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.
Presiding Officer Kerri opens our Peace Speakers meeting with a warm welcome on a blistery winter day. She notes that she is up front because our president and others at the Presbyterian Center have a previous work commitment that prevents them from attending. A few other members were detained at their work sites in preparation for a snow day tomorrow with the prediction of 6-12 inches of snowfall. None-the-less, 7 of us forged through the current rain and sleet to enjoy our club's camaraderie and opportunities for growth.
Kerri noted that 4 people attended this quarter's club officer training: Robin, Megan, Perry, and Lynn. We appreciate these members' commitment to excellence and to growing Peace Speakers.
Perry reminded us to get our club dues to him either before or by the next meeting on March 18. As a member who knows how beneficial this on-going practice is, I am most grateful that we only pay a mere $39 for 6 months of membership in Toastmasters. What a bargain!
INVOCATION FITS THE SEASON
As the blogger and Invocation leader today, I admit that winter’s grip has been ruthless the past few weeks. So I've chosen to share some wintery quotes in hopes of invoking some reflection
and maybe even a smile:
“The first fall of snow is not
only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and
wake up in another, quite different,
and if this is not enchantment then
where is it to be found?” ~J.B. Priestley
As the blogger and Invocation leader today, I admit that winter’s grip has been ruthless the past few weeks. So I've chosen to share some wintery quotes in hopes of invoking some reflection and maybe even a smile:
“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another, quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?” ~J.B. Priestley
"He who marvels at the beauty of
the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in
winter...for in winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon
achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a more exalted
simplicity."
And in reading this next quote by the same author, I
thought of Eva, who is an artist: "What a severe yet master artist old winter
is! No longer the canvas and the pigments, but the marble and the chisel."~Both quotes from John Burroughs
Here's Charles Kingsley, Jr., who writes
about the seasonal love affair between the earth and the sun:
Every
winter,
When the great sun has turned his face away,
The earth goes down into the vale of grief,
And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables,
Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay—
Then leaps in spring to his {the sun’s} returning kisses.
Then there’s Robert Byrne’s more
flippant view of this season:
Winter is
nature’s way of saying, "Up yours."
And finally, from Ruth Stout~ "There
is a privacy about winter which no other season gives you. In spring, summer
and fall, we sort of have an open season on each other. Only in the winter can you have longer,
quiet stretches, when you can savor belonging to yourself. So let us love
winter, for it is the spring of genius."
With that
in mind, Toastmasters, let’s hunker down in front of a fireplace (or a heater)
this evening and begin planning the next
creative presentation our rich imaginations can assemble.
When the great sun has turned his face away,
The earth goes down into the vale of grief,
And fasts, and weeps, and shrouds herself in sables,
Leaving her wedding-garlands to decay—
Then leaps in spring to his {the sun’s} returning kisses.
JOKE MASTER SPINS A YARN
Kerri shares a joke relayed to her by Lynn, who was unable to fulfill her role today due to the inclement weather and work demands:
Two
friends lived in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were sick of
winter, so they went to a travel agent and booked a trip to Australia.
When the two friends got off the plane - still wearing their down
jackets, wool hats and snow boots - they wandered into a pub and sat
down.
The
locals wondered about these strangers, so one of the Aussies walked
over to the visitors and said, "G'day, mates. Where're you from?"
"Saskatoon, Saskatchewan," one of the Canadians replied.
"Oh," said the Aussie, returning to his table.
"So where are they from?" the other locals asked.
"Don't know," replied the Aussie. "They don't appear to speak English."
TOASTMASTER COMES ON BOARD
TOASTMASTER COMES ON BOARD
Perry, Toastmaster for the day, notes the snowy picture atop the agenda he's prepared for this meeting. We can all relate to the women who've just shoveled their driveway, especially knowing that Mother Nature will dump up to a foot of snow on us tonight. This is the month of March, isn't it?????
TABLE TOPICS MASTER USES A NOVEL STRATEGY
Perry, Toastmaster for the day, notes the snowy picture atop the agenda he's prepared for this meeting. We can all relate to the women who've just shoveled their driveway, especially knowing that Mother Nature will dump up to a foot of snow on us tonight. This is the month of March, isn't it?????
TABLE TOPICS MASTER USES A NOVEL STRATEGY
Table Topics Master, Kristi (in the blue sweater), offers members cards with prompts that are written in braille. Tanja is the first person to volunteer, and her question is transcribed for her as follows:
Describe a new hobby or one you'd like to pursue.
Tanja shares that she's been experimenting with meditation for a number of years. 2 1/2 years ago she went to a very serious meditation class that met every Thursday. She was supposed to practice daily for 10 minutes in a special chair. She ended up making a big circle around that chair and refusing to sit in it. Then, in an ashram in Indonesia, she did a shaking meditation that helped her get over her fear of meditation and got her more involved in it. She also did a Vipassana meditation retreat about 1 1/2 years ago in the U.S. It was for 10 days, and they meditated for 10 hours a day, which was very challenging. Now Tanja does 25 minutes of meditation every morning, and she feels so liberated and inspired.
What is your favorite book or author?
Megan admits this question is challenging because she loves to read and enjoys so many types of literature and numerous authors. She narrows it down to Margaret Atwood, an author who writes fiction, poetry and short stories. She mentions Atwood's book, Cat's Eye, and says it's about reflections on the past and alternates between memories of childhood and older years. It's written from a female perspective, and Megan admits that she connects better with female authors but also enjoys male writers as well.
Tell us about a cruise you've taken.
Kerri admits that she's been on several cruises, thanks to the generosity of her parents. Her favorite was one she did in Italy with family friends. The mother in the other family is a childhood friend of her dad's. That family has 3 daughters, two who are the same ages as Kerri's sister and her. It was really nice to spend time on board with others her age. Kerri was really shocked how strong the middle eastern influence is in Tunisia. It was a big eye-opener as to how little she knew about culture and geography. It made her realize how much she needed to learn! And she also enjoyed all the food, especially the delicious midnight chocolate buffet. She doesn't regret the extra calories in the least!
What unexpected turn did you have during a job interview?
Eva admits that it's been so long since she's done an interview and doesn't recall any unexpected turn that she experienced in the past. She notes that when she was interviewed years ago, they asked standard questions like, "Tell us about your background and your work experience." Today they're likely to ask creative questions like, "If you were an animal, which one would be be and why?" Had this been posed to her during an interview, she might have transgressed and not be able to answer it. (By the way, transgressed is the Word of the Day, and kudos for using it, Eva!)
If your favorite color is blue, why do you love the color red?
I love blue because it's the color of the sky and the ocean and represents calm, but I love red because it represents excitement and passion. It is the color of vibrant red apples and grapes, which I adore. It also reminds me of the time I traveled to France and allowed a mime on the streets of Paris to talk me into wearing a bright red clown's nose. It wasn't my nature, but he encouraged me to copy his mime act in front of an audience. That red nose got me out of my comfort zone that day and made for a lot of fun!
What is friendship to you?
Perry says that friendship is important, even though he didn't have a lot of friends in school when he was growing up. However, he did
have friends at church. He's tried to stay in touch with friends on Facebook,
but many of them don't participate in FB. He went back to his hometown to live
for a year with 2 of his dearest and best friends, and he spend time with them
whenever he went back to visit his mother. His best friend plans events like
kayaking when he visits, so he always has friends waiting for his arrival. He's made an
effort to stay in touch by persevering and connecting with these friends whenever he can.
And the winner of Table Topics is...
We have a tie! Kerri and Kay received the most votes and tied, so each of us gets a trophy and bragging rights until our next meeting. This impromptu 1-2 minute talk called Table Topics sometimes throws us for a loop, but the practice of answering a prompt without planning is invaluable. One learns to think on their feet and develop skills for answering a variety of questions. Even if you get stuck, you can veer off in another direction. Perfection isn't expected, but cohesiveness is desirable.
We didn't allow the inclement weather to keep us from meeting but did lose our prepared speech for the day. So we close this meeting, not feeling any loss but gratitude for those who showed up and the fact that everyone participated and enjoyed themselves. That's a standard that Peace Speakers keep, and that's why the club has so many long-standing members and new ones joining us intermittently!
If you're a visitor to this blog, drop in sometime! We're a friendly club that's opening and welcoming. Come get your questions answered about Toastmasters and allow yourself to grow and flourish.
We didn't allow the inclement weather to keep us from meeting but did lose our prepared speech for the day. So we close this meeting, not feeling any loss but gratitude for those who showed up and the fact that everyone participated and enjoyed themselves. That's a standard that Peace Speakers keep, and that's why the club has so many long-standing members and new ones joining us intermittently!
If you're a visitor to this blog, drop in sometime! We're a friendly club that's opening and welcoming. Come get your questions answered about Toastmasters and allow yourself to grow and flourish.
We are an open Toastmasters club,
so please pay us a visit!
OUR NEXT FEW 2015 MEETINGS:
Mar. 18 - Conference Room B
Apr. 1 - 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
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(We kept running out of space and needed to start new ones!)
