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Five Reasons All Entrepreneurs Should Join Toastmasters – Brian Armstrong

This article is recommend by Rita, one of long term toastmasters, and our big helpers to Silicon valley Toasmasters

Article is written by Brian Armstrong Original post: articlesbase.com

When I went home for Christmas last December, the first thing my parents said when I got off the plane was “It looks like you’ve grown, did you get taller?”

I hadn’t grown at all, not one inch. So why was this their first reaction after not seeing me for sixth months? One word: I had become more confident.

Confidence is a funny thing in human beings. When you’re feeling confident you tend to stand taller, hold your head up, and walk differently. It affects all areas of your body (eye contact, breath, stride, voice tone, etc).

What my parents were picking up on was not a change in my height, it was a change in confidence, and I believe Toastmasters was one important contributor to that improvement.

For those who don’t know, Toastmasters is an international non-profit organization that helps people improve their public speaking. It is fairly inexpensive (less than $100 per year), and puts you in a supportive environment with other people who are learning to speak in public, become better leaders, an improve their social interactions.

Toastmasters is really only about giving speeches on the surface, and it can affect many other areas of your life.

It all starts with the fact that speaking in public is one of biggest causes of anxiety for most people. In fact, many people rate public speaking as being more frightening than death!

But one thing I discovered about overcoming anxiety and growing as a person is that every time you feel anxiety and STILL take action, you will build confidence. In fact, I believe that’s the only way to build confidence: doing the things that you fear the most.

This happens to be one of the most important lessons you can learn as an entrepreneur in my opinion, because you will be faced with scary moments frequently in business.

Here are a few ways that Toastmasters can help you become a better entrepreneur and get a similar boost in confidence.

1. You Speak In Public More Often Than You Know

You probably speak in public more often than you realize, and will be required to do so even more in the future. Each time you pitch an idea, rally you team to accomplish something, inspire others to join you, do an interview with the media, or meet a new person, you are speaking in public.

We all know how important it is the build relationships in business, and if you can be the person who fearlessly networks with big shots at a conference, wows the media with your eloquence, or inspires employees to gladly work overtime for the good of the company, then you will rise to the top faster than your peers.

One interesting part of every Toastmasters meeting is called Table Topics. The presenter will call out a short question and then randomly pick on someone from the audience to come give an impromptu two minute speech about it. It can be quite nerve-racking to give a two minute speech with zero preparation! I can’t tell you how valuable this skill is in learning how to interact with others, hold a group’s attention, and just become a more interesting person!

If you can’t effortlessly talk with anyone (man or woman) at a party for 10-15 minutes and have them remember you in a positive light afterwards, then you are missing out on valuable opportunities. Toastmasters can help you become more comfortable in those social interactions.

2. A Sense of Humor Is A Valuable Tool

At every Toastmaster meeting there is also a member selected to tell a joke. This is used as an icebreaker to bring the meeting participants together.

Guess what? The first few times I held this job, I got nothing more than a few courtesy laughs. I realized that I didn’t know how to tell a joke!

I decided to work on this area in Toastmasters (there is also a manual you can work through to practice giving humorous speeches) and eventually started to learn the structure of humor.

I even went to the “open mic” night at the local comedy club a few times (talk about anxiety!) after going through the Toastmasters manual. I certainly wasn’t the funniest person there, but I learned a lot in the process and once again built my confidence.

Humor is a powerful tool in your arsenal that can be used to defuse embarrassing situations and make others like you (and want to work for you).

3. Entrepreneurs Must Be Leaders

The third thing that Toastmasters will teach you is leadership. There are numerous positions in the club that need to be filled from time to time. They don’t require a huge commitment, but they do help you practice working with a team.

However, the most important lesson that Toastmasters can teach you about leadership is how to evaluate others.

After every speech in Toastmasters, you will be given an opportunity to evaluate the speaker and give them instant feedback (sometimes in the form of, you guessed it, giving another speech). One of the most important lessons I learned here was how to mix criticism with praise. Helping someone improve without crushing their spirits is a lesson every leader should know, and it’s better to practice it in a safe environment before you need it in the “real world”.

Providing constructive feedback and commanding an audience’s attention are indispensable skills that every leader must posses. If are serious about becoming successful, and don’t yet consider yourself a powerful leader, this is one way to make progress.

4. You Must Spend Time With Right Type of People

Finally, Toastmasters does a remarkable job of putting you around the right type of people.

One of the most important keys to success is life is to surround yourself with people who are more successful than you are. Toastmasters is the kind of group that attracts people who are interested in improving their life and becoming successful.

In my group, for example, I’ve made friends who’ve taught me about real estate investing, web server technology, and sales. When you get around the right type of people, they will start to invite you to other events around town, introduce you to other clubs, and share inspiring books they’ve read.

5. Your Body Language Could Use Improvement

No matter who you are, your body language needs improvement. Many people are totally unaware of what message they are communicating with their bodies, and how fast people are making assumptions about them.

Some recent studies have shown that people form an opinion about you in as little as two seconds after meeting you. In one such study, evaluations of professors at a particular university were compared with evaluations of people who had only seen two-second video clips of the professors with the sound turned off. Remarkably, 78% of people who only saw the two-second video clips rated the professors the same as the class who had spent an entire semester observing them!

Your dress, your eyes, your hands, your stride, your expressions, your voice tone, and your posture are broadcasting out a strong message to everyone you meet (whether consciously or subconsciously). Do you know what it’s saying?

If not, you may want to get in a supportive environment where people can give you specific feedback.

Toastmasters is a brilliant concept that has provided quite a bit of value to me in the past year and half, and I’d encourage anyone (especially entrepreneurs) to join.

Many other seminars exist out there which cost thousands of dollars and provide similar classes to executives. Toastmasters can offer you many of the same advantages in a non-profit organization.

Remember that the way to overcome anxiety and grow as a person is right THROUGH that fear. Feel the fear, and take action in spite of it.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/five-reasons-all-entrepreneurs-should-join-toastmasters-179253.html#ixzz1OkxWOPun
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

June 9, 2011 Posted by | SV-Entrepreneurs, Toastmasters | | Leave a Comment

Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Toastmasters is Chartered Today!

Very glad to announce that, we have chartered the Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Toastmasters, at Toastermasters Club, as part of Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs & Startups meetup.

The website:

http://www.meetup.com/silicon-valley-entrepreneurs-startups/pages/Toastmasters/

Entrepreneurs — whether you are just at the ideas stage or have a fully fledged start-up, getting your ideas and business across to investors, partners and the general public is essential. Our group welcomes both those who need help getting over their public speaking jitters and seasoned speakers looking to perfect their presentation.

Benefits of joining this group:

  1. This group is especially designed for entrepreneurs, start-ups, investors and anyone who wishes to become one.
  2. Small, new group that provides supportive opportunity to practice public speaking and learn leadership skills.

STANDARD MEETING AGENDA

Speakers (~20 min): We will have 3 speakers who will be talking about themselves and their work:

Audience Participation (~20 min): Following that we will have an interactive session giving attendees the opportunity to speak.

Discussion (~20 min): The discussion will include comments on speaking performance and club logistics.

more info:


Our future meeting:

http://www.meetup.com/silicon-valley-entrepreneurs-startups/

June 4, 2011 Posted by | SV-Entrepreneurs, Toastmasters | , , , | Leave a Comment

Toastmasters Meeting Roles – Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Public Speaking Club

Here is an introduction of different roles played in one Toastmaster meeting by http://www.kvtoastmasters.org/info-meetingroles.php

Overview of Meeting Roles

The following information is meant as a general overview of your meeting role. For more indepth information, please view any additional materials noted at the end of the appropriate section.

Chair

This role is the most important and time consuming position in the meeting. It requires a lot of preparation to see that a meeting meets Toastmaster standards.

The main duty of the Chair is to ensure that the meeting runs according to plan. The Chair introduces the various sections of the meeting, runs the business section, and introduces the Table Topics Master, Toastmaster and General Evaluator. At the end of the meeting, the Chair ensures that the meeting awards are handed out, as well as making sure that the roles for the next meeting are assigned and understood. Chair’s Meeting Template (Word format)

Toastmaster

The Toastmaster controls the prepared speech section. The Toastmaster introduces this portion, explains the Toastmaster program (if there is time, usually in more detail if there are guests in attendance) and then introduces each speaker. After the last speaker, the Toastmaster returns control of the meeting back to the Chair. More on the Toastmaster Role (PDF format)

Table Topics Master

Table topics is the portion of the meeting where people who are not involved in other parts of the meeting get a chance to speak. They have to answer (within a 1-2 minute time frame) a question posed to them by the Table Topics Master. The purpose of this is to help members think on their feet.

The Table Topics Master prepares and issues the topics and also sets the theme for the meeting. Most Table Topics Masters try and choose questions that promote fun, are newsworthy, or are seasonal. An effective Table Topics Master will make sure that those members who do not have a major role in the meeting are first asked a question. The chair and speakers should be the last people asked to answer a question. The mark of an experienced Table Topics master is the ability to “connect” two speakers by commenting briefly on the previous answer and then smoothly linking (or bridging) that answer to the next question. Table Topics Ideas | More Table Topics Ideas

General Evaluator

The General Evaluator keeps track of every thing that happens during the meeting – from what time it starts, to how well each role is filled to whether the room is too hot or too cold. At the end of the meeting, the General Evaluator points out both what went well and what didn’t go as well. General Evaluator Form (PDF format)

When reporting on what you do at the beginning of the meeting, make sure that you mention the why, what and when. Why this duty is important. What you do. And when you will report on it. The report is most effective if it ties into the theme of the meeting.

Speech Evaluators

Each speaker has an evaluator. The speech evaluators acquaint themselves with the goals of the speech and then judge how well the speaker met those goals, making comments in the speaker’s manual. Encouragement and helpful feedback are given at the end of the meeting. You will use the appropriate evaluation form in the manual. Also check out the Speaker Evaluation Form (PDF format)

Ah Counter

The Ah Counter keeps track of all the words and sounds that are used as pause fillers by members during the meeting. These words may be actual “ahs” or they may be words such as: well, you know, and or so. At the end of the meeting the Ah Counter may either report on which members used the most filler words or which members used no filler words. More on the Ah Counter Role (PDF format) | Ah Counter Form (PDF format)

When reporting on what you do at the beginning of the meeting, make sure that you mention the why, what and when. Why this duty is important. What you do. And when you will report on it. The report is most effective if it ties into the theme of the meeting.

Grammarian

The Grammarian has two main duties: to introduce an new word to members and encourage them to use it during the meeting; and to record and comment on either inappropriate or exemplary uses of the English language. Similies, metaphors and alliteration should be noted as effective examples of English language usage. Unfortunately, sometimes inexperienced Grammarians wrongly pick as an example of good grammar a tired saying such as “it was raining cats and dogs.” This is an example of poor English usage, not good. Instead of recycling other people’s phrases, speakers should come up with their own sayings. For instance, 2004 World Champion of Public Speaking, Randy J. Harvey commented to a club member: You’re more fun that a burlap bag full of bunnies. This phrasing combines alliteration with imagery and is a noteworthy example of exemplary English language usage.

When reporting on what you do at the beginning of the meeting, make sure that you mention the why, what and when. Why this duty is important. What you do. And when you will report on it. The report is most effective if it ties into the theme of the meeting.

Timer

The timer keeps track of time. Different sections within the meeting have different time limits. Each speech has an acceptable time frame, as does each table topics answer. It is the timer’s responsibility to keep track of the time, correctly set the timing machine to signal the speakers regarding how much time they have left, and, if required, inform the Chair when time limits for a certain meeting segment have been met.

When reporting on what you do at the beginning of the meeting, make sure that you mention the why, what and when. Why this duty is important. What you do and how you do it. And when you will report on it. The report is most effective if it ties into the theme of the meeting.

The timer gives a report at the end of the meeting as to how well the time limits were met. Timing Form (PDF format)

Invocation

The person giving the invocation at the beginning of the meeting composes and then presents a non-denominational invocation at the beginning of the meeting. You should NOT say “Amen” at the end of the invocation. Suitable quotations or thoughts of the day that refer to the meeting theme are an effective means of presenting an invocation. Sample Invocations

Awards Master

You’re in charge of counting votes to determine who wins the speaking awards for that meeting. Before the meeting begins, get the ribbons to be awarded at the close of the meeting. If there are at least three speeches, you’ll need Best Table Topics, Best Evaluator, and Best Speaker. You will also want to choose one of: Best Gestures, Best Humour, or Most Enthusiasm.

Some clubs never reveal that there was a close vote. Kennebecasis Toastmasters does the opposite. It does much for morale and motivation of other club members to know they did well. So do mention if it was a close race. Also, instead of being a tie-breaker, if there is a tie, award two ribbons. Again, this helps club morale and motivates members better than just awarding one ribbon.

In stating what you will be doing during the meeting, be sure to stress the why as well as the how and when.

Joke Master

The role of the Joke Master is to find a suitable joke and then present it at the appropriate time – usually the end of the first half of the meeting, immediately prior to the break. Finding appropriate jokes, and then telling them well is a much harder task than it would appear at first glance. If possible, memorize your joke.

May 4, 2011 Posted by | SV-Entrepreneurs, Toastmasters | | Leave a Comment

Announcing Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Public Speaker Club – Toastmasters

By Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs
Dear Entrepreneurs, Business Owners,

I am very glad announce a new series of event with in Silicon Valley
Entrepreneurs Group - Toastmasters Club: Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs
Public Speaking Club.

Toastmasters is an international organization that has been around for
more than 85 years and offers an enjoyable, friendly, interactive and
proven way to improve communications and leadership skills.

 Did we mention that Toastmasters is also a FUN learning experience!

 Toastmasters can help you:

    * Communicate more effectively
    * Improve your presentation skills
    * Increase your leadership potential
    * Build your self confidence
    * … and much more!

More specifically for App developers / Entrepreneurs: Provides
guidelines and the opportunity to practice advanced skills like
Technical Presentations, Speeches by management, Public Relations.
These are all part of the Advanced Communication series in the
communication track.


And also, it is a networking opportunity - you can meet with other
entrepreneurs at a completely new environment.  And this club is part
of District 4 at Toastmasters International, which is a network of
about 5000 people in the bay area.


If you are curious about or interested in joining this club, please
attend our Toastmasters New Club Kickoff Meeting for more information
and to register.

This kick off meeting is supported by Toastmasters. I am glad to
announce that the Area Gov. Rita Barber,  and Atul, our mentor will
attend our event. With these great help, and your participation, we
will have a great event, so come join us!

http://www.meetup.com/silicon-valley-entrepreneurs-startups/events/17332104/

April 29, 2011 Posted by | SV-Entrepreneurs, Toastmasters | , , | Leave a Comment

   

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