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 presiding officer, Catherine, opens our Peace Speakers meeting today. She warmly greets everyone and recognizes our visitor, Kammaleathahh, who has returned a second time. She also shares that Tanja joined our club last week and will be officially voted in at our next meeting when our president returns.
The chosen Word of the Day is odyssey, and Catherine is on a personal odyssey today, taking on several roles and facing the challenges they bring. (Odyssey refers to a literal and/or metaphorical journey with challenges faced over time on the way to a distant objective.) I'm betting Catherine's objective is to thrive in these roles and not just survive them!
INVOCATION LEADER MAKES A REQUEST
Kay (the blogger) shares a quote from one of her favorite sources, Abraham-Hicks, which has taken
her on a spiritual odyssey of sorts for several years now. The quote says, “We
are all one spirit, but what
makes the separation or what distinguishes the difference between us is
perspective. Each of us is a unique and individual perspective,
and our differences produce value.”
JOKE MASTER SHARES AN ANECDOTE - A COMEDY OF ERRORS
My co-worker Karen and I were traveling together from a week-long conference in CA. We opted for a red-eye, through Chicago, which turned out to be a huge mistake. Our initial flight was delayed due to maintenance, but that was fine since we’d been scheduled with a long layover. But then our flight from Chicago to Louisville was delayed, and delayed, and delayed, with the explanation there wasn’t a plane for us.
Eventually our
flight was cancelled, and we both booked on another flight and were put on
stand-by for two other flights. We boarded
the plane on the first stand-by flight, and it was then delayed, and delayed,
and delayed. Finally, they announced the plane had a problem and told us
to stick around the gate because they’d find another plane. Three minutes
after de-boarding, the flight was cancelled completely. Once I learned my
reservation on the later flight had been mysteriously pushed out of the system,
I decided we should just rent a car and drive home.
Oh, I forgot
to mention Karen suffers from air sickness, so she was in a Dramamine-induced
sleep-coma. The first rental company told us they don’t rent cars
one-way. I asked if their shuttle could take us to another rental car
company; they couldn’t, but the employee said he could call us a cab. We
went back to the airport terminal and took another shuttle to the other rental
car company. It turns out, it was literally around the corner
from the first company! They could have just told us that it was just a short walk
down the street. After driving through Chicago
traffic, stopping in northern Indiana
for breakfast and LOTS of coffee, we were on our way!
Because our
luggage had beaten us back to Louisville, we ended
up driving to the Louisville
airport. Once we got our luggage and were awaiting our rides, I turned to
Karen and said, “Karen, don’t be offended if I ignore you for the next week or
two,” to which Karen replied, “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t even notice because
I’ll be avoiding you!”
You know, traveling with friends can be very helpful because of the teamwork, just as heading to opposite corners for a little while after traveling with friends can be friendship-saving as well.
All of us who like to travel can relate, Catherine! And if you haven't slept in an airport because of delays, stayed in a hotel overnight to catch a rescheduled flight the next morning, or eaten a meal using an airline voucher, you haven't flown enough!
TOASTMASTER OPENS THE EDUCATIONAL PART OF OUR PROGRAM
PREPARED SPEAKER GIVES HER ICE-BREAKER SPEECH
One of our newest members, Megan, gives her first speech today called the Ice-Breaker Speech from the Competent Communication Manual. This is an opportunity for her to share information about herself that she'd like her fellow club members to know. This speech includes background information, interests, and ambitions. I love this talk because it gives me insight into the person who is doing the sharing. Megan's speech is titled "My Life, from Lewisport to Louisville".
My personal odyssey isn’t as
exciting as that of Odysseus, but I’d like to share with you a few defining
moments. First, I’ll share the evolution of a life-long love of reading and
writing that began in my childhood. Second, I’ll explain how this love became a
practical decision when I left home for the University of Kentucky. And finally,
I’ll take you to the year after I graduated from UK, which brought me to
Louisville and ultimately the very spot on which I’m now standing.
I was born and raised in
Lewisport, Kentucky, about two hours west of here on the Ohio River. With a
population of 1,700 and a single stop light, you can imagine this was not the
most exciting place to grow up. Our house was on the outskirts of “Lewisport
proper” and there were no kids within a 10 mile radius. I dreamed of living in a
subdivision where I could ride my bike to friends’ houses, but I had to content
myself with playing with my two sisters and one brother. And, of course by
reading books and writing stories, which let me imagine people, places and
experiences outside the confines of my rural Kentucky hometown.
This love of writing grew
throughout middle school and high school, and I’m convinced that it was my
saving grace through those awkward years. It helped me develop a wide range of
interests, including history, poetry and music – especially if you can believe
it, punk music – and a compassion for animals which led me to become vegetarian
at the age of 13.
Perhaps it was my bookishness combined with my desire to escape Lewisport that led me to be especially concerned with academics. Either way, when I was graduating from high school I received a scholarship to the University of Kentucky. I decided that my love of writing meant I should study either English or Journalism, and feeling like Journalism was the more practical of the two, that was my choice. I was a first generation college student and terrified to leave home, but consoled by my seemingly practical choice. So I headed to UK in 2006, which was about the time that the Journalism industry hit the peak of its digital transformation and, at least for print Journalism, began its decline.
By the time I graduated in 2010, I
had interned at KET, worked as a DJ at the college radio station, and written
articles for the school paper and local weeklies. I had a small amount of
experience, few connections, and absolutely no idea how to get a job in an
industry that was laying off more people than it was hiring. So in the summer
after graduating, my bank account was dwindling and, resolved not to move home,
I took a job as a cashier at Kroger. A few months in, my old college roommate
called. She said there was a temporary volunteer coordinator job in Louisville
at the Salvation Army where she was working. I interviewed, got the job and
moved to Louisville.
Moving to Louisville forced me to
also move into the next chapter of my life: adulthood. I’m not going to say it
was a smooth transition, or that I was concerned with much besides my own
survival. But I somehow made it work, and after a few more temporary jobs I got
a position as an AmeriCorps VISTA at a local affordable housing nonprofit. I
quickly found out that many of the things I had learned in college were useless
when it came to my first “big girl” job. I slowly came into my own, though, and
by the time I finished my year of service I was offered a position as the
communications manager, which is the position I still hold.
I guess I should preface this last
bit of my speech by saying that I am a Millennial. Yes, I want to find a career
that makes me feel fulfilled while being able to affect some positive change in
the world. Blame it on the Millennial affliction or youthful optimism, but at
this moment, I feel like I’m just beginning to seek that career out. I know I
still have some growing to do, and part of that is taking place here, where I’m
overcoming the kind of anxiety that a bookish child might develop; and where I
hope to learn what it means to be a leader, both for others and for myself.
So, I’ve taken you from Lewisport
to Lexington to Louisville to this spot. I’ve talked only about myself, and I
hope it wasn’t too boring. I look forward to hearing your own stories through
being a part of this club. Thank you for listening and for making me feel
welcome here.
First of all, Megan, this blogger never experienced even a nano-second of boredom during your speech. Your odyssey from childhood to this point in time was totally intriguing! It is obvious you are a writer, and you exhibited great composure and confidence for a newcomer to Toastmasters. (By the way, transitioning into adulthood was a struggle for me as well, and although our circumstances were quite different, I could certainly relate! And one of these days, I'd be interested in hearing why punk music is one of your favorites.)
Toastmaster, Eva, commends Megan on completing her first speech. She thought is was great and admits that she could identify with it. It took her back a few decades, and I concur. We all seem to move through these passages of life, and we feel grateful for the opportunities that take us to the next level.
TABLE TOPICS MASTER POSES A FEW QUESTIONS
Our newest member, Tanja, jumped right in and volunteered to take on the role of Table Topics Master for us today. She's created 4 prompts that relate to vacations and manages to get 4 members to participate willingly. The first is Eric, who always seems to break the ice and put himself out there.
Describe your dream vacation.Eric shares that at University of Kentucky, he studied history and was particularly drawn to Roman history. He developed the idea that he'd take a vacation to Rome one day and progress along the whole Roman Empire from the republic through the end of the empire. Ideally, he would take 3 to 5 years to accomplish this. If he does go to Europe, he wants to track all of the remaining sites of Roman history, but with a baby on the way and the work he does, this dream vacation is looking a bit unattainable for the time being.
Describe your funniest vacation.Kay shares her recent 3-day vacation to Las Vegas with her husband, where they hit the strip with no thoughts of gambling in mind. Her first words to him were, "Let's go find all of the roller coasters!" The first was at Circus Circus, where a new roller coaster takes you on a 6G-force ride that stretches your face and wildly twists and turns. Kay discovered she can scream and laugh simultaneously. Next was the long, slow ride up the New York New York roller coaster on a hill that slams you down and is a really smooth ride. Finally, there were 3 rides that dangle you off a 100-story building that were mostly fun except for one that was so terrifying that she screamed a word she cannot repeat here.
Perry shares that the summer before graduate school he had a month off to do whatever he pleased. He chose to drive to St. George Island two to three times a week and spent many enjoyable hours on the beach. He sat there with his sunblock and a book on sociological theory, which he read with great interest. He admits that he would love to go to Rome or Vegas as well but prefers to go back to St. George Island instead.
Describe your worst vacation.
AND THE TABLE TOPICS TROPHY GOES TO...
When members and guests are asked which Table Topics speech they like the best, Tanja announces that mine (Kay's) gathered the most votes. It's always an honor to take home the Table Topics trophy, and this week my visiting mother-in-law and sister-in-law will want to hear all about it.
SPEECH EVALUATOR SHARES HER THOUGHTS
When Catherine returns to the podium, she mentions how great the meeting has been and admits that she's ready to go on vacation now. Hearing about all those journeys makes her want to embark on her own summer odyssey.
Peace Speakers are on an on-going odyssey to personally grow themselves as communicators and leaders. With the support of club members and excellent materials for guidance, each person moves at their own chosen pace. It's fun, it's engaging, and you'll never know what impact it will have on your life until you join us on a regular basis. If you're a current member, consider stepping up your level of participation, and if you're new to our club, please pay us a visit. We promise to warmly welcome you!
We are an open Toastmasters club,
so please pay us a visit!
OUR NEXT FEW 2014 MEETINGS:
June 18 - Conference Room B
July 2 - 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:
(We kept running out of space and needed to start new ones!)
