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Acknowledging the TM, etc.
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rich.hopkins@gmail.com
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 6:56 am    Post subject: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
A debate is raging amongst coaches and fellow TM's regarding my WCPS
speech.

Do I go with tried, true, and trite "Mr. contest chair, fellow
toastmasters, and welcome guests", or come up with something clever,
risking the appearance of trying to be clever?

Rich Hopkins - ATM-G (and now officially a CC as well!)
District 9, Region I
www.richhopkins.net
www.buildingachampion.blogspot.com
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Joy
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:42 am    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
<rich.hopkins@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1155081414.439792.204560@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
Quote:
A debate is raging amongst coaches and fellow TM's regarding my WCPS
speech.

Do I go with tried, true, and trite "Mr. contest chair, fellow
toastmasters, and welcome guests", or come up with something clever,
risking the appearance of trying to be clever?

Rich Hopkins - ATM-G (and now officially a CC as well!)
District 9, Region I
www.richhopkins.net
www.buildingachampion.blogspot.com

It could depend on your clever idea. Do you want to tell us what you are
considering?

I usually just use, "Mr. Toastmaster, ladies and gentlemen".

Joy
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Rod Taylor
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
<rich.hopkins@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1155081414.439792.204560@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
Quote:
A debate is raging amongst coaches and fellow TM's regarding my WCPS
speech.

Do I go with tried, true, and trite "Mr. contest chair, fellow
toastmasters, and welcome guests", or come up with something clever,
risking the appearance of trying to be clever?


I think it depends on what you mean by 'clever', and how clever that
'clever' is. Generalisations are, by nature, much more difficult to
comment on than specifics.

If your current group of coaches and fellow Toastmasters have heard and
seen the specifics, and are divided on the issue, you can be pretty
certain that the judges for the International contest will also be
divided. If that's the case, you may be statistically better off to
stick with something that may not earn you a bonus but, equally, won't
cost you points. Ask your group how your proposed acknowledgement would
influence their scores, and follow the numbers.

The more common question is whether the acknowledgement should come at
the start of the speech or after the opening statement. There doesn't
seem to be a 'right' answer there, either, but it doesn't seem to
influence judges much, either way.

Like Joy, my preference, If I use a verbal acknowledgement (I usually
use an obvious nod and a gesture) is to use, Mr/Madam Contest Chairman,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Rod Taylor (rodt iafrica - don't forget the @ and the dotcom)
Transformers Toastmasters Club
District 74, Southern Africa
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Jean
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
Hi Rich

For all the contests I've seen, it would appear that tried, true and
trite is the way to go. Not because you can't be clever... I've seen
too many of your postings to ever think such a thing - but because
winning the contest isn't about how you initially acknowledge the
audience but about your speech.

Of course, by all means, if your speech is about acknowledgements and
how to do things differently, then go for it! I would suspect,
however, that it is not and therefore, the tried and true is the best
course of action. Besides, if I were an audience member and you
acknowledged the audience in a far different, more clever way... I
doubt I'd even pay attention to your opening and wouldn't catch up
until you were well in the body of your speech whereby you'd have lost
me until your conclusion. Strange that, huh?

Hope that helps! Just my opinion.

Warmest regards
Jean

rich.hopkins@gmail.com wrote:
Quote:
A debate is raging amongst coaches and fellow TM's regarding my WCPS
speech.

Do I go with tried, true, and trite "Mr. contest chair, fellow
toastmasters, and welcome guests", or come up with something clever,
risking the appearance of trying to be clever?

Rich Hopkins - ATM-G (and now officially a CC as well!)
District 9, Region I
www.richhopkins.net
www.buildingachampion.blogspot.com
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Colin William
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
My cop-out answer is to watch the videos of what recent winners have done.
If they've concluded that sticking with the standard was necessary, then I'd
follow that.

Overall it'll be a trivial point, but my gut feel is that it's the kind of
point that only is noticeable if one messes it up (and only then to the
subset of judges who are vigilantly anal retentive about it enough to care).

Colin
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betsy_in_va
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
Quote:
Colin William wrote:
My cop-out answer is to watch the videos of what recent winners have done.


I second that, but for the opposite reason. I've been watching the
videos of the last few years, and the "clever" opening is widely used.
TOO widely used, if you ask me. It would be refreshing to see someone
use the regular way again.

Of all the clever openings, I liked the guy who addressed "Mr.
Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters, and (speaking loudly) the guy sitting
all the way in the back of the room..." (Was that Darren LeCroix? I
forget, but it's the only one of the clever openings that stuck in my
head.)

Betsy
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rich.hopkins@gmail.com
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
That WAS Darren, speaking from a prone position on stage. "Mr. contest
chair, friends, and the people way in the back". You can see it again
here (wait through the promo stuff):
http://www.humor411.com/darren/keynote_demo.html

Rich.

betsy_in_va wrote:
Quote:
Colin William wrote:
My cop-out answer is to watch the videos of what recent winners have done.


I second that, but for the opposite reason. I've been watching the
videos of the last few years, and the "clever" opening is widely used.
TOO widely used, if you ask me. It would be refreshing to see someone
use the regular way again.

Of all the clever openings, I liked the guy who addressed "Mr.
Toastmaster, fellow toastmasters, and (speaking loudly) the guy sitting
all the way in the back of the room..." (Was that Darren LeCroix? I
forget, but it's the only one of the clever openings that stuck in my
head.)

Betsy
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betsy_in_va
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
rich.hopkins@gmail.com wrote:
Quote:
That WAS Darren, speaking from a prone position on stage. "Mr. contest
chair, friends, and the people way in the back". You can see it again
here (wait through the promo stuff):
http://www.humor411.com/darren/keynote_demo.html

Great link--and watching it again reminded me that what I really liked

about that beginning wasn't the words as much as his saying them while
staring at the stage, not the audience. Very gutsy, but a one-time-only
stunt.

Wow, I really mangled that quote--I think the only word I got right was
"Mr." Remind me never to testify in court...

Betsy
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betsy_in_va
Guest
PostPosted: Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
Wow, I really mangled that quote... I think the only word I got right
was "Mr."

Thanks for the link. You know, the thing that was most impressive to me
about that beginning wasn't just the words, but that he said them with
his face down, looking at the stage, not the audience. But, that's a
one-time-only stunt.

Do you get points off it you don't do the greeting at all?
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Joy
Guest
PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:20 am    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
"betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote in message
news:1155133129.117289.224970@i3g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
Quote:
Wow, I really mangled that quote... I think the only word I got right
was "Mr."

Thanks for the link. You know, the thing that was most impressive to me
about that beginning wasn't just the words, but that he said them with
his face down, looking at the stage, not the audience. But, that's a
one-time-only stunt.

Do you get points off it you don't do the greeting at all?

I suspect that depends on the judge. I've been told by a chief judge that
the greeting isn't required. In another District, a long-time Toastmaster
instructs everyone who will listen that the Toastmaster should not sit down
until addressed, and he makes it clear that a speaker who does not "address
the Toastmaster" should have points taken off. The fact that there isn't
anything on the ballot for this doesn't seem to matter.

Joy
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betsy_in_va
Guest
PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:35 am    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
Sorry for double posting, my computer is acting strangely and I didn't
think the first post went through.
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betsy_in_va
Guest
PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:37 am    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
Quote:
The fact that there isn't
anything on the ballot for this doesn't seem to matter.

Ain't that the truth!
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Colin William
Guest
PostPosted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:58 am    Post subject: Re: Acknowledging the TM, etc. Reply with quote
"betsy_in_va" <b7760@keogan.com> wrote
Quote:
I second that, but for the opposite reason. I've been watching the
videos of the last few years, and the "clever" opening is widely used.
TOO widely used, if you ask me. It would be refreshing to see someone
use the regular way again.

Interesting; that's what I get for not having watched them :-)

Sounds to me like a high-risk/high-reward kind of thing, then. Clearly
judges have been rewarding these things, but you have to get it just right.
As someone else in the thread noted, if your coaches are divided on it, then
so would be the judges.

Colin
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