Area A1 and A5 contest results !

A great time was had by all who attended the contests on April 1st, 2008, at
Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Area A5 held their contest prior to the Area A1 contest and the winners are....

Area A5
1st Place Tall Tales:
Neal Marsh, Arlington Rotary Toastmasters

1st Place International:
Michael Casale, Marist College Toastmasters

Picture (l-r): Neal Marsh - A5 Tall Tales winner, Janice Parker (Area A5 Governor), Michael Casale - A5 Intl. winner.

Area A1's winners included:

Area A1 Tall Tales Winners:
2nd Runner-up: Brian Prasky
1st Runner-up: Richard Basener
1st Place: John Thayer

Picture (l-r): Richard Basener, Brian Prasky, John Thayer,Mike Ruppert (Area A1 Governor).


Area A1 International Speech Winners:
2nd Runner-up: Deanna Dunn
1st Runner-up: Thomas Franklin
1st Place: Daniel Daly


Picture (l-r): Deanna Dunn, Thomas Franklin, Daniel Daly, Mike Ruppert (Area A1 Governor).


Larger versions of the photos on this page can be downloaded using the links below:

http://www.notewordy.com/Toastmasters/Spring08_A1_Intl_winners.jpg

http://www.notewordy.com/Toastmasters/Spring08_A1_TallTales_winners.jpg

http://www.notewordy.com/Toastmasters/Spring08_A5_winners.jpg

April Fools !

You know the great thing about blogs on April Fools Day?

Google indexes blogs in about 5 minutes so you are able to use a blog to pull an April Fools or practical joke on someone.

The key is to use a unique search term or string of words that is unique so that your post will come up first when your "victim" searches to get the "real story".

This way the "April Fools" moment is presented through the use of a Google search instead of in person!

Let's try a District 53 Toastmasters example... hmm, who should be our "target"?

Someone with a sense of humor, of course.

Someone who perhaps does not read this blog as often as he or she should ... what better way to introduce them to the Divison A blog?

How about Colleen Yarter and Bruce Cornwell, the co-chairs for the Fall '07 conference last November in Fishkill, NY?

So, to get it started, I will put variations of the "key phrase" which we will use for the joke into this blog post...

Things like "Colleen Yarter named Best Toastmaster Ever" or "Bruce Cornwell selected Best Toastmaster Ever" or "Colleen Yarter, Best Toastmaster Ever" or "Bruce Cornwell, Best Toastmaster Ever" or "Yarter & Cornwell named BTE!"

... with these specific phrases, the odds are good that my blog post will pop up at the top of a Google search for those exact terms (or very similar)!

We can also improve my chances by adding tags such as "Bruce Cornwell", "Colleen Yarter", BTE, Best Toastmaster Ever and Toastmasters.

Let's try it .... (I just posted this and will wait a few minutes to see if the Google search works).

It worked ! Now to put our plan into action with a telephone call or email ....

April Fools, Bruce & Colleen ... from Division A !!!

Seriously though... Thank you Bruce & Colleen for all your work on the Fall '07 conference and we hope you will take on new leadership opportunities in the coming year !

P.S. Darren LaCroix also has a sense of humor... check out today's post on his blog and be sure to wish him luck with his Disc Golf resort ...

http://www.humor411.com/blog/2008/04/im-quitting-toastmasters-and-presentation-coaching/

P.P.S. Even Google themselves are getting into the act... Check out their new "GMail Custom Time" feature which "utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality" so your emails can go back in time. Pretty neat!

Toastmasters: The Renewals are Coming! The Renewals are Coming!

From: Steve Gondek
Subject: Toastmasters: The Renewals are Coming! The Renewals are Coming!

It has been 232 years and 336 days since Paul Revere took his historic ride.
(Can you believe that I actually looked this up online just for this
e-mail?) Why was the Revolutionary War so successful?

One reason, I believe, is that Paul Revere gave the American settlers a head start. As leaders within Toastmasters, you also have the opportunity to create similar success by giving your respective clubs a head start on paying their renewals.

How can you help your clubs succeed? By alerting them that The Renewals are Coming, The Renewals are Coming!

Motivation an issue for your clubs? Let's try this:

First Area to complete all their clubs dues gets a $50 gift certificate for
their Area!

First Division to complete their clubs dues will have all members of the
division put in a drawing for one free ticket to the Spring Conference*!

Of course, recognition during the Spring Conference* will be a given, for
those of you who like to "rub it in!"

So...Get galloping and notify your Area Governors to contact all of their
respective clubs to get their Renewals ball rolling and remember, when all
else fails, get at least get 6 members renewed and it still counts, not to
mention you'll still receive credit towards DCP Points!!!

As always, please let me know if anyone needs help.

Steve Gondek
Dues Coordinator
District 53

*The District 53 Spring Conference will be held on Saturday, May 17th in
Holyoke, MA.

The Conference committee has selected the following theme:
Pioneer Leadership Spirit ~ Explore New Possibilities.

The objectives of the District Conference are to expand on the Toastmaster speaker and leader as a Pioneer; e.g. finding methods to help members further their public speaking abilities and pioneering new public speaking technologies in our business and entertaining presentations.

http://www.district53toastmasters.org/D53Spring08ConfRegForm.pdf Register Today and Save!

TV series based on the Division A-Team?

In case you have not seen enough of the Division A-Team... you can now watch the old TV series "A-Team" on NBC .com !




Just thought that all of you in Division A would want to know !

P.S. The "A-team" is coming to your club... Area Governors will be making visits to clubs in their area in April (if they have not already). If you have any questions, be sure to ask them !

Toastmasters on TV! (and a quick reminder...)

Did everyone see the commercial for Hilton Garden Inns that mentions Toastmasters?

If not, here is a link to a copy of it on YouTube.com!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtIQqroy1XQ

On a related(?) note... and if you have not heard about it already, District 53 is working on a Word-of-mouth Marketing campaign to get the word out about Toastmasters to all Human Resources Professionals.

We will be sending out an email on April 8th to as many members in our district as possible and will be asking each of us to forward it along to any Human Resource Professional that we know in time for "HR Day" on April 9th. (District 53 Toastmasters is declaring this date in honor of Human Resources Professionals and the work they do to develop people within their companies.)

There will also be a press release going out to major media outlets (as identified by your Area Governors) prior to the email, but the real key to the campaign will be the personally forwarded emails. We are hoping to leverage the Toastmasters "word-of-mouth" network within District 53 to increase awareness within all types and sizes of companies!

Special thanks for this effort goes out to our new PRO, Angela Lussier; our LGM, Marsha Kiley; our District Governor, Will Ryan; our new webmaster, Geoff Thomas, and all of the Area and Division Governors who helped.

If there are any questions or suggestions, please let me know or give me a call. We are still working on a number of components (press release, web page, etc.) so if you would like to help, please send me an email separately.

Daring to Believe ... that more people will know about Toastmasters!

Dave Wheeler
Div. A Governor, 2006-8
Candidate for LGM, 2008-9
email address: theshot92 [at] gmail.com

Advanced Toastmasters mtg. Thurs.3/27 at Ridgefield (CT) Library

Greetings Advanced Toastmasters & guests!

This note is a reminder from the Toastmaster for the upcoming meeting, Paul Tanner (in case you need time to prepare a presentation). The meeting is on Thursday evening, March 27.

As this club has flexibility, the presentation can be a:

o manual speech

o presentation at work to colleagues, customer, or prospect

o any other public speaking presentation you would like to practice

According to The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters by Dr. Brad McRae and David Brooks (page 206):

Most presenters overprepare on content and underprepare on delivery. To counteract this natural tendency, … (use these) five principles for effective rehearsals:

1. Test early, test often

2. Simulate the setting and audience as closely as possible

3. Conduct dry runs

4. Test on mixed audiences

5. Look at the presentation from a fresh perspective

Please let me know whether you would like to present and receive objective feedback.

Also, let me know if you are interested in conducting a table topics session. It too can be flexible and creative, with a more workshop style focusing on speaking technique, or traditional.

Other key roles will be assigned at the meeting.

Thank you,

Paul Tanner

spaultanner@hotmail.com

Advanced Toastmasters Club

Ridgefield Library

4^th Thursday of March... 3/27

7:15 – 8:45pm

We will meet on Thursday March 27th in the "History Room" at the Ridgefield Public Library starting at 7:15pm. Ridgefield library is located at 472 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877 click here for a map showing the location. In the case of inclement weather, you can call the library at (203) 438-2282 to see if they will be open. My cell phone is also provided at the bottom of this email.

Directions are available on the library's web site: http://www.biblio.org/rdgfldpages/direct.htmÂ

At the meeting we will have a quick review of our plans for the 2nd "Battle of the Border" event on April 24th in the BIG room!


UPcoming meeting dates: (4th Thurs. of each month)
Thursday Mar. 27th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs)

Thursday Apr. 24th, 2008 (BIG Dayton Room, main floor)
- Battle of the Border II - "The Return of District 46"
Thursday May 22th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs)

Thursday Jun 26th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs)

Important Story tips for contestants....

If you watched the video in the previous post you were introduced to some of the basic elements of storytelling.

The video below is even MORE IMPORTANT ... especially for Speech contestants!

The key to stories is CONNECTION.
Doug Stevenson makes a great point ...

... Connection must come before CONTENT!

And if you are going to have a winning speech, you need to make that connection!

Storytelling using "The Story Theater Method"

I found the video below via SixMinutes.com (which referred to John Kinde's blog) ... the YouTube video (see below) gives a great example of a story framework (and the speech also has each part LABELED! as he is doing it which makes it easy to understand the structure).

It is about 10 minutes long... but it goes by fast (probably because it is a well developed story).

Enjoy!

Add Surveys to your website ...

There is a neat site that offers to create free surveys that you can place on your website... www.vizu.com.

While the sample survey below is kind of silly, I think you will find vizu.com surveys to be a useful (and simple) tool for gathering opinions of visitors to your website or blog!

(and if you do try the survey below, please click on "Wheels"... it will let him help him become the "funniest comic on the internet").

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Looking for the right word? And fun?

Many of us have a thesaurus built into our word processing software and maybe we even use it occasionally to find "just the right word" so why would someone build a site based on a visual representation of a thesaurus?

I don't know ... but I'm glad they did! Check out visuwords.com and see what I mean. You can input words and the relationship with other related words is presented to you in a "Spiderweb" format.

But where is the fun in that? (I knew you would ask that!)

Once you have your spiderweb diagram... you can move it around, pull it stretch it and generally play with it like an on-screen slinky ! You can zoom in or out (I was able to do this with the scroll wheel on my mouse... not sure how you would do it if you don't have that).

In addition to the "Slinky effect", the key below the picture gives you more information about what all the different colors and shapes mean. There is alot of information in each diagram and the "random" button gives you a chance to learn some new words (or at least understand them better).

Next... try double-clicking on one of the other words in the web. I've found that not all of the words can be expanded into a new sub-web, but many can ... which grows your choice of words for your next speech !

Now there is no reason to just "tell" your audience when you could "impart" or "disclose" or "indicate" or "you-get-the-point"!

Try it out ! click here

Speech Contest tips... from SixMinutes.com

SixMinutes.com is fast becoming one of my favorite blogs!

Check out this article about how to win a Toastmasters Speech Contest !

Great suggestions !

I hope to see everyone at the Area Contests on April 1st (Areas A1,A3, A4A5) and on April 2nd (Area A2). Dates and times are listed on this blog in a previous post.

Judges and other role players are still needed for these contests. Contact your Area Governor for more information.

Happy Competition !

St.Pauls Minn. Mayor BLASTED for speaking without notes!

I saw this article and could not help commenting on it...

The title, "Mayor Coleman wings it for State of the City speech" is a horrible misrepresentation of the facts that are presented in the article and it shows an incredible lack of appreciation for what goes into a public speech that connects with an audience.

When someone delivers an important speech from minimal notes it either means one of two things.

The opinion of the article's author seems to be that the Mayor did NOT prepare and he infers that the Mayor doesn't know much about public speaking since "winging a speech" rarely works. People who do not speak in public are prone to "winging it" and I would have to guess that a Mayor has at least a little experience speaking in public.

More experienced speakers know their subject and have prepared enough that they don't need a script to get in the way of their connection with the audience.

Isn't this what we want from our politicians?

How often do we see a Mayor who knows enough about what is going on in the city to deliver his state of the city speech with minimal notes and obviously cares enough to relate to his audience on a personal basis.

In this cynical political world... THAT IS NEWS !

Perhaps the author should attend Toastmasters and learn about what really goes into public speaking ... or the editor should do a better job of making sure that headlines match the content instead of relying on a quip from the Mayor's staff!

What do you think? Please leave your comments below.

2008 Toastmasters International Convention & Hotels

From: Roger H Brown, PDG
Date: Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 9:02 AM
Subject: 2008 TI Convention Hotels

Plan to attend the 77th Annual Toastmasters International Convention
at the TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Mark your calendar: August 13 - 16, 2008!

2008 Toastmasters International Convention Hotels

Enjoy a special discounted group rate for Toastmasters in one of our three partner hotels. Beginning April 1, you will be able to reserve a guest room.

Choose from three great hotels in Calgary, Alberta:

Hyatt Regency Calgary [ #4 on map below ]

(TI Convention Headquarter Hotel)

700 Centre St SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 5P6
T: 403.717.1234

http://calgary.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/

Marriott Calgary [ #5 on map below ]

110 Ninth Ave SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G 5A6
T: 403.266.7331

http://www.calgarymarriott.com/

The Fairmont Palliser [ #3 on map below ]

133 9th Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P2M3
T: 403. 262.1234

http://www.fairmont.com/palliser

The Hyatt Regency Calgary has been designated as the headquarter hotel for the 77th Annual International Convention. The main convention activities will take place at the TELUS Convention Centre.

Calgary TELUS Convention Centre [ #7 on map below ]

120 Ninth Ave SE, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2G OP3

Main 1.403.261.8500, Toll Free 1.800.822.2697

http://www.calgary-convention.com/

Landmark Calgary Tower [ #2 on map below ]

101 - 9th Ave SW, Calgary AB Canada T2P 1J9

http://www.calgarytower.com/

The Calgary Tower was built and opened in 1968. At 190 metres (626 feet) in height, this was once the tallest building in Calgary's skyline. The Observation Terrace offers panoramic views of the city, and a glass floor allows visitors to stand 160 metres (525 feet) above the street. Also located at the top of the tower is a gift shop, Tops Bar and Grill and the revolving Panorama Dining Room, open for lunch and dinner. The tower and the observation deck are open daily. The Tourism Calgary Information Centre is located at the base of the Tower.

Editor's note:

A special thanks to Roger for providing a picture for those of us who will be arriving at the conference via parachute! Be sure to pack your chute carefully and remember ... the buildings won't have numbers on them like in Roger's picture ! :))

Div.A's Walter Beveridge named D53 Conference Dean

From: Will Ryan, District 53 Governor
Date: Feb 18, 2008 2:43 PM

Dear District 53 Leaders,

I'm pleased to announce that Walter Beveridge has been appointed as our first Conference Dean. He'll be working on our Fall '08 and Spring '09 Conferences.

Responsibilities for this new position are listed below. Special thanks go to Karin von Kaenel for creating this new position.

District Conference Dean

This is a multi-year assignment and is intended to provide support and continuity to our conference committees. The Conference Dean is somebody who has experience with organizing a conference and can therefore give solid advice on how to proceed at each phase of the project. In addition, the Dean advises the LGET on the process of organizing and conducting conferences:

· Points the conference team to existing helpful material (previous budget, agenda, spreadsheets, etc.)

· Links the new team to previous teams

· Meets regularly with the conference team to track progress and answer questions

· Apprises the LGET of potential problems.

Will Ryan DTM
District 53 Toastmasters
District Governor
2007 - 2008 "Dare to Believe"

Division A Contest Schedule of Events

Spring Schedule of Contests in Div.A....

Area A5 Contest will be held at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday 4/1

Ulrich Conference Room in Dyson Building,

Contest starts shortly after Area A1 contest. Contact your area governor for estimated

start time or just show up at 6pm and be there for both contests!

Area A4 Contest will be held at the Stony Hill Firehouse in Bethel, CT on Tuesday 4/1
59 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801 (click here for a map.)

Contestants, Judges & other roles at 6pm for briefings

Contest starts at 7pm

Area A3 Contest will be held at the Gardnertown (NY) United Methodist Church on Tues. 4/1,
7pm contestants, judges & other roles, 7:30 start
(also hosting the Div.A contest... see below for address)

Area A2 Contest will be held at Guideposts, 39 Seminary Hill Road, Carmel NY.
Hosted by Putnam Speaks Toastmasters on Wed. April 2nd.
7pm contestants, judges & other roles, 7:30 start

Area A1 Contest will be held at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY on Tuesday 4/1

Ulrich Conference Room in Dyson Building,

Contestants, Judges & other roles at 6:00 p.m.

The Division A contest is in New York state this time !

DAY/DATE: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
TIME: Contestants, Judges & Roles at 7:00pm
Contest starts at 7:30pm
PLACE: Gardnertown United Methodist Church
1191 Union Ave., Newburgh, NY 12550
(click the linked text above for a map)

Next...

Battle of the Border 2 - The return of District 46 April 24th
Div.A winners & runner-ups compete against other Divisions and even contestants from another District in this repeat of last year's great event!
Date: Thursday, April 24th in the "Big ROOM" at the Ridgefield (CT)
Library with stage, lights & sound system to create a
"District-level" contest atmosphere!
Time: Contestants & role players arrive at 7pm, contest starts shortly after.

Culminating in ...
District 53 Spring Conference & Contests! May 17th
The Delaney House, Holyoke, MA
Sat. May 17th, 2008
more info. on the conference - click here !
Keep an eye on the Div.A blog for more details about a bus trip to the conference from Div.A - http://www.areaa4.blogspot.com/

Please keep in mind that this year, clubs in areas with 4 or fewer clubs can send TWO contestants to the area for each contest (4 contestants total). And, since all clubs in Div.A have 4 or fewer... more members get to experience the excitement of taking your club speech to the area level !

And don't forget about the trophies .... it would be great if there were no leftover trophies this contest season ! Please encourage all your members to consider a contest speech!

Dave Wheeler
Div.A Governor, 2006-8

Overcommunication???? At Toastmasters????

When I saw this post (click here) titled "7 ways to Overcommunicate Anything" over at Scott Ginsberg's blog, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Could that ever apply to a Toastmaster?!?"

We focus so much on improving our communication, it makes sense that we might sometimes "overshoot the mark" and continue communicating beyond the point when we are either effective ... or appreciated.

I have often told other Toastmasters that I am surprised that we don't get more people in Toastmasters who "just like to hear themselves talk"... you know the type... it is all about them and they are just waiting for an opportunity to talk (and not really listening). You would think that Toastmasters would be like honey to the bee for these types of speakers, but there are actually very few of them (in my experience) in Toastmasters.

Maybe it is like that joke... there is one in every crowd, and if you look around and don't see one... maybe it is you.

And I have to admit... I'm sure I fall into that trap... especially when I get really enthusiastic about some aspect of Toastmasters! (Editor's Note: Toastmasters are generally pretty forgiving on this fault!)

But, back to Scott's article... some of the things he points out...

You can talk too much.
Which means you’re not listening that much.

You can listen too actively.
Which comes off as annoying and fake.

You can ask too many questions.
Which turns you into an interrogator.

You can violate someone’s boundaries.
Which makes them feel uncomfortable.

Something to think about .... and something that can make you an even more effective communicator !

Toastmasters & Evaluations ....

One of the great parts of Toastmasters is the feedback you get on your speeches. Another is the encouraging atmosphere that makes it easy to try out and develop new skills.

As A.L.Williams once said, "Before you can be great, you have to be good. Before you can be good, you have to be bad. Before you can be bad, you have to try." It all begins with getting up there and trying and not being perfect and learning from the experience.

The cartoon to the right is an excerpt from the full Dilbert cartoon (click here)... and I thought it captured the spirit of helpful evaluations & suggestions that you get at Toastmasters. (The only part that is missing are the "motion marks" around Dogbert's tail to show that he is happy to give advice!)

On a more serious note... there have been some great posts at a blog called "Six Minutes"...

Speech Analysis Series: Modified Sandwich Technique for Evaluations

• The Basic Sandwich Technique for Evaluations
• Weaknesses of the Basic Sandwich Technique
• A Modified Sandwich Technique
• The Whitewash Evaluation
• The False Praise Evaluation
• The All-Criticism Evaluation
• The Narrow Evaluation
• The Layered Evaluation

Speech Analysis Series: Evaluation Forms, Tools, and Resources

• Speech Evaluation Form
• Why this speech evaluation tool may work for you…
• An alternate speech evaluation template…
• Critiquing a Speech: Advice from the Blogosphere and Beyond

Speech Analysis Series: Toastmasters Evaluation Contests

• How a Toastmasters Evaluation Contest Works
• Why You Should Attend a Toastmasters Evaluation Contest
• Why You Should be a Toastmasters Evaluation Contest Test Speaker
• Why You Should Compete in a Toastmasters Evaluation Contest
• How to Win a Toastmasters Evaluation Contest

Evaluations are an important part of the "Toastmasters experience" and the better each of us is at giving evaluation, the better evaluations we can give and more everyone will learn about public speaking !

Note: The Fall 2008 Contests in District 53 are Evaluations and Humorous ... so it is not too early to start developing your evaluation skills!

Possible Bus Trip from Div. A to Spring Conference !

Greetings A-Team !

Did you enjoy the Fall conference? Do you know of any members that heard about it but regretted not being able to attend?

What if there was a way that they didn't have to drive all the way to Holyoke, MA to attend the upcoming Spring conference on May 17th?

Mike LaFountain (over in Area A3) has offered to put together a bus trip to the Spring Conference (assuming we have enough interest).

The trip would include transportation from Div.A, an overnight stay at a hotel near the conference on Friday night and transportation back at the end of the conference (late Sat.night).

His initial investigation was that the hotels closest to the conference were rather expensive ($180/night?) so he is hoping to find something "close enough" ... but more reasonably priced. (If he has a whole bus load... we might be able to get a group discount!)

He estimates that the overall trip price (not including conference registration) would be around $150-200 and given the price of gas and hotels, that sounds like a pretty good deal.

Which brings me to my request ... Please send an email to your Division or Area Governor to let us know how many people from your club are definitely interested in participating in this bus trip?

Please leave your comments on this blog and we will total them up and give Mike a number to work with by March 15th.

If you have ever carpooled to a Toastmasters event, I'm sure you know that the ride can be as much fun as the event !

If there are any questions... please me know.

Thanks,

Dave Wheeler

Div.A Governor, 2006-8

On Fri, Feb 22, 2008 at 11:35 PM,

Michael LaFountain wrote:

Dave,

Regarding the bus trip to Holyoke, can you please enquire of the other Division A clubs (I don't have all of the emails) and ask for ballpark numbers?

I'd like to have an idea by say March 15th at the latest. No one will need to commit until I get exact prices. I'm estimating that transportaion and lodging will run between $150 and $200. I was thinking maybe you could
ask the Area Governors to ask their Clubs and then get back to you, then you can get back to me.

I think we should make an effort to show them how good Division A is.

Mike

Atrophy or "A Trophy" - Your choice!

Speaking skills are like muscles and speech contests are like barbells.

(I got this idea from a Toastmaster in Las Vegas, Steve Pavlina)

You are either getting stronger ... or you are getting weaker. When was the last time that you stretched your speaking muscles?

If a muscle is not used, it gets smaller and weaker. This is called "atrophy".

Based on the participation level in the Fall contests, there are some areas where all you have to do is stand on your feet and meet the time guidelines and you would get a trophy!

If you actually stretched your speaking skills (and maybe did a manual speech at the same time), you might even take home first place !

The choice is yours. Get Better or Worse. There is no "status quo"!

*********************************************

Club contests must be completed by March 21, 2008.

Area Contests must be completed by April 11, 2008.

Div.A contest will be held prior to April 24th (date TBD)

The Battle of the Border event in Ridgefield, CT will be held on April 24th.

District 53 conference and contests will be on May 17th at the Delaney House in Holyoke, MA.

Div.A Toastmasters In The News !

Nara Venditti, a member of DiversityUSA Advanced Toastmasters club, Barnum Square Toastmasters, Wooster Heights Toastmasters, was featured in an article titled, "Helping Fellow Immigrants Succeed" in the latest Toastmasters Magazine.




If you have not gotten your copy of the magazine yet, it should be in the mail and on it's way to all current Toastmasters members !





Congratulations Nara !

Div.A Toastmaster In The News!

The Danbury News Times ran an article on Monday Feb.11th, 2008 featuring Dave Wheeler along with quotes by WestConn Toastmasters club president, Croix Sather.

Click here to see the whole article.

Note: We have been told that the News-Times does not keep articles on the web forever... so if it does not show up, send an email to Dave at theshot [at] gmail.com and he will figure out a way to send you a copy.

Speech of a Lifetime - Dr. Randy Pausch of CMU

Have you ever considered what speech you would give if you only had a limited amount of time left to live?

Carnegie Mellon University had a series that they called "Last Lectures" and recently Professor Randy Pausch gave a speech where he really did have a limited time to live. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given only a few months to live... and his lecture (all 76 minutes) is an incredible glimpse into his life, his dreams and his philosophy for living.

The YouTube.com video below is the full 76 minute speech and, while he talks about many things, the greatest part of the speech is his humor. It would be very easy to get "deep" and melodramatic with this type of speech, but Randy does a great job of "introducing the elephant in the room" and then giving an excellent speech anyways!

It is well worth the time to watch! (I have also included the 10 minute version that was on Oprah... but it has much less impact.)





Click here if you have a problem with the above linked image.

10 minute version of the speech on Oprah:





The video below is a great speech by Coach Jimmy Valvano at the ESPY's awards. It is in the same theme ... Jimmy V had cancer at the time.

Editor's note: Dave Wheeler ran in the triathlon that benefitted the Jimmy V Foundation in North Carolina a number of times and that was where he first heard of the his motto... "Never give up. Never, ever give up." (which is a great motto for life... but even more so if you are running a triathlon in the July heat).

If you are wondering how Randy is doing now... click here for his medical update blog.

What if your club had a "Last Lecture" meeting where the speakers gave "the last speech of their life"? Or TableTopics questions focused on what lessons you have learned in your life?

Don't you think that it would be a great event and you would learn alot about life from your fellow Toastmasters?

Please leave a comment here or, if there is a problem leaving a comment, send your comments to theshot92 [at] gmail.com and we will post them for you.

What is it like for a First Time Toastmasters Guest?

Wayne Botha, District 53 - Area B2 Governor, wrote an interesting blog post about the experience of a First Time visitor to a Toastmasters meeting. Click here to find out how a visitor is similar to the view of a hunter in tall grass.... and how that relates to the picture to the right (courtesy of Wikipedia).

When was the last time you remembered what if felt like to be a first time guest? How overwhelming it can seem... everyone seems to know what is supposed to happen at the meeting and everyone knows everyone else, but you.

If we don't make a real effort to 1) make the guest feel welcome (by using the interpersonal communication skills we developed at Toastmasters) and 2) explain the organization of the meeting and terms we use such as TableTopicsMaster or CC or DCP. A guest might think..."What the heck is that???" and if he or she does not have someone that they feel comfortable asking about it... they might not come back or join.

Toastmasters has so much to offer... don't let your guests down by not giving them the information and support they need to take the first step !

[d53toastmasters] Div B Sponsored Winter 2008 Officer Training

From: Roger H Brown
Date: Feb 8, 2008 8:21 AM
Subject: d53toastmasters Div B Sponsored Winter 2008 Officer Training

Please extend this invitation to all Toastmaster Club Officers and leaders. Officers from any Division are welcome to attend.

What: Division B Sponsored Winter 2008
Officer Training & Leadership Exchange.

When: Saturday, February 16, 2008
9:00 AM - Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:30-11:30 AM - Training Sessions and Forums

Where: Rensselaer At Hartford, Rooms 200 and 201
275 Windsor Street, Hartford CT
http://hartford.freetoasthost.org/directions.html

Fee: $2 for Continental Breakfast

Please RSVP with Name, Club Name and Number, and current club office to DivB53@district53toastmasters.org or MichaelA53 [at] sbcglobal.net by February 13th.
The agenda for the second round training events will go beyond the basic roles and responsibilities of seven Club Officers.

Significant time will be spent on the exchange* of ideas and experiences of Club
leadership* team (officers).
See: http://www.district53toastmasters.org/training.html

Do you have Questions?
Please contact Div B Governor Michael Aron, ACS, ALB at DivB53@district53toastmasters.org

* lead·er·ship
1. The position or office of a leader: ascended to the leadership of the Toastmasters club.
2. Capacity or ability to lead: showed strong leadership during her first 6 months as President.
3. A group of leaders: met with the leadership team of the Toasty Toastmasters Club.
4. Guidance; direction: The club membership prospered and met their educational goals under the leadership of the new VP Education.

* ex·change
1. To give in return for something received; trade:
exchange two Advanced Communicator manuals for
two Competent Communicator manuals; exchanging
Youth Leadership presentation visuals/slides for
Speechcraft visuals/slides.
2. To give and receive reciprocally; interchange:
exchange of meeting resources; exchange programming
ideas.

Q&A: Speech Credits and Educational Awards

Mike Aron, Div. B Governor, provides the following insights...

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Aron
Date: Feb 5, 2008 12:07 AM
Subject: Speech Credits and Educational Awards

Fellow Toastmasters,

I know this was discussed on the D53Toastmasters Yahoo group before, but I have some definitive answers from Toastmasters.

At the Division B Mid Winter Leadership exchange the following questions came up.

1. When you give a speech, can you have the same speech evaluated for one of the usual speech manuals AND for either projects 4 or 5 of the Competent Leader manual or must these be done separately?

Answer from Toastmasters: If a member is working out of the Competent Leadership manual and wants to fulfill the role of Speaker, he/she may get credit for giving a manual speech. Under this circumstance only can a member receive double creditfor one speech. Remember, the speech must still be evaluated both orally and in writing.

2. I understand that you can't get multiple credits for the same "performance" of a speech, but can you give a single speech multiple times and each time use it for different manual projects, each time emphasizing different aspects of the speech? For example, when using it for CC Manual project #4 (How to Say It) one could concentrate on the wording of the speech. Then, at a different meeting, when using it for project #5 (YourBody Speaks) one would concentrate on the gestures of the speech.

Answer from Toastmasters: Giving the same speech to meet several manual projects is the choice of the member. We do not have any rule against it, however, it is recommended a new speech be written for each manual project. It helps both the speaker and audience learn from each presentation.

Michael Aron
Division B Governor
__,_._,___

Officer Training # 2 is RESCHEDULED !!!

The officer training originally scheduled for tonight, Feb.4th, has been rescheduled to Feb. 20th at the same place and time by the organizer, Area A3 Governor, Ozgur Turkmen.

John Capen, President of Orange County Toastmasters, will be at the church in case someone shows up. Sorry for the short notice.

Dave Wheeler
Div.A Governor, 2006-8

Toastmasters Contests Conference Call - Mon., 2/11, 8-9pm

Fellow Toastmasters,

Contest season is coming up - Hurray!

To ensure we'll have lots of fun and no problems, our District Chief Judge, David Freedman, is offering to host a phone conference on Monday, 2/11, 8pm-9pm.

Conference Dial-in Number: (712) 432-1100
Host Access Code: 365780*
Participant Access Code: 365780#

We invite all of you to attend.

Also, please ensure that all of your clubs are aware of this opportunity to learn more about organizing a contest so they can run successful club level contests before March 21.

This spring, we'll have the following contests:

- Tall Tales speech contest: any member in good standing from a club in good standing can participate and give a 3-5 minute speech.

- International Speech contest: any member in good standing from a club in good standing can participate as long as the member has completed 6 speeches in the basic CC manual; the length of the speech is 5-7 minutes.

The winners of the Club contests will compete at the Area level, the winners of the Area level will compete at the Division level, and the winners of the Division level will compete at the District level.

The Tall Tales contest ends at the District level but the International Speech contest will go to the Regional level and then to the International stage in August in Calgary, Canada.

If any one of your clubs' members is unsure as to whether they should compete, please refer them to the articles in the Summer Yankee Activator describing the advantages of competing:
http://www.district53toastmasters.org/YankeeActivator/YA07_summer.pdf

I hope to talk with all of you on Monday, February 11, at 8pm!

Have a great week!

Best regards,

Karin von Kaenel, Lt.Gov. Education & Training, 2007-8

Div.A Mid-Winter Training results (Session 1)

Below are some observations about the first Leadership Exchange we had for Div. A ....

We had the Div.A Mid-Winter Leadership Exchange Tuesday night and we also had one person from District 46 who joined us !

This session was set up as a "case study" exercise (with some time for networking thrown in). Socially Speaking Toastmasters were the featured club and, after I explained the format to everyone, we started out with a panel discussion to learn more about Socially Speaking TM's situation.

After the panel discussion (no questions from the audience), the attendees broke into two groups to discuss recommendations for Socially Speaking. The groups were good mixes of different clubs so there were a wide range of ideas and perspectives.

After the discussion, we came back together for follow-up questions from the two groups. After the questions, we took a break and went directly into a "presentation preparation" session so each group could finalize their recommendations to Socially Speaking.

The presentations were under 10 minutes each (actually they could probably have been under 7 minutes) and after that, I interviewed Socially Speaking officers to get their reaction to the presentations and to see if the recommendations matched what they expected (they didn't).

The whole evening was very positive and when I asked how many people would like to do this format again next year, nearly all hands went up !

It seems like it was a success ! (And Pat Wilson-Perkins did a great job getting the facility and providing refreshments.)

Of course the proof will be whether things change for Socially Speaking based on the recommendations. They have their regular meeting tonight so it will be interesting to see what they will do !

Next session is on Feb.4th at John Capen's church and we are still looking for a "featured club" !
Details & directions can be found on our blog, http://www.areaa4.blogspot.com/.

Hope you can come !

Dave Wheeler
Div.A Governor, 2006-8
Candidate for Lt.Gov.Marketing, 2008-9


On Jan 24, 2008 Will Ryan wrote:

Thanks, Dave. I'm sorry the weather got in the way of my being with you. It sounds like the evening was a big success and I acknowledge you for taking risks in trying something new. Do you have a list of recommendations for Socially Speaking? If so, this might be very helpful for Club Rescue.

Will

On Jan.24th, Dave Wheeler wrote...

Will,

Socially Speaking took copious notes from the presentations as well as the brainstorming sheets from each group's flipchart... but I do not have a list of recommendations. Part of the beauty of the exercise was that it was custom tailored to Socially Speaking and the recommendations might not necessarily apply to other club's situation.

In fact, some of the common answers that I expected, e.g. SpeechCraft or other events, did not even make it to the final presentations. Both presentations focused on the club having a clear mission and character / culture so that they could better identify where new (long term) members would come from !

It was very interesting and I hope you can make it to the next session on Feb.4th in Newburgh, NY to see it in person!

Talk with you soon,

Dave Wheeler

Advanced TM meeting is ON for Thurs.1/24 at Ridgefield Library

Greetings Advanced Toastmasters & guests!

We WILL be meeting tonight (Jan.24th) in the "History Room" at the Ridgefield Public Library starting at 7:15pm. Ridgefield library is located at 472 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877 click here for a map showing the location.

In the case of inclement weather, you can call the library at (203) 438-2282 to see if they will be open. My cell phone is also provided at the bottom of this email.

Dave Wheeler
Division A Governor, 2006-8
theshot92@gmail.com
860-309-0070 (cell)

UPcoming meeting dates: (4th Thurs. of each month)
Thursday Jan. 24th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs) - Guest night
Thursday Feb. 28th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs)
Thursday Mar. 27th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs) - Contests(?)
Thursday Apr. 24th, 2008 (BIG Dayton Room, main floor) - Battle of the Border II - "The Return of District 46" Thursday May 22th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs)
Thursday Jun 26th, 2008 (History Room, upstairs)

The other side of speaking.... Listening!

Scott Ginsberg (the nametag guy & approachability expert) had an interesting post about "Listening" that could be valuable for Toastmasters.

Have you ever considered how the other person in the conversation feels when you are talking? What are you thinking when they are talking?

Scott's article provides 8 practices to help you avoid "Conversational Narcissm" or being more into yourself instead of really listening to, and relating to, the other person. Below are an abridged version of his 8 practices ...

1. Watch your intent. First, beware of listening for selfish reasons.

2. Switch the spotlight. Give THEM the glory. REMEMBER: Listening isn’t about you. And your words need to reinforce that principle.

3. Silently check yourself. In the back of your mind (while still
listening, of course), find a way to keep yourself accountable.

4. Don’t add too much value. Trust in your ability to add value AFTER (not during) the listening process. Resist the temptation to hijack the conversation by matching or one-upping people’s points, or by trying to solve the problem too quickly.

5. Open the space. Part of your role as the listener is to make room (both physically and emotionally) in the conversation. Your best practice for this principle is the strategic use of silence. This lets the other person fill in the empty spaces AND enables him to set the pace of the conversation. ... And
“silence is golden” because it helps the other person articulate their most precious emotions. So, your goal is to become more comfortable with silence.

6. Be mindful of ownership. Don’t take over people’s problems. That’s not your job.

7. Listening is NOT a performance. Listening is about temporarily suspending your need for self-expression. So, don’t use what people say as triggers for your own jokes. Listening takes, among many things, self-control. One of my favorite rules is: Acknowledge, then shut up! SO REMEMBER: Take in;
don’t take over.

8. Recognize and return. Notwithstanding the first seven suggestions on this list, it’s still nearly impossible to avoid ALL traces of conversational narcissism. So, the secret is to recognize when you feel yourself being pulled
into narcissistic territory. That way you can correct it, then pass the conversation back to the other person.

.... Start growing bigger ears today!

Scott's full article has a number of great examples for each of the 8 steps and it can give Toastmasters another perspective... the perspective of the "audience" when you are having a conversation !

Re: Officer Training date for NY !

Special thanks to Area A3 Governor Ozgur Turkmen and (former Area A3 Governor), current Club President of Orange County Toastmasters, John Capen for scheduling and hosting, respectively, the 2nd training session.

Add it to your schedule!

Officers from other areas are welcome too !

The NY edition of the Div. A Mid-winter Leadership Exchange (officer training) will be held ...

Monday, Feb.4th

6:30-8:30pm at

Gardnertown United Methodist Church
1191 Union Ave.
Newburgh, NY 12550

Here's the link to the map of Methodist Church's location.

Now we just need to find a club whose officers are willing to be the "center of attention" for the case study approach. It should be a great experience for them and they will come back from this leadership exchange session with an incredible number of ideas to boost their club.

Let me know which club you think might be interested. If you want, feel free to have them contact me for more information about the process. I will be traveling all next week, so hopefully we can get it figured out this week.

Dave Wheeler

Div.A Governor, 2006-8
Candidate for Lt.Gov.Marketing, 2008-9

Google Search - death by public speaking

Roger Brown reminds us that public speaking is still dangerous....

From: Roger H Brown
Date: Jan 21, 2008 12:30 PM
Subject: Google Search - death by public speaking

Death By Public Speaking

This article contains information on public speaking, advice on how to achieve success with it, and why not to be scared of it. www.gapmanagement.co.uk/articles/article.asp?ref=43 - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

And THEN Try "died giving a speech"

9 Hits or 61 hits

Web	Results 1 - 9 of 9 for " died giving a speech". (0.26 seconds)

Velvetpark - Dyke Culture in Bloom » Blog Archive » Benazir Bhutto ...

She died giving a speech at the site where Pakistan's first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951. [ed note. we recieved this message ... www.velvetparkmedia.com/?p=507 - 44k - Cached - Similar pages

Delirium's Library: Reading London in its wounds

Tavistock Square, where my grandfather died, giving a speech to the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Russell Square, core of Modernist London, ... deliriumslibrary.blogspot.com/ 2005/07/reading-london-in-its-wounds.html - 23k - Cached - Similar pages

Daytona Beach News-Journal Online: Outdoors

The Tants expressed a firm belief in a connection between Will coming home when Tommydied, giving a speech to the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes ... blogs.news-journalonline.com/outdoors/ 2006/10/2005_tommy_tant_feature_tommy.html - 50k - Cached - Similar pages

Con Ideas « PFDebate Forums

mlk died giving a speech and riots aren't civil disobedience. Posted 6 days ago #. tpeters Member. Db8n4n6, I'm not sure what comment is directed at me. ... forums.pfdebate.com/topic/con-ideas/page/2 - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

Edequity On Line: [Fwd: Montreal/Killeen/Jonesboro vigils needed]

how Malcom X died giving a speech with warnings he was to be killed, but I was lucky because all of my adult life I have been nurtured by a veteran ... www2.edc.org/WomensEquity/edequity98/0460.html - 9k - Cached - Similar pages

[DOC]

© 2005 by Leo Poppoff

File Format: Microsoft Word - View as HTML It was not surprising that he died giving a speech in Montana on the impact of global warming on the Sierra. "In my last meeting with Dennis, he was beaming ... tahoe.usgs.gov/notes/basinwatch/basinwatch_031705.doc - Similar pages

sweatin it out on get over my fear of public speaking on 43 Things

... you hype yourself up to this huge misconception of how horrible you think it may be…when really i doubt anyone has died giving a speech. ... www.43things.com/entries/view/1108646 - 16k - Cached - Similar pages

The Lakewood Observer :: Read :: News :: Library :: Paul Stringer ...

It's about man who died giving a speech. He leaves four diamonds to his grandson that will make him a millionaire. It is a mystery. ... lakewoodobserver.com/read/news/ library/paul-stringer-the-wildcats-epiphany - 23k - Cached - Similar pages

In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 9 already displayed.
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