The Toastmasters Podcast

[29:45] Today's episode features Kristen Hamling, Ph.D., a trauma and positive psychologist from Whanganui, New Zealand. An experience Toastmaster and presenter, during an online presentation last year, Kristen found herself seized by performance anxiety. On this episode, she vulnerably shares the experience with Greg and Ryan, and explores the psychological dimensions of stage fright, and more importantly, the tools for managing it effectively. Kristen is the founder of Wellbeing Aotearoa, which focuses on trauma-informed well-being practices. A facilitator, coach, and researcher, she has also served in the Australian Army Reserve. See her article, "Scared of Public Speaking?" in the April 2021 issue of the Toastmaster.  

[26:18] Which communication skills are vital for those looking to launch or run an entrepreneurial venture or small business? Lynne Beverly Strang, DTM joins the show today to answer that question. Lynne is a freelance writer who helps business owners meet their marketing and communications goals. Lynne is the author of Late-Blooming Entrepreneurs: Eight Principles for Starting a Business After Age 40. Her award-winning blog, also called Late Blooming Entrepreneurs, covers topics of interest to aspiring and new entrepreneurs age 40 and older. Prior to becoming a solopreneur, Lynne was a public relations executive for more than 25 years.She is also the author of the article Micro Business, Macro Results, which can be found in the March 2021 issue of the Toastmaster Magazine. Lynne is a member of two Toastmasters clubs: Galloping Governors Advanced Toastmasters and Sparkling Speakers. Connect with Lynne below:Website:  www.lynnebeverlystrang.comBlog:  Late Blooming EntrepreneursFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lynnebeverlystrang/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynne-strang-72a70820/

[28:53] In anticipation of the International Convention in Paris last summer, Carol Bausor's article "Brush Up Your French! How to (re)gain fluency in time for Paris 2020," appeared in the Toastmaster magazine in February 2020. Like most in-person events, the Convention moved online due to the pandemic. On the bright side, the shift to virtual club meetings has opened new cross-cultural opportunities for Toastmasters members around the world, so we invited Carol on the show to explore how we expand our communication and increase proficiency in a foreign language. Carol Bausor is the founder of ILTC, a language training company in France. She teaches and runs workshops and events on feeling confident when speaking a foreign language.Carol shares plenty of tips and ideas, including some counterintuitive advice that just may have you approaching fluency sooner than you think! Visit Carol online at carolbausor.fr.

[28:47] Virtual speaking has taken on a whole new dynamic, moving simply from presenting on-line to becoming an art all of its own. In this episode, hosts Greg and Ryan speak with Lindy MacLaine, second runner-up at the first ever Toastmasters International Virtual World Championship of Public Speaking. MacLaine has strived to become an “A.C.E.” at virtual speaking and shares a number of tips and techniques as well as a little about her Toastmasters and speech competition journey.Lindy explains A.C.E., an acronym for Authenticity, Camera and Eye Contact, her model to help presenters step up their virtual game whether or not they are considering competing in this year’s International Speech contest. For additional tips, you can also download a copy of Lindy's handout on Becoming an A.C.E. at Virtual Speaking. Lindy has worn many professional hats—from waitress to tobacco-cessation counselor, sign language interpreter to copywriter, scientific hand analyst to life coach. She is the author of two middle-grade fantasy adventure novels: The Curse of the Neverland and its sequel, Becoming Piper Pan, both available on Amazon. She's also a proud member of the SKWIM Toastmasters Club, in Sequim, WA and current president of the Professionally Speaking Advanced Club in Poulsbo, WA, USA.Lindy can be reached on her Facebook profile. You can also click on the link to watch her 2020 WCPS 3rd Place finish speech,Your Buried Story.

[26:56] You never know what direction your life will take you when you step up to the lectern at a Toastmasters club, especially at 7 A.M. For Banker Stephan Dyer the unexpected laughter from the audience during his first 10 speeches would eventually turn his career in finance 180 degrees into that of a comedy global comedian, TEDx Speaker and speaking coach. In this episode, Greg speaks with Stephan who offers listeners an entertaining insight into his journey of becoming an accidental comedian and offers some tips and tactics they can use to add humor to their presentations and help them find their funny.Stephan Dyer is from Toronto, Canada and a 12-year member of the Bay Street Breakfast Toastmasters Club.  He’s also the co-founder of MalPensando a bilingual school live and on-line that helps people become funny, confident speakers. He’s been recognized with numerous awards and accolades including Latin Comedian of the Year by Latin Awards Canada and in 2019, he performed at Comedy Central Fest in Mexico City and months later filmed his first 1-hour comedy special in Toronto, Canada. You can hear more from Stephan and others in Beth Black’s article The Formula for Funny in the February 2021 issue of the Toastmaster Magazine. and by viewing his TEDx talk, The Payoffs of Chasing After Your Dreams. You may also want to consider checking out Pathways’ Engaging Humour Path to help you start your journey. 

[28:34] In this episode we speak with Mohamed Ali Shukri from Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. He is Toastmasters International's newest Accredited Speaker, and the first to earn the designation virtually. This past August at the 2020 Toastmasters International virtual convention, Shukri was awarded the prestigious Accredited Speaker (AS) designation, as only the 88th recipient. Shukri shares a little about his journey and final presentation, A Safe Shortcut to Safety Culture, which helped him solidify the judges' approval. We encourage you to watch his award-winning presentation.  The delivery of his 3-part model designed to make individuals rethink safety is a prime example of presentation excellence. It's also full of valuable information for leaders wanting to help their teams learn to self-motivate.Shukri is profiled in the January 2021 issue of the Toastmaster.Shukri expects have a new website up and running later this month at http://mohamedalishukri.com. In the meantime, visit his Accredited Speaker profile to reach him or learn more about him.You can also learn more about the Accredited Speaker program at the Toastmasters International website.

Podcasting experienced significant growth in 2020, perhaps due in part to time spent at home and in quarantine. For Toastmasters, the Level 4 elective in Pathways - Create a Podcast, may have sparked interest or curiosity as well. Some Toastmasters have started their own podcasts; others might be a little hesitant. Instead of simply offering tips and tricks gathered over nearly three decades of combined podcasting experience, the hosts opted to offer a few chuckles at their expense and share examples of lessons learned from their mistakes, missteps and miscues.You can also find the article, Is there a Podcast in your Future, in the January 2021 issue of the Toastmaster Magazine. And if you have a peek at the cover you may just see a picture of your humble co-hosts.Podcasts and past episodes mentioned on today's show >Judy Carter #162Samantha NeylandDeborah McAlexanderShelley-Ann Lovell #094Dananjaya Hettiarachachi  #084Welcome to Humanity - Dr. FredToastCaster: Communication Leadership Learning Lab 

[21:26] Are you working from home? If so, are you as productive as possible?  Today's show can really help you improve. Greg and Ryan speak with writer, author, and speaker Laura Vanderkam, who has published several popular time management and productivity books. Laura's recent book, The New Corner Office explores how the most successful people work from home. Laura sheds light on the growth of the work-from-home phenomenon and provides several immediately implementable techniques and strategies to help you maximize your productivity and honor the need for balance while working from home. Some of the insights Laura shares can also be found in an upcoming article in the January 2021 edition of the award-winning Toastmaster Magazine.Find Laura online at https://lauravanderkam.com

[29:58] In this episode, Greg and Ryan speak with Victoria Salem from Paris, France about the tangible benefits of networking online and how to truly build valuable and meaningful relationships through Social Media. Salem outlines practical how-to's discussed in her article, "The Benefits of Networking Online: How to build valuable relationships through social media" featured in the October 2020 issue of the Toastmaster.Victoria Salem is a member of the Covent Garden Speakers in London, England. A professional coach and an events and networking expert, she helps individuals build better relationships so they can be more successful and create more opportunities for themselves. You can of course, find Victoria on LinkedIn or reach her through her website tgncoaching.co.uk.(If you want to embark on your Social Media journey,  “Building a Social Media Presence” is an elective project available on Level 4 for all 11 paths in the Pathways learning experience.)

[28:58] Deborah McAlexander is a blind para dressage equestrian who "rides by faith, not by sight." At age 24, with a bright future ahead, Deborah received a diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, and was expected to go completely blind. Today, she is totally blind in her left eye and has a tiny amount of central vision in her right eye. Those challenges did not stop her from going on to earn a Master of Music degree in piano performance, becoming a professional pianist, a nationally recognized piano teacher, a motivational speaker, and an extremely focused equestrian. At age 64, Deborah was introduced to the equestrian discipline of dressage, a sport through which she has deepened her ability to communicate. On today's show, Deborah shares her inspirational and courageous story of overcoming challenges and finding success, one step at a time. If you are feeling discouraged, listen in, and let Deborah's heart and encouragement lift your spirits, as she shares her love of life, dressage, her beloved horse Cornet Noir, and of course, Toastmasters. Deborah was featured in a member profile in the September 2020 issue of the Toastmaster. You can read the article here.Visit Deborah's website at https://www.deborahmcalexander.orgWould you like to invite Deborah to speak at your club, district, or event? Contact her here. Photo features Deborah McAlexander and Cornet Noir.