Freddie Daniels on Feedback

The difference of Toastmasters clubs is in the feedback (we call it "evaluation") we give to all speech and every task  feedback that has to encourage to continue while offering advice to grow.

Freddie Daniels, is a Master of Teaching about feedback and also doing it the best way. Here is a short speech (his usual workshops last two hours) about the subject, delivered at the May Fest of the College of English Public speaking last week.

May Fair, with Best speakers from different Associations

At the College of Public speaking, Dartmouth House Speak Easy 37 Charles Rd Green Park
What a lineup!!! I am going! - I went. What a wonderful evening and Master Speakers!
And at least 5 of them where Toastmasters, some of our best's. And in  their best to show, too.

Introduction - Vince Stevenson

Part 1 – Chaired by Gwyn Redgers

Paul Carroll with Water only, before his speech

Paul Carroll - metaphor/rhetoric (9 mins)
Anthony Gell - A short speech on ... (5 mins)
Michael Ronayne -  'Salt and the Senses' (5 mins)
Phillip Khan-Panni -  'Do you buy green bananas?' (5 mins)
Laura McCracken - 'The art of connection' (9 mins)

Interval

Part 2 – Chaired by Richard Johnson
Robert Noble - A visual 'The high life of Hong Kong' (9 mins)
Central London Debating Society v ESU team (30 mins)
Chairman - Tony Koutsoumbos
The motion - 'This House would make all primary schools gender neutral'
Jason Vit and Steven Nolan will propose for the English-Speaking Union
Apeike Umolu and Jason Maude will oppose the motion for CLDS.
Fergus McClelland - 'The power of why?' (9 mins) Wonderful! Unforgottable "Why" with personal storytelling.

                              Interval

David T. Jones (also my Humour coach last fall)

Part 3 – Chaired by Michael Ronayne
Freddie Daniells - Evaluation (9 mins) - A master about Feedback's importance and how to
Elliot Kay - 'Where's my ladle?' (5 mins)
Mike Robinson - A short speech on 'Maxim Number 3' (5 mins)
David Jones - Humour? (9 mins)
He demonstrated how a very funny speech can be so Inspiring, Informing and Yes, "rule of three"!

Thanks from ESU Director General, Peter Kyle.

Many of their speech inspired me and was a good Masterclass too, on how one should.

Julie Kertesz at Lion's Den 4th Anniversary gig

Video published by Lions Den with the following under it, written by Tim:

Julie Kertesz - Hungarian 77 year old comedienne performing 5 Minutes of Stand-up at The Lion's Den Comedy Club May 2012. An unexpected nugget of gold this one. You gotta love her!

Being present on Web, make your own Marketing

With the web, you are able to make your own marketing!
Spread the word that you are there,
Tell them you are good
Speak about your accomplishments

Not only a "web page static" abut easy to use and free:

• Blogs, and those who read us
• Twitter, and your followers
• Facebook, and its groups
• Linkedin
• Flickr groups and page

And also those the places we put videos or sound track :

• YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion (I use and have divers videos on all of them)
• Box.com, for the sound tracks of stories, speeches or comedy sets, etc.

They are also more and more interconnected, you can even send information from one to the other..

Of course, nothing in life is "free" : you have to give it time, energy, even passion.

Find the right balance of speaking about you and not sound like boasting, either.
Help and encourage others, make pals, friends, connect.
Then, when you need something, suddenly, somehow someone will come to say "ok"

Let me give you only one exemple:

I was looking for a gig Saturday, plus to tell my set too, so our Wonderful Winning Speaker, a Toastmaster Guest from Montana, Garrett can listen to me gigging. Well, I found first someone inviting me near the East Coast, alas two hours from London. He was so wonderful, found me even someone to take me in his car! Then I found a gig in Camden, a part of London I am happy to get to know to our Montana guest.

So you will find us this Saturday, at Monkey Business, at the The Sir Richard Steele Chalk Farm.
97 Haverstock Hill NW3 Chalk Farm /Belsize Park (show starts at 8 45, door open before 8) and already my picture (well an old one when I was barely 72) on their page, see:

Scroll down at Monkey Business comedy page

and come! Reserve a ticket, meet great performers, speak with Garret, see me performing and also meet Chris from our club who will be there too.

Personal story, so important!

Wednesday evening 1st and 3rd of each month, is the Lewisham Speakers Club night, held in a room centre town, at the Methodist Church. We gather, 20 or more, yesterday we were almost 30, and listen then give feedback to 7 minute speeches. Then end with spontaneous speeches, called Table Topics, and yet other feedbacks.

Thus, we help each other to get courage, improve, and even listen better.

Yesterday evening, not only our members where present, but also two guests who decided to join. Plus we had two guest speakers, one from a neighbour Toastmasters club and one from far away, Montana, USA

Garret Gerrels, only 25 years old. He was calm at the beginning, but as his speech, the 5th, approached, I have seen him tense. Yes, even the champions got stress.

When his turn came, he begun with natural charm and drow us into his story.

It was a persuasive, inspiring, personal story told with an apparent simplicity, in real with great craft. A seemingly short and simple event, 5 to 7 minutes, only, but it can chafe your world. I will not reveal here now his story, as he will deliver it in Orlando, Florida, in the International speech contest, having won all the other levels with it, so far.

It was, a story, it was personal, it was true, and felt and told from the heart. But also so wonderfully crafted and delivered! A great lesson for all of us and an example we can all follow.

Yes, a story can change you. A story can open doors. Be remembered years and years.

Lion's Den Comedy Club 4th anniversary

Lion's Den, Soho 4th anniversary, a set. Flickr

Lion's Den, Soho 4th anniversary,
a set. on Flickr.

Well, all the time it can not go so well, then, after 35 gigs I would feel too sufficient. So, Monday, at Electric Mouse Big Ben, we had almost only comedians and low energy. Mine was not up either. I did not "die" but got luke-warm laughs here or there.

Yesterday (as Saturday too at B) all was different. The audience loved me and my set and reacted, laughed, enjoyed. Told me so also.

I begun my first ever Standup end March last year telling "when you fall you have to jump back on the horse's back". This weekend I found out how important this was!

Red tomatoes, interesting?

Sometimes, perhaps even often, interesting is the specific. When we look nearer.

Not huge amount of tomatoes, one near other, but one almost isolated, lost almost between all the others on a self, in a supermarket.

All the rest is only suggested.

I just added this picture, yesterday, to flicker photo site, only 37 have seen it so far, but 5 between them chosen it between their favourites and 7, as I do not count myself in those, commented on it. One of them, wrote : congratulations! You are on today's Explore Interestingness!

Well, I am 67th or 76th, but still there!

Between the millions of photos uploaded, to be there, mentioned, even for a day, and sometimes it does remains for years... It brings also new people, who discovers your photos and, well, you; too.

Anything, we learn in one art or craft, can be applied to another. Specific, looking closer, telling something simple, can work. Of course, sometimes, broader picture works too. Looking, analysing why it affects us, why it seems special or interesting, is useful. can be applied, to telling a story or comedy, too.

Spark London storytelling events

Just published on their Facebook page : As we approach our 100th podcast, these are the most popular stories to date:Listen to them from the link at Spark London.

1. Two Cathedrals - Dave Pickering
2. MySpace or His? - Andrea Hubert
3. Home - Joanna Yates
4. Underwater Bondage - Alix Fox
5. Damning Evidence - Radcliffe Royds
6. Escorts - Andy Bodle
7. Mighty Morphin Party Animal - Chris Lochers
8. Now or Never - Julie Kertesz
9. Sailing Around The World - Justin Comer
10, Twelve Acres - Rajesh Thind Interesting!

NOW OR NEVER  was the first story I told at Canal Cafe Theatre, for Spark events!
The story of my decision to change city and even country, again, after age of 73. 

Still going strong and people listening to it! It is also in this blog... from "box", from where is have been of course listened, in plus.

One can listen to them  in ITunes for free. Link here. We have been around 400 to tell stories, and some of us have told many times different stories, one hundred of them recorded and on I Tunes already. The others can also be found on the "M cloud", there are so many ways to diffuse now what we do!

Held at the Canal Cafe Theatre in Little Venice on the first Monday of each month, Spark London has attracted a cult following largely through word of mouth. The 100 on I tunes, added there, captures some of the stories from the going shows. 

Audio production by Sony Radio Academy Award nominees rethinkdaily.co.uk.

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Do it

Taking photos, you become "the photographe", and publishing them in a blog, " the journalist" the reporter of the town. "she is reporter!" I heard after my passage in the market. "she already photographed me a few years ago" at the elections place. So, do it. Do not wait till someone else pays you, or recognise you as... Whatever your passion is. Comedian? Storyteller? Writer? Do it and you are it. I have dreamed from my childhood to be a dramaturg. In fact, I am now. I write the set I play out. For storytelling as well for comedy. I will be in Edimburg also this August, for a few days "on the fringe" on the stage but also discovering what and how it is. Yes even after 77, life is not finished. Whatever your age, grab the occasion, learn practice do, what you like. Do not wait for 'official' recognition. That may come or not. Meanwhile, you are. You have take the first steps, and then one by one more, a bit out even of your confront zone. One day, you realise, suddenly, how far you have arrived.

Julie Seventy stand up in Paris!

4th May, The American Standup in Paris, Le Pranzo Gymnase, my long text disappeared! It was a great standup, with Sebastian Marx, at beginning and ending, Philis, compère (she will be Tuesday in Cavendish Arms) and four other comedians. I was the last. They did love me and I loved the audience, about seventy! It was full! Learned a lot from what I loved, and was inspired even when I did not like some comments. More next time, I do not dare for this to disappear again.

Stand-up comedy in Paris

"Julie Seventy" as I call now myself on stage, tonight in Paris. And New York at the same time, as they organise it, and a New Yorker will comère it too.

Well, that distracts me from the article about the Grammy comedian that appeared yesterday in the Real People. They put in my mouse their idea of what I should have and attributed to me feelings she, the journalist thinks I should have felt. So what?

One more paper,comes and goes. Soon to be forgotten.

I really have begun at 77, and I really have 5 grand children. I really have also 30 standups behind me.

She even made up a joke for me, using, well, what I said to her, but in her way, her words, and attributing to me a phrase I would never say. I have my standards... Even in comedy.