Weedin 360

This is my latest speech competition speech from Toastmasters given last Saturday. The point of this speech for all of you is that it’s okay to recycle speeches. This was a speech I gave three years ago at the International semi-finals in California. I made adjustments to the opening and closing transition primarily. You don’t always have to come up with a new speech. You can take a story and message and “re-purpose” it often. The important part is that your message is giving value to the audience.

To view the original speech, click here.

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

Sarah Palin has become a polarizing national figure. Love her or hate her, this story in the Washington Post depicts what politics in the 21st century has turned into. It’s probably one of the reasons that many of our best and brightest say “no thanks.” I like Sarah Palin for a lot of reasons and wish her the best.

The intriguing question for me is who in their right mind wants to be in state or national politics and subject their family to the incredible scrutiny that comes with it. Unfortunately, for both parties, it’s usually incredibly rich power mongers who put themselves and their agendas first. Think I’m wrong? Then you haven’t been paying attention. Your thoughts…

Read the Washington Post article

I am thrilled to be a contributing author to a brand new book on how to help you add humor to every presentation you give.  Go Ahead & Laugh: A Serious Guide to Speaking with Humor is now available on this site.  Look right at the top of this page and you will find a navigation bar with “Go Ahead & Laugh.”  That’s your clue as to where to find it!

Hard copy books are due out in August but you can pre-order them now and receive a bonus.  In addition, you can get a jump start on that next presentation by purchasing your e-Book today!

Many thanks to Rich Hopkins for asking me to be one of the fantastic authors of this book.

I hope you will make an investment in your speaking by adding humor to effectively deliver your message.  Pick up Go Ahead & Laugh today!

Cheers,

Dan

Dan Weedin is Featured Presenter for Regional Conference

Local consultant speaks at Toastmasters Conference in Oakland, CA

Poulsbo, WA (June 26, 2009) – Dan Weedin, a local consultant and communications effectiveness coac

h for business leaders, recently gave an educational presentation for the Toastmasters Region 1 Conference in Oakland, CA on June 20.

Over 200 Toastmasters spanning from British Columbia to Northern California, and including Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming attended the conference.  Weedin gave a 60-minute presentation on how to leverage the use of stories in business presentations to more effectively deliver your message.  Tyree Johnson, the 2009 Education chair for the conference and Past District 57 Governor said, “Dan is the consummate professional speaker. He connects with confident competence so that his audience finds learning both fun and effec

tive. His unique insights and presence make him a top-notch presenter and the audience loves him for it.” 

Weedin is a member of two Toastmasters clubs in Kitsap County.  He was recently quoted in Toastmaster Magazine on the topic of effective networking with improved communication skills. 

For more information, contact Dan Weedin at (360) 697-1058; (360) 824-8100 (fax); or dan@danweedin.com. Please also visit our website at www.DanWeedin.com. 

There has been much conjecture over the past few months about the upcoming change in Toastmasters regarding the end of the Region conferences.  As many of my Toastmasters friends follow my blogs, I thought I’d chime in.

Originally, I was against it.  I didn’t see how taking away the Region Conference could be good for the International Speech Competition or the professional development that comes from the event.

I’ve changed my mind.

After listening to a presentation on how the change will alter the process, I have to say that it’s not all that bad.  Perhaps I should have educated myself better earlier.  Regardless, the information was not disseminated well as I heard from Toastmaster leaders that weren’t all that clear either.

Here’s the deal – Starting next year, the Region Conference is out.  I think the biggest reason is money related (aren’t they always).  It takes a lot of cash to hold one of these events and it only draws between 250-350 people any given year.  The majority come from the area it’s being held.  The balance are district leadership and presenters.  That’s not bringing in the numbers to justify the cost.  As much as the education piece is critical, it now must be strengthened at the district and international levels.

As a speech competitor, I was worried how the demise of a Region conference would be good for me.  I didn’t compete this year as I was a Region educational presenter, but I might again next year.  What I learned was this – a District winner will head straight to the International Convention.  That will bring the top 100 or so Toastmasters into a sort of Round Robin tournament to determine a World Champion.  The good news (that I didn’t know) is that you can keep your District winning speech and give it in the semi-finals.  You still have to come up with a different one if you advance, but it doesn’t mean coming in with two new ones.  You will be randomly drawn to one of 10 semi-finals to compete with others from around the world early in the week.  The 10 winners face off on the Saturday night of the convention.

Here are the cons:

1 – Judges could get overworked.  How many contests can you actually listen to.  My guess is they will need to come up with MANY judges to avoid this.

2 – Added cost for District winners to head to the International.

3 – If you bow out after the semis, it’s probably going to be tough to stay excited the rest of the week.

The pros:

1 – One less date to reserve.  That’s a biggie for me.  When you have to start planning ahead to make sure you can be there, one less contest is a good thing.

2 – You get to use your undefeated speech at the semi-finals.  You can tweak it, massage it, improve it, and then give it all over again. This is again a great time saver.  I’d rather come up with two speeches than three.

3 – You get to compete at the semi-finals with people outside your old region.  If you had a speaker that dominated your region for years, this gives you a chance to get by another group and maybe not meet them until the finals.  Heck, a region could conceivably have 3 or 4 speakers represent them in the finals.  Talk about bragging rights!

I’m sure there will still be some that disagree.  The bottom line is that from a cost standpoint, it’s a no-brainer.  From a competitive standpoint, it actually makes it simpler.  In the end, I changed my mind and am looking forward to throwing my hat back in the ring in 2010.  Will I see you there?
ew months about the upcoming change in Toastmasters regarding the end of the Region conferences.  As many of my Toastmasters friends follow my blogs, I thought I’d chime in.

Originally, I was against it.  I didn’t see how taking away the Region Conference could be good for the International Speech Competition or the professional development that comes from the event.

I’ve changed my mind.

After listening to a presentation on how the change will alter the process, I have to say that it’s not all that bad.  Perhaps I should have educated myself better earlier.  Regardless, the information was not disseminated well as I heard from Toastmaster leaders that weren’t all that clear either.

Here’s the deal – Starting next year, the Region Conference is out.  I think the biggest reason is money related (aren’t they always).  It takes a lot of cash to hold one of these events and it only draws between 250-350 people any given year.  The majority come from the area it’s being held.  The balance are district leadership and presenters.  That’s not bringing in the numbers to justify the cost.  As much as the education piece is critical, it now must be strengthened at the district and international levels.

As a speech competitor, I was worried how the demise of a Region conference would be good for me.  I didn’t compete this year as I was a Region educational presenter, but I might again next year.  What I learned was this – a District winner will head straight to the International Convention.  That will bring the top 100 or so Toastmasters into a sort of Round Robin tournament to determine a World Champion.  The good news (that I didn’t know) is that you can keep your District winning speech and give it in the semi-finals.  You still have to come up with a different one if you advance, but it doesn’t mean coming in with two new ones.  You will be randomly drawn to one of 10 semi-finals to compete with others from around the world early in the week.  The 10 winners face off on the Saturday night of the convention.

Here are the cons:

1 – Judges could get overworked.  How many contests can you actually listen to.  My guess is they will need to come up with MANY judges to avoid this.

2 – Added cost for District winners to head to the International.

3 – If you bow out after the semis, it’s probably going to be tough to stay excited the rest of the week.

The pros:

1 – One less date to reserve.  That’s a biggie for me.  When you have to start planning ahead to make sure you can be there, one less contest is a good thing.

2 – You get to use your undefeated speech at the semi-finals.  You can tweak it, massage it, improve it, and then give it all over again. This is again a great time saver.  I’d rather come up with two speeches than three.

3 – You get to compete at the semi-finals with people outside your old region.  If you had a speaker that dominated your region for years, this gives you a chance to get by another group and maybe not meet them until the finals.  Heck, a region could conceivably have 3 or 4 speakers represent them in the finals.  Talk about bragging rights!

I’m sure there will still be some that disagree.  The bottom line is that from a cost standpoint, it’s a no-brainer.  From a competitive standpoint, it actually makes it simpler.  In the end, I changed my mind and am looking forward to throwing my hat back in the ring in 2010.  Will I see you there?

Cheers,

(c) 2009 Dan Weedin All Rights Reserved <Photo 1>

Congratulations to my friend Brian Banke for a stellar performance at Toastmasters Region 1 Conference with his International Speech Competition speech, Lost.  Brian performed very well under the pressure of the contest and should be very proud of his accomplishments.

On Monday I was listening to an intriguing interview with horse racing expert Andy Beyer from the Washington Post.  His comments to Mitch Levy from Sportsradio 950 KJR indicate that he believes that jockey Calvin Borel was the reason that Mine That Bird didn’t win the Belmont Stakes on Saturday.  He feels that Borel was too overconfident and didn’t do his due diligence in preparations leading up to the race.  Borel had never raced at the Belmont Stakes; a track that is the longest in the country.  Beyer said not only did Borel not do a practice ride or walk the track, he didn’t even watch any of the preceding races that day.  In the end, it cost him the chance to immortalize himself in the sport as the only jockey to win a triple crown riding two different horses.

How well do you research your track?

If you do any speaking on a platform – Toastmasters competitions, Association meetings, Banquets, Rotary Clubs, Chambers of Commerce – then you should be checking out your track prior to the event.

One of my favorite stories about this comes from my friend Jim Key, who was the 2003 World Champion of Public Speaking. The championship that year was in Atlanta and when he checked out his stage, he found that it had a very pronounced squeak in several spots (in fact you can hear them in his winning presentation).  Because Jim was diligent in detection, he was prepared for the results of where he would be walking.  Had he not done this, the squeaks may have distracted him just enough to keep him form winning.  Just like in horse racing, speech competitions are normally won by a nose!

Regardless your reason for being on stage, make sure you check it out in advance.  Walk your speech and check for squeaks, nuances, areas where you might not be as visible, and areas where you might have had props.  The better prepared you are, the better you will be able to deliver your game-winning speech.

Cheers,

(c) 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved

I am pleased to announce that I’ve been quoted in a featured article in the June, 2009 Toastmaster Magazine.  The article is written by Lin Grensing-Prophal and details strategies and tips to networking in “Here’s How to Work a Room.”

Toastmaster Magazine only provides an online web link to current members with a password. If you’re a member please check out your hard copy magazine which you should have just received.  I’d love to hear your comments.

For those that aren’t Toastmasters, here is the quote…

“Personal stories can provide excellent opportunities to connect with people, says Weedin.  If you have a chance to relate a personal story, do it, he says. Fun stories are well received, especially when humor is involved.  Use your best story – especially if a little self-deprecating – to connect with your audience.“

My thanks to Lin for an excellent article and for using my words.  I hope you find the piece valuable to your business.

Cheers,

This past week, my daughter Kelli gave a speech at our Toastmasters club.  Her objective was to present a persuasive speech.  Kelli decided to give a presentation arguing that her generation, Generation Y, was the “best.”  She labeled three “myths” or misconceptions about Generation Y (born between 1979-94) and de-bunked them by giving solid examples to her point.  She worked hard on her delivery and gave a fine speech.  You could say I was a very proud dad.

What followed during the rest of the meeting was even more impressive than Kelli’s speech.  Several members commented about her topic and her views during their opportunity to speak.  They all enjoyed her speech, but more importantly they were moved in some way.  They may have agreed or disagreed; revealed what generation they belonged to; or even felt “called out” a little bit and defended themselves.

Being a “Yes” person is rarely a way to become memorable.  As a presenter, you become memorable when you are provocative, insightful, and challenge widely held norms or paradigms.  Kelli made each person at the meeting check in on their personal generation and how they are perceived.  When people are still talking about your speech an hour later, that’s when you know you’ve made an impact.

Do people talk about your speech or presentation after you walk off the stage?  Are they still challenged days after the meeting has ended?  Will they see you and bring up your message again?

If the answer is “NO,” then you might need to find some ways to become more memorable.  Do you have an opinion on an issue that bucks the trend?  Do you have a strategy that might be considered “risky?”  What wild idea do you have that can change the world – or at least your audience?

You don’t have to be arrogant or brash.  Being influential means that you can calmly, but persuasively, deliver an opinion that challenges your audiences thinking and helps them to become better educated, introspective, or renewed.

My mentor, Dr. Alan Weiss always says that you must become an “object of interest.”  One way to accomplish this is to not be afraid to ruffle a few feathers with your message.  This isn’t about getting 10’s on your evaluation or high marks from judges.  This is about offering sincere methods and ideas to help improve the lives and condition of your audience.  They may not agree with you and that’s okay.  If they are still talking about you days, months, and years later, then you were successful.  The next time you have the opportunity to be controversial or contrarian; don’t be afraid to seize the opportunity.  The spoils generally go to those who are brave enough to speak out against the tide.

The jury may still be out on Kelli’s thesis about Generation Y.  However, my guess is we will still be talking about it for years to come.

(c) 2009 Dan Weedin – All Rights Reserved

What’s your favorite filler word?

A filler word is a word you use as a transition, an annoying transition, from one thought to another instead of a pause.  The pause is very powerful, yet we seem to have this anxiety about dead air.  Because of that we use needless fillers like – uhm, ah, so, you know, like, etc.  Get my drift?

My favorite filler is “so.”  I tend to latch it on the the end of sentences and allow it to drift off.

“I’m very happy to be working on this project with you,so…”

“The next step i the process is to bring in an expert, so..”

Both these examples would have been fine had they ended with a period prior to the “so.”  You may be wondering, “What’s the big deal?”  The big deal is that using filler words like so have the following effect…

• Decrease the power in your statements
• Distract your audience form your message
• Annoy the heck out of people
• Develop poor habits

What’s your filler word?  Is it “so” like mine is or is it one of the others I mentioned?  How do you find out?  Several ways come to mind…

• Listen attentively to your speech patterns
• Ask others to help you by actively listening for these words
• Join a Toastmasters club to kick the habit…I promise they WILL tell you

The sooner you commit to kicking your filler habit, the sooner you will enjoy better communications.  That normally means more business and better relationships.  So…

Cheers,