I just created a new set "Place de Tertre" - so many good memories going back there again and again!
I did live a few houses from it, but the pictures were taken after I moved out and went back again and again, after I begun to take pictures with a digital camera, after I lived alone.
With web, one does not feel so alone, with photography either, and combined, even better.
Here is if you want to go through them.
The "place de tertre" opens a new window, I am not sure where this one "embeded" takes us.
If instead of clicking on image, you use the arrows to navigate to the next or previous image, then you remain in this blog. The arrows are on left and right... appear then disappear. But they do come!
15/03/2014
From D59 Continental Europe web, Interview with Olivia Schofield
Olivia will be in London mid April. The 12th morning, she will give us a 45' keynote, demonstrating her maestria, the 14th she will give an interactive workshop teaching us how to create and give motivational speeches. Freemasson's Hall, booking started for both events.
12th Celebrate diversity Division B Toastmasters Conference and then International Speech contest.
14th interactive workshop in the evening organised by three London Toastmasters Clubs
Revealing what makes us unique – a dialogue with Olivia Schofield
Olivia Schofield and Wodwik
She is a champion, she is our champion! Finalist of the international Public speaking competition at the Las Vegas Toastmasters convention in 2011, Olivia Schofield, who was representing our district, delivered a seminal speech (http://www.oliviaschofield.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Wodwik.pdf) that propelled her to “world champion finalist of public speaking”, a role that she embraced with shine, pride and gratitude.
Passing 31 000 competitors to be part of the final 9, has helped her develop a knowledge in the field of public speaking and self-awareness very few can claim. The reason why she is so widely loved and appreciated however is that by doing so, she above all became a champion of herself.
This post is the first part of a discussion we continued in the form of a podcast (release this Friday, 14th March). Olivia has also agreed to help you prepare online for your own upcoming competitions and presentations within the frame of two exclusive webinars (15 minutes each) aiming at exploring your voice potential. They will take place 3rd and 17th April breakfast time (register NOW: details for joining at the end of this post) and I bet they will put you in a good mood for the rest of the day, as well as tickle your inspirational self.
Ruxandra Balboa-Pöysti: Olivia, you are one of the few adults I know who openly admits that a teddy bear changed her life. Who is Wodwik and in what respect did it change it?
Olivia Schofield: Wodwik is one of my bears. albeit, a very special one. As my mum
Olivia Schofield’s bears collection
always said about me and my sister, “you are both special, in different ways”. I feel the same way about my rather large family of bears. Here is a picture of them. Wodwik lived in a hospital and I met him when I went to speech therapy. I had a speech impediment as a child that effected my self esteem and made me feel bad about myself. Wodwik and I became friends and he ended up coming to live with me. That was what my finals speech was about and Wodwik, who also featured in the speech, had a non speaking role.
Bob Mohl and John Zimmer with Wodwik
and this is Wodwik having a bear with two of his friends Bob Mohl my speech coach for the international competition and John Zimmer the reigning European Champion.
Ruxandra Balboa-Pöysti: What does “public speaking champion” mean and what opportunities has it opened to you?
Olivia Schofield: That’s an interesting question. Many people think that the journey to the championship is a journey outwards, but actually it’s a journey inwards. It involves a lot of analysis and digging up the truth, then the truth needs to be shaped to gain it’s greatest impact. A speaking champion in my view is someone who craves connection, is seeking the truth and is willing to journey to their core. It has opened up many opportunities for me. Not only have I been invited to hold keynotes at District conferences from Florida to New York, Los Angeles to Australia, but I am now earning my living as a speaker and trainer. It is Toastmasters that have helped me make that transition.
Ruxandra Balboa-Pöysti: This is the time for speech competitions within Toastmasters, what type of advice can you give competitors at grassroots level to get as far as they can – to Kuala Lumpur this year?
Olivia Schofield and Wodwik all over the world
Olivia Schofield: At this time of year I am approached by enthusiastic Toastmasters from as far afield as India, to help with their speeches. Obviously with nearly half a million Toastmasters worldwide I can’t possibly help all those that ask. This is a great opportunity for me to give out some tips.
1. speak to connect with your audience, not to win.
2. Risk failure by taking a risk and exposing yourself.
3. Be as close to your natural self as you can be. What I mean by this is deliver the essence of you. Obviously the performance needs to be slightly bigger for this competition, but be true to who you are.
4. Speak to make a difference, speak to heal, speak to inspire.
5. You can’t do it alone, if you can’t afford a coach, ask someone you admire from Toastmasters to coach you. Get two to four of you together and coach each others speeches. I have a Sunday night mastermind group with Bob, John and Mel Kelly, we all help each other and in the end, may the best speech win. Bring on the healthy competition.
1. speak to connect with your audience, not to win.
2. Risk failure by taking a risk and exposing yourself.
3. Be as close to your natural self as you can be. What I mean by this is deliver the essence of you. Obviously the performance needs to be slightly bigger for this competition, but be true to who you are.
4. Speak to make a difference, speak to heal, speak to inspire.
5. You can’t do it alone, if you can’t afford a coach, ask someone you admire from Toastmasters to coach you. Get two to four of you together and coach each others speeches. I have a Sunday night mastermind group with Bob, John and Mel Kelly, we all help each other and in the end, may the best speech win. Bring on the healthy competition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To explore the potential of your vocal variety, join Olivia’s webinars:
The voice of success I: early morning voice training with Olivia Schofield 3rd April 2014 8:00 am - 8:15 am To freely register for the webinar click on this linkhttps://global.gotomeeting.com/meeting/join/146586373 (100 attendees allowed)
The voice of success II: early morning voice training with Olivia Schofield 17th April 2014 8:00 am – 8:15 am To freely register for the webinar click on this linkhttps://global.gotomeeting.com/meeting/join/468041813 (100 attendees allowed)
You can also attend the webinar by phoning locally (list of phone numbers provided when registering). Take five minutes to understand how gotowebinar works if you are not familiar with it few days before the scheduled webinar http://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/GoToMeeting/video/GTMV00012
To know more about Olivia Schofield’s work and upcoming seminars:
Olivia will be in London mid April. The 12th she will give us a 45' keynote, demonstrating her maestria, the 14th she will give an interactive workshop teaching us how to create and give motivational speeches.
07/03/2014
Last books I studied
But I have to admit, the Story Theater Method book (Strategic Storytelling in Business) as subtitle, by Doug Stevenson, has become my third "best book" about Storytelling, my Personal Storytelling now. Doug was actor for 20 years and Coach for more then 15 years helping people speak better and be themselves passing their message stronger and more lasting.
As I had a recent Cataract operation, I could read it only once in 2011 (I am studying it again now, three years later), but already I learned new things for my storytelling from it. It is a book to have and to study, whatever kind of Public Speaking or Storytelling you want to do.
One of the most important things I learned from Stevenson's book is that acting out is important and when acting out comical events, it is useful to exaggerate a bit, augment our movements, while when you act out a sad, tragic event, the movements and even face should be very moderate, restrained.
The third book, I have to study again, explains why the Interactive Workshop is more useful and gives a lot of useful suggestions about how to do it. Still a lot to learn from it!
06/03/2014
TED Talk : the absence of information draws us in...
Listening to The clues to a great story, this morning, again, I discovered the wealth of information it contains. Some from it :
"The audience really wants to earn his meal. Just does not realise it." Andrew Stanton at TED.
"Let him work for it. The well organised ABSENCE of information that draws us in."
From Lisa's blog: embracing our mistakes
Lessons from the Olympics: Turning a mistake into a win
If you watched the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, you noticed that there was a snafu with the display of the Olympic rings, when an electronic snowflake that was supposed to expand into the fifth ring never opened.
I've written in the past about elite and Olympic athletes who don't dwell on mistakes, but get up from a fall or crash and keep performing, sometimes going on to achieve even more than expected. Well, clearly, Olympic ceremony designer Konstantin Ernst has the same die-hard spirit.
In the closing ceremony, the rings were formed by a group of dancers wearing glittering costumes. As the rings formed, one group of performers instead stayed in a small, tight circle (to represent the opening night snowflake) for a few hilarious moments, parodying the opening night mishap. But unlike the opening ceremony, the fifth ring finally expanded and joined the rest.
Very clever, Sochi ;) #CBCOlympics #ClosingCeremony #sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/IhwIvpUkcR
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 23, 2014
By incorporating his mistake and poking fun at what initially was probably somewhat embarrassing, Ernst shows his sense of humor, his flexibility, his willingness to laugh at himself, and his ability to take a mistake and make something even better out of it. Here he is on Sunday wearing a newly designed t-shirt:
Love Olympic ceremony director Konstantin Ernst's new t-shirt. Funny guy. pic.twitter.com/gbwzeb269k
— NickdMiller (@NickdMiller) February 23, 2014
We're all going to make mistakes on stage. For most of us, millions of people around the world won't be watching. But for our audiences who are, demonstrating grace and resilience under pressure, a sense of humor, and the understanding that we're all human will go far to entertain and connect with the audience -- and perhaps give our presentation that extra luster that people will remember long after it's over.
If you watched the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, you noticed that there was a snafu with the display of the Olympic rings, when an electronic snowflake that was supposed to expand into the fifth ring never opened.
I've written in the past about elite and Olympic athletes who don't dwell on mistakes, but get up from a fall or crash and keep performing, sometimes going on to achieve even more than expected. Well, clearly, Olympic ceremony designer Konstantin Ernst has the same die-hard spirit.
In the closing ceremony, the rings were formed by a group of dancers wearing glittering costumes. As the rings formed, one group of performers instead stayed in a small, tight circle (to represent the opening night snowflake) for a few hilarious moments, parodying the opening night mishap. But unlike the opening ceremony, the fifth ring finally expanded and joined the rest.
Very clever, Sochi ;) #CBCOlympics #ClosingCeremony #sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/IhwIvpUkcR
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 23, 2014
By incorporating his mistake and poking fun at what initially was probably somewhat embarrassing, Ernst shows his sense of humor, his flexibility, his willingness to laugh at himself, and his ability to take a mistake and make something even better out of it. Here he is on Sunday wearing a newly designed t-shirt:
Love Olympic ceremony director Konstantin Ernst's new t-shirt. Funny guy. pic.twitter.com/gbwzeb269k
— NickdMiller (@NickdMiller) February 23, 2014
We're all going to make mistakes on stage. For most of us, millions of people around the world won't be watching. But for our audiences who are, demonstrating grace and resilience under pressure, a sense of humor, and the understanding that we're all human will go far to entertain and connect with the audience -- and perhaps give our presentation that extra luster that people will remember long after it's over.
Be a Master of Ceremonies, by Brian Lee
Speaker Magazine | Be a Master of Ceremonies by Brian Lee
MC or Toastmaster of the evening, very similar tasks if taken seriously, very well described in this article. I copied here part of it. The actual tasks.
MC or Toastmaster of the evening, very similar tasks if taken seriously, very well described in this article. I copied here part of it. The actual tasks.
Speakers can enhance their value to clients by serving as a master of ceremonies, or emcee.
I remember when I spoke at a broadcasting conference of sales executives and TV personalities, CEOs and producers. As a featured keynote speaker, I always arrive early and stay late to build client relationships. This particular conference culminated with an awards banquet the final evening. The night before the banquet, the meeting planner informed me the scheduled emcee had cancelled. Would I fill in? Of course! I was intrigued that this association of on-air professionals asked me to be their emcee! Not only did my planned keynote go well, but my spontaneous contribution to the banquet was a hit. As a result of my increased exposure as emcee, I enjoyed multiple additional bookings.
Follow these six guidelines to be an effective emcee, provide added value for your clients, and create a new source of income.
1. You’re the frame around the picture, not the star!
Your job as emcee is to present everyone on your program as stars of the event, not yourself.
2. There is no substitute for personal research.
My office forwards a 35-page prevent survey to every client. We go to exhaustive lengths to find out six essential facts about each individual on the program, including:
• How to pronounce first and last names
• Their career (with their correct title) or what they do in life that is connected to the audience
• Unusual facts and accomplishments that the audience would find interesting
• Why they’re being introduced
• A brief and slightly humorous anecdote about them
• A sincere, positive comment.
3. Get personally acquainted in advance.
Prior to start time, confirm each person you’ll be introducing has arrived and meet with them. Contact a family member, coworker or close friend and probe for an anecdote that reflects their character and personality. Share cute, but not embarrassing, information to add a personal touch to each introduction.
4. Take complete ownership of the event.
A professional emcee is aware of every program on the agenda, the time allotted for each, and the facility personnel who are involved.
5. Start off with a bang.
Build energy at the start of an event by marching the panel or head table guests into the room with music. Invite your audience to stand for the welcome and make it fun!
6. Transition, segue and link everything together.
A creative segue might be, “Thanks, John, for sharing your expertise on the benefits of nuclear-powered harvesters. While we’re on the subject of nuclear energy, I’d like to call upon our next speaker to present an award for our high-energy Employee of the Year.” Being an emcee can be a welcome change of pace. When clients see your range of talent, you’ll top their list of professionals who can pull off an event seamlessly.
03/03/2014
Standup Comedy at Oscar opening ceremony 2014 Ellen DeGeneres
So much to learn from it! Applied Standup Comedy, from the beginning. That is her first joke, a phrase that in itself is not funny gets a huge laughter. "For those who do not know, it has been a tough couple of day here: it has been raining" gets a huge laughter.
But you have to know some to understand it, beginning from the most horrible dry weather in California this year: no rain at all. It is similar when I tell in my standup "But do not call me in the morning: Google me! or "I Photoshoped out" (hair from my face after 50) - because I am old, and to the audience it seems strange if I use any web or computer related activity.
Listen and listen again to Ellen DeGeneres's very Oscar and actor's applied lines that get so much laughter from the audience. Write down and think about them.
How important each word and it's place is in it. I also liked a lot how Ellen recognised immediately after one of the jokes, that what she told (at least once) was not true. Still used it before, to make laugh. Let us do like her!
"She was nominated this year for two Oscars. That is so..... selfish." "and his godmother was Ellen Roosevelt, and he is here tonight ---- what went wrong?" and so on, so on.
And now I found another video on YouTube with the same title. Other parts of her standup.
Some other parts or the jokes look different.
Interesting to compare.
I did write a whole page from her jokes was I observed, liked, enjoyed them, but will now let you discover and enjoy it on your own.
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