Toastmasters - No More Troublesome Agenda Writeup!

Even noticed that one of the most frequently seen typo in a Toastmasters meeting rundown was neither the speaker’s name nor the title, but (ahem) the timing and duration of meeting sessions? Inaccurate timing in the rundown often leads to awkward atmosphere in a club meeting: Imagine the odd embarrassment the speaker senses from the audience for an 8 minutes speech, when the audiences only expect 3 minutes – as written in the rundown!

Before every meeting, I often see the VPEs or secretary went thru what I call a “cyclical drudgery” of preparing a meeting rundown:

1) call up speakers to take up assignments
2) typing away new meeting rundown
3) accommodating any last-minute changes in the rundown.

This process often takes hours, if not an entire day - think how much hassle the VPEs has to go through for a club with weekly meeting!

In dozens of Toastmasters clubs that I visited, 100% of the clubs that I’ve visited used Word processing software as an rundown write-up platform. Despite being easy to use, however, Word Processing software doesn’t offer much formulating capabilities unless specifically programmed to do so. Inside the same software package, however, we can find spreadsheet software. Inside spreadsheet, another opportunity unfolds – with simple built-in tools, rundown write up can be easily automated - all that is required are a few quick and simple techniques.

Here I’ve a 5 minutes one-off spreadsheet trick that helps listing accurate timing on a reusable meeting rundown. This trick can be learn about anyone, even Toastmasters with no spreadsheet experience. After several minutes, you and your club then enjoy the long lasting benefit of rapid rundown creation!

Several common spreadsheets software are Microsoft Excel, Lotus 123, WordPerfect Quattro Pro and OpenOffice.org Calc. I use OpenOffice.org Calc (Calc) as demonstration for the following example. The working is almost identical for all other spreadsheet operations, I choose Calc for demonstration since it is open sourced software, which means there is no propriety right and everyone can download and use it for free. You can download a copy of the OpenOffice.org suite by typing in http://www.openoffice.org in your internet browser.

After Installing OpenOffice.org, double click into the Calc icon to open the application.



Make sure that your rundown is on the spreadsheet application.
Before we begin modifying our actual rundown, let us first go through the basics as to what makes time calculation possible in our meeting rundown.

In another worksheet under the same file, type in a time. For example, if your agenda is on “Sheet 1”, type in the time in “Sheet 2”

Whenever we type in a time, Calc automatically convert it into a default time format.

Date and time can be calculated in all spreadsheet programs.



First, we need more understanding of the number format of spreadsheet programs.

To see the numeric format for the time listed in the spreadsheet, selecting the cell where we have typed in the time, then click Format menu and click Cells.



The time format being use will be shown under the Number tag in the Format Cells window.




Now, if we select Number under the category window, you’ll see that all time that you type in can be converted into a number.



Spreadsheet program use the numeric value as shown in our preview box to recognize and calculate time difference. A good way to remember all time calculation is that the value 1 equals 1 day.




To find out how hours, minutes and seconds are calculated, simple divide 1 by the respective hours, minutes and seconds.

The result will be as shown on figure 3.1. For best result, type all numeric value for the seconds, minutes and hour in a worksheet different from the one we used for our rundown to ensure the presentation of our rundown. Or to change text to white/hide it.

Now we can work on our actual rundown.

In the worksheet that contains the rundown, type in the starting time and the duration of the first program of your meeting.
We can calculate the start time for the next program using the following calculation circled as on figure 5.1.



To calculate, simply type in the following formula above the spreadsheet in the circled location call “Formula bar”:

= Cell name of start time + cell name for the duration of the program in the ‘minute’ * cell name where the numeric format of the minute was listed.



In my example, I have written the minute’s numeric format on another worksheet and I have also cross referenced the formula with it.



Later on we’d need to copy the formula to the location in the starting time.

To ensure that the formula will always refer to same location where our numeric value for the minutes locate, we’d need to click on the value in the formula bar, and then press SHIFT+F4 once (press F4 for Microsoft Excel user).

Dollar signs appear in front of the cell name which fixated the value to its location regardless of how we copy the formula.



The last step we need to do is to fill in the blanks for program minutes, then we copy the formula on the starting time column by dragging the cell down from the bottom right hand side of the selection.

In my example here, I click on B15, mouse click on its bottom right hand corner and drag until the end of the agenda.
There, we’ve got the job done!

David Brooks's Master Presentation

For the Toastmasters amongst us, David Brooks is no stranger's name: Being the 1990 Toastmaster International World Champion of public speaking. He was also the subsequent mentor for 6 others latter Toastmasters World Champions. Now here is someone I call truly call "Champions of Champions"



David Brooks is also a world wide name: When the Division newsletter announced that he'd be coming to Hong Kong 12th May. I was more than thrilled. Champions alike came once in a blue moon, my Singaporean Toastmasters friends were so jealous about the idea of his Hong Kong coming (bypassing Singapore) - No prize for guessing how fast I secured the seats for the workshop.


The essence of the 2-hours workshop can be summed up (for real) by the cue card here you see. To be hoenst, applying this 666 sequence alone would built a solid foundation to any presentations (not just public speaking).



[A special note to David Brooks: Yes, I know you look around Internet for quotes - If you're reading this blog, it'd be, of coures, my honour: Although we've the cue cards that sums it all up, I still prefer to listen to your workshop live - I guess 1 laughter constitute to a point remembered. P.S: I am still waiting for my Element of Eloquence DVD set :)]



Later on, I started reading David's book (co-author with Dr. Brad McRae) on "The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters". Now, this book is the real gem.

Throughout the weekend I only had the chance to read well Strategy 6 "Manage yourself, difficult participants, and difficult situations" as it is the most relevant to my current work. Below are some of my summaries of the chapter - for the benefit of myself:

Managing yourself

Monitoring/changing your self talk


- Self talk can be positive/negative, aim to have self-talk that are 1) Task-relevant, 2) Self-appreciating, 3)Task-appreciating.

- Solution: 1) Use the stop technique, 2) use a current negative event to keep things in perspective, 3) Use thought reversal.

- Exercise: Make a self-talk monitoring sheet and monitor self-talk for a week for both your daily self-talk and presentation specific self-talks.


Perfect Perfectionism


- Use cost/benefit analysis to identify when perfectionism becomes out of control.

- Dr McRae: "It is the audience's job to access the quality of his work - not his job to do it for them."

- "Perfection is not possible, mere excellence is good enough."

- 'If we hold on to a project until it is 'perfect', it'll never be done.'

- "Done is better than perfect, anytime."

- Master presenters don't waste time and effort striving for perfection, but they do strive for excellence.


Locus of control

- Master Presenters take an internal stance regarding to the development of their presentations.

- Five factors realted to your locus of control in regard to developing, rehearsing and delivering your presetations are:


1. Your level of commitment to finishing your presentation.

3 types of committment:

• Intellectual - You say you're committed, but your behavior doesn't match


• Irregular - You work on the presentation one day, but not the next. Time wasted trying to figure out what you are doing and where you are heading.


• True committment - Like what Stephen Covey said "Putting first things first." Your behavior reflect, A work schedule had been set up and you are sticking to it. You are taking advantage to work at prime time. You've also made sure that you will not be interrupted unless there is an emergency.

One way to increase your commitment:

• Plan a reward for when you have achieved a milestone in completing your presentation or even a section therein.

2.How you handle the roadblocks and obstacles that gets in you way.

• Instead of being problem-oriented, be solution oriented.
• Inquired within yourself whether there are lessons to be learn from roadblocks
• Do not criticize yourself when things doesn't go as planned.
• Used wasted time and effort for maximum contributions.
• You've enough to do in developing your presentation without wasting time and energy by being your own worst enemy.

3. The amount of persistence you bring into the task.

• Completing a presentatoin = Marathon
• 1) Putting the time: Whether you like it or not 2) It's up to you to structure your life in order to get the job done.
• Techniques: 1) Having set time and place to work, 2) Setting managable time-limited goal 3) Monitoring the use of your time, 4) Eliminating/Postponing other activities.
• Natural reward will make the work easier, and will set your persistence into a momentum.

4. The ability to forgive yourself and start over again when you make a mistake.

• Master Presenter v.s their counterpart: 1) limit the damage from the mistake 2) Learn from it so it doesn't happen again.
• "If you don't fail now and then, it means you are not reaching far enough, and you aren't growing." - John Paul Getty.
• "To forgive oneself is to give up all hopes of ever having a better past."
• Part of being human is also learning to improve
• Audience and societies can be very forgiving if we admits our mistake. Vice Versa applies.
• "Laying-the-egg" idea: eggs=mistake. Admire the egg, let it hatchs its wisdom, then move on.
• Acknowledge the mistake, apologize, then move on.

5. How you control excess anxiety.

• Normal v.s Excessive Anxiety - Anxieties are to be Control, not eliminated.

7 ways to control anxiety:

• Make a checklist - control adhoc matters from going wrong i.e: projector, venus
• Physical exercises - regularly & before presentation
• Deep breathing - count of 3 in and 3 out
• Use of lip gloss or lip balm - so that you don't feel the anxiety that much
• Talk to the audience before the presentation
• Know your opening and closing cold
• Look for audience with friendly eye-contact

Ask yourself:

1) "To gain more control over the development & delivery of my presentation, how should I behave differently?"

2) "How can I structure my personal environment/situation/life so that I can have more control?"

Exercises: Write down the steps you could take to increase your control over developing and completing your presentation in a reasonable amount of time.

Dealing with difficult participants

• Difficult participants comes in 2 kinds: Situationally v.s Chronically difficult
• The law of non-resistance: "Everyone who comes across our paths, comes across our path for a reason, to teach us something about our own skills and talents."
• Three choices when dealing with difficult participants: 1) Be a victim, 2) a survivor, 3) a thriver.
• Ask yourself: "What do the participants needs?" so to change your reaction to people's reaction to the material: Focus yourself as the behicle to their learning/development.
• "As a presenter you need to get over yourself!"
• According to Cabett Robert (Founding, National Speakers Assocation), there're 3 stages that a speaker goes thru: 1) Focus on thesmelves, 2) Focus on the content, 3) Focus on the Audience.

The necessity of an accurate diagnosis

• As a presenter, you'll have to determine whether you are dealing with difficult people.
• Sometimes, we're the one who are being difficult
• Few items that helps to set audience's expectation: 1) Tone/opening, 2) Clear agenda and guidelines.
• Change-first principle: "If you want others to change, first change yourself."
• Brief Solutio-Focused Therapy: "If it is working, do more of the same, if it isn't working, do something different."
• "Choice-point" awareness: A resolution occurs when we choose to do something different. If we stay the same, the situation will reach an impass or escalate into a conflict.
• Janet Lapp: "If you seek out difficult people, you'll find them, or you'll create them. Do your homework, align with your audience's needs, expectations, and aspirations, go to where they are without forcing yourself in."
• 4 Muscles in Presentations: 1) Talk to difficult participant in private, extract information 2) Solicit audience's opinion in terms of presentation's direction. 3) Call the difficult participant bluff by taking actionable steps. 4) Ask them to leave, or you will. (Note: It has not been used before by any of the book's author)
• It also helps to ask colleages help of dealing the difficult participants in private. (They'd usually have the way) Put clear boundaries on what the session is about and not about.
• (Ah, the standard way to deal with difficult participants - one of them.) "You've a good point and one that probably deserves furher discussion, but our schedule won't allow me to address it fully at this time. However, if you wish to stay after the program ends, I'll be glad to continue our discussion." This way, those individuals may offer either 1) Very insightful input or 2) They're only there to seek attention.

Dealing with difficult situation

• Again, use muscle levels when appropriate.

Minimizing the distraction you can't control

• Jim Comer: "Acknowledge the obvious. Whether it is a distraction or a disaster, don't pretend that it did not happen. Acknowledge it, address it, and if possible, use it."
• Have a few "saver" line when things goes wrong.
• Use appropriate humor to lighten the audience with regards to the difficult situation.
• Remember - it's important to not to get angry.

Hidden agendas, Always expect the unexpected, unforeseen circumstance.

• Tackle the hidden attention of the audience head-on.
• When unexpected happened - ride on it.
• Constantly ask for feedback
• Acknowledge group's emotion.
• Deal with the situation with as much sensitive and tact as possible.
• Ask for feedback

_______________

Whao, I didn't knew that I've jotted down so much (it took me 3 hours to type this blog)

Well, I am much looking forward to all other wisdoms in David Brooks' book. I am very much considering buying a copy. :) I hope to learn from the best.

I used to fuss a lot about background of my blog...

Until I saw THIS blog by Greg Mankiw - Professor of Economics at Harvard University:

See it for yourself by clicking here

Blog has never been about its layout, it is entirely about the depth of its content through the publisher. Likewise for speeches: Regardless of how refined the vocal varieties and gestures, how well-thought out the props and the movements, I don't have the content, the message, floops - that's it, like any other mediocre speeches.

That's why, I am going to work on refining my content - starting from right here.