TDKtalks – Speaking Your Way to Better Leadership

In Show #026 – INNERpreneur Spotlight – Africa Bike Project I introduced you to Melissa and Kelly, cofounders of the Africa Bike Project. Being an INNERpreneur sometimes means conceiving, driving and managing a project, from the ground up. Leadership Skills and Communication Skills are required. I discovered them and their charity from a relaxing evening read of a monthly newspaper. They met, for the first time in 2009, while on a flight to Kipgrengwe Primary School, Kericho, Kenya, with the central Alberta-based international development organization, A-Better-World Canada. For more about their May 2013 Kenya trip, you can listen to our interview above. While there for 4 weeks doing humanitarian work on projects, such as painting an orphanage and playing with children, they had an “ah-ha” moment. Hearing stories of many children walking up to 20 kilometres to school, even back home for lunch, they thought if each had a mountain bike, it would save them time for school and prevent some from dropping out, which does happen. Having access to their very own bike, would improve their quality of life, as their family could use it also. When they arrived back in Alberta, they got to work. This interview highlites their return trip in May 2013 to personally deliver the first 205 bikes, complete with assembly, training and eventually handing over to the students. Melissa and Kelly are running their charity to raise $50,000 for the purchase of approximately 585 specially designed and built, AfriKid bicycles. These bicycles are specially designed by Kona Mountain Bicycle Company. Kona is donating 1 bike for every 2 purchased from donations. Kona will also pay for 1/2 the shipping costs, when all will need to be shipped to Kenya in late 2012. Consider donating ( I did ) by visiting their website – Africa Bike Project For more detail on INNERpreneurship, you can read my article on Ezinearticles – INNERpreneurship – The Rise of Self Destiny You might also like

Several days ago I received an invite to review Lisa B Marshall’s latest book – Smart Talk – The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation I read some of the excerpts from the books website – SmartTalkSuccess.com So I wrote a review on Amazon – Read my and Other Reviews on Amazon Public speakers of every age can benefit by practising the exercises Lisa gives on her website. Lisa’s book is based on her real feedback of teaching better communication skills over nearly 10 years with clients from individuals to fortune 500 executives. It is invaluable as Lisa emphasizes the problem areas she identified lacking, in either communications, public speaking or leadership. To become an effective leader, along with leadership skills you also need communication skills and leadership abilities. Also, Lisa speaks of extras from her website, which is a self-paced workshop of exercises, such as introducing yourself, both orally, in e-mails and in social media. I quickly download the excerpt and, very much interested in what I read, followed up with a last minute request to interview Lisa about her 2nd book. I was ecstatic when Lisa said, “OK, but I am only available at 7 am EST (which is 5 am MST where I reside – … YIKES ….. ) I originally met and interviewed Lisa about her main website location – “Lisa B Marshall – Passionate About Communication”, back in Show #022 – Passionate About Communication – An Interview with Lisa B Marshall Since then, I have constantly followed her great tips, both from her website and her syndicated location on iTunes. Her first book is Ace Your Interview which you can also buy directly from her website or any online bookstore. – You may also like Show #027 – Triple DTM – Forever Learning or Show #023 – Dawn of the INNERpreneur – The Video –

Youth Leadership Program (YLP) Today I interview toastmaster Fred Jones of District 21 (British Columbia, CANADA). In January of 2012, Fred facilitated an online webinar on various youth leadership topics. I had the pleasure of both presenting and absorbing the 20 minute presentations by us 6 Toastmasters. Fred has been a Toastmaster for many years, hailing from Ontario, CANADA. Fred is currently the youth leadership program co-ordinator for District 21. Samia Reed, one of the presenters, has a youth leadership website – TMyouth.wordpress.com – containing various youth leadership program information. She is presenting a District 2 Toastmasters Youth Conference on October 20, 2012 in Redmond, Washington, USA. But if you missed both Sundays, don’t fret. Fred recorded ALL the presentations and has published them for permanent reference on the Vimeo Website A total of 8 powerpoint webinars were presented & recorded onto Vimeo. I presented modules #2 & #3. Each is approximately 20 mins with Q & A’s at the end. You can watch them here; * Gavel Clubs for Those Under 18 Years * Code of Ethics for Program Co-ordinators (by Terry of TDKtalks.com) * Marketing (by Terry of TDKtalks.com) * First Nations Youth * Co-ordinators Kit and Info * YLP for 6 – 11 Year Olds * St. Margaret’s School – Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA * Taking it to the Classroom These video webinars are well done by Fred and all the presenters. – If you enjoyed this interview, you will also like; Show #025 – INNERpreneur Spotlight – No Ordinary Journey – An Interview or this dicussion on INNERpreneurship;

Here is a great interview by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – CBC, on their program ” The Current “ on introverts, extroverts and public speaking. How does each fare in leadership roles? Toastmasters are well mentioned and specifically, Liberty Village Toastmasters of Toronto, CANADA are featured with several member testimonials. I can’t guess how many times I replayed this as there are so many valuable attributes discussed. The Current – The Power of Introverts – Feb 17, 2012 Being interviewed is Susan Cain (a toastmaster) about her book – Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking Several significant points are raised during this interview; * 1 out of 2 (or 3) is an introvert (good odds I would say) * most everyone gravitates naturally to extroverts * many people who achieved great things are introverts * extroverts have been believed to make better leaders – this is NOT true * we mortals quickly mimic opinions of the group – unconsciously – without realizing it * the value of solitude in forming our ideas and beliefs – solitude matters Many of us grew up around typical extroverts. They were the ones who were popular in school with most everyone and were stars on the sports teams. We also know atleast several introverts, in fact, you may have begun as an introvert and some may still remain there today. Introverts were and still may be, looked down and frowned upon. They are depicted as least desirable. However many succeed to achieve great things by developing their gifted skills and passions, speaking and leadership skills being one of them. Warren Buffet, Dale Carnegie and Malcom Gladwell, famous people in their own right are introverts. The interviewer was CBC’s Jim Brown on “The Current” originally aired Feb 17, 2012. You may also like Show #027 – Triple DTM – Forever Learning or Show #023 – Dawn of the INNERpreneur – The Video

Social Media Progression Today we are surrounded, even bombarded by social media. Media from the earliest of days to the latest of social media, which is either written, audio, video and pictoral. Learning how to effectively use our social network to our benefit is key. In this interview I speak with one of our very own ShawMasters Toastmaster Club member, Sheila who also works as a journalist, producer and on-air host for Shaw TV, where all our ShawMasters club members work. With that experience, she brings vital talent, experience and creative fun, to our weekly meetings. She tells us how she arrived at Shaw TV and some memorable interviews. We have printed media in the form of newspapers and magazines. We have streaming audio and podcasts. We also have all out video on YouTube and Vimeo. Everyone prefers input in different forms. Some like to read, as from blogs. Some like snippets as from twitter. Some are visual learners so YouTube and Vimeo is their choice. Some are audible learners, so podcasts fit them very well. Also, at different times, we ourselves will prefer different information formats, according to our mood and how much time we have. But not only are we pulling along traditional forms of media from the days of yore, but we have extended the traditional 3, that being print, audio and video, into the latest extension, social media online. Social Media Variety So print media is extended into online blogs. Audio media is extended into podcasts and online streaming. Video is extended into social media circles in the form of YouTube and Vimeo.  You will also like Show #012 – When YOU are the General Evaluator or Show #013 – When YOU are the VP Membership –

Order Your Copy From Amazon by Clicking Here Now “Achieve Your Greatness !” – Isn’t that a monumental goal of leadership and achievement for many of us in our lifes’ journey? We all should strive to achieve and become “Achievers”. Several weeks ago while attending our Calgary Advanced Toastmasters (CATS) meeting, we had a guest which I quickly connected with. What caught my attention was the book that Vince brought and displayed during his introduction, because it is the most recent book he has published on personal development. Turns out, my opening phrase above is the title of his book, “Achieve Your Greatness ! – Squeezing The Best Out of What You Have to Offer” We humans don’t come with a users manual, but if we did, it would be similar to Vince’s book. As I began to read it, I quickly connected, as if I was reading about my own lifes experiences when growing up (along with some of the lessons it taught me). Well it didn’t take me long to finish it, as I wanted to see how many other similarities to my past I could read about. A book like this is good to review every 6 months, to keep your goals on track. Focus on the simple and easy points first. If you do you will be 80% there. It’s that magic ratio that applies here also. 80% of the target goal only takes 20% of your time and effort. The first 80% is easy and doesn’t take as much time. That is what Vince’s book focuses on. For most of us, that is all we need. You can purchase Vince’s book from Amazon. You can connect with Vince at his blog at achieveyourgreatness.wordpress.com Vince’s website is www.vincealiberti.com Order Your Copy From Amazon by Clicking Here Now You might also like Show #022 – Passionate About Communications – Interview with Lisa B Marshall or this interview about the Africa Bike Project;

Today, in my feature segment, “Let’s Get to Know …” a special interview with a Toastmaster who has not only accomplished alot (she is near her 2nd DTM in her 5 years of being a Toastmaster) but is pulling together a fantastic TEAM with District wide goals for 2012-13. First an overview … Toastmasters International comprises 270,000 members in over 13,000 clubs in 116 countries around the world. It comprises 88 districts, numbered 1 through 88. Ours is District 42 which currently has approximately 255 clubs and 7787 members. District 42 has 9 divisions, A to J covering Alberta & Saskatchewan of the “Great White North” of Canada. Division J, having 34 clubs and 1113 members, is led by Division J Governor, Doris Henn, DTM. She is the focus of our interview today. As we approach our spring convention dates, if you or any member is considering letting their name stand for an executive position in your district, be sure to check online for Guidelines for Candidates and Campaigns These guidelines are to ensure fair representation for all running candidates. Also check District Election Voting details for more information. Be sure to attend our District 42 Spring Convention on May 4, 5 & 6 here in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA, where, among other events, the NEW District 42 executive will be voted upon and elected. You can register and check the venue at – D42 Take The Lead Spring Convention Website –  Be sure to pick up Doris’ marketing brochure to catch up with all she has accomplished, and her plans for 2012-13. This time of year, I usually can’t wait for things to slow down … ………………..Now, I can’t wait for our 2012-13 TM year to Start !   Follow-Up; During the Business Meeting held on May 5 during the District 42 Spring Convention, Doris easily won and is now our incoming Lt. Governor of Marketing for 2012-13 Congratulations Doris ! – Well Done Campaign Team ! – If you liked this show you may also like Show #022 – Passionate About Communications – Interview with Lisa B Marshall or this interview with Melissa & Kelly about their Africa Bike Project Show #026 – INNERpreneur Spotlight – Africa Bike Project – An Intervie...

Project Management Tips, Tools and Techniques for Toastmasters How to manage projects – Project Management 101. Today I do an interview with John Popoff, PMP about an upcoming workshop he will be facilitating and presenting in our Calgary area of District 42. He gives us some basic project management tips. One of John’s mentors in project management is Dream Team Consulting. John will be presenting, as his high-performance leadership (HPL) project – a 3-hour workshop “Turning Problems into Productivity: Project Management Tips, Tools and Techniques for Toastmasters”. The pinacle of project management is the Project Management Institute (PMI). Our local chapter is the Southern Alberta Chapter Project Management Institute. But project management isn’t just for Toastmasters but for the masses in most any industry. The aspect I found intriguing in speaking with John, is that a good project manager has to excel in the areas of communication, motivation and leadership within their team. Those are the exact same aspects we as Toastmasters strive for through our regular meetings. John’s club is the MVP Advanced Club in Calgary, Alberta Canada of District 42. For more information and to register, please go to THIS LINK to reserve your spot (scroll to the bottom – “To Register Click Here” button) – You might also like Show #022 – Passionate About Communications – Interview with Lisa B Marshall or this interview with Melissa & Kelly Show #026 – INNERpreneur Spotlight – Africa Bike Project – An Interview

DTM First Thought – “Why Did I Wait so Long to Achieve my DTM?” This year – 2011 -2012 is the inaugural year following the major Rebranding of International, where Leadership has taken focus. Several of our local Division leaders have taken the lead and successfully held noteable events, focusing on members achieving their own DTM designation. Once such was “Destination DTM” spearheaded by our Division J Governor, Doris. This was a 1/2 day conference of short 20 minute seminars on various projects that advanced toastmasters can work on to build credit toward achieving thier personal DTM designation. Today I bring you our own contribution, this 5-way interview ” Triple DTM – Forever Learning “ This interview is a roundtable discussion where both Keith and I ask Monique, Shahnaz and Gimalle the “How and Why” of their journey as Toastmasters towards their DTM. Monique and Shahnaz are members of Toastmasters 10101 Club. Gimalle is a member of Calgary Talking Club. Keith is Lieutenant Governor of Marketing for District 42 Shahnaz, Gimalle & Monique D42’s ” Three DTMs “ If you enjoyed this interview, you might also like Show #025 – INNERpreneur Spotlight – No Ordinary Journey – An Interview or Show #002 – Distinguished Club Program DCP

One Project . One Goal . Help Africa . One Bike at a Time Being an INNERpreneur sometimes means conceiving, driving and managing a project, from the ground up. Leadership Skills and Communication Skills are required. From a relaxing evening read of a monthly newspaper, I read about 2 young ladies, local to me, who are the co-creators, of the Africa Bike Project. They met, for the first time in 2009, while on a flight to Kipgrengwe Primary School, Kericho, Kenya, with the central Alberta-based international development organization, A-Better-World Canada. While there for 4 weeks doing humanitarian work on projects, such as painting an orphanage and playing with children, they had an “ah-ha” moment. Hearing stories of many children walking up to 20 kilometres to school, even back home for lunch, they thought if each had a mountain bike, it would save them time for school and prevent some from dropping out, which does happen. Having access to their very own bike, would improve their quality of life, as their family could use it also. When they arrived back in Alberta, they got to work. Melissa and Kelly are running their charity to raise $50,000 for the purchase of approximately 585 specially designed and built, AfriKid bicycles. These bicycles are specially designed by Kona Mountain Bicycle Company. Kona is donating 1 bike for every 2 purchased from donations. Kona will also pay for 1/2 the shipping costs, when all will need to be shipped to Kenya in late 2012. For more detail on INNERpreneurship, you can read my article on Ezinearticles – INNERpreneurship – The Rise of Self Destiny For more about their story, you can listen to our interview below. Consider donating ( I did ) by visiting their website – The Africa Bike Project AfriKid Bike by Kona Mountain Bikes You might also like Show #025 – INNERpreneur Spotlight – No Ordinary Journey – An Interview or Show #006 – District 42 Spring Convention 2009 – Inte...

It’s not often that I meet a Toastmaster Who is Doing Amazing Things with their speaking and leadership abilities. But last year, as Area Governor D42-J46, I visited Literally Speaking, one of my Area 46, Division J, District 42 clubs and first heard this lady present one of her manual speeches. Within moments, I realized, “This lady is not just pushing through another manual speech here“. I sensed motivation and inspiration. I was captivated. Laverne’s 2 websites are www.bissky.com & No Ordinary Journey Laverne Bissky’s participation at her Toastmasters Club, is but a small part of her repertoire. She is also a Rotarian, humanitarian, inspirational speaker, coach and facilitates retreats to Cambodia, Viet Nam, Africa and South East Asia. She has organized and managed several projects aimed at those countries. Capturing the true essence of being an INNERpreneur, I couldn’t resist speaking with Laverne and asking about her adventures. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Laverne about her INNERpreneurship and humanitarian work in this podcast. You can listen to it by clicking the player below. Is it a Calling ? Need to be a Part of Something ? A Sense of Belonging ? Taking Leadership in Filling a Void ? Wanting to do Something Else that you Conceive, Plan, Organize, Populate and Support Going Onwards ? No doubt, participants from both east and west gain much For more detail on INNERpreneurship, you can read my article on Ezinearticles – INNERpreneurship – The Rise of Self Destiny – If you want to find out more about INNERpreneurship, this earlier podcast may help ” Show #024 – Dawn of the INNERpreneur – The Video “ or Show #018 – Are YOU an INNERpreneur? – An Interview with Tara Joyce –

I couldn’t have picked a better challenge than preparing for this educational. I was selected to present at our Toastmasters District 42 Spring Convention on April 29 to May 1 in Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA. I learnt so much more about INNERpreneuship along with reinforcing my belief that it’s time has come and it’s here to stay. For more detail on INNERpreneurship, you can read my article on Ezinearticles – INNERpreneurship – The Rise of Self Destiny For one, our society needs a transformation from that long standing practise of take, take take. Also, it further grows us as Toastmasters and gives us 1 more path to continue on after mastering our skills as Toastmasters. Some remain within Toastmasters using those skills but others have the opportunity of “spreading their wings” and taking themselves out into the real world. Well, my 30 minute educational went quite well. Yes, from the get-go you will notice that the video tape is taken from a side profile. I was focusing so much on my presentation, that I overlooked that final instruction to my assistant who held the camera steadily for 37 minutes. You can download my FREE e-Book – INNERpreneurship – The Rise of Self Destiny This being the debut of “Dawn of the INNERpreneur”, I hope to present several more times in the near future. This was a crowning presentation for me as 2 hours prior, I was awarded my long sought Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award and plaque. Here are several websites to get you warmed up to the topic; * www.elasticmind.ca – Rise of the Innerpreneur * www.StevePavlina.com – Resource for Developing Innerpreneurs * www.BalancedLiving.com – Resource for Developing Innerpreneurs The book that says it all well; * Karma Queens,

What are you PASSIONATE about? Everyone has a passion. One of mine is Speaking and Presenting Skills. My other one is helping others to speak, present and lead better. I also like interviewing and writing. The result is this,  my podcast series – TDKtalks.com Originally it was solely my High Performance Leadership Project or HPL. But then it became a labor of love, such that, I decided to keep it going. It falls in line with many of my other projects and activities within Toastmasters. A large part of growing your speaking confidence, is becoming a better communicator. In addition, if yours, like mine, is COMMUNICATION, then stay tuned. I have the pleasure of interviewing Lisa B. Marshall of www.lisabmarshall.com – Passionate About Communication. Developing the communications skills is a large part of leadership development. You can’t have one without the other. They are cohesive elements that rely on each other. You can also find her audio podcast – “The Public Speaker – Quick & Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communications Skills” on iTunes. She has also written and published an e-book which I highly recommend, “Public Speaker’s Guide to Ace Your Interview” I get a chance to ask Lisa a number of questions, these being; * What is the most common question about Public speaking you get from your listeners? * What are your top tips to overcoming your fear of public speaking? * You don’t only speak about public speaking. What are the other topics you cover? * Lisa is also a published author. What was the inspiration behind your first book, “Ace Your Interview”? * Lisa’s 2nd e-book will be available soon. Can you give us a sneak peak at what it will be about? Lisa is also available for group presentations and one-on-one coaching sessions. She has a loyal following on both FaceBook and LinkedIn. Check out her website and e-books. – You also might like this interview Show #018 – Are YOU an Innerpreneur? or Show #016 – A Mentor YOU can Rely on – Interview with Ms. Dianna Booher –

Have you heard of a Life Coach? Well today I interview Ms. Nicky Kriel of www.nickykriel.com. She is a life coach based in the UK and provides personal coaching using NLP which is Neurolinguistic Programming. She also writes interesting content in her blog. She has formally been offering her services on her website for 2 years but has been growing business steadily. With an academic background in university psychology and linguistics study, she has gained further experience by working in marketing and sales. Growing up in South Africa then relocating to the UK 20 years ago, she is quite familiar with how change can affect people. Tying this background together, she has also completed the NLP Practitioner Course, which further confirmed she was on the right path. An avid Toastmaster as well,  she is the current President of Guildford Speakers in Surrey UK,  having her AC-B and AL-B. She says attaining that level has helped her immensely in consulting and connecting to her many clients. In conversation, Nicky said she has had many requests to teach people on aspects of implementing social media such as twitter, facebook and linkedin. There is a correct way to use these social networks so they work for you. Her blog posts also show her talent for writing home-grown original material centered around aspects of being human. I certainly got caught up reading several the morning prior to our interview, some of which I could relate to. I realized that making that connection with people is how a relationship is formed, in our virtual social networking age. When people can relate to your material, wether written or spoken, a bond, trust and appreciation is made. A relationship is made. Dialogue continues. And for certain a reciprocative exchange of mutual benefit occurs when both sides gain in information they can use. “Of Worthy Mention” this episode discusses the article – “Crisis Leadership: A Leader’s Highest Duty” on page 24 of the December issue of TOASTMASTER magazine. Thanks to Craig Harrison, DTM for this article. – You will also like this interview Show #031 – You, Toastmasters & Media Today or

What is the DCP Distinguished Club Program? Why follow the DCP? Will it make your TEAM leadership better? What about the Club Success Plan? In this show I explain the basics and simplicity of empowering you as a Toastmasters exec using the DCP. Achieve this by planning your year with the Distinguished Club Program. We Area Governors always emphasize this to our execs. We want to ensure you plan and run your Toastmasters team year around the DCP and the Club Success Plan. The Club Success Plan is the actual working plan. It ensures you achieve the 10 line items of the DCP. It puts you on the correct path to gain most, if not all 10 points by June 30 of your concluding Toastmaster year. Think of it as a report card from grade school. It is a plan you set at the beginning of the year. There are 10 line items you as an exec have to try to achieve. Each one is worth 1 point. There is recognition for achieving 5, 7 or 9 out of 10. Of course, you should always strive for 10. Month by month, you monitor it to see if you are on target for the June 30 year year end. Plan the work and work the plan. It will make your life as an exec easy. Following it ensures your club succeeds. It also ensure each members goals and personal growth are achieved. All your members will finish the year having accomplished alot. And you will be working towards your leadership skills development. Those are credits that are used in the Leadership tracks which runs in parallel to the speech track. Eventually a new member will realize you work in both tracks in parallel. To achieve Toastmasters International highest award designation, the DTM, you have to complete requirements in both tracks. Don’t follow it and you are just asking for more work. You will also have an unfulfilled year. Also you are most guaranteed to have an underperforming year. – You might also like Show #003 – Club Website – Consider FreeToastHost & Why or Show #006 – District 42 Spring Convention 2009 – Interviews –