Bookings
Thu May 4
Back up Speaker 2, Back up Speech Evaluator
Thu May 11
Back up Speaker, Back up Speech Evaluator
Thu Jul 6
Back up Speaker, Evaluator 2
Thu Jul 13
Speaker 1, CMT 6
Thu Aug 3
Speaker 2, CMT 7, Evaluator 1
Thu Sep 7
Speaker 2, CMT 8
Monday, March 27, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Feedback Requested?
Task: min 200 words for the education section of the newsletter; 1st draft 400 words
Title: Evaluate to Motivate
Congratulations Fellow Supreme Toastmasters,
It is well known that evaluations are the heart of the Toastmasters program, and we have shown a lot of heart. Despite the fact that we are such a young club, I do not think it is any wonder our club won at the Regional level. A winner in both of the categories. We give good evaluations! And, we receive them. I notice that we coach each other not only on public speaking delivery skills, but on the effectiveness of the presentations themselves, content-wise and in terms of speech structure and development.
Remember what Paul S** taught us with his visit February 9, 2006? Be specific. And be honest, without being overly complimentary. Directly provide real, meaningful feedback. For sure after hearing his presentation, and then seeing him put his expert preaching into practice by doing an evaluation right before our very eyes/ears, I bought into his tougher minded approach. “I’m sorry if I went a little light” he said to me after publicly providing at least 3 or 4 specific recommendations I could take away, without making me feel bad about an effort I was personally very disappointed in.
If you truly want to help a person improve you must offer useful evaluations of their efforts. I thought he suggested we be brave in addressing opportunities for improvement, while also stressing the importance of diplomacy. I think we have all been sensitive to the fact that an overly harsh evaluation could cause hardship or harm to a fellow member but our invited educator that day reminded us that if you are too effusive or kind in balance then you deprive the speaker a chance to improve and develop.
I had suggested earlier we use a 3 to 1 did well to next time script, modeled on what I was taught for video coaching new Customer Interaction Models, and the Education Session made me rethink it. In the end my favourite approach is the one the Prez herself urged our Guest Education Session Presenter to define for us that day, the Toastmasters sandwich. You remember, packaging your feedback so that you acknowledge something positive up front, then get to the meat of it and provide your specific recommendations and reasons, the next time feedback, and on the other side of that you provide more positive feedback.
I say, keep those sandwiches coming! Our meetings make a healthy, nourishing lunch.
Contributor’s profile:
this writer was honoured to act as chairperson recently for the recent club International Speech Contest, and keeps a toastmasters-y blog, which you are welcome to check out at http://loguelikevogue2.blogspot.com/ (there's worksheets!)
Task: min 200 words for the education section of the newsletter; 1st draft 400 words
Title: Evaluate to Motivate
Congratulations Fellow Supreme Toastmasters,
It is well known that evaluations are the heart of the Toastmasters program, and we have shown a lot of heart. Despite the fact that we are such a young club, I do not think it is any wonder our club won at the Regional level. A winner in both of the categories. We give good evaluations! And, we receive them. I notice that we coach each other not only on public speaking delivery skills, but on the effectiveness of the presentations themselves, content-wise and in terms of speech structure and development.
Remember what Paul S** taught us with his visit February 9, 2006? Be specific. And be honest, without being overly complimentary. Directly provide real, meaningful feedback. For sure after hearing his presentation, and then seeing him put his expert preaching into practice by doing an evaluation right before our very eyes/ears, I bought into his tougher minded approach. “I’m sorry if I went a little light” he said to me after publicly providing at least 3 or 4 specific recommendations I could take away, without making me feel bad about an effort I was personally very disappointed in.
If you truly want to help a person improve you must offer useful evaluations of their efforts. I thought he suggested we be brave in addressing opportunities for improvement, while also stressing the importance of diplomacy. I think we have all been sensitive to the fact that an overly harsh evaluation could cause hardship or harm to a fellow member but our invited educator that day reminded us that if you are too effusive or kind in balance then you deprive the speaker a chance to improve and develop.
I had suggested earlier we use a 3 to 1 did well to next time script, modeled on what I was taught for video coaching new Customer Interaction Models, and the Education Session made me rethink it. In the end my favourite approach is the one the Prez herself urged our Guest Education Session Presenter to define for us that day, the Toastmasters sandwich. You remember, packaging your feedback so that you acknowledge something positive up front, then get to the meat of it and provide your specific recommendations and reasons, the next time feedback, and on the other side of that you provide more positive feedback.
I say, keep those sandwiches coming! Our meetings make a healthy, nourishing lunch.
Contributor’s profile:
this writer was honoured to act as chairperson recently for the recent club International Speech Contest, and keeps a toastmasters-y blog, which you are welcome to check out at http://loguelikevogue2.blogspot.com/ (there's worksheets!)
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
General Evaluator's Checklist:
Confirm Evaluation Team in advance of meeting, and arrival at meeting. Introduce each evaluator.
Advise timer of each evaluator's time line (1, 1:30, 2)
________________ who will be evaluating 'speaker #__, _____________. Please welcome _____________________.
Thank each Evaluator for speech evaluation.
Inform the timer that General Evaluator has 2, 2:30 and 3 minutes to complete the general evaluation.
Pick Three Did Wells and One Meeting Next Time. Also, use this time for overall club feedback
.i.e.Did the meeting flow smoothly? ___________________________________
Did each section, each speaker begin and end on time?______________
Was everyone well prepared?_____________________________________
Were there any distractions?______________________________________
Organization________________________________________
Delivery ___________________________________________
Enthusiasm _________________________________________
Observation _________________________________________
General performance of duties
Chairperson/Table Topics Presenter/JokeMaster ?Timer /Ah Counter /Grammarian / Toast Presenter /Education Presenter /Quotemaster / Speaker 1 /Speaker 2
Request Grammarian's Report
Request Ah Counter's Report
Request Timer's Report
Return The Floor to Chair
*
http://loguelikevogue2.blogspot.com/2006/08/gryphons-club-general-evaluators.html
Confirm Evaluation Team in advance of meeting, and arrival at meeting. Introduce each evaluator.
Advise timer of each evaluator’s time line (1, 1:30 and 2)
"speaker # ___, _____________ will be evaluted by _____________ . Please welcome _____________________.
Advise timer of each evaluator's time line (1, 1:30, 2)
________________ who will be evaluating 'speaker #__, _____________. Please welcome _____________________.
Thank each Evaluator for speech evaluation.
Inform the timer that General Evaluator has 2, 2:30 and 3 minutes to complete the general evaluation.
Pick Three Did Wells and One Meeting Next Time. Also, use this time for overall club feedback
.i.e.Did the meeting flow smoothly? ___________________________________
Did each section, each speaker begin and end on time?______________
Was everyone well prepared?_____________________________________
Were there any distractions?______________________________________
Organization________________________________________
Delivery ___________________________________________
Enthusiasm _________________________________________
Observation _________________________________________
General performance of duties
Chairperson/Table Topics Presenter/JokeMaster ?Timer /Ah Counter /Grammarian / Toast Presenter /Education Presenter /Quotemaster / Speaker 1 /Speaker 2
Request Grammarian's Report
Request Ah Counter's Report
Request Timer's Report
Return The Floor to Chair
*
http://loguelikevogue2.blogspot.com/2006/08/gryphons-club-general-evaluators.html
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
re: next week's farewell ramblings
*
general evaluator's food for thought:
- i love the 'i am a guest' name card
- suggest recent guest introductions as standard?
i.e. recount my 1st guest's experience vs. recent visitors;
-speakers need attendance kept for them!
-downloadable agenda from website to act as hard copy invitations, and/or posted as a sign?
- compliment reading clarification of role while performing it as example!
*
general evaluator's food for thought:
- i love the 'i am a guest' name card
- suggest recent guest introductions as standard?
i.e. recount my 1st guest's experience vs. recent visitors;
-speakers need attendance kept for them!
-downloadable agenda from website to act as hard copy invitations, and/or posted as a sign?
- compliment reading clarification of role while performing it as example!
Supreme TD Toastmasters Moments:
what about our combo girls? wasn't that cute? good things come in small packages followed by tall tales. they are so clever. and funny! i felt like i should have payed a cover charge to attend such a funny meeting.
* * *
Would you believe a contestant burst into tears? in the contest i chaired today.
ohmigod, of all the rotten questions! a question i asked i mean. this was in the beauty pageant part, when the counters and the officials are doing all the math from the scorecards in the hallway and its the chairs job to interview the contestants...
of course, my redundancy-end-of-contract departure, means i did not get all the speech bio's in the internal mail and had had to resort to inventing questions off the wall like, and pre-decided we would all just do one big cult commercial and was asking them each things like:
what inspired you to come out to your first meeting and what was it like?
who inspires you as a great speaker and why?
and i asked her "how she thinks the club and program has impacted her life?" and, she burst into tears! and she gulped for air and she tried to speak but that just made it worse and so then i had to hug a person in front of the whole class and ohmigod the poor woman. and the poor chairperson! you can bet i will tiptoe around the NEXT questions i ask anybody in an interview in public. ack!!
oy yoy yoy. it turns out that a person who has since died invited her to her first meeting, and she was just thinking about that and i guess with contest jitters all added on top and just the right table topic for time killing added and whammo, calamity follows Madame Chair.
the truth is, i had fun though. and i did a good job, despite of the fact i doooooooooo have a list of next times... LIKE WATCH WHAT YOU ASK A PERSON etc.
Evaluation Contest Thoughts:
next time i will think of trying to suggest something less obvious, since FIVE people reviewing the same speech (albeit not in your presence) means the odds are kind of high the target speaker, the fellow toastmasters, honoured guests and judges have heard it before, by the time number four or five get going. and seriously, next time i will not miss the most important recommendation i have for the speaker, which was that her speech did not even give us one iota of emergency handling training. it only inspired us to want some. ALSO, I THREW OUT MY NOTES! duh! i needed them in front of me for emergencies! what on earth was i thinking that i'd memorized the three points, i didn't need to bring my back up pre made notes! (they take them away, while you're waiting, and just hand 'em back before you go).
*
next time, i will be able to see the second hand on my watch or a clock. i think the timer did not give me a 2 min flag but i admit i had no idea how long anything would take, so i am not sure what almost barfing today actually learned me...
* *
I was disappointed that the contestants don’t listen to each other but sit out in yoga hall.
"what does it mean that you are a dancing girl?" she asks me, in front of the whole class...
Nov 17
You want me to evaluate you? but you're my role model for evaluations...
* *
i took a table topic "what are some of the wonderful times you had when you turned 16?" and talked about how i got my 365 the DAY i turned 16 and i got my liscence the day after. i told them about the time me and a carload of barn girls did about 18 donuts before the car was planted deep in a snow bank and how we then shovelled and pushed our way out, trying everything and anything to get my mom's blue honda out of the spot without having to call any parents for help! we were successful in the end getting unstuck, by stripping layters and using our clothes under the car wheels for woolen traction. i also told about how i tested my dad's blue oldsmobile to see how it felt to go 100 miles an hour.
THIS OLDEN DAYS CHATTER TOOK 54 SECONDS AND 3 UMS
* *
as general evaluator i got everything out of order, by not having thought 1 second ahead and then following an agenda that had mistakes in it; i insisted that the um counter be hard core and include the "so's" and all told spoke for 1 min and 31 seconds, with 8 ums/so's, about how i approved of all the goofy stunts (aka mistakes in protocol) that required double applause and while managing to throw out the meaningful suggestion that the chair and or table topics master keep a few extra questions handy for days when some speakers don't make it.
oct 14
i forgot to tell you what happened yesterday. i'm on the agenda to evaluate someone's speech okay, so i should be prepared out of respect to the key member of the club that has put in so much energy blah blah blah but i'm not okay... so i'm sitting there reading the manual on evaluating someone's speech while the table topics are going on. THE TABLE TOPICS MASTER IS SUPPOSED TO VOLUNTOLD PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ON THE AGENDA already, plus, she's my bud, so i know i'm safe to avert my eyes and try and get my homework done...except she calls on me for crying out loud. so i go up there and the question she gives me is: RED YELLOW ORANGE OR GOLD pick a colour and describe its personality.
what the^%$# are you supposed to say about that? for TWO minutes????
i survived for 39 seconds, which included clarifying how long i was supposed to try and talk and pointing out that my "bud" broke the rules. and then mentioning that that made ME see red, and left me unable to pick a colour. and who cares about picking a colour anyway when the best thing about fall is ALL the colours and how they all blend together just like the various personalities of a torture-i-mean-toastmasters club.
b r u t a l.
then the speech i evaluated was awesome. seriously, totally inspirational content wise and truly well, well delivered. with a dramatic donning of the gi to start it all off, so it was easy to enthuse off the top of my head, just referring to notes i jotted for specifics... and finally coming up with the suggestion that she could smile more for the free good endorphins and offerring one real "next time" which is that she shouldn't make us wait so long between speeches!
Oct 6
the only thing worse than being a table topics master at the cult meeting, is being the chair person when the table topics master doesn't show up.
today's learning lesson: keep a back up question or two in your pocket, for just such an occurence. also, check attendance in the room, before you begin! etc.
in truth, a heartfelt plea and admission of the predicament was a great strategy. volunteers were up at the front before i had time to thank them or introduce them. we all just gave thanks! thanksgiving is a gooooooooooooooooooood theme, that i had announced in advance. so, who needs table topics questions
sep 29
I didn't realize that we would all get the same topic and that we would be standing in the hall outside waiting for our turn to speak...it kinda foiled my plan of just speaking to what others before me had said. but anyway... the topic was tears of joy.
I said essentially that it was a timely topic for me since I had just spent all night in the hosptial waiting for my mom to wake up from an operation. And that when she woke up we ALL shed tears of joy. And that what really meant the most to me was, when I squeezed her hand, how hard she squeezed it back.
Then there was still like a minute to kill so I ummed a bit about comedy and tragedy and beauty and sorrow all blending in mysterious ways.
and then i relaxed and finished my coffee listening to the other poor saps that volunteered for the torture too.
Sep 22
so, i think my entry in humour contest was a huuuuuuuuuuuge success. especially since i didn't win and am thus done with it, and even if nobody (including ME) laughed.
also, thank GOD i drew first spot, because i got to enjoy the rest of the meeting.
all three of the other competitors were very funny !!! and, i was a good laugher, front row.
contestant #2's was called
communicating to get what you want: how i got my husband
she told some great stories about learning how to ask guys out.
contestant #3's was called
country mouse, town mouse (i think)
and she slayed us with total hick scenarios vs. problem solving with good ole country common sense (i.e. use of beer and duct tape) -- imagine a woman who can drive a tractor, and handle toronto traffic, walking away with 2nd place! lucky her the first place winner is travelling during the next phase so she will represent our club.
contestant #4's was called
looking for love in all the wrong places.
and he won with his story about accidentally taking a modern dance class (because the latin dancing class was full) to try and meet women. the hilarity flowed nicely through physical re-enacting the one session he attended! and i was especially impressed because i know this guy considers himself to be too serious.
~
what about our combo girls? wasn't that cute? good things come in small packages followed by tall tales. they are so clever. and funny! i felt like i should have payed a cover charge to attend such a funny meeting.
* * *
Would you believe a contestant burst into tears? in the contest i chaired today.
ohmigod, of all the rotten questions! a question i asked i mean. this was in the beauty pageant part, when the counters and the officials are doing all the math from the scorecards in the hallway and its the chairs job to interview the contestants...
of course, my redundancy-end-of-contract departure, means i did not get all the speech bio's in the internal mail and had had to resort to inventing questions off the wall like, and pre-decided we would all just do one big cult commercial and was asking them each things like:
what inspired you to come out to your first meeting and what was it like?
who inspires you as a great speaker and why?
and i asked her "how she thinks the club and program has impacted her life?" and, she burst into tears! and she gulped for air and she tried to speak but that just made it worse and so then i had to hug a person in front of the whole class and ohmigod the poor woman. and the poor chairperson! you can bet i will tiptoe around the NEXT questions i ask anybody in an interview in public. ack!!
oy yoy yoy. it turns out that a person who has since died invited her to her first meeting, and she was just thinking about that and i guess with contest jitters all added on top and just the right table topic for time killing added and whammo, calamity follows Madame Chair.
the truth is, i had fun though. and i did a good job, despite of the fact i doooooooooo have a list of next times... LIKE WATCH WHAT YOU ASK A PERSON etc.
Evaluation Contest Thoughts:
next time i will think of trying to suggest something less obvious, since FIVE people reviewing the same speech (albeit not in your presence) means the odds are kind of high the target speaker, the fellow toastmasters, honoured guests and judges have heard it before, by the time number four or five get going. and seriously, next time i will not miss the most important recommendation i have for the speaker, which was that her speech did not even give us one iota of emergency handling training. it only inspired us to want some. ALSO, I THREW OUT MY NOTES! duh! i needed them in front of me for emergencies! what on earth was i thinking that i'd memorized the three points, i didn't need to bring my back up pre made notes! (they take them away, while you're waiting, and just hand 'em back before you go).
*
next time, i will be able to see the second hand on my watch or a clock. i think the timer did not give me a 2 min flag but i admit i had no idea how long anything would take, so i am not sure what almost barfing today actually learned me...
* *
I was disappointed that the contestants don’t listen to each other but sit out in yoga hall.
"what does it mean that you are a dancing girl?" she asks me, in front of the whole class...
Nov 17
You want me to evaluate you? but you're my role model for evaluations...
* *
i took a table topic "what are some of the wonderful times you had when you turned 16?" and talked about how i got my 365 the DAY i turned 16 and i got my liscence the day after. i told them about the time me and a carload of barn girls did about 18 donuts before the car was planted deep in a snow bank and how we then shovelled and pushed our way out, trying everything and anything to get my mom's blue honda out of the spot without having to call any parents for help! we were successful in the end getting unstuck, by stripping layters and using our clothes under the car wheels for woolen traction. i also told about how i tested my dad's blue oldsmobile to see how it felt to go 100 miles an hour.
THIS OLDEN DAYS CHATTER TOOK 54 SECONDS AND 3 UMS
* *
as general evaluator i got everything out of order, by not having thought 1 second ahead and then following an agenda that had mistakes in it; i insisted that the um counter be hard core and include the "so's" and all told spoke for 1 min and 31 seconds, with 8 ums/so's, about how i approved of all the goofy stunts (aka mistakes in protocol) that required double applause and while managing to throw out the meaningful suggestion that the chair and or table topics master keep a few extra questions handy for days when some speakers don't make it.
oct 14
i forgot to tell you what happened yesterday. i'm on the agenda to evaluate someone's speech okay, so i should be prepared out of respect to the key member of the club that has put in so much energy blah blah blah but i'm not okay... so i'm sitting there reading the manual on evaluating someone's speech while the table topics are going on. THE TABLE TOPICS MASTER IS SUPPOSED TO VOLUNTOLD PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ON THE AGENDA already, plus, she's my bud, so i know i'm safe to avert my eyes and try and get my homework done...except she calls on me for crying out loud. so i go up there and the question she gives me is: RED YELLOW ORANGE OR GOLD pick a colour and describe its personality.
what the^%$# are you supposed to say about that? for TWO minutes????
i survived for 39 seconds, which included clarifying how long i was supposed to try and talk and pointing out that my "bud" broke the rules. and then mentioning that that made ME see red, and left me unable to pick a colour. and who cares about picking a colour anyway when the best thing about fall is ALL the colours and how they all blend together just like the various personalities of a torture-i-mean-toastmasters club.
b r u t a l.
then the speech i evaluated was awesome. seriously, totally inspirational content wise and truly well, well delivered. with a dramatic donning of the gi to start it all off, so it was easy to enthuse off the top of my head, just referring to notes i jotted for specifics... and finally coming up with the suggestion that she could smile more for the free good endorphins and offerring one real "next time" which is that she shouldn't make us wait so long between speeches!
Oct 6
the only thing worse than being a table topics master at the cult meeting, is being the chair person when the table topics master doesn't show up.
today's learning lesson: keep a back up question or two in your pocket, for just such an occurence. also, check attendance in the room, before you begin! etc.
in truth, a heartfelt plea and admission of the predicament was a great strategy. volunteers were up at the front before i had time to thank them or introduce them. we all just gave thanks! thanksgiving is a gooooooooooooooooooood theme, that i had announced in advance. so, who needs table topics questions
sep 29
I didn't realize that we would all get the same topic and that we would be standing in the hall outside waiting for our turn to speak...it kinda foiled my plan of just speaking to what others before me had said. but anyway... the topic was tears of joy.
I said essentially that it was a timely topic for me since I had just spent all night in the hosptial waiting for my mom to wake up from an operation. And that when she woke up we ALL shed tears of joy. And that what really meant the most to me was, when I squeezed her hand, how hard she squeezed it back.
Then there was still like a minute to kill so I ummed a bit about comedy and tragedy and beauty and sorrow all blending in mysterious ways.
and then i relaxed and finished my coffee listening to the other poor saps that volunteered for the torture too.
Sep 22
so, i think my entry in humour contest was a huuuuuuuuuuuge success. especially since i didn't win and am thus done with it, and even if nobody (including ME) laughed.
also, thank GOD i drew first spot, because i got to enjoy the rest of the meeting.
all three of the other competitors were very funny !!! and, i was a good laugher, front row.
contestant #2's was called
communicating to get what you want: how i got my husband
she told some great stories about learning how to ask guys out.
contestant #3's was called
country mouse, town mouse (i think)
and she slayed us with total hick scenarios vs. problem solving with good ole country common sense (i.e. use of beer and duct tape) -- imagine a woman who can drive a tractor, and handle toronto traffic, walking away with 2nd place! lucky her the first place winner is travelling during the next phase so she will represent our club.
contestant #4's was called
looking for love in all the wrong places.
and he won with his story about accidentally taking a modern dance class (because the latin dancing class was full) to try and meet women. the hilarity flowed nicely through physical re-enacting the one session he attended! and i was especially impressed because i know this guy considers himself to be too serious.
~
Speech Evalutor's Worksheet:
what could the speaker have done to make it more effective?
i.e. limiting the main ideas to 3 instead of 5 would have helped you to make the points more effectively. NEXT TIME...
describe your own reaction (tone AND content):
consider speech organization/content
i.e. opening/body/conclusion. specific purpose. vivid words write for the ear rhetorical devices
economical, correct word choice without jargon, descriptive, specific word usage, research
logical flow of ideas, emotion conveyed, etc.
consider body language
movement stance gesture expression eye contact
consider vocal variety
silence(pauses) expressive good voice posture breathing rehearsed expressive/volume rate pitch
* *
public speaking is a skill, and like any skill it can be developed and improved. in toastmasters feedback is called evaluation, and it is the heart of the educational program. you observe the speeches of your fellow club members and offer evaluations of their efforts, and they do the same for you. if you truly want to improve your speaking skills, you must learn how to give and receive helpful evalutations.
what could the speaker have done to make it more effective?
i.e. limiting the main ideas to 3 instead of 5 would have helped you to make the points more effectively. NEXT TIME...
describe your own reaction (tone AND content):
consider speech organization/content
i.e. opening/body/conclusion. specific purpose. vivid words write for the ear rhetorical devices
economical, correct word choice without jargon, descriptive, specific word usage, research
logical flow of ideas, emotion conveyed, etc.
consider body language
movement stance gesture expression eye contact
consider vocal variety
silence(pauses) expressive good voice posture breathing rehearsed expressive/volume rate pitch
* *
public speaking is a skill, and like any skill it can be developed and improved. in toastmasters feedback is called evaluation, and it is the heart of the educational program. you observe the speeches of your fellow club members and offer evaluations of their efforts, and they do the same for you. if you truly want to improve your speaking skills, you must learn how to give and receive helpful evalutations.
Project 5) Your Body Speaks
There is a pony girl pic on our members profile page, and it is of Kim Logue, who is practicing teaching an UNMOUNTED riding lesson today, and will talk to us about the gaits of a horse.
*
I am a the rookie addition to the team of riding instructors at Myrddin, and, my specialty there is beginners (gesture). but usually, the classes involve actual HORSES, so today, i am forced to resort (in leui of equine assistance) to more than body language and will incorporate some body percussion into my presentation on how a horse moves.
Fellow Toastmasters, and Honoured Guests, rest assured, I will also cover the basic rider position...
The position in which the rider sits on the horse is governed by several factors, the first one being the actions needed of the rider to control the horse correctly. Communicating with their equine partner, the rider must establish a position based on BALANCE. The rider’s physical shape, and the shape and size of the horse are also contributing factors to how they establish their seat, and position on horseback. While remembering BALANCE, rather than trying to grip. Symmetry is also really important.
Here is an illustration of a stationery position, where the laws of stationary balance apply. I will also model it for you... straight line thing.
At the halt, the rider should demonstrate this correct and balanced position. Although a perfectly square halt is not always possible for beginners, attention should be paid to straightness. Thinking of the horse having four corners can help riders produce better halts.
For a rider, the laws of balance really kick in and apply in motion, will apply once the horse begins to move in the three basic paces: walk trot and canter.
1. I want to explain to you that the walk is a four time movement with each horse leg moving individually in a clear one-two-three-four beat being heard. A rider must move with the horse’s natural rhythm without any pumping of the body when riding this slow gait. Each of the horse’s feet come down as they are lifted right fore, left hind, left fore, right hind, while the horse travels at about 5 to 7 km per hour. The rider should demonstrate the correct contact with the horse’s mouth, and an experienced rider should be able to influence a horse’s stride, longer and more forward through use of their legs. Talk about the halt four step transition? Talk about the whoa whoa whoa thing?
2. stomp, clap, up, down: Trot is a two time or two beat pace with the horse’s legs moving in diagonal pairs. Like this (Demo Trot) Moving faster than the walk, right forefoot and left hind foot at same time with the horse stepping from one diagonal to the otherWhen the horse trots he can travel from 10-14 km, or I also read 6 miles per hour. The horse's head does not usually bob up and down as it does in the walk.
Riders can ride a sitting or posting trot. In a rising trot, the rider sits and rises in time (beat) to the up and down movement. . Riders should be in the sitting phase of the posting trot when the outside front leg hits the ground. This is because when the horse’s inside hind leg and outside front leg are in their supporting phase, the horse is able to support our weight easier.
3. My winter favorite horse pace, is the rhythmical swinging gait with three distinct beats, called the canter. I think it is usually about 10 miles an hour. I always find it easy to remember how it works, because it all starts with the rider’s position for the transition. You put your outside leg back behind the girth as part of the signal to canter, and this engages the horse’s outside hind leg. And then the other hind and the opposite fore leg move in unison, hitting the ground for the second beat, and then the inside fore hits the ground last. While cantering, the horse is either on the left or right lead. In this demonstration, I am a horse on the left lead and with the left front leg hitting the ground in front of, not before, the right leg. When turning in a circle to the right, the horse should be on the right lead, and when turning to the left, should be on the left lead. In the canter, there is a moment of suspension, when all the feet are off the ground at the same time. When cantering, a rider should sit up tall in the saddle keeping your center of gravity over the horse's center of gravity, with your seat deep and relaxed. following the movement of the horses back.
Doesn't that sound fun? Thank you for letting me practice explaining the gaits of the horse, without a horse. Isn't it something you always wanted to know? I wanted to conclude by handing out a flyer for I've been working on for introductory riding lessons. The point is that the address is on there, and tours of the barn are free. So come and visit me!
There is a pony girl pic on our members profile page, and it is of Kim Logue, who is practicing teaching an UNMOUNTED riding lesson today, and will talk to us about the gaits of a horse.
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I am a the rookie addition to the team of riding instructors at Myrddin, and, my specialty there is beginners (gesture). but usually, the classes involve actual HORSES, so today, i am forced to resort (in leui of equine assistance) to more than body language and will incorporate some body percussion into my presentation on how a horse moves.
Fellow Toastmasters, and Honoured Guests, rest assured, I will also cover the basic rider position...
The position in which the rider sits on the horse is governed by several factors, the first one being the actions needed of the rider to control the horse correctly. Communicating with their equine partner, the rider must establish a position based on BALANCE. The rider’s physical shape, and the shape and size of the horse are also contributing factors to how they establish their seat, and position on horseback. While remembering BALANCE, rather than trying to grip. Symmetry is also really important.
Here is an illustration of a stationery position, where the laws of stationary balance apply. I will also model it for you... straight line thing.
At the halt, the rider should demonstrate this correct and balanced position. Although a perfectly square halt is not always possible for beginners, attention should be paid to straightness. Thinking of the horse having four corners can help riders produce better halts.
For a rider, the laws of balance really kick in and apply in motion, will apply once the horse begins to move in the three basic paces: walk trot and canter.
1. I want to explain to you that the walk is a four time movement with each horse leg moving individually in a clear one-two-three-four beat being heard. A rider must move with the horse’s natural rhythm without any pumping of the body when riding this slow gait. Each of the horse’s feet come down as they are lifted right fore, left hind, left fore, right hind, while the horse travels at about 5 to 7 km per hour. The rider should demonstrate the correct contact with the horse’s mouth, and an experienced rider should be able to influence a horse’s stride, longer and more forward through use of their legs. Talk about the halt four step transition? Talk about the whoa whoa whoa thing?
2. stomp, clap, up, down: Trot is a two time or two beat pace with the horse’s legs moving in diagonal pairs. Like this (Demo Trot) Moving faster than the walk, right forefoot and left hind foot at same time with the horse stepping from one diagonal to the otherWhen the horse trots he can travel from 10-14 km, or I also read 6 miles per hour. The horse's head does not usually bob up and down as it does in the walk.
Riders can ride a sitting or posting trot. In a rising trot, the rider sits and rises in time (beat) to the up and down movement. . Riders should be in the sitting phase of the posting trot when the outside front leg hits the ground. This is because when the horse’s inside hind leg and outside front leg are in their supporting phase, the horse is able to support our weight easier.
3. My winter favorite horse pace, is the rhythmical swinging gait with three distinct beats, called the canter. I think it is usually about 10 miles an hour. I always find it easy to remember how it works, because it all starts with the rider’s position for the transition. You put your outside leg back behind the girth as part of the signal to canter, and this engages the horse’s outside hind leg. And then the other hind and the opposite fore leg move in unison, hitting the ground for the second beat, and then the inside fore hits the ground last. While cantering, the horse is either on the left or right lead. In this demonstration, I am a horse on the left lead and with the left front leg hitting the ground in front of, not before, the right leg. When turning in a circle to the right, the horse should be on the right lead, and when turning to the left, should be on the left lead. In the canter, there is a moment of suspension, when all the feet are off the ground at the same time. When cantering, a rider should sit up tall in the saddle keeping your center of gravity over the horse's center of gravity, with your seat deep and relaxed. following the movement of the horses back.
Doesn't that sound fun? Thank you for letting me practice explaining the gaits of the horse, without a horse. Isn't it something you always wanted to know? I wanted to conclude by handing out a flyer for I've been working on for introductory riding lessons. The point is that the address is on there, and tours of the barn are free. So come and visit me!
Project 4) How to Say It
Kim Logue is talking today about Balanced Feedback, so really, she says, the name of her speech should be: Why I love Toastmasters!
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Greetings Fellow Toastmasters
Today I decided to talk for 5 minutes on a topic I am passionate about rather than presenting a formally pre-prepared speech. I am really grateful to Toastmasters as a forum and I really look forward to YOUR feedback on this kooky experiment!
Balancing feedback has become increasingly important to me personally because of my learning curve in a new position at the Bank, as well as my recently re-established role as a horseback riding instructor who takes beginners through the introductory program at Myrrdin stables in Georgetown. Not to mention the feedback one benefits from as a Toastmaster!!!
1) I think what we do here is all about providing balanced feedback. We offer evaluations that are helpful, positive, constructive and motivational opinions.
- The tone and content of an evaluation have a great impact: too kind and you deprive the speaker of a spark to improvement and too harsh can cause true hardship;
We are learning to be a better listener and more critical thinker
Toastmasters Script=
Mention something the speaker did well
Mention something that could be improved
And make a SPECIFIC recommendation for improvement
What you feel is important
Be honest and clearly address an issue
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2) As an break out room facilitator I was trained that in order to provide the most effective feedback, use name and provide positive to next time feedback in 3:1 ratio.
Satistically 10 to 1 negative outweighs positive - A friend at a party fat pants story
Another key is considering negative feedback as next time feedback. Not woulda shoulda coulda but FUTURE focused.
discuss phrasing using handout
Conclusion=
I enjoy receiving feedback from Toastmasters, and I look forward to developing my skills in presenting it. Thanks for allowing me to share some of the important tips I came across on the topic.
Proposed Balanced Feedback Script Handout
Fellow Toastmaster (use name),
I liked (state skill). What you said was (provide direct quote from work), and that was good because (state benefit).
My next time feedback for you is (state most important suggestion.) This would be good because (state benefit). This could be accomplished by (make specific recommendation for improvement).
Kim Logue is talking today about Balanced Feedback, so really, she says, the name of her speech should be: Why I love Toastmasters!
*
Greetings Fellow Toastmasters
Today I decided to talk for 5 minutes on a topic I am passionate about rather than presenting a formally pre-prepared speech. I am really grateful to Toastmasters as a forum and I really look forward to YOUR feedback on this kooky experiment!
Balancing feedback has become increasingly important to me personally because of my learning curve in a new position at the Bank, as well as my recently re-established role as a horseback riding instructor who takes beginners through the introductory program at Myrrdin stables in Georgetown. Not to mention the feedback one benefits from as a Toastmaster!!!
1) I think what we do here is all about providing balanced feedback. We offer evaluations that are helpful, positive, constructive and motivational opinions.
- The tone and content of an evaluation have a great impact: too kind and you deprive the speaker of a spark to improvement and too harsh can cause true hardship;
We are learning to be a better listener and more critical thinker
Toastmasters Script=
Mention something the speaker did well
Mention something that could be improved
And make a SPECIFIC recommendation for improvement
What you feel is important
Be honest and clearly address an issue
* *
2) As an break out room facilitator I was trained that in order to provide the most effective feedback, use name and provide positive to next time feedback in 3:1 ratio.
Satistically 10 to 1 negative outweighs positive - A friend at a party fat pants story
Another key is considering negative feedback as next time feedback. Not woulda shoulda coulda but FUTURE focused.
discuss phrasing using handout
Conclusion=
I enjoy receiving feedback from Toastmasters, and I look forward to developing my skills in presenting it. Thanks for allowing me to share some of the important tips I came across on the topic.
Proposed Balanced Feedback Script Handout
Fellow Toastmaster (use name),
I liked (state skill). What you said was (provide direct quote from work), and that was good because (state benefit).
My next time feedback for you is (state most important suggestion.) This would be good because (state benefit). This could be accomplished by (make specific recommendation for improvement).
Project 3) Get To The Point
A Farewell Roast to The Double G
Kim Logue says that the former boss and team she has recently departed is far too heart broken about her departure to acknowledge it in anyway. So, as usual, this hardworking employee is taking matters into her own hands. Her speech today has been "pre-approved" one VP and Director who said "you have captured the essence of working for GG." And her current boss who said, "Well... practice speaking with pauses, so people have time to laugh..."
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Unless it was such a great party that I've forgotten it, I’m throwing my own going away celebration, and you’re invited! Invited to laugh that is, at my saga of the impossible boss…Do I only get seven minutes?
Fellow Toastmasters, Double G Survivors and other Honoured Guests,
Please allow me to begin a Farewell Roast to the Double G.
I got the interview, with the former, impossible boss, when a friend of mine told him, that I am a buxom blonde.
I got the job, working for the Double G, when I turned out NOT to be another of the shrinking violet types HR kept sending him to interview for the position.
I think my former bossman liked the moxy with which I had just written a paper at NBF, for V8. My proposal was that, since the company paying for free drinks for staff all day anyway, why not offer healthier alternates than pop and coffee as well? You know, in order to be more cost effective by having nourished, strengthened employees.
The GG, on hearing that story during our interview, said “you want V8. I can get you V8.” And I did receive one warm bottle of the usually so tasty tomato juice on my very first day.
The very first moment I started working with The GG, I stopped feeling overqualified for the role. The corporate and investment banking world is so intense, and believe me, our CIB is King of the sweatshop! The GG then, is King of Kings and moves at about 2,000 miles an hour. He never even finishes his sentences!
I would jot down what ever he half uttered in my trusty black book, and then quote his blurt back to him later, so we could follow through and actually accomplish whatever his goals were on any given day.
When he wasn't Gone Golfing (out earning his nickname), he snapped his fingers at me, expected me to interpret conflicting facial expressions, had me say outrageous things to very important people and made me memorize how he likes his coffee from Tim Hortons versus his lattes from Timothy’s.
While I paid for them all with my own money! Imagine! An underpaid and overworked employee with a balance accruing on a visa card while I pay for my boss's refreshments during the day, because he was too busy to reach in his wallet to provide coffee money along with the demand to fetch it…
I remember pleading with another VP on the team to make my case for improved job parameters. His reply? Simply “Deaf Ears, my friend. Deaf ears.” and a shrug.
I tried, really tried to understand how to meet my job requirements. The best answer came from one of the VPs on the team who took the time to explain “My job is to fix the GG’s mess on the outside. Your job is to fix GG’s mess on the inside.”
This, incidentally, from the guy who cleans his office once every five years, and chose my brief tenure in the department as that exact window of opportunity. I guess he figured, why not, the boss was Gone Golfing and everyone else was cleaning out their office, through me, at the time! That guy was supposed to be my mentor as a rockstar too, but somehow the sacred axe he promised to loan me never materialized…
Do NOT get me started on missing items. I do not know if was lousy tipping habits or just the stupors clients and coworkers could drink him into, but many-a-credit-card left for many-a-bar-tab went missing, and ended up on MY things to solve list.
And please note, I never got to go out for beers!
As for the rest of the team, it was as if I’d given them, his carefully selected for their likeness team, these instructions (compiled from various internet sources) on how to enhance the relationship with the assistant:
1. Never assign work in the morning. Always wait until 5:00 and then bring it. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing! Really, do your best to keep me late. I like the office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do…
2. Always leave without telling anyone where you’re going. It allows creative responses when someone asks where you are or assumes that you've Gone Golfing!
3. When the my arms are full of papers, boxes, or supplies, don’t open the door, or otherwise pitch in – just comment on how working out obviously makes me strong. And, be sure to invite me the next time you need your heavy golf giveaways carried down from marketing.
4. When, as a team, you assign more than one job, don’t mention which is a priority. Let me guess!
5. If you have special instructions for a job save them til the job is almost done!
And, finally, if it’s a rush job, run in and interrupt every 2 minutes to inquire how it’s going. That helps.
In conclusion, I would like to offer these tips to his official new keeper, about the best way to survive your new assignment with the Double G. First, chose your battles carefully. Second, cry to make your point.
And, remember, his saving grace is he KNOWS he is impossible, so you can tell him so..
Since he has a sense of humour!
Or so I hope, since I've proceeded with a farewell roast.
Thanks for listening. And for laughing
A Farewell Roast to The Double G
Kim Logue says that the former boss and team she has recently departed is far too heart broken about her departure to acknowledge it in anyway. So, as usual, this hardworking employee is taking matters into her own hands. Her speech today has been "pre-approved" one VP and Director who said "you have captured the essence of working for GG." And her current boss who said, "Well... practice speaking with pauses, so people have time to laugh..."
*
Unless it was such a great party that I've forgotten it, I’m throwing my own going away celebration, and you’re invited! Invited to laugh that is, at my saga of the impossible boss…Do I only get seven minutes?
Fellow Toastmasters, Double G Survivors and other Honoured Guests,
Please allow me to begin a Farewell Roast to the Double G.
I got the interview, with the former, impossible boss, when a friend of mine told him, that I am a buxom blonde.
I got the job, working for the Double G, when I turned out NOT to be another of the shrinking violet types HR kept sending him to interview for the position.
I think my former bossman liked the moxy with which I had just written a paper at NBF, for V8. My proposal was that, since the company paying for free drinks for staff all day anyway, why not offer healthier alternates than pop and coffee as well? You know, in order to be more cost effective by having nourished, strengthened employees.
The GG, on hearing that story during our interview, said “you want V8. I can get you V8.” And I did receive one warm bottle of the usually so tasty tomato juice on my very first day.
The very first moment I started working with The GG, I stopped feeling overqualified for the role. The corporate and investment banking world is so intense, and believe me, our CIB is King of the sweatshop! The GG then, is King of Kings and moves at about 2,000 miles an hour. He never even finishes his sentences!
I would jot down what ever he half uttered in my trusty black book, and then quote his blurt back to him later, so we could follow through and actually accomplish whatever his goals were on any given day.
When he wasn't Gone Golfing (out earning his nickname), he snapped his fingers at me, expected me to interpret conflicting facial expressions, had me say outrageous things to very important people and made me memorize how he likes his coffee from Tim Hortons versus his lattes from Timothy’s.
While I paid for them all with my own money! Imagine! An underpaid and overworked employee with a balance accruing on a visa card while I pay for my boss's refreshments during the day, because he was too busy to reach in his wallet to provide coffee money along with the demand to fetch it…
I remember pleading with another VP on the team to make my case for improved job parameters. His reply? Simply “Deaf Ears, my friend. Deaf ears.” and a shrug.
I tried, really tried to understand how to meet my job requirements. The best answer came from one of the VPs on the team who took the time to explain “My job is to fix the GG’s mess on the outside. Your job is to fix GG’s mess on the inside.”
This, incidentally, from the guy who cleans his office once every five years, and chose my brief tenure in the department as that exact window of opportunity. I guess he figured, why not, the boss was Gone Golfing and everyone else was cleaning out their office, through me, at the time! That guy was supposed to be my mentor as a rockstar too, but somehow the sacred axe he promised to loan me never materialized…
Do NOT get me started on missing items. I do not know if was lousy tipping habits or just the stupors clients and coworkers could drink him into, but many-a-credit-card left for many-a-bar-tab went missing, and ended up on MY things to solve list.
And please note, I never got to go out for beers!
As for the rest of the team, it was as if I’d given them, his carefully selected for their likeness team, these instructions (compiled from various internet sources) on how to enhance the relationship with the assistant:
1. Never assign work in the morning. Always wait until 5:00 and then bring it. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing! Really, do your best to keep me late. I like the office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do…
2. Always leave without telling anyone where you’re going. It allows creative responses when someone asks where you are or assumes that you've Gone Golfing!
3. When the my arms are full of papers, boxes, or supplies, don’t open the door, or otherwise pitch in – just comment on how working out obviously makes me strong. And, be sure to invite me the next time you need your heavy golf giveaways carried down from marketing.
4. When, as a team, you assign more than one job, don’t mention which is a priority. Let me guess!
5. If you have special instructions for a job save them til the job is almost done!
And, finally, if it’s a rush job, run in and interrupt every 2 minutes to inquire how it’s going. That helps.
In conclusion, I would like to offer these tips to his official new keeper, about the best way to survive your new assignment with the Double G. First, chose your battles carefully. Second, cry to make your point.
And, remember, his saving grace is he KNOWS he is impossible, so you can tell him so..
Since he has a sense of humour!
Or so I hope, since I've proceeded with a farewell roast.
Thanks for listening. And for laughing
Project 2) Organize Your Speech
Kim Logue worked on the objectives for speech number two by converting an article she was working on for Bank Notes into a Toastmasters presentation! After conducting an exploratory interview with a fellow Bank employee, pitched as 10 minute coffee break to answer 10 questions, she got to work on this piece called "AC Takes Ten."
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Remember how I told you last time that I was seeking a more senior position within our organization? I have some great news to share! And remember how I told you I had been snooping around at Public Affairs to learn more about that department and how to develop skill sets suitable for that type of work? Well, have I ever learned a lot! And, I can’t wait to tell you all about it. You see, I’ve found a not-so-secret way to get us out of the office, while also getting paid!
Fellow Toastmasters and Honoured Guests,
AC has a great laugh and as he smiles over his Timothy's coffee cup I can see why he is the face representing the deep pockets of our organization to countless charities and community groups. His official title is Community Relations Manager, and working within our Corporate and Public Affairs department he is essentially the manager of sponsorships and donations that are of a National nature, and not specific to a particular Region.
After I invited him to meet me for coffee and tell me about his job, he describes a busy schedule, including early morning breakfast meetings and black tie evening events. His is also a position requiring some travel. Clearly though, checking for blackberry messages during our discussion, he is not chained to his desk and reports that he often gets by with wearing a suit only a couple of times a week! But, it is not the business casual dress code policy that thrills him the most, AC says it is definitely this community giving aspect of his job that is most fulfilling. But can he tell us how can we can enjoy that too?
He can. If, like me, you are actively involved in many volunteering activities, then maybe you should talk to your manager about the "Volunteer Grant Program." The Bank has announced that the organization wants to recognize the difference we make in many communities every day, and support employees in our generous donation of time and talent, to local charities and community based organizations. Not only is this a great public gesture, to worthy causes, this is a motivation tool placed at the fingertips of management! Maybe you are not the highest paid among your peers, or recognized for the most seniority with an amazing tally of vacation days. Are you still working hard and longing to be recognized? Are you confident that you’d make an enthusiastic representative of our business, given a chance to hit the streets with time away from your desk? Then maybe putting forward a proposal for this program is for you. I sure think its for me!
“If I was hosting Children’s shows as a Front of House volunteer at Harbourfront Centre, while getting paid by The Bank, imagine what an ambassador of goodwill I would be!” I enthused to A at our meeting. “Now, you’re using the right words,” A says and encourages me to talk to my boss about how fulfilled I would be in my job if allowed to participate. Making me wish that he was my boss. Or, that I worked in his department, where community giving is of such a focus.
Since that appointment, I have changed jobs. For 3.5 days now, I have worked in a new Bank business in a new Bank Tower, as a Product Analyst. I’m on a 15 month contract, so, I immediately asked my new boss if she’s heard of the program. Not only has she heard about it, she’s participated! Apparently, in our group, on the first Thursday of every month, there’s opportunity to participate from 11:30-1:30, in delivering food to those in need, with Meals on Wheels. If it sounds familiar, it’s because this initiative was written up in Bank Notes in the late April issue! I’m so excited to now be working from such a department. And I sure hope we’ll be getting internal or external publicity for another such meaningful community project soon… Here’s the application form, if you’d like to put forward a pitch. It looks pretty straightforward, and I’ve brought copies if you’d like one. (Distribute handouts). As for Public Affairs, it is my hope that my job shadow request already in progress, will go forward alongside my recent move. It would be quite an honour to spend a day seeing the team in action and getting a feel for an area of our organization that only gets more and more interesting to me. And you can bet I’d want to tell you all, all about it!
In conclusion, I would like to recycle the aforesaid Bank Notes article and stress that if there is anywhere that minutes count the most, it’s when we volunteer. Fifteen minutes or fifteen hours, your efforts can change our communities and lives. Our employer supports the volunteer efforts of its employees, recognizing the value volunteerism brings to everyone involved. Hopefully today I was able to share some useful information on the department that oversees such initiatives, and more importantly on how to make the Volunteer program work for you, and your community.
Kim Logue worked on the objectives for speech number two by converting an article she was working on for Bank Notes into a Toastmasters presentation! After conducting an exploratory interview with a fellow Bank employee, pitched as 10 minute coffee break to answer 10 questions, she got to work on this piece called "AC Takes Ten."
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Remember how I told you last time that I was seeking a more senior position within our organization? I have some great news to share! And remember how I told you I had been snooping around at Public Affairs to learn more about that department and how to develop skill sets suitable for that type of work? Well, have I ever learned a lot! And, I can’t wait to tell you all about it. You see, I’ve found a not-so-secret way to get us out of the office, while also getting paid!
Fellow Toastmasters and Honoured Guests,
AC has a great laugh and as he smiles over his Timothy's coffee cup I can see why he is the face representing the deep pockets of our organization to countless charities and community groups. His official title is Community Relations Manager, and working within our Corporate and Public Affairs department he is essentially the manager of sponsorships and donations that are of a National nature, and not specific to a particular Region.
After I invited him to meet me for coffee and tell me about his job, he describes a busy schedule, including early morning breakfast meetings and black tie evening events. His is also a position requiring some travel. Clearly though, checking for blackberry messages during our discussion, he is not chained to his desk and reports that he often gets by with wearing a suit only a couple of times a week! But, it is not the business casual dress code policy that thrills him the most, AC says it is definitely this community giving aspect of his job that is most fulfilling. But can he tell us how can we can enjoy that too?
He can. If, like me, you are actively involved in many volunteering activities, then maybe you should talk to your manager about the "Volunteer Grant Program." The Bank has announced that the organization wants to recognize the difference we make in many communities every day, and support employees in our generous donation of time and talent, to local charities and community based organizations. Not only is this a great public gesture, to worthy causes, this is a motivation tool placed at the fingertips of management! Maybe you are not the highest paid among your peers, or recognized for the most seniority with an amazing tally of vacation days. Are you still working hard and longing to be recognized? Are you confident that you’d make an enthusiastic representative of our business, given a chance to hit the streets with time away from your desk? Then maybe putting forward a proposal for this program is for you. I sure think its for me!
“If I was hosting Children’s shows as a Front of House volunteer at Harbourfront Centre, while getting paid by The Bank, imagine what an ambassador of goodwill I would be!” I enthused to A at our meeting. “Now, you’re using the right words,” A says and encourages me to talk to my boss about how fulfilled I would be in my job if allowed to participate. Making me wish that he was my boss. Or, that I worked in his department, where community giving is of such a focus.
Since that appointment, I have changed jobs. For 3.5 days now, I have worked in a new Bank business in a new Bank Tower, as a Product Analyst. I’m on a 15 month contract, so, I immediately asked my new boss if she’s heard of the program. Not only has she heard about it, she’s participated! Apparently, in our group, on the first Thursday of every month, there’s opportunity to participate from 11:30-1:30, in delivering food to those in need, with Meals on Wheels. If it sounds familiar, it’s because this initiative was written up in Bank Notes in the late April issue! I’m so excited to now be working from such a department. And I sure hope we’ll be getting internal or external publicity for another such meaningful community project soon… Here’s the application form, if you’d like to put forward a pitch. It looks pretty straightforward, and I’ve brought copies if you’d like one. (Distribute handouts). As for Public Affairs, it is my hope that my job shadow request already in progress, will go forward alongside my recent move. It would be quite an honour to spend a day seeing the team in action and getting a feel for an area of our organization that only gets more and more interesting to me. And you can bet I’d want to tell you all, all about it!
In conclusion, I would like to recycle the aforesaid Bank Notes article and stress that if there is anywhere that minutes count the most, it’s when we volunteer. Fifteen minutes or fifteen hours, your efforts can change our communities and lives. Our employer supports the volunteer efforts of its employees, recognizing the value volunteerism brings to everyone involved. Hopefully today I was able to share some useful information on the department that oversees such initiatives, and more importantly on how to make the Volunteer program work for you, and your community.
Project 1) The Ice Breaker
Kim Logue volunteered last week to do her ice breaker talk with very little prep time, because no one else was filling the dreadful silence, and, just listing her interests takes over 5 minutes! Brace yourself. The name of her presentation today is "Get to Know Kim Logue-like-Vogue."
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So, I’ve just joined a cult called Toastmasters. I've been to four lunchtime meetings so far, and twice have been made to do a table topic. You know, that’s when you have to answer a question and therefore think on your feet, while public speaking... it's torture. I can't believe I go there voluntarily! Fellow Toastmasters and Honoured Guests, Today, I begin to really practice speaking before an audience!
First of all, I would like to tell you on a personal note that I am 37, divorced, childless and not dating enough. So, please feel free to set me up on blind dates! I live in Toronto and do some creative writing, freelance marketing, horseback riding and coaching in my spare time – while also aspiring as a singer/songwriter/musician. I currently have a full time day job on the 8th floor, and be warned, I am seeking higher paying positions within our organization! So then, let’s start the list of logue-like-vogue interests with my Bank history!
I started as a part time teller with in 1986, my first year at York. Despite that fact that I was a Creative Writing major, I was recruited from university to join the Bank’s Management Training program. I always feel lucky that I got in when I did, because they changed the rules shortly after I did and started expecting BCOMs, not just BAs for the program. I was also lucky enough to complete the training and then be posted as teller supervisor at the very same branch in Brampton!
I was kept interested working through many different roles, including Customer Service Manager, Assistant Manger, and Manager Sales and Service at the Brampton Supercentre. During the days of the $5 service guarantee! I spent most of my time being a teller. But I am proud of the fact that I threw up every Wednesday morning for an entire year, because Wednesday was the morning we changed our hours to accommodate full branch meetings. Even though a staff of 32 reported to me, I chaired this meeting in front of 50 people, including a very foreboding VP and manager in the front row, week after week after week.
I usually say that my most famous job was the role of Manager Customer Care. Because everybody knows there is a department to phone and complain to when you are tired of yelling at your Branch Manager, and that, for a couple of years, was where I worked! I managed the 4 person team responding to over 400 complaints per month, which I remember calculating was probably one fifth of all the complaints in the Canadian Banking Industry at the time. I also had the opportunity to create an intranet site, and to work on a huge sales rally for 3,000 participants, before I left banking and began freelancing.
Which brings us, on the list of interests, to “Left Brain Consulting.” For five years before accepting my current role, I acted as a Marketing Consultant, mostly freelancing for creative clients, although I did also do some short term assignments in the Bank! I have co-produced an album, a short film and also worked on retainer basis with a small publisher. That was really fun because every book they came out with had a different target market! As well as supporting artists, I became one. I have written a poetry manuscript, recorded original songs, appeared on radio, auditioned for TV, and been interviewed for the paper. As well I written many articles, music reviews and interviews published in a variety of magazines and papers.
I am also interested in riding, and have recently re-established a former arrangement with Myrddin Stables in Georgetown to start there again! I will be teaching in September.
I’m afraid I also have an interest in volunteering! Some of my favourite community activities have been hosting kids shows at Harbourfront Centre and acting as a puppeteer in Toronto schools! I have recently been exploring our Bank's "Volunteer Program," and snooping around with Public Affairs to learn more about it. Honestly, I think I aspire to positions within that department...
For sure I am interested in progressing my career within the Bank. That’s why I’ve joined Toastmasters! That’s why I am so grateful for the opportunity today, to introduce myself to the club. And that’s why I am sincerely interested in developing communication skills with such a supportive and encouraging group!!
And, remember what I said about the blind dates!
Kim Logue volunteered last week to do her ice breaker talk with very little prep time, because no one else was filling the dreadful silence, and, just listing her interests takes over 5 minutes! Brace yourself. The name of her presentation today is "Get to Know Kim Logue-like-Vogue."
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So, I’ve just joined a cult called Toastmasters. I've been to four lunchtime meetings so far, and twice have been made to do a table topic. You know, that’s when you have to answer a question and therefore think on your feet, while public speaking... it's torture. I can't believe I go there voluntarily! Fellow Toastmasters and Honoured Guests, Today, I begin to really practice speaking before an audience!
First of all, I would like to tell you on a personal note that I am 37, divorced, childless and not dating enough. So, please feel free to set me up on blind dates! I live in Toronto and do some creative writing, freelance marketing, horseback riding and coaching in my spare time – while also aspiring as a singer/songwriter/musician. I currently have a full time day job on the 8th floor, and be warned, I am seeking higher paying positions within our organization! So then, let’s start the list of logue-like-vogue interests with my Bank history!
I started as a part time teller with in 1986, my first year at York. Despite that fact that I was a Creative Writing major, I was recruited from university to join the Bank’s Management Training program. I always feel lucky that I got in when I did, because they changed the rules shortly after I did and started expecting BCOMs, not just BAs for the program. I was also lucky enough to complete the training and then be posted as teller supervisor at the very same branch in Brampton!
I was kept interested working through many different roles, including Customer Service Manager, Assistant Manger, and Manager Sales and Service at the Brampton Supercentre. During the days of the $5 service guarantee! I spent most of my time being a teller. But I am proud of the fact that I threw up every Wednesday morning for an entire year, because Wednesday was the morning we changed our hours to accommodate full branch meetings. Even though a staff of 32 reported to me, I chaired this meeting in front of 50 people, including a very foreboding VP and manager in the front row, week after week after week.
I usually say that my most famous job was the role of Manager Customer Care. Because everybody knows there is a department to phone and complain to when you are tired of yelling at your Branch Manager, and that, for a couple of years, was where I worked! I managed the 4 person team responding to over 400 complaints per month, which I remember calculating was probably one fifth of all the complaints in the Canadian Banking Industry at the time. I also had the opportunity to create an intranet site, and to work on a huge sales rally for 3,000 participants, before I left banking and began freelancing.
Which brings us, on the list of interests, to “Left Brain Consulting.” For five years before accepting my current role, I acted as a Marketing Consultant, mostly freelancing for creative clients, although I did also do some short term assignments in the Bank! I have co-produced an album, a short film and also worked on retainer basis with a small publisher. That was really fun because every book they came out with had a different target market! As well as supporting artists, I became one. I have written a poetry manuscript, recorded original songs, appeared on radio, auditioned for TV, and been interviewed for the paper. As well I written many articles, music reviews and interviews published in a variety of magazines and papers.
I am also interested in riding, and have recently re-established a former arrangement with Myrddin Stables in Georgetown to start there again! I will be teaching in September.
I’m afraid I also have an interest in volunteering! Some of my favourite community activities have been hosting kids shows at Harbourfront Centre and acting as a puppeteer in Toronto schools! I have recently been exploring our Bank's "Volunteer Program," and snooping around with Public Affairs to learn more about it. Honestly, I think I aspire to positions within that department...
For sure I am interested in progressing my career within the Bank. That’s why I’ve joined Toastmasters! That’s why I am so grateful for the opportunity today, to introduce myself to the club. And that’s why I am sincerely interested in developing communication skills with such a supportive and encouraging group!!
And, remember what I said about the blind dates!
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