Is Using Humor the Deciding Factor in Winning a Contest?

How do you improve a skill you wish to excel at?

I find folks who are better than me at that skill and study them. Seeking improvement in my oral communication skills, I attended the Toastmasters District 26 Conference which included a Table Topics Contest, educational sessions a business meeting and the highlight, the International Speech Contest which was held on May 20 & 21, 2011 at the Embassy Suites in Loveland, Colorado. I went in particular to learn and understand what makes a winning speech. The International Speech Contest for the District is the pinnacle of success for those contestants who win their Division Contests. After watching and listening to the contestants, I observed all of the speeches encompassed the four “H’s” of public speaking according to the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking, Ed Tate, Head, Heart, Humor and Heavy Duty, (Its significant).

Each contestant was poised as they gave their speech. They all approached the contest professionally and with well polished presentations. Each one had personal and powerful stories to share. I also observed that International Speech Contest Speeches are strong on the Head, Heart and Heavy Duty. This can bring about a dramatic tension that in a five to seven minute speech, can be significant and overbearing. The one element I noticed and counted during the contest was the amount of laughs each speaker received in their presentation.

Here is my observation;
• In Thomas Judson’s speech, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” he received four laughs.
• In Joan Janis’s speech, “Wings,” she received six laughs.
• In Chuck Maher’s speech, “The simple secret, we get to play,”
he received seven laughs.
• In Stephen Doherty’s speech, “Pull that ripcord,” he received ten laughs.
• In Paula Cowen’s speech, “Embrace uncertainty,” she received sixteen laughs.
• In Rich Hopkins’ speech, “Change the rules. Change the reason,” he received
eighteen laughs.

Without giving it away, who do you think won, first, second and third place in the District 26 Speech Contest? You guessed it. Rich Hopkins won first, Paula Cowen received second and Stephen Doherty came in third. I have no way of knowing if their using humor and getting more laughs had anything to do with the outcome of the winners. All I know is, from my observation, the speakers who used humor to break the tension of their speeches from Head, Heart and Heavy Duty, placed higher than the other contestants. Learning from these champions, I will work at inserting more humor, where appropriate, into my speeches.

What observations did you make while attending an International Speech Contest at a District Conference?

How is your PMA?

What, you don’t know what a PMA is? Simply this, Positive Mental Attitude. I have the opportunity to volunteer as facilitator for the Colorado, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar otherwise known as HOBY. As I prepare for three days of teaching high school sophomores, “how to think, rather than what to think,” I am reminded how important it is to always be positive. PMA applies to more than the privilege of working with youth; it is an integral part of my professional and personal life. In the world of business, attitude is everything. Give me an optimistic, positive, personable individual over a negative naysayer any day. PMA will get you through the toughest, most stressful times in business and in life. PMA will help to focus your thoughts on what’s important to you. In my personal life I recite the Optimist Creed everyday and find its positive message a reminder of what’s important as I face each day.

In the 1950’s Earl Nightingale wrote and recorded, “The Strangest Secret” http://bit.ly/krQ1AP
The premise of his recording is, we become what we think about. As Mr. Nightingale says, “Actually, it isn’t a secret at all…But very few people have learned it or understand it.” Our success in life depends on using the greatest gift we have, our mind. We can choose to be a success or failure. We have free will to do whatever we set our sights on or reach goals we choose to accomplish. Having a PMA is a choice. The question is, are your choosing wisely?

As a child I can remember reading Watty Piper’s classic, "The Little Engine That Could” Remember, “I think I can, I think I can,” as the little train chugs up the mountainside. What happens as you grow up? You forget that PMA, like, “I think I can,” does get you to where you need to be.

PMA is also a way of life for me. It is something you have to incorporate into your daily routine. I recall my running in the Boulder Bolder 10K. I had never run a race before. I trained, yet I knew if I was going to finish I would have to work on my mind more than my physical being. At the time I had just read Brian Tracy’s book, “Focal Point.” In it is a line that I committed to memory. “Yard by yard it’s hard, inch by inch it’s a cinch.” I repeated that line all the way to the finish line.

Having a PMA will help you cross your own finish line by reconnecting you with your commitment to success. When you decide for yourself to have a PMA you will be like all my HOBY Ambassadors, the one word of choice to describe all good things, OUTSTANDING.

I concede… not so fast.

"I concede." These were the only words I could say, when I could no longer continue my speech at a Toastmasters Division Contest. I had made this presentation dozens of times. I had won my club and area contests and now was competing at a high level. I was confident and felt good about knowing my presentation. I had drawn the sixth speaking position out of six speakers. My competition was awesome, yet I knew my speech was too.

The Toastmaster called my name. I felt a rush of excitement and shook the Toastmasters hand as I walked to the front of the room. I paused …and then began my speech. It was going well. I could see the smiles of friendly faces and felt the good vibe in the room. And then for no explainable reason, I lost my train of thought. I paused and for a second …, remembered where I was and then continued on. It was a good recovery. The pause was a bit longer than normal, yet it did not feel too unnatural. And then BAM!!!. My mind went absolutely Blank.... Frozen…. I paused again. I looked at the audience. I walked across the stage and the words I knew so well escaped me. I could not think of anything to say.

I know I was in control of all my other faculties. My breathing was good. I felt fine physically. My mind just stopped working. Wow. I was like a blank slate. A longer pause... The only thing I could do was to acknowledge and accept I could not go on any farther… today. I sat down. I was disappointed in my performance. And then, only in a Toastmasters contest , in a room full of peers, I was graciously given a round of applause.

The experience was like the scene in Forrest Gump. Forrest is running across the country with his followers, as a bumper sticker salesman runs alongside Forest and asks for some help with a saying for his bumper sticker business. Just then, the bumper sticker salesman points out that Forrest has just stepped in a pile of dog stuff. Forrest replies, "It happens", the man retorts, "What, the stuff you stepped in?” (expletive deleted), to which Forrest replies, "Sometimes". The man is inspired to create the "Common Substance Happens" bumper sticker. Sometimes it does happen, even to the most practiced and confident of speaker.

Like Forrest Gump, I felt like running, yet I could not. My run this time had ended. However, like the bumper sticker salesman, I was inspired. Inspired to come back to compete again. As tradition has it, at the end of the competition all the speakers are asked to step to the front of the room and be interviewed by the Toastmaster. This allows time for the vote counters to do their work. I was the second competitor to be interviewed. I was asked my club name and how long I have been a Toastmaster. I answered, yet before the Toastmaster could continue with her next question, I interrupted and asked the audience one question. “Do you think there is Viagra for public speaking? I sure would like to speak longer next time.” The audience laughed and I made a humorous recovery of my somewhat bruised ego.

On the drive home it was quite and I was reflective. I started to recite my speech. It came out perfectly. Darn, I wish I could have remembered it for the contest. It was a good speech. Part of my speech had a quote by Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States. He said, “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” As President Coolidge suggest I will press on and be more persistent and determined next time.

What’s the Timbre of your next presentation?

I enjoy listening to live music. Whether it’s in an intimate club setting like Nissi’s in Lafayette, Colorado or a spectacular outdoor venue such as Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver. Music is created when elements such as form, harmony, key, melody, rhythm and texture all come together to produce sounds that can be dynamic and create colorful tones. Yes, I said colorful tones.

Did you know color was a part of music? Musicians know color or timbre (pronounced "TAM-ber") represents all of the features of a musical sound that do not have anything to do with a sound's length, loudness or pitch. Here’s an idea. When you write your next speech or give your next business presentation think about using more colorful timbre?

Far too often you write your speeches for the page and not ear of the audience. How can you capture your audience’s attention and keep them interested? Vocal Variety will provide the drama, however the words you use in your presentation will give you an opportunity to attract the audience, engage them and then connect. I suggest using more colorful words as an element that will add value to the listener’s ear. Writing with timbre in mind will give you the opportunity to use your dictionary, thesaurus and wiki’s to build your presentation with more powerful word play.

Below are some words used to describe timbre from a Musicians point of view. Many are interchangeable and some may have different meanings yet each help describe the idea of timbre. Say each of the words below out loud. Use vocal inflection to emphasize how each word sounds. Note: you may wish to check the room before you do this. Someone may be listening and think you are going off the deep end.

Brassy, Breathy, Bright, Clear, Dark, Flat, Focused, Harsh, Heavy, Light, Mellow, Piercing, Reedy, Resonant, Rounded, Strident, Unfocused, Vibrato, Warm.

Can you hear how these words add impact? Add these and other descriptive words as often as you can. Find the best, most elemental word to get your point across and then add the colorful seasoning that will have the biggest impact. The greater the timbre, the more you write with the ear in mind. Paint your next presentation with more colorful words.

Inspired by the work of Catherine Schmidt-Jones at Connexions http://cnx.org/content/m11059/latest/

Connexions is one of the most popular open education sites in the world.

It's Free

“Flags Up” at the 63rd Conference on World Affairs at the CU campus in Boulder. At the first panel, I attended, I overheard someone say, “It’s nice this is all free.” The event’s publicity even states, “All Events Free and Open to the Public”. Don’t kid yourself. Nothing is free. Most of us are being coerced by government to pay taxes for the use and maintenance of the buildings at CU, the gas to heat the buildings, the lights to see the speakers and the sound system to hear them. Someone, most likely you, produced something, someplace, and was paid for your production and that wealth was transferred to others, to make this event ultimately happen.

On the other hand, there are corporate and individual sponsors who donated funds, un-coerced by government to allow this “free” event to take place. I thank them. They underwrote the transportation for the speakers. They provided the speakers food and a place to stay. They gladly gave their wealth in return for something of value, the speaker’s ideas and time. The better model for a free society is the later. People freely giving their wealth to make a wonderful event like this happen. There is a proper role for government, that of protecting individual rights, not holding “Free Events, Open to the Public." Perhaps this is why so many feel entitled to your money, it's free.

Hi my name is Brad and I am a learning junkie.

Did you ever feel like you belong in some sort of twelve step program because you are curious?

I had a friend ask, “How do you find time to do all the stuff you do?”

Answer number one. I have a wonderful wife who understands my need to explore the world around me. Without her support I don’t believe I could participate in so many things.

(Memo to self, remember to reciprocate)

Number two. Planning. I plan my work and social calendar to take advantage of as many concerts, events, films, lectures, readings, seminars and speeches as I can. These opportunities fill me up with the never ending desire to learn and experience life. Joseph Campbell the world renowned scholar and Mythologist once said, “People are not looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” I agree. The place I consistently learn the most from are my three Toastmasters club.

Yes, you read that correctly, three clubs. I know, I am a junkie. Most of the Toastmasters I know are. Once a week on Tuesday mornings from 7:00am until 8:00am, I attend the Erie Express ors. This small hometown club gathers at a local church where our meeting topics vary from learning about a program helping to feed the earthquake victims in Haiti to understanding the finer points of crochet. Learning and laughing along the way.

My Thursday Club also meets weekly and is called the Chamber Ad Liborators. This 7:30am until 8:30am club is more business focused and is associated with a chamber of commerce. Speeches here are often practice sessions for a meeting presentation or helping managers and sales people improve their business skills. This club excels in humor and the members enjoy networking at breakfast afterwards.

My third club meets twice a month on Saturday’s from 10:00am until 11:45am and is called Liberty Toastmasters. From this clubs inception, the members have had a passion for public policy and politics. This club is an issues focused group based around the United States Constitution. The members are activist and political junkies. This is a fast based and dynamic group, often giving the feel and appearance of an advanced club.

Each club has its own personality and culture. Each club gives me the opportunity to work on various skill sets and techniques. Each club has taught me something new about attitude and application, connection and conversation, trust and timing. Every week I have the pleasure of listening to half of dozen or more presentations that my fellow Toastmasters share. I learn more about issues, ideas and individual members than most people know about their own family. The really awesome part of belonging to three Toastmasters clubs is after five years of participation, I am often sought out to mentor new members. I am not an expert speaker, yet, having learned from my peers, I am in the unique position and privileged to share my experience helping others achieve their communication and leadership goals.

Want to learn more, faster? Join more than one Toastmasters club.

Lectern vs. Podium...who cares anyway?

One night I was watching a program on C-SPAN hosted by Frank Sesno, a former CNN reporter and current George Washington School of Media and Public Affairs Director. The program was a discussion on the “Role of the White House Press Secretary.” Four former Press Secretaries, shared their wisdom pertaining to the cultural, historical, political and their personal experiences of their time in this respected role. The panelist included DeDe Meyers who worked in the Clinton White House from 1993 through 1994, Mike McCurry who also worked in the Clinton White House from 1994 through 1998, Ari Fleischer who worked in the George W. Bush White House from 2001 through 2003 and Dana Perino who also worked in the George W. Bush White House from 2007 through 2009. All these well respected and articulate former Press Secretaries, some of whom were former journalist, used the term, “podium” when referring to what the President spoke behind when giving speeches.

Each time one of these educated individuals said the wrong word, I would scream out “LECTERN”. My wife who was watching with me even found herself yelling back at the TV. I had to ask myself why are they all using the wrong term? I wanted to understand the cause of their misuse for this piece of furniture they were referring to. My first task was to ask, what is the true definition of each?

According to Wikipedia the word lectern derives its origin from the Latin lectus, or the past participle of legere, which translates "to read". A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern also facilitates eye-contact and improves posture when facing an audience. Lecterns may have adjustable height and slant. Persons generally use lecterns while standing.*

A podium, (plural podia) is historically a “pew.’" Both words go back ultimately to Greek pódion meaning ‘small foot, or base’, which is a platform that is used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. Podia can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium. In sports, a type of podium is used to honor the top three competitors in events such as the Olympics.*

As a Toastmaster since 2005 I learned from my fellow Toastmasters, the important difference between the two words. Now, whenever I hear a person say podium when they should have said lectern, I cringe. In fact it has become one of my pet peeves and as professional as possible I try to correct the perpetrators misuse of the word. Why does it matter some may say? It matters because using the wrong word which seems interchangeable erodes our language and our ability to communicate clearly and concisely. It allows for a laziness which deteriorates our language into slang.

In doing some research I could not find how over the years a podium has incorrectly come to mean the object a speaker stands behind and sets papers or books upon even when it is at floor level, though the correct term for that item is lectern. The terms are not identical; one typically stands on a podium, but one typically stands behind a lectern. People go through their lives using the words interchangeably and few people will ever notice. There is however a difference, as these are tools of the trade for speakers, clergy and other professionals.* And yes, you can place a lectern on a podium, however you most likely would break a lectern if you placed a podium on it.

How can one go about re-enforcing the correct use of words? When I had the opportunity to conduct a Toastmasters-Youth Leadership Program* in my community, I taught the participants the difference between a lectern and a podium. At times I would slip in the misuse of the word to see if they would catch it. Every time I did, the young participants would in unison shout out, “LECTERN”

1. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectern
2. eHOW http://www.ehow.com/about_6170419_podium-vs_-lecturn.html
3. eHOW http://www.ehow.com/about_6170419_podium-vs_-lecturn.html

4.Toastmasters International http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/MemberExperience/SatellitePrograms/YouthLeadership.aspx