Vida Toastmasters

Una de las actividades que hacemos todos los días es un ejercicio constante en comunicarnos con todas las personas con quien interactuamos. En ocasiones la comunicación llega a ser en dos vías volviéndose valiosa y productiva, pero en otras, la comunicación es de solo un sentido. Volviéndose un soliloquio, una sesión de difusión de las ideas de una sola persona. Recientemente me pidieron ser evaluador de un discurso y llegue al punto de quedar embelesado de lo presentado por el orador, al terminar le felicité por el tema tan interesante y bien presentado, a tal punto que me quedaron muchas ideas a investigar y aplicar en mi vida. Mi amigo quedó satisfecho al saber del efecto que ocasionó en mí y en la audiencia su plática. Momentos más tarde, conteniendo toda clase de remordimientos y tratando de ser lo más cuidadoso, me le acerqué y le dije; “La verdad es que en este caso, no me interesa lo que digas”, su reacción fue de asombro y contrariedad, ya que minutos antes había hecho co

One of the activities we do every day is an exercise in communicating with others. Sometimes communication becomes a two-way street and it is a valuable and productive one, but sometimes, there is no communication at all, is an only one-way street. At this moment is just a lecture, conference or a one-man show. I was recently asked to be an evaluator of a speech and I was overwhelmed by the speaker's presentation, at the end I congratulated her for the interesting and well-delivered topic, to the point that at that moment I had many ideas to search and apply in my life. My friend was pleased with the reaction I had in the speech. Moments later, containing all sorts of regrets and trying to be very cautious, I approached her and said; "The truth is that in this case, I do not care what you said”, her reaction was of astonishment and annoyance, since minutes before she had heard comments in another sense. I know that when you are invited to evaluate a Toastmasters project

Cada día es un inicio de otro ciclo de oportunidades. Puede ser al inicio de una aventura o la oportunidad de continuar alguna que tengas pendiente de definir. También puede ser el preámbulo de la mejor aventura de tu vida. El iniciar algún proyecto siempre tendremos la incertidumbre de saber si tendremos prestada la vida suficiente para terminarlo. Normalmente no lo evaluamos así y podemos iniciarle o por momentos de duda y desconfianza lo postergamos. ¿Pero mañana podremos estaremos aquí para continuarlo? Posiblemente son preguntas muy filosóficas del rumbo que esta teniendo nuestras vidas. Pero con la fe y esperanza de que así sea seguimos intentando en muchos de nuestros sueños. El escenario que nos ofrece un club Toastmaster para ponernos a prueba es uno en el que de manera voluntaria y apoyada por otros miembros igualmente ávidos de crecimiento, aplicaremos  ideas de liderazgo que muchas veces dudamos en tomar. Independientemente del rol de liderazgo que tomes en una sesió

Each day is the beginning of another window of opportunities. It can be the beginning of an adventure or the opportunity to continue some other that you left in the past and need to conclude. It can also be the preamble to the best adventure of your life. Starting a project will always have the uncertainty of knowing if we will have enough time in our lives to finish it. Who knows if tomorrow we will be here to continue? Maybe I am very philosophical with this questions on the course that our life is going. But with faith and hope, we continue trying to achieve our dreams. The scenario offered to anyone at a Toastmaster club can give challenges in which, voluntarily and supported by other members equally eager for growth, we will take the leadership roles that we often hesitate to take. Regardless of the leadership role you take in a session, I assure you that it will eventually be reflected in your family, professional life and any activity you are performing. The gym that beco

Cada sesión de Toastmasters termino con algo nuevo en mi mente para pensar. Tal vez causado por un discurso, una expresión o una palabra presentada. Esta semana encontré chutzpah. Esa palabra fue la que me hizo pensar mucho en mi camino de vuelta a casa. Como lo mencionamos en un artículo anterior, el efecto mariposa se manifiesta continuamente, las alas de la mariposa todavía se mueven y crean ese movimiento continuo y sus efectos están llegando a lugares desconocidos. Asistir a las sesiones da la oportunidad de adquirir ese combustible necesario que puede encender su energía todos los días. Hay veces que si te quedas demasiado tiempo en tu zona de confort, el tiempo pasará y las oportunidades no serán visibles para nunca volver. Estar fuera de esa zona traerá diferentes ideas y resultados, y puede corregir, confirmar o cambiar su punto de vista. Habla delante de una audiencia y no dejes que el miedo a las críticas te controle. A veces, cuando uno está frente a una audiencia, pue

Every session I end with something new in my mind to think about. Maybe a speech, an expression or a word. This week I found chutzpah. That word was one that made me think about a lot on my way home. As we said in another article, the wings of the butterfly are still moving and creating that continuous movement and is moving on to unknown places. It is the opportunity to acquire that needed fuel that can ignite your energy every day. There are times that if you stay too much in your comfort zone, time will pass away and also opportunities would not visible for you and never be back again. Staying out of that zone will bring different ideas and results and you might correct, confirm or change your point of view. Speak in front of an audience and don’t let the fear of criticism control you. Sometimes when you stand in front of an audience it is the most feared thing in life. It is known as, Glossophobia, fear of public speaking. At those situations, we try to do our best and improve

I’ve learned that whatever you do in a Toastmaster session like leading the session, helping on a role, advising a guest or giving feedback. Will be like the butterfly effect, which is the origin of the chaos theory, you throw a stone into a lake and create waves without ever thinking where they will have some impact. On the sessions, we have people from different parts of the world, USA, Canada, Venezuela, England, South Africa, Peru, and Colombia. Also people from different parts of the country and our own city. Where else you have that opportunity to meet such interesting people. Different points of view, experiences level of education and knowledge. Entrepreneurs, students, accountants, engineers, lawyers, human resources experts, and a lot other more. Everyone has an opinion and even we don’t evaluate what is said, we focus on how it is said. Every message can make a greater change in some’s life. Every person has its own story and a particular point of view, so the same s

You just gave your fourth speech and you’re still using notes. Maybe it was a great speech; you might have even received a ribbon for “Most Improved” or “Best Speaker.” Could it have been better? Absolutely! If you review the instructions in your Toastmasters manuals, they encourage you to deliver your speeches without referring to notes. Why is that so important? There are several reasons. Eye contact, rhythm, confidence, and connection with the audience are all affected when you read your speech. And you’re probably not going to get far in speech contests if you have to rely on written notes. Is memorization the answer? No. It is much harder than you might think to memorize a seven-minute speech. I have given 53 speeches without notes, and only one was memorized—and that was the worst speech I have ever delivered. I should not have even tried. I delivered it with so many awkward pauses as I fumbled, and tried to recover, that I failed to notice that the red timing light had come