Peace Speakers Louisville Toastmasters Club: April 2014

Thursday, April 24, 2014

A Guest Speaker Entertains Us on April 16, 2014!

The mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

Ada, President of Peace Speakers, opens our meeting on a usual sweet note. She refers to the taste of summer that we enjoyed for a few days and then how spring came back...a return to colder weather again. But it's all good! After all, Thunder is behind us now, which is synonymous with spectacular, and the whole-day event was safe and fun-filled!!! (Our Word for the Day is synonymous, defined as having nearly the same meaning or connotation.

Our newest member, Megan, shares an Invocation chosen after viewing the quote on the picture atop our program today. It reads, "The key to change...is to let go of fear." The poem she's sharing is "Something I've Not Done" by W.E. Merwin:

Something I’ve not done
is following me
I haven’t done it again and again
so it has many footsteps
Like a drumstick that’s grown old and never been used

In late afternoon I hear it come close
at times it climbs out of a sea
onto my shoulders
and I shrug it off
losing one more chance

Every morning
it’s drunk up part of my breath for the day
and knows which way
I’m going
and already it’s not done there

But once more I say I’ll lay hands on it
tomorrow
and add its footsteps to my heart
and its story to my regrets
and its silence to my compass

I love this poem and find it hauntingly poignant. For me, some things aren't done because of the stories I've told myself at times: 1) That's too difficult! 2) What will people think? 3) I'm not sure how to begin/handle/tackle this. The truth is, what we leave undone that follows us around is an opportunity to grow ourselves...to unfold new possibilities...to gain more confidence. Let's not harbor regrets but instead get busy living a fuller life!

Robin, Vice President of Education, shared that Peace Speakers has entered the District Social Media Contest. First of all, please take a moment to go to our Facebook page and "Like" us: https://www.facebook.com/peacespeakers; then move around on our Facebook page and "Like", share, and comment on the different posts.

Thank you, Robin, for always keeping your eyes open when it comes to spreading the word about how special our Toastmasters club really is.

Robin also shared that we'll enjoy two guest speakers on May 7. Chip Hardwick will conduct a 10-minute presentation on "Giving Speeches Without Notes". Irene Sulyevich, our Area 66 Governor, will also be giving a short presentation.

JOKE MASTER HAS SOME EASTER FUN

Kerri was playfully demonstrative while sharing her jokes today:

Why did the Easter egg hide?
It was a little chicken.

How does Easter end?
With an "r"!

How is the Easter Bunny like Shaquille O'Neil?

They're both famous for stuffing baskets.

What did the rabbit say to the carrot?

It's been nice gnawing you.

TOASTMASTER TAKES THE PODIUM

Kay, Toastmaster for the day, expounds upon the quote she placed on our agenda today: "The key to change...is to let go of fear." Obviously, each person in attendance today is here seeking change, and according to Henry Link, "Fear is nature's warning signal to get busy." We get busy at our Peace Speakers meetings by facing the fears we have about speaking or leadership. The good news is we always have fun doing it!

OUR PREPARED SPEAKER FOR THE DAY

Kay introduces Maggie Harlow, our guest speaker for the day. She's been a member of St. Matthews Toastmasters for 3 years and credits Toastmasters for helping her with her confidence and skills as a manager.

Maggie’s presentation today is a speech that she is performing as part of the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, for which the next round is April 26 in Lafayette, IN. Her speech is called “Me and My Voice”, which follows:

It was a deceptively ordinary evening - late in my freshman year. A group of 8 or 10 of my friends and I gathered for dinner, as we often did, at the dorm cafeteria. That night, our friend Carrie brought along her boyfriend, Jeff. We all knew Jeff. He was the proto-typical all-American male: 6-foot something, boy-next-door handsome, with piercing blue eyes. To top it off, he was ROTC, and proudly and frequently wore his camouflage on campus.

Our dinner conversation that night was also typical – bantering and teasing. Someone talked about government and the military complex, when suddenly, Jeff’s voice rang above all others, “I don’t think women should HAVE a say on whether we go to war or not. They aren’t the ones going into battle and dying for our country.”

The air left the room. There was shocked silence at the table. I felt my friends’ heads swivel in my direction… eyes locked on me expectantly.

That was my cue. That moment in time was the culmination of my entire life up to that point.

When I was 7 years old I shared my bedroom with my big sister. One day we had an epic fight about the “line of demarcation” and whose stuff could be where on the floor. Our fight escalated, and when it became too heated for me, I fled in desperate search for the “Justice of the Peace”, our mom. She called us both to the dining room table, sat us down, and oversaw the proceedings. We were each to share our side of the story, uninterrupted by our opponent. Our arguments were to be articulate, persuasive, and with a generous use of “I-statements”. Then, having heard us both out completely, our mother would make her ruling.

And this was the way we learned to fight in my family. Because in our family, we had FIGHT RULES:

1) No physical contact.

2) No slamming doors or throwing objects.

3) No screaming or yelling or calling names.

4) If either party said the phrase “LEAVE ME ALONE” it meant an immediate cease and desist of any further discussion of the matter until the aforementioned Justice of the Peace could be accessed.

Thanks to these unusual constraints, my brother, sister and I became experts in word-to-word combat. We could dissect each others’ arguments with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel.

And, I developed a great relationship with my own voice. I was taught what I had to say mattered…that others would want to hear what I had to say...and that I would always find the words to express myself. This relationship followed me beyond the four walls of our home and into my life among friends and at school.

In high school, I cemented my reputation as a radical. Willing to take all comers and a voice for the under-represented. An unapologetic feminist with a penchant for arguing in public. Some of my teachers liked how easy I was provoked into class debate, but it also had some unintended consequences. I once asked my best friend Willy, “Why doesn’t anyone ever ask me out?” His matter of fact answer, “You’re intimidating.”

By my senior year, college was a shining beacon of hope: a hope I might start with a clean sheet of paper, curate a circle of friends, and find an environment where I might feel less likely to launch myself into arguments.

And, for the most part, it came true. I did find a circle of friends who were like-minded, I found a major that put me into touch with folks who were like me, and my dorm was not a dorm but was called a “living learning center” filled with freaks and geeks – from art majors like me to mathematicians and ballet dancers.

And so my relationship with my voice felt comfortable. Easier. But that fateful night, it was changed forever. The shocked silence of that night, those expectant looks from my friends…they were my cue.

They were ALWAYS my cue. This was when I would draw my scalpel. Eviscerate my opponent. Expose his ignorance. A bloodlust of righteousness. But I didn’t. That night, I sat silently like everyone else. Dinner conversation moved on awkwardly, dinner finished, and all dispersed.

And I felt amazing – I felt free! Un-encumbered. It was great. I realized that I didn’t HAVE to launch into argument just because someone said something idiotic!

A smaller group my friends crossed the quad toward our dorm in the dark. When I heard my dearest friend, Dawn, ask me “Maggie, why didn’t you say anything to Jeff?” I couldn’t speak. My brain flooded with outrage.

WHY DIDN’T I SAY ANYTHING? Why didn’t YOU say anything? Why didn’t any of YOU say anything?

Why did it have to be ME to call the charge? To risk appearing shrill, difficult, a “femin-nazi”. Why did they think this was MY responsibility?

And then, suddenly, CLICK – everything changed in that instant. I realized something THEY already knew…

They knew I was the best prepared; the best trained. The most battle tested. It wasn’t a responsibility they were trying to LAY on me…it was an HONOR that was being extended to me. My friends where asking me to take and lead them – to call the charge.

Let’s be honest here. You and I both know what that moment of truth feels like. That uncomfortable moment when your beliefs – whatever they are – are doing battle with your better judgment.

Do I speak up and risk creating a conflict? Or do I risk betraying my values with my silence? We each have to make that choice for ourselves in that moment.

I replied gently in the dark, “I don’t know why I didn’t say anything. I will be sure to…next time.”

SPEECH EVALUATOR SHARES HER OPINION

Ada, today's Speech Evaluator, found it a challenge to NOT give Maggie all excellent ratings on her speech evaluation sheet. She found the speech compelling and thought-provoking. Given without the use of any notes and in front of the podium, it captured her full attention and held it. However, when it ended, Ada wasn't expecting it. The speech had built her up with an expectation and it seemed to end abruptly. Ada said keys words letting her know it was about to end would have been helpful. And with so much rich use of body language, the use of longer pauses would have complimented those moves and made it even more effective.

Ada particularly liked the meaning behind Maggie's story and felt it empowered her. It exemplified an awakening to the powers within her that she could choose to respond to or not.

TABLE TOPICS A STATISTICAL DREAM

Robin, our Table Topics Master for the day, offers prompts that each quote a statistic and then throws out a related question. The stats were interesting and so were the answers we received. Robin began by seeking volunteers, and Peace Speakers were open.

Statistic: 36% of Facebook users dislike people sharing too much information about themselves.Question: For what reasons would you block someone on Facebook?Betsy is adamant when she shares that she's tempted to block certain people on Facebook. She believes that Facebook isn't a place for politics. When people get upset and start blah, blah, blahing on Facebook about it, she doesn't think it's the time or place. She sees the site as a "social, get along, and share social kinds of things" place. It's not a site for poor sports or losers. She loves Facebook for posting happy things, such as experiences with grand kids, great weather shots, and the like.

Statistic: Six-year-olds laugh 300 times a day. Adults laugh 15 times.Question: Why do kids laugh more than adults? Kerri shares that she nannied for kids when she was growing up. She thinks they laugh more than adults because they don't take themselves so seriously. Adults, on the other hand, get too uptight about how they present themselves. Kids just want to find joy in whatever they do. Have you noticed all of the kids' outlets? They get children enjoying life more, and that makes them laugh more than adults.

Statistic: 62% of households have a pet.

Question: If you could ask your pet any question, what would it be?

Megan muses on this question for a moment, then admits that as strange as it sounds, she senses that her cat, Nina, understands what she says to her. And if she could communicate with her cat, she'd ask, "What do you like about being a cat?" She adds that it seems like a great life eating, playing, and sleeping all of the time. She'd also ask her cat, "Why do you attack my legs? What's the attraction?" That really makes her wonder!

Statistic: The average letter carrier delivers more than 2,300 pieces of mail each day.

Question: What's your favorite thing to find in your mailbox?

Bethany loves getting a lot of mail but not the bills. She probably appreciates the magazines the most as they are a fun and colorful treat. However, the other day she got a letter from a strange address. It turns out it was from a woman at her church who said it was good seeing her last weekend. That was a nice surprise. Now that was mail worthy of hanging up on the refrigerator!

Statistic: Out of all college athletes, only 2% make it onto a professional team.

Question: Should the NCAA pay its players?

Eva immediately wishes either her husband or Eric was here to answer this question. She sometimes thinks athletics is synonymous with boredom. None-the-less, she did get into the recent basketball tournament in March. Currently, she has no opinion about pay for athletes. The pros are so well paid; she thinks that more money going into sports doesn't inspire her. But more money coming from coaches' pay to athletes might be worth considering.

Statistic: Disney World is twice the size of Manhattan. Question: Would you rather spend 5 days touring Disney or Manhattan?

Catherine is quick to respond with a resounding, "Both!" She's been to New York City and really enjoyed it. She adds that both places have odd similarities (but knows they're not synonymous). NYC is very diverse, just as Disney is. Disney has all-over-the-world visitors, and walking around the streets of NYC or Grand Central Station, one witnesses many different cultures, hairdos, and outfits. With Disney, though, she doesn't like roller coasters. However, she does like the trains! If she had her way, she'd go to both Disney and to Manhattan.

AND THE WINNER IS...

This is a great spot to note that after the votes were taken, the winner of our 1-2 minute impromptu speeches is Kerri. Our Table Topics sessions are always fun. And even though many of us admit that we get a little squirrely wondering what we'll face when we open that little slip of paper, it's a chance to focus and share and learn...and we're all the better for it!

At this time the President, Ada, returns to the podium and Toastmaster Kay steps away. Before Kay leaves, she concludes by saying, "Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action, and coming here and participating are acts of courage and resolve."

Ada adjourns our meeting noting that we have an extra week in-between our meetings this time. She shares that our next one is on May 7th, just after Derby week.

She finishes by saying, "In all instances, replace fear with faith. Go and enjoy your Derby!"

AND THEY'RE OFF!

If you're a visitor to this blog, get in the race to improve your communication and leadership skills. It's a personal race for growth...one where the abilities you currently possess are enhanced and the desires you have for improvement can become your focus. Would you like to express yourself more cohesively and boldly? Are you seeking growth personally and professionally?

Opportunities await you in our Peace Speakers Toastmasters club. So pay us a visit sometime and see if we're a good fit for you. Our club members will warmly welcome you!

We are an open Toastmasters club,

so please pay us a visit!

OUR NEXT FEW 2014 MEETINGS:

May 7 - Conference Room B

May 21 - Conference Room B

Peace Speakers Toastmasters Club

Presbyterian Center

1st and 3rd Wednesdays (usually)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

100 Witherspoon Street

Downtown Louisville, KY

Respectfully submitted,

Kay Chambers

VP of Public Relations for Peace Speakers

To access our previous blogs, here are the links:

http://peacespeakerslouisvilletoastmasters.blogspot.com/

http://peacespeakerstoastmasters.blogspot.com/

(We kept running out of space and needed to start new ones!)

Friday, April 11, 2014

Our April 2nd Meeting...Just One Day Short of April Fools Day

Presiding Officer, Betsy, opens our April 2nd meeting in a welcoming way. April is upon us, spring is in the air, and Peace Speakers are ready for the growth that comes with each changing season. With colorful flowers and tiny buds on trees popping out around us, our attitudes are in numinous alignment. (Our Word for the Day is numinous, meaning appealing to higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense.)

SPRING INSPIRES OUR INVOCATION TODAY

Betsy, our Invocation leader for the day, has numinous praise for the season at hand:

Great Earth Mother! We give you praise today and ask for your blessing upon us. As seeds spring forth and grass grows green and winds blow gently and the rivers flow and the sun shines down upon our land, we offer thanks to you for your blessings and your gifts of life each spring.

JOKE MASTER SHARES A TIMELY (THOUGH OLD) BROADCAST

With April 1st behind us, Kay (moi) googled April Fools jokes and found 100 of the best of all time. Today I’m sharing Joke #1…considered the best hoax ever… judged by notoriety, creativity, and number of people duped. This was one of the first times TV was used to stage an April Fool’s Day hoax. This joke was played on April 1, 1957, and is called The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest.

A BBC cameraman, Charles de Jeager, came up with the idea for the Spaghetti Harvest Hoax after one of his teachers commented, "Boys, you're so stupid…you'd believe me if I told you that spaghetti grows on trees."

Years later as an adult, Charles turned this remark into a visual joke for April Fool's Day. The BBC’s flagship news program was anchored by Richard Dimbleby, whose commanding presence made him one of the most revered public figures in Britain. Viewership was huge. And if Dimbleby said it, people trusted that it was true.

While filming the segment, they ran into all kinds of problems trying to hang the spaghetti in the trees. Both the dry and then the cooked spaghetti kept falling off the branches. Finally, they succeeded, and the BBC broadcasted a 3-minute segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland, thanks to an “unusually mild winter” and to the "virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil."

The audience heard Dimbleby, the show's highly respected anchor, discussing the spaghetti crop as they watched video footage of a Swiss family pulling pasta off spaghetti trees and placing it into baskets. The anchor also explained how each strand of spaghetti always grew to the same length thanks to years of hard work by generations of growers. The segment concluded with, "For those who love this dish, there's nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti." Music was added to the background to provide the appropriate atmosphere.

After the broadcast, hundreds of people phoned the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. The BBC diplomatically replied, "Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." To see the entertaining and original 1957 3-minute broadcast, click on this link: The 1957 Broadcast of the Spaghetti Harvest Hoax

Returning to the podium after hearing my joke, Betsy shared that she had played an April Fool's joke on her 6-year-old grandson. When he woke up April 1st, she held up one of her frilly blouses and announced that this is all she had for him to wear that day. He looked at her in dismay and exclaimed, "But Gamby, you said you did laundry last night!"

Our charming Toastmaster bubbles up with enthusiasm as she introduces today's speaker and President of Peace Speakers.

OUR SPEAKER APPEALS TO OUR NUMINOUS SENSE OF GIVING

Ada, our prepared speaker for the day, delivered the following speech called “A Gift that Keeps on Giving” based on Project 9, Persuade with Power from the Communications and Leadership Manual.

Mayor Greg Fischer has declared, “We need your help to make Louisville an even more compassionate city.” April 12-20 has been designated as Mayor Fischer’s “Give a Day” week of service. You can give an hour, a few hours, or you can give a whole day.

In 2013, over 100,000 persons donated their time and compassion. In 2014, the goal is to get 120,000 people to donate their time and compassion to causes.

(Ada circulated numerous photos of volunteers serving the needs of the public.)

Let me share a couple of experiences:

Ø In 2012, in conjunction with the pastor, his wife, and members of the Unity United Primitive Baptist Church, I participated in Mayor’s “Give a Day” by helping clean up their facilities inside and out, scraping, and re-painting. We also fellowshipped with them by providing pizza and conversation over lunch. A most memorable occasion.

Ø As I reflect over my life, I have never had a day that I had to go to a homeless shelter for a nutritious meal. Have you? In 2013, I served at the Franciscan Shelter House on Preston where they serve lunch to the homeless Monday through Friday. That day I helped in the kitchen preparing meals for over 300 and cleaning tables. Most of the cooks preparing the meal were retired men who took pleasure in cooking and enjoyed each others’ company.

Ø While the meal was being prepared I saw one picture, but once the meal was being served to those who came to eat another picture was revealed to me that I can’t even explain. Serving was humbling and a true eye-opener. Most of the people who came to eat probably didn’t choose this, however, many showed their gratitude. Some came and seemed to be in a world of their own and ate in silence. Serving was bittersweet – bitter because it showed me no one is exempt from possibly having to walk in their shoes – sweet because my service to those being served was my gift to them. I could give of myself knowing I was giving and not expecting anything in return. It made me realize it is only by the grace of God there go I. This year I have already signed up to serve yet once again at the Franciscan House and two other agencies.

You might ask, “What can I do to be a part of this yearly ‘Give a Day’ week?” Hmmm…I am so glad you asked! If you will look at the flyer I put before you, there is information that will help you look more closely at the possibilities to be a part of this week of giving. Two Sundays ago our Louisville community experienced bullying and attacks on innocent people at the waterfront area. God knows our city is in desperate need of compassion right now. Maybe if we as adults show more compassion, it will spill over to our younger generation.

A gift that keeps on giving…yes…and each time I pass the Unity United Primitive Baptist Church, my mind takes me back to the day I served to help beautify their church. It was my gift to them.

And when I think about the day I served at the Franciscan Shelter House, I was blessed to serve those less fortunate than I.

Each time you or I give of ourselves unselfishly, it is a gift, and each time I reflect I receive a gift that just keeps on giving.

How will you make Louisville a better place? Remember - you can give an hour, a few hours, or you can give a day. It your choice.

Fellow Toastmasters, compassion…it starts in the heart. Will you, please sign up today? The Mayor's Give A Day (or hour) Link

Please consider volunteering as little as an hour or a day (or more) between April 12-20. There are plenty of options, and while helping others, you'll feel better as well!

TABLE TOPICS MASTER HAS SPRING ON HIS MIND

Fred, our Table Topics Master of the Day, admits that after a long, hard winter, the theme he's chosen is "Spring Has Sprung!" He asks for volunteers first...those who are willing to give an extemporaneous 1-2 minute talk after pulling a prompt from his stash of questions. Megan, our newest member, raises her hand right away. Impressive!!!!

Nature reveals itself with the coming of spring. What thing or things in nature inspire you the most and why or how does it inspire you?

Megan admits that she grew up in a small rural town. In her childhood, she had a numinous attraction to nature. She's always felt close to nature since that's where she's spent so much time. She and her brothers played outside on most days. They involved nature in their play and sometimes caught birds. She also loves going to Otter Creek, where she continues to be inspired by nature.

Spring offers many opportunities to do new and exciting things. Describe new things that you would like to experience and why.

Betsy says that she experiences new and exciting things through the eyes of her grandsons, who spent the weekend with her. Just sitting outside with them at the picnic table and doing simple things like riding on the tractor is always an adventure. The youngest talks non-stop, and it's fun because she never knows what he's going to say. They especially enjoy nature, noticing the flowers and the trees blooming at this time of the year.

Spring brings alive the many colors that we all enjoy. What is your favorite spring color and why?

Robin admits that she doesn't have a single favorite but leans towards any color that's Derby related. She loves the look of the bright red roses and the pink of the lilies. She has a white rosebud tree just outside of their home, and it's in full bloom at this time of the year. All of the colorful flowers are especially enjoyable during the Derby season.

With the advent of spring, the freedom to travel is realized. What has been your favorite spring-like place to travel and why?

Eva shares that last April she traveled to California and stayed at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, just north of the city. She and her husband were there on business. And rather than the cloudy, rainy weather typical of the area, they experienced lovely weather for a change. It was sunny every day! She spent most of her time outside enjoying the area and its sights.

With the coming of spring, we leave old man winter behind and welcome spring. What emotions best describe how you feel about the leaving of winter and the coming of spring?

Kay exclaims, "Leaving old man winter behind makes me feel elated, joyful, and ecstatic!" She adds, "As you know, this has been a miserable winter, what with the snow and ice. And you may have noticed, I'm like a thin slab of meat. I freeze quickly! So it's a numinous experience for me to move into the warmth of spring and away from the freezing temperatures that chill my body."

Spring is an opportune time for children to play the games they enjoy. Share with us the childhood game or games you enjoyed the most and why.

Catherine admits that her family lived on a dead-end street when she was growing up. She loved playing childhood games, such as water games in pools. However, the game that wasn't her favorite was Red Rover. She hated it because her friends were petite and she was tall. She'd barrel over them. She also loved a Dirty Dancing game where she was Patrick Swayze and her other friend was the female lead who'd do the run while Catherine would try to do the lift. It never worked!

As usual, Table Topics questions get us sharing and entertaining others with information we hope is enlightening. It usually brings a smile! Speaking of, once the votes were taken for the favorite Table Topics talk, Kay squeaks by with a win. She gets to take the Table Topics trophy home to enjoy until our next meeting. (That "thin slab of meat" description of myself brought a lot of laughter, so that may have put me up one vote.)

SPEECH EVALUATOR SHARES HER THOUGHTS

Eva, who is Ada's speech evaluator, begins by sharing that she thought Ada used all of the Toastmaster skills to create a numinous effect with her speech to encourage us to do something worthwhile. She liked the pace, her vocal variety, and her gestures. Ada was passionate and forceful in her delivery...at the podium "preaching" in a thoughtful manner. She asked good questions, shared options for participating in the program, and gave multiple reasons why we should volunteer. The handouts showing volunteers at work were a nice addition as well.

ARE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT TOASTMASTERS?

Looking ahead to our next Peace Speakers meeting, I am reminded that even though Toastmasters meetings worldwide follow a similar format, each club (and each meeting) is distinctly unique. While the members of Toastmasters clubs follow a structured framework, they bring their unique takes to the experience. The temperament of our club is gentle and supportive as we grow our communication and leadership skills. We have fun by "doing"...by taking on different roles and giving short talks.

We hope any visitors to this blog will join us at an upcoming meeting. On April 16, we have a guest speaker who is delivering a speech for a Toastmasters contest, so join us for the fun!

I think the first thing a person notices about Toastmasters is how organized, productive, and engaging the meetings are. They’re highly structured, with members filling very specific roles and responsibilities.
- See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/business-career/public-speaking/does-toastmasters-work#sthash.tnVgk7TX.dpuf

people get together--for fun--to deliver short talks and to receive supportive feedback. They’ve even had some famous members like management expert Tom Peters and the founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies, Debbi Fields.

Learn By Doing Using a Structured Approach