9 ways to prepare for Table Topics / Impromptu Speaking

"It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech." - Mark Twain. It is really true. Fluency in English alone is not enough for you to be a great impromptu speaker. You definitely need to

prepare and practice to master the art.

Also read: Table Topics - 6 ways of getting the initial thinking time

When I joined toastmasters, Table Topics used to be Terror Topics. There were times when I used to sit in the remote corner of the room to hide away from the Table Topicsmaster. Eventually, I developed passion to speak. Though I had the passion to speak, I was running out of ideas / thoughts to express. I used to imagine my brain to be running rigorously like an empty grinder... making a lot of noise without any useful output. That is when I learned, you should feed the grinder with something to reduce the noise and to get useful output. I tried experimenting a number of techniques, which produced results. Today, I can confidently talk on any Table Topic (even on a topic which is as complex as "Craziness is the welcome mat at the doors of creativity").

Also read: How a Table Topics Master can hurt your club membership?

How do you go about preparing for Table Topics? Here are some simple techniques that you can follow to become a great Table Topics speaker.

1) Read newspapers - Reading newspapers will help you to stay current with the day to day events that are happening in the country/world. Most of the water cooler conversations that happen in social and professional life are about current events. Staying on top of current events will help you not only strike conversation with people, but also to handle impromptu situations such as Table Topics. For ex., if you get a topic such as "Honesty is the best policy", you can immediately relate back to the match fixing that is happening in cricket and how players have lost honesty.

2) Read books - “Five years from now, you’re the same person except for the people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.” a quote from John Wooden. You can accelerate your communication journey by reading good books. Reading books will help you to learn new words and new ways of communicating ideas. You can apply them in your Table Topics.

3) Listen to Podcasts / Audio Books  - Listening to podcasts and audio books help you to learn so much during your spare time - be it walking or commuting or when sitting idle waiting for a bus or a train. The authors of podcasts and audio books would've learned / experienced so much during their life time and sharing those experiences with us in a nut shell. You can talk about the content that you learned from Podcasts & Audio books, during your Table Topics. For ex., I quote Zig Ziglar often in my speeches. Zig Ziglar has published nearly 200+ podcasts for free. Each one of them has a story and a message. You can use those stories and messages in your table topics.

4) Prepare for standard topics - Most of the table topics are around common subjects such as success, failure, most memorable event, greatest achievement, most happiest moment, leadership, hardwork, friendship, forgiving, happiness, sadness, goals, vacation, professional life, career, family, kids, education, determination. If you can prepare a short paragraph on each of these subjects, you can easily talk about them in your speeches.

5) Blogging - Write blogs... Blog about your personal events, passion, hobby, things that inspired you, things that you learned, things that you admire etc., When you write about blogs or articles, you learn to organize your thoughts and present in a clear / conscise manner. This is a skill which will be very useful for you to apply when handling Table Topics.

6) Write Diary - If you don't like to write and share your thoughts publicly through blogs, you can even begin the habit of writing diary. This will also help you to document your important moments & experiences which will eventually help you in creating stories from your own personal life. In fact, writing diary will help you to track where you are and focus on what you want to achieve in your life. It will also help you to get over your emotions.

7) Offline practice using Quotes - Take a printout of some 50 or 100 quotes from Internet. Cut the paper into smaller chits - each chit with one quote. Fold them, shuffle them and put them in a bowl. Now, take 1 chit from the bowl, open it and start talking about it for 2 minutes. Record what you speak. Then, play back and see how you could've handled the topic better. Be your own evaluator and write your "strengths" & "areas for improvement". Redo speaking on the same topic again, if you want to. Record it again and listen to it. Whenever you find time during the day or weekend, do this exercise. I have done this during my early days of toastmastering and it has helped me to think instantly and talk on any subject.

8) Play Table Topics Games - http://www.tabletopics.com/ sells box full of table topics that you can buy and play with your friends.

9) Volunteer for Table Topics - You cannot learn swimming by standing on the shore - you'll have to jump into the water to learn swimming. Similarly, you can sharpen your impromptu speaking skill by constantly participating in Table Topics sessions. Whenever the Table Topics master asks for a "Volunteer" to speak, raise your hand immediately without a second thought.

If you practice the suggestions given above, Table Topics will no more be a Terror Topics session for you.

Also read: Table Topics Evaluation Tips

25 tips from Craig Valentine's Workshop at Ovation 2011

Craig Valentine, the World Champion of Public Speaking (1999) did a workshop at Ovation 2011, in

Mysore on the subject - "Breathing life into your speeches". He shared a number of useful tips on public speaking, speech crafting & speech delivery.


Following the success of  20 speaking tips from Darren La Croix, I'm capturing the important points from my notes at Ovation 2011:

1. Good luck is when preparedness meets opportunity
2. Breathe life into your speech, bring the audience to you, build a message that stays
3. Essence of public speaking is "Tell a Story" & then "Make a Point"
4. Average leaders place blame, exceptional leaders take it
5. Master what you measure
6. Change small, change soften
7. Your foundational phrase (a phrase that summarizes the essence of your speech) should be less than 10 words 
8. If you can write your message at the back of a business card, only then it can be crystal clear to the audience
9. "No phrase, no stage" - Without a foundational phrase, don't take your message/story to the stage 
10. "What you say is not always what they hear" - You should take the accountability for both the sides of the communication.
11. Speaking is all about making the audience wait...
12. You are always #1 in what you haven't done
13. Speak to one, but look at all. For example, instead of asking "How many of you have been to the US", ask "Have you been to the US"?. Instead of saying "Some of you may be thinking"... say "Now you might be thinking".
14. Make a move on the stage only for 2 reasons - the action in your story prompts movement on the stage (or) you want to indicate the timeline of events
15. Check the VAKS - Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic and Small in your story
16. Don't tell, ask
17. Tap & Transport - Tap into the audience' world and transport them to your world
18. Never be the HERO of your OWN story 
19. Speakers should pay attention to SOFTEN - Smiling, (having an) Open posture and not sitting behind a desk, leaning Forward to signal interest, respecting the other's Territory (space, culture, physical comfort zone, etc.), maintaining non confrontational Eye contact, and Nodding to show show encouragment and active listening
20. Too many speakers convey too much info in too little time. When you squeeze info IN, you squeeze audience OUT
21. In a 10 minutes speech, you should have just 1 point
22. Don't get ready, stay ready
23. If I say it, they doubt it... If they say it, they believe it
24. Specifics stick
25. Public speaking is 1-on-1 enlarged

Also read: 10 leadership skills by DTM Ted Corcoran

20 tips from Darren La Croix's Workshop at Ovation 2013

Darren La Croix, the World Champion of Public Speaking (2001) started his workshop titled "OWN THE STAGE" with a question "Why do some speakers take the stage & some OWN IT?". He shared a number of useful tips on public speaking and speech crafting.

This post captures the lessons learned from Darren La Croix educational session at Ovation 2013, an annual District 82 toastmasters conference.

(Also read: 25 tips from Craig Valentine's workshop at Ovation 2011)

1. Don't try to be perfect, try to be PRESENT
2. Failure is a valuable negative information
3. You don't know what you don't know
4. Your mentor supplies the direction, you supply the energy and efforts
5. Take any story and continuously try to improve it, to make it good
6. If you want to be a master piece, you've to master the pieces
7. When I'm done speaking, what do I want my audience to do, think and feel - Answer it in 10 words or few
8. When you are delivering from your head, your emotions are dead. Don't memorize, but, internalize.
9. When you are perfect without flaws, audience wouldn't like it. They want it to be real
10. The most important part of a presentation is the thought process in your audience mind (not the introduction, and not the conclusion)
11. Don't tell us, take us
12. Use foundational phrases as a way to get into the audience subconscious mind (for ex., words such as "ouch!" that Darren used in his World Champion Speech)
13. Don't quit when you get an offer to speak, commit.  Never turn-down stage time
14. Record your speech every time
15. Always be coachable and find the best coaches
16. When telling stories, just touch the canvas, and let your audience paint the picture
17. When you are delivering your speech, your audience is continuously asking "So what, Who cares, What is in it for me?" Keep that in mind when crafting speeches.
18. Speak to one, look to all
19. Avoid using "How many of you have been to Las Vegas?" type questions. You won't be asking such questions when you are talking to a friend in a coffee shop. Rather ask, "Have you been to Las Vegas?"
20. Do things you know, know things you do

Reference to other speakers

1. "What would you dare to dream, if you know you wouldn't fail" - Brian Tracy
2. I/You ratio - use more "You"s when compared to "I"s - Patricia Fripp
3. Use the VAKS technique (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Smell) when delivering speeches - Craig Valentine 

Useful websites

www.makeyourspeechmemorable.com (free audio programs)
www.rhymer.com (to find rhyming words)

CC Speech #1: Ice Breaker - My Journey so far

"You don't have to be GREAT to START, but you've to START to be GREAT!" powerful words from Zig

Ziglar. If there is something that fuels my passion to achieve my dreams, it is this quote.

(Also read: CC Speech #1: Ice Breaker - My college life)

I was born as a Virgo, in a poor family. My mother is a home maker. My father was employed in a grocery store. When I was a kid, I hardly saw my father at home. He leaves to work before I wake up and he comes back home only late in the night. My father used to work for nearly 16 hours a day carrying gunny bags, and packing groceries. I have a brother and a sister. My father's earnings were barely adequate to just feed the family and take care of our educational expenses. I still remember the days when I went to school with a bare foot because we cannot afford slippers... I still remember the days when I was wearing trousers torn at the back, because we cannot afford new uniforms every year. In fact, I never took a full new pencil to school. My mom buys a pencil, cuts it into two halves and gives a half each to my brother and myself.

Despite all the odds, my parents made the 3 of us study in a convent. While all my class mates attended tuitions for every subject, I studied on my own. My mother had studied up to 5th standard and my father had studied up to 8th standard. So, they cannot help us with studies. I used to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning for studying. My hard work paid off. Year after year, I scored well in studies. I became the Topper in +2 in my school. That was one of the proudest moments in my life. I still remember the day when my parents got a trophy on my behalf, at my school’s annual day celebration, the next year. That was the first time when I realized “You don't have to be GREAT to START, but you've to START to be GREAT!"

(Also read: Competent Communicator Manual Speeches)

I got admission into Government College of Technology, Coimbatore. I did my Bachelors in engineering Computer Science, there. One of my most memorable moments happened in my college. It was the year 1998 and the year of graduation for us. It is a tradition in my college to conduct Mr. & Miss. CSE contest for graduating students every year. I participated in the contest too. My fellow contestants were good looking and can talk fluent English. However, I was average looking and hardly able to talk in English.
During the contests, they asked me a question on “What do you think about Life after death?". My response was "A rose dies... when it is pluck out. However, it still makes all of us happy by staying in our hands. Similarly, leaders like Gandhi, Kamaraj etc., have died. However, they are still living in the hearts of millions of people in this country. To me, that is life after death". The whole auditorium roared and many got inspired by that response. Surprisingly, I was awarded the Mr. CSE title that year. An average looking guy, with half-baked English speaking skills became Mr. CSE that year. That was the second time when I realized “You don't have to be GREAT to START, but you've to START to be GREAT!"

I graduated in 1998 and joined HCL Technologies. My boss Ashok Kumar who is also a toastmaster now, introduced me to book reading habit. He recommended me to read "7 habits of highly effective people" by Stephen Covey. Very few books can transform you... very few books can inspire you… very few books can sow seeds for your future. 7 habits of highly effective people helped me to learn better time management, set personal goals, look at things from other's shoes and taught me to constantly invest time in improving my skills. The book made me to do an MBA, it made me to go to USA and get more exposure, and it made me to join toastmasters.

Life moved on, and I got married in the year 2005 to Divya. We have a beautiful 7 years old daughter.

My passion is to serve the society in a LARGE way. I know that I’m nowhere close to what I want to achieve in my life. But I know, “You don't have to be GREAT to START, but you've to START to be GREAT!"

High Performance Leadership (HPL) Project - FAQ

High Performance Leadership (HPL) is a five-projects program which provides instruction and practice in

key leadership skills/activities such as developing a mission/vision, setting goals, planning, identifying values and building a team. HPL project has to be done systematically using the steps outlined in the manual and with the help of a guidance committee. That will maximize your learning opportunity and will help groom your leadership skills. You need to run a HPL by involving a team (say, 10+ members) and for a longer period (say, 3 - 6 months). I keep receiving several queries on this subject. I'll use this blog post to keep track of the queries that I receive from fellow toastmasters and my thoughts/answers for such questions.

Also read: High Performance Leadership (HPL) - Ideas / Requirements

What are some HPL projects that we can do? Who can get HPL credit for such projects? This is a question asked by a number of new toastmasters. Here are some guidelines:

• Running a conference (Conference Chariman & Co-Chairman can get the HPL credit)
• Organizing a Youth Leadership Program (Chief Co-ordinator will get the credit)
• Organizing a Speech Craft Program (Chief Co-ordinator will get the credit)
• Planning & organizing a major training program attended by 250+ people (Chief Co-ordinator will get the credit)
• Students can organize a major event involving other departments/groups/colleges (Chief Organizer will get the credit)
• A project at workplace that involves a large team (You'll get the credit when you play the role of a Project Manager)
• Activities done by an Area / Division Governor during his/her term (Area / Division Governor will get the credit)
• A project in local community/church etc., involving a large team (Chief Organizer will get the credit)
• Building a club from scratch with the help of a team and with focused marketing/demo activities (The person who champions the new club will get the credit)

Also read: How to organize Youth Leadership Program (YLP)? 

Here are a set of questions asked by a fellow toastmaster and the answers that I provided.

1. Our VP-PR organized the club's 2nd anniversary celebration in Hotel Regency. It was really a grand celebration. The event budget was nearly Rs. 65K. Can HPL award be given to the VP PR for this ?

[Saro] No. I don't think this is a large enough project for HPL.

2. 6 of us will be planning to conduct 2 credit educational programme for 150 students. As coordinators for this entire program, can a team of 6 people be given HPL credits because they will be handling 25 students each for 90 hours.

[Saro] This is similar to a Speech Craft or YLP program. HPL credit can be given for the Chief Co-ordinator who is organizing the program, by involving the various volunteers.

3. We organize an out bound training every year where over 100 toastmasters go for a 2 day trip (as a certified course). A team of 2 people organize this.  Can this be considered as an HPL project ?

[Saro] No. I don't think this is a large enough project for HPL.

4. If we file a HPL award for a toastmaster now - will the award/credit be given immediately or it will be credited only when the toastmaster completes his/her ALS?

[Saro] You can file it separately and need not wait until the toastmaster completes the ALS. Toastmasters International will immediately honor the toastmaster with the "Leadership Excellence" award. It gets accounted automatically at the time of ALS.

Disclaimer: The answers given here are just my personal opinion. Please write to Toastmasters International (educationawards@toastmasters.org) to get the right answer.

An Interview done by Medley Toastmasters Club, Chennai

This is an interview done by the editors of Medley toastmasters club, Chennai for their club newsletter.

1. When and why did you join Toastmasters?

I joined toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills. I had the difficulty of thinking in Tamil, translating that to English and conveying my thoughts.

I joined Toastmasters in September 2006.

2. Since joining Toastmasters, how have you grown as a communicator and leader?

Yes… Very much. Though I joined toastmasters to develop my communication skills, I realized that I had a fantastic opportunity to groom my leadership skills also.

Today, I can think in English right at the first time (as opposed to thinking in Tamil, and translating that to English). I attribute the success of my professional growth also to Toastmasters. Hadn’t I been a master communicator, I wouldn’t have grown so fast in the IT ladder.

3. What have you done in Toastmasters to gain leadership experience?

I started by leadership journey by volunteering to serve as the Sergeant at Arms in my club. I have played SAA role for 3 terms in my club. I have taken a variety of roles in Toastmasters, which helped me to groom my leadership skills.

·         Served the club by playing the role of SAA (3 times), VP M, VP Ed (2 times) and President.

·         Actively participated in club meetings and played all the meeting roles at the club level.

·         Helped in running the contests (played all the roles – Contest chair, Contest master, Timer, Tally Counter, SAA, Chief Judge, Judge, buying trophies, designing/printing certificates, and even, getting venue, serving snacks and arranging chairs/tables)

·         Participated in Youth Leadership Programs, Demo meetings, OTPs, Contests and Conferences

·        

      Mentoring clubs and members (I’m proud to say that I’ve 50+ meentees all around Tamilnadu)

·         Served as Asst. Area Governor (2010 – 2011) and Division Governor (2011 – 2012)

Toastmasters provides a fantastic opportunity to practice your communication and leadership skills. For somebody who wants to improve, sky is the limit. I’ve always seen “work coming my way” in toastmasters as “opportunity to practice and learn”.

4. What does DTM mean to you?

DTM is just a title. The experience that you go through when achieving DTM makes the actual difference. The urge to constantly practice and improve will actually make you the REAL DTM.

5. How has the Toastmasters experience helped you in your career or daily life?

Yes. I always consider the time that I spend for toastmasters as an investment on my self-development. I’ve become more organized, and developed a number of good habits because of my toastmasters experience:

• Getting up early in the morning
• Reading news papers
• Reading one book a month
• Blogging
• Listening to motivational and self-development podcasts / audios

All these habits, made a HUGE DIFFERENCE in my personal and professional life. Today, I’m a Director-Technology in a MNC because of the confidence/experience that I gained from Toastmasters.

6. Now having achieved DTM, what is your next step in Toastmasters?

I would like to continue to serve members and clubs in whatever way possible.

7. What surprised you the most about Toastmasters?

Toastmasters is a well maintained secret. That surprised me the most. I got to know about toastmasters only 7 years ago. I wish I had known about Toastmasters earlier. It would have helped me accelerate my career, even further.

8. If someone asked you to give a presentation on short notice, how would you react?

I’ll tell them “I’m game” J Toastmasters has equipped me well to make “impromptu presentations or speeches”.

However, I always value my audience time and I normally request for time to prepare before I make a presentation. I feel that even a champion speaker should prepare before making a presentation for a lasting impact on the audience.

9. What is the thing that you like the best about your club?

My club officers and members are super creative and they constantly experiment new ideas. I like the enthusiasm of my club.

10. What would be one advice you would like to give new Toastmasters?

Follow 3Rs in order to be successful in toastmasters.

1.    Participate in meetings and take roles Regularly,

2.    Rehearse well before any performance

3.    Continuously Research for ways of doing it better (You can research by reading books, listening to speeches from champions, attending workshops, participating in contests, attending other club meetings etc.,)

11. One leader who has inspired you the most and why?

I continue to admire Gandhi the most. In fact, the book “My experiments with Truth” brought a sea change in my life. Nobody gave him the authority to fight for freedom… nobody asked him to lead the freedom movement… and he wasn’t born in the family of “kings”. However, he emerged as a strong leader by serving people. He is a true example of “servant leadership”. No wonder why he is admired by the entire world. I wish we have more Gandhi’s in this world.

12. What is the most important thing you would tell your friends and family about Toastmasters?

I don’t tell anything about Toastmasters to my friends or family… because they have witnessed the transformation that I went through in 7 years. They know that Toastmasters make an everlasting positive transformation in people.

Time Management - I don't have time to write my speeches

"I don't have the time to write my next speech !"

This is the typical response that you get from toastmasters when you ask them "It has been months since you gave a speech in our club meetings. What happened?".

Everyone on this planet has the same 24 hours in the day. The question is: What do you choose to do with yours?. All of the self help books tell the same thing and the chances are, you might've already tried some of those things and given up already!

• Get up early in the morning
• Maintain a to-do list
• Time each and every activity
• Review your time usage regularly
• Yada ... Yada... Yada...

Also read: Speech Writing - 5 Husbands & 1 Wife Technique

Prioritize

I want to challenge the toastmasters who say ... "I don't have time to attend the club meetings... or I don't have time to write a speech script". You have the time with you. You just have not PRIORITIZED toastmasters in your life. You just have not PRIORITIZED your need for becoming a better speaker. In your packed day-to-day life, if your dear ones get sick... you manage to find time to take them to a hospital; if a relative/friend drops-in to your home and spends an hour or two, you are able to engage them; if your vehicle or home appliance needs a repair, you are able to find time to take it for service; if you get some illness and the doctor advice you to come for weekly check-ups, you manage to find time to go to hospital. How are you able to find time to do these activities?

The next time you say "I don't have time for doing this... or doing that", think whether you have really PRIORITIZED that activity in your life.

Are you spending your time on the right activities?

Another question that you should ask yourself, "Am I doing the activities that I'm supposed to do?". If you are working, calculate the value of your 1 hour time. If you are paid Rs.44,000 for a month (i.e., 22 working days), the cost of 1 hour of your time is Rs.250. Imagine that you spend an hour in going to bank for dropping a cheque. In today's world, you can easily outsource such activities for a very affordable cost. Many companies have "service desks" that help employees to outsource activities such as railway ticket booking, dropping a cheque in the bank, paying telephone/electricity bills etc., for a nominal charge of Rs.25.

Excellent time managers are good at delegating things. I'm sure you can be an excellent time manager, too.

Also read: Speech Topic selection Ideas

Use extra force to break old habits

Bringing a change into your life isn't very easy. Especially, the habits that were cultivated for a long time, take a long time to get rid off. What happens when you go to the battle field with a wooden stick, and your enemy has a machine gun in hand? The mechanism that you use to bring in a change has to be much more powerful and persistent. For ex., you cannot get up early in the morning when you consistently go to bed at 11 pm or midnight. Even if you try to get up early a few days, you are soon going to give up! So, what should you do differently. Look at ways of going to bed early. Have a determination that "no matter what", I'll go to bed early. Try practicing that for a month or two, until it becomes a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it will be hard to break :)

Also read: How to write attention grabbing introductions

Fellow toastmasters, life is too short to be wasted in doing things that are mundane. I'm sure you have a passion to follow in your life - may be traveling, blogging, serving society, starting your own company or becoming a better speaker. From President Obama ... to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam... all of them had the same 24 hours. How they used that time, made them what they are today. How do you want to use your time?

TedxGCT 2013 - My speech on "Unchartered Waters"

Speech delivered at TedxGCT on 16th February 2013

“You don’t have to be GREAT to START, but you’ve to START to be GREAT” a powerful quote from Zig Ziglar. 6 years ago, I couldn’t have imagined standing in front of a large audience like this and deliver a speech in English. From someone who had difficulty in communicating in English to someone who can deliver a speech to a large audience, the transformation was mind blowing.

Organizers, respected dignitaries and my dear students …

Today, I’m going to share with you some interesting events from my life that helped me to become a better speaker.

First attempt to improve my communication skills

Let me take you to the year 1996, the place was GCT, Coimbatore … one of the class rooms in the ground floor of the main building... It was a Friday evening. I was a youngster, then. Yes! I had lots of hair at that time. I dropped into a meeting of Literary & Debate Society (also called as LDS). That was my first attempt to develop my communication skills. I saw a bunch of students from various classes and years. I knew some of them, but most of them were strangers to me. I occupied a seat in a remote corner of the room. The meeting started. Suddenly, one of my seniors called me to the stage to be part of a group discussion. I got very nervous... I didn't want to say "No!" I felt that "Others may think badly of me". I went to the stage and sat with a group of other students. The topic that was given to us for group discussion was "Brain Drain". Those days, a number of Indians were leaving to USA at that time for work/studies. So, that was the popular topic at that time. First of all, I didn't know "What Brain Drain" means... Second of all, I was not adroit at handling impromptu-speaking situations like that.

Imagine that you are a student and you get a question in the exam for which you don’t know the answer. What would you do? You'll start writing what you know... So, I assumed that "Brain Drain" means, "Brain losing its memory capacity" and I started talking about "You should eat healthy food for you to have good memory capacity" and everyone in the hall started laughing.

I was shocked. I started sweating... I didn't know what mistake I did... however, I knew that I'm not making sense to the audience... My lips were sealed... The flow of words from my mouth completely stopped. I didn't utter any word after that. That was my first and last visit to Literary & Debate Society in our college. My dreams of becoming a better speaker, shattered into pieces, like a jar that was dropped on the floor.

How did my lack of communication skills affect me?

Time went by… It was my final year - the year of graduation. Companies visit colleges to recruit people during the final year of the course. Like most of you, I had a dream company in my mind, to work for, after completing my studies. Some of my close friends were also interested to get a job from this company.

We were eagerly waiting for this company to show up for campus recruitment. We had always dreamed about getting a job in this company, going to BANGALORE, renting a house and starting our new life. The company is WIPRO TECHNOLOGIES. 

It was July 1997, the college had just re-opened after the holidays. Wipro had come to our campus on that day. My friends & I were eagerly waiting for this day for almost 3 years. We were so excited to hear that WIPRO is in our campus. We worked hard and prepared well, to get into WIPRO. We were given the written tests, first. Then, we were shortlisted for the technical interviews. My friends & I were very happy because all of us were shortlisted for the interviews.

I was asked to first attend the HR Interview. I walked into the interview hall. The HR manager was a senior guy in his mid 40s. During the interviews, he asked me “What do you think of Wipro?". I immediately answered ... "Wipro has less number of more competent people".... while my intention was to say "Wipro has less people... but all of them had more competence".

For another question about team work, I said "I know how to extract work from people... even if they are not motivated"... while my intention was to say "I know how to motivate people to get the job done ". When the interview results were announced, I came to know that I was not selected. I was completely disappointed and dejected. Imagine how it would feel like, when you don't get your dream job ... The one for which you've been dreaming for 3 years.

My communication skills costed my dream job. While all of my friends got selected in Wipro, I was left out. My dream of joining Wipro burned into ashes.

What forced me to improve my communication skills?

Fortunately, I attended the off campus interviews at HCL Technologies and got a job. I worked for HCL for nearly 4 years and moved to Silicon Valley, in USA. Valley is a place filled with people who dream big… who venture into exciting things… people who pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Looking at those entrepreneurs, I started dreaming about starting my own company and becoming the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

I thought I should prepare myself for becoming a CEO. One of our college seniors advised, “Saro… If you continue to do what you do, you’ll continue to get what you get”. If you really want to be the CEO of a company, you should consider doing an MBA and groom yourself. In about 2 years, I completed my part time MBA. However, I still felt that I’m missing something. I was obsessed with the thought of becoming a CEO. I started following and carefully observing a number of CEOs from big corporations. All of them had one skill in common. They were all great communicators. That is when I realized… “If you want to be a CEO… you’ll have to talk like a CEO… you should know how to inspire and motivate your team like a CEO”. In fact, I was ashamed to call myself an MBA, without having the ability to talk fluently in English.  I saw communication as a HUGE MOUNTAIN that is blocking me from reaching my dreams.

Drenching the feet in Unchartered Waters

I started looking at ways of improving my communication skills.

My close friend introduced me to Toastmasters… a non-profit organization that helps people develop their communication skills. I joined Toastmasters… in September 2006.

That is when I started drenching my feet into the unchartered waters. I learned 2 key lessons in my journey to become a better speaker:

1.      Habits Come in Series

·         Speaking is a skill that is similar to cycling or swimming. You cannot learn swimming by reading a book or by standing near the shores. You’ll have to jump into the water to learn swimming. Similarly, you can improve your speaking skills only by speaking. Toastmasters provided me a platform to practice my speaking skills and get feedback on my performance.

·         The toastmasters club that I joined had a number of Americans. During the initial days,

1.      I was finding it difficult to come up with content for delivering speeches

2.      It was hard for me to follow the English spoken by American speakers

3.      It was hard for me to write speech scripts using good English grammar

·         I started getting help from my fellow club members and mentors. They told me “You’ve been used to speaking in Tamil for so long… your ears, your tongue and your brain are accustomed to Tamil. You’ll have to train them now to get accustomed to the English language”.

·         They gave me a number of practical tips to improve my language skills.

1.      I started reading English newspapers loudly to train my tongue.

2.      I started reading one new word everyday… to improve my vocabulary. In fact, it is funny… Earlier when I want to appreciate someone or something I used to say “It is good…” or if it is much better… I’ll say “It is very very good”. Today, I can use words like “outstanding, amazing, extraordinary, incredible, brilliant” … to appreciate people. It definitely makes a difference.

3.      I developed the habit of reading books, to find content for my speeches.

4.      I started writing a blog to improve my writing skills

5.      I started listening to Podcasts and Audio Books to improve my listening skills.

Before joining toastmasters, I used to waste a lot of time in browsing Internet, chit-chatting and in watching movies. After joining toastmasters, I became more disciplined and started using my time well. In about 2 years, I noticed that I’m surrounded by a number of good habits like reading books, writing blogs, reading newspapers etc., It all started with the 1 habit that I brought into my life… joining toastmasters.

You bring in “one good habit into your life”… it will bring in a number of other good habits”. You bring in “one bad habit into your life… it will bring in a number of other bad habits”.

Habits always come in series.

2.      Small things make perfection, but perfection is not a small thing

·         I got regular feedback from my fellow club members on how to become an expert speaker. They helped me to focus on the nuances of communication. To give you a sample of the techniques that I was taught… There is a lot of difference between saying “I had a great vacation” and “I had a great vacation”. I constantly incorporated feedback from my club members and practiced regularly.

·         In about two years, I started seeing the transformation in myself due to repeated practice. Earlier, I used to think in Tamil, translate that into English and then convey my thoughts. My rigorous training, helped me to start thinking in English right at the first time.

·         All the small things that I focused on produced results – how to write a speech script, how to organize the speech, how to use the stage, how to establish eye contact…

·         You won’t believe … I became the “Winner of the Speaking Contest” that was held in our club in 2009. “Small things make perfection, but perfection isn’t a small thing”. I was very happy when I won the speech contest at my club. That night, when I went home with a trophy in my hand… I got reminded of my experience in Literary & Debate Society. I told myself “Saro! You are not stopping this until you become a DTM…”

·    I continued my journey towards excellence in communication & leadership. Along the way, I helped mentor a few members to achieve their dreams of becoming a better speaker.

·        In the year 2012, I was given the prestigious Distinguished Toastmaster Award. For every 1000 members who aspire to become a DTM and join toastmasters, only 3 get it.

Today, I’m even close to achieving my dream of becoming a CEO. “When you really want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”… says the Alchemist. Looking back in my life, I can understand the truth behind this quote.

Dear friends, if you are dreaming about something in your life… if you are passionate of achieving something in your life… Get started, NOW! Remember… “You don’t have to be GREAT to START. But, you’ve to START, to be GREAT”.

How to open a bank account for a Toastmasters Club in India?

Opening a bank account for a non-profit organization is a difficult task in India. However, we have mastered the art of opening a bank account for toastmasters in the last 2 years !

Also read: New Club Chartering Steps involved

It took nearly months for us to open a bank account for a toastmasters club, 2 years ago. It took a few weeks for us to open a bank account for a toastmasters event, 6 months ago. Today, we are able to open a bank account in a week. What are the steps involved in opening a bank account for a non-profit organization? What are the collateral required for opening a bank account for toastmasters clubs in India? This blog post will provide answers for these questions.

You'll have to open a 'trust' account for a non-profit organization in India. Toastmasters clubs come under the non-profit trusts in India.

Here is the list of things that you would need to open a bank account for a toastmasters club:

1. Club chartering certificate
2. A document listing the names of the 7 club officers as the official "board members" of the club. It can be signed by the Area or Division Governor in Toastmasters International letter head.
3. A print out of the club officers roster from the Toastmasters International website (Any club officer should be able to take a print out of the information from Toastmasters International website)
4. A resolution document that says that the "board members" have passed a resolution to open a bank account for the club and have authorized the Treasurer & President to operate it on behalf of the club and its members.
5. A small rubber stamp with the name of the club, and the titles of the office bearers who will operate the bank account (For ex., Treasurer & President). It will be used in places where the office bearers will have to sign.
6. Pictures of the club officers who will operate the account (For ex., Treasurer & President). They both will be the "signatories" for the account. They both will have to sign the cheque / challan to withdraw money from the bank.
7. Address proof, Identity Proof & PAN card proof for the club officers who will operate the account.

You can fill the bank account opening form, attach the collateral listed above and submit it to the bank manager. You should be able to open the account in about a week's time. Also, make sure that you enable online banking for the bank account. It helps you to login and check the account balance online. This will be very useful when you are collecting membership renewal fees.

Important Note (Updated on 24th May 2017): Banks have become stricter with respect to creating Trust accounts. Federal bank has agreed to partner with Toastmasters in India. They can help you in creating a Trust account for your club. Please refer to the D82 Blog for latest information on the steps involved in creating a bank account in Federal Bank. https://www.toastmasters.org/Leadership-Central/Legal-and-Tax-Compliance/India (scroll to the bottom of the D82 blog post for the docs to print/use in opening the bank account)

Also read: New Club Chartering Steps involved

If you have additional information to be added to this blog post, leave a comment and I'll update the blog post to reflect your feedback.

International Speech Contest Topics Selection Ideas !

One out of 3 phone calls that I attend these days are about "How do I come up with speech topics for International Speech Contests"? That reminded me... "Oh! The contest season has come". There is no magic bullet for selecting speech topics. However, here are some questions that you can ask yourself about selecting topics for International Speech Contests.

Also read: Speech Topic Selection Ideas

1. What is my biggest achievement in life? Why?
2. What is my biggest failure in life? Why?
3. What is the most challenging situation that I handled in life? Why?
4. What is one thing from my life that I would like to share with the entire world?
5. What was the life changing moment for me? Why?
6. What are some key principles / ideologies that I value in my life? Why? (For ex., "Small things make perfection, but perfection isn't a small thing" or "You don't have to be great to start, but you've to start to be great")
7. What is the most unforgettable incident in my life? Why?
8. What is something that I read in newspaper that moved me very much (for ex., the death of a gang rape victim, which happened recently in India)
9. What is something that I saw in my friend's or neighbor's life that moved me very much?
10. Who is my most favorite and inspiring person / personality? Why?
11. If I have the option of changing the world, what is one change that I would like to change?
12. What is a cause that I would like to fight for or already fighting for?

Also read: How to pick the right speech topic?

If the light bulb went off in you for any of the above questions, see if you can summarize that thought/message in one line. That will be the message that you would like to deliver to your audience and you can decide on the topic, based on that. Once you've decided the topic, you can expand that into a full blown speech by including stories, anecdotes, quotes etc., 

Also read: How to expand a topic into a full blown speech? (5 wives & 1 husband technique)

Contests are NOT meant to differentiate the bronze from the silver and the gold. Contests are meant to transform a golden ore into a golden ornament. So, I encourage all of you to participate in contests to go through that transformation, which will last forever.

Also read: Speech Crafting Checklist for International Speech Contests