How To Find Local Public Speaking Training That Best Meets Your Desired Goals & Outcomes

Finding local training is not usually a problem – but finding a training that will efficiently and cost-effectively meet your needs is a completely different matter.

That’s why I’ve put together some tips for you to help streamline your search for a local public speaking training that will actually meet your needs.

Tip #1:
Before you even start your search for local public speaking training, are you 100% clear about what your most desired goals, outcomes and results are? Imagine that you’ve already taken the public speaking training – what can you do now that you couldn’t do before the training? Make a detailed list of your goals and desired outcomes.

Tip #2:
What kind of time are you willing to invest in your training and how quickly do you need to reach your goals and desired outcomes? If your time is limited this is a critical question. Local adult night school classes might be good if you have no time to train during the day. Weekend intensive workshop trainings can be a better solution than night classes because the training is condensed to a short time frame.

Tip #3:
Look for a trainer who has a lot of public speaking and training experience. It’s one thing to be a great public speaker, it’s quite another to be able to train others to be great speakers. You need to find a trainer that has tons of real-world experience in public speaking, but also a long track record of training others.

Bonus Tip:
The absolutely best local public speaking training – or not local for that matter – will be small group workshop intensives. I’m talking about workshops that are 10 or less people in the training – and are entirely facilitated by the experienced public speaker / trainer. Think of it like taking a Karate class – you want The Master personally training you. And small-sized classes mean that won’t get lost in the crowd so you’ll be able to get all your questions answered and get lots of personal attention and feedback.

Summary:
When it comes to finding the best local public speaking for you, first determine what your goals and desired outcomes are so you can evaluate each training based on your goals and outcomes. Second you need to figure out what kind of time you want to devote to training. Third, look for trainers that not only have lots of public speaking experience, but have lots of teaching and training experience because great speakers are not necessarily great teachers. Finally, look for a workshop intensive with the group size limited to 10 people or less so you don’t get “lost in the crowd” and so that you’ll get lots of personal attention and feedback.

By David Portney

Website: http://www.bestpublicspeakingtraining.com/

Speech Evaluations: Taking the Pain From the Process

Dr Ralph Smedley, in his book “Personally Speaking”, reduced the complexities of speech evaluation to four simple questions:

 

            1.  Did the speaker have a purpose, and did the speaker make good on it?

 

            2.  What did I like best about the speech?

 

            3.  What definite thing should the speaker do to improve the speech?

 

            4.  Did the speaker “make a sale” to me?

 

Although Toastmasters International has developed a great deal of materials to aid us in the art of ‘growth’ evaluations, nothing yet published captures the role of the Evaluator more clearly than those four questions. 

 

Let’s take a closer look at these questions and see how they come into play during your next opportunity to serve as an Evaluator of a speaker.

 

1.      Did the speaker have a purpose, and did the speaker make good on it?

 

If the speaker is working from either the Basic or Advanced C&L Manuals, the purpose of the project will be known to you.  Then it is a matter for you to determine if the speaker met his/her obligations in that regard.  Obviously, in your role as Evaluator, it is a primary responsibility to read and understand the speech project IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING, if possible.    As you listen to the speech, keep asking yourself if the stated purpose of the speech is being met.

 

            2.  What did I like best about the speech?

 

Here is where you need to ask yourself a series of questions:

 

            What type of opening was used and did it get the audience’s attention?

 

            Was there a smooth transition to the body of the speech?

 

            Was the body well constructed, easy to follow and have a logical flow to it?

 

            If data, statistics, or quotes were used, did the speaker cite the sources?

 

            Did the close seem appropriate to the purpose of the speech and was it well done?

 

            Were the speaker’s gestures, appearance, dynamics, and manner appropriate to the speech?

 

After you have answered the questions, you will need to decide which of these impressed you most and aided the speaker to get the message across.  Pick out the ones you felt were central to the success of the speech and comment on them.

 

3.  What definite thing should the speaker do to improve the speech?

 

            In the limited time you have for the evaluation, you will be limited to one or two suggestions to the speaker.  Here it is important to bear in mind the speech purpose and relate your suggestions to it.  For those who are more advanced speakers, try to avoid comment on basics, such as eye contact, gestures, rate and pitch, unless they have a definite bearing on the acceptance of the speech by the audience.  Rather try and point out how some facets of the speech could have been improved.  For example, limiting the topic so as to cover fewer points in greater detail, or how the (opening)(body)(close) could have been made stronger.  [NOTE:  When pointing out what could have been improved, also provide examples of how it could have been done better.  In other words drop the other shoe.]

 

4.  Did the speaker “make the sale” to me?

 

            Regardless of the purpose of the speech, be it to inform, entertain, persuade, or educate, the final test is whether the purpose was accomplished.  No matte how well the speech was delivered from a speech mechanics standpoint, if it didn’t “sale” you then it failed the final test.  A humorous speech which provokes no laughter or a persuasive speech which doesn’t persuade fails the test and the speaker should be aware of how the speech was received in terms of the speech purpose.  If the speaker didn’t make the “sale” you may want to include the reasons for the failure in your evaluation, or if time, or sensitivity is a factor, talk with the speaker after the meeting when you will have sufficient time to explain your reasons for feeling as you do about the “sale” part of the speech.

 

Dr Smedley was also insistent that a Toastmasters speech evaluation should be “helpful, is always friendly in tone, and never harsh, biting, discouraging or sarcastic.”  Knowing the speaker is the best guide to how “softly” or how “realistic” your evaluation will be.  A novice speaker needs more encouragement and so your suggestions need be phrased in such a manner as to be gentle.  A more seasoned speaker may be anxious to have his or her speech evaluated with more of a fine line approach.  Veteran speakers, having developed the self confidence needed to develop speaking skills are more apt to look to the evaluator for in depth analysis of his or her performance.  Whether you are evaluation a novice or veteran, a good evaluation is like a good cup of coffee………strong enough to get your attention but not so strong as to leave a bitter after taste.

 

 

So let’s try and incorporate all of these points into a mock evaluation.

 

            “Thank you, Madame (Master Evaluator)(General Evaluator), my fellow Toastmasters, most welcomed guests, and especially, John.”

 

            “Your purpose tonight was to present a controversial issue and persuade us to your point of view.  Controversial the topic certainly was and persuasive you certainly were.  I can’t speak for others but I’m now ready to vote for the upcoming bond issue, thanks to the persuasiveness of your arguments.”

 

            “I felt your skillful use of statistics and logic were the keys to the “selling” of your point of view.  By pointing out the consequences of failing to pass the bond issue with believable statistics and then applying sound logic to the alternatives we face, you brought a strong focus to the problem.”

 

            “By urging us to vote in favor of the bond issue you made us a part of the decision process and challenged our thinking on this complex, controversial issue.”

 

            “While it was a well crafted speech, I have two suggestions to offer for your consideration, which I believe could enhance this effective speech.”

 

              “ The first would be to craft a more attention getting opening, such as “Think of it.  There’s an attempted break in to your home.  You reach for the phone to call the police, but all you get is a recorded message that no police are available and you should phone the county sheriff’s office for assistance.  That could be just one of the negative results of a “NO” vote on the city bond issue next month.” Delivered with feeling such an opening could be highly effective.

 

            “Also, in addition to urging us to vote “YES” on the bond issue, you might revisit your opening, by saying something like, ‘I hope if you ever have to phone the police, there will be someone there to answer the phone.  Will there be?  It’s up to you.”

 

            “With minor changes, John, I think you have a speech you should consider sharing with other organizations in our city.  With your skills as a speaker, I’m sure you’ll change a lot of minds on this vital subject.”

 

 In this mock evaluation, all four questions Dr. Smedley posed have been answered and the speaker would feel good about his performance while getting some help on how to make it even better.

 

I tend to concentrate less on style than on purpose.  We each develop our own style as speakers.  Unless a speaker’s style interferes with getting his/her message across I don’t mention it as a part of my evaluation.  Some of the finest speakers in America violate the basic protocol we teach new members, yet they are highly effective.  Tom Peters, the noted author of the book “In Search of Excellence” breaks every rule in the book.  His jacket is always unbuttoned, he paces back and forth without purpose, carries a legal note pad around while speaking and goes of into tangents.  Yet he draws overflow audiences because his messages is so powerful that most people never notice the “speaker protocol” errors. 

 

We, as evaluators, must concentrate on identifying the speaker’s strengths, and offering the speaker our help in overcoming weaknesses.  By answering those four simple questions and doing so in a friendly, helpful manner, we can meet our evaluation purpose.

 

 

Developed by: 

Jim Smith, DTM, PID

District 40, Region VI

 

Visit http://jefmenguin.com and http://jefmenguin.wordpress.com for more public speaking tips.

Celebrate Earth Day

It was only yesterday that I noticed the ad on Earth day celebration. I thought I need to know something about it. So I looked for information. I suggest you consider the following links yourself. I think we must be involved.

1. EArth Day Quiz
2. Top Earth Day Activity and Quiz
3. Top 10 Worst Effect of Global Warming

Four Old Men (Republished)

Mr. Toastmaster, Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen–

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.

He saw the first light of day at San Francisco, Cebu. As a boy, he was small compared to boys of his age. His burnt skin is a story of his daily habit of welcoming the day on the seashore of Camotes Island, of daily hopping in the expanse of fields of relatives where crops like peanuts and corns abound, of playing all day under the heat of the pacific sun. His hair was long and straight, so unlike today which is short and which becomes curly when it gets longer.

Life for Dodong is simple. He experiences a complicated life ONLY when he was listening to radio dramas Simatar and Gabi ng Lagim. Later, he would discover that life is not simply swimming in the ocean and hopping in the fields. Four old men changed his life forever.

One morning, he was awakened by a kiss in the forehead. His Lolo Pedro was about to go fishing. He usually leaves before the rooster crows. The old man, and his wife, talked for a while in the front door. The years did not diminish their sweetness and love for each other. When the old man, Pedro, reached his banca , Dodong was already there. He went out using the back door. The old man did not ask Dodong to go home. He knew what his favorite apo wanted.

On that day, Dodong saw how the sun light produces a rainbow of colors when it touches the face of the ocean, of the small fishes that follow their banca curious of his presence, of the serenity that the ocean brings to a young soul. Preoccupied with the beauty of nature, he did not notice that hours passed, and they were yet to catch a single fish. Until he felt the rumblings in his stomach.

The old man told him that he must be patient. Sooner they will catch some fish which will delight him. If not, God will give the fish to them. An hour passed and they have not yet gotten even a small fish. But he was told to be patient. So he did. Then, they saw a group of fishermen rowing towards their direction. They were Lolo’s friends. So they gave them four big fish. His Lolo encouraged him to say thanks to the fishermen. So he did. Afterwards, his grandfather rowed the banca towards the nearest shore which was a big rock with plenty of vegetation. His Lolo cooked the most delicious fish in his life. He did not remember if they caught fish on that day, but he will never come to forget his Lolo’s words, “Be patient. Sooner we will catch some fish which will delight you. If not, God will give them to us. PEDRO affects eternity.
Some years after, Dodong’s parents brought him to Quezon City. There he learned that bad characters in the radio have human forms. A life full of problems is real. But it is here where he met his second teacher, FRANCISCO. He did not know his real name, but later on he called him Francisco in his stories for he likened the man to St. Francis of Assissi.

It was one night when Dodong was frightened by the threat of his auntie’s husband that he would place him inside a sack and be beaten until he learns his lesson. When his Auntie’s husband told him LUMAYAS KA, he went of the house and thought of not going back.

It was almost midnight; the cold air enveloped his small frame. He was sitting in one of the waiting shades in the University Avenue in UP Diliman. He had not regret of leaving his Auntie’s house, but the cold air and cold bench puzzled him even more why some men would harm small boys like him. It was at this time when an old man approached him and asked what he was doing in there in the middle of the night. Dodong just told him the story. Francisco, a laborer in a nearby construction site, invited Dodong to his barracks. The old man offered the kid his food, his guitar, and his pillow and rugged blankets. Dodong did not even get the name of the man who advised him to go home when the morning came. But lesson inculcated in his mind that night is that… a stranger is a brother, a sister, a father, a mother, or a love one in disguise. Francisco affects eternity.

Dodong grew in wisdom and stature. He took his elementary years in Krus na Ligas Elementary School, then later on at Juan Sumulong Elementary School. He graduated in Antipolo Municipal High School with a best in Science Award and an Outstanding Student in Theater. Afterwards, he entered the Seminary of Alagad ni Maria.

In the first year of his seminary life, he got the impression that seminarians in their congregation must get at least a cum laude distinction when they graduate in their Philo and Theo studies. So, he did try to excel.

In his second year, they were made to live in Infanta, Quezon. There he got a regular talk with his third teacher, JULIO. Bishop Julio Labayen lives in his Kubo, small and simple when compared to the big villas of his counterparts here in Metro Manila. He has a Pajero which was donated by friends. Julio, however, likes to walk, or sometimes, to ride in a tricycle when he is in Quezon. He crosses rivers and climbs mountains to reach people. Dodong’s stay in Quezon brought him back to his roots. There he met farmers and fisher folks who shared to him their lives and the stories they weaved together as a community. Looking back to his childhood in Camotes, Dodong realized that his grandfather also faced the same difficulties, the same atrocities in life.

When he went out of the seminary, Dodong brought with him the lesson he got from Julio Labayen. The real servant of God serves the poorest of the poor. He should not be complacent in a world where poverty of the many benefits the few, where injustice is a tradition, and vices are held as virtues. Julio affects eternity.

Dodong took Political Science to pursue his another dream. He had always wanted to become a human righst lawyer. He got involved with many organizations including the Kabataang Makabayan, This time, he wanted a revolution. He would change the world.

During this time also, he met his fourth teacher, ROBERTO, now 76 and still kicking. It was the old man who told him that he would become a great teacher and many people would learn from him because of what he has to offer, that he will become like Christ, who is also a good teacher. Dodong liked the idea of being Christ-like, but by that time he was thinking of Christ as a revolutionary and not simply as a teacher.

In Roberto, Dodong saw a man of dedication and hard work– a man who cares for his students. I tell you, if you were his students, after ten years he would still remember even your middle names.

In his first day in the class of ROBERTO, he remembered the man telling the class these words ,” Itong itinuturo ko sa inyo, huwag ninyong kakalimutan hanggang kayo ay mamatay”.

Dodong, now a teacher, intends to advance in his studies. If God permits and makes him win a Fulbright scholarship, he will take Masters in TESOL at the United States. He will always live the teachings of his teachers– PEDRO, FRANCISO, JULIO, AND ROBERTO.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.

Jef Menguin facilitates people skills seminars and teambuilding and leadership workshops in Metro Manila, Philippines. Visit his website at http://jefmenguin.com to learn more about his seminars.

Speak with Confidence Workshop

We need more people whose passion is to equip and inspire people. I think of the church workers, the NGO volunteers and social workers, and school teachers. They have the passion to help us make a difference in this world. However, like the rest of us, most of them fear speaking before a large audience. Many of them fear public speaking because they don’t know how to convey their messages clearly and convincingly.

I will be conducting a workshop for Word International Ministry Quezon City. We encourage all the church workers to attend. Please extend this invitation to your friends and to everyone who will benefit from this program. My trainer friends typically charge each participant 6k to 8k for this kind of program. Because this is part of WIN QC outreach program, we will charge the participants a minimal amount for the materials, certificates, and others.

You and your friends may avail of this seminar for 600 pesos only.

Since this is a workshop, we cannot accept more than 50 participants. We will accept registration on first come, first serve basis.

Please find the workshop description below.

Jef Menguin

You Can Speak With Confidence!

April 18 and April 25
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM

How often have you admired and envied those who speak before groups with such ease and confidence? Do you find yourself wishing that you had the talent to motivate, persuade, and hold the attention of a group?

You can have it. Confident speaking is not strictly for talented naturals or geniuses or loud people. Speaking is for everyone who has a message to impart; a purpose to fulfill, and an idea to sell. You will learn in this workshop the secrets to successful speaking and the many techniques and methods that will have you off the sidelines and standing up with ease and confidence!

Plus, this workshop presents you with special advantages not available in any other training course: the principles and practices presented are based on the careful study and rich experience of the workshop leader in his years of actual practice in speaking, mentoring, and training!

No matter how much you doubt your own speaking abilities, you will amaze yourself with these principles, tips, and techniques that will help you make effective presentations in any situation, from one-on-one discussions to speeches before large groups!

What You Will Learn?

* The Secrets of Speaking
* How to be Confident
* How to Communicate With Ease
* How to Think On Your Feet
* How to Delight Your Audience
* How to Find and Develop Your Authentic Voice
* How to Prepare for Every Speaking Situation
* How to Help Other People Become Confident

Discover the Secrets of Speaking
This workshop is founded on the three principles common among confident and competent communicators. Most people violate one, two, or all of these principles. The secret has always been with us. And we can use it to inform, influence, and inspire people.

How to be Confident
You are confident when you trust your own abilities, have a general sense of control of your life, and believe that, within reason, you shall. This workshop will show you the logical steps to build your self-confidence and to increase your self-esteem.

How to Communicate With Ease
It is possible that most of your public speaking assignments are within your organization or company. It may not be too difficult especially when your organization is already within your comfort zone. It is also equally possible that you will be invited outside your comfort zone. How do you strike a conversation with a stranger? Learn the steps in this workshop.

How to Speak Impromptu
You don’t have to be a genius to shine or even make sense during interviews, Q&A, emergency meetings, and cold calling clients. The techniques in handling impromptu situations will bring out the best in you. You will learn from the exercises and feedback which the facilitator will provide. You can speak with clarity, coherence, and conviction.

How to Delight Your Audience
Each audience is unique. You must know your own speaking style, the styles of different types of audience members, and how to adjust to each for better communication. Each of them invest their time in you, so they deserve only the best from you.

How to Find and Develop Your Authentic Voice
You will explore several techniques for adding vocal and visual variety to your speaking. Goodbye monotone. Hello confident speaker. More than that, you will learn techniques that will help you improve your vocal power.

How to Prepare for Every Speaking Situation
You will present various kinds of information from the beginning until the end. If you intend to attend just to watch the facilitator speak, you will be disappointed. Participants will do most of the talking in this workshop. Learning is change in behavior, eliminating maladaptive techniques, and developing new skills. You will expose yourself to many speaking opportunities during the program The workshop is based on learning by doing, and having fun while learning. Come and watch yourself learning the skills you wanted to gain.

How to Help Other People Become Confident
Ultimately, the goal of communication is share with people your concern, your love, and your self. Beyond this workshop, you will be encouraged to make good use of the newly learned speaking skills. Yes, you can change the world. Yes,you can help other people become confident with their speaking skills. That other person can be your parent, your spouse, your child, or somebody whom you need to coach.

Who Should Attend?

__ Anyone who is less than comfortable when speaking before a group.

__ Anyone who needs to create trust with his/her audience.

__ Church workers who understand the importance of people believing in what they say.

__ Sunday school teachers who need to keep both attention to and interest in what they’re trying to teach.

__ Pastors who want to learn how to make their messages memorable.

__ Anyone who seeks the satisfaction of speaking to a group.

__ Employees who are striving to earn a promotion or gain more responsibilities.

__ Parents who want to provide their children good models of confident, articulate, and caring person

__ Someone who wants to enjoy great relationships with everyone, every day!

From this workshop you will capture and take home completely new insights into the arts of genuine eye-contact, body language, and even content development that you simply can’t get from any book, and probably have never been exposed to before.

You Can Speak With Confidence!

April 18 and April 25

Time: 8:30am to 11.30am

Venue: Word International Ministries
2/F #993 R. Syjuco Building
Bansalangin St., cor EDSA
Project 7, Quezon City

To register, email inspire@jefmenguin.com or Contact Sis Marissa: 3764476 or Jef Menguin (09204323632)

Help Others Succeed

What acts of selfless service will you perform this year? How do you intend to achieve them?

Help people to help themselves. If you want to quickly improve your own life, start by taking immediate action to improve the lives of others. Everything has it rewards. Help people become successful and you’ll be successful.

This is no rocket science. My talent is public speaking, so I teach doctors, leaders, teachers, and others the art of public speaking. I speak to make people shine. There are charity organizations who are looking for volunteers. Have you earned so much from your marketing skills? Help your church in its marketing campaign. The opportunity to help other people is limitless. The secret to getting something starts with giving what you have. Help others become successful to be successful.

You only need to commit yourself to helping other people. And you will find a way. So, let’s start. What do you have in your hands that you can offer?

- Jef Menguin