By Shirley M. Carolan
Here's a simple, painless and fun way to expand your vocabulary! Read on.
Whenever I am the Table Topics Master, at my Toastmaster Club, I choose the “word of the day” to accompany my Table Topics, which Toastmasters must use in their Table Topics. Often I am told “that’s an interesting word! Where of how did you find it?”
I have to give credit to doing daily crossword puzzles. Nary a day goes by that I don’t complete at least one crossword puzzle. Even if it’s midnight, I cannot go to sleep without doing a puzzle! Since words are my passion, I am fascinated by uncovering new words and meanings to words. I don’t always agree with the choice of word in the puzzle but I learn volumes because this gets me to think about what word I would prefer to use. Hence, I am always building or adding to my vocabulary.
If you are not an aficionado about crossword puzzles now, I urge you to try completing one and see what new words you will learn as a result. It’s an overlooked pastime, or game, that can pay dividends in your career, especially if you are in a management position. Take the daily newspaper with you wherever you go and find a few minutes here and there to complete the crossword puzzle.
This wonderfully overlooked learning tool can work for you especially if you are sitting in a doctor’s, dentist’s office, waiting for a bus or train, eating lunch alone, or are even on a coffee break. You learn while you wait! Once you’ve completed one crossword puzzle don’t give up. The following day try another puzzle. The fun of completing and “outwitting” the experts can gradually become a daily habit with you too! Before you know it, you will be amazed by how much your vocabulary has improved!
Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Artist ● Speaker ● Writer
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
http://www.shirleycarolan.com
http://www.angelscross.blogspot.com
http://www.smcarolan.blogspot.com
Copyright© 2008 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
HOW TO STREAMLINE YOUR SPEECHES!
By Shirley M. Carolan
When you first join Toastmasters International it is very tempting to want to tell your audience everything you know about a specific topic. Take it from a 27 year veteran, that isn’t the best way to go!
One of the toughest lessons I had to learn is that “Less is More!” I didn’t conquer this lesson overnight. It took several years to appreciate and understand the benefits of this. First, I had to conquer the fear that others would think I didn’t know my subject if I didn’t include everything I knew about it. Then I ran l amuck trying to select only the salient points. Organizing them into a logical flow was another challenge. After all, everything in Toastmasters is timed and I needed to be sure the material I did select would hold up under scrutiny with an opening, body, and close!
It is far better to leave your audience clamoring for more than to overdo it with minutiae , especially with clichés, pet words, and jargon. The mind and the seat can only absorb so much. Better to save some material for a follow-up speech than to overdo it.
Boredom can also cause you audience to tune you out. While the topic may be of utmost interest to you, if you’ve not engaged your audience, or given them something to think about or take action on, then you run the risk of losing them!
Here are a few tips to help you streamline your talk:
• Start your presentation with a quote, statistic, or controversial idea is a good way to grab their attention.
• Use a handout to give more details or examples.
• Use slides, an overhead projector, flipchart, or music to create a mood.
• Ask your audience a question(s ) at the start or even conclusion..
• Tell your audience you’d be happy to send them more information if they’d like to leave their name and email address at the end of your presentation.
These are just a few tools to help you streamline your presentation so that it flows, is interesting and lets the audience know you are an expert on your subject. Hence, Less is More!
Stay tuned for more tips!
Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Artist ● Speaker ● Writer
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
http://www.shirleycarolan.com
http://www.angelscross.blogspot.com
http://www.smcarolan.blogspot.com
Copyright© 2008 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you.
When you first join Toastmasters International it is very tempting to want to tell your audience everything you know about a specific topic. Take it from a 27 year veteran, that isn’t the best way to go!
One of the toughest lessons I had to learn is that “Less is More!” I didn’t conquer this lesson overnight. It took several years to appreciate and understand the benefits of this. First, I had to conquer the fear that others would think I didn’t know my subject if I didn’t include everything I knew about it. Then I ran l amuck trying to select only the salient points. Organizing them into a logical flow was another challenge. After all, everything in Toastmasters is timed and I needed to be sure the material I did select would hold up under scrutiny with an opening, body, and close!
It is far better to leave your audience clamoring for more than to overdo it with minutiae , especially with clichés, pet words, and jargon. The mind and the seat can only absorb so much. Better to save some material for a follow-up speech than to overdo it.
Boredom can also cause you audience to tune you out. While the topic may be of utmost interest to you, if you’ve not engaged your audience, or given them something to think about or take action on, then you run the risk of losing them!
Here are a few tips to help you streamline your talk:
• Start your presentation with a quote, statistic, or controversial idea is a good way to grab their attention.
• Use a handout to give more details or examples.
• Use slides, an overhead projector, flipchart, or music to create a mood.
• Ask your audience a question(s ) at the start or even conclusion..
• Tell your audience you’d be happy to send them more information if they’d like to leave their name and email address at the end of your presentation.
These are just a few tools to help you streamline your presentation so that it flows, is interesting and lets the audience know you are an expert on your subject. Hence, Less is More!
Stay tuned for more tips!
Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Artist ● Speaker ● Writer
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
http://www.shirleycarolan.com
http://www.angelscross.blogspot.com
http://www.smcarolan.blogspot.com
Copyright© 2008 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you.
Monday, May 12, 2008
WHAT'S NEW?
Two major projects are taking up my time right now.
1. Recently I received several phone calls about my "Journaling For Success" classes. Yes, I am going to conduct them again! I am looking for an appropriate meeting room to hold these classes. I want it to be easily accessible from a freeway. Also, I want to keep the fee down and so want to find a venue that will pick up the insurance, in case of accident or injury. If you know of any places I might check out please contact me immediately, either by phone (760) 732-0663 or email: artistwithaflair@att.net!
2. I am in the throes of combining several of my blog articles with other unpublished articles I've written and am creating an "inspirational/motivational" book for women over 40 to read, enjoy, and start making better choices for their life styles. The baby boomers will definitely benefit from it. It will start with my first "Firewalk" with Tony Robbins in San Francisco when I was 56 years old and how it changed my life right up until I'm ready for Eternal Hills, together with the ashes of my little Pug/Terrier "Jake."
Stay tuned for more!
1. Recently I received several phone calls about my "Journaling For Success" classes. Yes, I am going to conduct them again! I am looking for an appropriate meeting room to hold these classes. I want it to be easily accessible from a freeway. Also, I want to keep the fee down and so want to find a venue that will pick up the insurance, in case of accident or injury. If you know of any places I might check out please contact me immediately, either by phone (760) 732-0663 or email: artistwithaflair@att.net!
2. I am in the throes of combining several of my blog articles with other unpublished articles I've written and am creating an "inspirational/motivational" book for women over 40 to read, enjoy, and start making better choices for their life styles. The baby boomers will definitely benefit from it. It will start with my first "Firewalk" with Tony Robbins in San Francisco when I was 56 years old and how it changed my life right up until I'm ready for Eternal Hills, together with the ashes of my little Pug/Terrier "Jake."
Stay tuned for more!
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