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.
Catherine, our president of Peace Speakers, warmly welcomes members who have coalesced with the intent of uniting today for growth and enjoyment. Coalesce is the word for the day, and it means to come together as a whole or unite for a common end. Our bi-monthly meetings are a great opportunity to merge our company to enhance leadership and communication skills.
Catherine reminds us that we have an Open House on Wednesday, June 1 that will coincide with our regularly scheduled club meeting. This is a chance to share with co-workers, friends and family what transpires during a Toastmasters meeting. Bring friends, bring enemies - whomever! Let's coalesce and work towards finding fun ways to improve our speaking and leadership skills.
Megan, our VP of Education, notes that today we are implementing a new format for our meetings. The segments that include the invocation, the joke master, and the pledge have been removed for the time being. We want to make sure ample time is given for speeches, Table Topics, and other educational opportunities for our members.
Megan asks that each member completes the "How I Would Like to be Introduced" form so that it can be kept on file. This way you'll always be assured of a proper introduction. Besides, it will greatly assist those who introduce you, too!
Perry, our Toastmaster for the day, conducts the educational part of our program. He reminds us that the Toastmasters' new year begins July 1st, so if anyone is trying to complete new projects, you may want to take this into account. Officer turnover occurs on the same date, so that's an upcoming consideration as well.
Jewel, our Table Topicsmaster for the day, holds up a container with numerous "Ice Breaker" prompts she has developed. Her mission? Every member pulls a question and answers it on the spot in just 1-2 minutes. Guests may join in the fun as well! This is a lovely way to practice thinking on our feet and to learn more about our fellow Peace Speakers and guests who participate.
What is your favorite season?
Betsy notes that springtime is her favorite, as it's a season of new beginnings. Everything is growing, blooming and green. Residing in Florida for a while, she realized she missed spring because everything was always green there. She much prefers the distinct seasons where she can appreciate the beauty of spring all the more.
What is your favorite material object?
Eva shares that there is so much to choose from as we all have a lot of stuff, which we usually don't miss when we rid ourselves of it. She has wondered, though, if her house caught fire, what would she save? What's really valuable to her are her paintings, the many she has carefully crafted. Consequently, her favorite objects are her own art work.
What is your favorite movie?
Katie admits that's a hard question as she watches a lot of movies and can't pick just one. However, she particularly enjoys films by Wes Anderson, which are often about passing trends or are just weird. She likes the way they're constructed. They might open in a literature chapter form. Every time she watches one of Anderson's movies, she sees and experiences new things.
Which historical figure would you like to meet?
Kay says she'd most like to meet Martin Luther King, Jr., even though some dismissed him for an affair he had. However, Kay looks at the breadth of his life, his devotion to equality and his courage and willingness to face insurmountable odds. She'd like to thank him for his selfless actions to liberate the oppressed. She can't imagine what it was like to face so much hatred and opposition and to forge ahead anyway.
Who would you want to be stranded with on a desert island and why?
If you could be an animal, what animal would you be and why?
Kathryn chooses a dog. She admits that her golden retriever is the light of her life. Dogs are the happiest animals. They love unconditionally, love to play, and love others. Their selflessness is an admirable trait. As a dog, she could relax all day, play with people, and have fun all of the time.
Megan asks that each member completes the "How I Would Like to be Introduced" form so that it can be kept on file. This way you'll always be assured of a proper introduction. Besides, it will greatly assist those who introduce you, too!
Perry, our Toastmaster for the day, conducts the educational part of our program. He reminds us that the Toastmasters' new year begins July 1st, so if anyone is trying to complete new projects, you may want to take this into account. Officer turnover occurs on the same date, so that's an upcoming consideration as well.
Jewel, our Table Topicsmaster for the day, holds up a container with numerous "Ice Breaker" prompts she has developed. Her mission? Every member pulls a question and answers it on the spot in just 1-2 minutes. Guests may join in the fun as well! This is a lovely way to practice thinking on our feet and to learn more about our fellow Peace Speakers and guests who participate.
What is your favorite season? Betsy notes that springtime is her favorite, as it's a season of new beginnings. Everything is growing, blooming and green. Residing in Florida for a while, she realized she missed spring because everything was always green there. She much prefers the distinct seasons where she can appreciate the beauty of spring all the more.
Eva shares that there is so much to choose from as we all have a lot of stuff, which we usually don't miss when we rid ourselves of it. She has wondered, though, if her house caught fire, what would she save? What's really valuable to her are her paintings, the many she has carefully crafted. Consequently, her favorite objects are her own art work.
Katie admits that's a hard question as she watches a lot of movies and can't pick just one. However, she particularly enjoys films by Wes Anderson, which are often about passing trends or are just weird. She likes the way they're constructed. They might open in a literature chapter form. Every time she watches one of Anderson's movies, she sees and experiences new things.
Kay says she'd most like to meet Martin Luther King, Jr., even though some dismissed him for an affair he had. However, Kay looks at the breadth of his life, his devotion to equality and his courage and willingness to face insurmountable odds. She'd like to thank him for his selfless actions to liberate the oppressed. She can't imagine what it was like to face so much hatred and opposition and to forge ahead anyway.
Who would you want to be stranded with on a desert island and why?
Catherine easily chooses her partner, Mel, who is very funny and kind. They always have a great time together. Mel respects their individual needs and is a good problem-solver. Catherine knows they would both work hard together to find a way to get off the island. (Of course, only after they'd had plenty of time to rest first!)
If you could be an animal, what animal would you be and why?Kathryn chooses a dog. She admits that her golden retriever is the light of her life. Dogs are the happiest animals. They love unconditionally, love to play, and love others. Their selflessness is an admirable trait. As a dog, she could relax all day, play with people, and have fun all of the time.
Megan talks fondly about a dish from Heart and Soy on Bardstown Road. She loves the yellow rice noodles, tofu, bean sprouts, cucumber, onions and lettuce mixed with a tasty sauce. Her 2nd favorite food is chocolate cake made with a banana instead of an egg - well, actually ALL THINGS chocolate! Her 3rd favorite food is wine. She chooses it as an essential "food" because it feeds her as well!At this time, members consider all of the extemporaneous speeches they just heard and vote for their favorite one.
Next, Perry asks each of us to gather in groups of two. He reminds us of a definition for leadership: mobilizing self and others in support of a common enterprise. He asks us to share a time that we exhibited leadership skills. Then he asks members to think about any officer roles we might consider for ourselves...ones that would stretch us and help us develop our leadership abilities. This experience reminded us that we're all leaders and are capable of whatever we set our minds to do.
And now, from the first run of Table Topics, Jewel has coalesced the votes, discovering a 3-way tie for the impromptu speeches that listeners enjoyed the most - given by George, Kay and Kathryn. As a result, the second round of questions and answers commences:
George says he would travel to "Neverland"...a portal to all other places in the world. After all, we might be able to do that in the future. He'd visit the Taj Mahal in India, with its beautiful white marble, cold places like Iceland, and warmer climates as well. Eventually, he'd vacation on all of the continents.
What would you pick as a slogan for your life? Kay likes the slogan "to each his or her own" because it allows everyone to be an individual and express their own uniqueness. With that, she'd choose the focus of "joy" in her life...seeking whatever makes her happiest, like riding roller coasters, being with family, and bringing joy to others.
Kathryn admits she's a creative person, so she'd buy her studio, which would have large windows giving off of natural light, wooden beams on the ceilings, peonies, and her own Mac computer. She'd have space for organization and purchase a bunch of art supplies and canvases. To inspire her to work, she'd decorate the walls with lots of inspiration.
Jewel tallies the votes to determine that Kathryn's Table Topics speech is the favored one. Kathryn is handed a trophy to set on her work desk or at home until our next meeting on June 1. Additionally, Jewel's mission to get members to learn more about each other is accomplished, and it was fun participating and listening to what everyone shared.
Perry closes with saying that his mom would be happy with this meeting. His family sought to experience new things, like living in 6 other homes (other than the one pictured on the agenda) and traveling a lot. He hopes each of us will go out and try new things as well this year. Speaking of new things, if you haven't been to one of our Peace Speakers meetings, try something new! You're welcome to join us at our Open House June 1 or any other 1st or 3rd Wednesday. We usually have a member giving a prepared speech, and there are many other opportunities to join in the fun. Come check us out soon!
