comfortable as possible, I occasionally get a person every now and then that doesn’t want to participate and they don’t get the same results that those who participate do.

Again, the best example of lack of commitment is a person’s physique. While some are blessed with good genetics, the rest of us have to rely on diet and exercise to look good. And of course, diet and exercise require commitment. I recently saw a commercial for P90X
– an exercise system that promises you amazing results in 90 days. I haven’t tried the system yet (I plan to and will post when I do) but even though it’s selling like crazy, I suspect a small percentage of people that use it actually get the desired results. And it’s not because the system doesn’t work – in fact, my research on leads me to believe that one will get impressive results if it’s followed. It’s more because the system requires a big commitment: 60-90 minutes of intense exercise per day for 90 days.

The recipe for success isn’t always complicated. In fact, in many cases, it’s quite simple. There are thousands of systems out there to help you do anything from get healthy to learn a new language to improving your golf game to making more money. Want to get your MBA? Simply find and sign up for an MBA program, attend classes, study and do your homework and projects. Again, the recipe is simple but the commitment requires effort. Even the best designed systems won’t work if you’re not willing to put the effort and commitment into them. If you want to become one of the few that rise to the top, then you need to be willing to commit. And I’ll share a secret with you: once you’ve committed to something tough and followed through you’ll find it much easier to do it again the next time.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

Why People Fail

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1. A Defeat Every Now And Then Can Be a Good Thing
2. The Trouble With Thinking Big
3. Do People Really Care About Public Speaking?
4. Why We Feel Inadequate

I’m frequently invited to speak at Toastmasters clubs about how to speak beyond Toastmasters. Last year, I gave a presentation at a District Conference on this topic and was excited about how much interest there was in learning more about it. It’s just a natural progression – once you’ve peaked in Toastmasters, you feel ready to go out and use these skills that you’ve mastered.

So here are the top then things I’ve learned about speaking beyond Toastmasters:

1. Ums and ahs don’t really matter unless they are excessive.
2. Going over your allotted time can quickly turn your audience against you.
3. Not all audiences are friendly, but it’s rare to encounter a truly hostile audience.
4. You can’t please everyone so don’t try to.
5. Just because you’re speaking for free (or a reduced fee) doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put forth your best effort.
6. Feedback can be a tough pill to swallow so be careful of what you ask for.
7. It is okay to open with “Hello” or “Thanks for having me here.”
8. Always bring two copies of your speech introduction with you.
9. Always over prepare – the unexpected happens a lot more than you might expect.
10. If you make a mistake or things don’t work out the way you want them to, pick yourself back up and try it again.

I’ve written entire articles on most of these tips but they are generally self-explanatory. If you have some additional tips or experiences you’d like to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

Ten Things I Learned About Speaking Beyond Toastmasters

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1. 10 Ways For Toastmasters to Take Their Speaking to the Next Level – Part 1
2. 10 Ways For Toastmasters to Take Their Speaking to the Next Level – Part 2
3. Tips For Toastmasters: Speaking at Rotary and Other Service Clubs
4. What I Learned at Toastmasters Last Night

I’ve had a number of people ask me lately about how to go from a Toastmaster to someone who makes money speaking. Many of these people want to speak on their area of expertise while others are looking to speak about speaking. Those in the former have it a little easier because the key there is to just continue to develop your expertise while you graduate as a speaker to different audiences. Those in the latter have a more challenging road ahead because speaking to a Toastmasters audience is significantly different than speaking to other audiences – a fact which is often overlooked when speaking about Toastmaster-related topics. So I’m going to focus on the latter group for this article, but the former will definitely get some benefit from this too.

Like many of these folks, I joined toastmasters with a fear of speaking and became very proud of the fact that I conquered that fear. I held roles like Club President and Area Governor as well as mentored dozens of folks either formally or informally. So when I found out that people could make money (even a good living) by doing this, I decided to give it a try. Over the last seven years, I’ve had my share of success and failures and have learned from the process. So here is the advice I’ve shared.

Develop your material:

Make a list of up to three talks you want to give (the fewer the better at this point). For each talk, plan a 20 minute overview and a one hour full talk. These are the typical time extremes for presentations that people just starting out give. Spend some time researching the material for your talk such as your own experiences, tips and advice. Create an outline and if you can, work with someone more experienced with you to get feedback.

Take a Toastmaster Tour:

Visit and speak at other clubs, give a TLI session or presentation at a district conference. You’ll get to face different audiences (which will push your comfort zone) and you’ll gain more experiences. Plus, these audiences are generally safe. Speaking to the same club over and over causes you to get atrophy so you’ll get a double benefit by doing this as you’ll start to make a name for yourself within Toastmasters.

Speak to Non-Toastmasters groups:

I’ve found Rotary clubs to be the best stepping stone for Toastmasters because the audiences are generally kind to speakers. That’s not to say that they won’t let you have it if you do an awful job, but they’re not paying you so they won’t have extremely high expectations either.

The first thing that you’ll realize is that these audiences won’t hang off your every word like your Toastmasters club does. Some are there for the food or other reasons and would rather check their email on the Blackberry rather than listen to any speaker. But it’s these people that give you experience and help you create stories which gives you more material about speaking.

Don’t forget your club:

For my first few years as a professional speaker, I would try out speeches (or portions) of speeches in front of my Toastmasters club to practice and get feedback. This would force me to get my speech done early as I’d try to give myself two weeks to a month before the actual presentation. I also got a lot of great suggestions from my club about how I could improve my talk and which parts weren’t so clear.

Put forth your best effort:

Some people within Toastmasters say that it’s better to get up and give a bad speech (at Toastmasters) than it is to give no speech. While I somewhat agree with that for speeches at your club, it’s the complete opposite when you’ve giving a speech to a professional audience (especially when they are paying you). So make sure you’re well prepared, your mind isn’t elsewhere and you’re well rested. Sometimes things may not go your way despite your best efforts, and that’s okay because you can always recover (although it’s best to not have to recover). But you want to minimize the chances of things going wrong. If you’re sick, didn’t have enough time to prepare or have suddenly lost a loved one, consider rescheduling your talk – and remember that the more notice you can give, the better.

Experiment:

Don’t be afraid to experiment and take risks, but make sure those risks aren’t foolish. Try a new exercise or look at something from a different point of view. Use a new prop or try a PowerPoint presentation. Just be cautious when experimenting with humor or bringing up hot button issues.

Stay on target:

Only speak about topics you know well. If the event organizer asks to speak about something that you know little about, you’re usually better off declining (especially if it’s a paid talk) unless you have enough time to become well versed with the topic. My failures with speeches have all happened when I didn’t stick with my usual material.

Present what you’ve prepared:

Sometimes you get great ideas during the car ride from your home to the venue you’re speaking at. Resist the temptation to change your talk at the last minute. I’ve made this mistake multiple times and have finally learned to not do it. If you find yourself doing this a lot, give a PowerPoint presentation because it’s harder to change it on the fly.

So these are some of the tips I give people that are hoping to make the transition from Toastmaster to professional speaker. If you’re planning to take this route, I wish you the best of luck. I hope to someday hear about your experiences (especially your successes) and if you ever need help, I welcome you to check out some of my coaching services.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

Transitioning From Toastmaster to Professional Speaker

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1. Tips For Toastmasters: Speaking at Rotary and Other Service Clubs
2. 10 Ways For Toastmasters to Take Their Speaking to the Next Level – Part 1
3. Toastmaster or Terrorist?
4. 10 Ways For Toastmasters to Take Their Speaking to the Next Level – Part 2

In part one of this article, we talked mainly about the opportunities that exist within your own Toastmasters club to push yourself as a speaker. Most people that join Toastmasters don’t venture beyond their clubs, so they’re missing a whole new world of opportunity in Toastmasters for improving their speaking skills.

So here are some ways to flex those speaking muscles outside of your home club:

6. Visit other clubs

Speaking at other clubs is surprisingly more difficult than you might expect. I realized this back in 2003 when I was toastmasters-success-ten-tips-to-become-presidential-distinguished-part-1/”>President of my club and visited a friend at another club. I had given 15 speeches at the time and was used to doing the President’s welcome at my club, so I never felt nervous speaking at my club. But when I got up to do table topics at this new club, I actually felt a little nervous. The room was set up differently, there were new faces and even the lighting was much different.

Speaking to the same group week after week (or month after month) gets you used to that group. So shock your speaking muscles by visiting another club and participating in the meeting.

7. Be a contest master for a speech contest

While you can do this for your own club, it’s even more effective when you do it at the area level or higher. This role requires you to follow some strict rules when it comes to introducing speakers –more so than the Toastmaster of the day at your club. But you also get to do something that is both fun and different which is interview the speakers while the judges are tallying up their scores. These skills are different from table topics and call also help you with job interviewing and if you have the desire to be a reporter.

8. Be an area governor or other district officer.

Being a district officer helps you in a number of ways. First, it does create a perception that you’re a good speaker and experienced Toastmaster (otherwise you wouldn’t be in that position) and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how closely people pay attention to what you say. But it does a lot more than building your confidence as it forces you to do things like visit (and speak at) other clubs as well as district meetings and events. Again, different crowd and different topics work those speaking muscles in new ways.

9. Give a TLI session

This is a great opportunity to take your speaking to the next level because you’re actually conducting a training session. This means that you need to transfer useful knowledge to your audience – so you can’t take the easy route and just share a story, unless there’s a lesson in it. Since these sessions are primarily officer training, you’ll need to make sure that you’re well versed in the role you’re talking about as you’ll be required to think on your feet for the Q&A session at the end. This is a great way to bring your speaking to the next level.

10. Present at a district conference.

This is what I believe to be the best opportunity for a speaker to grow within Toastmasters. It’s the closest you can get within Toastmasters to giving a speech as a professional speaker – many professional speakers present at district conferences – so if you’re considering that route, you should definitely try this. While some people limit themselves to Toastmaster topics (“How to be the best ah counter,” etc…), many people use this opportunity to give a speech on a topic that’s of interest to members of Toastmasters. You might even get lucky and have someone in the audience actually offer to pay you to give your speech at their event.

So these are just some of the ways you can take your speeches to the next level within the Toastmasters organization. Of course speaking outside of Toastmasters is a whole new ballgame. But that’s another topic for another day.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

10 Ways For Toastmasters to Take Their Speaking to the Next Level – Part 2

Related posts:

1. 10 Ways For Toastmasters to Take Their Speaking to the Next Level – Part 1
2. Toastmasters Success – Taking Your Speaking to the Next Level
3. Tips For Toastmasters: Speaking at Rotary and Other Service Clubs
4. Ten Things I Learned About Speaking Beyond Toastmasters