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.
As Peace Speakers' president (and blogger), what an exciting way to open up the New Year! We have 6 guests gracing us with their company, and they are eager to participate. They are full of energy and interest, and my gut tells me that 2019 is going to be an extraordinary year at Peace Speakers.
We have a New Year and winter-related theme for our meeting today, and resolution is the Word of the Day. I resolve to use it in some form or other as often as feasible!
Our Toastmaster for the day is Perry, and it's his job to create our agenda. Our club likes to go with a different theme each meeting, so Perry pulled an image of the Irish rock band, U2, that released the song, "New Year's Day" in January 1983. It was an immediate hit.
The theme chosen prior to our meetings is usually up to the Toastmaster who works with the Tabletopics Master to decide on an appropriate focus. That way the prompts for Table Topics can be developed with that in mind. Some themes are more serious than others, while some are just for fun. All the while, though, we are learning and growing in communication and leadership skills!
You're going to see numerous images of Perry for a bit because he also chose to give a prepared speech today. He's involved in the new Pathways educational program and has selected the path Innovative Planning (one of ten available to members). This is his 2nd speech in that path, and it's called "Why I Love Sociology." Here are some excerpts from that speech:
Perry admits that he's loved sociology since his college sophomore class on that topic. He does applied sociology at work with the Presbyterian Church USA and teaches it at a couple of local colleges.
3 reasons why Perry loves sociology so much are because it has great research methods, one of which is called Participant Observation. It's the intensive in-person study of people often in their natural environment. One example is from Terry Williams, a professor who spent 2 years hanging out with teenage drug dealers in their natural habitat in Manhattan. He found out what they were thinking and observed their daily routine, authoring the book The Cocaine Kids. He discovered these young kids were pursuing a version of the American Dream, albeit through some unorthodox means.
A second reason for loving sociology is its fascinating founders. These men and women developed some interesting ideas, conducted interesting work and lead interesting lives. One founder, W. E. B. du Bois, was the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University, and as an activist founded the NAACP. In the McCarthy era in the 1950's, he became disillusioned with the U.S. and went into exile. Ironically, he died at the age of 95 one day before the 1963 March on Washington, so he never got to witness the civil rights changes he'd championed as a scholar and activist. 
Sociology explores important questions, which is the 3rd reason Perry loves this topic. One epic study was conducted by a German sociologist, Max Weber, who related industrial capitalism to religion. He looked at many of the world's great religions and concluded that a number of institutional cultural factors stressed a strict methodical work ethic as a way to earn salvation, contributing to the rise of capitalism in this part of the world.
At the conclusion, Perry suggested we google "sociology contexts," which takes us to the magazine Contexts. He gave away one of his copies on the spot for someone to explore the deeper meanings and insight into the world of sociology.
Our Tabletopics Master, Destini, has created prompts that ask questions relating to our New Year and winter-related theme. As a New Year's resolution, she entices members and guests to volunteer to draw one from her cup. As you can see, Destini invokes people to participate, and we don't disappoint her. This is a chance to read a question, think on your feet, and answer it as succinctly as possible within a 1-2 minute time-frame. This helps us practice communicating on the spot, and we learn so much from our participants. It's deeply meaningful and often fun.
When was the last time you tried something new?
Everdith, a guest, says that she's always loved trying new things. As a part of her resolution, this past Christmas she went on a cruise by herself to the Caribbean. She claims that's the best resolution to have - to travel alone. You get up when you want, you eat when you want, and you sight-see where you want to go. It feels really empowering to have such control over your own schedule. She loves time with family and friends, and resolves to spend more time with them as well, but traveling solo and playing without them is also important.
If not now, then when?
Catherine admits that she's a huge procrastinator. The answer for her is always tomorrow or always later. It's never right now. But since this is the beginning of a new year, she can also have a resolution to have the time be now instead of tomorrow or later. She adds that she's going to apparently begin that by coming up with an answer for this Table Topics prompt. She adds, "I might have chosen the 6th or 7th Table Topics prompt but decided the time must be now as one of the first volunteers to speak up."
What is the difference between living and existing?
Dave, a guest, tells us he has a mother that's 91 and a father that's 89 still living at home. Even though their health has deteriorated a bit, they live rather than exist. They have problems they deal with every day, but rather than let time slip by, they've decided to fully live their last weeks, months and years. It's been exciting. Others say their elder loved ones are just existing, but his mother and father just love life and having family come by even though they're at the point their life is about over. Dave states, "They embrace us and life, and that is the difference between living and existing." Dave's New Year's resolution is to be much more like they are.
What can you do today that you were not capable of doing a year ago?
Sam, a guest, says this coincides with her career change. She went to graduate school in Community Health and was hired by the Health Dept. a year ago. Previously a paralegal, now she does completely different work with community engagement in strategic partnerships talking with people about what's going on and how systems work or don't work. What she's learned most is how to do something that's more true to who she is and what works best with her talents and her gifts.
What has life taught you recently?
Beatrice, a guest, replies life has taught her that that as soon as your kids turn 18, put them out. That's what she's learned that she appreciates. After all, she notes, "They don't want to do anything, they want to be grown but don't want to be grown." She pauses and adds, "I've learned not to trust everybody." And what else? Just to live!
Are you holding onto something that you need to let go of?
Eva says this is a tough one but a good topic for New Year's resolutions, calling us to begin doing something new or let go of something in your life. We often don't think of the patterns in our life that are not helpful that we could let go of, or the relationships that are harmful to us, or some habit that might not be very healthy. She adds, "Maybe I could watch a little less TV...but I hate to give up my cooking shows or mindless escapist fare in the evenings. Maybe I could do a little more reading. Thank you for this question, which I'll take home and ponder."
What would you regret not fully doing, being or having your life?
Monique, a guest, shares that it's interesting that she's been pondering this question. When she got to the new year, she talked with her fiance and asked him what he wanted to do. She regrets not really having goals but just getting by and taking what comes at her...whatever fits. She doesn't want to just exist in a survival mode and needs to live and do more and actually seek out her true desires...a real sense of purpose and a plan of where she wants to go. She regrets not having more of a sense of self and purpose as she transitions this year.
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Members and guests vote for the Table Topics response they favored. 
Eva, today's speech evaluator, uses her notes and a checklist to share her opinion of Perry's speech. He was unable to get the tech support he needed to share pictures, and Eva wondered how they might have enhanced his speech. Even without the visual component, the speech was interesting and accessible nonetheless. Perry is always able to organize his speech with 3 main points with examples and stories to go along with each one. He did not rely on notes and stepped out in front of the lectern. He used a lot of eye contact, gestures, vocal variety and pulled this speech together in just a few days. The topic could have been dry, but he didn't make it just an academic presentation. Finally, Perry stayed within the time limit, applying feedback from last speech which ran over time.
 
Sam, our Ah Counter/Grammarian today, announces that she heard 9 space fillers (like ah, um, uh) and noticed that the Word of the Day, resolution, had been used 12 times. With this role, one also listens for grammar errors and sentence shifts, where a sentence is begun but the speaker doesn't finish it. Anyone who wants to know how they fared individually can confer with the Grammarian after our meeting.
 Let me pause to thank Catherine for taking the shots of me at the beginning and end of this blog. She has an eye for photography and backs me up when I cannot take the pictures.  If you're a visitor to this blog, don't be a stranger! Guests are dropping in regularly now, coming back again and even joining. There's no pressure to come and see if we're a good fit for what you want to achieve. Let us know how you want to be supported!
OUR UPCOMING 2019 MEETINGS:
Wed., Feb. 6 - Conference Room B Wed., Feb. 20 - Conference Room B
Wed., Mar. 6 - Conference Room B
Wed., Mar. 20 - 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
President and Blogger for Peace Speakers
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