District 10 had the honor of hosting Toastmasters International President-Elect Balraj Arunasalam for several days before the Spring District  Conference.  He kindly consented to an interview to talk about the organization of Toastmasters International, the move from California to Colorado and, of course, Pathways.

Balraj Arunasalam Biography.

 

Toastmaster Arunasalam came from Colombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka, where he is chairman/managing director of Gemtrans Engineering Company.

Toastmaster Arunasalam is a member of the Toastmasters International Executive Committee and Board of Directors.  He is a “working ambassador” for Toastmasters and works with the Board to develop and support the policies and procedures that guide Toastmasters International in fulfilling its mission.  This August, he is on track to be elected the International President of Toastmasters for 2017-2018.

A dedicated Toastmaster for 27 years, Toastmaster Arunasalam is a member of two clubs, including his home club Colombo Toastmasters. A distinguished leader, Toastmaster Arunasalam has held numerous offices from club through the international level: He served as International Director 2011 to 2013,  Second Vice President 2014-2015 and First Vice-President 2015-2016. He holds the Distinguished Toastmaster designation—the highest level of educational achievement in Toastmasters International.

“Toastmasters is a way of life,” Toastmaster Arunasalam says. “It helped me understand the philosophy of leadership, to give and receive respect, and to be humble.”

Toastmaster Arunasalam delivered a keynote in the morning of our conference, and an educational workshop in the afternoon.

 

 

President-Elect Balraj Arunasalam

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It's funny that this is the one advanced manual that took so long to find someone to actually talk about.  Humorously Speaking is reported to be the most popular advanced manual in the Toastmasters world.

I talked with Jenilee Taylor about the manual and why she found it so useful.  It helps that she's already funny in real life.  We were working on a Youth Leadership Program together and opted to do this interview in her car, since the building acoustics are pretty bad.  We sat in the parking lot and talked humorously speaking for more than a half hour.  And we laughed.  Someone may have snorted glitter at some of our comments.  If you know Jenilee, you'll know why - glitter is her favorite thing in the world.

Jenilee Taylor has been a Toastmaster for more than 10 years.  She's served the district as LGET and as the first District Director.  She's completed her third DTM in the classic program and now is working in Pathways.  Her club, Cuyahoga Falls Toastmasters, was one of only 6 clubs in the world to complete all of the 16 Distinguished Club goals in 2017-2018 - even though District 10 had not gotten access to Pathways until November, 2017.  Congratulations to Jenilee and (our) club!
Humorously Speaking...
I still need a couple of advanced manual reviewers.

If you have completed your DTM and would be willing to be interviewed, I'm looking for someone to interview about the Facilitating Discussion advanced manual.
Pathways Is Here
We are looking at wrapping up On the Table - Topics for Toastmasters by the end of this year.  It's time to move onto Pathways.

I've got a co-host to add to the mix.  We've got the Pathways program to explore together.  Watch this space for future announcements about how we're going to be moving to a new podcast website.  On the Table - Topics for Toastmasters will continue to be available on the podcast index of your choice until June, 2020.

DarxieLand Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

 

Humorously Speaking Advanced Manual Review with Jenilee Taylor

As we wrap up the classic Toastmasters education with the advanced manuals, I know there are are a lot of Toastmasters who are looking for a fast manual to complete.  The Specialty Speeches advanced manual should be at the top of their list.  Many of the projects are based on work that may have already been done.

There's a controversy about repeat speeches in Toastmasters.
Specialty Speeches and Reusing Speeches
The Specialty Speeches advanced manual does focus on very different speech projects.  In fact, there doesn't seem to be a common theme in the projects.  What the manual does do is allow the Toastmaster to reuse speech projects from other manuals.  Uplifting the Spirit doesn't differ much from the Competent Communicator project 10, Inspire Your Audience.

The first project asks the speaker to be prepared to speak on one of five speaker-selected topics.  If a Toastmaster has completed a Competent Communicator manual, they've given five speeches.  By simply recycling these speeches, it's easy to complete this project with little prep.

All of the speech projects in Specialty Speeches can be reused projects from other books.  Is this a problem?

Usually not.  If you've ever had the opportunity to attend or judge a high school speech and debate tournament* you'll see the students have memorized their presentations and prepared extensively for the tournament.  Every speaker is given notes by the judges with comments that will be closely studied and modifications to their presentations will be made.  This kind of repetition produces finely-honed, excellent speeches.

But... but.. I can't repeat a speech, can I?

Yes, you can.  Unless your club specifically prohibits repeating a speech, you can.
Pathways Level 1 Speech Projects
We're still talking about the classic program here, but looking ahead to Pathways, there is a project that recommends repeating a speech.  The second project, Evaluation and Feedback, encourages the Toastmaster to repeat the speech with the same evaluator!

So reuse and recycle those speech projects with the Specialty Speeches manual.  You'll finish it quickly and find, like many other Toastmasters, it's fast and it's fun to revisit your past.

 

Our guest today is Vicky Nann, DD of District 10 for 2018-2019.  I'd forgotten that I'd evaluated her for one of the speeches in the Specialty Speeches advanced manual!

Vicky Nann, DTM, is a marketing communications professional.  She is serving as the 2018-2019 district director for Toastmasters District 10 (Northeastern Ohio). A Toastmaster since 2000, she is currently a member of five clubs. Vicky held Toastmasters leadership roles in districts in Colorado, Minnesota and Illinois before returning home to Ohio in 2012. Her hobbies include beekeeping and travel.

 

 

Our music is from Incompetech.com
"Cuban Sandwich" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
*You should definitely go to a high school speech and debate tournament.  Volunteer to be a judge!  Contact your local high school to see if they have a team you can support.

Specialty Speeches Advanced Manual with Vicky Nann

Some advanced manuals just sound dry.  The Speeches by Management probably makes most of us

 	* shrug with indifference
 	* wince with fear
 	* yawn and move on.

The problem isn't the manual, it's the topic.  Taking a look at the project list might not inspire a lot of ideas.

 

 
Todd Taylor aka Santa CEO
Todd Taylor learned about Toastmasters during a first date.  After talking for several hours, Todd heard about better ways to communicate from the woman that later became his wife, Jenilee Taylor.  She inspired him to go for the DTM and wanted him to use the Speeches by Management advanced manual to get ready to move into a management position.

As an engineer, Todd's used to thinking outside the usual box.  The challenge wasn't to finish the manual.  The challenge was to make it fun.

With the Christmas sales already in the stores, Todd was inspired to take on the role of Santa.  But not Santa ho-ho-ho, but as Santa CEO.

Using a theme for an advanced manual isn't unique to Todd.  Many people have used a theme or voice for their projects, either for fun or inspiration.  This isn't Todd's only journey into thematic advanced manuals.  This conversation went on quite a while after the recording ended with a long discussion about zombie invasions speeches.

Outside of his roles in Toastmasters (past area governor and past division director), Todd works in Akron, Ohio, as an engineer as a manager for a waste water company.  He's married Jenilee Taylor DTM PDD (a frequent past guest of On the Table - Topics for Toastmasters) and is a member of Cuyahoga Falls Toastmasters.  Todd completed his DTM under the classic program and is now contemplating a new theme for his Pathways projects.
Speeches by Management Advanced Manual
In the end, Todd did move into a new job and a management position.  He said this manual did prepare him for the communication tasks that his new job required.  That's the best endorsement for an advanced manual I can think of.



We are still looking for DTMs to talk about their favorite advanced manual.  You can reach me through our contact page to volunteer.

 

Our jingle bells were from FreeMusicArchive.org.

"Christmas Rap" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

 

Speeches by Management Advanced Manual… by Santa!

Take your audience for a roller coaster ride.  That's the goal of The Entertaining Speaker Advanced Manual.

What a perfect way to describe the best speeches.  We have Dave Wiley to thank for that.

Dave Wiley has been a member of Toastmasters for 10 years.  In that time, he’s served as a trio member five times, a past trio member twice, and an area director once.

When Dave started in Toastmasters, he took on the role of VP of Education for his club, then went to President.  He loves seeing others succeed and thinks Toastmasters truly is where leaders are made.

When he is not participating in Toastmasters, he coaches soccer, teaches public school religion to second graders, writes and has been published in numerous publications including Chicken Soup for the Soul Books,  and his work experience as an IT professional has taken him all over the world.
The Entertaining Speaker
This is probably among the best manuals for a club.  We get great speeches when our members dive into these five projects.

Many manual projects are designed for the Toastmaster who is speaking outside the club.  The Entertaining Speaker is full of great information on how to construct and deliver a speech that isn't boring.  As I work on my International Speech Contest presentation, the discussion I had about this manual sparked a lot of ideas for me to use.  I like the idea of the twist at the end.  I'm not sure how to use it - so I probably should get a copy of this manual in the next week to get ready for the contest.

I think many of the advanced manuals are written for the speech projects to be done in order.  They build on the skills taught in the previous project.  This manual sounds like it's laying a foundation for that final After Dinner Speech.  That's definitely when you want to be an Entertaining Speaker.

 

 

The Entertaining Speaker Advanced Manual Review with Dave Wiley

The Interpretive Reading manual is one of the most specific set of speech projects.  Each of the presentations require a different set of skills.

All of the speech projects are read, not performed like a speech.  Eye contact and body language are not to be evaluated.  This makes evaluating these speeches very problematic for newer Toastmasters or those who haven't had time to read the manual objectives.  The evaluator has to understand the techniques that the speaker is trying to develop.

These projects are somewhat older styles of entertainment.  Monodramas are rarely performed anymore.  The National Speech and Debate Associate (NSDA) for high school speech students has speech competitions in various catagories that include presenting a previously written speech.  However it's simply not a common activity now.  But that doesn't mean there aren't skills to be learned from trying out these project.

Our guest is Carol Prahinski, the former Region Advisor for Region 6.  Carol talks about what it took to get started, how she selected her pieces, and why the Interpretive Reading advanced manual is one that she'll do again.
Interpretive Reading Advanced Manual Projects
Every project in the Interpretive Reading manual requires a lot of time to research to find appropriate materials.  Many struggle to find poems that are long enough for the time requirements.  Monodramas are hard to find.  Famous speeches that can be cut to the time requirements tend to limit our choices - or lead to extensive editing.

My advice:  talk to a librarian.  They can lead you to materials that you can use, probably faster than you'd find them yourself.

Reading Poetry is probably the most relevant project in the manual.  It's important to understand the techniques of reading a poem and how we often fail to do the work justice.  When we fall into the rhythm/rhyme cadence that many poems use, we often can mangle the words into a sing-song voice.  That's rarely the poet's intention, unless they've Dr. Seuss.   Try taking time to practice reading out loud.  Don't use the not the format of the stanzas but the punctuation to indicate where to pause. Poetry is able to become what it's meant to be:  a vocal presentation of literature.

I have a friend who assigns Shakespeare's plays to be read by her students.  I think this is a mistake:  plays are written to be performed, not read.  Poetry is the same way:  it's meant to be read out loud for the audience.  That's why the sounds of the words is so important to the writer, and we, as the performers, need to honor that.

 

 
Our music today is from Incompetech.com
"Rumination" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
 

President-Elect Balraj Arunasalam

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