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.
Our president of Peace Speakers, Catherine, opens our meeting by extending a warm welcome to guests and members. It is one of the many laudable actions Peace Speakers take. Laudable, our Word for the Day, means praiseworthy or commendable. Our members often extend themselves...working with each other to help in any way they can. Visitors are warmly received and are encouraged to participate in our meetings as well, if they so desire.
Gathering Leaves
By Robert Frost
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may lead and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use,
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?
Our past president, Robin, shares news from a previous member of Peace Speakers. Becky Johnson made laudable comments about our Toastmasters club, saying that now as a school teacher she feels confident speaking in front of the children. She credits this to the practice she received at our meetings for Peace Speakers.
Robin also shares that Kristi's husband is having surgery. She asks that we keep him and his family in our prayers.
Our Joke Master for the day, Perry, spins a tale related to our Labor Day theme for today's meeting:
A young worker and his boss are standing by the company's shredder. The boss holds up a piece of paper and announces, "This is a very important document." He looks at the young worker and asks, "Can you take care of it for me?" The young worker replies confidently, "Sure thing!" and promptly slips the document into the shredder, as the boss finishes saying, "And I just need one copy."
She shared a few points of interest with us:
- District 11's Fall conference is Nov. 6-7, 2015 in Fort Wayne, IN: Fall Conference
- Check out the upcoming fall contests: District 11 Contests
- Toastmasters is plugging "8 is great!" in hopes that members will get 8 speeches done in a year. It's doable!!
- Continue the thrust to add new members to our club.
- Our club can practice having a contest so we can conduct a real one some time.
- In January, have members start shadowing the officers to prepare them for the change of office in July.
- Consider being the Area Governor 66! You must have served as a VP of Education or the President of a Toastmasters club and completed 6 speeches to qualify.
Vicki adds that she loves our agenda format and plans to incorporate it at her club sometime. This is what's so laudable about Toastmasters. You can visit other clubs and utilize the ideas you like. Attending Toastmasters conferences and contests allows you to hear wonderful speeches and make meaningful connections with interesting people.
Ada introduces our prepared speaker of the day, who is Robin. This is Robin's 6th speech, and it focuses on Vocal Variety. The title is "Karaoke: Best Practices", and we clap enthusiastically as Robin comes up to the podium.
Karaoke: Best Practices
The word
karaoke stems from the Japanese words “kara” and “Oke Su Tora”. It translates to “empty orchestra” or someone
who loves to sing the lead vocal to a well-known song. If you’ve never karaoked before, it goes
like this:
1. You pick a
song from a list of thousands of songs.
2. The karaoke DJ calls your name. You take to the stage.
3. Lyrics are displayed on a TV screen.
4. A moving symbol guides you through the lyrics.
Every year for
my birthday my husband plans a karaoke party for me. I’m always the first one
to sign up to sing. And I sing the whole night. And I LOVE it!
Because I love
singing karaoke so much, I’m going to share with you tips on picking the
perfect karaoke song. First of all, when most people karaoke, they think of
themselves as contestants on The Voice.
I think people should think of themselves more as a temporary DJ for the party.
Next, it’s up
to you to pick a really great song that sets the mood for fun. When I pick songs for karaoke, I have three
best practices:
- Is the song appropriate?
- How will I sound singing it?
- How will it make people feel?
The first step in picking a song is “Is the song appropriate?” MOST IMPORTANT! At a work Christmas party? Stay away from songs with explicit lyrics or
suggestive lyrics. At a wedding? Don’t sing Carrie Underwood’s “Before He
Cheats”. (Maybe next time
he'll think before he cheats!) Be considerate of others and pick a
short-to-average time song. And I don’t
care if Don McLean shows up at your party — DO NOT sing “American Pie!” I once made this mistake by singing “Rappers
Delight.” This song is 8 minutes long! (Robin gives us a taste of it.)
Next, how will I sound singing it? Be realistic about your singing ability. It’s impossible to sing any ballad by Whitney
Houston. (Robin begins to sing “I Will Always Love You”
using a make-shift microphone, but doesn’t keep going to the end.)
You should
choose a song that you’re passionate about and one you can relate to. Rough time at work? Choose “9 to 5” and think
of your boss. (Robin commences to sing intensely into her mic, “Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to
make a livin'; Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'…”) I
guarantee it will be a great performance, and probably therapeutic too.
Last, how will it make people feel?
Pick songs
that are well-known and get other people singing, like the duet song “Summer
Nights” from Grease or a one-hit wonder like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep
Blue Something. (Again, Robin sings a bit of it holding the fake mic dramatically.) And if you’re with Girlfriends, karaoke the
song, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” With
the guys? Try Country Classic. Or, if you’re like my husband when he’s out with
HIS FRIENDS, you’ll channel your inner 90’s boy-band and sing Backstreet Boys’
“I Want It That Way.”
I hope the next time YOU karaoke you will keep these best practices
in mind. Picking a great song is
important — and it’s also important to be a good listener. Karaoke is all
about having fun! And it’s easy to have
fun when you’re singing along with friends.
Now THAT'S what Toastmasters call "vocal variety"!!! At the conclusion of Robin's delightful speech, it was obvious that smiling listeners found it most laudable. It's easy to praise such a commendable effort on the part of a speaker, especially when they're willing to sing for us, too!
Okay, now it's time for TABLE TOPICS! Catherine's hidden some prompts inside the table tents envelope that relate to Labor Day. "Who wants to be the first victim, I mean volunteer?" she asks. Everyone knows that pulling a question can be a little unnerving, but it's fun and gets you thinking on your feet.
Betsy says she's held several jobs and retired just 3 years ago. Her favorite, though, is working as a Mary Kay consultant. She even had a $1,000 day just last week! For 26 years, she's met and helped all kinds of people and developed good friendships all over the country. It's been profitable and she's had a lot of fun as well.
In the past, George says he watched a lot of football. He admires the spirit of workers but can't recall the last time he honored the day. He has personally done a lot of restaurant work previously and finds it laudable that we celebrate Labor Day. This year he'll be off work, will likely play on his computer, lay back, and do nothing.
Vicki says she'd like to toss the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) into the ocean because things have gotten skewed. Over 70,000 complaints have been filed (some may be frivolous) but many others are valid discrimination claims that need attention. Some are covered by Title 7 or are religious or sexual discrimination claims (to name a few). She'd like a magic wand to get them to focus on all of the valid claims.
Alex claims he'd travel while he's young and go see places he normally wouldn't get to see. He'd follow a passion...even continue his role as a nurse and do public service...maybe even start his own wellness clinic to help the community avoid hospital stays.
Perry says he works at the Books-A-Million bookstore and tries to get people to become millionaire book members. He loves having great connections with people and selling things. He's met all kinds of people, so if he could be an expert at something, it'd be talking with people about their lives and books.
All good (and laudable) things must come to a close, so Peace Keepers conclude their meeting soon thereafter. Members and guests hang around to commend each other on their presentations or just chat. It's an easy and sweet conclusion.
If you're a visitor to this blog, this is what often goes on in a Toastmasters meeting. People are given opportunities in advance to take on roles or just speak spontaneously during Table Topics. Others choose to give prepared speeches. You progress as quickly as you like! Come visit us sometime. We're a warm and friendly group seeking to better ourselves!
OUR NEXT FEW 2015 MEETINGS:
Sept. 16- Conference Room B
Oct. 7 - Conference Room B
Peace Speakers Toastmasters Club
1st and 3rd Wednesdays (usually)
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Presbyterian Center
100 Witherspoon Street
Downtown Louisville, KY
Respectfully submitted,
Kay Chambers
Blogger for Peace Speakers
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