Toastmasters Speech: Learning Vocal Variety

One of my more challenging speeches for Toastmasters was Vocal Variety. Because I don't think as much about how things sound rather than how they read, my voice generally sounds the same throughout the whole speech I'm giving. So I had to come up with a topic that would force me to use different voices. I had written a post for my friend Laura's blog on audio books, and adjusted it so that I could give it as a speech. Here is what I came up with:

When I was little, or should I say, young, there were many professions I thought of pursuing when I grew up. Of course, I considered the traditional professions: doctor, teacher, ballerina. But there were also the slightly odd: person in the picture that came with the photo frame and audio book narrator. While none of these quite panned out, I have actually become somewhat of an audio book connoisseur, thanks to long road trips back to Denver and driving all over town for my actual job. And tonight, I’m going to share with you what I have learned.

When choosing an audio book right off the bat, you have to consider the genre, just like you would a regular book. There are audio books that can teach you things, such as languages or how to be responsible with your finances. There are nonfiction books, such as biographies, history books, political books, and self-help books. And then there are fiction books, which I prefer simply because I like a good story. Generally speaking, I tend to play it safe and pick books I would want to read anyway, because if you’re stuck in the car for eight hours, you don’t want to listen to something that doesn’t interest you.

You also need to consider the narrator. While you could pick an audio book by the narrator, I’m guessing most people, like myself, have an author and subject preference and not an actual narrator preference. So, you’ll have to give the book a test listen. This is very important because otherwise you might find yourself without a book because you can’t stand the person’s voice. This has happened several times for me—as it turns out, it is not authentic, but actually really difficult to listen to someone with a british accent read Sense and Sensibility. And while I’m sure Three Cups of Tea is a wonderful book, the narrator had a very nasally voice.

Finally, you need to remember that there might be surprises along the way. For example, many audio books incorporate sound effects. When driving to South Dakota on our very first road trip, I made Nathan listen to “Little Town On The Prairie” so he could prepare for the destination—Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home.  I love Laura Ingalls Wilder books, and everything was going fine until the fiddle started playing, and the narrator started singing. Badly.  And they sing a lot in that book. You also should bring tissues if you check out books by authors such as Nicholas Sparks, as it is a lot more realistic listening to the book than reading it. Finally, remember that unlike a real book, other people can hear the audio book you are listening to if they borrow your car. I was listening to Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea, by Chelsea Handler, which was maybe not quite appropriate to be on when Nathan took my father-in-law to the hardware store in my car. All I’m saying is, be prepared.

Audio books are a great alternative to music on long road trip or even just as you drive around town. I hope that you will remember some of these tips and apply them to your audio book choices.

Toastmasters Speech: Learning Body Language

Since it is Toastmasters day today, I thought I'd share the speech I gave a couple of weeks ago. At the time it was five days before Shelby's adopt-iversary, and since the speech focus was "your body speaks," I decided to improvise some of Shelby's movements. So, whenver you see me describing a look, or see the word this, imagine me pretending to be Shelby.

I have never considered myself to be a dog person. I mean, sure, I like dogs and I loved our family dogs, but I never understood the people who are crazy over their dogs. You know, the people who talk about dogs like they’re children, the people who let their dogs sleep in the bed, the people who take their dogs everywhere they possibly can. And then we got Shelby.

Shelby the sheltie joined our family almost a year ago. We got her from a friend of a friend—they had two puppies left in a litter that had been born in June, meaning Shelby was four months old when we got her. And we were perhaps irresponsible dog owners, in that we did basically no research on the breed before we got her.

Here’s how I decided I wanted I wanted a sheltie. I found some at a local rescue and decided they were cute. I sent the link to my friend Leah, who said, Trent and Jess have sheltie puppies, let’s go look at them this weekend. So off she, Nathan, and I went to “look at the puppies.” We watched the two puppies play together and played with them, and then, when she got tired, Shelby climbed right into Nathan’s lap. Obviously, we were heading to PetCo to get supplies for our new puppy within the hour. And so started our journey with Shelby.

As we later found out, Shelties are known for being loving, loyal, affectionate, and willing to please and obey. They are also very vocal and expressive dogs.  And Shelby is no exception. She is our little shadow, We have learned a lot about Shelby over the course of the year, and she really is like a furry little person, with her own personality and expressions. That’s right—my dog has expressions. And tonight, I’m going to demonstrate some of them for you, as they are really the best way to get to know Shelby.

The first, most essential Shelby look is “the potty look,” which looks like this. When we brought Shelby home, Trent and Jess had already been working on potty-training her, so she was familiar with the concept. And during the first week, Nathan figured out that this meant I need to go outside. So really, potty-training Shelby was pretty easy. However, she soon figured out that if she wanted to go outside, all she had to do was tilt her head and we would stop whatever we were doing to take her out, even if she didn’t really need to go and all she wanted to do was play fetch. While we tried to break her of this habit, it was often met with the I’m so cute so give me what I want look. She also used this look to get us to let her start sitting on the furniture and sleeping on the bed. What can I say, it’s hard to say no to this.

This next look is not to be confused with the potty look. It is instead the look Shelby uses to communicate with us (demonstrate). When we talk to her or ask her questions, she’ll respond with head tilts. Now, I’m pretty sure she can’t actually understand what we’re saying most of the time, but, there have been some instances where I think she can. For example, we were talking about what flavor of food we should get for her next: chicken, beef, deer, rabbit, or duck. She’s She sat there listening tilting her head, and when we said duck, she went like this. So we bought her the duck and since then, she’s eating like a normal dog rather than picking at it like she was before. Maybe she understands us after all.

The best Shelby look is what we like to call big toothy grin, which looks like this. She did this a lot when she was a puppy and was very happy with whatever she was doing—playing fetch, doing her obstacle course, chewing up shoes—that kind of thing. She doesn’t do big toothy grin very often anymore though, and instead just smiles.

Other expressions in Shelby’s repertoire include the glare, the stoic look, the wink, and the I’m watching you look. And if you’re not watching her when she wants you to be watching her, she will paw at your hand like this until you start paying attention to her.

As you can see, Shelby is very good at expressing herself in ways that we understand. Or maybe after a year, we’ve just come to an understanding. And maybe, after a year, I’m one of those crazy dog people after all.
I thought the speech went really well, but I was surprised by the feedback, most particuarly the comment that I was using the word "and" too often. I am not sure if it is a "speech" thing, but I am curious about the hatred for conjunctions--there have been other times people comment on using and, but, or, etc. at the beginning of sentences and how this is "bad grammar." I personally love using these words at the start of my sentences (and I'm sure if you go back and read this, you could have a rather fun drinking game with my use of conjunctions), so it might just be something I have to accept that I will be called out on.

Toastmasters Speech: In Which I Learn To Improvise

Last night was my third toastmasters speech, which was "organize the speech" or something similar. I wanted to talk about sorority recruitment, as this is currently the week that UNL has "rush." (I know, scandalous that I just called it that!) I though when I wrote it, it could be super funny and light and fun, while also being very organized and to the point. And then I wrote it, practiced it, and hated it. It was none of the above.

When I got to the podium, however, I was struck with inspiration, and it ended up being super funny and light and fun, and everyone laughed. I was not nervous, I did hand gestures, and again, improvised it. It was an awesome feeling, and I was really proud of what I had come up with.

I think it was the first lesson in speaking. I thought initially that because I could write speeches that were good, I could give speeches that are good. But there is a huge difference, because with speaking, what you come up with on the fly (that's right, you don't PLAN it) ends up being better than what you wrote.

However, here's the written out speech. And because my improved first line made me laugh a lot, I'll share it first, so you can see the difference.

Improved First Line: I am not a typical sorority girl, as I quickly learned while trying to discuss The Sun Also Rises with the guy manning the keg at a frat party. (and yes, my speech had other references to The Sun Also Rises. It's like it's my favorite book or something.)

In contrast, here is my written out speech:

Certain times of the year always bring back memories for me, and this week is one of them. For four years in college, I spent the week before school started at sorority recruitment—and, if I’m being honest, four years in college, I spent the week before that dreading it. But now that I’m no longer actually part of the sorority recruitment process, it’s easier to see that despite how hard it is, I learned valuable lessons those four years.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the sorority recruitment process as a “potential new member,” it is a week-long opportunity to visit houses on campus to see which is right for you before accepting a bid to join a house. You visit eight houses the first day, five the second, and three the third. You see slideshows and skits, eat lots of food, and participate in lots of small talk and singing. That’s right—singing. After all of this, you make your choice and hope that the house you want also wants you and you’ll get to go there on the last day, bid day.

That first year, going through the process I just described, I learned that no matter how much you stress out about something, everything works out in the end. I had not intended to go through sorority recruitment, and when I decided to, I did a lot of research on the houses I thought I wanted to be a part of. I recently found these notes, and the house I ended up in was the one with the least amount of notes. But looking back, it was the house that I was most comfortable in, and the house where I connected with most of the girls. I spent so much of that week crying and worrying and stressing over not getting into the right house, that I didn’t even realize that maybe I had already found the right house all along. Seven years later, I still worry and stress and maybe even cry about other situations, but it’s easier for me to see that what’s right will happen whether I worry or not.
As I went through my freshman year, I couldn’t wait for the next recruitment season. There was no way that it could be any harder than what I’d gone through the year before, because now, I was in control. But I was way wrong. It was harder. On top of all of the prep work that goes into recruitment week, you have to learn how to talk to potential new members. I believe this was my earliest introduction to small talk with a purpose. While talking to potential new members, you not only had to learn enough about them to see if they would be a good fit for the house, but also keep them interested in the house, sell them on the house, and hope they didn’t actually hear how bad of a singer you are. However, I find that I use these skills in my current job—the small talk skills, not the singing skills. I have to know what I’m talking about, sell people on what I’m talking about, and do so in a short period of time.

I was actually excited about recruitment the summer before my junior year. I was ready to move back into the house with my best friend and see everyone again. I was no longer going through recruitment, I had hopefully mastered the skills necessary to be successful at recruitment, and my best friend was in charge of the food, which meant that when I was helping her, I got to actually leave the house. Certainly this would be the best year. And it almost was. The first day, I was out giving house tours and meeting girls, but by the second day, I was back helping Meagan in the kitchen. My biggest fear going into the sorority process the two years before was that I would get caught up in girl drama, which is not me, and let’s just say that recruitment brings out a lot of girl drama. The lesson that year, perhaps the most valuable lesson I learned, was the importance of standing up for what you believe in.

The last year, I had taken over the kitchen, and while I learned how to shop and prepare acceptable recruitment food for hundreds of girls, the lesson I learned during my final recruitment was the value of memories. Even though it seems like I learned a lot of hard lessons during the first three years, my last year was one I’ll never forget. Because it was fun. On top of being in charge of the kitchen, Kaitlyn and I lived off campus, which gave us a lot more freedom than living in the house did. The memories of us goofing off in the kitchen while making fruit pizza and driving around to every grocery store looking for flavored syrups are simple, but they are happy. And in terms of the house, the traditions that we did every year during recruitment had more meaning as a senior, and really encapsulated everything a sorority can be. So while not as valuable or applicable to my professional live, this lesson applies to my every days, and lets me think fondly back on my sorority recruitment.

Rereading this today, I think that this is much more organized than what I actually gave, but apparently that didn't matter as much as I thought it did. I have to admit though, the problem with just improvising is how excited I get. Excited Whitney is fast-talking Whitney, which apparently doesn't bode well for speaking. Oh well.

Toastmasters Speech: The Words Of Whitney

This is the first actual toastmasters speech I gave, meaning it was from the manual. You'll have to remember that because it's a speech, it is much more effective spoken rather than read on my blog. Unfortunately, I don't plan to film my speeches for you all to see (haha). But I actually thought it turned out OK, considering I procrastinated it until the last minute.


When I gave my first speech for toastmasters, I uncharacteristically went out of order in the manual and skipped over the icebreaker. Afterward, many people told me that the icebreaker would be much easier for me, as it was about myself. However, I think talking about myself is a lot more difficult than talking about, well . . . anything else. While brainstorming, all I could come up with was words, and I felt really stuck, until I realized that words were the answer I had been looking for.

The written word has always been a huge part of my life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m a great speller, I have a fantastic vocabulary, or that I could take you down in a game of scrabble. No—instead, it means that as an avid reader and writer and former yearbook editor, English and journalism major, and magazine editor, I have chosen to let the written word dominate my life. Thus, it only seems fitting to let words dominate my icebreaker speech, as well.

Let’s start with the nouns. I am currently a wife, crazy dog lady, homeowner, and part-time fundraiser. I am also a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin—and you can add in-law to most of that, too. I am a blogger, facebook-addict, reality TV watcher, and library enthusiast. I have been a Coloradan, a Goddard Rocket, a Littleton Lion, and a sorority girl. And I will always be a Nebraska Cornhusker.

But as I’ve moved from different states and different schools and had different jobs, I’ve learned that it’s the adjectives that really make me who I am, and that the adjectives never change. So here are three adjectives that I think best describe me.

Particular. When my husband and I first started dating, we discovered we had one very important thing in common: neither of us liked to have our food touch the other food on the plate, and we both only eat one thing at a time. He was relieved because his family would no longer make fun of him, as they would in turn be making fun of me, and I was super glad that I finally found someone who understood the importance of using a divider plate.

Being particular falls into everything I do in my life. I have an eye for detail and am very organized. I constantly carry around my planner, and my to-do lists are cross-referenced. I am never on time—I’m always at least five minutes early, more likely 10-15 minutes early. And don’t even get me started on my closet or the Tupperware drawer, two places in the house I have to have just right. While sometimes being so particular about everything can be overwhelming, basically, I like things to be just right. 

Enthusiastic. Going along with my somewhat OCD-tendencies, I get really wrapped up in everything I do. This means I have varied interests and can often find something to talk about with people. If I’m interested in something, I’m INTERESTED in something—I tend to go through phases where I’ll learn everything I can about a particular subject until I lose eventually move on to something. I like to have opinions on topics I’m enthusiastic about, but I like to try to see both sides of an argument and often end up on the fence most of the time. But what I’m most enthusiastic about is people, which brings us to our third and final word.

Compassionate. I love people. While I’ve been told that I come off as quiet, shy, or even somewhat snotty and standoffish, I enjoy making friends and learning about people. More importantly, I like to help people, and this is why work in nonprofit drew me back in, even though going part-time has been a transition to say the least. I try to think of other people’s feelings before my own, and I am an includer, so I try to make sure people feel comfortable and welcome and invited. Mostly, I just really like learning people’s stories, because everyone has a story.

And now for some words I am not. Cook and mathematician are two that come to mind right away. But most of all, I’ve never considered myself to be a public speaker, so I hope my time as a toastmaster will change that.