Hi all
Just a quick update that the recent Toastmasters induction dinner was featured in the Cape Town newspapers. They also displayed a full colour photo of me and Lois. You can read the article on my other blog.
Craig
Just a quick update – Lois is being interviewed today on GHFM (Good Hope) at 12:50pm. She will be speaking on Toastmasters, communication and leadership skills.
I hope that you manage to listen.
On Monday, I entered the annual humour-hopabout contest, hosted by Table Bay Toastmasters club in Cape Town. Now, I normally am not able to compete. This is because district officers are not allowed to enter official Toastmasters contests. However, because this is an unofficial contest, I was able to enter.
The humour-hopabout contest has been running for almost 30 years in Cape Town. It is loads of fun, and a great opportunity to hear some really funny speeches.
Well, imagine my surprise when I won the contest with my speech, which examined the lighter side of mobile phones!
So, at least for the next year I am the humour champion in Cape Town!
Enjoy the speech on youtube!
Craig
I have finally completed the initial version of my e-book, Putting the POWER back into PowerPoint.
This 34 page ebook will show you how to effectively use PowerPoint to enhance your presentation. Learn how to:
and of course, know what to take with you when giving a presentation. You can download the 34 page ebook here. Please tell all your friends and family to download the ebook.
I would love to get some feedback, so please let me know what you think!
We all complain about people driving while speaking on their mobile phones, and about how dangerous it is. Well, I have a very simple solution.
According to Car Today, the cheapest car that you can currently by in South Africa is a Chevrolet Spark at R63240 – even a Citi Golf is R69150! Now, a branded Nokia Bluetooth car kit is about R1100 installed.
So, to prevent people from driving while using their mobile phones, why is it simply not mandatory to have Bluetooth car kits pre-installed in all new cars?
At retail costs, it will increase the cost of the cheapest car by about 1,7%. And if all new cars have the blue tooth kits installed, the volume sales should cause the cost of the kit to be a lot less.
You can even get a portable Bluetooth car kit for about R320, which is 0.5% of the cheapest car. On a car that costs R150000, it is a tiny 0.2%
So, to me it is pretty obvious – preinstall the Bluetooth kits in all new cars and improve on our road safety!
PS: Yes, I have been using a car kit for about five years!
PPS: Wikipedia have a very good article on the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving.
There is an article in the latest Toastmaster magazine, which features none other than Lois herself! The article is all about how disabled Toastmasters have overcome their difficulties to still achieve in the Toastmasters environment. I have included the relevant extract below (courtesy of Toastmasters International):
"Lois Strachan, DTM, from Cape Town, South Africa, has been blind since age 21. She says that any speaker, blind or sight¬ed. needs to know the same things: Who’s the audience? What’s the room layout? The only other thing Strachan needs to find out. she says, is whether or not she’ll be able to bring her guide dog Leila her.
For Strachan, learning to make eve contact and use appropriate gestures and body language can be a bit chal¬lenging, especially when she can’t see what works and what doesn’t work in other speakers. So how does she learn? "Through trial and error," she says. "Don’t we all?" And like many Toastmasters, Strachan appreciates what¬ever help her evaluators can give her in these particular areas. "I think the greatest way that other Toastmasters and clubs can assist is simply by being aware of the needs of someone with visual impairments," she says. "That in itself is problematic, since we are all individuals and our needs differ!"
Leila, Strachan’s guide dog, provides her own form of evaluation: if she likes a speech, she pays attention. If the speech is okay, but not as good as Leila would hope, she goes to sleep. And if Leila really thinks the speech needs work, she snores.
Since Strachan is unable to see the green, yellow, and blue lights that are standard at most Toastmaster meetings, she requests a verbal indication of how much time remains for her speech, rather than rely on a bell, a clap or other audio notification method."
The Toastmaster, April 2006
I have scanned the full article below:
To find out more about our Toastmasters Club, please go here.
To find out more about Toastmasters International, please go here.
An old friend of mine, Ken, once told me that if you want to achieve something, write it down. This is applicable weather it is a small task, like doing the shopping, or an important goal, such as achieving a new qualification.
He said that he has no idea why or how it works, but if you write down whatever you wish to achieve, it is far easier to do so.
I think that this works partly because by writing it down, you turn what ever it is from a conceptual goal in your head, into a more material, definable and realistic goal. It helps you to clarify exactly what the goal is, and how you wish to achieve it.
It also helps to include a reason as to why you wish to get something done. Showing the benefit makes it much easier to do.
The next step after writing it down is to put it somewhere where you will see it and be reminded of the goal. Stick it to the fridge, the bathroom mirror or your computer monitor at work.
A simple example is that I wanted to spend a few days without meat or alcohol. I am used to eating mostly vegetarian, but with a little bit of meat thrown in here and there, but had somehow shifted to eating a lot more meat, with a bit of vegetarian thrown in here and there. My body was not feeling very comfortable with this, and I needed a few days to clear my system. So, I wrote :
“Until Thursday, I will not eat any meat, or drink any wine. I will eat health meals, and drink lots of water. This is to clean my body, and make me feel better.”
Well, today is Thursday and I managed to keep to my affirmation, and I really feel better with myself for having done so. It was very simple to write down, but doing so helped me to really make the internal commitment to do it.
Here is an experiment for you, make a list of things you need to do with your house (painting, fix the gutters, new carpets). Then have a look at the list in a few months and see how many of them you have managed to do. Remember to keep whatever is on the list realistic.
If it’s something that may not directly look realistic (such as climbing Kilimanjaro), perhaps you can break it into smaller, more-realistic goals (such as improving fitness levels and climbing Table Mountain).
Alternatively make a list of all the places you wish to visit over the next few years, and see how many of them you are able to visit.
You will be amazed at how many of what you write down you are able to achieve.
So, the next time you wish to achieve something, write it down.
Notes from the Cape – Ethics and Policy (Draft version 1)
This is a working document, so feel free to enter into discussion and provide me with suggestions regarding any changes or omissions.
Code of ethics
Disclaimer
Sources
Material on this entry is a mixture of the authors’ own views, as well as sourced from the following sites:
And finally…
This is an extract of a training session that I present “Putting the POWER back into PowerPoint”.
Nowadays, many of us use PowerPoint for our presentations. While there are many courses and books on the technical side of how to create slides, there is very little material available on how to create effective slides and presentations. This course helps to address that issue.
Only use slides if appropriate. Nowadays, we often automatically haul out PowerPoint when asked to do a presentation. You need to ask yourself if the particular presentation really needs it, or if slides are not really necessary
Create slides around the presentation, not the presentation around the slides. Remember that the slides are there to enhance and not replace your presentation.
Use few and simple fonts and colours. The fewer you use, the easier it is to read.
Use contrasting colours. As above – it’s easier to read. Also test your slides under a variety of conditions to find what combinations work. My favourite is a navy blue background, with yellow headings and white text.
Use the 7×7 rule. No more that seven words per line; and seven lines per page. Rather put your main points onto the slides than a transcription of your speech. It is easier for the audience to remember a few points than an essay, and it allows for larger fonts to be used, hence making the slides more readable (especially from a distance).
Check spelling and grammar. This is just plain professionalism – it goes without saying.
Don’t read the slides verbatim. We can all read. Rather give us a few seconds to read a slide before speaking about the points on the slide. If you are presenting the slides point by point, then show the point while you discuss it. But please don’t insult me by reading the points aloud.
Use animated effects only if appropriate. They can really look cute, but can be distracting to the main point.
Audio and video clips add complexity to the presentation. Use them only if appropriate.
Rather use graphs than numbers. They are easier to read and simpler to understand. Remember that numbers tell, but pictures sell.
Rehearse with and without the slides. This gives you the power to still deliver a presentation should you have a major catastrophe with the slides (eg: the projector stops working half-way through a presentation).
Arrive at the venue early. This gives you plenty of time to setup and ensure that everything is working. It also allows for you to resolve any issues well-before time. If it’s a really important presentation, try to get there the day before as well so that you can check out the venue and ensure that all equipment is working.
Bring the following to your presentations:
Finally two pointers for running the actual presentation:
Don’t run the laptop off batteries (no matter how fresh). I have seen many laptops shutdown or go into standby mode because the laptop was running on batteries, and either they went flat, or the presenter forgot to put the laptop into a “don’t go into standby” mode.
Speak to the audience, not to the screen. Many presenters read the slides (see point above) while facing the screen. This prevents you from making eye contact with the audience, and prevents them from hearing you. It’s also rude.
