I have been a member of Toastmaster's for over a year. It is an organization that promotes leadership skills through the conduit of helping polish its member's public speaking ability.
Toastmaster's are taught about the art of speaking. They learn how to be eloquent and graceful with words, and how not to use filler sounds like "uh" and "ah." I worked my way up in the organization. I recently received a competent communicators certificate, which means I successfully performed 10 speeches and was graded in several categories.
When I arrived at my Toastmaster's meeting last Thursday, I was glad I had this previous experience under my belt. One of the speaker's did not make it to the meeting, so I decided to volunteer for an impromptu 5 to 7 minute talk. It was my first off the cuff speech.
Off the Cuff Speech Praising Steemit
Since I recently started posting on Steemit again, I excitedly decided to inform my audience about the platform. I wanted to woo them with how wonderful Steemit is, how it can radically change society for the better, and how it has helped me personally enhance my financial acumen.
I started the talk by reminding everyone about the state of technology, how humankind is developing innovative new cyber applications on a daily basis. I told them this is just the begging. I provided background on cryptography, blockchains, and bitcoin. I felt like this was necessary. I educated my fellow Toastmasters on the technologies that bestowed Dan Larimer and Ned Scott with the knowledge that allowed them to construct the Steemit blockchain.
The Elegance and Beauty of Steemit
After catching everyone up on blockchain technology, I dove into Steemit and how it works. I talked about delegated proof of stake and the three native tokens that each user can leverage: Steem, Steem Power, and Steem Dollars. I briefly explained each one in as clear of language as I could muster. I detailed the intricacies of each one. I elaborated on how rewards work, how tokens can be transferred, and how the system is censorship and tamper resistant.
I blew their mind when I explained Steemit is not an organization that pays me with company money. I said the computer pays me; I am paid by an algorithm. It is the first protocol that divvies out value based on what user's like, determined by their voting stake.
My comments were met with suspicious eyes, but also with shock. The audience could not believe such a thing was possible, granted many of them are still new to the fascinating realm of financial technology.
Aftermath of the Talk: What is a Blog?
I was slightly disappointed at the end of my speech, but not because I believed I performed poorly. I knew my speech went well. I didn't have many — if any — filler words. I also paced myself and spoke fluently, trying to enunciate every utterance. I even walked around the room and made eye contact with as many people as I could.
However, when I received my critique, the evaluator said my language was a bit too lofty and jargon-laden. Some of the words I used were lost on them. Other Toastmaster's chimed in and said they did not know what an "algorithm" or "consensus model" was. They said I need to go back to basics..
What took the cake was someone said they did not know what a "blog" was, and that I should elaborate more during another talk. I was flabbergasted. I thought a "blog" was firmly embedded in the cultural lexicon — A staple of modern society. Apparently, there are people who do not have experience with common, everyday online activities.
Besides the few people getting lost in my language, everyone loved the speech, especially since it was not planned or prepared. The evaluator said it was great. She mentioned she might want to learn more...even though she views bitcoin and other cryptocurrency as "funny money" or "video game" cash. If only she knew.
Best Speech of the Day; Dumb it Down!
Needless to say, I won the ribbon for best speaker of the day. Unfortunately, I was unable to record the talk because it was impromptu.
Nonetheless, I spurred more interest in the platform, and several people approached me afterwards wanting more information. I really look forward to doing some public (recorded) presentations on Steem in the future. This is exciting stuff, and it is one of my most cherished platforms on the internet.
I just need to "dumb it down," apparently.
Sterlin Luxan is a visionary thinker, cryptocurrency junkie, connoisseur of psychology, an MDMA high priest, and the Mr. Rogers of Anarchism. He writes for bitcoin.com, runs a consultancy business in the crypto space, and public speaker. He created the doctrine of relational anarchism and contributes to many causes in the thriving liberty ecosystem.
