Guidelines for setting goals

What Works for Us

Goal-setting leads to success by fostering focus and discipline.

By Sushma Subramanian 

Rich Williams, a former Toastmaster, has always set goals to motivate himself. A veteran bowling coach and expert on the sport, he gives many presentations on bowling-related topics. But he wasn't always such a polished speaker.

“When I joined Toastmasters, I was surprised to learn that I had some serious refining to do to reach the professional presenter level,” says the resident of Chesterland, Ohio. “I achieved my presentation goals due to the goal-setting work I did.”

Like many people, Williams sets milestones for himself to help him achieve success, whether it’s related to his career or his exercise routine. The 57-year-old says he runs four miles four times a week and does strength training at least three times a week. “Every time I lift a weight, there’s a goal involving the number of repetitions or the amount of weight in the lift. Every time I run, I reach for an ‘equal to the last time’ or ‘better than the last time’ performance,” says Williams, who with his wife, Doris, runs Williams Sports Consulting, a company that trains bowlers of all levels.

Goal-setting has also played a key role in Jana Barnhill’s life. When the 2008-’09 president of Toastmasters International first joined the organization and was working her way through speech manuals, she gave herself deadlines along the way. For example, she gave herself one year to achieve her first Competent Communicator award – and did it in nine months. Years later, when she was running for leadership offices in Toastmasters, she used similar incentives – promising herself that she’d call a certain number of people by a certain date or that she would edit a letter for club members by a certain time.

“Goal-setting has played a major role in my advancement in Toastmasters, both as a speaker and a leader,” says the Lubbock, Texas, resident. “My personality is one that can easily be distracted. As a result, if I don't set goals for myself, I find myself very busy but not necessarily accomplishing anything.” Having a plan for how to accomplish certain tasks or objectives also gives Barnhill a sense of pride once those tasks are completed.

What the Research Shows 

A pair of psychologists, Gary Latham and Edwin Locke, published the first real research on the subject in the 1960's. The results showed that productivity increases when people give themselves goals. Locke and Latham recommended following these general guidelines for setting goals:

• They must be specific, measurable, relevant and time-bound.
• They must be challenging enough that they can inspire.
• They must be something people want to achieve so that they remain committed.
• They should be flexible. People should check in every few weeks on their progress and leave room to rethink or reinterpret goals.
• They must be attainable. If they seem impossible to reach, people tend to give up.

There is a well-known acronym that’s often used to characterize the goals people should set for themselves: It’s called SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

More recent researchers have also warned of potential problems that can arise with goal-setting. “The problems come when you take it too seriously,” says Lisa Ordóñez, a professor at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. “You put too much weight on the goal, and you become too stressed out.”

“Goals do work,” she adds. “They focus our intentions and focus our energy. But sometimes they have unintended consequences.”

Keeping Yourself Committed 

A benefit of goal-setting is that it increases one’s accountability – to yourself and to others. Toastmaster Dena Harris recalls a club meeting when the president of her group had all of the members stand and announce their goals – with timelines. He then emailed to club members a “goal list” that contained everyone’s stated goals and accompanying deadlines. The purpose of this, notes Harris – a member of the Blue Moon Toastmasters in Greensboro, North Carolina – was not only to hold members publicly accountable for their objectives, but also for them to use the list to encourage and support each other in their efforts.

A great method for maintaining commitment to your goals is to split a big goal into several little ones. Barnhill sets up short-term as well as long-term goals for herself. “Short-term goals are important because they keep you on track and motivated. They are achievable, incremental goals that bring you closer to your long-term goal, because you can't accomplish something all at once.”

 Sushma Subramanian is a freelance journalist in New York.
 You can find this article and many free resources at  www.toastmasters.org

Speaking for the first time

How to Survive Your Ice Breaker

Come in from the cold

You've attended a few Toastmasters meetings and you've seen others give their speeches. Perhaps you've noticed that some speakers are smooth, polished and experienced, while others struggle at a beginner’s level. Now it’s time for you to stand up and give your Ice Breaker speech. Just thinking about it gives you nightmares. Rest assured, you’re not alone!

No matter what skills you possess as a speaker, you’re probably going to find it a little stressful to speak for the first time in front of all these relative strangers. And because you know you’ll be evaluated as a part of the experience, it can be a frightening few moments of your life. What can you do to conquer your fear and sail through your first speech with fun and focus? Here are some quick tips:

• Write out your speech in advance. At least, write down some notes so you can check your organization and make sure all important facts are included.
• Don’t try to memorize the entire speech. Though you’ll only speak for less than six minutes, once you stand in front of the crowd, it may seem much longer. Trying to remember everything while under that kind of stress is asking too much of any first timer.
• Use notes, but avoid too many note cards. Cards can slip from your fingers or fall out of order at the wrong moment. They’re not easy to handle when you’re nervous. One long sheet with large print, or one large card with brightly-colored bullet points to jog your memory, will serve you better.
• Remember that all your listeners have stood where you stand now. They can all relate to any nervousness you may be experiencing. Try to think of your audience as your new friends. See their smiles and pause once in a while during your speech to make eye contact with them.
• Remember that this speech is merely a way for you to introduce yourself. Pick three or four important things you’d like your fellow Toastmasters to learn about you and make those your speech. If you speak on something that you’re passionate about, you won’t run out of words. So, talk about an exciting adventure from your past, your hopes, your dreams and maybe your favorite hobby. What defines you? Talk about it.

Your evaluator is required to find some advice to offer, so try to take it in the spirit in which it’s being offered. Everyone in a Toastmasters meeting is there to help everyone else. So, each person gives and gets advice from time to time. It’s your choice whether or not to follow any advice you’re given, but if the evaluator is a much more experienced speaker, you should probably at least consider it. See the “Additional Resources” section, below, for more tips on reducing nervousness and perfecting a speech.

Don’t forget to take a breath when you stand up at the lectern. Say hello to everyone…and begin!

The power of first impressions

Impress Them From the Start

Lessons from the floo floo bird.

By Mark Hammerton, ATMB

If a speech is a performance, at what moment does the curtain rise and the fun commence? Per Toastmasters rules a contest speech begins, for timing purposes, when the speaker says something audible or communicates non verbally to the audience. But in reality, your performance starts as soon as you rise from your seat and take a step toward the podium.

Researchers have studied evaluations of college professors and conducted experiments to better gauge the power of first impressions. They found that “impression” was the right concept. It did not take long for the students to fix an image in their minds of what their professors were like.

The study compared students’ regular, end-of-semester evaluations of their teachers to a different set of evaluations written by a group who’d seen that professor in action for only 10 seconds on videotape. Surprisingly, the two sets of evaluations correlated closely, right down to the detailed comments.

The study authors concluded that this was evidence of the power of first impressions. Their theory was that when human beings are presented with something new – data, events, images or people – we tend to instantly categorize what we’ve just seen. And from then on, the tendency is to interpret all further input within the framework of our initial assessment. In the case of the professor evaluations, the students had approximately the same initial impression and then shaped further evidence to fit that original judgment.

Other researchers on first impressions have concluded that people evaluate others on the basis of the first seven seconds of an original meeting.


                    "Expend far more energy and imagination on the first line than any other."

It is debatable whether the first-impression phenomenon is as powerful as claimed. Experience teaches most of us that good relationships sometimes get off to a bumpy start. And some experts point to evidence of the chance to form a “second first impression,” after some time has passed from the initial meeting. Even so, the power of a first impression is important enough to consider as we give and listen to speeches, meet new people and evaluate others on the job or in other contexts.

If first impressions matter, how do you achieve the best possible start when making a speech? Realize that by the time you utter any first words, audience members are already forming judgments about you. A speaker is usually introduced and makes a short journey to center stage. Remember to project confidence during that journey! And a little smile!

There is a moment, after arriving on the podium, when the speaker has the laser focus of the audience in a way he may not enjoy again. It’s during this window of opportunity when anticipation and absorption in the moment prevail. The speech title you've chosen should magnify that anticipation, teasing your listeners, implying the enchantments to come.

It’s been said that a writer’s job is simple: Create a first sentence that makes it impossible for the reader to not read on.

The same could be said for the speaker: Expend far more energy and imagination on the first line than any other. Ponder the mood, ideas and images you want your listeners to take home from your offering. Cast your net and draw them in. Make them crave to hear the second line more than they crave their next breath.

Perhaps a little time travel could help here. Imagine being wedged into a few standing-room-only occasions from antiquity and ponder these delicious openings from great speeches in history:


Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter.            – Sojourner Truth

                                    ∞∞∞
Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that
I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth.             – Eugene V. Debs 
                                    ∞∞∞
The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable.             – Billy Sunday 

                                    ∞∞∞

I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life,
the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife. 
            – Theodore Roosevelt 
                                    ∞∞∞

The cultural influences in our country are like the floo floo bird.
            – Frank Lloyd Wright 

                                    ∞∞∞

We are here to make a choice between the quick and the dead. 
            – Bernard Baruch

                                    ∞∞∞
When the mariner has been tossed for many days, in thick weather,
and on an unknown sea, he naturally avails himself of the first pause in the storm.
            – Daniel Webster 
                                    ∞∞∞
Say what? Who is that floo floo, and is he out of kilter?

These are not the bland throat clearings we hear from most modern politicians – expressing deep wells of gratitude to the audience for the supreme kindness of their showing up, compliments for the fair city they find themselves in, even as they bungle its pronunciation. No, these opening salvos stir the half-awake ear to full attention. They promise a payoff.

And that’s about all an effective opening can hope to accomplish. It’s a humble goal, but every rocket needs a launching pad.

The accomplished speaker offers a gift: maybe a pulse-quickening insight, a proper tickling of the funny bone, a story that rouses listeners to storm the barricades (or volunteer at the blood bank). Soon after arranging herself in front of the crowd, the speaker should toss out an appetizer, providing the audience a reason to hunger for more and wonder what’s next on the menu.

The first minute or so should be perfect, memorized without appearing to be so. I recall a debate held some years ago among candidates for a national office. One participant completely botched the opening statement, which should have been rigorously prepared well in advance. He tripped over his lines, mumbled, and generally looked as if he’d rather have his toenails plucked than perform under that spotlight. His night was ruined within the first half minute. With adequate preparation, this probably will never happen to you.


                    "The first minute or so should be perfect, memorized without appearing to be so."

Because seconds count, pay attention to some speaking axioms in the opening. Speak up, and speak distinctly. Display confident body language. Use a strong voice and calibrated gestures to show control. Smile as though you’re glad to be there (even if you are not). All of these can improve your odds of receiving positive snap judgments from your listeners.

Another focus of research has been on how to make a positive impression when meeting someone new. Their results have relevance for the public speaker.

If a person is going to make a snap judgment about you on a first meeting, odds are it will be based on superficial evidence. Mom was right: We should attend to our grooming. (One consultant routinely advises clients to spiff up their haircuts.) Wear something sharp and appropriate for the occasion. Some research supports the theory that 55 percent of a first impression in social situations is based on appearance (including facial expression and gestures), 38 percent is based on vocal qualities, and just 7 percent reflects their reactions to what we say.

We may think it unfair if people judge our speaking on such a basis, but our tactics must adjust to the way audiences really behave. What good are brilliant words if no one hears them?

The time has come to flip this subject on its head. So audiences have this apparent tendency to make confident judgments about people they've seen for seconds. Shouldn't we work hard to resist that tendency? When listening to a new speaker or meeting someone for the first time, we can miss the insights they offer if we’re distracted by their appearance or voice. And as a speaker, shouldn't we make use of this knowledge to create impact?

A little humility and suspended judgment are called for. We will probably never fully appreciate another person’s abilities, strengths, weaknesses, potential, history, character, and courage. If we squeeze folks into pigeonholes created in our own imaginations, it’s unlikely we’ll ever know them well, at all. When we do that, we’re not communicating. We’re being lazy, complacent, and uncharitable. It can cause us to miss insights and meaningful friendships.

It is far better to search for the best in people, see their potential, engage their ideas, and, as Toastmasters, help them turn potential into reality. You can do this for other speakers and for yourself.

Give the other speaker a chance to finish strong despite a weak opening. And when it’s your turn, wow them all with an opening as compelling as the floo floo bird.


Mark Hammerton, ATMB, is a freelance writer and former Toastmaster living in Peoria, Illinois. You can find this article and much more at www.toastmasters.org.

Teamwork can be beneficial to all

Teamwork

A key to success

When you hear the word, “teamwork,” what comes to mind? Do you see a positive image of everyone collaborating and working together? Or maybe you remember a not-so-positive experience when a team project fell on your shoulders because you were the only one who cared if it succeeded? Whatever the case may be, teamwork can be beneficial to all involved, especially if every “team player” respects the other players’ roles. Whether you are the project owner, contributor, collaborator or assistant – as a player, you’re an integral part of the puzzle.

American industrialist, Henry Ford, said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Whether constructing the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal or the Golden Gate Bridge, history proves the importance of working together. Now, whether it’s running a presidential campaign, keeping a business afloat, or building and maintaining a thriving Toastmasters club – teamwork is still the key component for success.

Benefits of Teamwork 
You’ll find many benefits to joining a team. Your team might create a thriving home, community or professional environment. Or they might build a flourishing Toastmasters group. These advantages include:

• Families can take pleasure in a harmonious environment by working together to complete daunting tasks such as housework and chores.
• Community fundraisers or programs flourish when they capitalize on everyone’s individual strengths, knowledge, personal contacts and individual contributions.
• Professional teams thrive by collaborating on assignments, contributing ideas and using the “divide and conquer” strategy to finish large projects.
• In Toastmasters, new club officers enjoy a smooth transition into office when they can work with their predecessors as a team to ensure all duties are covered, questions are answered and best practices are maintained.

In so many ways, a team mentality will enhance your personal and professional life, as well as make your goals and projects more fulfilling and successful. Most importantly, team members enjoy:

• Making the most of individual strengths
• Producing diverse ideas
• Reaping the benefits of collaborative decision-making
• Encouraging involvement
• Improving workload distribution

Sometimes a little extra effort is required to enjoy all these benefits. Is your team experiencing issues with conflict? There are a few ways that personalities might clash in a team, but experienced leaders know how to correct such situations and steer a new course for success. You canTurn Team Conflict into Team Harmony.

Incorporate Teamwork into Your Environment Here are some items from Toastmasters International to aid in your team efforts:

• Competent Leadership
• Working in the Team Environment
• The Leadership Excellence Series Set

How to produce a video

Stand Out With Video

By Barbara Seymour Giordano

An exciting and unique way to make your club’s website stand out is to produce a club video. You can share your club's story and visually welcome potential members to your meetings.

While club members are initially excited about the prospect of creating a video, many find the thought of the production process daunting. Dan Cossack of the Latin Leaders club in Santa Ana, California, experienced that feeling. But with some encouragement and creative input from fellow club member Cesar Vargas, they created a brief video of the club’s Table Topics™ session. “The entire shoot took us about 20 minutes ... and our video is getting positive reviews from club visitors,” Cossack says.

As a former TV journalist and corporate video and film producer, I'm thrilled to share with you some simple secrets of creating a winning video. Here’s the process in three phases: preproduction, production and postproduction.

Pre Production
Before shooting, designate two key positions: producer/videographer and writer/director. For the first video, it's best to keep the team lean so the process will be simple and fast.

Brainstorm the Key Message To help you pinpoint the message, here are a few questions to consider before writing: What problem are you solving for the viewers? How is your club uniquely positioned to help the potential new member? What action do you want the viewers to take after they've watched the video?

Story / Script / Idea Your script should reflect a short promotional video; either 30 seconds (approximately 65 words) or 60 seconds (100 words).

Open with a "hook" by asking a question or stating a problem. Dedicate the body of the script to the answer: your club. Then, leave the audience with a memorable tagline, a catchy phrase that should be no more than seven words in length.

Club Talent Once you've decided on which story to tell, recruit a couple of club members to fill the starring roles.

Shot List "Know what you want. Planning is everything," emphasizes Cesar Vargas, who wrote, directed, filmed and edited the Latin Leaders’ video. "By knowing what you want to shoot and mapping it out in advance, you save a lot of time and effort." Create a shot list – a planned chronological series of video scenes that will correspond to the script or idea. Writing down each scene to be filmed will save time on the day of the shoot and during editing.

Camera If you’re using a Flip camera, you’ll need to use a tripod to avoid shaky-looking scenes. This means your camera will have to remain stationary. Your sound will be recorded by the camera, and so you won’t be able to record someone speaking clearly from a distance.

Production With the location set and the production crew and talent in place, it's time to get filming!

Writer/Director The shot list will be the director's guide to help keep the videographer and production on track and running on time. Vargas advises making sure to film reaction shots: "If you're filming a club meeting like we did, remember to film audience reactions, such as clapping and facial reactions.”

Videographer / Camera / Sound When filming, consider the background. Does a flagpole appear to be sticking out of the talent's head? Don’t forget to do sound checks and make sure your equipment can record what the script describes.

Postproduction All of the video has been shot and now it's time to upload the footage, do the editing and add the finishing touches!

Editing If you don't have the latest version of FlipShare, you'll need to download it. Once it's installed, you can import the footage you've shot and begin editing and arranging your video in the sequence you desire. A great Web tutorial is available on FlipShare Editing Software Training.

Music
When adding music, choose tunes without lyrics or heavy drumbeats so that they won’t compete with your speakers.

Uploading for Maximum Exposure
A club video is a phenomenal marketing tool that works for your club 24 hours a day. Search engines offer video as a part of integrated search results, which can then drive traffic directly to your website and in turn get the word out about your club.

This is a condensed version of an article appearing in the January 2011 issue of the Toastmaster magazine. You can see this article and much more at www.toastmasters.org.    

Barbara Seymour Giordano, ATM-B, CL, is an executive communications coach with a background in television, having worked for CNN and E! Entertainment. She is a member of Irvine Toastmasters in Irvine, California.

New Officers

NEW OFFICERS

Congratulations to all our new officers:

President: Rene Roy
Vice President Education: Vielka Jones
Vice President Membership: Tina L. Burns
Vice President Public Relations: Susan L. Sudhalter
Secretary: Karen Peters 
Treasurer: Barbara J. Nutting
Sgt. At Arms: Raymond A. Trainque
Past President: Peter Souders

Our new officers begin their positions on July 1, 2013. Good luck to all of them!