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, Megan, opens our gathering noting that the New Year's resolution of our members must have been to attend their Toastmasters meetings. It's an awakening because the room is full! Awakening is our Word for the Day, and it means realization or coming into awareness of something.
Megan continues by warmly welcoming two guests who have dropped in for a visit today. We always love an opportunity to share with others why our club is special and why we feel so strongly about attending meetings. Toastmasters relies on the experiences relished at their regular meetings, so if you don't come, you can't grow!
Megan continues by warmly welcoming two guests who have dropped in for a visit today. We always love an opportunity to share with others why our club is special and why we feel so strongly about attending meetings. Toastmasters relies on the experiences relished at their regular meetings, so if you don't come, you can't grow!
So let's cut to the chase. Perry is our Toastmaster today, and he'll lead the educational portion of the meeting, where varied experiences grow our skills in communication and leadership. He creates an agenda for our first January meeting and has set the theme of "goal setting" for this gathering. This is a time to reflect on our accomplishments and shortcomings of the previous year, as well as priorities and aspirations for the coming year.
Perry shares that the image on the agenda is of a professor who argued that people would best be served by setting goals daily, not just annually, and then closing each day with a reflection of that day and a plan for the next day. That's pretty lofty, but Perry hoped our meeting would give us a chance to reflect on goals for ourselves, the club, and our world.
Perry also gives us a quick introduction to the people who agreed to take on special responsibilities: Table Topicsmaster, Vote Counter, Ah-Counter & Grammarian, Timer, and Speech Evaluators. Each of those members stand and give a quick summary of their roles. After that, our first prepared speaker is introduced.
Malinda comes to the podium first to deliver her 2nd prepared speech from the Competent Communication Manual. This project's focus is "Organize Your Speech," and the title of her speech is "Motorcycle Surprises."
Right away, Malinda steps away from the podium to deliver her speech. Intermittently, she looks back at her notes and gives vivid descriptions and interesting facts about motorcycles.
An image she describes morphs from gangs creating mayhem to middle-aged, middle class bike owners. She notes that safety starts with good equipment and accessories. She relays a story about a ferret and some bikers. She informs us that the cost isn't low for a motorcycle, and at a Sturgis motorcycle rally, the theme of "The brave don't live forever. The cautious don't live at all" is an every day reality.
Normally, I share member's speeches verbatim, but Malinda only operated from a scant outline and just gave me meager notes. That's impressive! She says that her work involves similar kinds of speaking, so that's what she's practicing in the meetings.
Normally, I share member's speeches verbatim, but Malinda only operated from a scant outline and just gave me meager notes. That's impressive! She says that her work involves similar kinds of speaking, so that's what she's practicing in the meetings.
So, I wish I could have given more of the particulars about Malinda's speech, but I assumed I could get detailed notes afterwards and just focused on taking photos. Next time Malinda speaks, I'll know better and will do double duty!
This is a fine example of how Toastmasters works. You don't owe anyone the exact words of your speech when you're talking off the top of your head. This is why Malinda joined - to practice a more casual style of speaking without heavy notes, and we honor her for that.
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| The Toastmaster always greets any speaker coming to the podium. |
Kay (the blogger), on the other hand, writes her speeches out verbatim. She memorizes the speech and uses her notes for occasional reference. I wish I trusted my brain to retain details like Malinda trusts hers, but I don't. Each member of Peace Speakers has different aspirations, and every person is working on mastery of individual goals. It's all good! Furthermore, everyone moves at their own pace.
My prepared speech is #9 in the Competent Communication Manual and focuses on "Persuading with Power." It's titled "Make Leeway for this Magical Travel Option" and is shared here verbatim:
It’s 1985. The phone rings, and it’s my best friend yelling,
“I have 2 free plane tickets! Where shall we go?” After weeks of extensive planning, we embarked on a far-reaching European
trip. Hopping from one train to the next
in and out of taxis and hotels while pulling
a suitcase with a broken wheel was a true test of endurance. Scheduling all the plane, train, and hotel
arrangements, trying to keep up with our complex agenda of tourist hot spots, repacking
and dragging suitcases in and out of all of those cities, and finding places to eat every day exhausted us! And then a few years later we did it all over
again planning our trip to Japan and Hong Kong.
WHEW! The logistics required to pull off those self-planned adventures wore us to a frazzle. Good
thing we had youth on our side!!
Today, I’m suggesting a magical mode of travel that
allows one to fret less and enjoy more – all with far less labor. It’s called riverboat cruising, and if you don’t
want to feel depleted after your extended vacation, it’s worth considering. Here are 3 reasons why:
First of
all, river cruises are a much EASIER way to travel. They offer a
rare blend of exploration and re-lax-a-tion that makes for a near perfect
vacation. Their experts plan and
execute the logistics for traveling to desirable stops in multiple locations. With
the luxury of only having to unpack once into a lovely cabin, you have more
time to enjoy the epic views as you float lazily down the river, which is
always changing and moving. And who doesn’t love watching a herd of billy goats
frolicking along the riverbank, or medieval castles looming in the distance? Furthermore, your suitcases stay put on the
riverboat even though you don’t! In each
new town, you and around 160 fellow travelers zip off the riverboat and begin
exploring! You never stand in long lines
like you do on those giant cruise liners. And these riverboat companies handle
all the transitions skillfully so you can enjoy your trip without worrying
about schedules, directions, or prices.
Secondly, riverboat
cruises offer lifelong learners an endless source of education and insight. Without seasoned,
English-speaking Travel Guides leading trips, one may miss that the Romans constructed this mammoth structure
that defies age, or that this ancient city was rebuilt in the 1400’s after conquerors destroyed it. Informative guides take you behind the scenes
sharing who walked the very streets
where you’re strolling. They also introduce
you to local artisans like glass-blowers, Beaujolais
wine crafters, and woodworkers, all of whom you can engage about the art they
create.
A third
reason to travel by riverboat is simply to be pampered. Let’s be
honest. You work hard, and vacations
can be taxing! But the riverboat staff
offers outstanding service and
amenities: like meals made to order, unlimited wine and beer at dinner, and
chocolates set on your pillows at night. In France recently, our Romanian servers
playfully engaged and entertained us daily.
In-between meals, my husband and I relaxed in cozy lounging areas with panoramic
views and free-flowing amenities, like steaming cappuccinos and hot chocolates,
freshly baked cookies, and fresh fruits set out for us daily.
Now I suspect you’re wondering about the cost of all
of this. Yes, to choose a riverboat cruise
where all of the planning is done for you and amenities are flowing, does
involve an uptick in cost. But saving more upfront for a vacation that
doesn’t stress you out planning for it, also
allows you precious down time while you’re
leisurely moving from city to city. I’ve
slept on riverboats floating down the Danube
River across Eastern Europe and recently
sailed the Rhone River
through France,
but in neither adventure did I wrangle with drivers on unfamiliar roads or
through the maddening roundabouts. Their
expert coordination of the varying modes of transport, hotel stays,
restaurants, and tour spots was included in one price.
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| Thank you, Catherine, for capturing these images of me! |
I’m also aware that a river cruise has its
restrictions time-wise. When I traveled on
my own at a younger age, I stayed up all night in Germany talking
to Bavarian intellectuals- illuminating!
I also took a wild night-ride around Rome
with Vatican guards - harrowing! But this
kind of freedom is limited when the riverboat is departing in an hour. The river cruises value broad exposure, so if you really want more time somewhere, you’ll
have to go back on your own.
The reasons to try a riverboat cruise override the drawbacks. In summary, vacation planning and moving from one city to the next
can be nerve-wracking…but river cruises
make it super easy and hassle free. Their
seasoned tour guides take you deeper into the destinations and culture for an
education that’s captivating. And
finally, allowing yourself to be pampered refills
your cup on vacation rather than depletes it.
And oh the people you’ll meet
from all over the world…on a river,
a magical, moving, and living part of the earth itself. It’s a joyful gift for the spirit that I hope
you’ll one day consider giving yourself. (At the closing, I gave everyone a riverboat flyer for travel options and costs.)
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| Members Jewel, Megan and Kerri enjoying a prepared speech. |
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| Members George, Perry and Kristi listen to Betsy's explanation. |
Betsy, Table Topicsmaster for today, woos volunteers to pull a prompt from her hand that relates to our theme of the day: setting goals. Catherine is the first one to raise her hand, knowing that she'll have 1-2 minutes to talk about a subject off the top of her head.
Did you make a New Year's resolution? Why or why not?
Catherine declares
that 
she doesn't like the idea of New Year's resolutions and prefers to
make yearly goals instead. After all, there's so much cliche around making
resolutions, and it's too easy to break them. Instead, she made a
reading goal this year of tackling 18 books! That's a real challenge
for her and a new promise she hopes to keep in 2017.
she doesn't like the idea of New Year's resolutions and prefers to
make yearly goals instead. After all, there's so much cliche around making
resolutions, and it's too easy to break them. Instead, she made a
reading goal this year of tackling 18 books! That's a real challenge
for her and a new promise she hopes to keep in 2017.
Jewel decides to share her Christmas vacation with family in North Carolina. She focuses on her visit with her 6-year-old nephew, Elijah, who she hadn't seen for a year and a half. He ran and jumped on her and said, "Auntie Jewel, I miss and love you so much!" They played X-box games, and his favorite was WWF wrestling. Jewel learned how to maneuver joysticks, they talked about the names of fighters, and it was an awakening for her to spend 12 days with Alijah.
Betsy walks around looking for others who'll try speaking extemporaneously. Surprisingly, one of our visitors decides to play! How courageous!!!!!
How did you bring in the New Year?
Aaron shares that he brought in the New Year by sleeping. "I've been tired!" he admits. Before that, however, he met with a friend at a restaurant to discuss what they each want for the coming year. That's become an annual tradition. Aaron hopes to do a lot of reading in 2017 while his friend hopes to secure a home this year. Afterwards, he headed home and slept.
Give one great memory of Christmas 2016.
Krista defers to this question and says she prefers to share a resolution she made. She resolves to change the things she can this year. For one, she's gotten back some money she had in a bank account in Kansas City where she used to live. She's joined the "Y" fitness place and is committed to losing weight and having more fun. This has been quite an awakening for her and will make 2017 a better year by far.
Later in our meeting a vote is taken and Jewel takes the trophy for the best Table Topics spontaneous speech. Thinking on your feet is a skill that benefits you in countless situations. We develop it here in Toastmasters!
Eva refers to the manual as she shares her evalation of Malinda's speech today. This is just one person's opinion, which is meant to encourage and support the one who's given the prepared speech. She notes that Malinda's topic for her 2nd speech is interesting and unusual (motorcycle surprises). The speech was organized with appropriate supportive ideas. Eva admits that she's jealous of Malinda's ability to give the speech away from the podium. (So am I!)
Besides these two evaluators sharing their opinions (while referring to a list of desirable speech qualities), other members who had a role during this meeting shared things like the times people spoke, the grammar errors they heard in general, and who won Table Topics. This gives individuals a chance to speak in front of others and take on leadership roles, which is the essence of Toastmasters.
Perry, our Toastmaster, concludes with the acknowledgement that he got married secretly many years ago. Consequently, he dreams that maybe someday he and his wife could take a riverboat cruise from Marietta, Ohio, to Louisville to officially celebrate their marriage. I hope my speech inspires you to follow up on this dream, Perry, and resolve to make it happen. What a wonderful adventure for a lovely and deserving couple!
So let this be an awakening if you're a visitor to this blog and are wondering what Toastmasters meetings are like. I've hit the highlights of our meetings, which last for an action-packed hour. Join us sometime and see for yourself. You're always welcome!
OUR NEXT FEW 2017 MEETINGS:
Wed., Jan. 18 - Conference Room B
Wed., Feb. 1 - Conference Room B
Wed., Feb. 15 - Conference Room B
Wed., Mar. 1 - Conference Room 5000
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
and VP of Education
