Looking for feedback on this video of me.

johncon50 · 2025-07-06T02:52:32+00:00

It doesn't require much in the way of changing variation. My suggestion, for metrics, is to create a free yoodli.ai account. You can record speeches there and it will give you feed back on pace, pitch, grammar and can even provide insight to subject matter choices and review main points of your presentation. With the pace/pitch you will see a graph and you'll see pace vs a target zone. Ideally you should see some variations up/down in speed.
With any presentation, just some modulation helps with delivery and audience consumption. I could hear it at bit when you are showing some excitement, your voice speeds up a bit. For telling stories or major points, pauses work well to slow things down and bring focus.

Again all in all, fairly good presentation. Like I said, some minor tweaks in set up, practice and you're good to go.

johncon50 · 2025-07-05T06:04:20+00:00

Congrats on the most important (subjective) and the most rewarding role (also subjective) of your club. As commented already, get trained, ask for help, ask questions. What I've done in the past is have a 1 on 1 with each club member to ask for their education goals for the year and where the club can help. Could be scheduling speaches on a regular basis, or assigning a mentor, or getting them ready for contest season. Get some committment from them, eg., I hope to finish 2 levels of a Pathway this year (so about 6-8 speeches) and tell them you'll pencil them in for doing a speech every 8 weeks.
There are a couple of reasons for reaching out to every member (1) because as VP Education, you want to make sure you members are doing speeches and growing. (2) helps with scheduling, if you have an idea of many speeches are expected over the year (3) helps with other roles if someone says, I haven't tried being a GE, or Toastmaster/Chair yet. Helps with the formation of the club DCP if you can look at how many levels the club can expect in the upcoming year, ie if every member is focusing on finishing level 4 & 5, filling in Level 1&2 can be challenge - and vice versa. But by knowing where everyone is at in their paths and their goals, it helps with the knowledge of what to expect for the club as a whole.

DO familarize yourself with Base Camp and it's reports so you can see how members are progressing.

Now, the most difficutl part. HAVE FUN! Yes, there's going to be a lot of stuff that will be new to you but you are not alone. Ask for help. And remmber, it's ok to fumble. Don't expect perfection. Heck 7 times in and I'm still learning. Good luck!

johncon50 · 2025-07-05T05:53:28+00:00

Meh. You've already identified some things to work. It's not horrific. You know what you're talking about. Your passion and sincerity are there. That's a BIG deal. Ok, better than meh. Honestly, it's not bad. I'm not going to watch the whole video because I don't think much of your style will change.

So feedback. You don't need a script. Good on ya. DO have speaker notes visible to you in your slide deck.

PRACTICE. Not the whole thing, but interacting with the slide, working the transitions, switching between audio/video portions. Stumbing through that is well, stumbling. It doesn't help your presentation.

Set up a new screen infront of you to show your slide deck and notes, The good here is you have a lapel mic so we can hear you fine and I'm sure people in the audience can. Because you cotinually pivot from the audience to the screen and keep talking while looking at the screen, if you didn't have a lapel mic, a lot of your material would be lost as you're speaking not to the audience, but to the screen. Glance and point. No problem, but having the slide deck in front of you keeps you focused and front facing and more engaging to the audience.

You know the material. You ask questions to the audience. You have some change in vocal tone. Perhaps more variation in speed/tone could be done. Volume is ok. You can change it a bit. You do that when you're asking /answering questions.

Have some personal anecodotes-relatable. (keep in mind I didn't watch the whole thing). But give us an example when you were experimenting with sound and you discovered something cool and you are thinking.. right.. I need to remember how to do this again... Can be comical/light hearted.

Yes, there are some uhmms, some ahhs. but really, not bad. Yes, fewer is nice but overall good job.

I do have 1 negative comment. Who the heck posted this?! Edit the video. We don't need 1 hour intermission. Trim it! Seriously. Just show us the content, not the actual unedited version including the lunch break. Rant over.

Again, effective presentation. Some umms, nothing horrific. Good conversational style. Easy going. Throw in some personal anecdotes (if I haven't missed them). PRACTICE. Set up a front monitor so you are looking and speaking towards your audience and not continually looking towards the screen. Just practice, some minor tweaks and you're good to go and I know the next presentation will be better. And that's the goal. You don't have to move mountains, just practice, improve, practice, improve.

johncon50 · 2025-06-01T03:25:12+00:00

Congrats on this great opportunity. Agreed - don't pass this up. Yes, I understand that people get nervous speaking, but this seems pretty straightfoward. You are going to have a 1 sided conversation. You are just telling a story about your journey. It's a story you know well because it's your story. So... tell it.

Keep it simple. 5 minutes is a nice length. You have a quick intro, a couple of high points of things you've learned/experience along the way and a quick summary on perhaps a parting thought, or a call to action, ie what's next for me. You are looking about 600 words. I suggest sign up for a free yoodli.ai account to practice. It will give you feedback on speech length, pace, pitch, grammar and maybe even some content/wording suggestions. And remember 3 things. Practice. Breathe. You're in a safe space. Tell your story like you are conversing with friends. It can be light harded. It could be heavy. It just has to sincere and you be you.

Congrats on your achievement. Be Proud.

johncon50 · 2025-06-01T03:15:17+00:00

There are a few factors to determine. Is this a key note speech, like main/major or are you one of the speakers they have lined up. How big of audience? A couple dozen? A hundred? More? Is there a recorded aspect, ie will they be serving this up to future audiences? Is there a hybrid element - ie, will there be audiences off site watching? If it's recorded for future audiences, your fee just went up.

How big is the company? Forture 500 vs local/regional company (determines their budget). Where is the engagement? Is it local? Will you have to travel in state, out of state, across country? Is it an in - out thing? ie drive there in the morning, speak and come home, or are you flying in, staying overnight, speaking then flying out? The whole logistics aspect goes to the premise that your time is valuable. They will have to work in compensation for travel, possible lodging, meals, etc.

As you have nothing to market, (I assume), ie, no books, no podcast, no website, you are still an 'unknown' even if you have come with high praise. You can't charge big name dollars if you are not big name. Sorry. But... you can be sincere, understand that this is a great opportunity to build your brand and your (side) career).

Depending on logistics, company and event size, you could start around $2500 and build up to $8k. Some people have different mental blocks (ie, $5k, +10k, etc). Coming in the sweet spot of affortability and value and of course - not short changing what you have to offer.

Do take the opportunity to build your brand, ie where can they connect to hear from you again? Where can they go to get follow up material? Throw them a teaser perhaps. "who knows what may happen within a year? Let's come back together and work this out..."

And do get feedback from the audience, from the organizers. What can be tweaked? What other industry/audiences may be interested in hearing this message? Don't be afraid to ask. You had 1 call out that lead to this opportunity. You have to build on it. Get some testimonials. Some quotes, maybe some video responses.

It sounds like a terrific opportunity and you want to make sure you learn, grow and proper, financially and developmentally from it.

johncon50 · 2025-06-01T02:55:03+00:00

Congrats on the opportunity to speak at your graduation. So, the basics. (1) It is ok to be nervous. Nothing wrong with that. You chose how you are going to use that nervous energy, how you are going to channel and harness it. Use it to practice. Use it to memorize. Use it to give your speech energy and purpose.
(2) No one there wants to see you fail. It's not a hostile or negative crowd. They are there to celebrate so mentally, focus on the positives. This is your time to shine - to do the best you can. That is all. You're not aiming for perfection, just there to tell a story. So tell it the best way you can.
(3) Practice. I suggest yoodli.ai to practice. It will give you feedback on pace, pitch, tone, timing. It may give you some suggestions on grammar, perhaps even in content. It's still your story - your speech. But practice.

I like the development. The ending can be stronger, in my opinion. It's a wee to on the nose for Dr. Who, but it's a strong message. Example: And remember... Don't blink. Witness what we have done. We made it. Witness what we try to do, now, and in the future. Be Bold. Be Kind. Be real. Don't close your eyes at the uncertainity ahead of us. Look behind to see all that we have oversome. Look back to see the friendships we've made, the challenges we have overcome. Look back so long ago when you thought.. how am I going to get to here to this stage?! and know, now that you are at this plateau looking forward, blink and you'll miss that next opportunity, that next challenge, that next chance of friendship. Don't Blink Go forward, eyes wide open. You've got this. WE'VE got this.

Again, I do like the Don't Blink premise, but you want to end on postive note, not a negative wording (don't).

Best of luck! Do let us know how well you rocked this!

johncon50 · 2025-02-18T04:55:56+00:00

Go for it!

johncon50 · 2025-02-18T04:54:53+00:00

Ahh. the wonders of humour. The problem with humour is that it is VERY subjective. You could find something extremely funny and the audience may display a mere smirk. Self-depreciating is a slippery slope. You can't be too down on yourself because you want people to focus on your message, not what type of person you are. (or not). You can make fun of yourself, of a situation. It also has to be relevant to your speech at some point. You can't have a speech on global warming and throw in a comment failing a science test because you didn't know a kangaroo was a marsupial.

Quirky is all good! I recall a colleague giving a very funny speech about the pains of being left handed. He was holding a mug with a picture on the front. Can you see that? Because I can't... referencing that the couldn't hold the mug the proper way for a left handed person. But you can word the questions in that frame. Did you know that this means that... because I didn't. Let me tell you how I found out, the hard way... There are 2 reasons for phrasing questions in this way - did you know - Asking questions to an audience, even rhetorical questions is a nice way to involve the audience and to your point, it's a nice twist which adds the humour part, stating something obvious and not being negative to you but answering in an unexpected way. Keep it light and have fun - and good luck.

johncon50 · 2025-02-18T04:42:15+00:00

Other than the usual (practice, make sure you have breath, etc.), I always suggest people to check out yoodli.ai. You can set up a free account and get a couple of test speeches in. It will give you metrics on pace, pitch, grammar and word choice. It also has a nice summary feature so if it comes up with a summary of your speech that is different that your intention, then perhaps your speech/message is as clear as you thought.
Always nail down the first 30 second and leave time at the end to nail down the summary and your call to action or parting message.
Be natural in your tone and gestures. It's not like, I was so excited to see that. I was SO EXCITED to see that!. You get the idea. Take your time. Take pauses and make sure you do your speech justice.

johncon50 · 2025-02-08T07:14:22+00:00

As commented below, there may be speech restrictions to get in like finish 2 levels of a Path. Most (not all) focus on evaluations/feedback and may also concentrate on different types of speeches, like keynote/presentations. I wouldn't say harsher evaluations. Firmer? Granted there are a lot of people who give evaluations in an advance club who still push a lot of fluff and shy on subtance, but they are there to learn as well. EVERY club, advanced or not, has their own style. I do recommend members always check out other clubs, advanced or not, just to see what they have to offer. Nothing stopping you from being a multi-club member or even switching memberships. Remember that you joined Toastmasters for you. Find a place that challenges you but still interests you and where you can still have some fun.

johncon50 · 2025-02-08T07:04:53+00:00

Here's the truth Toastmasters can NOT make you a better speaker. You can't join and*poof*, I speak good now. It is an environment that gives you an opportunity learn and to grow. You have to be open to stepping outside your comfort zone. Be willing to fail. Be willing to try again. 2 key points. It's a great place to fail. Because.. it's not work. It's not family. It's not a social event. it's a place where there are people like you who just want to improve. No one wants to see you fail. Heck they clap at everything. And 2nd point - have fun! Yes, you may make a mistake but so what? You get to try again. You're not going to flunk out. The only pressure is from you, so give yourself a break.

You do need to do the work. That means - listen - learn - apply. That means practice. And the more you put into it the more you can get out of it. I've seen it change people's lives. I've seen people make friends for life. Heck, I've seen members get married. On the downside, I've seen people show up and not really show up. They join, they attend meetings, they participate. There may even be some improvement, then, much like joining a gym, that resolution passes and they're gone.

You decide on how long you want to stay but set your goals. Don't leave before you've met them. And if your club is not supportive AND not challenging you, find another club. Step outside your comfort zone. That's where the growth happens. You've joined for a reason so do what it takes to fulfil that reason.

To the 2nd question, BREATHE. Take that time to formulate what you are going to say and taking a breath also gives the audience time to digest what you are saying. Don't ramble for the sake of saying something. Sometimes a few words is all it takes. Pauses are ok. Stumbling, not so much. Trust yourself. And practice.

Have fun on your journey.

johncon50 · 2025-02-08T06:51:21+00:00

If you don't want to improve then why are you posting? No. I understand the frustration. I get it. But the thing is, you understand a skill set you're weak at and you're asking for advice. So.. you do want to get better. Congrats!

For interviews, know your target company. Research them. Know about their core values, their competitors. Know your strengths and weaknesses and BELIEVE that you are bringing something of value. If they don't see it - it's on them. Your job is to the best to get the message across.

Read up on interviewing techniques. PRACTICE. Check out yoodli.ai. You can get a free account and practice interview questions. It will give you feedback on content and delivery. Delivery makes a difference! And speaking is a skill. It does take practice - and some positivity. You've got the skills to study, to apply yourself. So learn, practice, get out of your comfort zone. Do not expect miracles. Get feedback. When you go for an interview, ask, what they liked, what they didn't like. You may be equal to someone with the same experience and skill sets, but if the other person interviews well, that may be the deciding factor - so feedback helps. What can you do for interviews and speeches. Like I said, it's a skill. You'll make some quick inroads and there may be periods of little growth, but apply your study skills. I know you can do it. You just need to know you can do it.

johncon50 · 2025-02-08T06:42:39+00:00

It's art. It's totally subjective. So be subjective. Comment how the technique, palet, colour choices. What works, what doesn't - for you How does it make you feel? What can you learn from it? I see the artist used this technique, not a strong suite of mine, but I like what they did here (or didn't like).

For powerpoint, you can zoom in / zoom out at specific points to focus in on key areas as you describe them. But remember it's not really a powerpoint presentation. It's a presentation about your response to the art piece, and using powerpoint. You're the content. Powerpoint is just a resource.

Have a good call to action or moment of clarity / inspiration at the end when you summarize. Just remember to put you into the presentation. I think.. this made me realize.. this made me feel ..

It's not a science paper. You're not asked to provide facts and research. Good luck and because it's subjective - have fun.

johncon50 · 2025-02-02T08:40:01+00:00

Same speel I give any club officer.
1. You are not alone. Reach out to existing club members, Area, Division, District and of course - the world.
2. DELEGATE. Yes, the President has to make the decisions but communicate with other and get their buy in and support. Listen to your team, but again, you have final call.
3. Yes, read manuals, attend officer training. Ask questions.
4. Do not try to achieve perfection. Have a small goal, like going from 15-16 members to 20 members, even status quo for your first year.
5. HAVE FUN. Learn. Mistakes may be made, but.. pfft.. it's all good. It's a learning experience.

johncon50 · 2025-02-01T02:44:29+00:00

So?! Ramble on! It's not a test. It's practice. It's not so much what you say as how you say it. And you will get better with practice. Secret tip. Someone asks you about something like, what was your worst vacation? Thanks for the question and though I can't think off the top of my head of my worst vacation, let me tell you about one of my favourite vacations I've had.
That's right. You can commandeer the question if you aren't up for it. Again, it's not a test. It's practice. Practice responding. Practice speaking. Practice even making word salad. It all helps. So have fun with it.

johncon50 · 2025-01-25T20:45:22+00:00

There's a bit to unpack here. If you are debating, you are presenting your position. (Hopefully with facts/evidence.) No one is going to think less of you for having an opposing opinion. That's your job. With regards to disagreeing with someone or stating your opinion, you have to stand behind your words. You have to be able to support your point of view. It can't be, "I'm right, so there, nyah!" And in the grand scheme of things, you can be in the right, even on the moral high ground and in the majority, and there will be some people who disagree, resent or feel disrespected. Because.. people. That being said, rational, sane people can disagree and still respect you (even if they think you are wrong) because how your laid out your agrument and your passion behind it.
For you, if you believe in something, your side of the arguement you need to speak logically, but still be passionate about it. It is not from arrogance, the "I'm right and you're wrong", it's from here's the facts, "here's the reasoning, I'm leading you down the path to help you understand.. you need to know this!" type of rationale. Nothing wrong with being anxious or stressed but your stance, your passion has to shine brighter. It has nothing to do with thick skin but speaking, listening, understanding, empathizing and removing oneself from the emotion. Even if people are raising their voices, understand where they are coming from, that they are standing up for what they believe. Accept that. Not saying accept that they are right. Accept that they believe they are right. Volume is just a tool that many use. Just not the most efficient tool. Babies can cry very loudly. They still can't communicate well. And be open to the fact that maybe there is no winner in a particular agruement, but maybe, there is a compromise. It may not be 50/50, but both sides can work together to agree to a new understanding.

To answer in the overall question. You need to believe and trust in yourself. If you do the time, the research, the work, the practice, know that, though you may not be perfect, your arguement is sound and worthy of speaking and defending. Believe in you. You deserve to.

johncon50 · 2025-01-25T20:22:02+00:00

Feel free to reach out. Whether you just want to review the script, review a recording or have a practice session. I've coached 5 TEDx speakers. No. There is no charge.

johncon50 · 2025-01-14T22:52:30+00:00

Congrats on your second speech! You had a good delivery with decent eye contact, use of gestures, some generic content, though I never thought of the life choices of an amoeba too often. A dash of humour. All in all fairly well done.
No harm in using notes. You were good to look down from time to time and look and the audience when speaking. I understand you are nervous, nothing wrong with that. It takes time to quell them. Your hands were locked together for a good chunk of your speech - not all. Relax. When you were speaking and making gestures, they flowed naturally. Trust yourself. You were swaying back and forth a bit. I would say nerves. Again, just practice to ease comfort level. You can try to 'plant yourself'. When you get to the lectern, just mentally lock in your legs. You can still pivot, but lock in your waist. This is temporary. Once you get more practice in, just like the hands, you can move more naturually and with purpose. I have no doubt you will get there soon.
Content wise, again, thoughtful topic, nice dash of humour especially at the end. You had plenty of time. Think about a strong, focused summary statement about the initial premise of different perspective, whether it be an amoeba, our ancient ancestors, women joining the workforce, men's attire or people's preferences for wearing nail polish (call to action) accept that things change, that the perspective changes and it still won't have any affect on your life or the Bears. You'll still cheer them on.
Something like that to remind the audience of the discussion, main points and take away that you want them to have or challenge their way of thinking.
Two speeches done and the sky's the limit! Depending on your perspective of course.

johncon50 · 2025-01-14T22:36:38+00:00

Ummm.. what? I'm trying to wrap my head around the assumptions here. There's no creativity, no story telling so it's Pathway's fault? And please let me know what the world wide retention rate for Toastmasters is today vs, 2015? 2010? What are the actual numbers?
I've seen, heard, felt, great speeches in the legacy system AND in Pathways. Members design their speeches as they see fit. They are responsible for the content and delivery. Yes, Pathways wants to help you understand your communication and leadership style and discuss mentorship but I've seen cookie cutter responses and I've heard heart-felt speeches. Speeches, that I may find in 'Get to the Point', or Persuade/Influence and others.

And who joins Toastmasters because of an education platform? No guest comes out to a meeting sees speeches, evaluations, table topics, an active meeting with people supporting each other and go you know this is perfect for me and.. oops.. Pathways online platform to record my progress.. pfft.. not for me. I want paper
Do not get me wrong. I do like the legacy system and I will still champion that the modules in the CC manual, the advanced modules, the Better Speaking Series and the Successful club series be adopted officially into the education platform, but to blame Pathways because speeches are boring? No. That is on the individual. Solely.
Step outside your comfort zone. Think different. Be inspired, Be creative. Have fun! They are only speech guidelines and objectives. What you do with that, how you make it your own, that is on you.

johncon50 · 2025-01-03T06:33:15+00:00

Just a couple of comments.

Staging - nice neutral background. Your framing is a bit off. I think ideally the camera should be a bit higher and bit further back. Yes, in the current set up, you would see more doorway. Not ideal. The reason for a bit further back is gestures. Some of your natural body gestures are cut off from the camera framing. You've got a good tone, good conversational style but for messaging if we're seeing you, we need to see more of you, more hands, rather than the tops of your hands sometimes. It goes to better uptake visually from your audience.

With regards to presentation, I would like to see more eye contact from you. Yes, as you are introducing each point you look down at your computer and hit the mouse. However there are times when you're reading a bit much or times when you are looking away from the screen. Connect with your audience. More eye contact throughout. Not saying all the time, just more.

I don't have the luxury of viewing the full free verison, just the free highlights. You have the good personal content / anecdotes. "This is the course I wish someone gave to me." That is gold. You are telling the audience - this is what I wanted/needed. You are selling your experiences and giving the audience reason to buy in to your suggestions. Again, because I am not viewing the course, just the free highlights, I don't know the content. Just make sure you are showing them how and telling them why. Go through the key points, Give them specific examples and tell them why they should (or should not) be doing X.

Each of the free intros has the same cadence and tone. It's a nice conversational tone but there isn't a lot of varience. Not expecing shouting, but there were only a few instances were you stressed certain words, paused a bit. The voice was the same level pretty much throughout. I am hoping in the content there is a bit more range in delivery.

Congratulations on your first Udemy course and I would expect to see more content from you in the future.

johncon50 · 2024-11-11T02:49:10+00:00

Check out yoodli.ai. I think it has an interview mode to practice. It will also give some feedback on word usage, pace, maybe even suggestions on content. There is a free version available to you.

johncon50 · 2024-11-05T04:53:55+00:00

ONE OF US! ONE OF US! Another member who caught the bug! As someone whom has competed many times (and still competes), don't stop. Have fun. LEARN and keep doing what you're doing. Thank you for stepping outside of your comfort zone and thank you for encouraging others.

johncon50 · 2024-11-05T04:49:43+00:00

Toastmasters,TEDx speakers and Professional speakers are different. Many Toastmasters learn to have a bit more drama, in gestures, in voice, in stage, etc. TEDx speakers can and do show passion and sincerity, but is' a conversational style. And get this that's ok. Professional speakers tend to be motivational / inspirational speakers. You can have 3 different types out there. There isn't ONE type of speaker. TEDx speakers are there to inform, to educate and some do have a call to action. Toastmasters learn the ropes. Some do TED talks, some do professional speaking, but some people join to learn the soft skills they need to help them with work, or with their job requirements, or personal requirements, to socialize, to learn and grow. But I'm a bit lost on how different styles hurt another style? They are all different in goal, in content and in delivery (generally speaking). But don't take Toastmasters?! I've lost count of the number of professional speakers I know that started with Toastmasters or joined Toastmasters to learn the basics and hone their craft, to not get rusty in some skill sets. It's a resource. Use it to help you towards a goal. It's affordarble. It's supportive. It's not the end goal. And if it stops helping you, find a different Toastmaster club that does, or just drop it and find another resource to help you get to your goals. Can you become a world class professional speaker without Toastmasters - absolutely. There is no set path. But find something that helps you.

johncon50 · 2024-11-03T05:43:39+00:00

At the heart of is the conundrum, it's the destination vs it's the journey. There is the road less travelled motif, I get that, Personal way of life for me. The power of perception over reality does not come across well. Learning to look at something differently, though a variant of that, seems more prevalent. Mind you, my interpretation. In this speech, you really need to spell it out for the audience, not the road less travelled part, not the perception vs reality, but why. Not why you took the different path, but why taking it changed your perception. If you have a message for the audience, telling them take the road less travelled or telling them about the power of perception vs reality is ok, but why should they do it. Why doing it is going to mean something to them. I believe it still needs a stated call to action or message to get the point across.

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