Imagine seven outstanding presenters sharing their skills, experience and excitement with you. Dream of how you could become a better speaker and leader. Transform yourself by attending the educational sessions at the Fall 2008 conference at the beautiful Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester.
Len Lankau will demonstrate how Powerpoint can complement your presentations. Learn how Catherine Cardenuto used her toastmasters experience to write a successful business plan. Join Cindy Joice as she shares how to use fun and learning to take your meetings to the next level. Become and inspired leader with Julie Hill. Discover how different leadership styles and effectively work together with Rachel and Bruce Lund. Jim Niswonger will show how to achieve your speaking goals.
Whether this will be your tenth conference or your first; whether you’re distinguished or just completed your icebreaker; you’ll make your dreams come true at the fall conference educational sessions. Your only problem will be deciding which sessions to attend!
Learn more at Fall Conference Education Sessions. While you’re there, be sure to fill out the fall conference form at Fall Conference Registration.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Plagiarism
As a middle aged student a few years back I innocently searched the internet for some background material for a case study. I must have been naïve. I expected to find some research, but instead when I keyed in the name of the case study I was rewarded with a list of completed case studies. Most of them were available absolutely free.
Imagine my shock, shock to learn that I didn’t have to bother analyzing this case, forecasting revenues and costs and writing scintillating prose for the edification of my professor. All I had to do was click, copy, paste and add my name to the paper. Since this was an accounting class I didn’t even have to worry about getting caught plagiarizing the case. The correct answers and analysis were the same no matter who created them. It would have been the perfect crime.
I say crime because plagiarism is just that: a crime. Plagiarism is theft of someone else’s work without giving credit to the creator. As a student, I thought plagiarism defeated the whole purpose for going to school in the first place. As a teacher I’m offended when a student thinks I’m too stupid to figure out that something is wrong when a C student turns in graduate level work (if you must cheat at least be clever about it). As a toastmaster, I’m offended that a contestant would foist another’s work on me and claim it as their own.
I love to compete in speech contests and when I compete I want to win (why else would I compete). I want to win however with my speeches. I want to wow the audience with my perfect prose, my ingenious ideas and my dazzling delivery. I can’t imagine winning with someone else’s speech. What would the trophy mean if I had as much to do with the speech as the pizza delivery person had to do with making my pizza? Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but I’d rather lose with my own speech (believe it or not that did happen from time to time) than win with something that belongs to someone else.
Imagine my shock, shock to learn that I didn’t have to bother analyzing this case, forecasting revenues and costs and writing scintillating prose for the edification of my professor. All I had to do was click, copy, paste and add my name to the paper. Since this was an accounting class I didn’t even have to worry about getting caught plagiarizing the case. The correct answers and analysis were the same no matter who created them. It would have been the perfect crime.
I say crime because plagiarism is just that: a crime. Plagiarism is theft of someone else’s work without giving credit to the creator. As a student, I thought plagiarism defeated the whole purpose for going to school in the first place. As a teacher I’m offended when a student thinks I’m too stupid to figure out that something is wrong when a C student turns in graduate level work (if you must cheat at least be clever about it). As a toastmaster, I’m offended that a contestant would foist another’s work on me and claim it as their own.
I love to compete in speech contests and when I compete I want to win (why else would I compete). I want to win however with my speeches. I want to wow the audience with my perfect prose, my ingenious ideas and my dazzling delivery. I can’t imagine winning with someone else’s speech. What would the trophy mean if I had as much to do with the speech as the pizza delivery person had to do with making my pizza? Perhaps I’m old fashioned, but I’d rather lose with my own speech (believe it or not that did happen from time to time) than win with something that belongs to someone else.
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