tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-359011342024-03-08T17:20:56.326+01:00Becoming ConfidentMastering ToastmastersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-15429172658007301852011-08-03T16:51:00.000+02:002011-08-03T16:51:51.970+02:00Table topics: Stop to thinkIn our last meeting I learned two new things about Table Topics:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>We have 30 Second to think about what we are going to say. Okay, almost nobody really takes this time but it is good to know that you can go on stage and quickly prepare your speech in your head before the clock starts.</li>
<li>One way to tackle a difficult task is to address the question to the audience. Okay, that is cheating as I called it in an <a href="http://becomingconfident.heike-stefan.de/2007/01/table-topics-master.html">earlier posting</a>, but it is allowed :-)</li>
</ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-2896909627852230742008-05-06T22:52:00.007+02:002016-06-30T11:39:33.001+02:00#6: The Love FormulaToday was a special evening. Munich Toastmasters celebrated the 35th anniversary. It was founded in 1973. Many people attended today's meeting who shaped the club for many years, some of them still do.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Prepared Speech</span><br />
<br />
<abbr title="Communication and Leadership Program" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">C&L</abbr> Project #6 (Vocal Variety): "<span style="font-weight: bold;">The Love Formula</span>"<br />
(Inspired by The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R Covey)<br />
<blockquote>
<br />
Mr. Toastmaster of the evening,<br />
fellow toastmasters and honoured guests.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: rgb(153 , 153 , 153);">Introduction</span><br />
<br />
My subject this evening is [meaningful] <span style="font-weight: bold;">Love </span>[Pause].<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Biologists </span>tend to see love as a mammalian drive, just like hunger or thirst. Recent studies in <span style="font-weight: bold;">neuroscience </span>have indicated that a consistent number of <span style="font-weight: bold;">chemicals </span>are present in the brain when people feel love.<br />
<br />
Specific chemicals are prominent during the <span style="font-weight: bold;">lustful phase</span> of a relationship. Others commonly found during the <span style="font-weight: bold;">attraction phase</span>. And some seemed to be more closely linked to <span style="font-weight: bold;">long term bonding</span> and relationships characterized by strong attachments.<br />
<br />
Keeping that in mind, imagine a good friend of your is opening his heart and says [weak] "Things might look different on the surface [Pause] but I'm really worried about my marriage. It has gone flat. We don't fight or anything. We just don't love each other anymore. The feeling isn't there anymore. What can I do?"<br />
<br />
What would <span style="font-weight: bold;">you </span>answer? If chemistry isn't right anymore maybe <span style="font-weight: bold;">chemistry </span>can provide a remedy? Is there a <span style="font-weight: bold;">love formula</span>?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: rgb(153 , 153 , 153);">Main</span><br />
<br />
What about Sildenafil citrate? Sildenafil citrate was <span style="font-weight: bold;">indeed </span>supposed to cure a <span style="font-weight: bold;">heart decease</span> [and?] Though it failed the clinical test against <span style="font-weight: bold;">angina pectoris</span> the male test persons were still pretty happy with this medicine and didn't want to give it back. [why?] It was the moment that by serendipity the formula for <span style="font-weight: bold;">Viagra </span>was discovered. [let 'em laugh]<br />
<br />
While drugs like Viagra might change your <span style="font-weight: bold;">physical </span>abilities they don't change your <span style="font-weight: bold;">mood</span>.<br />
<br />
[Pause] Pheromones <span style="font-weight: bold;">do</span>. In the world of animals they works like perfume and tell everyone in the vicinity "I am seriously horny. I need a mate. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Now</span>!". For animals this rather direct approach works pretty good. [pause] Up to now no respectable medical company is offering something similar to humans.<br />
<br />
So maybe <span style="font-weight: bold;">aphrodisiacs </span>could solve your friend’s problem? Now, <span style="font-weight: bold;">I</span> wouldn't go that far to recommend he should put some Spanish Fly in his wife's morning coffee because certain <span style="font-weight: bold;">less dangerous</span> food can be an aphrodisiac, too. For example dark chocolate, oysters, ginger, nutmeg – and, yes, even tomatoes and potatoes.<br />
<br />
[pause, low voice] To be honest, often the effect of erotic food is more based on belief than on actual facts. [louder] And in the end all this only drives <span style="font-weight: bold;">passion </span>– [low] not <span style="font-weight: bold;">love</span>.<br />
<br />
But <span style="font-weight: bold;">maybe </span>preparing food leads us in the right direction. There is a German proverb "Liebe geht durch den Magen". Why that?<br />
<br />
[cheeky] I assume that in <span style="font-weight: bold;">most cases</span> the quality of the food is not the main reason of the success. In particular if a <span style="font-weight: bold;">besotted man</span> cooks for a woman. But what is it then?<br />
<br />
<span style="color: rgb(153 , 153 , 153);">Final</span><br />
<br />
Let me go back to the situation from the beginning of my speech. Your friend said "The <span style="font-weight: bold;">feeling </span>isn't there anymore. What can I do?"<br />
<br />
Well, if you think that love is something that just happens to you by chance and you are <span style="font-weight: bold;">not responsible</span> for the feeling [pause, low] you can do nothing but wait until Cupid's arrow hits you once more.<br />
<br />
If you believe on the other hand that your <span style="font-weight: bold;">feelings </span>are a consequence of <span style="font-weight: bold;">your actions</span> then you can give the following advice to your friend: [pause] "All you have to do is to <span style="font-weight: bold;">love her</span>. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate what she does. Affirm her in doing so. [pause]<br />
<br />
Make yourself lovable, 'liebens<span style="font-weight: bold;">würdig</span>' again. [pause] Love - the feeling - is a consequence of <span style="font-weight: bold;">loving actions</span>. [pause] It can be recaptured. That might be hard work. [pause]<br />
<br />
Are you willing to love her?"<br />
<br />
If the answer is yes then you have found the <span style="font-weight: bold;">love formula</span>.<br />
<br />
I hand back to the Toastmaster of the Evening</blockquote>
<br />
Reflection<br />
<br />
I was prepared and had done my rehearsals, so I was able to speak without notes. That made me proud. I was a bit too fast for the subject and skipped one or two little parts. It could have come more fluently and with more variety. But I am happy with my performance. Ppl liked it as well.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Subjective Feedback</span> (by the lovely Denise)<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">What she liked</span>: Almost everything.</li>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">Things to improve</span>: Move out of your comfort zone. Go wild.</li>
<li>"Serendipity" was picked by the Grammarian as the "word of the day"</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Objective Feedback</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Time: 5:40</li>
<li>Ahs: Fabulous 2 Ahs</li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-72677159582749996522007-08-21T23:08:00.001+02:002008-03-10T10:32:09.455+01:00Table Topics Master - Unusual thingsToday I was Table Topics Master again. In order to reduce preparation I though of something easy.<br /><br />One thing to remember: All attendees should have a chance to speak. So get a list of all attendees and check off all those people how already have a role. Pick those how are left on the paper first.<br /><br />Get into Action: Receive control from the Toastmaster of the Evening.<br /><br />"Mr. Toastmaster of The Evening, thank you for the introduction.<br /><br />I have the honour to lead you through the Table Topics section of this evening today.<br /><br />As the Table Topic Master I will conduct the impromptu speeches - they are 1.5 to 2 Minute ad hoc speeches, that help you to learn to speak unprepared, and still deliver a coherent speech while thinking on the feet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The traditional strategy</span> to Table Topics is similar to the prepared speaches: Present sensible, worthwhile ideas that add to the knowledge of others. Seeking to entertain, rather to inform is a <span style="font-weight: bold;">popular alternative strategy</span>.<br /><br />But there are very powerful "<span style="font-weight: bold;">nontraditional stategies</span>" as well:<br /><ul><li>Lie</li><li>Cheat</li><li>Steal</li></ul>What is that?<br /><ul><li>Sometimes, we just don't have an honest response that we want to share. That's okay. We are here to have fun and give a good speach, not to turn our pockets inside out. There is no lie detector in Table Topics.</li><li>Exploring the question rather than answering can very interesting. Or answer the question "the way you thought is was asked" can be very entertaining. This is cheating but it can be as long as you give a coherent speach it is okay.<br /></li><li>If you cannot draw from you own experience or knowledge, you those of others. Originality is encouraged, but it is not a requirement<br /></li></ul>No matter what strategy you use, commit to it! Save time by simply grabbing one and developing it.<br /><br />So let's get it started.<br /><br />Something really unusual happened to me while I was on a seminar weekend some years ago. On the first day people were brought together in groups of two. They were asked to talk to each other and find out something they had in common. Most pairs found out the usual things: They had seen the same film, they had visited the same countries or liked the same food. One group of two, a man and a woman, found out something rather unusual: They had been to the same country, visited the same beach and had sex with their respective partners at this beach. Impressive what you can find out in just five minutes...<br /><br />Now that I have set the mood I will ask you about the unusual things in your life.<br /><ul><li>most unusual place you took a bath</li><li>... situation wearing pyjamas</li><li>... food eaten</li><li>.... car driven</li><li>most unusal music listened to</li><li>... dress worn</li><li>... discussion you had<br /></li></ul>Thank you for sharing all those unusual things with us. Now please take one of the prepared slips of paper and write down you personal favourite for the best Table Topics speach given tonight. I will repeat the topics and the names."<br /><br />Hand over control to the Toastmaster of the Evening.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reflection</span><br /><br />I skipped most of the preparation and drew on my <a href="http://www.heike-stefan.de/stefan/becomingconfident/2007/01/table-topics-master.html">papers from January</a>. It turned out to be a bad move. A bit more preparation would have made it is much better experience for the audience.<br /><br />This time i made a list of attendees and made sure that everybody had his/her chance to speak. I even asked one of the guests. That was good.<br /><br />But I forgot two things:<br /><ul><li>The part about how to approach the Table Topics. I brought it in between the first and the second topic and gave an example for each of the three infamous rules. That was good and made it easier to understand.<br /></li><li>I forgot mentioning the voting for the best table topics speach.</li></ul>Things I took from other speakers:<br /><ul><li>drawings as visual aids should not be too small (A4 ist not big enough)</li><li>"too much information" is a common problem (not only mine)<br /></li><li>be prepared to take more than one role<br /></li></ul>Objective Feedback<br /><ul><li>Ahs: about 10</li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-76892606287027897302007-08-08T23:01:00.002+02:002008-03-10T10:46:07.269+01:00EvaluatorYesterday I did an evaluation for a speaker. A speech with a higher project number that my highest project.<br /><br />Don't forget to read out the objectives before the speech. It makes it easier for audience to give proper feedback.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reflection</span><br /><br />Objective Feedback<br /><ul><li>Time: (too long)</li></ul>Subjective Feedback<br /><ul><li>Not necessary to re-read the objectives as part of the spoken evalutation unless I want to point out something specific. And even in this case one would quote only one specific aspect of the objectives to comment on that<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-76524749810831092992007-01-11T00:09:00.001+01:002008-03-10T10:28:34.724+01:00Table Topics Master - Internet DomainsYesterday I was Table Topics Master. It was the first evening in 2007 in a new venue.<br /><br />One thing to remember: All attendees should have a chance to speak. So get a list of all attendees and check off all those people how already have a role. Pick those how are left on the paper first.<br /><br />Get into Action:<br /><br />Receive control from the Toastmaster of the Evening.<br /><br />"Mr. Toastmaster of The Evening, thank you for the introduction.<br /><br />I have the honour to lead you through the Table Topics section of this evening today.<br /><br />As the Table Topic Master I will conduct the impromptu speeches - they are 1½ to 2 Minute ad hoc speeches, that help you to learn to speak unprepared, and deliver a coherent speech while thinking on the feet.<br /><br />Because this is the first evening of the year. Because this is out first evening in the new venue, I tough of something special.<br /><br />Normally the TTM sets a theme and asks questions. Sometimes you do not much about the TTM’s theme. Today you will know nothing. You might think this is going to be a nightmare if I pick you, but I know giving a brilliant speech about a topic you know nothing about is second nature for a Toastmasters.<br /><br />The best thing about it is: It gives you the opportunity to make use of the three golden rules of Table Topics without feeling guiltily:<br /><ul><li>Lie</li><li>Cheat</li><li>Steal</li></ul>In other words: If you don't know what to say you have two options: Keep your mouth shut or be creative. Today I want you to be creative.<br /><br />My overall topic is the brave new internet and all the companies that mushroom from and in it. Many of you heard of YouTube or MySpace. You may know Flickr and even del.icio.us.<br /><br />But can you tell me what these companies are offering? //** show the prepared signs and wait until they stopped laughing **//<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">penisland.net</span> - A site where you customize and buy pens online.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">speedofart.com</span> - An advertising film director’s home page<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">powergenitalia.com</span> - An Italian Power Generator company<br /><br />Now it’s up to you. You are the CEOs of some high-flying company. Imagine yourself at this very important convention. In this very moment you are asked to give a short speech about you and company.<br /><br />Your company’s website is //**show the prepared sign and pick your victim **//<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">huckabuck.com</span> - A metasearch interface that queries Google, Yahoo!, and MSN simultaneously...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">zopa.com</span> - is a web-based borrowing and lending exchange where people like you and me lend other people like you and me money. They disintermediate the bank.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">electricsheepcompany.com</span> - A design and programming agency for Second Life and alikes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">jajah.com</span> - A site where can make free international phone calls<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">farecast.com</span> - uses computer power to predict the direction of plane fares. That helps travelers figure out the optimum time to buy a ticket.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">30Boxes.com</span> - Web calendar site<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">zillow.com</span> - offers free, instant valuations of 67 million U.S. homes. The site says most of its estimates are within 10% of the eventual selling price.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">snapmania.com</span> - Photo sharing site with custom photo galleries<br /><br />Thank you very much for there very inspiring and eye opening views into the world of yet unseen services and business models."<br /><br />Hand over control to the Toastmaster of the Evening.<br /><br />Additional resources:<br />>> <a href="http://www.toastmasters.nl/tt/KNOP6.htm">http://www.toastmasters.nl/tt/KNOP6.htm</a><br />>> <a href="http://ronnibennett.typepad.com/weblog/2006/10/weekend_fun_wit.html">http://ronnibennett.typepad.com/weblog/2006/10/weekend_fun_wit.html</a><br />>> <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546327,00.html">http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546327,00.html<br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reflection</span><br /><br />Though I was properly prepared with a lot of visual aids (big paper printouts with the URLs) I made an imortant mistake. While giving the introductional speech I decided to change the skript and include a little creativity exercise. It was surely fun but it made this long section even longer. The overall idea was good and most of the speakers found creative and funny ways to make a sales pitch for something they didn't know what it was about.<br /><br />I forgot one of the members. One aspect of TT is to make sure that every attendee has a chance to speak. I didnt make a list of all and so forgot about one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-3417355578912359952006-12-20T20:52:00.000+01:002006-12-28T22:28:25.094+01:00GrammarianThe last evening of the year. I was scheduled to do a evaluation for another speaker. But this speaker didn't show up so I agreed to do take the role of the Grammarian.<br /><br />The Grammarian is supposed to be one of the objective evaluation roles. The tasks are:<br /><blockquote> <p>The Grammarian selects a "Word for the Day". It should be a word that can be incorporated easily into everyday conversation but is different from the way people usually express themselves.</p> <p>During the meeting announce the "Word of the Day", state its part of speech, define it, use it in a sentence, and ask that anyone speaking during any part of the meeting use it.</p> <p> During the meeting the Grammarian listens to everyone's word usage and writes down any awkward use or misuse of the language (incomplete sentences, sentences that change direction in midstream, incorrect grammar, malapropisms, etc.) with a note of who erred. Write down who used the "Word of the Day" (or derivative of it) and note those who used it correctly or incorrectly.</p> <p>The Grammarians report trys (sic!) to offer the correct usage in every instance where there was misuse instead of only explaining what was wrong. The Grammarian also reports on creative language usage and announce who used the "Word of the Day".</p><p>(Taken from <a href="http://www.umanitoba.ca/campus/groups/toastmasters/roles.html">http://www.umanitoba.ca/ ... /roles.html</a>)<br /></p> </blockquote>At the Munich Toastmasters we don't use the "Word of the Day" so my role was just to watch the "<a href="http://www.lausannetoastmasters.org/roles.htm#grammarian">good use of grammar and language</a>". Being a non-native speaker and having a subjective view on what is "good use" made it a very subjective type of objective evaluation in the end.<br /><br />For the most part I mentioned phrases that caught my ear. Like<br /><ul><li>cradle to grave</li><li>the spirit lifts itself upon words</li><li>embrace a word</li><li>a positive negative</li><li>need for greed</li><li>the very pinacle of human achievment</li><li>a present and a privilege</li><li>all good things come in three</li></ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Reflection</span><br /><br />Since this is Toastmasters everone can do the Grammarian and grow in this role from time to time. Even a non-native speaker. In every evaluating role you improve your listening skills. This is a role I will have to do for the Leadership handbook. But then I will be better prepared, e.g. bring <a href="http://www.amazon.de/English-Grammar-Use-New-Answers/dp/312533683X">Murphy's English Grammar in Use</a> with me and try to better structure my report.<br />Once again I had problems with my breathing: In order to have a steady pacing I tried to speak without breathing in too deeply. This only led to a hot head and finally made me breathless.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Objective Feedback</span><br /><ul><li>Time: 3:32 (too long)</li></ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to share</span><br /><ul><li>Start standing than move around (this creates more dynamism than the other way around)</li><li>leaning forward is stronger than leaning back</li><li>instead of only providing information, make them think themselves (e.g. by asking questions and using rhetorical devices)</li><li>in a Q&A session the speaker always repeats the question before answering it</li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-91960832667978849842006-12-06T09:33:00.000+01:002007-08-21T23:18:21.303+02:00#5: Second LifeAgain we had a very entertaining and informative evening. We had great Table Topics (thanks to Sudhir Yoshi), two prepared speeches (I held my 5th speech, Pilar Gonzales an endearingly #6) and an interesting presentation of the no longer new Competent Leadership manual (thanks to Claus Drechsel).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prepared Speech </span><br /><br /><abbr xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" title="Communication and Leadership Program">C&L</abbr> Project #5 (Your Body Speaks): <span style="font-weight: bold;">Second Life</span><br /><br /><br />This time I was better prepared. I had written the speech over the weekend and had Monday to rehearse. So this was the first speech I did without notes. It should have been a little bit shorter and I could have rehearsed the final part more careful but overall it was pretty successful.<br /><br /><blockquote>Madam Toastmaster of the evening,<br />fellow toastmasters and honoured guests.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Introduction</span><br /><br />My name is Lislo Mensing. I am an avatar.<br /><br />I am going to tell you a little bit about the place that I live in. And why I am going to change your life sooner or later.<br /><br />The place I live is a special place where everything seems to be possible. Where all your dreams can become true. For example<br />- live in a big house with a swimming pool<br />- buy the most beautiful dresses and they will fit perfectly<br />- spend the hole day watching the sunset at the beach<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />[Change voice] </span>Of course there is a downside:<br />- I could eat as much as I want without getting fat. But I cannot taste it.<br />- I could copy hundreds of roses for my girlfriend but she is unable to smell them<br /><br />The point is: the place that I live exists only in the computer. I <span style="font-style: italic;">[point at me] </span>live in a virtual world called Second Live that people like<span style="font-style: italic;"> [point at them]</span> you can only see when you go to the website secondlife.com. Because real people like you cannot come over here in my world you use electronic people like me to live your second life.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Main</span><br /><br />I remember the day that I was created. I was in the middle of a plaza. I looked around. Above me there were birds in the blue sky. I saw trees moving gently in the wind and buildings like ancient temples. There were many other avatars already engaged in conversations. <span style="font-style: italic;">[make a face] </span>Actually most of them were looking like Barbie and Ken. And so did I.<br /><br />So I changed my appearance a little bit. Being an avatar it is easy to look like Schwarzenegger <span style="font-style: italic;">[chest, tall] </span>or Denny DeVito <span style="font-style: italic;">[belly, short]</span>. You just enter the menu<span style="font-style: italic;"> [point into the air] </span>and change everything from the colour of the hair to the size of the feet. Today I, Lislo, do look pretty much like Stefan - but with a much lower body mass index. <span style="font-style: italic;">[blush]</span><br /><br /><br />Then I made my first moves, trying to walk around without bumping into other people or objects. <span style="font-style: italic;">[walk like Charlie Chaplin]</span><br /><br />I also experimented with my body functions: Clapping, crying, being bored, laughing. I can even select from 18 ways of dancing. From slow <span style="font-style: italic;">[rumba]</span> to sexy <span style="font-style: italic;">[shake it baby]</span> to crazy <span style="font-style: italic;">[act like a complete idiot]</span>.<br /><br />The best thing here is that we all can fly. <span style="font-style: italic;">[raise arms] </span>That is a very convenient way of travelling. Alas, I prefer teleporting <span style="font-style: italic;">[disappear with a sound and reappear at the other end of the room]</span>.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Enhancing your Second Life</span><br /><br />You can spend a considerable time here before your Second Life gets boring. Many things can be visited and enjoyed for free. But the more interesting things do cost money. Linden dollars, a special in-game currency.<br /><br />Most of these things have to do with your body. That can be <span style="font-style: italic;">[point] </span>clothes, hair, skin, moves, sex.<br /><br />Having said that, male avatars do miss a certain body part in the beginning. <span style="font-style: italic;">[blush] </span>If you want to use it you have to buy one first.<br /><br />Of course you can spend your money also on cars, houses or a spacecraft.<br /><br />So the question arises where does the money come from? <span style="font-style: italic;">[finger on temple] </span>Most people changing real money into game money other simply work.<br /><br />Working includes being creative and do things others cannot do or simply don’t want to do. For example you can go to the menu select “create object” <span style="font-style: italic;">[point in the air]</span>. Take a box <span style="font-style: italic;">[fetch prepared props]</span>, attach a tube and … here we go: a bedside lamp. I can sell that for 10 Linden dollars – that’s about 3 Euro Cent.<br /><br />Everything within the Second Life world is build and programmed in that way. From my virtual wrist watch to the gurgling waterbed in my personal copy of castle Neuschwanstein.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Reflection</span><br /><br />Who are the people that spend so many hours in front of their computers, creating and living in the virtual world of Second Live? Nerds, who don’t have a first life?<br /><br />Almost 1.8 million people created an avatar already. The average age is 32, and 4 out of 10 users are women.<br /><br />With so many people demanding for virtual goods and services not only the virtual world is constantly growing but also the revenues.<br /><br />What seem to be a game is in deed serious business. Accordingly many global brands have a presence in Second Life, e.g. Toyota, Adidas, Disney, Dell.<br /><br />It’s a kind of gold rush at the moment. Some people <span style="font-style: italic;">[hands up closed] </span>already made a fortune, most others <span style="font-style: italic;">[hands open wide] </span>are still trying.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">End</span><br /><br />I just gave you a small view <span style="font-style: italic;">[fingers] </span>on what is possible. In addition what can be seen today is just the very early beginning of something new. Not so many years from now we might got used to live a part of our live in a virtual reality. It might be for fun, education or business.<br /><br />That’s it for now from the edge of technology. My name in Lislo Mensing and I log off now.<br /><br />Madam Toastmaster of the Evening<br /></blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reflection</span><br /><br />Time was a problem but I didn't really know where to cut back. After three minutes I was out of breath (wrong breathing technique?). I mixed lines during the last third. That confused some of the listeners.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subjective Feedback</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">What they liked: </span>Good selection of topic for the project. Good use of body language. Spoke completely free. Paper lamp. Humorous. Involving. The idea of acting as a computer hero.<br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Things to improve:</span> A little bit too long. Don't get nervous at the end from the red light. Mind your breathing (maybe get a good stance and inhale deeply into your belly). What was the key message? Don't leave the stage without giving back control to the Toastmaster of The Evening and being released.<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Objective Feedback</span><br /><ul><li>Time: 7:36 (too long)</li><li>Ahs: 4 (great!)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to share</span><br /><ul><li><a set="yes" href="http://www.ectools.info/page4.html">Christopher Magyar</a> secret of being a respected leader is "be there".<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-22027532999995510292006-11-21T22:51:00.001+01:002008-05-06T23:00:02.981+02:00#4: Are video games evil?Tonight our TM meeting was a little bit different. Almost all scheduled speakers and roles didn't show up so we had to improvise. It was very funny. We had a lot of guests and some new members, some of the latter are already exerienced TMs in other clubs (Munich hat several clubs).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Table Topics</span><br /><br />When I was called to give an impromptu speech about what dreams I had for this year and which of those became true or not, all I remembered was <a href="http://www.toastmasters.nl/tt/KNOP6.htm">lie-steal-cheat</a>. So I complained about sience not having invented flying cars despite they promised us 50 years ago that mankind will have flying cars in year 2000. (I should have expanded on that but instead) I than presented the dream-not-come-true that we have two young cats now and they drive me crazy. After 1:50 I decided not to open up another dream and left the stage.<br /><br />To my surprise I was voted best Table Topics speaker of the evening.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prepared Speech</span><br /><br />After that I held my prepared speech. <abbr xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" title="Communication and Leadership Program">C&L</abbr> Project #4 (How to say it): "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Are video games evil?</span>"<br /><br />It was (again) not properly prepared in part because I did not find a good topic until the last day. Then when I heard <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/0,1518,449656,00.html">the news</a> I knew what I would talk about. It was important to me to give my opinion. In preparation I shamelessly stole arguments and words from an <a href="http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4247084">Economist cover story</a> (thanks to <a href="http://marcellomedia.blogs.com/mrb/2005/08/sind_video_game.html">this</a>) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre#Aftermath_and_the_search_for_rationale">Wikipedia</a>. Although I had about three hours to rehearse I eventually had to use my notes and almost read the entire speech.<br /><blockquote>Madam Toastmaster of the evening,<br />fellow toastmasters and honoured guests.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);">Introduction</span><br /><br />We all heard the news today. Again a young man stormed into a school, tried to kill teachers and students before he committed suicide. It could have come much worse. But still a young life is wasted. I feel sorry for him and his parents.<br /><br />The young man is said to have played a lot of violent video games. Is that why he turned into a killer? I don't think so.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Go to the lectern]</span><br /><br />"It is an evil influence on the youth of our country. It encourages violence, promiscuity and Satanism."<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Go back]</span><br /><br />How said that? What do you think? A politician condemning video gaming? No. Actually, a clergyman denouncing rock-and-roll 50 years ago.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);">Main</span><br /><br />Scepticism of new media is a tradition with deep roots. It is said that Socrates had objections to rely on written texts, rather than the oral tradition. It would "create forgetfulness in the learners' souls".<br /><br />The opposition to gaming springs largely from the fear of anything new that has pitted the old against the entertainments of the young for centuries.<br /><br />Most gamers are under 40, and most critics are non-games-playing over-40s.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cons</span><br /><br />But what about the specific complaints<br />- that games foster addiction?<br />- that they encourage violence?<br /><br />Back in 2003 American teenage boys played video games for about 13 hours a week. In addition they spent about 25 hours watching television. The minority who seriously overdid it showed addictive behaviour in other ways too. In short the problem was with them not with the games they played.<br /><br />When talking about violence, not much long term research is available. Some short term studies showed that frequent playing of a violent game over a month had no effect on participants' level of aggression.<br /><br />And, during the period in which gaming has become widespread in America, violent crime has fallen by half.<br /><br />So are games good, rather than bad?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[Change side]</span><br />Good ones probably are.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pros</span><br /><br />Games are widely used as educational tools, not just for pilots, soldiers and surgeons, but also in schools and businesses.<br /><br />Games require players to construct hypotheses, solve problems, develop strategies, learn the rules of the in-game world through trial and error.<br /><br />Gamers must also be able to juggle several different tasks, evaluate risks and make quick decisions.<br /><br />Playing games is, thus, an ideal form of preparation for the workplace of the 21st century, as some forward-thinking firms are already starting to realise.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 204, 204);">Finish</span><br /><br />Pointing all this out makes little difference, though, because the controversy over gaming, as with rock and roll, is more than anything else the consequence of a generational divide.<br /><br />Especially in sad times when people are looking for simple answers and politicians are eager to provide them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[pause]</span><br /><br />But how can the disagreements between old and young over new forms of media ever be resolved?<br /><br />Well, sometimes attitudes can change relatively quickly, as happened with the Internet. Once condemned as a cesspool <span style="font-style: italic;">[Jauchegrube]</span> of depravity <span style="font-style: italic;">[Verderbtheit]</span>, it is now recognised as a valuable new medium.<br /><br />Politicians now even worry about extending access to the have-nots.<br /><br />Eventually, objections to new media resolve themselves, as the young grow up and the old die out.<br /><br />The average age of gamers is already 30. One day video games will ultimately become just another medium, alongside books, music, Internet and films.<br /><br />And soon the greying gamers will start worry about some new evil threatening to destroy the younger generation's moral fibre.<br /><br /><br />Madam Toastmaster<br /></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reflection</span><br /><br />I could have developed it a little more in terms of how to protect teenagers from over-consumption of electronic entertainment and violent pictures. The content was pretty good. Because I used notes my speech lost a great deal of liveliness. A real pitty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subjective feedback</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">What they liked:</span> Good use of figures and examples, Good arguements, intelligent speech, Passion about the topic, Nice selection of words, Good structure, Dramatic start - happy end, good voice / intonation, Strong start (with the quote), Many rethoric questions<br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Things to improve:</span> Try without notes. It took much of the flow. Thus, more eye contact, more body movement. If you have to read hold the paper in front of you at arms length (looks silly but works). Never say sorry again (it broke the spell). More passion, more courage <span style="font-style: italic;">[Mut, Tapferkeit]. </span>More vocal variety - you have a good voice, please use it.</li></ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to share</span><br /><ul><li>Even the most impressive speakers started once shaky.<br /></li><li>The presentation of the speech is as important as the words you use.<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-1160646376939274402006-10-11T11:12:00.001+02:002008-08-18T15:53:00.383+02:00Toastmaster of the Evening<span style="font-weight: bold;">Yesterday I was TMoE.</span> That is a special role. I had the honour to lead through the evening. That included straighting out the agenda, explaining the several meeting roles and then introducing the Table Topics Master, the Speakers and the General Evaluator. Of course there were some things to do in advance.<br /><br />For preparation I read the manual but that was not a big help. I was looking for a step-by-step guide, in particular for what will happen at the evening. Yes, I could have taken more notes while others are TMoE but I didn't. I might do in the future to improve my future performances as I noticed that TMoE is a necessary role in the Leadership Handbook.<br /><br />I was lucky in two ways. Firstly <a href="http://www.ectools.info/page4.html">Christopher Magyar</a> (<a href="http://www.district59.org/">District 59</a> Governor and member at the <a href="http://www.munich-toastmasters.de/de/clubs/munich-toastmasters.html">Munich Toastmasters</a> like me) offered his help and advice but I requested it too late - he was in the States then and was only able to send some helpful hints per e-mail. But secondly Eva Beldiman send me her notes on short notice so I had everything I needed to be prepared.<br /><br />At the meeting I was - as usual - only half as good prepared as I could have been. Moreover I forgot my notes at home. The upside was, this time didn't fiddle around with several papers in my hands. Finally things went well. In beginning I stuttered a little bit later I though I was a little to talkative.<br /><br />I had a formal business meeting in the afternoon so I still wore my dark suit with a beige shirt and a tie. In hindsight it was the proper clothing for this role and I have got positive feedback on this.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subjective feedback</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">What they liked:</span> Good improvisation, well organised, fluent, you dressed the part</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Things to improve:</span> No need to talk about things that went wrong.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Objective feedback</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Ah-Counter:</span> 15 (I know it was much more)</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to share</span><br /><ul><li>"We do a lot of clapping here. It makes it easier."<br /></li><li>"Feedback is the breakfast of champions"</li><li><a href="http://www.heike-stefan.de/stefan/becomingconfident/share/Skript%20-%20Toastmaster%20of%20the%20Evening.doc">Eva's guide and time-line for TMoE</a><br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-84563341659474984642006-08-02T11:32:00.000+02:002006-12-31T15:20:43.038+01:00#3: Geocaching<span style="font-weight: bold;">Prepared Speech </span><br /><br /><abbr xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" title="Communication and Leadership Program">C&L</abbr> Project #3 (Get to the Point): Geocaching<br /><br /><blockquote>Mr. Toastmaster of the evening,<br />fellow toastmasters and honoured guests.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Introduction</span><br /><br />I am sorry that I have to say that, but I assume that most of you are "muggles". Muggle is a term you might know from "Harry Potter" novels. There "muggles" are ordinary people who don't know about magic. In my case "muggles" are people who don't know anything about Geocaching.<br /><br />But don't worry, I will change that.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Main</span><br /><br />Geocaching is a game. It's an entertaining adventure game that makes use of the internet and GPS units. <span style="font-style: italic;">[Show the unit and pass it around]</span><br /><br />You all know GPS? A GPS unit is an electronic device that can determine your approximate location on the planet using satellite signals. Car navigation systems use this to guide you and your car from point A to point B.<br /><br />So what is Geocaching about?<br /><br />The basic idea is simple. Some people hide things and other people try to find those things. Those how hide a cache, record the coordinates with their GPS unit and publish these coordinates on the internet. Others take the coordinates from the internet and try to find the cache. You see with Geocaching you are the search engine.<br /><br />Btw, it is spelled C A C H E and not cash like money.<br /><br />You might ask "What's the deal? I have the coordinates so I know where the cache is. Seems pretty easy."<br /><br />Yeah, it seems easy. But I tell you it's one thing to know where an item is and it's a totally different story to actually get there and find it.<br /><br />Most caches are hidden somewhere in the great outdoors. E.g. in trees with holes, crevices <span style="font-style: italic;">{krewises}</span> or large roots.<br /><br />Other caches are hidden in the centre of cities right next to were all those muggles live. They might be hidden in telephone booths, under bridges or behind statues.<br /><br />Believe me when I tell you that it is adventurous and very much fun to walk cross-country following only the arrow on your GPS unit. You have to know that, the unit only knows how close the site is as the crow flies. So you may be only 10 meters from the cache, but there may be a river in the way, or a near-vertical climb involving 3 km of switchbacks - you get the picture.<br /><br />In my opinion the best thing about Geocaching is that you see places that you might not have visited otherwise. These are often beautiful spots and sometimes even magical places with an interesting history.<br /><br />You might be surprised to hear that there are hidden more than 500 caches in the Munich area. And new caches are placed every day.<br /><br />Btw, it's a free fun. Everybody how has a GPS unit can join in. Seekers don't have to pay. Hiders don't get money for it. And many seeker start hiding their own caches sooner or later. - Like I did recently.<br /><br />So what is that cache thing? How does it look like?<br /><br />A cache can come in many shapes and sizes. It can be very small like a plastic film can <span style="font-style: italic;">[show size with fingers]</span>, mid-sized like a Tupperware container <span style="font-style: italic;">[show with hands]</span> or large like suitcase <span style="font-style: italic;">[show with arms]</span>.<br /><br />A cache always contains a logbook. Some caches are too small to contain anything else. <span style="font-style: italic;">[Show little white can]</span>.<br /><br />The logbook contains information from the founder of the cache and notes from the cache's visitors.<br /><br />Larger caches will contain the logbook and any number of more or less valuable items. <span style="font-style: italic;">[Take out the larger cache and pass it around]</span>. These items turn the cache into a true treasure hunt. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left there for you to enjoy.<br /><br />Items in a cache like that could be anything that fits in. Key tags, little cars, games, ...<br /><br />Especially kids and teenagers have fun with not only seeking the cache but also enjoying the surprise of what the cache might contain.<br /><br />But remember, if you take something, its only fair for you to leave something in return. So we always take a bag of stuff for trading with us.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Finish</span><br /><br />Okay, to summarise: I told you what the game is about, what caches are and why it is so much fun.<br /><br />What does that mean for you?<br /><br />Most important, you are insiders now. You are not "muggles" anymore.<br /><br />And if you are looking for a new hobby or thinking about ways how to lure <span style="font-style: italic;">{lur} </span>your kids outside, consider buying a GPS unit and start Geocaching.<br /><br />Mr. Toastmaster<br /></blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Feedback</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Things to improve</span>: Explain difficult words (e.g. Muggles), speak freely you don't need notes anymore, TMI (too much information)<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Objective feedback</span><br /><ul><li>Time: 7:08<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to share<br /></span><ul><li>To apologise is weak. Thanking is stronger. (E.g. in the beginning)<br /></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-39984704044778511662006-06-07T11:27:00.000+02:002006-12-06T11:32:24.170+01:00#2: What is innovation?My own Waterloo (in terms of timing): Almost 14 minutes!!<br /><br />tbc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-19659301347393741422006-04-05T11:13:00.000+02:002006-12-06T11:26:17.032+01:00#1: A weekend that changed my lifeMy Icebreaker. I spoke about my <a href="http://www.heike-stefan.de/stefan/mycuts/2005/01/thank-god-i-am-p-type.html">B822 residential school weekend</a> and how it changed how I see myself. I opened with ...<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">be happy</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">[slap – clap – snip]</span><br /><br />Buddy you’re a boy make a big noise<br />Playin’ in the street gonna be a big man some day<br />You got mud on yo’ face<br />You big disgrace<br />Kickin’ your can all over the place<br /><br />We will we will rock you<br />We will we will rock you<br /></blockquote><br />It was the opening motivation for the seminar weekend. And it was a great opening for my speech. I used as well a flipchart paper with a rich picture I made on this weekend. A picture about me and the things that worry me.<br /><br />tbc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35901134.post-38549665978252355012005-04-06T01:00:00.000+02:002006-12-21T01:12:02.258+01:00My first role: TimerHave been to the Toastmasters again. They have a new president. Despite being a guest they assigned a role to me: Timer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subjective Feedback:</span><br /><br /><ul><li>They gave me a lot of positive feedback. So obviously I did my job well.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Objective Feedback:</span><br /><ul><li>More than 30 Ahs. That's too much (in my opinion) but okay for an absolute beginner.</li></ul> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Things to share:</span><br /><ul><li>Always bring a pen and paper</li><li>You start you speech with "Thank you Mr. General Evaluator. Dear Toastmaster of the Evening, Toastmasters, honoured guests"</li><li>Preparation (<a href="http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&c2coff=1&q=toastmasters+preparation">Google</a>): Let the topics pull you through</li><li>Rehearsal: Silently, finnish every session (otherwise you will have a good start and a poor finish)</li><li>Mentally visualise you success.<br /> </li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1