The Toastmasters Podcast

[28:52] Have you ever experienced or simply feared an onstage mishap? This might include: falling down, falling on, falling off, or falling while climbing onto a stage. If so, then you’ll want to tune in and listen to our special guest Dr. Caren Neile, Ph.D. Back for a return appearance on The Toastmasters Podcast, Caren shares a number of her personal experiences in a fun and entertaining episode to help us learn how to rise above that most unwelcome surprise - which has also happened to the likes of Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lawrence, Pink and even former U.S. President Barack Obama.

[23:20] Robert A. Nevarez, former Police Chief and now Police De-Escalation Training Coordinator for the Western United States, pays tribute to his father, Prudencio Carrera Nevarez. While a courageous man in many ways, the fear of public speaking led Prudencio to avoid formal speaking situations. Learning from his father’s wisdom and struggles, Robert carried the torch in his own life and conquered the fear that his father had not been able to confront.

[28:31] Do you ever feel that despite your qualifications and accomplishments you still doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, you just might be afflicted with something called imposter syndrome‚Äîor more appropriately, imposter phenomenon, according to our guest, Dr. Kevin Cokley Ph.D. Dr. Cokley is no imposter, even if he might admit to feeling like one from time to time. In our episode today, he’ll be demystifying this often misunderstood phenomenon and sharing ideas on how to approach it.

[28:25] As Toastmasters, we talk a lot about delivering feedback effectively. But we don’t often focus on the necessary skill of receiving feedback. Today’s episode shines a light on this underappreciated aspect of personal and professional development and provides tips on improving facility with receiving feedback. Bill Brown, DTM, a speech delivery coach and regular contributor to the Toastmaster magazine, joins Greg and Ryan to explore this topic.

[29:31] When you hear, “Speaking is much more enjoyable than being punched in the face,” there’s no doubt that everyone would likely agree with that profound statement and immediately want to hear more. In our latest episode, Hosts Greg and Ryan speak with Jessica (Jess) Roper a two-time English kickboxing champion who can attest to that from her personal experience. Jess shares with us a little about the trials and tribulations of her personal, professional and Toastmasters journey and through successes in the kickboxing ring and on the speaking stage, offers some sage advice on how we can develop a Champion’s Mindset.

[24:21] W.C. “Bobby” Blackmon lost his eyesight at the age of five. While living without eyesight presents inherent challenges, Bobby has elected to conquer a plethora of additional challenges throughout his life. Learning braille. Playing the trumpet. Writing poetry. Shot put, track, and wrestling. Powerlifting. More recently‚Äîrecording music, writing books, and motivational speaking. Although Bobby no longer has eyesight, he has something even more powerful: mind vision.

[25:03] Visiting a Bilingual Toastmasters Club is a fun, safe, and encouraging way to have an awesome time and practice a second (or maybe even a third!) language. In this episode, Greg and Ryan speak with Gwenydd Jones, DTM an experienced translator, course creator, copywriter, and member of Toastmasters Sevilla in Seville, Spain. Gwen, originally from the UK, shares her experience and offers tips on how to make the most out of attending a bilingual Toastmasters club. Some of her tips come from her recent article: "7 Tips to Attend a Bilingual Toastmasters Meeting (How to have a great time and practice your second language)" in the April 2022 issue of the Toastmaster magazine.

[32:15] David JP Phillips, spent seven years and studied 5,000 speakers to identify and distill the core skills and subskills of communication. On today’s show, he shares the results of his research, how many skills he discovered and how he uses them to coach speakers to improve as efficiently as possible. Imagine making one simple tweak—such as adjusting the volume of your voice—and having it cascade, improve your performance in several related areas. This is just one example. Through David’s process, such effects are not just possible—they are predictable.

[22:26] When two giants - Toastmasters International and Rotary International create a strategic alliance a certain kind of magic happens.  Today’s guest is Kate McClare who tells us a little about the strategic alliance formed back in 2019 shares some of the magical moments of collaboration from those who made them happen. Kate also explains how Toastmasters and clubs can get involved.

[27:56] On this 200th episode, we introduce the winner of the Pitch Us Your Podcast Idea contest, Rashmi Ketha! Rashmi is from Ledgewood, New Jersey, and is a member of Parsippany Toastmasters. She’s a Product manager at Verizon, and as an advisor to the Harvard Business Review. Rashmi’s podcast pitch idea is for a show called The Experience Passport, about the benefits of hobby sampling and taking a "generalist" approach to life.