What I learned from 2005 Fall Convention   Freda Chiang

Toastmasters Conventions always inspire me. In 2005 Fall Convention, for example, I was charged with more enthusiasm toward Toastmasters, toward life.

We always hear, “Step out of your comfort zone,” but in the workshop of November 27, Jim Tolford told us to “step out of you DIScomfort zone and step INTO your comfort zone.” What he said is true: “If you use your imagination of pain of taking some action, then you will not do it. On the contrary, if you use your imagination of pain of not taking some action and of pleasure of taking that action, then you will do it.” With this attitude, we can “change habits in a moment.” After that workshop, I started to apply what he taught, and now I have overcome my fear in writing papers to be published. Before the convention, I had published about one paper every four years; after the convention, I have got two published in just four months!

Lance Miller (World Speech Champion, 2005) also enlightened me in many ways. First, his success absolutely owes much to his diligent practice - he got 16 CTMs! Second, we could see that he really wanted to help us. Still in jetlag, he gave TWO workshops and one keynote speech in two days. When he was unexpectedly invited to demonstrate how to deliver a five-to-seven-minute impromptu speech, and how to evaluate the test speech delivered in the previous day, he did without hesitation and his performance was marvelous. Third, he reminded us that people liked to come to a Toastmaster club when “it is fun, it is friendly, and they can keep improving.” Fourth, his tips to make a good speech deeply impressed me, especially the following ones:

1.  You have to find a message. In Lance's winning speech, his message is to “find good things out of every one around us; find what is right in others, in this world. Bring people up a little bit.” How can one be an important person? By validating (praising) a person, one becomes an important person--to that person.

2.  Find a unique topic. Do not say what other speakers may say.

3.  Your message ought to help the audience. For a speaker, the audience is the most important people in the world. “Whoever impacts the audience most will win the contest.”

4.  The attitude of attending a contest is “not I will win or lose; it is what I'm going to learn from that experience.”

5.  Of course, rehearsal, organization, vocal variety, body language, concise words, humor, etc. are all essential.

In addition to Jim and Lance, all the speech contestants were my speech idols and models. Actually, I enjoyed not only English speeches, but also Taiwanese and Mandarin speeches. Contestants were talented and humorous, so were contest chairs, such as Ou-Yang. In short, in a Toastmaster Convention, the most brilliant speakers amazed us and amused us - to give us a very happy experience.

Of course, without the effort of Convention Chair Marian Hsiao, her committee members, and many other supporters, that convention could not exist. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to them all. Thank you for giving me an unforgettable, enjoyable, enlightening moment in my life. My thanks also go to all the people contributing to the past and future conventions. You are heroes!

Freda Chiang
(Spark Past President and Associate Professor of National Yang Ming University)