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.
Robin, President of Peace Speakers, gets things rolling at our Open House on May 6. Although I didn't intend to blog specifically on this event, I just want to make note of the enjoyment it brought to members and guests as well. With the focus on making toasts, there were many who raised their glasses in participation.
JOKE MASTER SHARES
SOME CLEVER TOASTS
Eva, our Joke Master for the day, collected some toasts that brought smiles and laughter from the audience.
May you be in Heaven fifteen minutes
before the devil knows you are dead.
Here's to you. You may not be as wise as an owl,
but you're always a hoot.
To your very good health. May you live to be as
old as your jokes.
Here's to the bore—the only one who can
monopolize and monotonize a conversation at the same time.
Wise, kind, gentle, generous, attractive,
successful . . . but enough about me. Here's to you.
May your coffee, and slanders against you, be
ever alike—without grounds.
Catherine, our VP of Education, shared helpful information for making toasts. Knowing that toasts are given in all kinds of situations, she shared fundamental toasting tips and etiquette, which gave us guidance for practicing the art. All of this toasting information was printed on the back of our agendas so each would have a copy to take home. Here's what Catherine shared on making toasts:
Toasts are often given for engagement
parties, weddings, birthday celebrations, going-away parties, anniversaries,
retirement banquets, and even dinner parties.
Things to consider in your planning
· Refer
to the person or occasion being honored.
· Aim to
have an opening, body, and conclusion.
· Make sure your toast is appropriate to occasion –
including formality vs. informality – and sensitive to audience.
· Offer
some thought or perspective on the occasion, often with good wishes or advice.
· If
possible, include a personal anecdote with the person(s) being toasted
·
Be sincere.
·
Avoid clichés.
·
Don’t embarrass.
·
Use humor when appropriate, but not at someone’s
expense.
·
Use vocal variety.
Toasting etiquette
· Get
people’s attention – perhaps by tapping on a glass – and wait for attention.
· State
your intention of proposing a toast to the person(s) or occasion, waiting for everyone
to raise their glasses.
· Look at
the guest, who should ideally stay seated, and deliver the toast while you give
eye contact to people around you.
· Lead
all but those being toasted in clinking glasses.
· If the
occasion is a formal one, all but the toastee(s) should stand, as able.
A Sample Wedding Toast
Elizabeth and Brian, we hope your life together
will be similar to the music you love. May you both always play in the
same key and may your troubles be minor and your joys major. We hope for
harmony, with no sharp words or flat moments. Take turns playing the solo
art and occasionally lend the other an accompaniment. Remember to keep
your tones balanced properly, so one instrument does not drown out the
other. Sometimes a duet can produce harsh notes, but strive with your
skills not to play them. Always avoid the shrill and strident chorus.
Now let us drink to our two musicians. May
Elizabeth and Brian make beautiful music together!
PREPARED SPEAKER SHARES A THOUGHTFUL TOAST
Perry made a reflective toast to two great universities in our state, U of K and U of L (hence the balloons behind him). He suggested that working more closely together, the two universities might be able to more effectively help tackle some of the state's problems. And what's up with all of this harsh rivalry in basketball? After all, both basketball teams reside in our state and deserve respect. Can't we all just get along and throw our support to both of our state's teams who have made such great strides?
TABLE TOPICS MASTER SEEKS VOLUNTEERS
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| Megan shares as Ada (to the left) watches and Kay (to the right) laughs. |
Kay, Table Topics Master for the day, encouraged members of Peace Speakers and guests to
participate in Table Topics. Prompts giving the situation and a
specific toast to be made were offered, and Megan was the first
to bite. She got the weird prompt that asked for her to toast a
beloved pet, and it produced a lot of laughter when she ruminated on why
her cat liked to attack her legs.
 |
| Jewel makes her toast. |
Other lovely toasts were made as well, including one by Jewel, a visitor to our Open House. Later on, she ended up with the most votes, meaning our listeners appreciated her Table Topics toast the most.
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| Jewel and Chip listen while others make toasts during Table Topics. |
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| Towards the end of our Open House, Connie shares the amount of time Table Topics participates took to make their toasts. They were to keep them just 1-2 minutes in length. |
Perry, who made today's prepared toast to both teams, U of L and U of K, brought a cake for Open House for everyone's indulgence. Other treats and drinks were offered to attendees as well. 
As usual, a lot of smiles and laughs were enjoyed during our Peace Speakers meeting. Connections were made, and learning was experienced. It just seemed like the right time to take a group shot.
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| Peace Speakers and guests at our Open House on May 6, 2015. Thanks, Chip, for taking this shot of us!!
If you haven't been to a Peace Speakers Toastmasters meeting, drop in and join us sometime! We welcome all visitors and hope you'll find it as beneficial as we do.
We are an open Toastmasters club,
so please pay us a visit!
OUR NEXT FEW 2015 MEETINGS:
June 3 - Conference Room B June 17 - 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:
(We kept running out of space and needed to start new ones!)
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