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.
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| Kay (president and blogger) opens our Peace Speakers meeting |
Our Word of the Day is vivification: adding life, quality or energy to something or someone. We like to think we do that at Peace Speakers. Through our practice, support, and teamwork, essential skills are developed and enhanced.
Spring and Earth Day are our meeting's themes today, and while nature flourishes, so does our club. Those who keep their commitments to Peace Speakers have kept us strong. All Toastmasters clubs depend on this!
Catherine embarks on the educational portion of our meeting, where members and guests (if they choose) enjoy greater participation. She's our Toastmaster and has selected an Earth Day theme with spring in mind. After all, as Wendell Berry expressed, "The earth is all we have in common." Much of its beauty, care and future is in our hands.
When there's only one prepared speech, our club engages in a Check-in Activity. And because we have so many new members and 2 guests today who'd benefit, Catherine talks about some of the traditional things that happen at a typical Toastmasters meeting:
Spring and Earth Day are our meeting's themes today, and while nature flourishes, so does our club. Those who keep their commitments to Peace Speakers have kept us strong. All Toastmasters clubs depend on this!
When there's only one prepared speech, our club engages in a Check-in Activity. And because we have so many new members and 2 guests today who'd benefit, Catherine talks about some of the traditional things that happen at a typical Toastmasters meeting:
- Clapping - we do it for all kinds of reasons - when people are introduced and pretty much anytime someone speaks.
- Staying at the lectern - important, unless you need to step away from it after being introduced (i.e., to circulate the room with Table Topics prompts or while giving a speech)
- Turning over the lectern - the two participants shake hands and address each other...but please, no "dead fish" handshakes!
- Being the Timer - when signaling with either a green, yellow or red light, leave on the single light between the warning intervals. Speakers may miss your cue if you just flick it on once!
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| Catherine demonstrates during her Check-in Activity Catherine introduces one of our newest members of Peace Speakers. Destini, our prepared speaker of the day, gives a speech called "Invitation to World Mission." What follows is a paraphrased version of what she shared: |
Destini's journey passing from El Paso into Juarez, Mexico was unlike her previous Cabo and Cancun vacations. This time she was on a mission: to see God's work in action! Pink wooden crosses filled the streets of Juarez, reminding her of the yellow brick road leading the way to the Wizard of Oz (which she sang for us). Destini wondered where the pink crosses were leading her and what meaning they held. With a full day of events ahead of her, visiting non-profits and churches and ending their trip at the border, she forgot to ask what the crosses meant.
As Destini realized what those pink crosses meant, her heart began to break. The Juarez streets were flooded with those pink crosses! It wasn't until she served on the national committee for Advocacy for Women's Concerns for the PC/USA that she began to care about international mission. Before, she couldn't understand why people were so concerned with what was happening in other places in the world and not in their neighborhoods. But it was that day seeing all of those pink crosses that she began to realize that people in Mexico and across the world are our neighbors, and we should be held accountable for their actions.
This was also the first day that Destini was introduced to World Mission. It's been around for over 180 years with over 100 mission co-workers serving in more than 50 countries. In the beginning, World Mission had a more colonial approach to mission, but over the years, the influence of Jesus Christ's message of "love your neighbors" helped it shift to a more holistic approach.
There are 5 areas to World Mission:
- YAH - Young Adult Volunteers - a year of service for a lifetime of change
- Area Office - for Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia
- Directors Office - handles the hustle and bustle of daily flow and financial duties
- Mission Personnel Team - handles the mission co-workers; the HR representation of World Mission
- EMI - Equipment Mission for Involvement - which is Destini's team; helps develop resources for congregations and has an international component of caring
Because of Destini's as well as our involvement in World Mission, that is one less pink cross in Juarez. She invited us to learn more about their mission co-workers around the world by checking their blogs and reading their letters. And if you don't have access to Internet, pray for them! And if you do feel called to do so, give financial contributions. Lastly, if you're so inspired by the love of Jesus Christ, apply to be a mission co-worker and serve in the country of your choice. She concluded by saying that she welcomed questions and comments thereafter.
At this time, I want to note that Destini gave her speech today in place of a member who canceled the night before. On top of that, she helped another member who was unable to join us today by taking on her Table Topics role. So I'm naming today Dynamic Destini Day, because she is the vivification we needed to keep our meeting moving along smoothly. That's what good Toastmasters members do...they step up!
And now for Table Topics, where Destini uses the prompts that Beatrice created for her to use today. Thanks, Bea! She created spring and Earth Day related questions for us to answer. Here's the opportunity for members (guests, too, if they like) who haven't had a chance to speak to do so. Destini begins looking for those willing to pull a prompt and talk extemporaneously for 1-2 minutes on the topic. Yep, it can be nerve-wracking, but over time, you get more confident and gain the skills needed to handle it. Most of the time, it's a lot of fun and quite informative!
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| Dave talks about spring cleaning |
In spring time, we often think of spring cleaning. What is something you wish to cleanse yourself of this year?
I'd like to cleanse myself of the need for spring cleaning. If I handle this during the year rather than being a packrat, holding onto things for some future day, then I can just take a quick assessment of the item and decide if I really need it. If I address it as I go, I won't have that attachment to those items and get them out of the house, relieving me of the storage issue we take care of once a year with spring cleaning.
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| Effie shares ideas about today's plagues |
What are the environmental threats/plagues befalling us today?
We can be our own worst enemy. We're killing ourselves instead of trying to love on one another and doing what's right for society. We are being detrimental instead. Every time we turn around, you hear of different shootings, which is a plague to me. What are we doing as adults, as role models for the youth? Hopefully we can help them turn around something bad in the mind of another, which is where it all starts.
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| Jim talks about springtime signs |
Springtime is often a time for new beginnings and hope. What are some signs of springtime in the world today?
I made the drive up here from Jacksonville, FL. My example of spring time is enjoying the awesome drive through Ashville, NC, seeing these purple trees everywhere. These are not something I see in Florida, so I stopped and took pictures. At lunch, I asked the waitress what the purple trees were, and she had no idea. So I posted it on Facebook and asked my peeps what they were. There was a debate that they were either redbuds or a magnolia type. That's my example of springtime in Lou-a-ville. I had to learn how to say it. It's good to be here and witness spring!
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| Joan shares her favorite springtime memory |
Share your favorite springtime memory.
Hmmm, at 71, there's a lot I can choose from! I like springtime because it's a time of planting new things. My granddaughter and husband were in the backyard trying to set up a garden. He had her propped up with a saw, and she's 6 years old! She loved that! And that's a springtime memory I treasure because I never had that with my own dad. To see her outside with her gloves on and they were just having the time of their life. Even though they were at different stations, they were still interacting with each other and enjoying what they were doing.
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| Eva expresses her feelings about spring and freedom |
This year Earth Day and the first day of Passover fall on the same day. Both holidays promote freedom. When in your life did you feel most free?
I'm going to continue with the theme of spring. I love and feel free when I can go outside because the cold weather is over and there's no snow or ice on the ground and I don't have to bundle up. I can witness the vivification of the landscape that spring brings with the trees budding and the flowers poking up out of the soil. I love waking up in the morning hearing the birds singing outside my window, unlike in the winter. I like being able to take out the garbage or jump in my car without having to throw on my coat. There's such a freedom in that, which is why spring is my favorite season.
After Table Topics concludes, members and guests vote for the short talk that most impresses them. Destini tallies the vote and announces later in the meeting that we had a tie between David and Joan! Our guest, David, won a dark chocolate bar, and Joan gets bragging rights with a trophy to set on her desk until our upcoming May 1 meeting.
Perry, today's speech evaluator, shares that he loved Destini's prepared speech. It had the interest level, enthusiasm and pretty high skill level that we've come to expect from her. A lot of the types of skills we're trying to build upon were already in evidence. She used minimal notes and definitely had eye contact with her audience. She looked around the room and engaged us. She had some vocal variety and sang some, which seemed natural to the speech. She used body language and gestures and seemed more comfortable today, perhaps in part due to the podium provided (a 4-inch platform used). She applied previous suggestions Perry had given for her 1st speech, which was great as well. In some cases, references were made that could have used further elaboration. Perhaps take some of them out or explain them, depending on the time constraints. This speech could be the core of what Destini uses when she goes out of the Presbyterian Center to talk about World Mission, which is exciting.
Some other important players at our meeting today are those members who also took on roles, which are set up on a voluntary basis well before each meeting:
Joan serves as our Ah Counter/Grammarian today. She keeps track of our space fillers, such as ah, um, you know, so, as well as our sentence shifts and grammar errors. This requires a keen focus and careful listening skills. She also prepares a Word of the Day for us, which is vivification. The idea behind this is to get people vivified (energized) and willing to use this new word effectively whenever they speak.
Sam is our Timer today, and her role calls for timing the prepared speaker, the speech evaluator and each of the Table Topics respondents. Timeframes are specified for all 3, which keeps the meeting moving along well. Sam turns on the green light to let speakers know their time is waning, the yellow light to warn the end is near, and the red light to indicate that time is up. There is some flexibility in the timing. However, being respectful of people's time limitations, we work diligently to keep our meetings to one hour.
Catherine draws our meeting to a close noting how thrilled she is with the vivification of our club with new members we've had come in and the guests we've been seeing. She adds that she loves her regular old faces as well, which draws laughter. She leaves us with a quote: "You cannot make it through a single day without making an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you make."
Before we close our meeting, Eva, our VP of Ed., conducts a quarterly drawing. Names of Toastmasters and prepared speakers for the last quarter of the year are in the draw, and Betsy is our winner of the $10 Heine Brothers card. We appreciate those who take on challenging roles and activities, and they are also more likely to benefit the most from their membership in Toastmasters.
As president, I close our one-hour meeting thanking everyone for their participation. With our Earth Day theme in mind, may we always be good stewards of our planet and commit ourselves to being healers of the earth. In the same fashion, let us heal ourselves by growing our confidence as well as communication and leadership skills. Doing this allows us the freedom to use our talents in ways that serve ourselves and others. May we always be in growth and be in service.
I'd like to add that we experienced a lot of laughter today, as usual. Members feel comfortable being light-hearted, and we just enjoy each other's company!
If you're a visitor to this Peace Speakers blog, don't stay a stranger! Check out the upcoming meetings and drop by. We are a warm and inviting club, and we may end up being a good fit for what you want to accomplish. We must have been for our two guests today. David joined our club right after the meeting, and Jim says he hopes to come back to our May 1 meeting! We are so full of gratitude and excitement!
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| Our Toastmaster, Catherine, shares a meaningful quote |
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| Eva has Kay draw a name for the winner of a gift card |
Before we close our meeting, Eva, our VP of Ed., conducts a quarterly drawing. Names of Toastmasters and prepared speakers for the last quarter of the year are in the draw, and Betsy is our winner of the $10 Heine Brothers card. We appreciate those who take on challenging roles and activities, and they are also more likely to benefit the most from their membership in Toastmasters.
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| Kay makes a request in her closing |
I'd like to add that we experienced a lot of laughter today, as usual. Members feel comfortable being light-hearted, and we just enjoy each other's company!
If you're a visitor to this Peace Speakers blog, don't stay a stranger! Check out the upcoming meetings and drop by. We are a warm and inviting club, and we may end up being a good fit for what you want to accomplish. We must have been for our two guests today. David joined our club right after the meeting, and Jim says he hopes to come back to our May 1 meeting! We are so full of gratitude and excitement!
OUR UPCOMING 2019 MEETINGS:
Wed., May 1 - Conference Room B
Wed., May 15 - Conference Room B
Wed., June 5- Conference Room B
Wed., June 5- Conference Room B
Wed., June 19 - 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
President and Blogger for Peace Speakers
