Trigger warning: Shakespearean violence
As much for my own benefit as for the readers of this blog, here's the current state-of-play regarding all the speeches I intend to give as part of the speedrun. Some of them are fully-formed and others barely started. But I'm not panicking yet.
As I've said in another blog, I want this to be a path that I feel I've fully earned, not just a repetition of existing speeches done at speed as a gimmick. As I've also said elsewhere, I rejected the idea of giving the whole path a unifying theme (although I do think that's a good idea that I might use in the future). Unsurprisingly, though, tax law and Shakespeare do feature heavily in the following list, as does Toastmasters itself.
I've set them out below in roughly the order I'm intending to give them:
Level 1 - Icebreaker - "Pathway Speedrun Icebreaker" - This one will write itself. I don't think it needs any preparation: on the contrary my bigger worry is fitting everything I'd want to say about the speedrun into six minutes! One thing I do need to remember to include is an introduction to the 360 degree appraisal.
Level 1 - Vocal Variety and Body Language - "Henry V" - I've given a speech before which includes the same three dramatised readings I intend to give this time, and I know all three of them well, so although I'll take a copy of the Arden with me I expect to be able to do them from memory. I've spliced together a playlist called "speedrun resources" of all the bits and pieces I think it would be useful to hear again and again in the run-up to the speedrun, to listen to during my commutes, and I've included the Arkangel version of all three speeches in it. I have a rather - well let's just say, odd - idea for costuming for this speech. I'm happy to ad-lib the narrative between the readings, which will just be an explanation of what I'm presenting and how I feel about it.
Level 1- Evaluation and Feedback 1 - "Macbeth on Screen" - I've given a talk on this subject before but this time there is a very major difference. The talk is about a lockdown project of mine which was to make a film of Shakespeare's Macbeth formed from the best bits of all the existing film versions of Shakespeare's Macbeth. (I'm really pleased with it.) The last time I spoke on this topic, all I could do was talk about it. The big difference this time is that I've subsequently produced a 90-second abridgement of my film which I can show during the speech (which will be online). I'll end on another short dramatised reading, of which I've included the Arkangel version in my speedrun resources playlist.
Level 2 - Understanding Your Leadership Style - "Coaching" - That's just a holding title. I've no idea what I'm going to say about this, yet.
Level 1 - Speech With a Purpose - "First Death Discretionary Trusts for Business Owners" - This is a work-related talk which I need to give for real in November. It has a quite complicated PowerPoint animation to demonstrate how the planning works. I've completed the PowerPoint in the last few days. (It took ages!) It will be amazing to have an opportunity to rehearse it in front of a Toastmasters club before giving it for real - I've often found that in the past at my own club. And it helps that you have to explain things carefully because the audience won't be familiar with the material. I am going to have to take it at quite a pace though (probably ditching everything except the graphic) since the full talk runs 45 minutes to an hour, whereas I'll have 5 to 7 minutes. Even so, and in addition to the formal disclaimer that the slides have because they were prepared for my work, I did need to add a further disclaimer slide of my own:
Level 3 Elective - Researching and Presenting - "Harfleur" - This is the speech I'm most nervous about its reception because in spite of my intention to avoid talking about controversial topics, including war, this one definitely has a war theme. (My brother did point out that I was unlikely to be speaking to anyone with a personal connection to a campaign that culminated in 1415! On the other hand, ask not for whom the bell tolls, and all that.) Anyway, assuming I have the courage to do it (and I've alternatives in my back pocket) it's intended to be a counterblast to my Henry V speech, including a further reading (not dramatised) from Shakespeare's play.
Level 1- Evaluation and Feedback 2 "Macbeth on Screen" - I'm economising somewhat by repeating the speech mentioned above, as encouraged by the project on Basecamp. My hope is that someone who evaluates my first one will give me something actionable and interesting enough to incorporate into this speech and make it different.
Level 3 - Negotiate the Best Outcome - "Getting to Yes" - This is a provisional title and I've no idea what I'm going to speak about. Actually we have a negotiation at work at the moment which might make a suitable subject (but it will depend how it plays out).
Level 3 Elective - Connect with Storytelling - "The Limerick Toastmasters Club" - I've scheduled this speech more than once during the speedrun, for the reasons:
(1) It's a favourite speech of mine, at the moment.
(2) I don't actually need it to complete the speedrun: I can do that with all the other projects I've scheduled. But what I DO need is the confidence of knowing I've several slots available into which I can swap-out any speech which doesn't happen or goes wrong - for example if my car breaks down on the way to a live meeting or if I lose my internet connection to an online one.
(3) I'm giving this speech in the forthcoming humourous contest. Of course I've no way of knowing whether I'll still be in the competition by the time the speedrun comes around - although even if I'm not multiple performances of it, with their evaluations, would be great.
(4) I don't think this was a conscious decision but I do seem to have this scheduled at meetings with multiple evaluations. Which can't be bad!
In case you're wondering, yes, I did approach the Limerick Toastmasters Club to see if I could give my speech "The Limerick Toastmasters Club" there during the speedrun. Unfortunately they've gone back to holding all their meetings in person. But maybe I'll visit one day.
Level 4 Elective - Managing a Difficult Audience - "Toastmasters Mentoring" - My plan here is to do a speech that could be genuinely useful, as if it were an educational, based on the same material that I used in my recent educational slot on Toastmasters Mentoring at my own club. At Cardiff we've split out supervising mentoring from the VPE role, so we have a "VP Mentoring" on our committee - which this year is me. Of course I'll have to manage the difficult audience, too, which is another reason I think I'll find it more manageable if I base the discussion on something I can do ad lib. I'm particularly pleased that Valleys & Vale Toastmasters agreed to host this speech live. I've always imagined Managing a Difficult Audience would go better (or worse!) live than it would online, and have only ever actually seen it done online. So this will be an education for me, one way or another.
Level 2 - Understanding Your Communication Style - "Analytical" - Another one where the only material I've got is the one word title. Not sure what I'm going to speak about for the other 6 minutes and 55 seconds. Leave this one with me.
Level 4 Elective - Write a Compelling Blog - "pathwayspeedrun" - Okay, well, you're reading it. Actually my intention if possible is only to use those posts made during the speedrun as the eight to be evaluated. My plan anyway is to blog quite vigorously during the speedrun: much shorter posts than this one but continually updating progress, constantly updating "Thank You", posting everything I have on video (including my speeches and their evaluations where applicable) plus any still photographs or screenshots, images of certificates and badges as I earn them, and thoughts I have or vlogs that I do. Just lots of "hey everybody look at me" basically.
I don't think the report will need writing. It's a very short speech and I'm pretty sure I'll have far too much to say, not not enough.
Level 3 Elective - Active Listening - This project involves leading a table topics session and isn't a speech. I do have a good idea for it which I've used before and I think it's wisest that I don't give any hints what that is, here. Besides there may be something in the speedrun that inspires a better or more current idea.
Level 2 - Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring - "Protegee" - I haven't got anything except the one-word title for this one either. Indeed I've noticed that's a bit of a theme, that it's level 2 that's giving me the biggest problems! Also it's a bit embarrassing that I'm VP Mentoring at Cardiff Toastmasters and it's the introduction-to-mentoring speech that I've no ideas for. When I last gave this talk I had a really good idea which set the bar a bit high: I got in touch with my mentor from the very start of my career, through his son, and invited him to join the online meeting where I gave a speech in his honour. It worked well, but I don't want to repeat it and need to plan something more ordinary this time. I'm trying to avoid a Toastmasters subject, although that might be where this goes. Watch this space, anyway.
Level 3 - Manage Change - "Will Precedents" - I thought this was a convenient topic, because I'm leading a change to the will precedents we use at my work, right now. One problem is that the whole project is going far too smoothly so far to make a good speech. Don't get me wrong - I don't want it to go wrong or become difficult or encounter vast resistance - far from it - touch wood I hope it all continues to go smoothly and that everybody loves all of my ideas and implements them brilliantly and it is all a huge success. But if that happens I might need a new speech topic.
Oh dear, I'm tempting fate, aren't I?
Level 3 Elective - Question and Answer Session - "Trust Taxation" - This is the first of two sessions on the speedrun which are actually part of my job, and where a Toastmaster from the Cardiff club will be invited along to do a written evaluation. In this case, I give a regular monthly training talk for the private client team, and I'm adapting this one to also be a Toastmasters question and answer session. The subject matter will be rather technical but that will be suitable for the audience and I will be explaining to them in advance what we need and ensuring they come armed with suitable questions for me, which I won't know in advance.
The talk will be on trust taxation which is one of my primary areas of expertise, and I've spoken about it, on various different levels and for different types of audiences, many times before. I often use the metaphor of "two buckets" but haven't used a visual aid before, although I put this into my slideshow earlier today so I'm sure it will make an appearance:
Level 5 Elective - Prepare to Speak Professionally - "Elsinore Keynote" - This one still needs a lot of work. It is one of two attempts at this project which I've scheduled into the speedrun, which I think is important in case one of them fails to happen. I also felt I had doubts about whether "Nothing Will Come of Nothing" (see below) was really a "keynote-style" speech. Anyway the idea of this one is that I give the keynote speech that Claudius would give in the opening act of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" if he spoke in modern English, and had 18 to 22 minutes to do it in.
Apart from the concept and a few vague ideas, the only real action I've taken in preparing this one is to include the relevant extracts from the Arkangel Shakespeare in my playlist.
Level 4 - Lead in Any Situation - "Deputy VPE" - I've been a member of the committee at Cardiff Toastmasters in one role or another since (about?) 2014. For this project I am using my latest role before VP Mentoring, which was "Deputy VPE". As mentioned above my intention is to circulate the 360 degree evaluation forms at, and just after, the opening meeting of the speedrun, and then to report on them, and on my experiences in the role, in one of the later meetings of the run. I don't plan to write this in advance. I have a few ideas what I'd like to say but also would like it to be a reflection on the evaluation.
Level 5 Elective - Prepare to Speak Professionally - "Nothing Will Come of Nothing" - I quite like this one because it genuinely is a speech given professionally. I'm leading a session at a charity conference on the subject of the inheritance tax advantages of charitable giving, which I've given a Shakespearean spin by naming the characters in the case study after King Lear's three daughters and using the title "nothing will come of nothing" (King Lear I i 90). As before, a member of Cardiff Toastmasters will be attending to evaluate the talk.
In the last few days I've been learning how to produce GIFs with transparent backgrounds and applying that to Gustav Pope's painting of Lear's three daughters, to illustrate my powerpoint:
As I mentioned above, I've scheduled this project twice and assuming both succeed I'll use this towards another pathway.
Reflect on Your Path - "Reflections on Pathway Speedrun" - Back to Cardiff, in person, to end the pathway, at the very next meeting after which I started it! Hooray!! Hopefully this will be an opportunity for celebration and whatever happens I feel sure I will have plenty to say. I do have what I think is a good idea for the presentation of this speech (no spoilers) but I know that the speech will write itself and will be difficult to keep to 7 minutes. I am going to have to avoid acknowledgements just because there are already more than can be done justice in a speech of that length. So thank you all - not just those listed at "Thank You" but everyone else who has helped and encouraged me along the way.
And I think (and hope!) that's all of the speeches. It doesn't seem too daunting when presented like that. Only a few (mostly level 2) aren't started and almost everything has a concept. This has been an interesting blog to write so I hope you enjoyed it.
It's just occurred to me that if I post this blog as it is on Facebook, the lead image will be that picture of Macbeth's head on a stick. That could get me banned. If you don't see that you'll know I tried prioritising another image!
