Toastmasters Table Topics Questions – Summer Vacation Theme

Here were the Table Topics questions I used for our meeting today. If you’re not familiar with Toastmasters, it’s a great professional development organization and most clubs’ meetings are a lot of fun. Ours are. Table topics allow for impromptu speaking opportunities so member are better able to respond and interact to questions they haven’t [...]

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What Becoming an MVP Meant to Me

I remember in the mid 2000s when I wanted to do enough to be recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Microsoft SQL Server. At that time I saw it as the “next level.” Folks I really respected were being named MVPs, folks I wanted to follow in the footsteps of, so naturally, [...]

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Why I Am a Toastmaster

I’ve mentioned before about the Toastmasters organization, which is made up of local clubs and a hierarchy thereof. Toastmasters is all about personal professional development. There are two basic tracks to work on: Becoming a better speaker. Becoming a better leader. Participating in a club develops both aspects. When you are the Toastmaster of the [...]

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Quickly Implement What You’ve Learned

I just recently finished reading Presentation Zen, which talks a lot about slide design in addition to just the art of presenting well. There are a few things I noted that I needed to do a better job of: Put key information in the areas which the eyes naturally fall. Divide the slide into thirds, [...]

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Review: Presentation Zen

Let me start off this review by stating Presentation Zen is a very practical book on how to improve one’s presentations. That probably struck me more than anything else as I read through it, because I found something of use in every chapter. At the end of the book, I had quite a few notes. [...]

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Expect the Unexpected

Last night I was reading a post by Andy Leonard (blog | twitter) where his presentation slides completely fell apart. This was, of course, after sustaining a hit to the head that would have gotten him pulled from an NFL game. Now Andy is an accomplished presenter and he’s able to recover well, even if [...]

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Where did that DBA go?

Folks who know me know I have two positions: IT pro working primarily these days in Microsoft SQL Server as a database administrator (DBA) Junior high youth pastor and Awana commander During the summer months, junior high schoolers aren’t in school, so my ministry commitments step up. Plus, lately there are some areas I feel [...]

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Tip on Speaking (and Writing) Well – The Key Idea

In the September 2010 issue of Toastmaster magazine there’s a great article by Chris Witt (blog) entitled Not All Ideas Are Created Equal. Here is the gist of what it has to say with my own take on the points Mr. Witt has made: Focus on one idea If you have more ideas, great! Save [...]

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Balloon Animals for Children’s Ministry

You want to have a hit for children’s ministry? Learn how to twist balloon animals and other types of balloon art. It’s not hard at all. In fact, several basic patterns can be taught in about 15 minutes. I know, because I’ve taught it to junior high level youth (12-14 years old) in that time [...]

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Toastmasters – Table Topics Questions

Table Topics Masters can be brutal. Let me explain. I’m a member of  a Toastmasters chapter and try to participate as much as possible. Today I served as the Table Topics Master during the meeting. For those who aren’t familiar with a Toastmasters meeting, the Table Topics Master brings questions or scenarios fitting with the [...]

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