Let Your Body Do The Talking

Some time back I, like a number of my Algoa compatriots, decided to start the Competent Communicator manual again. 

I decided this time to try to turn each of the manual speeches into an educational so that I was not only doing the speech, but also using it as a way to teach some of the skills I had learned to others in the club. What follows contains some of what I learned along the way.

I am sure you are all aware of the research that has been done about how communicators convey their message:

• Only about 7% of the meaning of a spoken message is conveyed via the actual words 

• 38 % of the meaning of that message is conveyed via one’s tone of voice; and

• 55% of the total meaning is conveyed via body language.

Add to those statistics the saying that one never gets a second chance to make a first impression and you will realise just how important body language is.

The way we dress and the way we stand (our posture) are all part of our body language and will inform the opinions people make of us.  I am sure you have heard the phrase dressed for success, so I want to spend just a moment on that topic.

Men; dress for the occasion in a dark suit – or at least in a jacket and tie. Neutral, dark colours are good with a contrasting tie – but not a comic one. Ladies: don’t draw attention to yourself by wearing outrageous styles, like too-high shoes or too-short skirts. Avoid wearing jewellery that rattles or blings. 

Sloppy, casual wear sends out the message that you don’t care enough for your audience to have dressed properly. Ultimately, you do not want your audience to lose your message while they are staring at your outfit.

One is often nervous to stand in front of an audience. That is not a problem, as long as your nervousness is not evident and you are able to project confidence.

Firstly, be aware of the tell-tale signs of nervousness, like hands clasped in front of you; in the fig leaf or reversed fig leaf position. Other signs include: grabbing hold of the lectern, standing with your legs crossed or playing repetitively with your hair, jewellery, coins or keys in a pocket; or clicking a pen.

Show confidence in the following ways:

•           Stand squarely with your feet slightly apart and pointing forward

•           Breathe from your abdomen – not your throat

•           Smile – you will win your audience over

•           Make eye contact with the whole room – if that is possible

•           Use open gestures –not tight ones close to your body; otherwise, allow them to rest naturally at your sides.

Even if you don’t feel confident initially, by using a confident stance you will soon relax into your presentation – and before you know if, the nervousness will actually have gone.

 

Movement is something natural and usually enhances a presentation as long as that movement is not distracting. Watch out for repetitive pacing, rocking or rising to the balls of your feet.

What is important is to let your body mirror your feelings and the content of your speech. Most gestures are spontaneous, but there are times when you will want to add emphasis to what you are saying. Look at three such areas:

Symbolic Gestures communicate words, numbers, or position.

•           A raised hand signals for a stop

•           A thumbs-up showing you agree

•           Three fingers for the number three

•           Pointing to show a position – up, down, behind, beside

 

Descriptive Gestures communicate an idea or movement.

•           Spreading hands apart to show length

•           Using hands to show a shape.

•           Swaying hands to show a flow of movement.

Emotional Gestures suggest feelings.

•           A clenched fist to show anger. It is hostile and threatening.  It could also convey the sense you are hiding something.

•           Hands clasped to show pleading.

•           Using a pointed finger.  This makes you look accusatory, even if that wasn't your intent.

Your face is your most obvious means of communicating the emotion of your message and your audience will read meaning in your expressions. Ensure that they enhance what you are saying. You can’t tell about witnessing a horrific fire with many casualties while you have a smile on your face – your audience will be confused and you will come across as insincere.

Ultimately, we are all in the business of reading body language, whether we are aware of it or not. We make snap judgements about people the very first time we see them, even if we have not heard them speak – this is because of the way they dress and the impression they make on us when we first become aware of them.

As effective communicators we need to make use of what we know about body language to sell ourselves to our audience as confident experts in our field.

This past weekend saw a gathering of our Division in Grahamstown for WinterCon and I am sure Glenis Whitehead will be telling us all more about it in her newsletter.  I want to remind you all about the Club Humorous and Impromptu Speech Contest on 27 August.  Mike Brosnahan, who will be the Contest Chairman, will be in touch with you all soon with details.  Please consider competing; it is a wonderful experience.

Until next time

Ricky Woods

It's Just Like Riding a Bicycle

Last night was the first meeting of a new Toastmasters year.  It has also been a year since I started writing this blog and so, as is the habit of this creature called man (or woman), I reflected upon the year that has past and upon new beginnings.

What is it that makes us want to draw a metaphorical line in the sand and say, “This is it; this is the start of something new”?  Whether that something new entails a renewed enthusiasm for life; or for honouring the commitments we have made in the past, but to which we have paid scant notice, it is all the same. I suppose if we didn’t, we might find ourselves despairing that change is impossible and that we are forced to keep on committing the same foolish errors forever.

 

In any event, the closing of one door leads inevitably to the opening of another.  We find ourselves

taking stock of our lives; setting new goals and aiming for a better year to come. It is my wish for all of you that a year from now you will look back having realised all of your dreams.

I want to commend two people from our club especially.  The first is a new member (not to Toastmasters, but to Algoa) who did her CC1 Ice-breaker last night. Megan Judd already has an ACG award, but she has set herself the goal of starting afresh in a new club. This is not an easy thing to do because, although the requirements for a CC1 are not stringent by any means, we all know that so much more is expected of someone who is doing it for the second time. Well done, Megan!

The second person is our Area Governor, Colleen Love. Colleen joined Toastmasters in 2006 through a Speechcraft Course. She was painfully shy at the time and really worked hard to overcome this, finally earning her CC award.  Subsequently, she has served on the club Executive; then as President and she is currently fulfilling the role of Area Governor – for the second time. However, getting involved in the running of a club and its affairs does not leave much time for personal development. Colleen did the first speech last night from the Speaking to Inform Manual – it was her first project speech in three years! Some initial nerves were soon overcome and she proved the truth of the expression ‘it’s just like riding a bicycle’. Congratulations, Colleen!

I was privileged to spend the past ten days in Grahamstown at the National Festival of the Arts where, amongst other performances, I watched my two sons deliver comedic performances of a very different nature. Rhys, my younger son, is a rock star in the making who is also the King of ad lib. I   Impromptu, reactive and spontaneous. I couldn’t help comparing his performance, which relies largely upon interacting with the audience; to the skills we learn when we do Table Topics. I remember how fearful I used to be of them. These days I am a little more philosophical, but it is definitely a skill which one can master through practice. 

My older son, Gareth produces what one would call a ‘thinking man’s comedy’. He has taught me so much when it comes to the preparation of my own speeches. A notebook is always at hand into which he jots ideas and his observations on life.  He works hard at his writing, honing the contents of his comedy to get the perfect punch-lines.  I am reminded of the recent LeaderCon, which we attended in Johannesburg. One of the presenters – I think it was Mark Brown – encouraged us to remember the everyday occurrences and stories of our lives as material for our speeches.

Every time we speak before an audience, whether it is impromptu or prepared, we are performers in our own right.  Let us learn whatever lessons we can along the way in order to make our own dreams come true.

Until next time

Ricky Woods

Pondering on the past year: some perspectives

Last night I attended another Algoa Toastmasters Induction dinner.

Many things were the same as last year: the torrential downpour that greeted us on the way to the dinner; the welcome glasses of sherry at the door; the genteel ambiance of the PE Women’s Club and, of course, the friendly faces of fellow Algoa Toastmasters members.  This is one event in the year which some of our long-suffering partners do attend and it was lovely to see people I had last seen a year before.

An Induction Dinner is a time for reflecting on the year that has past. I found myself looking at the very first blog I had written one year ago.  There I read that Algoa was officially the largest club in District 74.  I don’t know if this is still the case, but I do know that our numbers have continued to grow and that we still regularly entertain visitors who go on to become members. Clearly, we must be doing something right!

 

The evening of fine food and entertaining conversation had a number of highlights.  Firstly, there were the annual awards made by outgoing president, Denise Pudney, to whom we pay tribute for her gentle strength in leadership this past year.

Congratulations to those who were acknowledged for their exceptional contributions or achievements in various areas:

• Most Improved Speaker – Angie Kivido
• Most Improved Evaluator – Jessamy Kromhout
• Most Enthusiastic Toastmaster – Mike Brosnahan
• Toastmaster of the Year – Marianah Lourens
• Community Service – Ricky Woods

 

Certificates for adding exceptional value to the life of our club were awarded by Glenis Whitehead to Denise Pudney and Marlene Vosloo

Then it was time for our Division Governor, Glenis Whitehead, to discharge the outgoing Executive of their duties and to install the new Executive for 2013-2014. Alison Immelman, the new president, reminded members in a heartfelt message to Grow, Learn and Teach as the ‘family’ that is Algoa Toastmasters works towards its separate and combined goals.

 

But we certainly did leave the best for last.  Our guest speaker is a grande dame of education in the Eastern Cape, retired school principal of Riebeek Girls’ High, Natalie Stear. In a speech filled with compassion for those who have not experienced the benefits of a privileged education, she related her experiences while marking the current English Olympiad, In Camera. Injected with moments of humour, her speech brought home very clearly the plight of so many of our young people who look with fear at a future filled with little hope unless those in power are held accountable for their actions.

I said at the outset that many things were the same as last year, but in many ways nothing was. I know that I speak for all who attended when I say that we were warmed and encouraged by the events of the evening to continue to strive for the attainment of our goals.

*

On a lighter note – I was thrilled to hear the following poem by Marlene Vosloo as the introduction to her role as grammarian at our last club meeting.

As grammarian this evening, suffice it to say

That I will present the word of the day.

Use it all night as much as you can.

Don’t look so shocked, Toastmasters; make a plan!

When speaking tonight, watch your ps and qs

And remember the plural of you is not yous!

Split infinitives, correct tenses and rules of concord

I’ll listen for these - hope I won’t get too bored

Use picturesque speech; let your grammar go to town

Paint your language bright red, not boring shades of brown!

As the end of the evening finally draws near

I’ll report back to the GE… but do not fear.

My report in this case will be short and sweet

For hearing Toastmasters in action is always a treat!

As a teacher of English and grammarian by habit, I loved it!  Any other offers?

Until next time

Ricky Woods

Re-kindle that fire!

Unless you deliberately do what Stephen Covey said in his seminal work Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, that is, ‘sharpen the saw’ – a 21^st Century lifestyle can soon leave you feeling chewed up and spat out with no resources to carry on.

This is true of every aspect of our lives and those of you who do a lot extra in Toastmasters may be able to attest to the fact that sometimes one feels ‘Toastmastered out!’ Two meeting per month, plus another one if you belong to a second club. More, if you happen to be serving on an executive. Then assisting at a Youth Leadership Training Course or two; popping in to lend a hand at the university club or to be an evaluator at a Speechcraft course. Club Officer training, speech competitions and public relations drives – the list is endless!

All of this and you have not had a chance to look at your own manuals to meet any of your own educational or leadership goals – and pretty soon you will feel like giving up.

I want to encourage you here not to lose sight of the reason you joined Toastmasters: it might have been purely that you were dragged along by an enthusiastic friend and you have stayed to keep that friend company. It might more likely have been because your job requires you to make presentations and that you feel inadequate to do so. It could even be that you have heard that being able to speak in public is a sure way to fast-track your success in the company you work for.

Whatever your reason, ensure that you are assigned to a mentor as soon as you join a club. This will be a person who is further along the road than you are, who will be able to guide you in the preparation of your speeches and can warn you of some of the pitfalls you may encounter. Remember, your mentor will do as much or as little as you ask of him or her, so it is up to you to get the benefit as you can from the relationship.

So, what about sharpening the saw?  Covey defines this as taking time to renew yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. 

One of the ways to do this in Toastmasters presents itself twice a year in the form of the Mini- and Maxi-conferences.  A number of us from Algoa were fortunate enough last weekend to benefit from just such a saw-sharpening conference at LeaderCon.  Set in a most convivial environment, the Indaba Hotel at Fourways, this conference gave us plenty of food – for our minds, our emotions and our spirits. Also physically - with a superb array of food to satisfy even the most discerning of tastes.

Keynote speakers were Mark Brown and Ed Tate, both World Champion speakers from the USA. Our own Douglas Kruger, many times a winner of the International Speech contest in South Africa and runner up in the World Championships, also showed us some of the tricks of his trade. Other noteworthy speakers were Helen Nicholson who introduced us to the concept of Mastering Networking and Julie Filmer whose ‘Donkey Logic’ helped her to climb Mount Kilimanjaro as a tribute to her late husband.

A young man who charmed his way into our hearts was 12 year-old Jordan van der Walt. He realised some time ago that offering hungry children Easter eggs once a year was not the solution to real hunger. With the aid of his principal and a challenge to his school and others the Just one Bag initiative was started, resulting in the collection of literally tons of mealie meal for distribution to the hungry.

Emotional highlights came in the form of a heartfelt presentation by Tina Botha, mother of Chris

Corlett who died of lymphoblastic leukaemia, who founded the Sunflower Fund to raise funds for a larger bone marrow registry in South Africa. There were not many dry eyes left after she had spoken.

Add to that incredible input the Evaluation Contest and the outstanding speeches at the International Speech Contest and you have a recipe for inspiration.  Our congratulations go to the winners, Louis Nigrini and Jabulani Mangena , respectively.    Jabulani, you take the hopes and dreams of District 74 with you to the International Convention in August!

I could go on listing the inspirational speakers we heard and the lessons we learned, but instead I want to challenge you: when you feel that this whole Toastmasters thing is taking more out of you than you are getting in return; go along to a Conference. The next one is the weekend of 11 October in Johannesburg. If you want more details, check out the Toastmasters website www.toastmasters74.org .

Come on, re-kindle that fire!

Until next time

Ricky Woods