Toastmasters - ideas to try
Talked to a guy named MJ I met a couple of weeks ago at a Democracy for Oregon workshop. Turns out he's also a Toastmaster interested in training progressives to communicate more effectively (not just to the choir, but to our conservative neighbors and cousins) about what we hold dear.
My plan (see prior post)was to alter the standard TM format only slightly, by adding a round robin discussion of framing to the evaluation of any member's speech that had political content.
MJ was thinking we should go further and practice our elevator speeches with Table Topics. Example: someone calls you a "babykiller" - quick, speak for one minute in a way that reframes the topic positively, personally and progressively. (The three P's: Positive, Personal, Progressive. I just made that up and I like it. Could be a vision for the club.) Great practice for doorbelling!
For sure we can't try the "babykiller" type Table Topic topic until most members have gotten over the terror of speaking off the cuff for one minute on a topic as innocuous as "my summer vacation".
MJ also suggested we could state ahead of time that the next week's meeting will be on a particular theme - say, health care, so anyone with a speaking role must focus on health care. If you are one of the speakers you would need to do some research on some aspect of health care. This would help all members get up to speed, not just the speakers.
Of course, such a program is much more rigorous and demanding than a regular TM club, where most speeches are just good yarns. It would behoove us to avoid too much political haranguing because I believe TM's greatest contribution will be in helping us become more skillful speakers, period. To be able to write a tight speech with a grabber opener, a logically flowing middle and a powerful conclusion - that's a HUGE step forward for most people - including seasoned politicians.
My plan (see prior post)was to alter the standard TM format only slightly, by adding a round robin discussion of framing to the evaluation of any member's speech that had political content.
MJ was thinking we should go further and practice our elevator speeches with Table Topics. Example: someone calls you a "babykiller" - quick, speak for one minute in a way that reframes the topic positively, personally and progressively. (The three P's: Positive, Personal, Progressive. I just made that up and I like it. Could be a vision for the club.) Great practice for doorbelling!
For sure we can't try the "babykiller" type Table Topic topic until most members have gotten over the terror of speaking off the cuff for one minute on a topic as innocuous as "my summer vacation".
MJ also suggested we could state ahead of time that the next week's meeting will be on a particular theme - say, health care, so anyone with a speaking role must focus on health care. If you are one of the speakers you would need to do some research on some aspect of health care. This would help all members get up to speed, not just the speakers.
Of course, such a program is much more rigorous and demanding than a regular TM club, where most speeches are just good yarns. It would behoove us to avoid too much political haranguing because I believe TM's greatest contribution will be in helping us become more skillful speakers, period. To be able to write a tight speech with a grabber opener, a logically flowing middle and a powerful conclusion - that's a HUGE step forward for most people - including seasoned politicians.
posted by JoieDe at 1:54 PM
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