The influence story #2 | Karen Knight

Mentoring makes a huge difference. My mentor is Pat Johnson who is the Past International President. She used to live in the same city as I did. I had moved since then but she is still my mentor and I talk to her regularly and Pat Johnson has a mentor who is Ted Corcoran who is another Past International President who also has a mentor. I have about six people that I am mentoring right now.

I am a huge fan of mentoring

There is so much difference that you can make. One of my mentees Yasir Khan, he is from Pakistan - when he joined our club, he had never spoken in public before, but he really wanted to do things and he wanted to go to international stage. So he came over to my place one night and because he had joined in January, we did about three or four speeches so that he would be eligible for the club contest. He entered into International Speech Contest at the club level and won, and then he entered at the Area level and won, and then Division Level and won, and then he came second at the District level. He had been in Toastmasters for only three months.

If you have the right mentor, it can make all the difference in the world

This happened during last year (2017). This year, in March, he spoke on TEDx. It is just over a year, and he went from having never spoken in public to speaking on TEDx stage. He was amazing but, if you have the right mentor and that person has time to spend with you, it can make all the difference in the world.

Mentoring has a lasting impact

It has far more influence, long lasting influence than any other medium. I have been influenced by speeches, but it tends to be short term. Public speech is the best way to influence a large number of people - if you need to get A message across in a short period of time, a well-crafted speech will work for that. But if you wish to make a lasting change, then it is mentorship that does that definitely in my opinion.

-Karen

About Karen:

Karen Knight, DTM is a Past District Director - District 21 (Canada) and an avid Toastmaster since 1995. She has recently received her second DTM title and has finished the Competent Communicators manual at least 10 times. She is extremely amiable and a fantastic storyteller. She told me lots of stories about different influences. I thank her and take this opportunity to publish these stories through this blog.

Actions, Purpose and Excellence | Chandrashekhar DP

The leaders across the globe project various methods of influencing people, public speaking is one of them. When I asked about the same, CSK had a unique opinion. "I believe influence happens a lot by one's actions than anything else. When executing, individuals are extremely creative and adaptive." I couldn't agree more on the fact that one's actions have great power to create the influence that words cannot. "When we watch a sports player perform exceptionally well, we often start picking up fine nuances from his craft and internalise them into our being. This simply put, is influence by actions." summarised CSK.

"It is the purpose that gives a leader clarity, conviction and courage for his/her actions."

Having said that, there is a possibility that different types of people may have various ways of influencing people around them. This is often owing to the different leadership styles. Such differences may result in a conflict. Under such circumstances what could be a plausible solution?

When asked, CSK replied "I think this variance is the most common of the real world problems. Some leaders subscribe to a populistic style and remain democratic in their actions, while others may choose to be autocratic in their outlook. These viewpoints and styles often conflicts one another. Whatever maybe the path chosen, a leader should always remain conscious of the purpose behind the action to be able to remain successful and deliver value." He further emphasised that it is the purpose that gives a leader clarity, conviction and courage for his/her actions. "There might be multiple ways to get to a destination, but if you are anchored to the purpose, you will manoeuvre any/all situations.

"The best way to begin influencing people is to start by influencing yourself."

CSK concluded on a rather optimistic note for those who seek to become influential. He said, "often people presume it is quite daunting to influence others. That is not true. To influence people, you do not need an eligibility/qualification or the grace of a position. The best way to begin influencing people is to start by influencing yourself.” A simple example is the fact that every time you want to do a particular thing, you head a variety of voices. One might tell you to push it forward (read: procrastinate) and the other might inspire you to act immediately. If we commit to action immediately, we end up influencing ourselves and the task gets accomplished. This is the simplest way to become an influencer.

To me, the key takeaways from this water-cooler conversation (13 Jul, 2018) with CSK are:

1) The hidden power of influence in our actions

2) One’s ability to influence self and others

3) To remain anchored to purpose in your actions.

About CSK:

Dr. Chandra Shekar DP is a Past District Director - District 98 (East and Central India) at Toastmasters International. He has worked at the intersection of education and entrepreneurship for more than 12 years. CSK, as he is popularly called, has consistently advocated for people to be driven by ambition and the pursuit of excellence.