Toastcaster Communication Leadership Learning Lab

[29:58] At this time of the year we reflect back on the year but look forward to the New Year. In this episode, we look back 10 years ago this week to a Toastcaster Podcast interview with Craig Valentine, 1999 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking that still resonates with Greg today. In the podcast interview Craig shared a number of insights and personal stories. He talked about things l...

[22:32] Impromptu speaking is a great skill to have and you never know where it can be useful. In Toastmasters the practice of this type of speaking is called Table Topics. In this episode we speak with Blaine Zuk, ACG, ALB , who took home top honours at the District 99 Table Topics Contest held recently in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada.   Zuk, a nine-year member of Dawnbreakers Toastmasters...

[07:33] In this episode, Greg talks about and shares a really cool resource for those looking to find quotes and other materials by or about Donald Trump that are not "Fake News."  Whether you are looking for speech material or quotes to use, this free currated on-line resource of 10,000+ entries allows people to search by keyword, subject or suggested categories.  This podcast is based on Greg's...

[20:46] In this episode, Greg speaks with Dr. Bo Bennett. Bo is a successful entrepreneur, author, podcaster, instructor and Doctor of Philosophy. Many of you may already know Bo as the creator of FreeToastHost, founder of e-bookIt and founding co-host of the Toastmasters Podcast.   Bo and Greg talk about on-line courses, but not just about taking them, but creating them and getting them up on-lin...

[20:38] Julia Ewing joins Greg to share some communication nuggets with the audience focussing on delivering your message - whether it be good news, bad news or just information.  Julia hails from Saskatoon, Canada  where's she's both a community developement professional and business educator, holding an undergraduate degree in human ecology, with a masters in business.   Julia attended Greg's ed...

[19:01] Using a Juice Box as metaphor for Toastmasters Club Officers is the brainchild of Rebecca Cuthbertson Hulst, ACS, ALB. Rebecca has been a Toastmaster since Jan 2014 and just finishing her year as Area Director for District 99, D29 in Edmonton, Canada   Rebecca is also a Registered Collaborative Family Lawyer, a Mediator, and a lawyer for children.   When I stumbled across her speech "Juice...

[18:41] Sometimes employers do not know or are unaware of the value of Toastmasters or any other Leadership and Communications  training for their employees. Other times they may stress the need without really explaining their full value.   In this episode Greg speaks with Marc Haine , DTM, a former District 42 PRM, keynote speaker, corporate trainer and business consultant specializing in the Hos...

  [31:07] When Toastmasters Districts experience tremendous growth, approaching 300 clubs, they get a little too big to manage, often resulting in reduced quality of service to the members, so around that time, Toastmasters International encourages Districts to consider Reformation, i.e. splitting into two or more Districts.   In this episode we speak with Toastmasters Past International Director...

[27:22] Mike Raffety, DTM, PID is very active on both the Official Toastmasters Facebook page and LinkedIn group answering many Toastmasters related questions. So we reached out to Mike in Chicago and asked him to give us his take on the Toastmasters Club Myths in the Toastmasters International April 2017 Leader Letter as well as a few other club, contest and speech myths he covered in a 2015 blog...

[07:08] In this episode Greg tells the story of the origin of April Fool's Day. Greg was recently the Toastmaster of the Day at his home club, New Entrepreneurs and the theme was April Fool's Day.  After researching the topic, Greg perhaps over-prepared his opening remarks and although a little lengthy, they were well received by the members. As a result, when Greg went home, he expanded on what h...

[29:15] In this episode we speak with Naomi Takeuchi, DTM, PDG, President and CEO 1000 Cranes, LLC . Naomi shares with us some of her Toastmaster travel adventures, visiting and speaking at clubs around the world and offering some insight, tips and encouragement to check out clubs, conferences or even have lunch and connect with other Toastmasters at their travel destinations. Naomi is a consultan...

[08:03] As Toastmasters we often use USB sticks with other people's computers or often they use ours. No surprise, there is always a threat of viruses and other nasties. The truth is some are impossible to detect or eradicate while the conmputer is active.  This is where FixMeStick comes in.  Created in Montreal, Canada, it's a self-propelled virus removal system that runs from a thumb drive indep...

[19:26] Toastcaster Podcast is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. In this episode Greg grabs the mic and takes an impromptu journey back a decade to its humble beginnings starting from the pilot episode featuring then District 42 Governor Mona Cooley, DTM. What started as an idea in 2006 for an HPL (High Performance Leadership) project has blossomed into 77 episodes, almost 200K downloads and 1.5M...

[27:41] In this episode we speak with Glenda Sheard, DTM, Social Media Manager for District 99 . While not an official Toastmasters position, her role is a critical component in attracting new members and engaging existing ones as this medium has gained widespread use. Glenda, a newly minted DTM enthusiastically shares how Social Media impacts districts and clubs and all Toastmasters, enlightening...

[26:51] We accumulate all kinds of digital stuff but Visual Productivity expert and regular guest Kevin Achtzener tells us once and awhile we need to do a content audit. Even though content is King as some say and drive space is cheap these days, we need to review our digital clutter. Perhaps it's outdated, no longer relevant or represents who we are. And as Toastmasters as we progress, some of th...

[19:15] In this episode we speak to Toastmasters International Immediate Past President Jim Kokocki, DTM, from New Brunswick, Canada. We learn a little about his Toastmasters journey including his year as President, an insight on leadership and maybe a sneak peek at his Keynote and Plenary session he'll be presenting at the inaugural Fall Conference for the newly created District 99 to be held in...

[31:05] Robert Lavigne, The Digital Grapevine , Digital Strategist and Podcaster moved from Toronto, Ontario Canada 99 km to Brantford, birthplace of the telephone and legendary #99 Wayne Gretzky. What started as an exercise in brand building and a series of individual topics in Robert’s new hometown became a humbling learning experience of 100 podcasts, 100 conversations over 2 years that weaved...

[30:05] Privacy is something we may not think about as a concern when it comes to Toastmasters. Our guest is Jean Eaton of Information Managers a practical privacy coach and expert in many disciplines including Privacy Management and Legislation. As a former Toastmaster Jean explains what privacy means and offers up some best practices,valuable tips and shares what Clubs and club leaders can do to...

[42:40] This episode we learn about the Art of Competing with Russ Dantu, 6x District  Speech Contest winner & 2015 WCPS Finalist and Lance Miller, 9x District winner and 2005 World Champion of Public Speaking. Lance coached Russ for last year's event. You'll hear them share that experience, competing tips and give us a glimpse of The Art of Competing, their new and already popular CD, which can b...

[27:32] Russ Dantu, District 42, Calgary, Canada continues his journey to the World Championship of Public Speaking semi-final and then on to the finals in Las Vegas. He takes us through his experience after winning at District and on to the finals and all his exciting trials and tribulations along the way. This is a continuation of Episode 57.

[22:26] Rick Lauber is the Best Selling Author of Caregiver's Guide for Canadians, The Successful Caregiver’s Guide (USA) and a contributor in two Chicken Soup for the Soul books. A former Toastmaster with New Entrepreneurs in Edmonton Canada, Rick shares why he joined Toastmasters, how it helped him and how it can help budding authors. He also offers a few tips on using your Toastmaster skills to...

[29:22] George Marshall , DTM is the author of TmTools - Tools for Toastmasters, a series of tools to help Toastmasters at any level - Member, Club, Area, Division or District to truly get the information that they need in the sea of Toastmasters data. TmTools do not replace, but rather extend information and reports we currently use - and they are constantly being improved and expanded. TmTools o...

[27:46] Ummo App is your personalized speech coach & crutch-word finder developed at Harvard University. Greg speaks with two of its developers from Dehli, India and the Bay Area in California, Anshul Bhagi and Sam Li who tell us what the app's about; how they developed it and how IBM's Watson plays a role. They also tell us how you can use it to analyze and improve your speaking skills and share...

[07:13] Smartphones & Tablets have 10x the bacteria of your toilet seat. Whoosh! Dragon's Den approved is a cool product that not only cleans, it disinfects and safe enough to spray in your mouth. In this episode, Greg puts Whoosh! to the test. You can also read the review at CanoeTech Blog . (Photos courtesy Whoosh!)

[07:43]  The Toastmaster Magazine is a valuable resource both in print and tablet versions. In this episode Greg gives us a little reminder as to why it's a good idea to check out either or both on a regular basis and let you in on a secret as to how the Official Toastmasters Podcast and on occasion Toastcaster get subjects for podcast interviews.