City Speech finishes 2020-2021 Strong!

As we end the Toastmasters year today, it is hard not to reflect on the successes we have enjoyed this past year.

Let me count the ways we have done something good:

• We achieved President’s Distinguished status.
• We posted 15 level completions just in the span of two months: April & May! We won the 1st prize for that accomplishment. Throughout the year, we posted 26 level completions.
• We endured the 2021 Club Newsletter Contest that our district organized and secured 1st place in the contest. This lasted six months starting November 2020 and ended in April.
• In the year devastated by COVID-19 the world over, while many of the other clubs saw their membership numbers drop, we have seen phenomenal growth in our membership count. We went from the starting count of 23 to the final count of 32, a net addition of 9. This is the result of adding 21 members that offset our share of attrition.
• In the first year that District Bucks have been put in place, we earned a whopping $480 through awards and incentives and were one of the top earning clubs in the district. A glimpse at what earned us this success:

5/9/21: 1st Place Newsletter Contest
5/2/21: Gem Goal Award
4/13/21: Open House
4/27/21: Open House
3/2/2021: First 20 Clubs with 8 Member Renewal
2/11/21: 7 of 7 Officers Trained
11/10/20: Open House
9/22/20: Open House
8/10/20: First 40 Clubs with 8 Member Renewal
9/7/20: 7 of 7 Officers Trained
8/31/20: Mini Success Plan

• Two of the members, Praveena and Luz, earned their Triple Crowns for completing three Pathways levels that included a Level 5 completion.
• Two of the members, Praveena and Venkat, earned their OATM awards (Outstanding Achievement Toastmaster). This is Venkat’s fourth year of qualifying for this award.

In the history of City Speech, it seems that the stars and planets aligned to enable us to score this level of success this year. But the real story is the members coming alive in making the club vibrant and being motivated to accomplish much.

Take our President’s Distinguished status, for example. Members who contributed to making it happen are Pravesh Kumar, Abhishek Chaturvedi, Tony Zhang, Shue Xiong, Mary Perez, Darshana Suresh, Praveena Raman, Srinivas Koneru, and Amit Kamble. Out of these, Darshana contributed to DCP points 1 and 2. Everyone else contributed to just one of the points that got us there. This is a fabulous demonstration of all of us pulling together.

We have had an interesting history with our distinguished status. Chartered on June 30, 2014, exactly seven years ago today, we have had seven opportunities at this metric. Note that the criteria that determine this status use both DCP points and membership level. The following table captures our history where we have never been just Distinguished. Either we had no distinction or we have been Select or President’s Distinguished.

Year	DCP Points	Members	Status
2014-2015	1	9
2015-2016	8	21	Select Distinguished
2016-2017	9	23	President’s Distinguished
2017-2018	10	17
2018-2019	10	20	President’s Distinguished
2019-2020	10	23	President’s Distinguished
2020-2021	9	32	President’s Distinguished

City Speech Distinguished Club status over the years

As you can see, 2017-2018 was a heartbreaker because, in spite of maxing out with 10 out of 10 DCP points, we were left holding the bag with no distinction due to our closing membership count not making it to 20 on June 30, 2018. We are sensitive to that aspect of DCP and have tried to maintain the required membership count.

Each year has its own incentive mix. Many of the incentives may continue. Some may be lost, and new ones may appear. It is our goal to work with whatever is available and maximize our accomplishments and, in the end, our enjoyment.

The challenge is on for the upcoming year. We’ll give it our best shot!

TLI Invitational: A Successful Pilot

By Venkat Raman

As we were all getting ready for Thanksgiving 2020, trying to figure out how best to celebrate it in the most socially responsible manner, some of us were feverishly working to make something else happen: A new experiment in training club officers in Toastmasters District 57, spearheaded by Lisa Fairchild, our fearless TLI Dean for 2020-2021.

Toastmasters Leadership Institute, TLI, is a fixture in our Toastmasters journey, training club officers to fulfill the duties of their offices. Each year, there are two training seasons: summer and winter. The summer session spans late June or early July to end of August. The winter TLI season had historically been aligned with the months of January and February.

The training program generally follows a pattern that provides some general leadership ideas and tips and also specific ideas and tips for each officer role. This way a Toastmaster who is brand new to club leadership as well as old hats at this game can benefit by learning something new. Yes, even seasoned Toastmasters get something out of each TLI session they attend. I can speak to that from personal experience.

However, it is true that there is a lot of repeated information and there has been a new push to cater to experienced club officers who attend the TLI. Lisa took on this monumental task and enlisted the support team to design a program just for veteran club leaders. The TLI Invitational, held on November 21, 2020 was the result of this experiment.

What’s different this time?

For one, the timing. We never have the TLI in November! It never starts until January. So, the timing is a big difference. I think it worked this time because people are not supposed to travel due to COVID-19 and we didn’t have to worry about the Saturday before Thanksgiving being inconvenient for many. I doubt that we can do this again in 2021.

The two main differences that were justified as being more pertinent to the target audience were: Interactive club officer sessions and Whole Team creating solutions. Both were interactive with the assumption that officers knew their basic role definitions and were looking for advanced tips pertaining to their offices.

Look at the following schematic that captures the flow of the overall session:

TLI Invitational Schedule

In the years past, we have had this general flow, among other patterns: TLI starting with a general session for all attendees, followed by parallel officer-specific sessions, and then all the attendees convening back to a common session. Even with this sweeping generalization, the whole team – creating solutions were mini breakout sessions in parallel for a few minutes, made convenient and hence possible by Zoom technology.

The segment Lightning Talks is a new concept as well. But they were equally beneficial to new and experienced club leaders. The caliber of presenters in these lightning talks made it educational and enjoyable at the same time. They have been wildly popular and is sure to be featured in future TLIs. What made them extra special is that all attendees benefited from these. Check out the topics and presenters in this segment:

Lightning Talks Presentations

We have had parallel educational sessions like these, usually for longer duration, in the past, but attendees needed to choose between alternatives and sometimes were unable to derive full benefit from these due to having to choose.

The most traditional item was the opening segment. We heard messages from the TRIO (District Director Bett Bollhoefer, Program Quality Director George Marshall, and Club Growth Director Julie Garrett). The most significant, focused presentation that lasted a half hour in the first part was the one by Ed Cullen and Donica Hopkins on Digital Marketing. Understanding and executing digital marketing is so crucial in today’s world that this was a welcome addition to the agenda.

City Speech Participation

Our club got the benefit of the TLI Invitational whereby four of our officers trained, interestingly split between new (Praveena and Tony) and experienced (Abhishek and me) officers. As a result, we got the DCP point 9 taken care of. We just need to have the remaining officers complete their training using the upcoming sessions in January and February.

All in all, the TLI Invitational was successful both for the district and for our club. Hope more such will be planned in the future.

Virtual Open House – November 2020

By Venkat Raman

Our first Open House of the year on Sept 22 went very well. We added two members as a result of hosting it. With that to boost our confidence and excitement, we are delighted to announce our second Open House of the year on November 10.

COVID-19 is still in control. So, this will be a virtual meeting as well. The idea is to showcase our adaptation to the new norm and demonstrate how much can be achieved even in these remote meetings.

Mark your calendars and attend our Open House:

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Date/Time: November 10, 2020; 7-9 PM
Joining instructions: Sent by email. (If you are a guest, register here)

Program:

• Meet and Greet
• Prepared Speech
• Intermission
• Evaluation
• Impromptu Speeches
• Q&A
• Closing Comments

Spread the word! Have your friends and family attend to get a taste of the City Speech Toastmasters hospitality and engagement.

A Pathways Cheat Sheet for beginning users

Just a couple of days ago, I was in an hour-long in-person session on the use of Pathways where I was giving a tutorial to a few folks. It was clear that several aspects of Pathways use are confusing and counter-intuitive.

I have already written a post on this,  but I wanted to capture the process here as a comprehensive yet condensed cheat sheet that can be used repeatedly as a quick reference wherever needed.

How to act like a child during your speech to keep your audience attentive

Red-capped manakin, a bird native to Central America, goes to lengths to attract a female bird during mating season. Their vivid, contrasting colors of dark black plumage and red head are not enough to make the females take notice. They have an arsenal of moves that includes pivoting back and forth on a branch, darting back and forth between a branch and surrounding vegetation, and doing circles in flight before returning to the branch. 

But the clincher is a move that resembles moonwalk. The male in moonwalk appears to just glide along the branch; that reliably gets the female’s attention.

When it comes to holding your audience’s attention, you will do well to make moves of your own. Not moonwalk, but something as effective: gestures that add another dimension to your speech and bring together a richer experience for your listeners.

Let’s see how gestures help you keep your audience’s attention.
1. Storytelling
2. A child’s perspective on storytelling
3. Acting is entertaining

Successful speakers have figured out the tricks to making an impact with their speeches. One of the techniques that they use has its roots in something that each one of us has grown up with.

1. Storytelling

We have all probably spent our childhood listening to classic and other stories during bedtime. Some of us have fond memories of watching shows that stay with us through life. It is almost universal that we love movies, though we may differ in our choices of our favorite ones. Some of us have even acted in a play or two.

Common among all of these is the presence of a story that’s being told. When you present a good story, people listen; they watch. They absorb it. You can see how well stories relate to people in watching how it impacts a child.

2. A child’s perspective on storytelling

Shows and movies made for theatre make use of several stimuli in the form of set design, costumes, and more to embellish the impact of the story being told. But the essence of storytelling at its best is seen when a child tries to convey to what happened in his life at school that day. Or what he saw during the last play to which you took him.

Animated, uninhibited, and unaided by props

With the characteristic enthusiasm reserved for children and the associated lack of any inhibition, he takes the stage right in your family room, dining room, or wherever. Out comes the narration of the story, whatever tickled his fancy that day, as he relives his experience he wants to share with you.

While he may use vocal variety as he sees fit, the characteristic feature of his storytelling is the actions, the gestures he makes, and the way he is animated, lost in the story that comes out of him. Be it a story of a pirate ship on the high seas, or that of urchin Gavroche in Parisian troubles captured in the show Les Miserables, his total immersion in the story brings out the message loud and clear.

The beauty of a child’s storytelling is that there are no props, no stage, and no set. He is the consummate storyteller. He is, in fact, an actor. If you can be an actor like him, with a full complement of gestures accompanying, you too will keep your audience spellbound. 

3. Acting is entertaining

By nature, acting is storytelling, and it is engaging. It is engaging because it is entertaining, making the listeners get absorbed in the message. If you can infuse a little storytelling in your speech, any speech, the message you wish to convey makes its way over that much smoother.

How can every speech you plan on giving become a story?

Examples of any idea is, by nature, a story. Large or small, there is a storytelling component. Case studies are somewhat elaborate in setting up the context, defining a problem, and addressing the problem to illustrate the topic of your speech. At other times, even a dry subject like mathematics or physics can be brought to life with concrete and practical examples. In each of these instances, you need a way to let the audience visualize what you are trying to convey.

Gestures paint the picture in the air

With nothing more than a frown of your eyebrow, you can let your audience feel the perplexity of someone in your story, or the absurdity of a situation in your story. There are so many more expressions your face alone can convey. Your hands can bring to life small and big items, rising and falling trends, and much more.

Add the rest of your body in forming these animated expressions, you will be as entertaining and as effective as the child we talked about. All of this without even considering other tools of engagement like vocal variety and eye contact.

Won’t gestures like a child seem too artificial or contrived?

Only when introduced deliberately and just as preconceived strategy. Many speakers realize that gestures are important in their speech. They choreograph planned gestures to embellish the experience. If the immersion in the speech topic and the animation is lacking, it will show. 

The trick is to train to be the character you portray. Good actors do this all the time. They empathize with the character during rehearsals and become their character during the show. You can do the same with the right mindset. If you shed inhibitions like that child, it will soon be second nature to bring out those convincing gestures to wow your audience.

 

Need practice shedding your inhibitions and developing great gestures? Visit us at one of our meetings! Check our meeting dates here.

A powerful way to bond with your audience

‘Yesterday’ was arguably the most successful song that Paul McCartney wrote. Despite having several detractors, this “Beatles” song has enjoyed immense popularity. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, voted the best song of the 20th century, and has been named the #1 pop song of all time. Thousands of different versions of it have been recorded by professional singers and was cited by Guinness World Records as the most recorded song of all time.

A success of this magnitude arose because McCartney touched the heart of each listener with the song. He felt it was one of the most instinctive songs he had ever written and this natural flow from his heart helped him bond with his fans.

While McCartney communicated through music, your speech can be as effective in communicating your ideas to your audience if you bond with them. When you establish such a bond, your audience could become your fans too. There are different ways to achieve this bonding but the most powerful is also one of the simplest.

What is bonding with an audience?

As you speak to an audience, large or small, there are several people to whom you are communicating. Bonding in any context is the establishment of a personal connection between individuals. The ultimate bonding during a speech occurs when the listeners feel that you are speaking to them on a personal level.

How would you establish the bonding?

The most powerful technique to initiate the bonding with an audience member during your speech is making eye contact. The simple act of looking at a person as you speak invokes a conversation with that individual. Regardless of how many other eyes are witnessing it, you are now in conversation with that one person. 

Why should you bond with your audience one at a time?

When a listener feels that the speaker is speaking directly to them, they feel interested in that conversation. They pay more attention to what you say and would react to it with their own gestures that resemble a dialog. They may nod to indicate agreement, smile or laugh or offer several other subtle gestures as feedback to your talking to them. This engagement energizes you and helps you deliver your speech with more conviction and comfort. After you establish a connection with someone, even as you fix your gaze on someone else later on, the relationship persists through the speech. One by one, you draw in all of your audience to your message.

Who would you bond with in a large gathering?

A small gathering is intimate; so it is usually natural to feel at ease starting a conversation with someone sitting near you. It is also likely that you can bond with every one of your listeners. In a large gathering, several of the audience members seem too far away. However, you will be amazed how easy it is to make eye contact even at a distance. It is not possible to do this with every single individual when there are so many, but you should spread your attention to all parts of the audience and pick a person in each ‘neighborhood’ to follow this technique. This balanced approach draws everyone in.

How long would you bond with one person?

The eye contact should last long enough to signal a personal conversation, but not too long. Some audience members may feel uneasy if your gaze is fixed on them for too long, and other members may feel left out if you cling to just one person for too long. It is generally good to linger long enough to make a quick point with a sentence or two, and then move on to make the next point.

When would you not focus on bonding?

There are times when you may have a visual aid or making specific gestures that bring out a story when you suspend your efforts to make eye contact. As long as most of your speech paid attention to eye contact and the resulting bonding, the segments where you don’t do it feel a natural extension of the bonding experience. Remember, even in one on one conversation, there are times when you may need to look away to convey a point.

Milestones recognized: Venkat Raman, Sandra Savage

Our meeting today was refreshing as it benefited from a sudden influx of nine guests! One of them was our very own Area Director, John Dinh. John was visiting us at the perfect time to let the guests see how member accomplishments are recognized. More on that later.

The evening started slightly off-balance, as some of the gates to enter the premises were locked up as this is a vacation week for the school district, our facility host. But we made up for it in having a well-attended, full length meeting that sported three substantial speeches.

Pravesh introduced us to the concept of Blockchain Technology and Sara helped us understand the aspects of healthy living that keeps food, exercise, sleep, and stress in balance. The unexpected bonanza was when John Dinh offered to fill an open speech slot with his presentation on how prepare for a speech! He also tripled up as an evaluator of Sara’s speech. John was wearing different hats today.

In addition to the prepared speeches, our table topics were also engaging our guests. A few of them volunteered to speak, always the fun part of our meetings.

The meeting ended with an opportunity to go through a mini-awards ceremony where an individual accomplishment was recognized by Pravesh, our VP of Education, and two members with district level accomplishments last year were recognized by John Dinh, in his capacity as our Area Director.

Venkat Raman receiving the OATM award from  John Dinh

John presented the plaque to Venkat Raman in recognition of his qualifying for the Outstanding Achievement Toastmaster (OATM) award. John also recognized a Triple Crown award (for completing three or more milestones in the year) to Sandra Savage, who was unable to be present at the club meeting.

Venkat Raman receiving the HPL certificate from Pravesh Kumar

In addition, Pravesh Kumar, VPE of our club, presented the Certificate of Completion to Venkat Raman in recognition of his efforts on a High Performance Leadership (HPL) project.

 

 

How to submit Pathways level completion awards and not lose them

We saw what it takes to keep making progress with Pathways for any member of a club. How they would work with projects in their current level of their path, and also how they flag to the VPE that they have completed a level.

Of course, we also touched upon what the VPE would do to approve that level completion and enable the member to proceed with the next level of their path. Without this approval, members cannot move on.

But none of this actually gives credit to the club, scoring points towards its distinguished status. The VPE must take another action, disjoint from the above.

Key decision taken for Spring Contest

You are likely already aware that we won’t have a fall contest this year. The earlier post assumed that the spring contest will have International Speech Contest and the Table Topics Contest as usual.

However, that assumption was off the mark as the change also brought in the option of choosing any of the available contests for one of the two spring contests.

We’re now on Meetup

City Speech has joined forces with several other clubs in Division I and is now featured in the brand new meetup created yesterday by Division I.

The new Meetup group, Power of Speaking, is still being filled out with meetup listings. Spearheaded by the expert guidance of Ken Chow, Architect of the whole setup, we have just been approved by meetup.com.

City Speech used to be part of a different meetup group and we have seen guests attending meetings through our listing there. With this renewed effort, there is more focus on managing these listings.

With the pool of clubs participating in this group all contributing to the listings, our calendar is surely going to look busy! We need to manage our listings well so that people browsing on the web take notice.

Exciting times for public relations!

We’ll keep you updated on how this works out for us as time goes on.