Extemporaneous speaking means speaking suddenly, on the spur of the moment, without preparation (“off the cuff”).

Since companies understandably want to hire only accomplished professionals who can definitely deliver value, I’m putting modesty aside and broadcasting this (second) championship* as a marketing tool.

*Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization with more than 280,000 worldwide members who are devoted to actively improving their communication, public speaking and leadership skills.

District 83 is comprised of 160+ Toastmasters Clubs throughout New York’s Staten Island and Rockland County, as well as New Jersey’s Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren Counties.

District 83 is one of only 90 Toastmasters International Districts in the world.

The extemporaneous speaking contest, called “Table Topics” in Toastmasters, puts finalists on a stage in front of cameras and 200 other speakers and asks a previously unknown question, which the contestant must immediately respond to, for up to two and a half minutes. It’s exhilarating!

Judging is based on a variety of factors relating to content and delivery:

Do you know any person or organization interested in more effective and engaging presentations? If yes, contact me

-Mark Gavagan

P.S. As always, I’m deeply indebted to the many people who have generously mentored and inspired me over the years (you know who you are).

Here’s an infographic that didn’t take much time, but should generate plenty of leads for the books referenced within (http://www.affairsorganizer.com/):

Explore more infographics like this one on the web’s largest information design community – Visually.

If you’re practicing a speech or presentation out loud, and something happens or you make a mistake, keep going.

In the real world, you can’t go back to the beginning and start over. Be tenacious – keep going and adjust mid-presentation to whatever the problem is.

Once you get to the end, think about how well you managed the problem and how you might do better next time.

On the big day, if there’s a distraction or problem or you skip an entire section, you’ll be less likely to panic – instead of practicing only under ideal conditions, you’ll have dealt with adverse conditions before.

New website: colehouse.net

Allen Berger of Berger Business Advisors asks the question “What impression does your organization make when someone calls?” in his insightful blog post.

His entire post provides guidance around the following:

When someone calls your office, you want the caller to think – “This is a company I want to do business with.”

When was the last time you called your office phone number? If you have not done so for some time, call in during business and non-business hours.

Inbound calls are a great opportunity, if handled properly.

Click here and learn (or be reminded about) some important points in Allen’s blog post.

(Note: this is NOT a paid or affiliate link – just one that provides value)

Dear subscribers and clients,

A bit of news:

• As announced earlier, ExplainIt Studios is out of the animated video biz. We’re still happy to create concepts and lean scripts that are engaging and get your message across (ideally in less than one minute), but animation so time-consuming and specialized you can be served better elsewhere.*

• Brand spanking new website for speech & presentation consulting: ColeHouse.net

• 46 second teaser video for our Web startup called Bothsider – a social opinion network for sharing short opinions on both sides of any issue

Have a peek at Bothsider.com and give it a try.

* For animated videos, consider Drive 80 Studio (this is not a paid or affiliate link)

That’s right, Drive80

Don’t drive 80 miles per hour. I mean the animated video company Drive80, located in Morristown, NJ.

This is NOT a paid or affiliate deal, just a suggestion that you consider Mike Doyle’s company when you need an animated video.

Website: http://www.drive80.com/

Video:

Vine (https://vine.co/) is a mobile app owned by Twitter that enables its users to create and post video clips and share or embed them on social networks.

The maximum length per video is 7 seconds.

Here’s a Vine video I made a short while ago:

It’s fun and I’m sure there will be lots of great (and terrible) business and personal uses.

So, what can you do in seven seconds…

I’m generally not one to broadcast personal accomplishments, but as a speech and presentation consultant, winning this championship* is an important professional credential.

*Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization with more than 280,000 worldwide members who are devoted to actively improving their communication, public speaking and leadership skills.

District 83 is one of only 90 Toastmasters International Districts in the world.

I’m especially proud to have won because my fellow competitors in every round (Club, Division, Area and District) are all terrific speakers with tons of experience providing feedback to public speakers. Moreover, each and every one is endlessly charming and personable.

I am deeply and sincerely indebted to the many people who have generously mentored and inspired me over the years (you know who you are).

Another person I must acknowledge is Salvatore Opedisano, a professional producer/director who delivered a wonderfully heartfelt and inspirational speech that drives home an important lesson: “Never miss an opportunity to say I’m sorry and I love you.” I’ll remember that speech for the rest of my life.

Thank you so much!

-Mark Gavagan

P.S. Do you know any person or organization interested in more effective and engaging presentations? If yes, contact me

Amazing interactive graphic from Pro Publica showing SBA lending by geographic location RE: Hurricane Sandy rebuilding.

Brilliant!