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The ToastMarch 2010

Out of their comfort zone:

Renee Isom & Mary Moeller

February Rewind

Be Unforgettable!

District News:Upcoming Contests!

Turning the Tables on Table

Topics

And much more...

Power Speakers of Manatee County Government News Mag

ToastmastersDistrict 47, Division F, Area 61Club #1197988Power Speakers of MCG

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Letter from the PresidentIf it’s not fun, it’s not Toastmasters!”

If you don’t like having fun then don’t come to Toastmasters, because here at Power Speakers of MCG, laughter is the secret ingredient to a successful meeting. We thrive on having fun while learning how to be great speakers.

Don’t worry about bombing a speech. If you do we are there to lift you up. After all it’s about learning and having fun doing it, all the while earning your certificates. Think about it: Does anyone ever look forward to spending time where the mood is boring? No, I think not!

Our meetings are fast paced and energetic which adds to the excitement. The variety of members also contributes to the fun. Each speaker gets to write their own speech according to the as-signment. The Table Topics Master develops their own questions in order to challenge members to think on their feet with a one

minute response. It’s also fun hearing evaluators take two minutes to evaluate a fellow mem-ber’s speech and then offer “gifts” for improving. Basically, you never know what you’re going to get.

I invite you to end your work week or better yet begin your weekend on a humorous note by joining us every Friday at the Public Works Building, Conference Room A from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. You won’t be sorry.

Allen BentleyAllen Bentley President

Power Speakers of MCG NewsTime to renew your membership!The payment deadline to renew Toastmaster memberships will be on Friday March 19. The membership fee (April - September) is $37 ($ 27 Toastmaster International dues and $10 Club dues). Contact Rossina Leider at 941 748 4801x6859 if you have any questions.

Congratulations!Congrats to Lana Gostkowski for obtaining her Competent Communicator award and Mary Moeller for obtaining her Advanced Leadership Bronze award!

Upcoming Meeting LocationsTo prepare Toastmasters to speak in a variety of settings aside from the standard confer-ence room, Power Speakers of MCG will be conducting their weekly meetings at different work sites in the County. Come by and visit us on:

March 26, 2010Utilities Building4410 66th Street WestBradenton, Florida 34210

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February RewindFebruary 5Best Speaker: Allen BentleyBest Table Topics: N/ABest Evaluator: Paul Johnson

February 12Guest Speaker

February 19Best Speaker: Olga WolaninBest Table Topics: Becky Cresswell and Stephanie MorelandBest Evaluator: Olga Wolanin

February 26Best Speaker: Mary MoellerBest Table Topics: NABest Evaluator: Becky Cresswell

Olga Wolanin Becky Cresswell

Stephanie Moreland Mary Moeller

Paul JohnsonAllen Bentley

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Topic: Who’s better, Cristiano Ronaldo or Fernando Torres?

Problem: Who cares? You don’t. You don’t have a clue who these people are and don’t care about soccer.

Solution: Find a pair of performers you be-lieve are worthy of comparing. Perhaps it’s Serena vs. Venus Williams in tennis, or opera singers Placido Domingo vs. Luciano Pava-rotti, or maybe even that classic debate of coffee vs. tea.

Dialogue. Also known as thinking out loud, use of dialogue involves asking rhetorical questions of your

audience as you reason together. You’re also probing for areas you know well enough to continue with, as well as areas that the audi-ence will react to. Consider this technique a closely monitored stream of consciousness.

Quotes, Jokes and Sayings (use what you know). Does the topic remind you of a quote? Or a joke? Or a saying?

You can latch onto that to jump-start your re-sponse. Remember, you’re buying time to think, brainstorm and draw the audience in, all at the same time.

The Monodrama. Take the audience into your mind as you reason, out loud, the answer to the question. Tell

us how you’d accomplish something or what you’d experience as something happens to you – from your travails as a tourist in an inhospitable country to preparing for your first blind date in years. Share your thoughts on the way to the altar or relive the most embar-rassing moment from your school days. Don’t just recount it; take us there, immerse us in the experience and relive it with your entire body.

MeMber Corner

Turning the Tables on Table Topicsby Craig harrison, dtMWe’ve all experienced the frustration of returning to our seats after delivering a less-than-stellar Table Topics response, only to realize how we should or could have answered the given topic.

To protect you from such encounters in the fu-ture, here are a dozen strategies you can em-ploy when responding to Table Topics. These are sure-fire frameworks for verbalizing your thoughts. With them, your impromptu battles will be won, and your tongue untied, as you learn how to turn the tables on tough topics.

Bridging. Bridging gets you from what you don’t know. . . to what you do know through the figurative build-

ing of a bridge a sentence you use to connect the unknown to the known. The sooner you build your bridge, the quicker you’ll be on safe ground.

Topic: Your car didn’t start this morning. How would you trouble-shoot it?

Problem: You as the respondent don’t have a mechanical bone in your body. You don’t even pump your own gas – you’re a nurse.

Solution: Find a way to “bridge” from what you don’t know (fixing cars) to what you do know (mending humans).

Response: “Not being a mechanic, I would imagine fixing a car to be like fixing a human. First you must diagnose the problem . .. ”

Reframing. Suppose you’re hit with a topic you just don’t like or one that’s not right for you. Don’t despair reframe

it as one you’d like to respond to. Redefine the topic as you believe it should be, or at least the way you’d like it to be. Keep the structure but alter the subject. Rephrase the question or even challenge it; explain why the question given is not the right question at all!

Craig Harrison, is the founder

of LaughLovers Toastmasters in

Oakland, CA.

DTM = Distinguished Toastmaster

Check out the second half of

“Turning the Table on Table Topics” in the

April edition of The Toast!

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guest Corner

Be Unforgettable!by eMily osburne, aCbHow much of your message will a typical audience member retain one day after hearing your speech?

One week later? One month later? One year later?

According to a Dun and Bradstreet study, 80 per-cent of the average speech will be forgotten within 24 hours. You have probably witnessed this phe-nomenon. You cheer for an impressive speech on Monday morning but by Tuesday afternoon, you struggle to recap the main points to a co-worker. You miss a Toastmasters meeting and although everyone agrees that Sam’s speech was top-notch, no one remembers his title two weeks later.

This low reten-tion rate could be caused by the large amount of informa-tion we all receive on a daily basis. Workforce maga-zine estimates that the average For-tune 1000 worker sends and receives 178 e-mails a day. Dharma Singh Khalsa, in his book Brain Longevity, writes that the aver-age American sees more than 16,000 advertise-ments a day. We are bombarded with informa-tion, so it’s our responsibility as speakers to make sure our listeners are not deleting our words like they disregard spam or throw out junk mail.

Even if a speech is delivered beautifully, with a thoughtful opening, body and conclusion, it can still be forgotten. Even if a speech is free of filler words like “um,” “ah” and “you know,” it can still be forgotten. Even if it’s interesting and relevant, it can still be forgotten.

The good news is that it is possible to stand out from all the mental noise. Here are a few simple tricks to help your overwhelmed audience retain the information you are presenting:

Start With a PictureOur brains have the ability to remember pictures more easily than words. Before de-veloping your speech, ask yourself, “What picture do I want to leave in the minds of the listeners?” Forget the famous “three points.” Your listeners can better remember one single picture.

For example, by the end of this article, I want you to remember how overwhelmed people are with data. So picture this: You’re sitting in a white room with stacks and stacks of paper. On each piece of paper is a fact that you have been told at some time in your life. As you rifle through the papers, you discover one sheet with a colorful picture of a lake resting beside a majestic mountain. Which piece of paper is likely to

take up permanent residence in your memory? The one with the picture is much easier to remember. You can apply that principle to speaking as well. Help your listeners by painting a picture with your words or even showing them a picture that de-scribes your topic.

Tell a StoryAnother way to stand out in the

minds of your listeners is through story-telling. Not all stories are created equal, though. According to Dan and Chip Heath, authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, your story will likely be retained if it is emotional and unex-pected. Emotions are the gatekeepers of the mind. The more emotional a moment, the more likely you are to remember it. That explains why most people remember their wedding day or where they were standing when they heard terrible, shocking news. Make sure that your story is a little bit more exciting than the listener’s everyday life. It can be thrilling, scary, shocking or even heartbreaking, but make sure it is not boring.

Check out the official

Toastmasters video.

ACB= Advanced

Communicator Bronze

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Lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to be vulner-able and openly share yourself and your story in your speech. The audience will respect, appreciate and remember you for it.

Audience ParticipationTo engage your audience members, thus stim-ulating their brains, craft interactive moments that require your audience to move, talk or role play. Involvement such as raising hands or signaling with “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” can be helpful. Ask your audience to make a decision or rate a favorite item or idea. Solicit

feedback that requires a thoughtful response or a healthy debate. Dis-agreement is better than dullness. Wake up those audience members with hands-on activities that require movement and interaction.

New InformationAvoid using examples and statistics that your audience is already fa-miliar with. As a speaker, you have probably heard something like this more than once: “Public speaking is ranked the highest fear among adults, even higher than the fear of death.” Though this is interesting, it is not unique. Put your own spin on an old quote. For example, you could add a tagline like: “I say pub-lic speaking is ranked the highest in fun among Toastmasters, even higher than the joy of ice cream.”

DevicesIn fourth-grade math class, I memorized the following sentence: “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.” This sentence helped me to re-member the order of operations, which are Pa-rentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction. If you provide the audience with more than three points, look for a mnemonic device to aid long-term memory.

Out-Think the CompetitionUrgency is the name of today’s game! We receive urgent e-mails. We send urgent over-night express deliveries. Our co-workers send us emergency text messages at all hours. Your speech is competing with the urgent messages floating around in the minds of your listeners. Make sure to show the audience why your message is urgent and relevant enough

to earn their attention, make them take notes and take up space in their brains.

Use RepetitionAdvertisers know that if you hear their short, silly jingle enough times, it will be ingrained in your memory. In fact, you can probably sing songs from commercials that have not aired in 10 years. Repetition works. The simpler the better. Repetition works. Try it. You will not be disappointed. Repetition works.

TriggersWhat is the likelihood that your audience mem-bers will even think about you after leaving the auditorium, classroom or conference room? Give your audience an assignment so they will reflect on what you have said shortly after hearing you. For example, I want you to think about this article whenever you watch a com-mercial on television. Ask yourself, “Which one of these techniques did the advertisers use?”

Did they flash memorable images in front of you or did they tell a story? Were they trying to bring in new information? Did they repeat their slogan more than once?

This small trigger reminds your brain to think of this article again. As a speaker, give your audiences a task so they will ponder your words again in the future.

It is estimated that more information has been generated in the past 30 years than has been generated in the 2,000 years before it. We have unofficially moved from the Information Age into the Information Overload Age. Your audience members are receiving messages via TV, radio, cell phone, Internet, publications and books on a regular basis. Their brains will naturally disregard anything that does not appear to be relevant.

So help them out! Make it easy for them to remember your message. Apply one or two of these tricks and your audience will remember you for a few weeks. Apply three or four, and they might remember you for a few months. Apply all eight tricks and your speech will stand out in the minds of your listeners for a lifetime.

Emily Osburne, is a member of Henry County Toastmasters

in Stockbridge, Georgia.

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Two Power Speakers Step Out of Their Comfort Zoneby simone petersonOn February 20, 2010, Renee Isom and Mary Moeller participated in the International Speech and Table Topics Contest hosted by the Bra-denton Toastmasters Club at Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church in Bradenton.

Renee Isom, senior fiscal analyst from Public Safety, entered the International Speech Con-test. This was her first competition.

“One of the main reasons why I entered the contest was because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to speak in front of strangers,” said Isom.

Renee was the first to speak.

“I was sick with ner-vousness,” said Renee. “But I knew I would follow through with what I went there to ac-complish.”

Renee’s topic was “Value Your Life Today” which talked about how people shouldn’t look to their past

or hope for the future, for it isn’t guaranteed. Taking life one day at a time and savoring what life has to offer is the best policy for living.

Although she didn’t win, she has found out what she needs to do to become a better speaker.

“The other speakers were much more experi-enced and were wonderful to listen to. Each had their own unique style that fit their own person-ality . I’m looking forward to finding my own speaking personality and I feel confident I will get better the longer I participate in Toastmasters.”

Entering into the Table Topics Contest was Public Works Administrative Assistant, Mary Moeller. Mary has participated in speech con-tests before but this was her first table topics contest.

Table topics force you to think on your feet. There is no time for preparation. In a table topics contest, you stand at the podium and the Toastmaster will ask you a question. You will then speak for two minutes, attempting to answer the question.

“I was really nervous and afraid that I may not be able to answer the question. But I did it!” said Moeller.

Mary’s question was “What is in the Box?”

“They gave me a box and I opened it and there was a mirror.”

In the end, Mary came out as the third place winner in the contest.

“Not bad for the first time!” Mary joked.

“Breathe,” is the advice Mary gave to those thinking about participating in a contest. “Be proud of yourself for walking in the door! You just accomplished one fear and now you can do the rest. After you are done remember you are a winner no matter what the result is.”

So next time you hear about a Toastmasters contest coming to town, whether you’re a Toastmasters member or not, you can definite-ly learn a thing or two and have some fun sup-porting your local Toastmasters in the process.

Renee Isom

Pat Stiles, Cathy Schreima, Mary Moeller and Tom Boyd

Questions?Suggestions?Comments?

We want to hear from you!

Forward your message to Simone Peterson.

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MeMber Profile

Chuck FromanHow long have you worked for Manatee County?Four years.

Title and department?Project Manager, Public Works

How long have you been a member of Toastmasters?I was in the charter Toastmasters County group for roughly eight months. I started going to meetings again around the holidays.

How did you find out about Toastmasters?By the charter president.

Why did you join Toastmasters?I joined Toastmasters to learn to express myself bet-ter at board meetings, public information meetings and other meetings I attend or chair as a project manager.

What do you like about the Club?The Club attracts a great bunch of people

What is your goal?My current goal is to finish my first ten speeches. It might be interesting as a longer term goal to do a speaking project like Allen (He has started a series of talks on local history).

Any awards received or working on?I would like to get to a point that I could get a table topics ribbon now and then.

Why should employees join the Toastmasters?Toastmasters meetings can be fun, learn to communicate better and meet more people in the County.

What tip would you give regarding public speaking?Practice - I noticed I have back slid in some skills in my hiatus from Toastmasters.

What do you do in your leisure time?I have done and do a variety things outdoors - recently, surfing, swimming, biking, bird watching, fishing, gardening. Recently I have started long dis-

tance running - I have entered the Chicago Marathon.

Favorite type of music?I like most forms of music. Most recently it seems like I listen to

things my daughter likes - alternative rock.

toastMasters distriCt 47 news

Upcoming ContestsSaturday3/20/108 a.m. Hillsborough Community College

Saturday3/20/10Embassy Suites, 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale

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toastMasters international news

Youth LeadershipThink of the successful leaders you know.

They probably have one trait in common – the ability to communicate effectively.

Kids need the Youth Leadership program so they can grow to meet the challenges of adult-hood and leadership successfully. Sponsored and conducted by Toastmasters International and its local clubs, Youth Leadership helps young people build their communication and leadership skills so they may become tomorrow’s leaders in business, industry and the community.

Purpose of the ProgramEvery young person has the potential to be-come a good communicator and leader, but this potential needs to be developed. The program’s unique eight-session, workshop-style design enables participants to develop this potential through practical experience.

The program is not in competition with school programs or courses, or other established youth projects. Instead, it’s a supplement to these programs, providing emphasis on specialized speaking and leadership skills, and individual needs. Participants learn to:

Overcome nervousness when speaking before an audience.Organize and present ideas logically and convincingly.Listen carefully to others’ ideas.Offer advice to help others improve their speaking and leadership skills.Participate in - and even lead - group discussion or meetings.

Participants increase their self-confidence as they learn. They also make new friends and have fun. Toastmasters is an enjoyable learning experience!

The ParticipantsEach Youth Leadership program group is limited to 15 to 20 people, with a maximum of 25. That way, each person receives individual attention and has the opportunity to get practi-cal experience. Participants for the program are selected by the sponsoring Toastmasters club

or by a cooperating organization (such as their school). The program is not an award to honor those who already have become leaders. It’s designed for the much larger group who are still working on communication skills. Participants are selected for what they can become, not for what they already have done. Often teenagers want the course as a supplement to their high school education, or to prepare for college.

The SponsorsA local Toastmasters club serves as sponsor and provides the experienced leaders needed to present the program. These adults are patient and understand-ing; they remember their own struggles with youth-ful issues and work well with kids as a result.

The adult with overall responsibil-ity for the program is the coordinator. He or she works closely with any cooperating organization and attends each meeting, conducting most of the training and counseling participants. The coor-dinator has an assistant who conducts discus-sions and substitutes for the coordinator, should he or she be unable to attend a meeting.

How it WorksThe program is presented in eight sessions during or after school, or on weekends. Each session usually lasts one to two hours. Activi-ties taking place in the sessions include the following:

* Evaluation of present speaking ability * Discussion of chairmanship principles * Presentation of speeches * Impromptu talks * Group evaluation * Discussion of speech organization * Discussion and practice in listening * Discussion of gestures in speaking * Discussion of voice and vocabulary * Exercise in chairmanship

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There is usually no cost to participants for tuition or materials. The materials used in the program are produced by Toastmasters International and are provided by the sponsoring Toastmasters club, which orders them from Toastmasters World Headquarters for a small fee.

Generally, meetings follow a format similar to that of a Toastmasters club meeting. There is an announced agenda and participants learn and practice parliamentary procedure during each meeting. Lecturing is minimal, but discussion is held during each session. Participants, working from a handbook, select officers who preside over the meetings. The remaining class members are assigned other duties on a rotating basis, so everyone is

actively involved. Participants also deliver short impromptu and pre-pared speeches. In every meet-ing, participants learn to apply the principles of listening, thinking and

speaking.

How to Start a Program

Youth Leadership may be conducted for scout

troops, 4-H clubs, church youth groups and many other organi-zations, and for young people in the community. However, all programs must be presented by a Toastmasters club, fol-lowing the guidelines in the Youth Leadership Coordinator’s

Guide (Item 802). Clubs may order coordinator’s guides and Youth Leadership Participant’s Notebooks

(Item 805) from World Headquar-ters. Clubs conduct the program on

a voluntary basis.

Toastmasters: Public Speaking and MoreContinued from the February 2010 issue of The Toast.

A Place to Develop SkillsWhen a member does perform a speech, she benefits in more ways than merely presenting a talk to an audience of friends and supporters. She also learns to write a

speech that dazzles. The first few projects in the Competent Communication manual, the basic manual for Toastmasters, offers help in developing speechwriting skills. Members can practice organizing their thoughts on the page, getting to their point quickly and using language with eloquence. This leads to clear written communication the member can rely on – whether she’s writing a cover letter for a résumé or a personal note to a friend.

Some volunteers can build their organization-al and record-keeping skills while they help to set up and run the meetings or keep track of their fellow members’ progress. It’s not hard to learn the steps to success in these projects, and the volunteers are then able to transfer what they’ve learned to their careers and personal lives.

The skills don’t stop there. When members spend time in Toastmasters meetings, their confidence grows. They discover that they can successfully perform the same kinds of activities outside of Toastmasters. Their circle of experience widens, and they’re ready to try new challenges. This is why so many com-panies host Toastmasters meetings in their offices. Members become stronger, more confident leaders at work – and highly valued employees.

All of these provide Toastmasters with op-portunities to develop skills that reach beyond giving a speech. And for many members, the benefits of this personal growth may mean more in the long run to their suc-cess in life. Whether they’re interested in honing leadership skills, strengthening one-on-one com-munication, practicing presentations, excelling at job interviews or just becoming a more articu-late or dynamic speaker, Toastmasters is a benefit to everyone.

Already visited a meeting and wish

to get started in Toastmasters?

Download and fill out the form.

E-mail member-ship@toastmas-ters.org to learn more about the Youth Leader-ship program.

We want you!Well your stories

at least.

Stories should be related to:

Public speakingToastmastersA personal story about when you had to get up and speak in front of a crowdTips, tricks or guides for public speakingLeadership

Submit your 400-600 word-article to Simone Peterson and you could find yourself in an issue of The Toast!