1 January2011

From Stuttering to Public Speaking

How to set amazing goalsand achieve your dreams.

www.toastmasters.org Achieve Your Educational Goals

HumorBoosters

The Joy ofMentoring

®

How to getbigger laughs.

January 2011

2 TOASTMASTER January 2011

V I E W P O I N TPublisherEditorAssociate Editors

Editorial AssistantArt DirectionGraphic Design

Daniel Rex

Suzanne Frey

Beth BlackPaul Sterman

Katie De Boer

Susan Campbell

Deidre Gaffney

International President

International President-Elect

First Vice President

Second Vice President

Immediate Past President

Executive Director

Secretary-Treasurer

Pat Johnson, DTMVictoria, British Columbia, Canada

Michael R. Notaro, DTMAlameda, California

John Lau, DTMKuching, Malaysia

George Yen, DTMTaipei, Taiwan

Gary Schmidt, DTMClackamas, Oregon

Daniel RexMission Viejo, California

Sally Newell CohenMission Viejo, California

Emmy Hager, DTMEverett, Washington

ASSIGNED TO REGION 1

Ken Cawley, DTMStockton, California


Kevin Doyle, DTMHonolulu, Hawaii


Pamela McCown, DTMPasadena, Texas


Jacquie Schnider, DTMCalgary, Alberta, Canada


Ron Kirchgessner, DTMGreenwood, Indiana


Gina Cook, DTMKanata, Ontario, Canada


Heath Suddleson, DTMPotomac, Maryland


Pamela Christopher, DTMUnion Grove, North CarolinaASSIGNED TO REGION 8

David Hollingshead, DTMJacksonville, FloridaASSIGNED TO REGION 8

Susan Dalati, DTMManotick, Ontario, CanadaASSIGNED TO REGION 9

Roberta Perry, DTMLos Angeles, CaliforniaASSIGNED TO REGION 10

Theo Black, DTMWayzata, MinnesotaASSIGNED TO REGION 11

Mike Storkey, DTMAirlie Beach, Queensland, AustraliaASSIGNED TO REGION 12

Keith Ostergard, DTMBeijing, ChinaASSIGNED TO REGION 13

Gea Ban Peng, DTMSingaporeASSIGNED TO REGION 14

TOASTMASTER

The TOASTMASTER Magazine (ISSN 00408263) is published monthly byToastmasters International, Inc., 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita,CA 92688, U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Mission Viejo, CA and additionalmailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address change to The TOASTMASTERMagazine, P.O. Box 9052, Mission Viejo, CA 92690, U.S.A.

Published to promote the ideas and goals of Toastmasters Inter national, anon profit educational organization of clubs throughout the world dedicatedto teaching skills in public speaking and leadership. Members’ subscriptionsare included in the $27 semi annual dues.

The official publication of Toastmasters International carries authorizednotices and articles regarding the activities and interests of the organization,but responsibility is not assumed for the opinions of the authors of other articles. The TOASTMASTER magazine does not endorse or guarantee the products it advertises.

Copyright 2010 Toastmasters International, Inc. All rights reserved.Repro duction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.Not responsible for unsolicited material.

Toastmasters International, The TOASTMASTER, and the ToastmasterInter national Emblem are trademarks of Toastmasters International registeredin the United States, Canada and many other countries. Marca registrada enMexico. Printed in U.S.A.

Printed on Recycled Paper

TI OFFICERS AND DIRECTORSFounder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley (1878-1965)

2010-2011 OFFICERS

2010-2011 DIRECTORS

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONALP.O. Box 9052 • Mission Viejo, CA 92690 U.S.A.

(949) 858-8255 • Fax:(949) 858-1207Voicemail: (949) 835-1300members.toastmasters.org

CONTACTING WORLD HEADQUARTERS

For information on joiningor building a club, visit: www.toastmasters.org

Article submission: [email protected]

Letters to the Editor: [email protected]

To change address,log in to: www.toastmasters.org/members

Pat Johnson, DTMInternational President

� Listening is a fascinatingprocess. I often find myselfthinking about listening andhow much energy it consumes.As Toastmasters, we enjoy

having someone who listens tous, who simply attends to us while suspending judgment and activities. It is themost amazing experience to feel heard and understood.The Toastmasters program teaches us to become careful listeners. Listening

is a fading skill. And yet, in Toastmasters we reference “better listening, think-ing and speaking skills.” I love that listening comes before thinking andspeaking. We need to be attentive listeners in order to become great commu-nicators. One way we learn this is through the role of grammarian. We trainour ears to hear the Word of the Day, filler words, verbal viruses, descriptivelanguage and brilliant turns-of-phrase that speakers use. And as speech evaluators, we learn to listen for the objectives of the

speech, and for congruency between words and body language. We also listen objectively and without judgment. Former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk wrote, “One of the best ways

to persuade others is with your ears – by listening to them.”A fun exercise to try next time you meet a group of friends is the

“Listening Game.” See if you can identify, in your own mind, which peopleexhibit these types of listening qualities:

� Ignoring – choosing not to listen to the person speaking.� Pretending – inserting phrases like “uh huh” and “oh yeah,” while pretending to listen.

� Selective listening – hearing only the portion the listener is interested in.� Attentive listening – paying attention and focusing energy on the words spoken.� Empathic listening – listening with the intent to understand. This is whenwe get into the speaker’s frame of reference, see the world as they see it,understand their viewpoints and understand how they feel.

Empathic listening ought to be our goal as Toastmasters. I leave you withthese final words by author and psychotherapist Sue Patton Thoele: “Deep listen-ing is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us withopen-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.”

ListenWith Your HeartEmpathic listening involves much more than registering, reflecting, or even understanding thewords that are said. Communications experts estimate that 10 percent of our communication isrepresented by the words we say, 30 percent isrepresented by our sounds and 60 percent by ourbody language. In empathic listening, you listenwith your ears ...with your eyes and with yourheart. You listen for feeling, for meaning. You listen for behavior. You use your right brain aswell as your left. You sense, you intuit, you feel.

– Stephen R.Covey,The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOASTMASTER January 2011 3

A Toastmaster’s PromiseAs a member of Toastmasters International and my club, I promise . . .

� To attend club meetings regularly;� To prepare all of my speech and leadership projects to the best of my ability,basing them on projects in the Competent Communication manual, AdvancedCommunication manuals or Competent Leadership manual;

� To prepare for and fulfill meeting assignments;� To provide fellow members with helpful, constructive evaluations;� To help the club maintain the positive, friendly environment necessary for all members to learn and grow;

� To serve my club as an officer when called upon to do so;� To treat my fellow club members and our guests with respect and courtesy;� To bring guests to club meetings so they can see the benefits Toastmasters membership offers;

� To adhere to the guidelines and rules for all Toastmasters educational and recognition programs;

� To maintain honest and highly ethical standards during the conduct of allToastmasters activities.

Creating Your Bucket ListSet amazing goals and achieve your dreams in 2011.By Craig Harrison, DTM

PAGE 8

Humor BoostersHow to get bigger laughs.By Gene Perret

PAGE 16

– AND –

Six Ways To Pack a Killer PunchlineBy Jan McInnis

PAGE 18

Make A Scene!Market your club with do-it-yourself video.By Lin Grensing-Pophal

PAGE 24

& 2 Viewpoint: Listen With Your Heart By International President Pat Johnson, DTM

4 Letters to the Editor 5 My Turn: Dream Big, Act Big in 2011 Running 100 marathons and giving

100 speeches in 100 days. By Croix Sather

6 How To: Achieving Your Educational Goals When success is mere steps away. By Alison Horner

12 Find Your FOCUS How to stay on track and fulfill your ambitions. By Patricia Robinson

14 The Joy of Mentoring Helping new members brings

unexpected rewards. By Bob Armstrong, DTM

20 Profile: From Stuttering toPublic Speaking

These members took control of their speech and their lives. By Julie Bawden Davis

28 Membership Building: Stand Out With Video Make your club Web site come alive! By Barbara Seymour Giordano

30 Funny You Should Say That: Say What? Tackling the task of gleaning a meaning. By John Cadley

ARTICLESDEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

January 2011Volume 77, No. 1

LETTERS


and told the story of my niece. Attimes people laughed, at other timesthey cried. At one point, I effectivelydescribed a very difficult time in myniece’s life. Sometimes just the tonein my voice made a difference.

Afterward my sister told me howamazed everyone was. Many toldher how I had looked directly atthem while I spoke.

I thank Toastmasters for the train-ing to step forward at a delicate time,take charge of the room and help inthe healing process. “Why Toast -masters?” Now I know why.Lois M. Lockhart, ATMB, CL • Chehalis-Centralia ToastmastersCentralia, Washington

Toastmasters, the Best Experience EverOriginally from East Germany, immi-grating to West Germany before thewall came down, moving to NewZealand about 14 years ago and join-ing Toastmasters four months ago, mylife has changed so much. Thanks,Toastmasters, for helping me createmore positive change in my life.

With English as my second lan-guage, Toastmasters has given me agreater understanding and confidenceto speak in public. I already havethree speeches lined up for the nextfour weeks, with the big gest audiencebeing 250 people, including a cookingdemonstration in a large company!

I love reading the Toastmastermagazine from cover to cover – it’sso interesting and alive. Toastmastersmem bership should be compulsoryin schools to help students from anearly age build up their confidenceto speak in front of other people.Steffi Mueller • Excel Toastmasters • Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

their best. The competitors put in a tremendous am ount of effort anddeserve an environment that facili-tates their presentations.

All too often organizers are eagerto showcase their own ability, makinglong introductions and announce-ments, highlighting upcoming events,etc., while the contestants speaktoward the end of a long eveningwhen they are tired. When I com-pete, I much prefer that our speech-es take place before any announce-ments or speeches by dignitaries.James Ng, ACB • Unionville Toastmasters • Markham, Ontario, Canada

New TI Champ Inspires OthersI loved Beth Black’s article, “A Death-Defying Flight to Victory” (Novem -ber), about David Henderson, Toast -masters’ new World Champion ofPublic Speak ing. I enjoyed learningmore about David and how he craft-ed and molded his World Champion -ship speech. I especially liked hiscomment: “We get so wrapped up in our own ideas that we justassume other people are going toget wrap p ed up in our ideas, too.”

It’s a dream of mine to win theWorld Championship, and I ammaking my run this year. So thisarticle was well timed!Ryan Jenkins • Peachtree Club • Atlanta, Georgia

Why Toastmasters?For more than 10 years I have been a member of our local Toastmastersclub. I am 72 years old, and over andover again I have been asked, “WhyToastmasters?” After all, my businessyears are in the past. However, I sim-ply enjoy Toastmasters.

About a month ago my 44-year-old niece died unexpectedly. I wasasked to do the eulogy in front ofabout 90 people. The audience sawme being led forward with my walk-er – just a little old lady with physicalchallenges. Then I opened my mouth

Speak Less About SportsAs a student and enthusiast of foreign languages, what I like bestabout Toast masters is its internationalflavor. I like practicing the languagesI study with fellow Toastmasters offoreign origin. However, I have togive a thumbs down to the Octoberissue of the Toastmaster magazine,for its mega-focus on sports.

I feel that sports, and athletes, arealready overglorified – even deified –in our society at large. If athleteshear a clap of thunder, they walkover to the window and take a bow!Lawrence K. Marsh, CC • Tech Corridor ToastmastersGaithersburg, Maryland

Testosterone OverloadThe Toastmaster magazine’s Octoberissue was an interesting one, but I’mstill suffering from residual testos-terone overload. The articles werealmost exclusively male-oriented(with the exception of the piece onformer basketball coach Celia Slaterand the inclusion of Laura Mallory inthe story about her dad and brothersclimbing Mount Everest).

I was particularly surprised thatin the main feature, “Speaking aboutSports,” the author didn’t include a single woman. Out of the nearly260,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in 113 countries . . . ?

Just as gender-specific languageis something we need to avoid in our speaking assignments, theToastmaster magazine needs to becareful to present a more balancedimage in its coverage. Barbara Bigham • Keizer Communicators • Keizer, Oregon

A Word About ContestsAs Janet Reese points out in her article “Planning a Speech Contest”(Nov ember), it indeed takes a lot of planning to organize a goodspeech contest. Some organizers for-get that a good contest is one thatallows the contestants to perform

Do you have something to say? Write it in 200 wordsor less, sign it with your name, address and clubaffiliation and send it to [email protected].

Looking for the 2010 Magazine Article Index?

Past articles, indexed by year, can be found on

www.toastmasters.org/articleindex.aspx

MY TURN

J anuar y 2011 TOASTMASTER 5

Toastmasters clubs in my first yearto learn how to inspire audiences. I spoke at each meeting, earned a Competent Communicator awardand became a division governor. I spoke at district conferences andat events in the community. Myimmersion in Toastmasters is themain reason for my success. My greatest fear is to be at the end

of my life only to see that I couldhave done more. To realize how mylife would have been different if only I had insisted on great things insteadof settling for what was merely good.Rise to your potential. Dream big

as a Toastmaster and make this theyear your dreams come true.

Croix Sather is a member of theWest-Conn Toastmasters club inDanbury, Connecticut, and theauthor of the book, Dream Big, Act Big – Become a Superstar in 100 Days. Reach him at [email protected] or visit hisWeb site,www.dreambigactbig.com,to learn more about his cross-country project.

T

What Will You Do?If you achieve only one thing thiscoming year, what is the one bigthing that will make your life amaz-ing or make the world a better place?If you could do anything and failurewas impossible, what would you do?Start a foundation, complete theToastmasters Competent Comm -unication manual, become a profes-sional speaker or lose 50 pounds? My purpose in running across

America is to prove that anything ispossible and to motivate people torealize their own dreams. I haveonly been running for a couple ofyears and trained for this in lessthan a year. If I can do this, whatcan you do?The common goal-setting advice

is to make a detailed plan to achieveyour milestones. How can you knowwhat to put in the plan? You can’t.Create the framework and the coregoals, and then start taking action.Be flexible, adjust to setbacks, butalways move forward! This is how I overcame the logistical challengesof the run, speaking tour, sponsor-ship, media relations and building a support team. A dream and a plan means nothing

if you do not take action. Not just any action – big, massive, bold action.Every free waking moment must bededicated to your dream. That may be15 minutes a day or 15 hours. Keep a rewarding balance with your familylife and health, but the rest is focusedenergy toward your dream. Turn offthe TV, e-mail and Face book. When I began speaking in pub-

lic, I was a dreadful speaker. Then I took big, bold action: I joined five

Running 100 marathons and giving 100 speeches in 100 days.

�What big thing will you accom-plish this year? Did you reach outand make your dream a reality?Don’t be afraid of dreaming large.As Michelangelo said, “The greaterdanger for most of us lies not insetting our aim too high and fallingshort; but in setting our aim toolow and achieving our mark.”I have aimed high with my own

dream. Starting on February 26, Iwill embark on a cross-country venture that combines two of mygreatest passions: running andspeaking. It’s called the Dream Big,Act Big Inspiration Tour – 100Marathons, 100 Seminars, 100 Days.I plan to run 3,100 miles from

San Diego, California, to New YorkCity. Each morning I will speak to anaudience, encouraging them to followtheir dreams and rise above their circumstances. Then each afternoon I will run 30 miles (a little more thanone full marathon) to my next stop. Iwill do this for 100 consecutive days.Thus, 100 marathons and 100

speeches in 100 days.Most of the speeches will be

charitable talks to people in under-served communities scattered acrossAmerica. In addition, I’ll speak at anumber of Toastmasters clubs alongthe way. (To nominate your ownclub as a speaking stop, go towww.dreambigactbig.com.) My running stamina and my

Toast masters training will be hugeassets in this epic endeavor. I wantedto launch a project that was biggerand better than any I’ve done before– and one that would help people. Because I believe in myself and

my dream, I know I’ll succeed.

Croix Sather

Dream Big, Act Big in 2011

6 TOASTMASTER J anuar y 2011

HOW TO By Alison Horner

Achieving Your Educational Goalssays. “Think: How many meetingsdoes my club have in that timeframe and how many speeches orroles do I need to fill? If I need tofill more roles than my club hasmeetings, then perhaps I need tovisit another club. Be strategic.”Joining multiple clubs can be aneffective tactic if you’d like toachieve your goal quickly. Martinjoined four clubs so that she couldrapidly meet her goals.

Be sure to consider the impactyour goal’s time commitment willhave on those in your life. Cooperalerted her family and childcareproviders about her plans and thetimeframe, so they could pitch induring her year as area governor.Notifying your VPE and otherclub members of your goal willhelp you get scheduled in theappropriate roles.

Tips for SuccessWith your game plan nearly finished,consider incorporating some ideasfrom the following experiencedToastmasters. Daniel Pollard, DTMof the United States Department of Education FSA Toastmasters club in Washington, D.C., empha-sizes building bonds with otherToast masters. “Go to a variety ofevents outside your club, such asarea contests and training events, to network,” he advises. By meetingother Toast masters you will learn of opportunities to speak at other

Arthuretta Martin, of the Get Up To Speak (GUTS)Toastmasters club in

Annandale, Virginia, earned fiveToastmasters educational awards in a single year. Countess ClarkeCooper of the United States Depart -ment of Education Federal StudentAid (FSA) Toastmasters club in

Arlington, Virginia, worked towardher Distinguished Toastmaster(DTM), the highest achievement inToastmasters, while juggling beinga single parent, working multiplejobs and serving as an area gover-nor. As you set your sights on yourown educational goal for the current Toastmasters year, considerthe advice of these, and other, successful Toastmasters.

Pick a Goal in Linewith Your PrioritiesPeople who tie their educationalgoal to their personal or profession-al priorities have greater motivationto complete their goal, especiallywhen things get tough. Martin,whoserves as Vice President Edu cation(VPE) for her club, notes that thosewho achieve their educational goals

know exactly why they’re inToastmasters. “They have a visionand know what they want to getout of their time.” For example,Martin’s Toastmasters goals felldirectly in line with her desire tobecome a professional speaker.Cooper places a high value on personal growth and development,

which the Toastmasters programassists her in achieving.

Consider: What are your top priorities in life? Which Toast mas -ters goal is most in line with yourpriorities? Depending on your situa-tion, you may be more interestedin the communication track, theleadership track, becoming a Dis -tinguished Toastmaster (DTM) orserving as a club officer.

Create a Game PlanOnce you decide which Toastmastersgoal holds the most meaning foryou, it’s time to create a game planthat is tailored to your life. Coopersays that although Toastmasters laysout an overall structure for achiev-ing goals, it helps to make the cur-riculum personal. “Put dates by yourgoal; then work backward.” she

When success is mere steps away.

“Achieving a Toastmasters’ educational

goal is a stepping stone along the way

to achieving a larger personal goal.”


clubs, identify people who canserve as advisors and benefit fromlearning about their experiences.

Pollard further notes that “Peopleseem to help each other in Toast -masters. The key is to let peopleknow when you need help. If youdon’t tell people when you needhelp they’ll have no way of know-ing.” Reach out to others if you aregetting stuck or need assistance.

James Scarborough, DTM, of the Foggy Bottom Toastmasters club inWashington, D.C., counsels, “Alwaysbe working on something and getcredit for it.” For example, whenserv ing as an area governor, there are many opportunities to speak.Get credit for those speeches. Finally,one of the more difficult requirementsis the High Performance LeadershipProgram – which you can start earlierthan one might expect. While thisprogram falls under requirementsfor the Advanced Leader Silveraward, you can begin it at any time.Pollard directs, “Get a head start bylooking at this program early.”

Achieving Your GoalIt happens to Toastmasters every dayand it can happen to you. Your per-sonal or professional life can leap from

designing their life’s direction. Sheis proud to have completed her CCin August. Her Web site is www.alisonelissa.com. She can bereached at [email protected].

mere dreams to amazing reality withthe benefit of Toastmasters training.Achieving a Toastmasters educationalgoal is a stepping stone along the wayto achieving a larger personal goal.And with each step you take closer tothat new reality, you’ll find even morereasons to pursue those goals.

You may be looking to advanceyour career through improved pub-lic speaking or leadership skills,increase your network and sense of community, or pursue personalgrowth through the Toastmastersprogram. These are all terrific ben-efits of succeeding with each goal.

What’s more, you’ll develop theconfidence and skills to pursue yourultimate goal. If you don’t alreadyhave an ultimate goal, now may bethe time to consider it: Where are youplanning to take the experience andknowledge you gained in Toast -masters? Which of your educationalgoals was your favorite? What did youenjoy achieving the most? Answerthese to help you integrate yourToastmasters education into your personal or professional life. Thenget ready to meet your dreams!

Alison Horner assists college studentsand young professionals with

T


Creating YourBucket List

Illustrations by Chris Murphy

How to set amazinggoals and achieveyour dreams.

Kick the Bucket: To die, pass away (English slang).Bucket List: A list of aspirations one wishes to achieve in one’s lifetime before dying.The Toastmasters Bucket List: A list of personal or professional goals within Toastmasters or resulting from involvement with Toastmasters clubs, contests or curriculum.

By Craig Harrison, DTM


with goals and dreams inspired by Toastmasters, or madepossible by the skills, confidence, experiences and rela-tionships forged through your Toastmasters experience. For inspiration, have you thought about what you

like? From there, it’s easy to formulate goals:

You: I like to speak and I love to travel.

Goal: Speak to clubs in all 50 United States, or inevery province in Canada or China, or to clubson every continent.

You: I like to compete in speech contests.

Goal: Win the World Championship of Public Speaking.

You: I like to share what I’ve learned and help othersfind success in life.

Goal: Start a Youth Leadership Program at a localhigh school.

You can also choose goals based on the toolsyou’ve developed in Toastmasters.

You: I can share the gift of improved communicationand leadership skills.

Goal: Start a club at your favorite nonprofit or otherorganization dedicated to improving life in yourcommunity.

You: I’ve learned a lot about leadership, communica-tion and conflict resolution.

Goal: Run for political office on the local or nationallevel – or for a seat on Toastmasters’International Board of Directors.

The key is that you go for your goal – building onwhat you have learned so far – and that it be mean-ingful, powerful and transformative. “If you have adream, go for it.” So says Marshall Goldsmith, best-selling author, management guru and executive coach.“If you don’t try to achieve your dreams when you are25, you probably won’t when you are 45, 65 or 85.None of us will achieve all of our dreams.” Goldsmith, the author of Mojo and What Got You

Here Won’t Get You There, helps top executives makelasting changes to increase their effectiveness. He ad -vises: “The key question is not, ‘Did I achieve all ofmy dreams?’ The key question is, ‘Did I at least try?’Old people almost never regretted the risks they tookthat failed. They almost always regretted the risks thatthey failed to take.”

In The Bucket List (Warner Bros., 2008), a movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, two menfacing terminal illness realize they have limited time toachieve their goals. They construct a list of places tovisit and experiences to enjoy; then they set aboutachieving them.But why wait until you’re old or ill to pursue aspira-

tions you yearn to achieve? Now is the time to makeyour list, announce your intentions to others and workto achieve your dreams. Your Toastmasters club andworldwide network are poised to assist you in pursuit of all the goals on your Bucket List.

Your Toastmasters Bucket ListEarning educational awards all the way to your DTM isfantastic. You can set other goals for yourself as well. As Past International President Helen Blanchard puts it,“If you get out of Toastmasters all there is to get out ofToastmasters, you’ll never get out of Toastmasters.” Myquestion is: What else, in this lifetime, would you like to achieve as aToastmaster? Consider 53-

year-old BuddyBurke, CL, ofSunrise Toast -masters in WalnutCreek, California,who ran forCongress inCalifornia’s 10thDistrict in 2010.“It was something I alwayswanted to do. The only question was when.” The cata-lyst: Toast masters! “I felt like I was five steps ahead due tomy Toast masters experience,” said Burke, who en tered therace with just two months to go. “I hit the ground running,using my communication and leadership skills gleaned inToastmasters. Table Topics really helped me with thequestion-and-answer sessions in my campaigning.”Buddy’s second club, Tales and Tellers in Danville,California, helps him hone his storytelling skills to connectwith voters on a heart level. Though he lost in the prima-ry, he identified 32 lessons he learned from the experi-ence, and plans to run again.

Your Bucket List — Inspired by ToastmastersMany famous people – politicians, actors and businesstycoons – have used Toastmasters to propel them togreatness. You can, too. Your Bucket List may be filled


In that spirit, I’m taking 2011 to fulfill some of mylifelong Bucket List goals. Among the dreams I planto work toward are:

� To tell a tasteful joke in Mandarin, from memory,at the Shanghai Humor Bilingual Toastmasters inShanghai, China. (First step: learn Mandarin.)

� To be a featured storyteller at the National Story -telling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. (I accom-plished one step by participating in an open mic story-telling event at the fes-tival in 2005.)

Now It’s Your Turn:Ready, Set Goal!It may not be easy foryou to decide on goalsfor your list. Don’t beafraid to reach for theambitions of a lifetime.The good news: Ideasput to paper take on apower of their own. Whether you meditate on it aloneor hold a brainstorming session with others, you can for-mulate a spectacular Bucket List. The following ques-tions can help:

Where else do I want to go?

What else do I want to achieve?

Who do I want to become?

Use the answers to build your list. Your goals can be an exciting blend of people to meet; places to visit or live; and companies to work for, do business with oremulate when starting your own enterprise. Are theresignificant events you want to attend? Would you like to run with the bulls in Pamplona? Create your own reality TV show? Play at Carnegie Hall? Experience theSummer Solstice at Stonehenge in England? How aboutthe Cherry Blossom Festivals in Japan in April? The ideasend where your imagination stops.

Your List Should Be Under Constant ConstructionAuthor, entrepreneur and former Toastmaster HarveyMackay told me his friend, American Hall of Fame footballcoach Lou Holtz, once made a list of 108 goals he had forhis life. Among his goals: Win a national championship incollege football, meet the Pope and parachute out of anairplane. Each time he achieved one of his goals hechecked it off his list ... and replaced it with a new goal!

Ask yourself, “What’s new that I want to achieve?”Remember to continue to be bold. In fact, as you checkoff ambitious goals, you should gain the courage to addeven more amazing dreams. Allow the items on your listto stretch you as a human being.

When you’ve created your initial list and you’re readywith plans for more goals, the next step is to start mak-ing them happen.

Achieving Your Bucket List GoalsRemember these guidelines to help you work throughyour list:� Set it in cement. Whether you handwrite or type yourlist, number each goal and commit it to paper.(Keeping it “in your head” will hold you back.)

� Love the adventure. Don’t just write your ambitionsdown; post them so you can see them regularly.Whether goals areframed on your officewall, displayed onyour computer screenor read aloud beforeyou go to sleep eachnight and then uponwaking – be “in arelationship” withyour Bucket List goals.

� Share the list throughspeeches, conversa-tions with others,your writings, journaling, blogging, tweeting and more.

� Ask yourself: Can the High Performance Leadership program help? Many Toastmasters find it facilitatesachieving all or part of their goals.

� Find resources. Remember, the Toastmasters onlinestore has resources to help you achieve your goals.

� Generate fans. Use social media to share your BucketList with your network and garner support fromaround the world. Communicate with them regularlyabout your successes and setbacks. There is greatpower in numbers.

� Review your progress weekly. As you work toward aparticular goal, turn it into a mantra. You can evenrecord affirmations related to your goals to listen towhile exercising or meditating, or before falling asleep.

� Ask yourself: Who can help? Build your dream teamof local supporters. Don’t forget your Toastmasters


network: your club, your district, Toastmasters’LinkedIn and Facebook communities and othergroups around the globe.

� Visualize each goal completed. What does it feellike, sound like and look like?

� Identify logical steps along the way. By breakingdown your fantastic goals into smaller steps orphases, you can tackle even the most complex ordifficult goal and make it reachable.

� Hold your vision at all times. On sunny days and rainy days.

� Celebrate! Rejoice in each step achieved along theway (privately and with your team).

� Keep the faith. Understand that some items will occuralmost effortlessly while others will appear to be unat-tainable. Achieving one may open new and unexpect-ed doors to others. You can’t always predict, nor dic-tate, the order in which your goals will be realized.But work toward them every day, week and month.

A Happy Ending“When thinking about a goal, ask yourself, ‘How do I want this story to end?’ Then choose to live in thestory that will have this happy ending.” So advisesMarcia Reynolds, author of Wander Woman: HowHigh-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direct -ion. Reynolds reminds us all that we have little to lose by pursuing our Bucket List. “Most of the timepeople react to a fear that is unclear,” she says. “Oncethey articulate the possible consequences, they seethat the risk is not that big. In fact, the possible gainof freedom, pride and joy is much greater than thepossibility of loss.”

With this in mind, you can build a lot of happyendings before the end of your life.

Craig Harrison, DTM, of Berkeley, California, is a past district governor, a professional speaker, author andfounder of Expressions of Excellence. Contact him viawww.expressionsofexcellence.com/toastmasters/.

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By Patricia Robinson

nothing while never achieving some -thing. When you are physically fitand mentally sound, it makes reach-ing your goals that much easier.Your journey should exhilarate you,not exhaust you to the point thatyou’re too tired to compete. Oppor -tunity sometimes only knocks once,so make sure you’re always alert, fitand ready for the challenges ahead.

Underplay underestimation. Whenyou underestimate your poten-

tial, you set yourself up to fail.Don’t allow others to make youdoubt your abilities. Now is thetime for you to stretch – you will be amazed at the results.

I remember the first time I had to think on my feet during a Toast -masters meeting. I was out of mycomfort zone, but I got through it,and I found myself eagerly volunteer-ing for more off-the-cuff responses.Fear tends to be our first reaction tonew situations. But to overcome thefear of inadequacy you have to takethat leap – you have to try somethingso that you can amaze yourself withunexpected abilities.

Strategize. Sometimes you mayhave to go back to the drawing

board and revise your plan. Strat -egi zing your next move in almostany situation in life is critical. It’simportant to understand that making

Most of us have a hard time staying focused on our long-term

goals. We are confronted with distractions, situations and

inconveniences. So how can we manage the unmanageable?

reminder of where you want tobe. I have a picture of my dreamcar on my refrigerator at home and on my desk at work. I’vemapped out how I plan to pay for my new vehicle and when I can make it happen.

Organize your day but leave timefor situations and circumstances

that inevitably arise. You may notbe able to control every occurrence,but at least you can control how youhandle them. Staying organizedmakes you a better manager of yourtime and gives you power to reachfor your dreams. Try establishing agoal for each hour of your day. Then,create a clear map detailing how thatgoal relates back to your originalplan. In an eight-hour day, that’s eightsteps toward accomplishing yourdream. Don’t have a free eight-hourday? Remember, not all strides needto be huge leaps. What can youaccomplish in part of that time? Sendan e-mail? Call a contact? Small stepscan take you great distances.

Condition yourself to go the dis-tance. Make sure that you don’t

burn yourself out doing too much of

How to stay on track toreach your dreams.

What I discovered when I joinedToastmasters is that in order toachieve success at any given task,you first have to focus. Whether it’scompleting your Competent Comm -unication manual or evaluating aspeech, you must pay close atten-tion to detail and remember yourgoal. Past International PresidentChris Ford, talking about setting andachieving Toastmasters goals, oncewrote, “Distraction is the enemy ofsuccess, so don’t allow other fasci-nating but less productive thingsto divert you from your mission.”

Remember to FOCUS”Focus“ is such a small word but ithas a powerful impact. The key isto never lose sight of your purposeand always return to your plan.

Follow your plan. When you findyourself getting off track, go

back to your written plan. I’velearned that visual aids can reallyhelp keep you on track; they re -mind you of your ultimate goal,and why you need to finish. Thatold cliché, “Out of sight, out ofmind,” is often true! Keep yourplans in clear view as a constant

Find Your FOCUS


hasty moves can be hazardous toyour career, friendships, goals and some times even your health. Sorewrite your plan when necessary,and always be flexible enough tochange direction. Thinking ahead of the game is critical. For example,it helps to know your audience, soif you tell a poorly received jokeduring a speech, you can comeback with another joke that is sureto make them laugh.

John C. Maxwell, the well-knownauthor and expert on leadership,says that if you are talented butunfocused, it’s difficult to succeed,because you’re moving in a thou-sand different directions. Your pathisn’t purposeful – it’s chaotic.

“Focus can bring tremendouspower,” Maxwell writes in Talent isNever Enough Workbook. “Withoutit, you will often feel drained andunable to accomplish much. With ityou will find that your talents andabilities gain direction and intention-ality. And those qualities pay off byproducing results.”

Patricia Robinson is a Pennsylvania-based inspirational speaker, authorand personal development coach.Reach her at [email protected].

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On Your Mark, Get Set ... Go! Race to your 2011 dreams.

The New Year has arrived, and it’s full of possibilities. Amazingachievements can come true for you. But how do you begin to

pursue a big goal? And once you’ve started, how do you continue toput one foot in front of the other? Here are three simple and funsteps to staying motivated throughout the year:

On Your MarkDream big. Set ambitious goals. Helen Keller said, “Keep your face tothe sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” You can become an areagovernor, region advisor or even a member of the ToastmastersBoard of Directors. If you reach only part of your goal, you’ve stillmoved forward. What’s your big dream?

Get SetGive your attitude some latitude. Announce your goal to everyone.Talk about your dream in a strong voice, and you’ll give each wordthe power to become real. Ask for support from your friends; theycan help carry you to the finish line.

Go!One step at a time. Let smaller accomplishments propel you towardyour big dream. Give that 10th speech. Set up an Open House meet-ing for your club. Run a Speechcraft program. Of course, no one everwon a race simply by thinking about it, but every person with a suc-cess story found the motivation to get there. Are you ready to stepup and be the Toastmaster you’re meant to be?


The Joy of Mentoring

valuable tips. Factually and logicallythe speeches were great, but theylacked a grabber – something topull the audience in at the start.In each speech, the perfect openingwas hidden – a rhetorical questionin one and a humorous personalstatement in the other. I made anote of this and commented atthe end of each: “You know thatstatement about XYZ? That’s youropening.” We rearranged thespeeches accordingly. I couldn’twait to hear these speeches at theclub meeting to see how the newopenings worked.

On another occasion, I was help-ing a young lady with a project. Inher speech, she had a fairly longpersonal story that was amusing andalso made a point. She was readingit from notes. After I had heard theentire speech, I said: “That’s a per-sonal story. I know you’ve told thatstory many times. If you were outwith a group of friends and you wererelating that story, would you neednotes?” The obvious answer was no.I told her to throw the notes awayand imagine telling the story in amore casual setting. She did and itworked wonderfully. It was rewardingto see the results of my coachingefforts at the Toastmasters meeting.

By Bob Armstrong, DTMHelping new members bringsunexpected rewards.

Ihave often heard statements likethese in my Toastmasters club.When you are new to our organi-

zation, it’s great to have a guide.The benefits can be immeasurable:A good mentor can help a newmember organize a speech, fulfillobjectives for a project and assist inreducing distracting mannerisms,such as verbal crutches and ineffec-tive body language.

However, as someone who hasbeen a Toastmaster since 1987 andhas coached many members, I canassure you that there are benefits tobeing a mentor as well. Let’s lookat the advantages of performing thisimportant and rewarding role.

Racking up RewardsFirst of all, when you are assigneda mentee who is serious aboutimproving, it is satisfying to watchthis person progress. An enthusiasticToastmaster who is eager to learn isa mentor’s dream. On some occa-sions in my club, I think I have beenmore excited than the speaker whenlistening to a presentation where Ihelped the speaker improve.

For example, I recall twoinstances in which I listened tosomeone’s Ice Breaker in a prac-tice session and was able to offer

“My mentor helped me so much.”

“It was great to go through my speech with my mentor.”

A particular joy in being a men-tor is that we can enhance people’sself-confidence by pointing outstrengths they didn’t realize they had.This can be a confidence-booster forboth the mentor and the mentee witha wonderful principle of reciprocityat play here: By boosting another’sself-esteem, we boost our own.

Yet another advantage of mentor-ing is that it allows me to reminisceabout my own Toastmasters experi-ence. When I am helping someonewith a body language project fromthe basic manual, for example, Ithink back to when I did this project.I sometimes dig out my old manual.I reflect on my speech topic and theperson that evaluated me. I alsoremember what I did well and theareas where I could have improved.This causes me to give better direc-tion to the person I’m working with.

The process of mentoring hasalso made me a better evaluator.I am known in my club as the person who tells it like it is, andI often get requests from membersto evaluate them. When you are anexperienced mentor, you look atspeeches differently, alwaysseeking ways to enhance a person’sstrengths. I do this when I amobserving world leaders and politicians, too. In addition, I knowmy performance in Toastmasters’annual Evaluation Speech Contesthas improved as a result of beinga mentor.


Reaping DividendsBeing a mentor has improved mylife in numerous unexpected ways.Here are a few:

� I learn new things. Sometimes I thinkI learn more than the member I amhelping. On occasion a mentee willask me a question for which I haveto look up the answer. I will consultcourse notes or books from yearsago. Occasionally I treat myself to anew book on public speaking as aresult. This keeps me knowledge-able and current on the topic.

� I laugh more. Since my speakingstyle tends to be on the humorousside, I am often asked to add humorto a presentation. This keeps methinking along these lines and helpsme to be more creative.

� It’s music to my ears. I recentlybegan helping two friends with theguitar, one of whom is a Toast master.Because they have asked me questionsabout chord structure and pickingtechniques, I have been reviewingold theory books that hadn’t been

cracked open in years. In order toshare this information, I’m relearn-ing it all. As my dad, a musician,used to say, “There’s nothing moreeducational than teaching.”

� It might be a business. ManyToastmasters, myself included, havebecome professional speech coach-es or seminar leaders on the topic

of effective presentations. This hasresulted in travel and financial gain.I also write humorous speeches forclients or add humor to their exist-ing presentations.

� I have a great social life. I have beeninvited to people’s homes on manyoccasions as a result of helping themwith a speech. Long-lasting friend-ships can occur. One of my mentees

from 16 years ago is still a goodfriend. He has moved to another city,but we still keep in touch and visiteach other from time to time.

� Networking! Mentoring has putme on the map. One of the womenI mentored recommended my busi-ness to her supervisor. This compa-ny is now one of my clients.

Enjoying the ProcessA good friend, also a longtimeToastmaster, and I have developedwhat we call a “consenting mentor-ing relationship.” When either oneof us is preparing any kind of apresentation, we get together anddo the mentor/mentee roles. This isover and above club assignments.

(Continued on page 23)

“Many times I have received a huge hug and heard the words, ‘You changed my life.’The warmth just spread through me.”

– Toastmaster Judy Suke, DTM


Someone once asked legendary comic George

Burns what the difference was between a

humorist and a comedian. With his usual wit

and wisdom Burns replied, “If I get big laughs,

I’m a comedian. If I get small laughs, I’m a

humorist.” After a slight pause he added, “If I get

no laughs, I’m a singer.”

By Gene Perret

BoostersHow to get bigger laughs.


The audience was at first concerned for him. Then they realized they’d been put on, the anxietywas relieved and they laughed at his practical joke.

3Shock. Audiences respond when they’re shocked.Blue humor – which I never recommend – is basically shock humor. However, there are other

valid uses for shock humor. Even dignified comics getlaughs when they kid well-known people. That’s a formof shock comedy, too. Those of us in the audience areaghast that anyone would say such a thing to a famousperson. As long as this is not done with malice, insultscan be a valuable tool for the humorist. But it’s a fineline: Be sure to add boldness without being offensive.

4Attack Authority. The higher up the totem poleyou aim your humor, the bigger the resultinglaughs will be. The hoi polloi love gentle comedy

aimed at the upper echelon.I once watched a humorist tease the CEO of

a company about his terrible golf game. He said,

“He never uses a golf cart when he plays. Where hehits the ball, it’s cheaper to take public transporta-tion.” He added, “And he cheats, too. After dinner hehad a cup of coffee. He took three lumps of sugar,but he wrote down two.”

The more he kidded the boss, the more the listen-ers enjoyed it. Finally, he explained, “I only jokeabout people I really respect. I would only kid a per-son I knew was big enough to take it. Your boss is,of course, and it helps if he’s also a terrible golfer.”

That was the final barb in a well-received routine. Aim some of your material – gently – at those who

are in a position of authority.

5Involve the Audience. The crowd loves it whenyou make them part of your presentation. Acomic I worked for used to get laughs with a

standard line in almost any city he worked in. Forexample, in Philadelphia he would say, “It’s nice tobe in Philadelphia, gateway to Conshohocken.” Italways got a big laugh. Basically, it’s not that humorousa line, but the audience reacted because they were

The pros know there are not only degrees of funniness, but there are also tricks that can enhancethe effectiveness of a comedy line. As a speaker whouses humor to support your presentations, you canoften settle for those “little laughs” that George Burnsspoke of. You can be content to be a “humorist.”However, when you do use a touch of comedy, whynot go for the “big laughs”? Here are a few tricks thatthe pros use to enhance their humor:

1Truth. At a roast I attended, the guest of honor satat a table with several of his children. Afraid thatthey might not understand the friendly nature of

the harmless insult humor we used at these events,the emcee said to them, “Please don’t be offended byanything we say about your dad tonight. We’re justkidding and it’s all done with love. Besides, many ofthe nice things we’ll say about your dad tonight aren’ttrue either.”

That line not only served a useful purpose, but itgot a generous laugh from the family and the audi-ence – because it had that element oftruth to it.

2Relax Tension. I once emceed a banquet and each time Iapproached the microphone, it

whistled loudly. I had to back off sev-eral times, because the shrill noise was almostunbearable for the audience. Finally, someone who worked at the club adjusted the controls back-stage and resolved the problem. Now I could safelyapproach the microphone. My first comment was,“Sometimes when they hold these banquets too early, I don’t always get time to run home from work and shower.”

The line got a huge response. Not so muchbecause it was a clever line, but because it relaxedthe tension. It put the audience at ease. In theirminds – and in mine – the problem was adjusted anddismissed. We could now go on with the show.

This device works so well that comics often createtheir own tension. I once saw a comedian who playedguitar and sang a few songs as part of his act. In themiddle of one of his songs, he began choking. Hecalled offstage for a glass of water. It didn’t come imme-diately. He continued to cough and said, “I swallowed a bug and it’s stuck in my throat. Can I get a glass ofwater?” Still no one brought water. Finally, he said, “Oh never mind, I’ll just let him walk down.”

“It is a fine line: Be sure to add

boldness without being offensive.”


You’ve interviewed the client for the purpose ofdelivering a humorous speech to his group. Youare ready to kick off your presentation with some

hilarious jokes. In fact, you’ve already pulled together acouple of witty set-up lines. Now all you need to do isfill in the punch lines and, boom, your jokes will rock!

But how do you drum up a punch line out of the blue?As a comedian and professional speaker, I launch almostall my humorous keynotes with comedy aimed at thegroup I’m speaking to (such as corporations or nonprofitorganizations). Let me share a few techniques for creat-ing targeted punch lines:

1Make it a problem. Look at your set-up line as if it’s aproblem you need to solve, and then make your

punch line an extreme solution to that problem. Comedyis all about extremes – somebody isn’t 100 pounds,they’re one thousand pounds; they aren’t 120 years old,

they’re 246 years old. You don’t even have to word theset-up line as a problem, just envision it that way, andthen come up with ways to solve it. In one of my hospi-tal jokes, I mention that “new hospitals are now beingbuilt so that each patient’s window faces a garden,because some designers believe that this helps thepatient get well faster.” Then I drum up a whacky solu-tion: “Hey, if you want the patient to get well faster, whydon’t you have his window face a cemetery?” Okay,maybe a little too extreme, but funny.

2 Be naive. Most industries have their own language and procedures that those of us “outsiders” are totally

unfamiliar with. Use this to your advantage by takingsome of their words or standard practices and make upcomments about what you think they’re talking about. I was able to use this recently at a pediatric nursing con-ference when I found out they use Botox on kids. I’m sure it’s not to make them look younger, the way

Botox is used for adults, but I had some fun with thatangle anyway. I feigned naiveté, asking, “What’s it for?So a 5-year-old can look like he’s 3?” And then wentfrom that premise to several more jokes. Even if you arefamiliar with the subject, try to put yourself in the shoesof someone who’s not familiar with it, and think aboutwhat that person might think.

3Confuse it. Along with being naïve, you can also takesomething you’ve never heard of and confuse it with

Six Ways to Pack a Killer Punch By Jan McInnis

mostly Philadelphians and just the mention of“Conshohocken” drew a response. In other cities, thiscomic would use the same line and simply substituteanother funny-sounding suburb. People enjoy being “insiders” on the gag. It’s as

if they’re saying, “Conshohocken! Yeah, we knowthat place.” Then they laugh. If you can take a standard gag or comedy line and add some elementthat the folks in the audience will recognize andassociate with, you’ll get bigger laughs than the line deserves. Suppose you have an anecdote that begins, “Two

guys were sitting at the bar.” That story will becomefunnier if you instead mention two gentlemen whoare well-known by the audience you’re addressing.Just beginning a joke with the names of two peoplewho the listeners recognize gets a laugh.

If possible, bring the audience into your routine. Onecomic I worked for had good results with this routine:

“I was just reading the other day that one out of everyfour people in this country is mentally unbalanced. Oneout of every four! Now here’s what I want you to do –think of three of your best friends . . .”At this point the laughter begins because folks

in the audience look around the table and laugh atone another.

“Do they seem all right to you?”This gets a much bigger laugh because they’re now

laughing at each other.The comic goes on.“Because if they do... then you’re the one.”This short routine always worked well because

the people were not only listening to the gag, they were part of it.

“Comedy is all about extremes –

somebody isn’t 100 pounds, they’re

one thousand pounds; they aren’t

120 years old, they’re 246 years old.”


something that you are familiar with. For example, I dida show in which the group did “speed networking.” I can guess what that is, but I had more fun spendingthe whole networking time asking dating questions, pre-tending that’s what I thought you were supposed to do.“Oh, it was speed networking? I thought it was speeddating. I think I owe some of you guys an apology.”

4Sound it out. Sometimes the subject of your jokesounds like something else. When you learn the

name of a company or product, give some thought towhat it sounds like or reminds you of, or even rhymeswith. I recently did a show for a group who made secu-rity software for computers, and its company name wasextremely odd – basically just a mix of letters in thealphabet. So I pointed out that while the company maymake security software, its name sounded like a com-puter virus. It got a good laugh and an “ah-ha” momentfor the owners!

5First impressions. What is your first impression of a prod-uct the company sells or an activity at its event? What do

you think someone else’s first impression might be? Take astep back from your writing and really look at the subject.One group I spoke to told me that its conference registra-tion gift would be grooming kits with tweezers, nail clippersand the like. By looking at what my (or anyone’s) firstimpression would be when they received that out of theblue, I came up with a great opening line: “Before I get

Linestarted, I just want to be sure I’m not the only one whoshowed up at registration and was given a grooming kit!”

6Look for the obvious. There’s a fine line betweendoing a joke about the audience that they’ve proba-

bly heard before, and doing one that’s obvious but maynot have been done. Telling lawyer jokes to a bunch oflawyers is not a good idea, but sometimes you can takea chance if you think they may not have picked up onsomething obvious. I successfully did this when I spoketo a company that makes boxes and found out the com-pany owner’s name was Jack. Get it?

After talking with several employees, I realized thatno one ever mentioned that connection. I kept wonder-ing, “Why not – do they not see this?” Usually clientswill point out the obvious jokes, but no one did. So Itossed in the Jack-in-the-box [toy] observation and got ahuge laugh. As a saver, I made sure that I had a quickfollow-up joke in case people groaned about it!

So next time you’re working on some killer, cus-tomized comedy for a group, run your subjects throughthese scenarios to make your humor a hit!

Jan McInnis is a comedian, professional speaker andcomedy writer based in Southern California. She’s theauthor of Finding the Funny Fast: How to Create QuickHumor to Connect with Clients, Coworkers and Crowds.Jan can be reached at www.ComedyWriterBlog.com.

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6Just Be Funny. This simple statement deserves to be in the list of humor boosters to make thepoint that if you have a line, a quote, an anec-

dote or a story that is flat-out funny, use it. It doesn’thave to be categorized, explained or excused in anyway. If it gets a big laugh and doesn’t offend anyone,it’s worth being a part of your presentation.

Remember, audiences love to laugh and they especially love the speakers who bring out theirbiggest laughs.

Gene Perret is a three-time Emmy winner who haswritten for Carol Burnett and Phyllis Diller, and wasthe head writer for Bob Hope. His latest book, Talesfrom the Script, is a memoir about his career in TVcomedy. To learn more, visit www.writingcomedy.com.

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Connie Merritt makes a humorous pointduring her presentation at the 2010Toastmasters International Convention.


PROFILE By Julie Bawden Davis

From Stuttering to Public SpeakingTexas Instruments, a Dallas, Texas,technology company where heworked as a computer consultant, hefound the experience exhilarating.“I discovered that if you face yourfears, you find that your fears aren’t

as real as you think they are,” hesays. “It’s one of the most empow-ering feelings in the world to dosomething that you or other peoplethink you can’t possibly do. Pushingyourself to do something you’reafraid of is really good for you.”

Hicks benefited from Toast -masters membership immediately. “I learned very quickly that Toast -masters is all about com munication,not fluency, and that it’s fun,” hesays. Encouraged by members whofound his speeches interesting andinspiring, Hicks discovered that hewas actually good at public speak-ing and learned to enjoy it.

Now a member of two Texasclubs – the 2 Change U Toas tmastersin Plano and the Roving ’49ers clubin Richardson – Hicks often uses

Back in 1988, when a memolanded on Russ Hicks’ desk atTexas Instruments regarding

the formation of a Toastmasters club,he didn’t think membership was aviable option for someone like him.But before he disregarded the invita-tion, he recalled hearing someonespeak about facing your worst fears.

“I marched to the co-worker’sdesk and said, ‘This is the craziestthing I’ve done in my life, but doyou still need members?’ ” recallsHicks. “He told me yes, and if mycheck was good, I was a member.”

For Hicks, approaching his co-worker and joining Toastmasters 22years ago was not easy. Hicks has stut-tered all his life, and like many stutter-

ers, he once considered public speak-ing impossible. Today, however, heregularly gives speeches and presentsworkshops at national conferences,speaking on the topic of stuttering.

“My advice to anyone who stut-ters is to face your fears and tryToast masters,” he says. “It willchange your life.”

Stuttering, also called stammering,is a communication disorder in whichthe flow of speech is broken by repetitions (such as th-th-th-i-i-is), prolongations (lllllike this) or silentperiods where no sound is uttered.The Stuttering Foundation of America

estimates that 1 percent of the world’spopulation stutter, and four times asmany males as females struggle withthe disorder. According to recent neurophysiological research, severalfactors contribute to stuttering: fami-ly history (genetics), developmentaldelays in childhood, family dynam-ics such as high expectations, andprocessing speech and language inabnormal areas of the brain.

The Stuttering Foundation helpspeople with this communication prob-lem, offering its assistance to peoplein 127 countries by directing them tosupport agencies and therapists.

Jane Fraser, president of the foun-dation, frequently hears from stutterersabout the benefits of Toastmasters.

“Many people have told us how helpful the organization has been forthem,” she says. “Not only do theygain valuable public speaking experi-ence in a friendly and encouragingatmosphere, they are relieved to discover that most ‘normal’ speakersare also terrified to speak in public.”

Here are the stories of a few stutterers and how Toastmastersmembership has helped them gainfluency and self-confidence:

Russ Hicks, DTMWhen Russ Hicks swallowed his fearand joined a Toastmasters club at

These members took control of their speech and their lives.

“When you talk to a stutterer, listen to whatwe’re saying, not how we’re saying it.”

– Russ Hicks, DTM

Russ Hicks


speaking opportunities to educatepeople about stuttering. “I think it’simportant for fluent individuals tohear people who stutter speak – andto understand how best to communi-cate with us,” he says. “When youtalk to a stutterer, listen to whatwe’re saying, not how we’re saying it.Keep normal eye contact, even if astutterer looks away, and don’t finishsentences for us, because you can’tbe sure of what we’re going to say.”

Anna MargolinaWhen Anna Margolina immigratedto the United States in 2001, shehad already undergone many yearsof speech therapy for stuttering inher native Russia. Within a matterof months, however, she found itdifficult to speak without heavy

blocking. “My self-confidence andfluency plummeted as I becamepainfully aware that I spoke with astrong, hard-to-understand Russianaccent,” she says. For several yearsshe lived with the ever-presentshadow of stuttering looming overher until she started speech therapyin 2009 and stumbled on the bookRedefining Stuttering by JohnHarrison. “In his book he recom-mended Toast masters, so I decidedto give it a try,” she says.

At her first meeting, Margolina wonbest Table Topics when she answeredthe question, “Why Toastmasters?”

given an effective speech. Now Imake phone calls and give speech-es with no particular problem.”

Miner, a member of the Spearand Gear and At the Helm clubs atNorthrop Grumman Shipbuilding in

Newport News, Virginia, thinks thatToastmasters’ secret to success isthe atmosphere. “The organizationprovides an encouraging and sup-portive environment that acceptseveryone, and this gives the stutter-er the opportunity to build brick bybrick, small success upon small suc-cess. If you take enough of thosesmall successes, just as if you takeenough bricks, you can build a walland then an entire building.”

Greg Danko, DTMThere was a time when GregDanko sat in the corner at socialgatherings and avoided speaking. A severe speech impedimentcaused him to stutter with everythird word, and he spent 30 yearsin speech therapy trying to over-come the disability. When a busi-ness associate told him aboutToastmasters in 1999, he wasskeptical but attended a meeting.

“What struck me at first was thatclub members had a lot morepatience with my stuttering than myfamily and friends,” he recalls. “Iparticipated in Table Topics andstuttered profusely, but they waited

“I told the club about my goal to overcome stuttering, and theywere impressed with my courage,”says Margolina, a member of theRedmond 2828 club in Redmond,Washington. “Stutterers tend to beashamed about their stuttering andafraid to talk about it, but that is not a good idea, because people do notice it, and if you haven’tacknowledged your stuttering, theydon’t know how to react,” she says.“Toast masters helps take the focusoff stuttering. You relax and gainmore control over your speaking andrealize that people are there to listento your message.”

Margolina says her stuttering isvery mild these days and doesn’tlimit her social interaction in anyway. Feeling much more confidentand relaxed, she says she can finallyenjoy speaking and sharing herexperiences.

Wade Miner, DTMWhen Wade Miner was in thefourth grade, his parents took himto a speech clinic where theyrecorded him speaking. “Until Iheard that recording, I hadn’t real-ized how severely I stuttered,” saysMiner, who went on to have a par-ticularly difficult time in highschool. “I felt so shut out of thingsthat teens do, such as calling girlson the phone,” he says.

In 1973, after graduating from col-lege, Miner joined Toastmasters andvery quickly saw positive results.Seven months later, he presented apaper at a convention in Boston.“The previous year I had presentedat the same convention and stutteredfairly badly, but that second year itwent a lot better,” he recalls.

Today, the longtime engineer hasa fluency that he never imaginedyears ago. “Before I joined Toast -mas ters, I could not have held aconversation with someone on thephone, and I certainly couldn’t have

Anna Margolina

Wade Miner


until I finished. After the meeting,one of the charter members advisedme to exhale, because he noticed Iheld my breath.”That first meeting was just

one of numerous occasions whenDanko received assistance fromToastmasters. “Joining had life-altering consequences for me,”says Danko, a member of two

clubs in Ohio: IndependentlySpeaking in Independence andAkron Advanced in Akron. “Theorganization helped me build myconfidence, and I noticed im -provements in my speaking withinsix months of joining. Today Istutter about every hundredthword – it’s barely noticeable.”In 2008, while attending the

District 10 Spring Conference,Danko gave a last-minute speechto 1,000 people when the sched-uled speaker failed to show up. “Ihad knowledge about the subject,which was ‘The Key to Organ -ization,’ because of my work as aproject manager,” he says. “Thespeech went really well.” Danko

enjoyed even more satisfaction at his 25th high school reunion.“In high school, I didn’t date orparticipate in many activities be -cause of my stuttering,” he says.“So when I spoke with fluency at the reunion, everyone’s jawsdropped to the floor.”

Paul NoorListen to Paul Noor speak todayand you’d never guess that he oncesuffered from stuttering so severethat he considered learning signlanguage. Born in a village north of Iran and south of Russia, Noorspent his early years on a smallfarm, during which time he devel-oped stuttering. “My parents werevery concerned about my speechdifficulty, but they had no ideawhat to do because there was nohelp available in the village or surrounding areas,” he says.

When Noor was six years old,the family moved to a small cityso he and his sisters could get aformal education, but his stutter-ing progressively worsened. Noorkept his spirits up, though, andsecretly harbored a desire tobecome a professional speaker.He studied hard in high school sothat he could gain acceptance intoa top engineering school at theUniversity of Tehran, where hecould also receive speech therapy.“Unfortunately, when I went for

therapy during college, I was shat-tered to discover that there is nocure for stuttering,” he says. Noorrefused to give up on his dreamof public speaking, however. He

moved to the United States in 1979to work on his stuttering and hisPh.D. in structural engineering. Hesoon found it difficult to reducehis stuttering and learn a new language simultaneously, but hetrudged on, working in the engi-neering business and finally dis-covering Toastmasters in 1989.

“For the first five visits, I satnext to the exit door in case I feltthe need to run out,” says Noor.“Finally, on my sixth visit, I real-ized that if I wanted to reach mygoal of becoming a speaker, I hadto get out of my comfort zone, soI joined the club. When I gave myfirst speech, I failed badly, but Ikept taking risks and learningfrom my failures.” All of the risks paid off. Today

Noor is living his lifelong dreamas a motivational speaker. A mem-ber of three clubs in Orlando,Florida, including Winter ParkToastmasters, he speaks on behalfof businesses about goals, salesand – quite fittingly – overcomingobstacles.

Julie Bawden Davis is a freelancewriter based in Southern Californiaand a longtime contributor to theToastmaster. You can reach her [email protected].

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“Club members had a lot more patience with

my stuttering than my family and friends.”– Greg Danko

Greg Danko

Paul Noor

J auar y 2011 TOASTMASTER 23

Because we know each other reallywell, we are allowed to be com-pletely honest. This has helped bothof us immensely; we park our egosat the door and put the goal of agood presentation first.

Other longtime Toastmasters havehad similar mentoring experiences.Judy Suke, DTM, of First WaterdownToastmasters in Waterdown, Ontario,Canada, finds that she benefits asmuch as the mentee, if not more,from the process: “Many times I havereceived a huge hug and heard thewords, ‘You changed my life.’ Thewarmth just spread through me.”Don Rode, ATMS, CL, of Garden CityToastmasters in St. Catharines,Ontario, says, “I am always pleasedand very proud when the student

surpasses the teacher! One of theladies I mentored went on to leader-ship roles and contest wins withinour area. Now, as a professionalspeaker, she is encouraging me to gowhere she has gone. I will be veryhappy to now learn from her.”

I offer just one caveat: Unless youare an experienced public speakerwhen you join Toast masters, do notstart mentoring too soon. I recom-mend that you complete at least theCompetent Communication manualor give several evaluations beforeserving as mentor. Jumping in andtrying to mentor someone before youare ready can leave the mentee witha bad feeling about the process. A

good way to avoid this situation is tohave an experienced Toastmaster inyour club assign experienced men-tors to new Toastmasters.

Mentoring – like forgiveness – isoften a selfish act. It can benefit thegiver more than the receiver. I urgeyou to get involved in this rewardingand enjoyable experience. Happymentoring!

Bob Armstrong, DTM, is a member of Garden City Toastmasters in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. He isa professional speaker, entertainer andentertainment agent. More informationis at www.mergetel.com/entertain.

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For more information, read “Mentor a Member” on the Toastmasters Web site.(The link is www.toast masters.org/mentoramember.) Consider giving theSuccessful Club Series presentation about mentoring to your club. That program(Item 296) can be purchased on Toastmasters’ online store.

The Joy of Mentoring(Continued from page 15)

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Make aSceneI

n the past, video production for marketing purposes was available only to those with

access to professional videographers who shot on film, edited that film in production

studios and spoke in a language that few could understand. Today, much has

changed. Rapidly emerging technologies and changing expectations of what looks like

“quality” video means that suddenly any group can generate video to promote their

products, services or themselves. And, they can do so quickly and efficiently, from their

own homes or offices, with the use of tools that are often available at low or no cost.

By Lin Grensing-Pophal How to market your club with do-it-yourself video.


Gerald Kimber White, senior managing director atRF/BINDER, a public relations firm headquartered inNew York, sees video as an alternative to include inlow-budget marketing plans. “For the vast majority ofentrepreneurs and even small-business owners, do-it-yourself is a viable option,” he says. Toastmasters cer-tainly fall into this camp. Video provides the ability forToastmasters to capture their own presentations, editthem and share portions or entire segments online,through their own Web sites or on popular social mediasites like YouTube, which boasts more than 75 millionvideos and growing. While devices such as the Flip brand and other video

cameras make it easy and relatively inexpensive to pro-duce video content, not all video is created equal. Thoughhigh-end production values are no longer necessary, ado-it-yourself videographer who wants to create a successful marketing tool would be wise tofollow a few basic principles.David Burckhard, owner and operator of

PicturePoint Online in San Jose, California,agrees. “Unfortunately, much of the DIY [do-it-yourself] video isn’t effective, doesn’tconvey the message the video intended and,even worse, can damage a company’s brand.” Prod uctionvalues aren’t the only problem, he says. “Often a videotries to serve too many purposes, tries to emulate TV advertising, forgets its audience or goestoo long,” says Burckhard. “Effective online video is notjust perfect production technique, but a well-consideredmessage carefully translated into a video presentation.” The good news for Toastmasters is that key elements

of effective video production are similar to planning,preparing and presenting programs for live audiences.Capturing those programs on video and then distributingthat video in various ways allow you to leverage yourskills and deliver presentations to broader audiences in a variety of ways.

Four Steps to Effective Video ProductionFour key areas determine the ultimate effectiveness of avideo production: preparation, shooting, editing and distribu-tion. That first step – preparation – is often given short shrift.

PreparationThe same advice Toastmasters take to heart with their pre-sentations is true in making videos: Preparation is critical. White agrees. “I know we all say that preparation is

important, but far too often people just don’t give it the

time it deserves,” says the public relations expert. “Theydon’t take the time to first sit down and think about whatthey want to say.” Further, he notes, they often don’t thinkabout what they want to say from the audience’s perspec-tive rather than their own. Toastmasters, he notes, shouldhave an edge here, because it’s exactly the same approachyou use when considering how to present any topic to anaudience: Consider what the audience wants or needs tohear, not what you want to tell them.Scripting the presentation is critical, says White. “Too

many people set up bullet points and wing it before thecamera,” he says. “That’s never going to work.” Theprocess of actually creating the script – committing it topaper – even if you don’t actually use it, will make a bigdifference. And a script can help with more than thewords; a good script provides a starting point for otherplanning that keeps the focus on a clear message.

Determining what goes into the plans – and ultimate-ly the video – is essential. Bill Jeakle, general managerof Filmateria Studios (www.filmateria.com), afilm/video production company in Seattle, Washington,that serves Fortune 500 companies, suggests that youconsider the following three questions:

1. How will the video be used?2. Where will it be seen?3. What elements are necessary to tell the story effectively?“Screen shots and voiceover may be far more effectivethan a talking head,” he says.

The answers to these questions will help you targetyour message. Of course, you want to be clear aboutyour message before shooting begins to allow time forgathering the right equipment. If your message, forexample, is that people become great speakers in yourclub, then you might plan to tape a club speech. You’llthen need to arrange for a tripod and a lapel micro-phone to capture the speaker adequately. This can affectyour choice of cameras.Focus on choosing the elements that will help convey

your message. “Think about what you would like to say, andwhat would encourage your audience to listen to, believe,and buy into whatever you’re presenting,” White says.

“Consider what the audience wants or needs

to hear, not what you want to tell them.”


Shooting“It is very important to have a fundamental knowledgeof video techniques and production,” says Jeffrey Geibel(www.geibelmarketing.com), a marketing and publicrelations consultant, and a community access televisionproducer. At a minimum, he says, amateur video pro-ducers should have a general idea of what visuals theywant to produce and these should be included in a shotlist. That list comes out of the script, and together, theinstructions for sounds and visuals become part of whatis typically referred to as a storyboard.In addition, he says, “Anyone using a camera should

know how to technically adjust the camera for lightingconditions and basic camera technique.” There is a dif-ference between video cinematography and visual“gimmicks,” he says – the latter indicates “amateurism.” White agrees that lighting is a key factor. “It’s great

if you can use natural lighting,” he says. “Find a placewith large windows where you can use natural lighting

off the face – people are more pleasing to look at innatural light.” If that’s not possible, then use incandes-cent lighting – never fluorescent, he cautions. Just as White advises practicing the script, he stresses

the importance of checking the lighting. “Do a testshot and review it on a monitor,” he says. “Watch forshadows, watch for whether you’ve been washed outor look too pale. Make sure it’s not too dark.”Audio is also critical. An important factor, says

White, is how far the microphone will be from you. Ifthe microphone is built into the camera and the camerawill be more than five feet away from you, you’ll soundlike you’re standing more than five feet away from theviewer, he notes. “Use a lapel mike so the source isrecorded and is very strong.”White offers some additional tips to ensure a

successful shoot:

� Make sure the camera is at or near head level, even if you’re sitting, so it is neither looking up nor down at you.

� Watch what you’re wearing. If you’re taping for TV,don’t wear patterned clothing, which can appear tomove onscreen.

� Maintain an “open face.” The face should be front andcenter, with the eyebrows lightly lifted, the corners ofthe mouth turned up slightly and the eyes openfully. “You need to look engaged and truly interestedin what you’re doing,” says White.

Once the video has been captured, it’s time forediting. Here, again, the news is good – it’s no longernecessary to have access to an expensive editing studio or expensive software to create a polished final product.

EditingSoftware is readily available and relatively inexpensive,says White, who points to Pinnacle Systems video editing software or Adobe’s Premiere Elements suite.

Better yet, the software is relatively simple to learn and,he says, “fairly intuitive.” Still, despite the ready availability of these tools,

“poor editing can minimize the communications powerof the video,” says Geibel. “A basic knowledge ofediting is required – when to cut, how to cut, use ofB-roll, sound beds, graphics and more.” White offers extra tips to help your video look

more professional:

� Don’t be afraid to separate the video and audio. Inother words, when editing it’s not necessary to sim-ply let the sound continue as actually recorded. Forinstance, a voiceover might be used while a demon-stration of some sort is occurring, even though thetwo did not actually take place at the same time.

� Don’t overdo the transitions and special effects.Remember: Just because you can doesn’t mean youshould. “Doing creative transitions may look fun asyou’re doing it, but it’s not what people expect andit sort of tags you as being an amateur,” says White.

“Unfortunately, much of the DIY [do-it-yourself] video isn’t

effective, doesn’t convey the message the video intended and,

even worse, can damage a company’s brand.”

– David Burckhard


15, until 5 a.m., January 3, 2010. (Alltimes are Pacific Standard Time).Remem ber: You will not be able

to log in if you share an e-mailadd ress with another individual;every member must have their ownunique e-mail address.Single sign-on benefits you by

providing a safe, secure and pri-vate online system.

Other online improvements:� Opportunity to purchase selectdigital content online. Forexample, instead of purchasinga pamphlet that would normallybe mailed to you, you candownload it for immediateaccess and save money on postage.

� Enhanced “My Profile” sectionwill allow detailed access tomembers’ education awards

The Toastmasters InternationalWeb site has been upgradedover the holidays to benefit

members in many ways. Chiefamong these benefits is a greaterability to access Toastmastersmaterials and information. Featureswill include streamlined adminis-trative processes, an enhanced digital content offering and visibil i-ty into one’s own Toastmastersachievements.“The goal is to provide mem-

bers with the highest-quality ser-vice possible,” says ToastmastersExecutive Director Daniel Rex. “To that end, we are enhancingthe site to give all members accessto the information they need.”To accommodate the Web site

upgrade, specific sections of the site,including the online store, will beinactive from 11:59 p.m., Dec em ber

and overall Toastmasters history, including previous club memberships.

� Streamlined online processing of dual members and reinstatedmembers.These features – as well as

more to come – will combine tomake the Toastmasters Web site a user-friendly tool that enhancesthe member experience.

New Year Brings Web Site Advances

� Use a variety of types of shots and scenes. A “talkinghead” filmed at a desk speaking in a nonstopmonotone for 15 minutes is, ultimately, not thatinteresting to watch. Change camera angles, changerooms, shoot different scenes – keep it interesting.

DistributionAfter much preparation, trial and error, and perhaps a significant amount of angst, you have a finishedproduct. Now what?Again, there are a variety of options available to

do-it-yourself video producers that will allow you to share the results of your work. A club or districtWeb site and YouTube are two natural starting points.It is relatively simple and entirely free to create yourown YouTube channel where you can upload yourcompleted video. Some editing tools will actually helpyou do this automatically as the final step in the editing process Once your video is edited and you

are convinced it’s a great representation of your message, “Get done, push a button and go straight toYouTube,” says White. Another popular and increasingly inexpensive

option, he says, is to copy the video to thumb drivesthat you can distribute. Give them to potential mem-bers in various networking situations – why notinclude one with a business card?The deciding factors, as with any form of communi-

cation, are your goals and your desired audience.Let the fun of your Toastmasters experience come

across, and your video will do its job. Then, all youhave to do is make room for more members!

Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalistin Wisconsin, where she also runs a communicationconsulting firm – Strategic Communications, LLC. Shecan be reached at [email protected].

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MEMBERSHIP BUILDING


By Barbara Seymour Giordano

Club TalentOnce you’ve decided on whichstory to tell, recruit a couple of clubmembers to fill the starring roles. Ifyou want, this can be a fun TableTopics experience in your club, asmembers “audition” for roles.

WardrobeConsider how you would like yourclub to be perceived. Corporate?Entrepreneurial? Creative? The waypeople dress in your video is anopportunity to reflect your generalclub culture.

Shot List “Know what you want. Planning iseverything,” emphasizes Vargas,who wrote, directed, filmed andedited the Latin Leaders’ video.“By knowing what you want toshoot and mapping it out inadvance, you save a lot of timeand effort.” Create a shot list – aplanned chronological series ofvideo scenes that will correspondto the script or idea. Writing downeach scene to be filmed will savetime on the day of the shoot andduring editing.

CameraIf you’re using a Flip camera,you’ll need to use a tripod toavoid shaky-looking scenes. Thismeans your camera will have toremain stationary. Your sound willbe recorded by the camera, and soyou won’t be able to record some-one speaking clearly from a dis-tance. To work around that, youcould show a smiling speaker while

video. Here’s the process in threephases: preproduction, productionand postproduction.

PreproductionBefore shooting, designate two keypositions: producer/videographer andwriter/director. For the first video, it’sbest to keep the team lean so theprocess will be simple and fast.

Brainstorm the Key MessageTo help you pinpoint the message,here are a few questions to considerbefore writing: What problem areyou solving for the viewer? How isyour club uniquely positioned tohelp the potential new member?What action do you want the view-er to take after they’ve watched thevideo? Add itionally, when you shootthe video, how will your club’sstory be told?

� Video of your club in action, perhaps with a voiceover?

� A script with members acting out roles?

� Personal testimonials? � Some combination of the above?

Story/Script/IdeaYour script should reflect a shortpromotional video: either 30 sec-onds (approximately 65 words) or60 seconds (100 words).

Open with a “hook” by asking aquestion or stating a problem. Dedi -cate the body of the script to theanswer: your club. Then, leave theaudience with a memorable tagline, acatchy phrase that should be no morethan seven words in length.

These days the typical club Website features the dryly writtenformat of, “who, what, when,

where and why.” While the basicsare important for potential mem-bers, the problem arises when it'stime to differentiate one club's cul-ture from another.

An exciting and unique way tohave your site stand out is to pro-duce a club video. You can shareyour club’s story and visually wel-come potential members to yourmeetings. A video can serve asboth a recruiting tool and publicrelations tool. So it’s important toensure that the video, as well asyour Web site, give the rightimpression about your club.

While club members are initiallyexcited about the prospect of creat-ing a video, many find the thoughtof the production process daunting.Dan Cossack of Latin Leaders ofSanta Ana, California, experiencedthat feeling. “I’d been thinking forquite some time about how fun itwould be to produce a club video,”he says. “But I wasn’t sure where tobegin, so I put the idea on the backburner.” With some encouragementand creative input from club mem-ber Cesar Vargas, they created abrief video of the club’s TableTopics session. “The entire shoottook us about 20 minutes . . . and ourvideo (http://bit.ly/aZsljf) is get-ting positive reviews from club visi-tors,” Cossack says.

As a former TV journalist andcorporate video and film producer,I’m thrilled to share with you somesimple secrets of creating a winning

Stand Out with Video

Make your club Web site come alive!


voiceover describes how much funit is to speak in your club. In thescript, mark (VO) above anyvoiceover dialogue to signal that itis to be audio-recorded later.

Production With the location set and the pro-duction crew and talent in place,it’s time to get filming!

Writer/Director Similar to a club agenda, the shotlist will be the director’s guide tohelp keep the videographer andproduction on track and runningon time. Vargas advises makingsure to film reaction shots: “Ifyou’re filming a club meeting likewe did, remember to film audi-ence reactions, such as clappingand facial reactions.”

Videographer/Camera/SoundWhen filming, consider the back-ground. Does a flagpole appearto be sticking out of the talent’shead? Don’t forget to do soundchecks and make sure your equipment can record what thescript describes.

PostproductionAll of the video has been shotand now it’s time to upload thefootage, edit and add the finishingtouches!

EditingIf you don’t have the latest versionof FlipShare, you’ll need to down-load it at http://bit.ly/dv1vWJ.Once it’s installed, you can importthe footage you’ve shot and beginediting and arranging your video inthe sequence you desire. For a greattutorial at FlipsShare Editing Soft -ware Training, go to http://bit.ly/bM51AN.

MusicWhen adding music, choose tuneswithout lyrics or heavy drumbeats sothey won’t compete with your speak-ers. The music offered throughFlipShare has been composed for FlipVideo and is licensed for customeruse. If you’re uploading your ownmusic, FlipShare recognizes only MP3format. Use royalty-free music (www.royaltyfreemusic.com) to avoidcopyright infringement problems.

GraphicsBe sure to end the video with thecontact information for your club. It’s a good idea to create a graphicimage of your club’s Web address.It can appear about three-quarters ofthe way through the video – super-imposed over the action – or at thevery end after the video has faded toblack. Remember: The entire video,combined with graphics, is not toexceed 60 seconds in length. Add -

itionally, for corporate identity andcontinuity, use only the Toast mastersInternational logo (http://www.toastmasters.org/logos) andrefrain from using club logos.

Uploading for Maximum ExposureIf your club edits with softwareother than FlipShare, then you mayneed to manually upload your fin-ished video from your computerdesktop to your Web site or to avideo share site like YouTube. FlipShare simplifies the process

by offering a quick and easy wayto publish your club video using

social networking services or byembedding it in e-mail. A club video is a phenomenal mar-

keting tool that works for your club24 hours a day. Search engines offervideo as a part of integrated searchresults, which can then drive trafficdirectly to your Web site and in turnget the word out about your club.Now that you know what to

do, get out there and create a clubvideo that will help your Web sitestand out from the pack in fun anddynamic ways!

Barbara Seymour Giordano is an executive communications coach with a background in television, hav-ing worked for CNN and E! Entertain -ment. She is a member of Del MarToastmasters in Del Mar, California.

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FUNNY YOUSHOULD SAY THAT! By John Cadley


to the illusion of dryness, since yourbody is in fact 70 percent water andyou are always soaking wet. If yourwetness dried up you could fit in aglove compartment.’”

If the Captain were a Toast -master I’m sure this is what hewould have said.

Another phrase I struggle with is“popular historian.” Popular histo-rians are in fact highly unpopularwith everyone except the peoplewho read their books. Other histori-ans don’t like them because theyactually write history books that sell.Uni versities despise them becausepopular historians are rich historians,which runs counter to the time-honored academic tradition of under-paying history professors while requir-ing them to publish or perish– bywriting unpopular history books.

History teachers resent them formaking history interesting whenthey themselves have worked sohard to make it boring. (They alsodon’t like it when popular historiansvacation with Alan Greenspan andKatie Couric on Martha’s Vineyardwhile they teach summer schoolclasses to football players.) You can’teven be a popular history student.Whenever I mention the MagnaCarta in idle conversation it makesme very unpopular with people whothink I’m trying to show off.

Then there’s “dizzying array.”An array is a large grouping ofthings placed in some kind of order.Apparently, this made somebodydizzy once and it’s been a dizzyingarray ever since. Why is it thearray’s fault? Perhaps they had aninner ear problem. Or a reaction to

� You may recall last year when theCarnival cruise ship Splendor wasadrift without power, lights, refriger-ation or air conditioning. As reportsfiltered back from the stranded pas-sengers, they all kept saying theycouldn’t wait to get back on “dryland.” While the humanitarian inme pitied their plight, the linguist inme bristled at their redundancy.

Yes, land is dry, the ocean iswet. We know that. Also, if theymeant it literally there could havebeen a problem. What if the shiphad returned to port on a rainyday? Then the Captain would havehad to announce: “Please beadvised that our return to dry landhas been postponed due to mud,which as you know makes dry landwet. Those who wish to changetheir travel plans may disembarkon to wet land at this time. Thosewishing to return to dry land mayremain aboard the ship until suchtimes as those conditions becomeavailable. There is also the optionof returning to semi-dry land whenthe rain stops but before theground dries out completely.”

I know this is silly. The peopleweren’t being literal. What theymeant is that they were tired ofbeing surrounded by wetness, whichis what the ocean is known for. Thiswould have had the Captain won-dering as the ship limped into port:“Should I say dry land when nobodyactually got wet? People didn’t eventake showers because there was nohot water. Heck, these are the driestpeople on the planet. What I shouldsay is: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, weare returning from the fear of wetness

medication. Or too much to drink.Considering all the things that canmake you dizzy, it seems ratherunfair to blame the poor little array.I’ve gazed on many arrays without a twinge of dizziness and I’m sureyou have too. So the next time youhear someone mention a dizzyingarray, refer them to a neurologist.

I don’t much care for “final destination” either. I usually hearit on airplanes when flight atten-dants announce where the aircraftis ultimately going. They may sayTucson or Chicago or St. Louis butthat isn’t my final destination. Oryours. We all know what our finaldestination is, and if the plane isgoing there, I’m gettin’ off.

Lastly, there’s the motto embla-zoned on the police cars in myhometown: “Serve, Protect,Defend.” Sounds nice until yourealize it’s really a description ofthings going from bad to worse.The way I see it, police serve youby directing traffic, coming to thescene of accidents, and getting catsout of trees. If they have to moveon to protecting you, something’sgone wrong. And if they end updefending you it can only mean theprotection has broken down. Whathappens after that–“Serve, Protect,Defend, Every Man for Himself”?At that point I would face a dizzy-ing array of bad things that couldhappen, like going to my final destination on a cruise ship at thehands of a popular historian.

John Cadley is an advertising copy-writer in Syracuse, New York. Reachhim at [email protected].

Say What?Tackling the task of gleaning a meaning.

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