1924, Ralph C. Smedley held the first meeting of what would eventually become Toastmasters International at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California
Smedley began working as director of education for a YMCA after he graduated from college. He observed that many of the young patrons needed “training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings” and Smedley wanted to help them.
When Smedley started the Toastmasters group at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, members practiced speaking skills in a supportive, informal atmosphere. Today over 12,500 clubs and more that 260,000 members in 113 countries learn practical speaking skills in a positive and supportive atmosphere.
10 Reasons why I think every planner should go to Toastmasters.
1. Public Speaking is one of the top three biggest fears that people have. Toastmasters in its positive and supportive manner helps you be better able to deal with or even overcome this fear.
2. Your first ten speeches is from a series called the Competent Communicator series. Each speech has a topic as a guideline so you learn 10 different styles of public speaking. For example you learn how to do a speech using handouts. Being able to handle yourself in public is a skill that will carry you far.
3. It allows you to build confidence speaking to people, even on a one to one basis. I am not saying that it will turn a shy person into the life of the party, but it will build you up so you can talk in front of people.
4. You do speeches at your own pace.
5. One of the aspects of a Toastmasters meeting is called Table Topics. What Table Topics is a two minute chance to speak off the cuff. What it does is teach you how to think on your feet.
6. Once you complete the Competent Communicator series there are several other paths including other aspects of public speaking await you. For example one of the series is called the "Entertaining Speaker." A series of 5 speeches that range from giving a toast to a roast. It's a fun series and it's really creative. Any outlet that helps you be creative will help you in a profession where how creative you are can make the difference between you and your competition.
7. All of us have verbal ticks such as saying uh, or my personal favorite filler word, "so". Using the techniques that you learn at Toastmasters you can overcome those ticks and present yourself in a more professional and confident way.
8. Another aspect of the meeting is having your speeches evaluated. I learned so much from what others have told me. No one is mean, always a good comment and one aspect where you need to grow.
9. You can sign up for professional coaching and pay a lot of money for what you learn at Toastmasters for $80.00 a year.
10. Even if you think you can speak in public, you will still benefit from going to Toastmasters.
To find out more about Toastmasters go to www.toastmasters.org
You may reach me through my website www.kilgorebusiness.com You can find my blog at http://plannerspointers.blogspot.com/
You can find podcasts of Planner's Pointers at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/73353
Friday, August 13, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Welcome to Planner's Pointer's Planners Pointers is a blog and talk cast to help beginning event planners with their event planning. Give them ideas on planning better events, books to read and websites to discover.
This week I would like to talk about 15 tips on Business Etiquette
1. Dress Professionally. It doesn’t always mean a suit, but clean and neat is necessary. Tip – dress like the people you are going to meet. If you are attending a meeting on behalf of your client, ask if they have a dress code and dress appropriately.
2. Arrive on time. Arrive 10 minutes early. If you are meeting for lunch let, the people know that if you arrive early you’ll get a table. Have cell phone numbers in case you are running late.
3. Have a clear agenda on what you want to accomplish with your meeting. It doesn’t need written down, although that’s a good idea.
4. Schedule as much time as you need and don’t short yourself. Allow at least one hour for a one to one meeting.
5. If you are the one who did the asking, offer to pay for the meal. The other person may say, Dutch treat is fine and that’s OK also. If doing separate checks, say so when you are ordering.
6. Order food you are comfortable eating.
7. Do not order alcohol at lunch.
8. Remember all those things your mother tried to teach you as a child about chewing your food. Do talk with your mouth full. Butter your bread one bite at a time. Cut your meat two bites at a time. Don’t shovel your food; it’s not a race.
9. Remember that a first time meeting a new or possible client it’s a lot like a first date.
10. Keep the table as clear as possible when you are eating.
11. Once the person you are meeting has arrived, put your cell phone on mute.
12. Keep the lunch conversation professional, but light. Do not ask personal questions. Dodge age questions. A question I get a lot is who old are my children. My response is grown and flown.
13. Remember is meeting is a conversation not an interview.
14. Listen to what other people are saying. Try not to formulate your response while they are responding to your questions.
15. Follow up with a Thank you note. Handwritten is best. Use a “fun” stamp not machined postage or stamps off of a roll.
Planner's Pointers is produced by me, Mary Pam Kilgore, of Kilgore Business Services, LLC You may reach me through my website www.kilgorebusiness.com You can find podcasts of Planner's Pointers at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/73353
This week I would like to talk about 15 tips on Business Etiquette
1. Dress Professionally. It doesn’t always mean a suit, but clean and neat is necessary. Tip – dress like the people you are going to meet. If you are attending a meeting on behalf of your client, ask if they have a dress code and dress appropriately.
2. Arrive on time. Arrive 10 minutes early. If you are meeting for lunch let, the people know that if you arrive early you’ll get a table. Have cell phone numbers in case you are running late.
3. Have a clear agenda on what you want to accomplish with your meeting. It doesn’t need written down, although that’s a good idea.
4. Schedule as much time as you need and don’t short yourself. Allow at least one hour for a one to one meeting.
5. If you are the one who did the asking, offer to pay for the meal. The other person may say, Dutch treat is fine and that’s OK also. If doing separate checks, say so when you are ordering.
6. Order food you are comfortable eating.
7. Do not order alcohol at lunch.
8. Remember all those things your mother tried to teach you as a child about chewing your food. Do talk with your mouth full. Butter your bread one bite at a time. Cut your meat two bites at a time. Don’t shovel your food; it’s not a race.
9. Remember that a first time meeting a new or possible client it’s a lot like a first date.
10. Keep the table as clear as possible when you are eating.
11. Once the person you are meeting has arrived, put your cell phone on mute.
12. Keep the lunch conversation professional, but light. Do not ask personal questions. Dodge age questions. A question I get a lot is who old are my children. My response is grown and flown.
13. Remember is meeting is a conversation not an interview.
14. Listen to what other people are saying. Try not to formulate your response while they are responding to your questions.
15. Follow up with a Thank you note. Handwritten is best. Use a “fun” stamp not machined postage or stamps off of a roll.
Planner's Pointers is produced by me, Mary Pam Kilgore, of Kilgore Business Services, LLC You may reach me through my website www.kilgorebusiness.com You can find podcasts of Planner's Pointers at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/73353
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Computer tip -- Shortcut Keys
Shortcut keys are useful small applications that allow you to move around on your computer screen without using the mouse. In fact, I think that once you get used to using them, they can work faster than using a mouse or the touch pad on a laptop. All of these shortcuts start by using the Control key (CTRL)
CTRL + C will copy text after it has been highlighted.
CTRL + V will paste text that you have copied.
CTRL + X Cut Text and place on Clipboard
CRTL + Z will undo any change that you have done.
CTRL + ESC will bring up the Start Menu.
CTRL + A Select all items on a page
CTRL + ALT + DELETE will bring up Task Manager and allow you to end a process (terminate a program) if it has crashed or has stopped responding. Select the process which has stopped responding, and then press "END PROCESS''. Use this before you decide to do a computer restart because a program has stopped responding.
CTRL + PRT SCR (Print Screen) Copies what is on the screen to allow you to paste it in any photo editing program like PaintShop Pro or Adobe PhotoShop.
That's the Planner's Pointers for today.
Planner's Pointers is written by Mary Pam Kilgore, CMP owner of Kilgore Business Services, LLC. Email: marypam@kilgorebusiness.com Website: www.kilgorebusiness.com
CTRL + C will copy text after it has been highlighted.
CTRL + V will paste text that you have copied.
CTRL + X Cut Text and place on Clipboard
CRTL + Z will undo any change that you have done.
CTRL + ESC will bring up the Start Menu.
CTRL + A Select all items on a page
CTRL + ALT + DELETE will bring up Task Manager and allow you to end a process (terminate a program) if it has crashed or has stopped responding. Select the process which has stopped responding, and then press "END PROCESS''. Use this before you decide to do a computer restart because a program has stopped responding.
CTRL + PRT SCR (Print Screen) Copies what is on the screen to allow you to paste it in any photo editing program like PaintShop Pro or Adobe PhotoShop.
That's the Planner's Pointers for today.
Planner's Pointers is written by Mary Pam Kilgore, CMP owner of Kilgore Business Services, LLC. Email: marypam@kilgorebusiness.com Website: www.kilgorebusiness.com
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Audio Visual Aids -- Laser Pointers and More!
Welcome to Planner's Pointers --
This week: Audio Visual aids you will see used by speakers.
Laser Pointer: Laser pointers are devices that emit a beam of light that projects a small, red dot onto a surface. During a meeting a laser pointer may be used to call attention to specific areas during a presentation.
Wireless Presenter: In recent years laser pointers have been paired with a wireless presenter. A wireless presenter is a device that advances the slides in a PowerPoint presentation. The wireless device works similar to a wireless mouse in that it uses radio frequencies. One part is the transmitter, the part in your hand, and the receiver that is plugged into the computer USB port.
Microsoft PowerPoint -- A software program that develops presentations. While PowerPoint isn't AV equipment, it has become the primary tool for developing presentations. You could almost call it a crutch for some presenters. By crutch, I mean they talk to the presentation and not the audience because their notes are the PowerPoint and they haven't taken the necessary time to rehearse the talk.
6 by 6 rule -- Guidelines that state that no transparency or slide to presentation should contain more than 6 words per line of text and no more than 6 lines text.
There was a phrase that went around a few years ago that went like this: Death by PowerPoint! What it was talking about was the over crowding on a slide of to much text or illustrations that were overly complicated. What the 6 by 6 rule tells us is to keep it simple, one idea per slide. Also to keep the slides to a minimum.
That's the Planner's Pointer for today.
My website http://www.kilgorebusiness.com/
This week: Audio Visual aids you will see used by speakers.
Laser Pointer: Laser pointers are devices that emit a beam of light that projects a small, red dot onto a surface. During a meeting a laser pointer may be used to call attention to specific areas during a presentation.
Wireless Presenter: In recent years laser pointers have been paired with a wireless presenter. A wireless presenter is a device that advances the slides in a PowerPoint presentation. The wireless device works similar to a wireless mouse in that it uses radio frequencies. One part is the transmitter, the part in your hand, and the receiver that is plugged into the computer USB port.
Microsoft PowerPoint -- A software program that develops presentations. While PowerPoint isn't AV equipment, it has become the primary tool for developing presentations. You could almost call it a crutch for some presenters. By crutch, I mean they talk to the presentation and not the audience because their notes are the PowerPoint and they haven't taken the necessary time to rehearse the talk.
6 by 6 rule -- Guidelines that state that no transparency or slide to presentation should contain more than 6 words per line of text and no more than 6 lines text.
There was a phrase that went around a few years ago that went like this: Death by PowerPoint! What it was talking about was the over crowding on a slide of to much text or illustrations that were overly complicated. What the 6 by 6 rule tells us is to keep it simple, one idea per slide. Also to keep the slides to a minimum.
That's the Planner's Pointer for today.
My website http://www.kilgorebusiness.com/
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Audio Visual Equipment -- LCD Projectors
This month I will be looking at common Audio Visual equipment that meeting and event planners use.
LCD Projector LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display In a nutshell how they work is -- You connect the projector to the VGA output of your computer, or DVD player and the projector becomes the monitor screen or shows the DVD. The output of a projector is measured in lumens; the higher the lumen the brighter the projector and the more expensive it is.
There are several websites out there that describe how the LCD projector work, how to connect it to your computer, how to purchase a projector so I won't go into all of that, however; I will take a stab to answer this question: Why are they so expensive to rent on a per day basis. In Pittsburgh, for example, the average rate is $250 +/-.
In my experience LCD projectors are tender creatures that need some care to work correctly and if you don't know how to set up and use the projector you could be asking for problems. One of the things you are paying for when you rent an LCD projector is a technical person to help you get the thing set up correctly with the laptop that has the presentation. If you are not the least technical, then it is worth it. I am not saying don't learn how to use a LCD projector, I am saying having help available when you could be or should be doing other things at an event is a very good idea. Another reason is that like it's predecessor, the slide projector, the LCD projector has a bulb that gets really hot (which is why projectors have fans) and when it is time to replace the bulb; the bulb may cost as much as 50% the cost of a new LCD projector.
Best tip, make sure you allow for the rental in the budget. Ask your speaker if they will need one. Some speakers travel with their own equipment and some venues, especially conference centers have built the cost of using AV into the cost of using the room so you may not need to rent one except on the occasional basis.
Another question I get a lot is should you own a LCD projector. My response: How much do you use the projector? The average cost of a 2,000 lumen LCD projector is $1,000.00 depending on the manufacturer, weight, bulb life specifications and some other factors. At $250.00 a pop to use at a venue, then you would need to use it 4 times in a period of let's say 3 months to make it worthwhile to own.
My advice to beginning planners is to not purchase one right away. You have other things that you could be doing with the money like building your website, and joining MPI (Meeting Professional International) or ISES (International Special Events Society).
That's the Planner's Pointer for today.
LCD Projector LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display In a nutshell how they work is -- You connect the projector to the VGA output of your computer, or DVD player and the projector becomes the monitor screen or shows the DVD. The output of a projector is measured in lumens; the higher the lumen the brighter the projector and the more expensive it is.
There are several websites out there that describe how the LCD projector work, how to connect it to your computer, how to purchase a projector so I won't go into all of that, however; I will take a stab to answer this question: Why are they so expensive to rent on a per day basis. In Pittsburgh, for example, the average rate is $250 +/-.
In my experience LCD projectors are tender creatures that need some care to work correctly and if you don't know how to set up and use the projector you could be asking for problems. One of the things you are paying for when you rent an LCD projector is a technical person to help you get the thing set up correctly with the laptop that has the presentation. If you are not the least technical, then it is worth it. I am not saying don't learn how to use a LCD projector, I am saying having help available when you could be or should be doing other things at an event is a very good idea. Another reason is that like it's predecessor, the slide projector, the LCD projector has a bulb that gets really hot (which is why projectors have fans) and when it is time to replace the bulb; the bulb may cost as much as 50% the cost of a new LCD projector.
Best tip, make sure you allow for the rental in the budget. Ask your speaker if they will need one. Some speakers travel with their own equipment and some venues, especially conference centers have built the cost of using AV into the cost of using the room so you may not need to rent one except on the occasional basis.
Another question I get a lot is should you own a LCD projector. My response: How much do you use the projector? The average cost of a 2,000 lumen LCD projector is $1,000.00 depending on the manufacturer, weight, bulb life specifications and some other factors. At $250.00 a pop to use at a venue, then you would need to use it 4 times in a period of let's say 3 months to make it worthwhile to own.
My advice to beginning planners is to not purchase one right away. You have other things that you could be doing with the money like building your website, and joining MPI (Meeting Professional International) or ISES (International Special Events Society).
That's the Planner's Pointer for today.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Web tip of the week -- Beware of Automatic Renewal
Welcome to Planner's Pointers --
This is the web tip for the week. Beware of the automatic renewal.
This came in very sharp focus for me recently when I got my credit card bill. There it was charged for an automatic renewal of a news service I no longer used. OMG! What to do?
I called my credit card company who stepped me through cancelling the service. While I didn't get all my money back, I was able to get most of it.
Lesson learned: When completing the on-line form for the first purchase make sure you read the fine print and de-select the box that says that the service will be automatically renewed and charged to your bank account or your credit card.
That is the web tip of the week.
This is the web tip for the week. Beware of the automatic renewal.
This came in very sharp focus for me recently when I got my credit card bill. There it was charged for an automatic renewal of a news service I no longer used. OMG! What to do?
I called my credit card company who stepped me through cancelling the service. While I didn't get all my money back, I was able to get most of it.
Lesson learned: When completing the on-line form for the first purchase make sure you read the fine print and de-select the box that says that the service will be automatically renewed and charged to your bank account or your credit card.
That is the web tip of the week.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Glossary Terms -- Catering Personal Descriptions
Each month I would like to share words commonly used by professionals. The words along with their meaning will be from the APEX Industry Glossary.
The Convention Industry Council is the organization of 33 associations coming together to exchange information among the meetings, convention and exhibitions industry. One of the initiatives is APEX, Accepted Practices Exchange to develop practices that reach industry wide. One of the practices is a glossary of terms used in the industry. The goal of the glossary is to standardize the definitions of words used by the meetings industry.
This months definitions are the job descriptions of some of the staff members you will meet when you book an event at a hotel, conference center, or catering hall.
Caterer: 1) A food service vendor, often used to describe a vendor who specializes in banquets and theme parties. 2) An exclusive food & beverage contractor within a facility.
Catering: The provision of food and beverages.
Catering Sales Manager: Staff person responsible for selling and servicing group and local food and beverage functions. The catering sales manager will help you determine the menu and room set up.
Banquet Captain: Person in charge of banquet service at food functions. For small functions, also serves as maitre d. For larger functions, may be responsible for a specific area of the dining room.
Banquet Manager: A person in charge of banquet service.
Banquet Set-Up Manager: In charge of function room set up, over housemen.
Houseman: Service-staff member who handles function-room set up and tear down.
That's the Planner's Pointer for today
The Convention Industry Council is the organization of 33 associations coming together to exchange information among the meetings, convention and exhibitions industry. One of the initiatives is APEX, Accepted Practices Exchange to develop practices that reach industry wide. One of the practices is a glossary of terms used in the industry. The goal of the glossary is to standardize the definitions of words used by the meetings industry.
This months definitions are the job descriptions of some of the staff members you will meet when you book an event at a hotel, conference center, or catering hall.
Caterer: 1) A food service vendor, often used to describe a vendor who specializes in banquets and theme parties. 2) An exclusive food & beverage contractor within a facility.
Catering: The provision of food and beverages.
Catering Sales Manager: Staff person responsible for selling and servicing group and local food and beverage functions. The catering sales manager will help you determine the menu and room set up.
Banquet Captain: Person in charge of banquet service at food functions. For small functions, also serves as maitre d. For larger functions, may be responsible for a specific area of the dining room.
Banquet Manager: A person in charge of banquet service.
Banquet Set-Up Manager: In charge of function room set up, over housemen.
Houseman: Service-staff member who handles function-room set up and tear down.
That's the Planner's Pointer for today
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