SMART work From the local junior chamber to the


world congress for effective speaking JCI offers training in skills like effective speaking and nurtures talents through mentorship


By Natasha Fisher


a journey I started over a year ago right here in Winnipeg. Tis incredible opportunity is due to my involvement


O


with JCI (Junior Chamber International). JCI is a membership-based, non-profit organization


of young active citizens who are dedicated to making a positive impact in their communities. As part of the professional and personal development JCI provides, its members also receive training to develop different skills such as effective speaking. While taking a course or training is valuable, when it


comes to things like public speaking, you need to “just to do it” if you want to build skills and truly develop. Sitting here today, I can tell you it was by participating


that I have learned the most and really developed my effec- tive speaking skills, especially as I progressed through the different levels of the JCI Effective Speaking Competition. Second to one


Case in point, when JCI Winnipeg held the local compe-


tition in June 2013, I didn’t win the prepared speech, but the impromptu one, which meant I was the runner-up. In Canada, the Effective Speaking competition includes two parts: a prepared, five- to seven-minute speech, and an impromptu, two- to four-minute speech for which you have one minute to prepare. Whoever wins the prepared speech is the one who moves


on to the next level. However, that June, the winner of the prepared speech was moving to another country, so the opportunity to compete at the national level was passed on to me. Sometimes all is not lost when you don’t win “first place.”


Nationals First place or not, my eye was now on the prize, and


that prize was representing Canada at the Conference of Americas taking place in Medellin, Colombia. I took the feedback I received and the experience I


gained, and re-worked my speech before I competed at the National Convention in Quebec City. Tis time, I won both the prepared and impromptu speech. I was no longer the “runner-up.” I was the national winner and would represent Canada in South America. Americas


Te Area Conferences are probably the most challenging


as you are competing against national winners from each of the countries in your area. For the Americas, this includes North, South and Central America, and the Caribbean.


Natalie Fisher is the national winner in JCI's Effective Speaking Competition.


Going into the competition, I knew I would need to


convey my ideas, emotion and passion in a way that would transcend language as Spanish is the primary language spoken at the Conference of Americas. To add to the challenge, the participants were required


to prepare two speeches. Te top three that moved to the final round would do the second speech. JCI members from around the world vote on topics


they would like to hear about at the Area Conferences. I received the topics for the speeches three weeks before the competition. Te two topics for this year were “Creating solutions to


community challenges can only be achieved by first under- standing the root cause of the challenge” and for the final round, “Active citizens lead their communities with their actions and not their words.” It was at this challenging level that I learned and devel-


n November 26, 141 days from the time of writing this article, I will be competing for the world title for effective speaking in Leipzig, Germany. Tis is


oped the most. Certainly part of it was the experience of the competition itself, but the most significant part came from the tips and mentorship that I received from the other Canadian delegates attending this Conference. JCI help


My fellow Canadian JCI members not only watched com-


petitions in previous years, but two of them competed on the world stage; one of which won the world title last year (Erin Guillemette, JCI Durham). It was their knowledge, experience and mentorship that


proved to be so valuable to me. Without it, I would not have succeeded as I did at the conference. Te JCI Effective Speaking Competition is less like effec-


tive speaking that you would do in a business meeting, and more like a motivational speech. You are calling on young active citizens to take action. In order to do so, it takes more than just passion and


confidence, but also your tone, your gestures, your use of the room and, of course, your words. Te mentorship that I received enabled me to go into the competition as polished and prepared as possible.


Worlds Winning at the Conference of Americas means I will


now move on to the final level of the competition: World Congress. At Worlds, there will be a total of four competi- tors. One representative for each of the areas: Africa and Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe, and finally the Americas. To be one of the final four competitors in the world is


an amazing accomplishment that still feels a little surreal for me. While I am excited to take on the world stage, I am equally excited to take what I learned and share it with my chapter.


Mentorship I took the knowledge I gained from participating in the


last year and applied it to our Effective Speaking train- ing held a short week after my return from Colombia. JCI Winnipeg has since held its local competition and I ac- companied our winner, Katrina Hueging, as she competed in Prairie Regionals which includes JCI chapters from Humboldt, Edmonton, Calgary and now Winnipeg. My experience helped Katrina at both the local and re-


gional level of the competition as she will now compete for the national title in September. Te year-and-a-half journey of the JCI Effective Speaking Competition has begun again. JCI is a learning and development organization which


includes member mentorship. Part of JCI’s success with both professional and personal development is due to the “have a mentor, be a mentor” mentality. As I am finishing my journey as a competitor, I am also starting my journey as a mentor for our next winner.


12 bold ideas for the next mayor W


hat the City of Winnipeg needs is a bold new vision that comple- ments the growing optimism


Winnipeggers feel about our future. Yes, we need to renew disintegrating infra- structure, fix pot-holed city streets, crumbling curbs, salt-killed boulevards and patched up pavement – that’s a given, or the bare minimum of what the city requires to take hold of a bold new future. But what we really need


are ideas and leadership that will unleash the fissionable energy that lurks just below the shabby surface of our city. As we head into the may-


cultural scene; our talented and energetic labour force; and our spirit of collabora- tion which allows us to accomplish more with less. 3. Business and ratepayer


Bold Ideas Dorothy Dobbie


oralty debates, I will be looking for this energy to be transmitted to the population: Mr./Ms. Candidate, what will our city look like in ten years from your vantage point? Assuming all obstacles could be removed, what would you like to see? Here are 12 accomplishments in my


dream: 1. A “can-do” city. It’s all about attitude.


Young people now want to stay here, to build a life here and contribute to the future here. 2. We told the world. A marketing plan


was developed under the new mayor to tell the world about what a great place Winnipeg is to live in and raise a family. Te mayor let businesses around the world know we are open for business. He shame- lessly boasted about our second-to-none


August 2014


advocate/ombudsman and keeping managers account- able. Te new mayor created an office that identified where the roadblocks to enterprise were and helped business deal with civic red tape. Te office also helps ratepayers solve nitpicking problems.Te office reports directly to the mayor and senior jobs hang in the balance when problems were not dealt with. Te tail no longer wags the dog in this town. 4. Green city. Neither New


York’s Central Park, Tokyo’s Imperial Pal- ace or London’s Royal Park hold a candle to Winnipeg’s green river-side beltway and Te Forks. Te city finally figured out that green spaces attract people, increase prop- erty values and have a civilizing impact on behaviour. Te Forks renegotiated a deal with the city that changed their corporate structure to make them less dependent on raising operating funds and allowed them to develop the east side of the river for housing and parking, keeping a ribbon of green for public use and leaving Te Forks green with wonderful arboretum across from the museum. 5. Keep it tidy, keep it growing. Tree


planting and tree maintenance were stepped up. Boulevards were re-greened (the red dirt is gone). Snow removal con-


tractors are responsible for curb and tree damage. Streets are smooth and pothole- free (we use new, frost-resistant materials to build with) and the main arteries are heated and snow-free most of the winter. 6. Former railway corridors are now


livable spaces. The railroads that ran through the centre of town have been re- placed with housing surrounded by green space and trees. 7. Business-friendly city. Outdated


building codes and business-restricting regulations are gone. Bylaws have been reviewed to co-ordinate and rational- ize redundancies. Businesses have been involved in city beautification ideas and plans, and made changes that were ac- complished smoothly and without rancour or resentment. 8. Well-planned city. Regulations and


guidelines were developed co-operatively to create this beautiful city that people want to invest in. Instead of worrying about nitpicking details as to what kind of doorknobs new houses should have, plan- ners have been concentrating on standards governing signage, commercial frontage, lighting, and so on. The Charleswood Bridge Parkway from Portage to Grant was the model. 9. Accessible city. Pedestrians, cyclists,


seniors, the disabled, kids and busy motor- ists all have their place in a livable city. All Winnipeg sidewalks have curb cutouts and are as ice-free as possible to accom- modate seniors and wheelchair users (we have heated sidewalks); cyclists have safe lanes and byways (one side of the street is devoted to them in downtown where traf- fic is heaviest, new streets have been built


www.smartcareers.ca


with pedestrians and cyclists in mind), traffic lights have been synchronized to ease traffic flow, especially along Portage Avenue where the latest technology now tells motorists and pedestrian how long it will be before the light changes. 10. Safe city. Te police, fire and para-


medic budgets are now down from over 50 per cent of our civic expenditures to under 40 per cent, but everybody feels safer. Tese departments were housecleaned, rationalized and trimmed with the goal being to make them work more efficiently and effectively and they do. Morale is up, too! 11. Humane city. Too many people


used live to on the streets. Te Bell Hotel project showed us what can be done with minimal funding. Te city had a dream to end homelessness and now nobody lives on the street. We actually save money and people are happier. 12. Downtown is the place to be. Te


barriers are gone at Portage and Main and the overhead walkways at Te Bay and the MTS Centre have been replaced by under- ground tunnels to help people negotiate winter. Portage Place has been re-oriented so that the courtyard now faces south to catch the sun. Shop owners have opened streetside doors. Te Parking Authority was shut down and new streetside park- ing has returned a lot of traffic to Portage Avenue. Tere is a new fashion shopping district on South Main. Near the Forks, fabulous new hotels


have sprung up there to accommodate people coming to the human rights mu- seum and the conventions that the new convention centre addition has attracted.


SMART TAB 7


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