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Subject:RE: Need help please respond + Toastmasters From:"Nancy Osterhout" <bluetwilight -at- home -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 28 May 2001 21:40:55 -0700
Matt, you had a response about the value of Toastmasters
when it came to professional skills in communication. I
have a little story that is OT.
I got interviewed as I left a recent job fair by a TV news
reporter -- camera and all -- for the 6:30 PM local news.
The part that they kept of my 5-minute-long interview lasted
30 seconds.
I'm glad that I had that training to be a Competent
Toastmaster! It was like a series of 15-second Table Topic
(impromptu) speeches to answer each of the reporter's
questions! He was mainly interested in how the down-turn in
the high-tech world was impacting a job seeker like myself,
so I just answered simply and briefly. They kept the part
where I told them "if you're looking for someone to speak
about doom and gloom, I'm the wrong person -- I've been laid
off 8 times and lived to tell about it!" At my request,
they put "Writer / Course Developer" under my name at the
bottom of the screen.
So, yes... skills in speaking really come in handy! For a
Toastmasters club near you, check out:
www.toastmasters.org
This skill in speaking well is definitely of benefit in
interviewing not only SME's, but for jobs as well! And no,
you don't have to be a "paying member" to go to a meeting.
BTW, the my club charges just $30 every 6 months and they
meet for an hour every week. There's a saying that
summarizes it all -- putting your butterflies in formation!
John:
Yes, this career can be quite frustrating. I have found the
periodic "dearth of projects involving real
TW work" to be one reason why I've had 5 different TW jobs
in six years. When there's tons
to do and the project is in crisis mode, I'm at my best.
When I get bored, I walk. The other reason is that I have a
need to be a decision-making member of the team, and often
writers don't get that ability. The best solution is to
avoid salary work and work only as a contractor.
Fred:
Thanks for mentioning Toastmasters International. I have
found that organization to be far more valuable than STC for
developing professional communication skills. Because we all
know how to write well (of course!), but success is also
based on the ability to speak well!
Matt Danda
Freelance Technical Writer
Author of "Protect Yourself Online" (Microsoft Press, March
2001)
Member of Toastmasters club 3019, VP Ed, CTM
Gainesville, FL
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