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, our new president of Peace Speakers, poignantly opens today's meeting by sharing an ingenious video. (Ingenious is the Word of the Day, and indeed, this video is clever and original!) Grammy-winning Weird Al Yankovic pokes fun and airs his grievances about the state of literacy in his recent video entitled "Word Crimes". And because Toastmasters seek to use good grammar by keeping track of its misuse during meetings, this video is spot-on! Of course, the "Blurred Lines" tune makes it quite fun to listen to as well:
https://www.google.com/search?q=word+crimes+weird+al&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
(I won't be able to get that catchy song out of my head now for the rest of the day.)
Robin continues our Toastmasters meeting welcoming our two newest members, Tanja and Connie. She also notes that there is a new educational program coming to us in the foreseeable future. To learn more about the revitalization of our Toastmasters educational program, go to this link: http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/RevitalizedEducationProgram.aspx
Looking forward, Peace Speakers have agreed to lead the morning chapel service at the Presbyterian Center on October 8, 2014. Their experience doing this last year was so enjoyable for all that we were asked to do this again.
Bethany begins her invocation with a thoughtful Alice Walker quote, "I think it annoys God if you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice." She continues thanking God for allowing us to benefit from the beauty of all creation: the seas, the forests, and the skies...the fragrant plants and the power and wonder of every animal. She thanks God for the seasons and the rains that keep our earth reproducing. When we look at the night sky and see the work of God's fingers, the moon and the stars that have been set in place, we are reminded of our blessedness as the recipients of all the beauty that surrounds us.
Perry shares that he's looking forward to Catherine's speech, which relates to a toast. He adds that the Toastmasters Advanced Manual calls for the creation and delivery of a special toast. With that in mind, he introduces Catherine as she proceeds to the podium to give her second speech, Project #2 from the Competent Communication Manual, which focuses on organization. The title of Catherine's speech is "Cheers! Salud! Huzzah!" (The following speech is a retelling of what she shared.)
Catherine owned up to the fact that she totally bombed when she was asked to give a toast at her friend's birthday party. She just froze...went brain dead...and said something like, “Um…to Mel...she's real funny!" The toast was a complete failure!
NEW PRESIDENT COMES ON BOARD!
https://www.google.com/search?q=word+crimes+weird+al&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=sb
(I won't be able to get that catchy song out of my head now for the rest of the day.)
Robin continues our Toastmasters meeting welcoming our two newest members, Tanja and Connie. She also notes that there is a new educational program coming to us in the foreseeable future. To learn more about the revitalization of our Toastmasters educational program, go to this link: http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/RevitalizedEducationProgram.aspx
Looking forward, Peace Speakers have agreed to lead the morning chapel service at the Presbyterian Center on October 8, 2014. Their experience doing this last year was so enjoyable for all that we were asked to do this again.
INVOCATION - A MOMENT OF REFLECTION
JOKE MASTER SHARES EXCERPTS FROM A MEMOIR (OF SORTS)
Kay (your blogger) shares excerpts
from a mostly true memoir by Jenny Lawson. It’s called “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened”, and I can see why the author chose that title. Jenny's upbringing was highly
atypical and dysfunctional, yet she's taken this opportunity to find humor in
her peculiar life experiences in this hilarious memoir.
Here's just one rather tame excerpt that I shared. Author Jenny says these are "Educational Post-it Notes" that she left around the house for her husband, Victor:
Dear Victor, this bath towel
was wet and you left it on the floor and it was the last clean one in the
house. I’m pretty sure this is how tuberculosis is spread. I’m writing all this in my blog in case I end
up dead because of your carelessness.
Dear Victor, you make me
sick. Why in God’s name wouldn’t you
just throw away the empty pizza box when you were done with it? Are your arms broken? Do you have some sort of disease I don’t know
about that makes you blind to empty pizza boxes?
I had a blast reading this ingenious memoir, which was quite colorful. Lots of belly laughs! Avoid it, though, if you cannot stomach rough language, as it gets quite spicy at times.
TOASTMASTER INTRODUCES THE EDUCATIONAL PART OF OUR PROGRAM
Perry, Toastmaster for the day, shares that we have an exciting program planned for the day. There are plenty of opportunities for growing our communication and leadership skills, noting the roles some members have chosen to take during our meeting and the Table Topics prompts that encourage people to share. We'll learn more about those later!
Perry shares that he's looking forward to Catherine's speech, which relates to a toast. He adds that the Toastmasters Advanced Manual calls for the creation and delivery of a special toast. With that in mind, he introduces Catherine as she proceeds to the podium to give her second speech, Project #2 from the Competent Communication Manual, which focuses on organization. The title of Catherine's speech is "Cheers! Salud! Huzzah!" (The following speech is a retelling of what she shared.)
Catherine owned up to the fact that she totally bombed when she was asked to give a toast at her friend's birthday party. She just froze...went brain dead...and said something like, “Um…to Mel...she's real funny!" The toast was a complete failure!
It wasn't the first time, either. Many years ago at her brother's wedding rehearsal dinner, she was asked to give a toast for her brother and new sister-in-law, including giving him the spoon they'd fought over as children. She awkwardly tried to explain to the room of family and friends the purpose behind the spoon, but ultimately got misty-eyed, sputtered out congratulations to the happy couple, and sat down.
| Catherine fumbled through a toast at a friend's birthday party recently. |
After some reflection, she realized that "for every problem,
there must be a solution," and she decided that this unpleasant experience
would never happen to her again. Besides, she didn't want to disappoint
another recipient by one of her toasts either!
Luckily, her brother
stepped in at the wedding rehearsal with the “solution,” providing a spur of
the moment explanation that was thoughtful and one that explained to spoon story.
Nice rescue, bro, but still embarrassing!
After some reflection, she realized that "for every problem,
there must be a solution," and she decided that this unpleasant experience
would never happen to her again. Besides, she didn't want to disappoint
another recipient by one of her toasts either!
Luckily, her brother
stepped in at the wedding rehearsal with the “solution,” providing a spur of
the moment explanation that was thoughtful and explained to spoon story.
Nice rescue, bro, but still embarrassing!
Catherine committed to doing a little research on making
toasts. She noted the various reasons for them, like birthdays (spur of
the moment), eulogies (planned), and weddings (planned).
The key to a successful toast is to be prepared. Carefully
consider who you're toasting. Note the memorable experiences you've
shared together that others might like to hear. And watch your language!
Use only appropriate humor for the crowd that's celebrating with you.
Now that Catherine's experienced the problem of failed toasts
several times, she's decided on her solution, which is to plan ahead.
Come prepared with a toast that's been carefully crafted. And if all else
fails, she has her back-pocket speech for the spur of the moment, which is a
traditional Gaelic blessing:
May the road
rise to meet you.
May the wind
be always at your back.
May the sun
shine warm upon your face.
And rains
fall soft upon your fields.
And until we
meet again,
May God hold
you in the hollow of God's hand.
At the conclusion of Catherine's speech, she held up her glass and
encouraged us to do the same as she announced, "Cheers! Salud!
Huzzah!"
Catherine has taken steps to make certain she's prepared for toasting action that's befitting the occasion the next time. Admittedly, there have been opportunities in my past that I decided not to make a toast because I was uncomfortable and unsure. Maybe you've hesitated to make toasts or have been reluctant to speak up in group settings or at work for some of the same reasons. Toastmasters helps individuals develop their communication and leadership skills in a safe environment, and depending on the energy you put into it, positive changes are commonplace.
Catherine has taken steps to make certain she's prepared for toasting action that's befitting the occasion the next time. Admittedly, there have been opportunities in my past that I decided not to make a toast because I was uncomfortable and unsure. Maybe you've hesitated to make toasts or have been reluctant to speak up in group settings or at work for some of the same reasons. Toastmasters helps individuals develop their communication and leadership skills in a safe environment, and depending on the energy you put into it, positive changes are commonplace.
TABLE TOPICS MASTER USES A NEW TOOL TO ELICIT RESPONSES
Ada, Table Topics Master for the day, uses MEM-CARDS she recently received at a Career Track workshop she attended. Feeling they'd make good prompts for Table Topics, she asks for volunteers to draw one and expound on it.
Your blogger took the bait. I was asked about how I might be a leader who others would want to follow. I shared that as a leader, I would model what I wanted from my work staff: promptness, a good work ethic, problem solving skills, and a culture of kindness at the core of all interactions. I would insist on civil discourse when problems or misunderstandings arose so as to solve them right away.
Bethany's prompt asks how she might help set realistic goals. She shares that she's the type who creates smaller bite-size goals to reach any larger goals, whether they're health or job related goals. She makes lists of actions she needs to take to accomplish a goal and checks them off. This keeps her on task and moving forward. That's how she accomplishes small and large goals.
Connie thought it was interesting that she pulled a prompt that talks about investing time in potential leaders. She understands how investing in oneself makes one able to invest in others, which is something she does as a counselor at work. What she teaches and tries to nurture in people is the idea that they do what they want to receive. Be a model for what you want. So if you give love, nurture it within, and model that, then see how people respond and feel in return. Whatever you give, you receive.
Robin expounds on how practice makes improvement, and she acknowledges that this practice is continual. Having played sports all of her life, she was told that practice makes perfect, but she likes the adage practice makes improvement much better. Building and improving any skill, such as leadership, calls for a lot of practice. She adds, "When my kids begin doing whatever they're interested in, I hope they'll practice to make improvement, not perfection."
After the Table Topics 1-2 minute impromptu talks, a vote is taken, and Connie gets a landslide win for her speech...the one that inspired the greatest number of listeners. She gets to keep the Table Topics trophy for 3 weeks until our next meeting on August 6. Our words definitely have an impact!
Your blogger took the bait. I was asked about how I might be a leader who others would want to follow. I shared that as a leader, I would model what I wanted from my work staff: promptness, a good work ethic, problem solving skills, and a culture of kindness at the core of all interactions. I would insist on civil discourse when problems or misunderstandings arose so as to solve them right away.
Bethany's prompt asks how she might help set realistic goals. She shares that she's the type who creates smaller bite-size goals to reach any larger goals, whether they're health or job related goals. She makes lists of actions she needs to take to accomplish a goal and checks them off. This keeps her on task and moving forward. That's how she accomplishes small and large goals.
Connie thought it was interesting that she pulled a prompt that talks about investing time in potential leaders. She understands how investing in oneself makes one able to invest in others, which is something she does as a counselor at work. What she teaches and tries to nurture in people is the idea that they do what they want to receive. Be a model for what you want. So if you give love, nurture it within, and model that, then see how people respond and feel in return. Whatever you give, you receive.
Robin expounds on how practice makes improvement, and she acknowledges that this practice is continual. Having played sports all of her life, she was told that practice makes perfect, but she likes the adage practice makes improvement much better. Building and improving any skill, such as leadership, calls for a lot of practice. She adds, "When my kids begin doing whatever they're interested in, I hope they'll practice to make improvement, not perfection."
After the Table Topics 1-2 minute impromptu talks, a vote is taken, and Connie gets a landslide win for her speech...the one that inspired the greatest number of listeners. She gets to keep the Table Topics trophy for 3 weeks until our next meeting on August 6. Our words definitely have an impact!
EVALUATOR SHARES HER THOUGHTS
Eva, evaluator of Catherine's prepared speech, shares that she found it interesting and that it had a unique style. Throughout the speech, Eva always wanted to know what was coming next. She really liked Catherine's sense of humor and the toast glasses given to each of us (which was rather ingenious). She thought she did a great job of delivering her message without the use of notes and her pace was good. In the end, she would have liked to hear a few more tips in the body of her speech about how to prepare a memorable toast.
If you're new to this blog, drop by our club on a 1st or 3rd Wednesday! We're always eager to greet visitors at our meetings. It's your life, so make it count! It's a lot easier to get your message across after being involved in a well-organized program of communication and leadership projects, which are designed to help people learn the arts of thinking, listening, and speaking. Expect to have fun while learning. It's a given!
We are an open Toastmasters club,
so please pay us a visit!
OUR NEXT FEW 2014 MEETINGS:
August 6- Conference Room B
August 20- 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
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!)
