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Darren's Meeting Ideas!Many people never experience Toastmasters outside of their own club. I wish everyone would attend a national or district conference at least once! For an excellent way to improve one's skills is to seek out more learning. There is a whole world out there, and the club experience is just one part of that. If you can't bring Mohammed to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammed. How? Darren's Favorite Table Topics Evaluation Workshop or Judging Workshop Watch "How I Went from Chump to Champ" (45 minutes) Watch Darren Dissect His World Championship Speech (40 minutes) Watch Video Magic Moments - Hosted by David Brooks, 1990 World Champion Darren's Favorite Table Topics One of Darren's preferred teaching methods is to get people to stretch their comfort zone while onstage. His favorite is the table topic master method where, using a flip chart, he draws three stick figures doing exaggerated gestures (e.g., arms completely out stretched "this big," raising hand up as high as possible while on tip toes, and crouching down holding one hand just inches off the ground). He selects a very simple "topic" and asks participants to incorporate all three gestures into their presentation. This gives people permission to do what they may normally not do. It is usually great fun seeing people act outside their comfort zones, especially people who have been around Toastmasters for awhile. The table topic master method helps you develop your "gesture" muscle! After using this technique your larger gestures will feel more natural. An important habit Darren learned during his comedy experience was to record himself every time he performed. When Darren began coaching CEOs and executives on presentation skills, he assigned homework to them. They were to watch the video of their presentations. They rarely did. Most people find it painful to watch oneself on video or to hear their voice on audio. Now Darren watches it with them. His favorite part? Watching their faces as discover what they really look like while presenting. Darren suggests getting an old VHS camera that uses standard-size VHS. One benefit is there is no tedious dubbing involved. My own home club, Early Risers in Worcester, Massachusetts does this. Older models can be found dirt-cheap at yard sales or on e-bay. This way you can hand the tape to people that day. You can also recycle the videotapes as well. Video too difficult? How about audio? Give people a simple audio tape of their speech. It will teach them volumes about their own skills. Darren considers the audio tape to be an "Umm," "Ah" counter on steroids. Evaluation Workshop or Judging Workshop World Championship Contest videos* were invaluable to Darren and to his learning presentation skills from the best. He studied ten years of videos as he prepared for his run for the trophy. Why not show four speeches in random order? Have people evaluate or judge them. See if they agree with the judges from the World Championship. After the votes are in let people know whom the judges chose. Discuss any differences. Additionally, this gives members exposure to events and speakers outside of their club. And it allows advanced speakers to have something to shoot for. *Darren does not receive any compensation from the sale of contest videos. He believes they are a valuable resource for everyone. More info about videos and audios: www.billspro.com Watch "How I Went from Chump to Champ" (45 minutes) Darren learned more in 77 days after winning his regional contest than he did in ten years of speaking and comedy (those ten years helped too). He became completely motivated and a voracious sponge. He studied ten years of contest videos (90 world-class speeches) and watched the winners over and over to discover what the difference was between the people who came in first and the people who came in second. Darren discovered three things the World Champions had in common. Want to know what they are? Let Darren tell your club by showing his video: The Path to Powerful Presentations - How I Went from Chump to Champ. In this video they will experience Darren's winning speech and see a clip of Darren's very first time onstage as a comedian. It is inspiring to every Toastmaster! You won't believe how BAD he was! Darren is living proof anyone can learn presentation skills ... ANYONE! Watch Darren Dissect His World Championship Speech (40 minutes) As Darren laboriously studied the contest winners who preceded him, he was taken by the brilliance of the winning speeches. He was, however, more curious about the process of creating these speeches. How did they do it? How did they make their decisions? Why? What was their thought process? What were their concerns? How did they compensate for their own weaknesses? How did they strategize? What was going through their mind as they delivered the winning speech? Darren wanted to answer these questions for those studying his speech. One of his biggest concerns was the memorization, definitely one of his weaknesses. He ended up turning it into a key differentiator. You will be given the inside track on his thought process. You'll watch the speech in short segments, as Darren stops the tape and explains what is behind each section. Your fears and concerns are the same as Darren's. The biggest difference is how he handled them. You'll never look at a championship speech the same way again. Watch Video Magic Moments - Hosted by David Brooks, 1990 World Champion Every year the World Championship of Public Speaking contest is videotaped. The winning speeches are amazing, and there is so much to learn from many of the contestants. There are "Magic Moments" in many speeches. What if someone collected some of the magic moments of a decade of contests? Well, David Brooks, 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking compiled and hosted the bestselling educational workshop video in the history of Toastmasters. This is a great club resource. Start a resource library for your club. More info: e-mail David Brooks, 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking: brooks@texas.net |
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