Toastcaster Communication Leadership Learning Lab

TC179: How Video Bios Supercharge your Personal Brand & CV – Heather Flanagan

[21:02] Video Bios are a great way to supplement your CV or Resume and an effective way to help show people who you are and what you do.
In this episode we speak with Heather Flanagan who recently created her first Video Bio.
Heather is one of those individuals that unless you are familiar with her industry, you may not truly understand what she does - but her Video Bio helps demystify that.

Heather shares with us how she came out of her comfort zone and why she decided to create a Video Bio; what she learned about the process and about herself along the way.

She also gives us tips and advice on creating a Video Bio and even how she used ChatGPT as part of her process.

We also review her first video - with a Toastmasters style evaluation and go over what she really did well and how perhaps she can add more value and more punch to improve her next one

Heather Flanagan is the Principal and Owner of Spherical Cow Consulting, a firm that helps organizations build a trusted and collaborative Internet. She is also the founder of The Writer's Comfort Zone, a community for people passionate about supporting each other as writers. 

Heather's passions and expertise lie within: Digital Identity, Identity Standards Development and Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations.

 I had the honour of of being a guest along with Heather on Oscar Santolalla on Time to Shine #196 where we had a wonderful fireside chat on How to Give a Tech Talk successfully.

Heather lives near Seattle, WA and can be reached via LinkedIn or her blog, Spherical Cow Consulting.

TC179: How Video Bios Supercharge your Personal Brand & CV – Heather Flanagan 

 

Toastcaster 173: Demystifying Generative AI & ChatGPT –The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Robert Lavigne

[56:30] In the first half of 2023, Generative AI and apps like ChatGPT have hit us like a tidal wave and is already impacting our lives. Our expert guest today, Robert Lavigne always seems to ride ahead of the curve. Rob is a Generative AI and Digital Media Specialist and joins us today to help demystify this wild frontier for both techies and those new to AI.

Robert Lavigne is a Generative AI and Digital Media Specialist with a passion for audio podcasting and video production. He is the owner of The Digital Grapevine committed to serving as a thought leader in aligning digital branding and marketing strategies with a client’s business goals and objectives. With decades of experience, Robert helps guide clients in defining their digital vision by helping structure and present digital programs and recommendations to business owners and their respective decision makers He also provides ongoing support, mentoring, professional development and training to staff of client establishments when required. 

In addition, Robert is also the host / producer of numerous podcast and video interview series. The Digital Grapevine recently re-launched their Content Creator For Hire platform to focus on Generative AI projects. 

Rob is also the first person on the planet to have his own digital avatar complete with synthetic speaking in 10 languages modeled in his own vocal tone.

Robert Lavigne is from Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He can be reached on LinkedIn (rlavigne42) and at The Digital GrapeVine. You can also view many of his creations on YouTube.

=======

Rob generated the show notes below by feeding his side of the audio into AI tools.

AI Generated Show Notes:

Generative AI: Lavigne discusses the domains of generative AI, which include text, audio, video, and image generation, and stresses that they are machine learning systems, not self-aware entities.

Applications of Generative AI: Potential applications are identified across various sectors, including both white-collar and creative industries. Lavigne cites his use of ChatGPT-4 as a valuable tool in his creative process.

Concerns over AI (The Ugly): Job loss, misinformation, deepfakes, and potential misuse are cited as major concerns around AI. The potentially devastating impacts of AI misuse are likened to that of a nuclear bomb.

AI and Work: The potential for AI to take over mundane aspects of work is discussed, along with the challenges of achieving this ideal state.

Impact on Jobs (The Bad): Lavigne talks about how the rise of AI and automation, along with remote work and the gig economy, is intensifying competition for jobs.

Benefits of AI (The Good): Despite the potential downsides, Lavigne appreciates how AI has helped him deliver complex projects rapidly and improve the initial stages of his work.

AI in Creative Writing: Lavigne discusses his project, "The Digital Revolution," entirely written by GPT-4, highlighting the use of AI in creative writing.

Role of AI in His Work: Lavigne uses AI as a tool for producing desired outputs, leveraging its capabilities to aid his creative process.

Process of Using Generative AI: Lavigne explains his method of seeding the AI with basic factual information, leading to accurate, relevant outputs that can be used to generate impactful quotes and FAQs.

Quality of AI Outputs: The concept "garbage in, garbage out" is applied to AI, emphasizing the importance of good quality input to obtain valuable output.

Role of Prompt Engineers: The emerging role of "prompt engineers" who formulate prompts for AI is discussed, noting that those with a better understanding of language and question formulation tend to be more effective.

OpenAI and GPT-4: Lavigne speaks about OpenAI's role as a leading AI development company and their products such as GPT-4. He also talks about his use of ChatGPT, a product of OpenAI that uses GPT-4.

OpenAI and Microsoft Partnership: The partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft is discussed, with GPT-4 now powering Microsoft's Bing search engine.

New Features in GPT-4: Lavigne introduces the new features in GPT-4, including plugins that allow the AI to interface with other software and data.

Interpreting Internet Content with GPT-4: Lavigne uses GPT-4 to interpret web content directly, bypassing manual website navigation. He predicts this capability may change the future of SEO and web traffic patterns.

Real Data as Input: The importance of using real data to seed GPT-4 is emphasized to prevent the AI from generating unfounded information.

Impact on Industries: Lavigne discusses the potential impacts of AI on various industries, including job loss, especially in content creation and curation roles.

Advancements in Chatbots: The use of GPT-4 in newer chatbots, which can be trained on a document and interact in any language or style, is discussed.

Data Hallucination: Lavigne addresses the issue of data hallucination, where AI generates information that isn't based on input data, stressing the need for safeguards.

Importance of AI Ethics: The crucial role of ethics in AI development and use is emphasized, particularly given the potential for misuse and the inherent biases that can be reflected in AI outputs.

AI Legislation: Lavigne discusses the current state of AI legislation, stressing the importance of global cooperation in setting standards and regulations.

AI's Influence on Content Creation: Lavigne explores how AI is reshaping content creation, from writing scripts to editing video. He predicts that AI will allow creators to produce more while maintaining quality.

Future Predictions: Lavigne shares his predictions about how AI will evolve, especially in the context of content creation, and what implications this might have for society.

End Note: Lavigne wraps up by encouraging listeners to stay informed about the rapidly changing landscape of AI and to approach the technology with an open, but critical, mind.

Toastcaster 173: Demystifying Generative AI & ChatGPT - The Good, Bad & The Ugly - Robert Lavigne

 

 

ToastCaster 169: How AI Can Help the Future You – Live Longer & Prosper – Harry Glorikian

[37:29] Think of AI (Artificial Intelligence), particularly health care and your brain might conjure up The Doctor  - the Emergency Medical Hologram from Star Trek Voyager. But AI in healthcare is here, it’s real and it’s already disrupting healthcare and changing the ways in which we can -  in the words of Mr. Spock, “Live Long and Prosper.”

In this non-technical and eye-opening episode, Greg speaks with Harry Glorikian —an influential healthcare entrepreneur, author, podcaster, and company leader—has been at the intersection of the fast-moving science and business of healthcare and biotechnology. 

Harry offers us a number of insights from his new book: The Future You: How Artificial Intelligence Can Help You Get Healthier, Stress Less, and Live Longer - how AI is disrupting healthcare and what you need know to successfully navigate through it. 

In our conversation, Harry also helps demystifies the term AI. He illustrates some of the ways it’s being used in research, at your local healthcare provider, at home and in everyday gadgets. You’ll hear AI is about playing a role with vaccine development and how technology is being used to proactively identify individuals who may be predisposed to certain types of cancers.

You’ll also be inspired on how this advancing technology can help us improve preventative and preemptive care (before things happen) vs sick-care (after the fact).

Harry also impresses upon us how we are still very dependant on the human brain. However, given the ability of a machine to handle lots of data along with AI technology, you’ll hear how the two together can help predictability that someone may be predisposed to a certain condition. You also be introduced to the term Digital Therapeutics on how non-medicinal treatments in some areas are already FDA approved to replace the need for meds. 

Harry also shares a number of personal stories and how he himself uses technology to better his personal health, and more. 

Harry Glorikian lives int the greater Boston area and can be reached via LinkedIn or Glorikian.com . 

His book The Future You: How Artificial Intelligence Can Help You Get Healthier, Stress Less, and Live Longer is designed for anyone and includes over 50 pages of references, You can find the book on Amazon. 

ToastCaster 169: How AI Can Help the Future You Live Longer & Prosper – Harry Glorikian

 

ToastCaster 168: Yoodli - Your AI-Powered Public Speaking Coach - Varun Puri

[27:53] In this episode Greg speaks with Varun Puri co-founder of Yoodli a web-based platform, that helps individuals practice, record, upload and store speeches or interviews and provides feedback and AI enabled analytics as well as an auto-generated transcript of the speech.

In our conversation, Varun enlightens us on a little more of what Yoodli is, why it was created it, how it was funded, how it works and why he refers to it as a “smart- mirror.” 

He gives us a few examples and explains on how Yoodli,  in real-time, provides users with personalized feedback such as filler and repeated words, body language, word pacing and more. We’ll also hear about the added bonuses like games you can play to further step-up those skills. 

We also hear a little bit about the recent partnership between Toastmasters International and Yoodli, giving Toastmasters members, at no-cost, a customized version of the Yoodli platform tailored to the Toastmasters experience including the ability to practice your Table Topics (impromptu speaking).

We’ll also hear about how you can get your analytics on your Zoom communication by inviting Yoodli to join your meeting through a pasted link or your calendar. (Public version only)

And finally Varun shares with us how the platform has helped him in fine-tuning his own communication skills.

Varun Puri, Co-Founder, Yoodli is based in Seattle, Washington and can be reached at Yoodli.ai where you can also access the public version of Yoodli.

Toastmasters members are encouraged to access the Toastmasters Yoodli by simply logging onto their accounts at Toastmasters.org/myhome. 

You can also read more about Yoodli and the partnership in Laura Mishkind's new article on Yoodli in the Toastmaster Magazine On-line.

Toastcaster 160: The Toast: Short Speech with a Big Impact – Eddie Rice

[29:23] Writing and delivering a good Toast might seem to be something you can just stand up and deliver off the cuff but many YouTube #fails say otherwise. A great toast that makes an impact needs to be well thought out, well written and delivered properly.

In today’s episode we speak with professional speechwriter and newly published author Eddie Rice. Eddie shares with us some valuable tips and advice on preparing, delivering and mastering this ceremonial speech. He highlights his 7-step process and offers up some do’s and don’t when it’s time to raise a glass.

You’ll also learn about what the true purpose of a toast is and some of the different occasions a toast can be written for.

A lot of what Eddie shares is from his just released new book,

TOAST: Short Speeches, Big Impact, available on Amazon. 

We also learn a little about Eddie, how he transformed his career 180 degrees from being a Science Teacher to a Speechwriter and how Toastmasters helped him and continues to help him through that process. He also pulls back the curtain and shares some of the things he went through when writing his book including how he decided to first get feedback on his extensive outline which he in turn used to write his book.

Eddie Rice is a professional speechwriter with over a decade of experience in helping business leaders, keynote speakers, TED talk presenters, Nonprofit organization and everyday people, enhance the messages they tell through great storytelling and structure. 

Eddie is from Cleveland Ohio and can be reached at http://ricespeechwriting.com

Toastcaster 157: New Year’s Resolutions Not Working, Try Naming Your Year - Dave Fuller

[25:28] Resolutions for many just don't seem to work but our guest today, Dave Fuller uses "Naming Your Year" as a method to accomplish what resolutions are meant to do.

In this episode Dave shares how he stumbled upon this method; what it does and how it works. You'll hear how puts it into practice at home, at the office for both himself, his team and his clients and learn how you can implement it for yourself.  You'll also hear about how Naming can also help achieve goals and how Dave uses this to help focus on a 12-week planning method.

David (Dave) Fuller MBA, is an award-winning business coach and a partner in Pivotleader Inc. and the Author of Profit Yourself Healthy. 

You can also read Dave's article at Troy Media, New Year's Resolutions are out, naming the year is in, at Troy Media. 

Email him at Dave AT Pivotleader.com. Dave would love to hear what you named your year.

 

Toastcaster 156: Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Reflections of a Caregiver - Rick Lauber

[26:00] As we reflect back on this year, caregiving can mean many things to many people. Some people are caregivers in the traditional sense, others give care in many forms to others. In this episode we bring back author and former co-caregiver Rick Lauber. The idea of his return was prompted by a recent insightful tweet he made. 

“As a #caregiver, please don't ever question the difference you make in someone's life. Thank you so much to all caregivers for everything they do.”

This episode is for  those who give care, receive care or know someone who is either.

In this episode Rick enlightens us with what prompted him to share that wisdom. He reflects upon his own personal experiences sharing some of his thoughts and feelings, even those of guilt, which are also likely felt by many others - particularly during the holiday season and this past year.

Listeners are also in for a learning experience as Rick also reflects back with respect to what he’s learned, how he’s coped, some of the actions and steps he’s taken and continues to take and some of what he’s still dealing with even after many years.

He also shares with us how you can go about resetting your life when you are no longer a caregiver,  and more.

Rick Lauber is from Edmonton, Alberta Canada. You can reach him at RickLauber.com or on Twitter @CDNCaregiver. You can also find his two best-selling guide books  – Caregiver’s Guide for Canadians (2nd edition) and The Successful Caregiver’s Guide (U.S) on Amazon and the usual outlets.

You can also listen to past episodes with Rick Lauber. Toastcaster 69 How Toastmasters helps Authors and Toastcaster 127: Caregiving - The Ultimate Leadership Role.

Happy New Year 2022!

Toastcaster 153: Making Freaking Meetings Fun & Productive - Matt Abrahams

[29:55] Many people avoid meetings at all costs - they feel they’re unproductive, a waste of time and simply a bandaid for bad communication in an organization. In this episode Greg speaks with return guest Matt Abrahams, educator and coach whose extensive exploration, research and experience has led him to discover a collaborative approach to keep meetings fun and exciting. More importantly they be can productive in achieving the goals of the organization and add value to the teams. And you might even be thanked for running a meeting.

You’ll learn about the importance of planning, executing and setting expectations up front - and even determining whether there is an alternative to holding a meeting. 

You’ll hear how to invoke emotion by leveraging meeting invites and making agendas valuable and how the information, emotion and actions are the three important key elements of any communication.   This includes the importance of paraphrasing and how that leads to better communication and boost engagement during the meeting. 

He also stresses the value of focusing on the experience and the creative order of things and not just the content and also using physical engagement and leveraging the use of technology tools and more.

Matt also touches on how to ensure the new way of running meetings endures and tips for running virtual meetings.

And finally, Matt talks about his new podcast, Think Fast Talk Smart from Stanford GSB.

Matt Abrahams teaches Strategic Communication for Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and Presentation Skills for Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program and co-founder of coaching consulting practice Bold Echo Communication Solutions. If that’s not enough, Matt is also the author of the book Speaking Up without Freaking Out, now in its 3rd edition. 

You can also hear Matt on episode #93 Speaking up without freaking out and also on the Toastmasters Podcast, Episode 111, with Greg Gazin and Ryan Levesque where he spoke on how to be confident.

Toastcaster 151: Starting Effective Conversations that Yield Results – Chris Fenning

[31:31] Conversations are fundamental to everyday life – at work or at home, yet little emphasis is ever put on improving it as a skill, particularly in getting one started and keeping them a succinct as possible.

In this episode, Greg speaks with Chris Fenning - subject matter expert and author of the new book, The 1st Minute: How to Start Conversations that gets Results. Chris will share his expertise and insight with lessons taken for the book that you can apply in many communications situations, like job interviews, conversations with the boss, presentations and even written communications.

You’ll discover some of the most common mistakes made in that first minute and some of the misconceptions that surround it. You also learn about when that first minute really starts.

You’ll takeaway two methods you can out to use right away:

1) Framing, a simple 3-part process that in 15 seconds helps you provides context, clarifies your intentions, and makes your message clear: and

2) Structured Summary: How everything we do can be described in the form of a GPS – no, not your car’s GPS but rather Goal, Problem & Solution.

You’ll also learn why you should never ask someone, “Do you have a minute,” and more…

Chris Fenning, in addition to author is also a husband, father and communications instructor. He lives in Amsterdam in The Netherlands and can be reached at ChrisFenning.com.

Toastcaster 149: How to Host a Live or Virtual TEDx Event Part 2 – Noel Bentley

[27:39] This episode, Part 2 is the final part of our conversation with Noel Bentley on how to host a TEDx event where he continues to share his expertise on being the best host you can be.

Noel also talks about getting help by borrowing - not copying but rather be inspired by others and other TED or TEDx events but at the same time being you own person and letting your own personality shine through.

Noel also shares additional best practices along with a few do’s and don’ts  and how you can prepare yourself even for impromptu situations and the unexpected.

You’ll also learn about some of the differences between live and virtual presentations and what you can do to make the latter seem more natural. He also shares some of the special considerations they had to make given the current global climate and environment which they knew could change without notice. He used real examples from TEDx BearCreekPark 2021  that took place just one month ago.

Noel Bentley is a speaker, humorist, storytelling coach, emcee and Toastmaster.  He started project called Power of 3 Speaking, a new way of doing keynote speaking. He can be reached at https://powerof3speaking.com or coming soon at NoelBentley.ca

You can also watch the latest TEDx BearCreekPark 2021 at https://tedxbearcreekpark.ca

If you missed part 1, you can find it (Toastcaster 148) at: http://bit.ly/toastcaster148

Toastcaster 148: How to Host a Live or Virtual TEDx Event Part I – Noel Bentley

[27:28] There’s a plethora of resources spotlighting do a TED Talk or speaking on the TEDx stage, but few realize that a great host or emcee can make or break that event. In this episode Greg speaks with Noel Bentley, a three-time TEDx host who’s hosted both live and virtual events at TEDx Bear Creek Park in Surrey BC, Canada.

In Part 1 of this 2 part series, Noel inspires us with his own story, what it means to be a TEDx host, what the role entails and the excitement and opportunities it presents for speakers and individuals. You’ll as be introduced to TEDx BearCreekPark and a glimpse as to what goes on behind the scenes of a TEDx. 

Noel enlightens us with his experience in his role as a TEDx host - how he got there, what he learned, how he (over) prepares mentally and physically and about the help he got along the way. You’ll also learn about other key players like the curator, speaker coach, program coordinator and of course the speakers and how the host interacts with them. You’ll also find out what speakers have to go through to be on that stage.  

Noel will also share some of his best practices and things to avoid, touching on the topics of introduction, bridging between speakers, scripting and humour.

Noel Bentley is a speaker, humorist, storytelling coach, emcee and Toastmaster.  He started project called Power of 3 Speaking, a new way of doing keynote speaking. He lives in Surrey, BC, Canada and can be reached at https://powerof3speaking.com or coming soon at NoelBentley.ca.

 

You can also watch the latest TEDx BearCreekPark 2021 at https://tedxbearcreekpark.ca

Watch for Part 2 (Toastcaster 149) coming up.

Toastcaster 147: Nurturing Young Minds Through Podcasting – Kevin Achtzener

[22:13] Kevin Achtzener, DTM is in the process of doing his practicum at a Spanish bilingual school to earn an after degree in Education. He had the idea to teach his students new material as part of a Spanish Language Arts curriculum by getting them to create their own podcasts.

In this episode, Kevin, a regular on ToastCaster, shared his experience as to why he chose podcasting as a teaching medium, what he was trying to accomplish, how the class took to it and how the podcasts turned out. He talks a little about the methods he used, the subjects he selected as well as what both he and his students learned from the process.

He also tells how he got our Podcast Host Greg Gazin involved by interviewing him as both a sample podcast  and as a way to share his knowledge with the students through a podcast which was to be played in the classroom.

Kevin Achtzener is from Edmonton, Canada and can be reached at VisualProductivity.net.

 

Toastcaster 145: Podcasting 101: Hosting & Interview Techniques - 2018 Live Educational [Toastmasters ]

[43:52] When I first started podcasting 15 years ago, the most frequently asked question was, ‘What’s a Podcast?” Five years ago, It was, “Why are you doing podcasts? It’s going the way of the radio, video is where it’s at. Today I’m often asked, “What are the benefits of podcasting?” And “How can I get involved? How do I get started?”

In April 2020 Apple Podcasts had over 1M podcast and over 35 million episodes. With the lockdown I’ve heard estimates ion 1.5 million and many many more episode. So Podcasting is not going away any time soon.

People do want to know more. In fact I’m questioned about podcasts and podcasting everyday.

As luck would have it, I recently came across a 2018, recording of a Podcast educational session I delivered - in a last minute request, to a group of Toastmasters which covers many of those questions and more. And while podcasting certainly continues to evolve, the information presented is still relevant today

This episode is not only for Toastmasters but for any communicator or leader who may be curious or interested in this topic.

• We’ll look at what a podcast is, what it can do for you; the benefits of podcasts from a listeners, guests and a creator’s perspective.
• You’ll hear stories along with tips and tricks in preparing, creating, hosting and moderating a podcast. 
• You’ll discover how to preparing effective questions and interviewing Techniques.
• We’ll also make reference to a number of resources, other podcasts,
• and more.

You can also download a PDF of the slides used in the presentation. http://bit.ly/gregtli2018

You may also want to check out The Toastmasters Podcast: Creating Interesting Podcast Content  (Part 1) episode #157 and (Part 2) episode #158, featuring yours truly and co-host Ryan Levesque.

I also encourage you to read, "Is there a Podcast in Your Future," feature cover story in the  Jan 2021 issue of Toastmaster Magazine. 

Look for other upcoming podcast themed episodes here at ToastCaster and the Toastmasters Podcast. 

Toastcaster 140: Grantasms: Making Communication Fun and Great Again – Grant Crowell

[29:21] Just when we thought the world had enough jargon, acronyms and other confusing verbiage, Grant Crowell, a self-professed social wordsmith comes along and creates his own words or “Grantasms.” His motives are sincere – his intention, to make communication fun again while helping people build confidence, better relationships and increase their productivity.

In this light hearted yet informative episode you’ll learn why he wrote this book, what you can take away from it and how he himself uses his own Grantasms for laughs, socio-emotional wellness, and his own ADHD management.  Listen for new terms like spousish, GERK, fillerflabber, messy-tasking, acronumb, playful mindfulness and more.

Grant Crowell is a learning facilitator for Dell Technologies Digital Events team and is the author of GRANTASMS: Twisted Creative words for cool people! He lives in Durham, North Carolina USA. Grant and can be found on LinkedIn and get his book on Amazon.

 

Toastcaster 137: Discover the Future of the Future AGAIN! (FREE Summit) – Angelo Tirhas

[30:30] For Angelo Tirhas, like many around the world, everything more or less came to a dead halt when the current global crisis hit, leaving him stuck with literally nothing to do. 

Instead of wallowing in defeat asking the same questions on everyone’s mind, his professional mind kicked in realizing that he had to define the problem and find solutions.  He asked himself: “What’s the biggest problem in the world today, what are people what most scared of and can we help them?”

Of course he realized people were already overloaded with data they couldn’t make sense of and he himself didn’t have all the answers. He had an epiphany. “Let’s get all these people into one place and share what the future possibilities are and figure out what to do to survive the future. Get people asking questions in touch with those who have answers and let them have a chat with each other.

And thus Future Summits Online series was born.

In this entertaining and informative episode we learn more about Angelo’s journey, what he saw, what he heard, stories and insights and why he vetted and handpicked from over 150 speakers. You’ll also learn about his F.A.I.T.H framework (Fundamentals Awareness Implementation, Transformation and Humanity) and how it’s being incorporated into the summit – and more.

Angelo Tirhas is keynote speaker, corporate trainer and coach specializing in transformation, business and personal development, founder and host of "Future Summits Online”, the first ever Global Future Focused Online Summit Series. Angelo can  be reached on LinkedIn or via e-mail.

 

About the Future of the Future Summit (On-Line)

Date: NEW!!!  SEPTEMBER 17-22, 2020. 

Cost: FREE. Low cost VIP packages with added benefits also available.

Takeaway: Actionable information, skills, strategies and insights from 25 leading global experts, futurists, innovative thinkers and thought leaders to help you prepare, be future ready and future proof. (4 speakers/ day)

Tickets: Visit now to get more information on the Summit or to get FREE Tickets

This episode: bit.ly/toastcaster137

 

*** PLEASE NOTE: The SUMMIT has now ENDED. HOWEVER, Angelo shares some TIMELESS VALUABLE WISDOM. So please have a LISTEN. ***

 

Toastcaster 135: A Quest to Learn Arabic while Abroad during Lockdown – Kevin Achtzener

[26:06] Learning a new language while abroad particularly during these unprecedented times can be a challenge yet rewarding.  But our eight-time guest, Kevin Achtzener, who is currently overseas with his family in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was certainly up for the quest.

In this light-hearted episode, Kevin humbly shares how he was first inspired to learn Spanish the traditional way many years ago and some of the things he learned what not to do as he set upon a quest to learn Arabic – a much more challenging task.

Kevin also shares a number of techniques he’s been using like a language exchange as well as some of his valuable resources including: Anki– a Flashcard app, 50Languages– 100 Free Audio lessons; LingQ– which helps you learn a language from content you love and his go to book: Arabic Script Hacking by Judith Meyer, which helped him to learn to read signs.

Editors Note: Once you have a good working knowledge of a language, there are also many bilingual Toastmasters clubs around the world one can also check out.

Toastcaster 131: Keeping Mentally & Physically Stimulated During Quarantine – Lisa Wentz

[29:31] Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading has just about put the entire planet into lockdown mode. In this episode, Greg speaks with Lisa Wentz about her short article on LinkedIn about keeping mentally and physically stimulated and engaged and not feeling frozen during this unprecedented quarantine. 

Lisa shares with us her recent journey of self-isolation.  She explains how news overload and too much of the wrong kind of mental stimulation can affect people physically and how we can combat that and ensure we continue to pursue things that are relevant and important to us. Wentz explains how mental stimulation means different things to different people and how we need to find the time to reach out to others, not just those we know. You’ll also discover why getting through these times is not just about balance but about choices we make. You’ll even hear her interesting observations about changes in people like celebrity Stephen Colbert, who was forced to self-isolate, and more.

Lisa Wentz is from San Francisco, California and has an extensive background in psychology, professional acting training and live performance. Wentz is also featured in Episode 118 - Grace Under Pressure - A Masterclass in Public Speaking.

She can be reached at LisaWentz.com. 

Toastcaster 121: Building Future Seniors: Taking Ownership of our Aging Society - Angela Ostafichuk

[28:19] It’s no secret we have a rapidly aging population. Many seniors today were never properly prepared for their golden years; We don’t know how to age properly and kids today have no idea what it’s like to be a senior. Those are the strong opinions of Angela Ostafichuk, our guest on today’s episode.

Angela is an educator, consultant, curriculum developer, writer, photographer, world traveler and Toastmaster. Based in Edmonton, Canada, she’s spear-heading  and working in tandem on two projects: Future Seniors and Smart Strong Seniors. Together they are designed to not only inform and educate those who are already seniors to live better, but also to help society, regardless as to what generation they belong to embrace pro aging.

Today Angela will share some of her insights on the topic. This include highlights of her Pecha Kucha presentation Future Seniors, where she shares what we can do to take ownership for ourselves and others in an aging society. She’ll talk about getting Involved, Resources, Equality, Asking (the right questions) and Design, summed up by her acronym iREAD.

Angela Ostafichuk can be reached at SmartStrongSenior@gmail.com or TheFutureSenior@gmail.com. You can also check out her Pecha Kucha Edmonton presentation.

 

 

Toastcaster 117 – Memory & Visualization Techniques for Better Recall & Learning – Kevin Achtzener

[25:00] In this episode Greg speaks with regular guest Kevin Achtzener in his 7^th appearance on ToastCaster, as a follow up to Episode #97, “Memory Techniques to Remember Just About Anything.”

Today Kevin talks about how his techniques have evolved and shares with us a new concept he’s learned about memory and how he’s been able to not only memorize key facts for his University Classes, but also how he processes and synthesizes the information he’s learning.

Kevin reminds us that memory is not just about remembering or encoding, but also about being able to recall the information. He shares examples how he remembers things by visualization, creating images of phrases in his mind like avatars, placing then recalling them using the memories of his childhood home as a backdrop or storage grid.

Kevin also introduces the audience to the six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, a process that helps people learn and how this model fit into the big picture. Ideas and methods you’ll hear in the podcast not only apply to courses, but also for preparing and delivering speeches, presentations reports and anything you really need to learn.

Kevin Achtzener specializes in Mind Mapping, memory techniques, productivity and learning. He can be reached at VisualProductivity.net.

Toastcaster 114 Crutch and Filler Words Cripple Your Message and Reduce Credibility

[11:34] Simple crutch and filler words are sabotaging your speeches and crippling your communications and you may not even realize it’s happening.

In this episode, Greg takes a look at a number of these unwanted words and why we so often use them. He identifies some famous people who are also afflicted with this habit and offers tips and techniques as to how to rid them from your vocabulary as well as where to find help to do so. This is an updated version and reboot of Toastcaster Episode 42 and an article which can be found at GadgetGreg.com.    (Please Note:  The Ummo App mentioned in the episode is now no longer being supported by the developer)