Peace Speakers Propagate Ideas of Growth and Fun

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, Megan, opens our Peace Speakers meeting with a warm welcome to everyone.  It's springtime, and cheer is in the air.  

On the business end, Megan reminds members to get their dues in to Kerri before the end of March. This is very important!

Also, the District 11 Spring Conference is being held in Indianapolis on April 21-22.  For more information, follow this link:  District 11 Spring Conference

Furthermore, during our April 5th meeting, officers will briefly share their roles.  Recruitment of club officers starts in April, and new officers will begin serving in those positions in July.

Our Toastmaster for the day, Kristi, heads up the educational portion of our meeting.  Octavia and she propagated the theme of SPRING IS NEAR, which seemed terrific until that horrible freeze struck us a few days ago.  Propagate is the Word of the Day, which generally means to breed/grow or spread/promote.  Hopefully, members will try to use it extemporaneously when they speak today.

Our prepared speaker for the day is Kerri, and this is Project #6 from the Competent Communication Manual focusing on Vocal Variety.  Her speech is titled "Love is NOT in the Air," and Toastmaster Kristi smiles and says that reminds her of the old Dating Game Show.  Let's learn why love was not in the air for Kerri on these first dates.  Here is her entire speech as given:

I have to be honest with y’all. It took me a while to figure out what the topic of my speech would be today. As I was reading through the description and goals, I felt that I needed to incorporate stories into my speech but had no idea how. And then, after several days the light bulb went off - awkward first dates. Yup, I said it. We’ve all had them – and yes, they were terrible. But my goodness, do they make for great stories. Today, I’d like to share with you 3 terrible first dates that I went on. For privacy reasons I’m changing the names of my suitors but know that everything else actually happened. So sit back, relax and enjoy as you hear about some of my most uncomfortable moments.

The first date I want to tell you all about was with Jason. Jason, you all, was a stud. Well-built, great eyes and a killer smile. I met him through a friend of a friend at a sporting event, and we quickly exchanged numbers. It wasn’t long until he asked me on our first date, and I was so excited. I even got a new shirt to wear for our date. Now Jason was a few years older than me, which I naively assumed meant he was wiser, smarter and more sophisticated, but man, was my college-self wrong. He picked me up at the dorms and took me out to dinner. Admittedly, our conversation was a little strained at times, but I was willing to chalk it up to nerves. After dinner we planned on going to watch a movie at his place. We were walking towards the car when he got a text and asked me, “Do you mind if we stop by a friend’s on the way there?” I replied, “Not at all.” I always appreciate meeting new people. As we pulled up to the house, I noticed that there were a ton of cars parked outside of it and white balloons were on the mailbox.“So where exactly are we going?” I remember asking. And then he said it, “To meet my parents. They’re at our friend’s house for an outdoor wedding.” As I’m sure you all can imagine, I froze. Forget about the whole waiting a little bit to meet the parents. All I could think about was the wedding part. “A wedding? Are you sure we should go? I’m not even dressed for a wedding.” “Absolutely,” Jason said nonchalantly. “They texted and asked us to stop by. Plus, it’s a casual affair.” You all, to this day, I cannot tell you a lot about my first and ONLY experience crashing a wedding, as I think fear kicked in and blocked the majority of it out. I really can’t even tell you what his parents looked like. I do know I shook his Dad’s hand, though, and that I got a hug from his mom. I also vaguely remember saying “Congratulations” to the bride. Needless to say, I got us out of the wedding as soon as possible, and despite being in a daze from what just happened, I was able to tell him that I was feeling tired and that it might be best if I went home. #Awkward!  (Pronounced “Hashtag awkward!)

Next up in my collection of terrible first dates was my outing with “Wes.” Now Wes was again a stud but more in a surfer, California kind of way. I appreciated that he seemed laid back and that from what I heard about him that he seemed to be pretty outdoorsy. I met him at the chiropractor’s office - he was the chiropractor’s stepson and was working there for the summer. In hind sight, I should of known we were doomed because both of our parents were hard-core pushing it. I digress though. He asked me if I wanted to go to the movies and I said yes. When he picked me up, he confessed that he got tickets for the theater that was closest to his place not mine. Due to traffic, this theater ended up being over an hour away. So picture me making small talk in a car for an hour. I know it doesn’t sound terrible, but you all – it

was rough. We were having a hard time finding things in common, and it felt like whatever he liked, I preferred the exact opposite. For example, I told him about my interest in recycling. He told me Global Warming isn’t real. When we finally got the theater, he then awkwardly stopped and said, “You’re old enough to see R-Rated movies right?” Now, I know I have a baby face, you all, but seriously? I remember being so perturbed by his comment, and then dwelling on it throughout the movie. “Why would you buy a ticket for someone if you didn’t think they were old enough to see it?” I remember thinking. “Why wouldn’t you just ask beforehand?” Luckily traffic was lighter on the way home and as I’m sure you could guess, without having any common ground, there wasn’t a second date. #OnToTheNextOne!

Lastly, I’d like to tell you about my first date with Bob. Now Bob was a nerd like me. He was pretty cute with a touch of hipster in him, and he was super into politics. I was intrigued by him and agreed to go on a date after meeting him through a friend at a bar. He took me out to Jack Fry’s. Fancy, right? I had never been there and always wanted to go. I do have to say, Jack Fry’s was delicious and the salmon entrée I had was on point. But something was missing that evening. And that something was called a conversation. Now to clarify, I don’t mean we sat in silence. I mean “Bob” literally did not stop talking the ENTIRE time. I know what you’re thinking. Kerri, that can’t be right. But when I mean he didn’t come up for air, he literally did not come up for air. At one point I remember thinking, is he ever going to shut up? Bob talked non-stop the entire meal – from high school stories to his recent outing with his grandma. I heard it all. And it was so painful! As you can guess, we didn’t go far. #MovingOn!

In conclusion, first dates can be awkward, really awkward. I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of my most uncomfortable moments, and if you ever want to talk about your awful first dates, know that I always love a good story.  

Peace Speakers respond to Kerri's speech.

Sitting in the audience, Kerri's speech was fun to watch, as she is very animated.  Her first date stories were quite entertaining, and I'm glad she doesn't have to suffer through any more of them.  Her happy marriage protects her from all of that first date discomfort! 

Octavia, our Table Topics Master, goes looking for a few volunteers to draw one of her prompts.  Table Topics allows people to think on their feet and attempt to express their ideas succinctly within a 1-2 minute time frame.  It's fun and educational!  Today's theme is around the season of spring, and her thoughtful questions also have colorful spring pictures embedded in them.  Such lovely visuals!

Spring is a time for hopping into action!  Describe one day where you do what you want to do, go where you want to go, and eat what you want to eat.

George says that on the opening day of spring, he and a friend will take a walk and sit on a log, looking out onto the landscape.  They'll travel to a cozy diner for breakfast, enjoying a big stack of hot pancakes while they talk about life, the president, their fears, and the hope for their future.  Next they'll walk through little shops, looking through the spring time clothing.  Finally, they'll head home for a hot pizza with all of their favorite toppings.



Spring is a time to bring out the kid in all of us.  If you had a magical bicycle, what powers would it have, and where would you go?

Betsy claims this makes her think of the movie E.T. about the extraterrestrial who rides off on a flying bicycle.  On her flying bike, she'd travel through the back roads of Louisville flying over old buildings, enjoying lots of history, and across the hilly beautiful sights all around the area.  Her magical bike would take her where ever she couldn't go otherwise. 



What signs tell you when spring has arrived?  What do you see, hear, smell, feel, and do?

Eva says that the signs that spring has arrived are many.  The birds are singing; the doves are cooing.  Wow!  Something's different!  There's evidence of little green shoots, colorful buds, and daffodils and crocuses are sprouting up.  Walks are nice with the smells of spring, like the smells of fresh dirt and rain.  The 50 to 60 degree weather is enjoyable, and she likes to dig around in the soil and begin putting in her spring garden.




Spring is a time for planting and gardening.  If you could only plant one item, what would it be and why?

Kay claims her favorite garden item is asparagus.  It's so intriguing the way it grows.  The big, purple sprouts come up individually (which confused her at first, since they're bunched so neatly in the grocery).  Later, a huge wispy bush appears towards the end of the growing season, where the bunnies in her yard love to hide.  She'd also choose asparagus because it's so good for you and supposedly cures many ails.

Spring is a time for vacations, and you've got 3 days.  Where are you going and what are you doing?

Perry doesn't hesitate.  For him, there's no place better than Florida!  He'd head to Bradenton Beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  He'd rent a dog-friendly cottage so that he could take his pooch.  He'd bring lots of books to read and videos to watch.  Heading off to a little cafe on the beach, he'd enjoy a slice of key lime pie. 

Spring brings plenty of rainy days.  Describe your perfect rainy day and activities.  

Catherine quickly responds, "Two words - read and sleep!"  She admits that she loves rainy days where she can wear her comfy P.J.s and wrap up in a blanket that feels like a seal and a sheep on the sides.  She has a reading goal that she's working hard on for 2017, and she's a little ahead of schedule for completing 18 books.  So on that rainy day, she's going to continue working on that reading goal. 

Spring is a time for home improvements.  If you could build anything in the backyard, what would it be and why?

Katie smiles broadly as she announces her preferred home improvement for her backyard:  a chicken coop that she could move around on wheels.  She likes the coops that look like little buildings...some like fancy dog homes.  She would also construct a chunnel, which is a tunnel for chickens that's made of wire.  It would give the chickens a place to run.





At the conclusion of Table Topics, votes are tallied, and Katie's speech is the favorite.  She gets to leave with a trophy that exemplifies her expressive offerings.

Perry, the evaluator for Kerri's speech, shares his opinion of what he heard and saw earlier in our meeting.  He notes the fabulous content and how funny those first dates were.  He fancied that Kerri shared both what she liked and what she didn't like about those dates.  Her 3 stories were very entertaining.  Kerri kept a good pace, slowing down appropriately at special moments.  She did a good job using body language along with varying her voice.  However, Perry would have liked a little more up and down of the volume while telling her stories.  In order to give some contrast, Perry wondered if a fitting epilogue might be to hear a little about how she met her husband.

Megan, our president, closes our meeting remarking to Kerri that she shares her pain (about first dates).  She tells Katie that she loves the idea of wheels on the chicken coop, and then suggests that we go forth to enjoy the fruits of spring between now and our next meeting in April.

If you're a visitor to this blog, allow me to propagate the idea that you'd enjoy our Peace Speakers meetings. Growth and fun is at the core of our gatherings, so drop in some time and see for yourself.  You're always welcome!

OUR NEXT 2017 MEETINGS:

Wed., July 19 - Conference Room B

Wed., Aug. 2 - Conference Room B

Wed., Aug. 16 - Conference Room B

Blogger's note:  Yes, there's been a lull between my blog posts recently.  I unexpectedly sold my home, bought a home, had a mammoth yard sale, totaled my Prelude, and bought a new Honda...all within a month's time.  I'll get back on track in July, hopefully!

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

 

A 2017 Awakening for Peace Speakers

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!

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.

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. 

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.

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.)

Members Jewel, Megan and Kerri enjoying a prepared speech.

For both of today's speeches, the core for each was carefully outlined in the Toastmasters Competent Communication Manual.  Naturally, as members head towards their 10th and final speech in each manual, more skill layers are added.  Each speech given requires a little more to work on, and the manual totally lays it out in clear terms.  However, if members ever have questions, they know they can call on other Peace Speakers for support. 

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.

You've been given a free pass to talk about anything you want!

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!)

Kerri says that after listening to my persuasive speech, she's ready to sign up for a riverboat cruise.  She liked my enthusiasm and stories, strong imagery, and that I used the word of the day (awakening). The organization of my speech was very clear. She noted my hand gestures were great and that I had strong eye contact. Kerri also liked that everyone got a riverboat flyer at the conclusion of my speech so they'd learn about travel offers and pricing. 

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