Peace Speakers Louisville Toastmasters Club: September 2014

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Peace Speakers Gather on September 17 for Enjoyment and Growth

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, Presiding Officer, beams as she greets members and four guests who are visiting Peace Speakers today. She speaks for all of us when she says, "Our hearts are happy to see so many visitors." Our guests each share a little about themselves: Holly is a California native and is experiencing her very first Toastmasters meeting. Minh is looking for a club that best fits with her schedule. Ben travels a lot and enjoys visiting other Toastmasters groups. And Lynn has visited us previously and is considering joining sometime in the future. Welcome, welcome, welcome!!!!

Robin, President of Peace Speakers, reminds us that our first quarterly drawing will begin at our next meeting, October 1st. Anyone who's served as Toastmaster or given a speech during this quarter stands a chance at winning a gift. Sweet incentive, if you ask me!!!

Robin's baby is due November 9, so her last meeting for a while may be November 5th on Staff Development Day, when we meet at 12:40 (instead of the usual 1:00). Ada will preside after the baby's birth until Robin can return to resume her presidential duties.

INVOCATION MAKES A U-TURN

Think about it: How do you deal with change? I don’t particularly see myself as a Change Master. I often grieve a change that I have no control over until motivation for a shift presents itself. Such is this lamentation I share about the change of season upon us:

Goodbye summer, I hate to see you go!

Goodbye to sun-drenched days, bare skin, and bands playing at Waterfront Wednesdays.

Goodbye to longer days, warm breezes, top-down driving, and sweaty armpits.

Goodbye to running wildly through the twirling sprinkler and playing joyfully in the rain.

Goodbye to Hurricane Bay’s thrilling 12-story drop down a deep water dive.

Goodbye to whizzing frantically through space on Kentucky Kingdom’s roller coasters and free-falling in gleeful terror on the Fear Factor ride.

Goodbye to the smell of fresh cut grass, the sight of summer daisies and cheery clumps of Black-eyed Susans.

Goodbye to the relentless sound of chirping cicadas and to treasures found at Saturday morning yards sales.

Goodbye to roadside fruit stands, the sound of ice cream trucks, and water balloon fights.

Goodbye to friendly folks at farmers markets, farm fresh eggs, and local honey.

Goodbye to gathering at restaurant patios, grilling outdoors, and the smell of smoky BBQ.

Goodbye to our garden’s fresh corn, juicy tomatoes and the abundance of fresh kale and okra.

Goodbye to flowy, strappy, bright-colored sundresses and wearing flip-flops in a flip-flop kind of world.

Goodbye to the sounds of squealing children in squirt gun fights and eating ice cream to cool off in the afternoon.

Goodbye summer vacations, a flotilla of flotation devices, outdoor parties and chilled sangria.

Goodbye to bare feet, chasing lightening bugs at dusk, and watching fireworks in the black of night.

Goodbye to outdoor pools, impromptu summer picnics, and mosquitoes.

Hmmmm, good riddance, you wretched little mosquitoes! Farewell summer! Adieu! Time to move quickly into fall!

The good news is that Toastmasters remains a constant in our lives despite the season. There are no losses, and the changes we experience as Peace Speakers are always positive!

~ Kay Chambers, Blogger

JOKE MASTER SHARES HUMOROUS CARTOON
FROM THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE

A cartoon by Roz Chast called "Creation: The True Story" retells the Genesis creation story with jokes about procrastination:

On the first day, God created nothing, because there was plenty of time.

Second day, same deal. God is thinking, “Why rush?”

On the 4^th day, He was not in the right mood. (God lets out a sigh.)

On the 5^th day, all this stuff was going on. You don’t want to know. (God’s looking very frazzled and overwhelmed.)

On the 6^th day, God created the whole shebang. (Stars, mountains, critters, humans, and nature are all represented in this frame.)

On the 7^th day, He rested. (God’s sitting on a couch looking totally worn out.)

To enjoy this cartoon visually as well, go to this link: Roz Chast's Creation Cartoon

TOASTMASTER USHERS IN AUTUMN THOUGHTS

Kerri, our Toastmaster for the day, makes reference to the colorful image of a brightly colored fall tree atop the agenda she prepared. She reminds us that the weather at this time of the year is lovely and suggests we take advantage of the many opportunities we have to get outdoors. She challenges us to spend more time outside walking, having lunch, or using any other excuse we can find. (By the way, this is Kerri's first time as Toastmaster, and she's totally a natural!)

Kerri introduces the people who have volunteered to take on a role during

our meeting today. This gives members of Peace Speakers an opportunity to speak and develop their leadership skills. Eric is serving as the "Ah-Counter and Grammarian" today. The Word of the Day he's chosen is doppelganger, which means "someone who looks like someone else". Eric is a new dad, and after his parents brought out a baby picture of Eric, he realized that his newborn is a doppelganger for him. (By the way, can you tell he's a new father? He says he's feeling a bit tired these days!)

Speaking of new parents, Bethany also just recently had a baby girl. My goodness, these Peace Speakers are a prolific and dynamic group! And this is a perfect way to segue to our speaker today.

PREPARED SPEAKER GETS REAL ABOUT MOTHERHOOD

Robin gives her 4^th speech today, which focuses on “How to Say It” from the Competent Communication Manual. The title of her speech is “Motherhood Defined,” and we’re about to hear from an expert…one who’s been in the trenches. (Using bullet notes from her talk, the following is the gist of what Robin imparted during her speech.)

Motherhood is defined as “the state or experience of having and raising a child.” I feel the definition is missing something. Like all the ups and downs that go into having and raising a child???

I’m a mom of two… okay, two and three quarters…

My daughter just celebrated her fourth birthday, and my son will be two this month. Baby number three is due in November. Everyday I roll out of bed to the unknown:

· Will everyone be in a good mood?

· How tangled will Maggie’s hair be?

· Is John going to be mad that we ran out of bananas?

· Will the dog come inside the first time I call for him?

Today I’m here to share three things that I’ve learned about being a mother:

1. As a mother you must roll with the punches.

Once you’re a parent, you’re no longer in control…of...anything. For example, in June the children attended summer camp. Wednesday was costume day and John was the Incredible Hulk. Maggie had swimming first thing, so I took her outside to spray sunscreen on her legs. Suddenly, the door shut! My son had locked us out of the house! I had NO KEYS, NO PHONE, and was wearing NO SHOES. I was literally barefoot and pregnant, walking down the street carrying the Incredible Hulk in one arm, holding the hand of a three-year-old in a swim suit, and knocking on the doors of our neighbors’ houses.

Luckily, the retired neighbors down half way down the street were home. They let me use their phone while we waited in their house. My mom came over with a key and the kids made it to school. Of course, I made it to work, but I was about three hours late that day.

2. As a mother you must expect the unexpected.

Be prepared to be amazed by the words that come out of your child’s mouth. In July, I was loading kids in the van before summer camp. Our dog was outside and wouldn’t come when I called for him. Grabbing him, I noticed a baby bird and tried to determine how I would maneuver the van around it without killing it. When Maggie saw the bird, she exclaimed, “MOMMY, WE NEED A SNORT!”

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with a SNORT, it’s the steam shovel that puts the baby bird back in its nest in the children’s book, “Are You My Mother?” I had to stop and explain to Maggie that we didn’t have a SNORT, although it would come in handy. Somehow I backed out of the driveway without hitting the baby bird. It wasn’t there later in the day, so we assumed it found its mother.

3. And lastly, as a mother you must get your hands dirty.

We all know that kids are kind of gross. They aren’t potty trained. They have snotty faces, and food sticks to their bodies. But this particular story is about my dog, Champ. Champ has the habit of getting in trouble when he’s desperate for attention. And with two younger, human siblings in the house, he often feels left out.

On Friday, I let Champ outside, and when he came back in he smelled awful! He was guilty! He had rolled in poop! I took Champ to our shower upstairs, washed him, and warned him not to do it again. For some reason, Champ didn’t listen. He did it again on Monday morning! Again, he was soaked in the shower. And if he does it again, my next speech will be titled, “Dog in Need of Good Home.”

In closing, I think if I were to rewrite the definition to Motherhood, I would find a way to include the lessons that I’ve learned as a mom:

· Rolling with the punches

· Expecting the unexpected

· Getting your hands dirty

But—as not to scare away any new or expecting parents—I think I would redefine Motherhood simply as this:

“The state or experience of having and raising a child. It is the hardest, most rewarding job a person could EVER do!”

TABLE TOPICS HIT A MUSICAL HIGH

Megan, our Table Topics Master for the day, created questions that involve music to get people talking. Each prompt shared a quote and was followed by a question. Those choosing to participate were given one to two minutes to respond. I always love Table Topics, as they are often a window into speakers' lives and so richly tell us more about them. Today was no exception. All of the answers were so well-spoken and interesting that I couldn't get it written down fast enough. Please forgive the brevity. Your answers were so much more complete and enjoyable at our meeting!

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. ~ Plato

What role has music played in your own life? What do you imagine the world would be like without music?

Connie shares that she grew up in a family that valued music. They embraced it. She admits, however, that she doesn't play an instrument because she was kicked out of orchestra. (I bet that's an interesting story, Connie!) Despite that, she does have good ears. It's a gift she possesses that helps her appreciate a world of music. For example, when she's sad, she chooses to listen to opera. She also likes hip-hop music because it's exciting. Music has played a big part in her family and will continue to do so.

Without music, life would be a mistake. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

What are a few of your favorite bands or musicians? How has their music touched your life?

Ben shares that indeed, life would be a mistake without music. His dad's keen appreciation for music greatly influenced him. Dad installed in him a love for eclectic music styles. As a child, he remembers listening to Paul Simon's Graceland, which exposed him to world music. He remembers putting up his arms and feeling joyful dancing to it. His family's appreciation for music is why it's such a big part of his life today. His parent's passion and joy for music brought people together. After all, music is one language we all can speak.

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. ~ Victor Hugo

Has music ever provided an outlet for expressing or understanding something you weren’t able to put into words – either by listening or by playing it?

Lynn admits that she can think of many instances when music has provided an outlet. She notes that she feels more intensely when listening to different kinds of music. The music often compliments her feelings. When feeling sad, she might listen to bluesy music and minor chords. The buzz stays with her for a long time. Music is very powerful, whether one's listening to it or playing it.

People worry about kids playing with guns, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands - literally thousands - of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss. ~Nick Hornby, "High Fidelity"

What kind of music did you listen to when you were growing up? What does this music mean to you now?

Holly shares that she is a Baby Boomer and grew up in the 1950's - 80's. She admired and was influenced by singer song writers. She found their melodious tunes to be more touching to the heart than the current tunes. She particularly loved music that incorporated nature, the wind, waves and a cacophony of sounds that were all quite beautiful. This type of music continues to be a meaningful part of her life.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION GOES TO...

At this time, members and guests vote for the short speech they favored the most. Holly comes out on top and will leave today with the satisfaction of knowing that she moved people with what she shared. (She said more than what I typed...but I couldn't keep up with her!)

EVALUATOR FOR ROBIN'S SPEECH SHARES HER OPINION

Kristy smiles broadly recalling Robin's speech on motherhood. She shares that she found it to be a very interesting and amusing speech. "It made us smile," she remarks. She adds that Robin clearly communicated her ideas and had a good sense of timing. She really loved the stories she shared about her children and the dog stories as well. She felt that Robin gave great examples and summarized well at the closing.

In case you were wondering about those bags, Betsy, our Vice President of Membership, distributed gift bags to our first time visitors. We are always grateful for guests and especially love it when they feel comfortable enough to join us in Table Topics like Holly and Ben did today.

Ada closes by sharing what a fabulous meeting it's been. She's appreciative of so many aspects: all of the work that went into preparing for the meeting, the roles people played, the speech Robin gave, and the information that was shared during Table Topics.

This type of enjoyment and satisfaction is standard at our Peace Speakers meetings. If you're a visitor to this blog, don't stay a stranger! Come to one of our meetings and experience the warmth and the numerous opportunities for developing your communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment.

We are an open Toastmasters club,

so please pay us a visit!

OUR NEXT FEW 2014 MEETINGS:

Oct. 1 - Conference Room B

Oct. 15 - Conference Room B

Peace Speakers Toastmasters Club

1st and 3rd Wednesdays (usually)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

100 Witherspoon Street

Downtown Louisville, KY

Respectfully submitted,

Kay Chambers

Blogger 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!)

Monday, September 1, 2014

Scrupulous Care is Taken at Our August 20, 2014 Peace Speakers Meeting

Perry, our Treasurer, opens our Peace Speakers meeting on this particular afternoon. Always in cheerful form, he welcomes us all. Special attention is given to our 4 visitors Kristi, Lynn, Zed, and Beatriz, who he welcomes enthusiastically.

With a few members out of town right now, Perry also delivers the invocation for the day. He shares an excerpt from the David Bowie song called "Changes":

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
(Turn and face the strain)
Ch-ch-Changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

Perry notes that Peace Speakers are engaged in the process of change as well. Being willing to stretch ourselves and try different roles and approaches, growth is guaranteed. With the support of other Peace Speakers, each member can set their own pace using excellent Toastmaster materials that have been scrupulously prepared. (Scrupulous is the Word of the Day and means 1) careful, meticulous and thorough 2) right and proper, having moral integrity.)

JOKE MASTER REMEMBERS A FALLEN COMEDIAN

Kay notes the loss of Robin Williams recently, who brought joy to us with his humor and inspired us with his acting. So in honor of this great comedian and actor, Kay shares some of Robin's more scrupulous or proper jokes.

"You know, you get that tattoo of barbed wire when you're 18, but by the time you're 80, it's a picket fence."

"Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?"

"When you create, you get a little endorphin rush. Why do you think Einstein looked like that?"

"Do you think God gets stoned? I think so. Just look at the platypus!"

"The 2nd Amendment says we have the right to bear arms, not to bear artillery!"

Defining the word politics: "Poli, a Latin word meaning many and tics meaning bloodsucking creatures."

"Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently...and for the same reasons."

"If women ran the world we wouldn't have wars, just intense negotiations every 28 days."

TOASTMASTER OPENS THE EDUCATIONAL PART OF OUR PROGRAM

Ada, our Toastmaster for the day, prepared an agenda for us that has an image of Madonna with the words of one of her famous songs underneath it: "Express Yourself". This sets the tone for our Toastmasters meeting. She asks each person to give a brief description of the role they've agreed to take. Members accept these roles in advance, giving them an opportunity to practice leadership, verbal expression, and in many instances creativity. This is one way we grow our skills in Toastmasters.

Today, one of our newest members, Tanja (pronounced like Tanya), is giving her Ice Breaker speech. This is the first one in her Competent Communication Manual, and it allows her to share what she wants about herself to the rest of the club. (Because she delivered her speech just using bullet points, I have paraphrased what she said for readers of this blog.)

PREPARED SPEAKER GIVES HER VERY FIRST SPEECH

Tanja came to the podium, thanked us for witnessing her Ice Breaker speech, and admitted she’d rather do the Ice Bucket Challenge than do this. Great way to start…with a little humor.

Tanja shares that people she meets for the first time usually ask her a lot of questions due to her interesting accent. First of all, they want to know where she’s from, and then they ask her, “Which flag do you pledge your allegiance?”

She replies, “My passport suggests I am Dutch. But really, I am a mutt. I was born in Spain, grew up in Holland, was raised and educated in the Netherlands, and come from mixed blood. Her first year of life was in Spain, but her parents moved to Holland after a year because they didn’t want to raise their child under a dictator.

Tanja spent a gap year in Israel and France. She was educated at Leiden University in the Netherlands. After she left Leiden, she moved to Amsterdam, and her first job in the international arena was with the Dutch Red Cross.

After people hear Tanja’s story, often their next question is, “How did you get to the United States?” She met her first husband in Geneva, and was married within 8 months. Then she moved from Amsterdam to Tuscaloosa, Alabama with her husband. Yes, that move was from the most liberal city in the world to the Bible Belt. Not a very good fit!!!!

Her husband took her to her very first American football game, and she was bored to death. He coaxed her into staying until the halftime show ended. She thought it was an amazing display of patriotism, and it reminded her of the Soviet Union. This was not a good observation for Tanja to share with her new Tuscaloosa community!!!!

Three years later, Tanja’s husband secured a position at the Law School in Louisville, and not wanting to stay in Alabama any longer, she asked, “Do we pack first or move immediately?” She and her husband lived in Louisville for 6 years, but the marriage didn’t last. Fast forward 27 years, and Tanja’s still living here. Originally, she had never heard of Louisville, but it’s a city she’s learned to love.

Yes, Tanja admits her passport still says she is Dutch, and under American law she’s an alien. She ponders whether to go Dutch and pledge her allegiance to all of the flags of the world. After all, she is a citizen of the globe.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Tanja’s speech and learning more about this mysterious and interesting new member. The last paragraph of her speech reminds me of a favorite quote of mine by Thomas Paine: “The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”

TABLE TOPICS SESSION GETS PEOPLE SHARING

CONNIE, our Table Topics Master for the day, asks for volunteers to answer her prompts that focus on the heart of a purposeful life. (Let it be known that Connie is one of our newest members, and she is putting herself out there in a significant way by taking on this role today. Her prompts are in bold print below.)

Please, share an experience when you were growing up and thinking what to study/to be in life.

Betsy shares that in high school she was an animal lover. She wrote a paper about becoming a veterinarian and got an A+ on it. That inspired her, however, she didn't become a vet. Later she thought she'd become a pharmacist but changed her mind after taking Latin. Instead, she got into the world of banking and enjoyed that, even though it wasn't algebra that inspired her to go that professional route.

When you start your day, when do you find yourself being a leader/toastmaster throughout the day?

Ada tells us that one of ways she leads at work is to make sure there is a chapel leader for the Wednesday service. With busy schedules and traveling among staff, she schedules leaders many months in advance. As a Peace Speaker, she finds it easier and second nature to meet and greet people, carry on conversations with ease, and be comfortable in that role. Prior to joining Toastmasters, she struggled with that.

Please share an experience where you found that your actions were full of value and meaning.

Krista shares that at one time she was in another Toastmasters club and was more scrupulous about being on time. (She came in late today, and apologized profusely.) This club she belonged to celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2009, and Krista got through 7 or 8 of her speeches. She found more and more wants and desired to hone her skills. She will be making proposals to business owners and needs to get proficient at presenting.

Please share an experience where you were doing an activity; then, when you finished it, you realized that you did not remember the process of doing it.

Zed admits that in 1996, he was more than 80 pounds overweight. At that time he didn't exercise. One day he joined a friend who ran in the morning, and the activity made Zed throw up. But he began to learn from that day onward. Running made him sore, things burned, and it was painful. But he took it slowly and has run ever since despite the initial difficulty. Now there's no thinking and no effort when he runs. Zed believes it's the same with anything you're learning. It's difficult when you start, but if you stay with it, it becomes second nature. That's a metaphor for life.

AND THE WINNER OF TABLE TOPICS IS...

Members of Peace Speakers and our 4 guests take a moment to vote for the best 1-2 minute Table Topics speech. Zed's words inspired people the most, so he takes the trophy and has bragging rights until our next meeting on September 2, 2014. (Kay will be responsible for the trophy's return if Zed is unable to join us that week.)

EVALUATOR SHARES HER OPINION

Tanja's Ice Breaker speech is evaluated by Betsy, who has much to say that is positive. She notes Tanja's strong points like her good tone of voice and variation, her body language, and her humor. Her eye contact was good, and she didn't read her notes or refer much to them at all. This is unusual for a first speech! And even though Tanja acted a little uneasy at the onset, she didn't appear uncomfortable throughout her speech. Overall, she did well, and we were lucky to learn more about her in the meantime.

Peace Speakers enjoyed their 4 visitors today. Each came with a curiosity about the growth process in Toastmasters and with a desire to learn. Maybe you've wondered what goes on at a Toastmasters meeting. Wonder no more! Check us out! You can just come and observe or participate if you choose. Maybe you'll find a niche and end up growing your communication and leadership skills in the meantime. Members of Peace Speakers can certainly attest to this!!!!