Let it snow! Let it Snow! Let it snow!

 4Although the meeting theme was “Volunteer” and the word of the day was “Altruistic” the two presentations today were on the “snow” theme.  Kris gave an excellent presentation on the “Love – Hate” relationship we have with winter.  His objectives were to focus on his word choice, which he certainly did.  Many vivid images were described which included such phrases as “hurtling down a snow hill at breakneck speed on a thin layer of plastic aptly called a Crazy Carpet” and  his description of the “soft fluffy snow falling that feels like concrete when we try to remove it from our driveways”.  This was a great presentation demonstrating the power of word choice.  Kris could certainly have presented a much shorter, more exact and factual presentation but it certainly would not have been as entertaining.  Great Job Kris.

The second “Snow” presentation was about our responsibilities as Saskatoon citizens and what the City’s objectives are regarding snow removal.  This was an informative speech from one of the Toastmasters Advanced Communication Manuals.   Julia is currently working in the Advanced Communication track of Toastmasters and did a great job explaining how the city uses the priority road system to clear the city streets.  And if you live in a house or operate a business, we are also responsible to clear the snow in front of our buildings and businesses.  Julia did a great job using the speaking space available to her with only one prop to show us.  No notes were used at all.  Way to go Julia.

Member attendance was down a little at today’s meeting but everyone chipped in to fill the roles and we were able to conduct a short business meeting.  You may recall a few weeks ago we had a lengthy business meeting were it was passed that the Chairman bring specific treats to the meetings.  Well, as the Chairman of the meeting today, I tried my best to have someone introduce a motion to impose a fine on the Chairman if the treats were not available, as they weren’t today.  But no one wanted to bite on the idea of another, possibly long discussion.  Oh well, a possible learning opportunity lost perhaps.

We started and ended the meeting on time and had 2 great presentations.  If you are interested in learning more about Toastmasters why not drop in for a visit and see what we are all about.  Who knows maybe the Chairman will have treats for us.

No Ordinary Boot Camp

Last weekend was a special weekend for Toastmasters in Division E (Northern Saskatchewan).  Saturday, inquisitive Toastmasters gathered at Great Western Brewing to participate in a Toastmasters Boot Camp.  No there was no marching or basic training.  This was a special session alllowing toastmasters to ask questions and learn ways to attain their communication and leadership goals.

The morning was kicked off with Rena, our past Division E Governor,  as our key note speaker.  She explained her journey through toastmasters, the opportunities she was able to take advantage of and how it has enhanced her life and career. When asked what it has done for her career her reply was "about $30 thousand a year.  Now that is a significant impact.  She left us with the question, "Where would she be now if she hadn't walked through those doors in the Don Ross Centre and joined Toastmasters?"  She encouraged us all to plot our road map to distinguished.

After our keynote presentation there were break out sessions so the participants could plot their course to realize the goals they had set for themselves.  There were 4 session which were repeated so everyone could take in a maximum of two sessions.  If there was anything that could be improved upon, it would be to repeat the session 2 more times so we could have attended all four.  They were that interesting, I wanted to attend them all.

The sessions included how to set goals and achieve your awards in the Competent Communicator, Advanced Leader and Advanced Manuals; Why educational presentations are important to you and your club; The magic of Mentoring and High Performance Leadership projects.

After a break and a few snacks we reassembled in the big room for three group sessions.  The first one dealt with the tools and techniques for giving effective evaluations.  The second session featured our very own Jane, well know at Prairie Schooners for her never ending enthusiasm, quick wit and love of life.  Jane gave us ideas on where to collect information for and how to deliver humorous speeches.  If you want to know what she is doing with the platter of vegetables, you will have to ask her. The last session was part of Paula's personal journey in Toastmasters with a speech entitled "How I purchase Patio Furniture".  This was another testimonial of how toastmasters has empowered her to Live, Love, Laugh, Grow and Fail.  She left us with the message that as, Toastmasters we are all winners.

All in all, this was a very worthwhile morning to spend with excellent presenters, relavant resource material and great fellowship.  If you missed this session, why not talk to your Vice President of Education, they will have helpful hints for you.

Flexibility means Business

Today's meeting was very interesting and educational all at the same time.

It turns out we were very few in numbers at our noon meeting today.  In fact the speakers that were scheduled were unable to attend.  So we had no speakers and the speaking portion take up the majority of the program.  Well what to do with all the time on our hands?

With a little flexibility, all those present were asked to introduce themselves trying to keep the theme and the word of the day in mind.  This exercise gives everyone an opportunity to speak as well as try and incorporate the theme and word into their introduction.  The word today was "Hello" as today is the 40th annual World Hello Day and the theme was "Gregarious".  We learned the definition of gregarious is to be fond of company; sociable and also to live in flocks or loosely organized communities.  Needless to say there were a few chuckles around the table during the introductions, especially for those who lived in flocks or loosely organized communities.

Well the introductions stretched the meeting out to 12:15, what to do with the next 40 minutes in the program?  Well it was decided that a business meeting could be held.  This would allow us to practice running a business meeting and get a little more familiar with Robert's Rules of Order. A great learning opportunity that turns out, we don't see often enough.  We didn't have any real business to attend to, and it was thought there might have been some "Monkey Business" left on the table from our last business meeting.  Let the fun begin.

We started with club Officer Reports, of course no one was prepared so it turned out to be a bit of a Table Topics exercise which was very well done.  While this was going on, the minutes from our last business meeting were located. We needed these to see if there was anything left on the table, a very important part to say the least.  It turns out there was a motion that needed to be dealt with.  There was some discussion around the motion to get everyone familiar with the issue and just to complicate matters, someone moved to amend the motion (amendment #1).  Well this amendment was seconded and there was a some discussion.  Then there was another motion to amend amendment #1 (amendment #2).  Fortunately, no one would second this motion to amend so it was not considered but then there was another motion to amend the amendment (amendment #3).   This one was simply to replace the word "or" with the word "and".  This amendment (#3) was seconded, was discussed and passed.  This affected the wording of amendment #2 which was then discussed, voted on and passed.  So now we had an amended main motion that originated at our last business meeting.  This again was discussed and oddly enough it passed as well.  Normally any monkey business that gets to a final vote is defeated.

With quite a bit of laughter, some head nodding and a lot of puzzled looks we learned why 2 amendments to a main motion are all that Robert's Rules will allow, how important it is to state your motion clearly and

succinctly so it can be recorded accurately.  We also learned you can't try and convince us to be in favour of your motion before it is seconded.  And most importantly, when the Chairman doesn't instruct the timer on the length of the business meeting, it can go on and on and on.

We had a good meeting even though we had no speakers.  We had fun with our introductions while our business meeting was abruptly ended without any consultation with the assembly or instruction from the timer.  But most importantly we learned that with flexibility, you can conduct a lot of business.

S.W.O.T.

Have you ever been involved in a SWOT?  Companies and organisations will often undertake a SWOT analysis to improve their business operation or the group effectiveness.  What they are looking for are their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.  Toastmasters are no different. But their SWOT analysis is called "Moments of Truth".

Well this is what happened at this weeks meeting.  Julia presented a Moments in Truth session to the club as one of the requirements she needs for her Advance Leader Bronze award.  She gave us a brief description of the program, basically what is our first impression in a number of areas.  We then broke into small groups and were given these areas to analyse, areas that define how a well run Toastmasters Club operates.  We then got an opportunity to report back on how we felt.  This feedback will then be turned over the club executive and plans will be made to improve the areas that were not at their peak.

The area that we looked at were in fact our
First Impressions,
New Member Orientation,
Fellowship, Variety and Communications
Program Planing and Meeting Organization
Membership Strength and
Recognizing Accomplishments

I think we scored high in all these areas but there was some room for improvement and I look forward to the changes our Executive team will introduce to address the issues discovered.  So if you are interested in improving yourself or organization, why not get involved in a SWOT analysis or get involved in a Moments of Truth.

The unknown is exciting

We had another interesting meeting today.  It seems like all our meetings are interesting, in one way or another.

Although every meeting we have follows a set pattern, there are often differences from week to week.  It could be because we have two interesting speakers, they could be seasoned Toastmasters or relatively new toastmasters like we had today.  Or it might be an added business meeting or a member induction. You never really know what exciting things are going to happen until they unfold.

 

Mandy gave our first presentation.  She has been a Toastmaster for only a few months now and our second presentation was by Meg who just joined our group 2 weeks ago and completed her ice breaker speech today.  Mandy spoke on the history and functional characteristics of eating utensils and how the different forms evolved over time.  She ended with a brief explanation of the benefits of using chopsticks.  Her presentation was informative and very interesting, especially the fact that there are different types of chopsticks based on your main diet.

 

Seven Happy Inductees

Now Meg completed her "Ice Breaker" speech today, her first speech where she introduces herself.  We learnt a lot about Meg.  She is funny, likes writing and photography and is a recent transplant from Vancouver.  This will be her first winter on the prairies and she is ready to cope with what ever weather comes her way.  Meg presented her personal journey about public speaking fears, from almost passing out before a speaking engagement to missing out on being the Master of Ceremonies at a good friends wedding.  Meg has set some goals to improve her speaking skills so she can overcome this fear and she also wants to  develop her leadership skills.  Well Meg, I think you have come to the right place.  But hang on, I think you will be having so much fun, you won't realise how much learning is actually going on.

As I mentioned, you really don't know what is going to happen at a meeting until you get there.  I was expecting a business meeting, as that is what was scheduled.  I was looking forward to hearing about the great things the club executive is planning for the next few months.  Well that didn't happen.  Instead we had new member inductions.  I had forgotten we hadn't done this in a while and had seven new members to induct.  It is great when these new members stand in the front of the group and recite their promise and then the rest of the membership get to promise to support them in their Toastmaster journey.  At the end, they were all presented with a membership certificate.  It will be interesting and exciting to watch these new members as they hone their speaking and leadership skills.

Talking about excitement and not knowing what is exactly scheduled.  I understand a random meeting is planned for the future.  Random in the fact that only the speakers come to the meeting prepared.  All the other roles are drawn from a hat as you arrive.  This presents a great learning opportunity and often times forces you out of your comfort zone as there always is a real chance you will need to perform a role you have never done.  I also understand our Vice President of Education is considering a backward meeting in the future as well.  I have seen these in the past and they are great fun.  If you want to see one in action you will have to come out for a visit.  But don't be surprised if the meeting is adjourned before it actually gets started.

If you are interested in learning more about Prairie Schooners, why not head over to our website or visit us on Face book.  The links are at the top of the Blog and if you have questions that aren't answered, stop by for a visit anytime.  Visitors are always welcome with no obligations.

See you soon. 

BOO!!

The overall theme of the meeting today was a little scary.  As you can imagine the theme was Halloween with all of the members present dressed up in their work clothes.  Nothing odd here but we did have one of our guests attend in costume.

We also had an uncommon word for the "word of the day".  The idea is that we try to incorporate this word into our presentations.  Well the word we tried to use was "minacious". Luckily we missed the opportunity to introduce ourselves and try to use this uncommon word.  But I can report we didn't have minacious Table Topics session.

Table Topics allows us to practise our impromptu speaking and the questions today kept to the theme of the meeting.  Three questions were asked of three members who had to put together a 2 minute response on the spot.  The questions were "What was your most memorable Halloween costume", "What safety measures will you be taking tonight to protect the children that come to your door", and "What is the funniest or most entertaining movie you have ever seen?"  If you were asked, how would you do?

We also had 2 excellent presentations and two great evaluations.  Marloes presented a vary interesting talk about ostimates and the support group that is present in the city.  Marloes shared her own experiences as a member of her family is an ostimate.  Richard presented two different stories that explain how the Hanging Hearts Lakes in Prince Albert National Park were named.  He left us wondering which one was fact and which one was legend.  I don't think we will ever know for sure.

I hope everyone has a fun and safe All Hallows' Eve.

Entertain and Educate

Another great meeting this week with two excellent presentations from two seasoned Toastmasters.

Raymond is working through one of the advanced communications manuals, Persuasive Speaking, and tried to sell us on the benefits of LED message signs.  His delivery was so relaxed it felt like he was talking to us in our family room instead of being a typical sales pitch around a board room table.  Raymond posed questions in his delivery and them answered them.  Questions that the audience were already thinking about were answered before the end of his talk.  I think the members in attendance were convinced that this technology is the way to go if you wanted to advertise your product.  A very interesting presentation, thank you Raymond.

Our second presentation was by our Past President Julia.  She is working through the requirements for her Advanced Leader Bronze and gave us a detailed explanation of how to give effective feedback.  Feedback is one of the cornerstones of the Toastmaster experience and this is the reason it is part of the Leadership Excellence Series.  Simple and direct points were presented that all toastmasters, new and seasoned, can incorporate into their evaluations to make them better.  Very interesting Julia and well done.  I see you completing your Advance Leader goal this year.

Why not come out next week and see who is on the schedule.  I think there are another two presentations, one from a new member and the other from a veteran.

See you then

What a contest......

The Division E Table Topics and Humorous speech contests were held today at the Alice Turner Library.  What a turn out, the meeting room was packed, we even had to bring more chairs in to accommodate the spectators.

Division E Toastmasters is comprised of seven Areas located through out northern Saskatchewan.  What we were entertained with today were Toastmasters that had competed and won in their home club competition.  They then competed with the other clubs in their Area at their Area contest.  They won at the Area contest and now were competing in the Division contests.  The winners today will go on to represent Division E at the District 42 Conference in a few short weeks in Edmonton. What we saw were the best of the best and what a field of communicators were there today.

Jane gets 3rd place

The Table Topics contest ran first with a total of six competitors.  For those of you that have never seen this type of competition, all the competitors are required to leave the room.  They all have the same question to answer so to keep things fair, they are brought back into the room one at a time.  That way they don't hear how the other competitors answer the same question they will be asked.  The question this time was to tell the audience what career they would choose if they could do anything they wanted and why.  This was quite a wide open question and we heard many diverse answers.  However when the judge's ballots were tallied, our very own President (Jane) placed a respectable third place in a very tough field of competitors.  Way to go Jane.

Jane also competed in the Humorous contest.  There were a total of five people in this competition.  We heard about riding the waves of life, how to water ski with Mr. Right.  We were asked if we "Really" listen to the things we say to our children, how important it is to know a few words in a foreign language and how we quickly graduate from pop to beer.  There were many times the audience laughter forced the speaker to take and extra pause before continuing.  Of course, along with the humour, were great gestures, vocal variety and facial expressions.  In most cases, these elements of the presentation added tremendously to the story.  We could put ourselves in the ocean battling the waves before we jumped up on our surf board or how it was important to quickly apply lipstick or was it sun block before Mr. Right pulls us up on our water skis. I think everyone was entertained.

It is unfortunate that Jane didn't place in this competition.  She was up against some stiff competition and I am sure the scoring was very close.  But congratulations must go out to all the participants in both competitions for a very entertaining afternoon  A big thanks must also go to the organiser's for putting it all together.  And a special round of applause to Jane who represented Prairie Schooners with her ever present enthusiasm and never ending smile.

If you weren't there, you missed a great contest and some well crafted presentations.  But there still is an opportunity in Edmonton on November 3rd.  So get yourself registered for the conference.  Maybe I will see you there.

Up, Up and Away

I had the opportunity over the last few days to participate in 3 Area Speech Contests here in the city.  There were some very creative answers to the Table Topic questions and the Humorous speeches were every entertaining.

Well this Saturday Prairie Schooners' very own President Jane did an excellent job representing our club.  By excellent, I mean she won both the Table Topics competition and the Humorous Speech competition.  The competition venue was a beautiful retirement community called The Bentley.  It is located off  Acadia Drive, tucked away behind the fire hall located on Taylor Street.  This was a great place to hold our competition.  They have a beautiful courtyard with a huge open area just inside the main door.  The competition was held in the facility's Chapel.  This was a large room with comfy chairs and a huge speaking area.  This huge speaking area allowed Jane to be even more animated and show more excitement in her presentations, who would have known that Jane had more energy .



Pictured are (L-R), Fritz our Contest Chairman, Vijay our Area  Governor, Maureen our Chief Judge and Jane with her first place certificate.



It was unfortunate that there weren't more Toastmasters in attendance but there were a fair number of residents that sat in to be entertained and learn a little about Toastmasters.  Given the sparkle in their eyes and flush in their cheeks when they introduced themselves and the laughter during the competition, I think they enjoyed themselves just as much as the Toastmasters did.

Jane is off to the Division contest next weekend.  It is going to be held at the Alice Turner Library on Saturday October 20th at 12:30.  If you want to hear presentations from proficient speakers representing the seven Areas in Division E why not come out and show your support.  Make sure you arrive early to get a good seat.  I know Jane and the other contestants will appreciate your support.

Are We Getting too Big?

After the meeting today a fellow Toastmaster mentioned he didn't think Prairie Schooners would ever out grow their accommodations.  Well, in actual fact, we have out grown our previous 2 locations.  It seems that once a guest sees what the Toastmaster program is all about and what it has to offer, they are quick to join.  Of the four guests in attendance last week, three were back at our meeting today.  One is coming back next week with her membership application completed and the other two indicated that they were wanting to join as well.  More people in the club makes for interesting and diverse meetings, more learning opportunities and the opportunity to get know people from different backgrounds.  Yes, we had 14 people in attendance today and had to bring in extra chairs so everyone could have a place to sit.  Outgrowing your space is a good thing.  It shows the club atmosphere is healthy, inviting and a great place for self improvement.

Today's program had our President giving a presentation on Leadership and how Toastmasters can help you develop your leadership skills all within the club environment.  We all know Jane is full of excitement and enthusiasm and she didn't disappoint while giving her top notch presentation.  We learned we are all leaders, some by the position we hold and some by the skills we demonstrate.  We also had an interesting Table Topics session that followed the "Thanksgiving" theme.  The evaluation portion was a little different.  Instead of having a single person assigned to evaluate Jane's presentation, everyone had a chance to share what they liked about her presentation and what they thought could have been delivered differently for more impact.

All in all, I think we had a pretty good meeting,  Fourteen people in attendance willing to share their feelings on Thanksgiving, practicing their listening skills and learning  how Toastmasters can help them develop their leadership skills.  All the while trying to weave Cornucopia, the word of the day, into their introductions and speaking spots.

With any luck at all, we might be looking for a larger meeting room in the near future.  Wouldn't that be grand?

Toastmasters, Where Leaders are Made

Toastmasters, where leaders are made.  This was the speech title of the presentation delivered by Richard at today’s Toastmasters meeting.  He briefly explained the Toastmasters Leadership track and where he fit in the program and explained extensively what the High Performance Leadership (HPL) program is all about.  An HPL project is one of the requirements to achieve your Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) educational award.  We learned what project Richard is taking on, what his vision is and what the desired results should be.  Along the way leadership skills will be learned and practiced while leading a team.  Good luck in your project Richard.

The rest of the program was a little out of the ordinary.  We had a Table Topics session as well as a Business Meeting.  Normally we would have one or the other, but today we had enough time to fit both in.  Table Topics was enjoyable with questions being asked of three members.  The questions weren’t meant to stump anyone but allowed us to practice listening and thinking on our feet so we could deliver a two minute mini speech.  The Business meeting was run with a little monkey business thrown in for fun.  There was no actual business to discuss so a motion was made, seconded and debated on having the meeting chairman bring a beverage besides water to the meeting.  There were many points made for and against the motion, which eventually was defeated.  I am not sure what the problem was with the motion.  I guess people didn’t pick up on the word “besides” which could have been interpreted as “in addition to”.  Oh well, maybe next time we may have something else to toast with instead of water.  Whether monkey business or actual club business is discussed, it is a great opportunity to practice Roberts Rules of Orders.

We also had 2 guests in attendance.  John came back for a second look and Meg joined us as she is shopping for a club to join.  We told her Prairie Schooners was the best and she didn’t need to look any farther.  We also had two young ladies join us half way through the program.  I didn’t get to speak to them.  I hope they got their questions answered and will return for another visit soon.

All in all we had a pretty productive meeting with a few new faces.

Hope to see you for a visit next week.

The Moon and the United Way

You might wonder what the moon as to do with the United Way.  Don't think to long as the only connection that I can find is they were the subjects of the two presentations we heard at this week's Toastmasters meeting.

Dawn's presentation, project nine in the Competent Communication manual, told us about her involvement with the United Way.  When her son was younger she used the services of agencies that were partially funded by the United Way and now she is part of her employer's United Way committee.  She likes the fact that the money raised in Saskatoon stays in Saskatoon.   As a United Way Leader she also is happy that the United Way had an anonymous donor last year that matched your donation and this year her employer is matching contributions dollar for dollar.

Dawn's presentation tried to persuade us to support the United Way campaign in Saskatoon.  I think she hit her mark and should be confidant in her message when she delivers it to her coworkers.

Now, on to the Moon.  Shuqing completed her second project by telling us about the Chinese Moon Festival. How this festival is celebrated in the fall similar to North America's Thanksgiving and a time to give thanks.  It is also a time to honour the Moon Goddess.  A time when youth in love can watch the moon and be together with their partner, even when they are apart.  It is a time to relax as normally the crops are in and the fall hard work is done.  It's also a time when you get to eat Moon Cakes.  Something Shuqing really didn't like when she was younger.  But it seems these cakes have caught on in the west as she informs us they are available in some of the grocery stores in Saskatoon.

So you never know what you are going to learn when attending a Toastmasters meeting.  It could be anything from Moon Cakes to the benefits of supporting the United Way.

On a closing note, this is the season for Toastmasters Speech contests. The fall contests include Table Topics as well as Humourous Speech and start at the club level with winners going on to compete in their Area, then their Division with the competition culminating at the District 42 Fall Conference being held in Edmonton, November 2nd through 4th. So if you want to observe proficient speakers and be entertained with a little humour, why not visit a local club when they are holding their contests.

Club contests over - On to Area Contests

Well it has been a very busy two weeks since my last post.  As you could probably tell, we are in the fall contest season and this has been consuming my time.  But it is a very exiting time at the club level with all the competitors vying for the position to represent Prairie Schooners at the upcoming Area Contests. The contest organizers were also feverishly getting things organized so feedback and credit could be granted in their Competent Leader manuals.

Well two weeks ago we had our club Table Topics contest.  There were five competitors who all did a very good job at answering the general question asked of them.  Well with any competition there has to be one person that rises to the top.  With the help of our guest Judges, one who was our Division Governor, a winner was selected by following the judging guidelines.  I am happy to report that our President, Jane, will be representing Prairie Schooners at the Area Table Topics Contest that will be held October 13th.  Why not come out and support Jane.  I am sure she would love to see you in the audience.

Well after the excitement of the contest there were a few more events that filled up our noon hour time slot.  If you remember, we had an on-line scavenger hunt in the fall.  It turns out the the winner of this contest has been hiding out in San Francisco for the last few months and is now back in Saskatoon.  Our President took the opportunity to present her with the first place prize, a hand painted silk scarf.  A beautiful item that was painted and donated by last year's Division E Governor, Rena.  Thanks Rena and congratulations Dawn.

Near the end of the meeting we received a membership application from one of our guests.  She had stopped in as a guest at a prior meeting.  She liked what she saw and decided Toastmasters could help her with her communications skill development.  Welcome aboard Christine.

This happened two weeks ago and last week we had our humorous speech contest.  Everyone in the audience really enjoyed the presentations. You could tell by their reactions when we heard about Melissa's "Little Monster" and how Jane gained her independence when she graduated from "The Pop Can".  I think we could put ourselves in the situations they described.  Again we had the help from judges who were outside our club.  Special thanks to Ed and Vijay, our Area Governor for coming out and supporting our contest.  Well, again only one contestant can go on to the Area contest.  For the second year in a row, our President Jane will be representing our club. With her infectious smile and good natured humour we know she will do well.

If you are interested in hearing a few proficient speakers stop by any toastmasters club or visit an Area Contest.  Visit us on Wednesdays for more details and see how Toastmasters can help you develop your communication and leadership skills.

Are you up for a contest?

We had a great meeting yesterday.  All the seats were full and we listened and participated in an educational presentation by Melissa on next weeks Table Topics Contest.

She explained to those in the crowd why Toastmasters Clubs hold contests and went over some of the rules.  She then proceeded to explain how the judging was scored, how a winner was picked and she handed out the judges forms.

Time permitted questions to be asked of 3 members.  All the audience used the judging sheets to rate the responses they heard.  Once the speakers were finished the ballots were sent to the official ballot counter and a winner was announced.  I can tell you the scores were very close.  It was really any ones game to win.

Hopefully this prepared our members for the real contest next week.  The organisers have arranged for members of other Toastmasters Clubs to participate in the Judges roles.  This allows the maximum number of our club members to try their hand at a question they don't know anything about in advance and come up with a 2 minute mini speech.

It will be great fun.  Why not stop in and see what it is all about and find out how Toastmasters participation can help you develop your own communication and leadership skills.

We meet at noon, Wednesdays on the 4th floor of Saskatoon Square.  Turn left off the elevators.  Hope to see you there.

P.S. 

If you can't make it next week, be sure to stop in the week after.  On September 19th, we will be holding our Humourous Speech contest.  These are always a lot of fun.

Every Week in the Future

Yesterday marked the end of our summer schedule.  Starting in September, Prairie Schooners Toastmasters will be meeting on a weekly basis again.  We are moving away from our modified summer schedule as most people are now either back to work or school after a well deserved break.

But enough of that, even though we were few in numbers, this week's meeting was very entertaining.  Something we have come to expect over the summer months.  Entertaining, funny and there were some presentations made.  Christmas in August you ask.  Not really, keep reading for more details.

We started our noon hour meeting with self introductions where we tried to fit in the theme of the meeting, "Children" and the word of the day, "Expiscate" into our presentation.  You could tell expiscate was a new word for most of us just by the way we tried to not get tongue tied with the pronunciation We all did very well, even Marloes.

Our first prepared speech was from Kris who entertained us with his recent experiences with home renovations.  With a speech tittle of "Be Aware of Simple Home Renovations" he had the audience captivated with his dry sense of humour.  Who hasn't started a seemingly small, simple project that turned into something much bigger.  Kris explained how the simple removal of a built in fireplace turned into two bathroom renovations, a new ceiling as well as new flooring.  This was speech number 3 with an objective of getting to the point.  Kris certainly did get to the point and had us all thoroughly entertained because I think we have all experienced what he was describing.

Speech number two was from the advanced "Special Occasion Speeches" manual.  Julia presented a brief roast to what we thought was a fictitious manager named Eric.  It turns out Eric was very challenged when it came computers.  Eric also happens to be a real person that Julia as well as Jane had work with in the past.  Julia's animated gestures showing the staffs ability to touch type while Eric had a hard time with just two fingers really added to the humour and her overall presentation.  Again we were entertained as I think we have all know some one like Eric.

We also had a Business Meeting.  It has become a standard to have a business meeting right after the club Executive have their monthly meeting.  It gives the rest of the members a chance to hear what is going on at the Executive level, allows us to practice our Robert's Rule of Order and sometime have a little monkey business discussed.  There were a few hiccups along the way and we ran out of time so no monkey business was conducted.  But it was a good review and learning experience for all.



Julia receiving a gift from our  President, Jane



Lastly there were two presentations.  The first was to Julia, our president last year.  Under her guidance and motivation, Prairie Schooners finished the year as a President's Distinguished Club achieving all 10 of the Distinguished Club Program goals.  Thank you Jullia for leading us to this level.



Jane recieving her ALB badge from Rathan

Now while Julia was directing us toward our goals last year, our then Vice President of Education, Jane, was busy completing some of her Leadership Goals.  Our current Vice President of Education, Rathan presented Jane with a new name badge engraved with her new leadership designation, Advanced Leader Bronze.  One more leadership level and Jane will be a Distinguished Toastmaster.  But hold on to your hats.  I think Jane is also a "Triple Crown" winner last year, achieving 3 awards in one year.  We will have to wait and see if my calculations are correct.  Congratulations Jane.

Our next meeting will be September 5th.  Why not come out and give us a visit.  Who knows, by expiscating Toastmasters, you will find out the benifits of the training you can experiance as a member. 

Have a great week.

How to Say It

July 25th brought  another fun and successful meeting.  The theme of our meeting was Games.  Shuquing's word of the day was Olympic.  We had good fun incorporating the theme and the word into our introductions,speeches table topics and evaluations.  Our area Governor  Vijay paid us another visit.  You would never know that it was July and summer holiday season , most of the club members attended the meeting. Two guests, Owen and Anita came to visit.  We enjoyed having you and hope that you return!

There are 10 speeches on the path to becoming a Competent Communicator.  As it happened, at our last meeting July 25th we had 2 speakers giving the 4th Speech from the Toastmasters International Competent Communicator Manual, How to Say It. The objectives of this speech are to examine sentence structure, word choices and rhetorical devices. 

Our first speaker, Melissa gave us a lot of insight and food for thought when she spoke of Hospice Care in Saskatoon.   As her speech concluded, Melissa let it be known that volunteers are needed.  Training is provided to volunteers.  Melissa is available for inquiries.
Rathan, our club's Vice President of Education combined his 4th speech with his executive duties and spoke on SMART goals (Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Tangible).  Although at the end of his speech he gave us sheets return to him with our personal Toastmasters Goals, his speech applied to goals in every situation.
Tanya did a great job filling in at the last minute with our Table Topics.  Her topics were related to the theme of our meeting, Games and were ably answered. All in, a lot is accomplished in 50-55 minutes at our meetings.

Our next meeting is August 8, room 436  at the Saskatoon Square, the corner of 22nd Street and 4th Ave. Guests are always welcome. 

Summer Schedule

Well the last few days the temperature has shown us it is summertime and Prairie Schooners are still meeting over the summer but on a more relaxed schedule. 

We are having quality meeting on the second and forth Wednesdays of the month.  Quality meeting like the one on the 11th.  Not only did our new Area Governor pay us a visit but we had an Ice Breaker speech as well as a (monkey) Business session.



Shuquing

 Shuquing's Icebreaker was very interesting.  We found out that she is originally from Beijing China and moved to Canada, specifically Regina, to full fill two of her goals.  One of Shuquing's goals was higher education.  This was attained at the University of Regina with a Masters in Environmental Engineering in 2005.  Her second goal was another child.  A second child if frowned upon in China with their one child policy.  This goal was achieved with the arrival of a healthy baby girl who is now 5 years old.  Shuquing's son is now 12.

Shuquing went back to Beijing with her family, but was reminded of the fast, hectic pace that the education system expects for the students.  She didn't want that for her children so back to Regina she moved and is now working in Saskatoon.  She is looking forward to moving to Saskatoon and eliminating the commute.



All in favour?

Our Business Meeting was entertaining as well as educational.  A few meetings back there was a motion on the table that the club member who works at the company that hosts our meeting, should provide a beverage for our toasts that was something other than water.  Some how this motion was amended to replace their name with the Treasurer.  Unfortunately, I was the Treasurer at the time.  This amendment was passed but the amended motion was never dealt with because of time restrictions.  Somehow this unfinished business came forward to be dealt with again..  I am no longer the Treasurer so I was all for the motion.  However it was amended twice more before time came to our rescue.  It was interesting to see those in the group try to keep track of which part we were commenting and voting on.  Was it the main motion or the amendment?  And if it was the amendment was it the amendment to the main motion or the amendment of the amendment?  With the help of a few members with parliamentary experience, the business was handled in a fair and respectful manner.  More importantly the motion and resulting amendments are still on the table to be dealt with.  I look forward to their resolve as it might mean a different beverage at our meetings.



Area 47 Governor



One of our honoured guests was our New Area Governor,  Vijay Kachru.  She in new in the role, taking on this position July 1st,  but not new to Toastmasters.   Her comments at the end of the meeting were encouraging as she though she would learn more from us than we would from her.  She liked the club atmosphere as well as our manual presentations and business meeting.  This wasn't her "Official" visit and plans on returning after the summer to complete that one.

The club welcomes her feedback and looks forward to her coaching and resourcefulness as we pursue our individual educational and leadership goals.

If you want to see more picture of our meeting check out our facebook page, or come for a visit.  You never know what we may be toasting with.

Have a great summer.

Happy Canada Day and Happy New Year

Here it is July 1, Canada Day.  It is also the beginning of a new Toastmasters year.  All the club offices from last year were discharged from their responsibilities and the new officers have been installed. 

This all happened on Wednesday at the Senator Hotel.  The crew from Prairie Schooners conviened their noon hour meeting at Rembrantds Resteraunt (http://www.rembrandts.ca/).  The lunch orders were placed the day before, so within 5 minutes of arrival, we were presented with our meals.  This allowed some extra time during the noon hour to conduct a little club business.

As I mentioned above, last year's officers were discharged and the newly elected executive installed with their new duties.  We had the pleasure of dining with our Area Governor, Joan,  With her help we were able to finish the year with a President's Distinguished status, achieving 10 of the 10 Distinguished Club Plan goals. 

The Club Rookie of the Year and Toastmaster of the Year awards were also presented at lunch.  To qualify as a rookie you must have joined Toastmasters within the last 18 months and to be considered for the Toastmaster of the year you need to be a member in good standing. 

This year the Rookie award was presented to Melisa, our club secretary and next year's Treasurer.  Melisa joined Toastmasters last January and quickly jumped into an executive position and let her name stand again for the next year.  Increaseing her family with the addition of a beautiful baby girl in Febrary, didn't slow her down (much).  She completed a number of manual presentations as well as continue her duties on the executive.  Congratulations Melisa.

The Toastmaster of the year was presented to Jane.  Without a doubt the most energetic member of the club.  With her infectious smile and attention to detail, she kept the club on track making sure the goals we had set for our self were realized through out the year.  Jane also represented our club at contests and conventions and dealt successfully with the change of club website and a new way to assign club meeting role.  Great job Jane, we all appreciate your efforts and look forward to your leadership as our President for the coming year.

As you can see we had a great year, a great lunch and met all of our club goals.  If you are interested in seeing some pictures of the festivities, head on over to our facebook page and look at the our album (http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.404745789561029.80918.251844318184511&type=1).

See you in the new year.
Stop by for a visit and check us out.

Never stop being informed

Well another week has gone by and the Toastmasters meeting this week was unbelievable.  We were entertained by a published author as well as inspired to move and get our feet wet.

Ray recited 4 poems.  What was impressive was that he was reading them from a book he had written.  They were quite enjoyable and we got to see a different side of one of our members.  Who would have know we had an author in our club?

Jane then informed us that our bodies were meant to be in motion, not sitting at an office desk all day and in front of a television all night.  The benefits of physical motion result in better health and one of the best ways to get in motion is by swimming.  Who would have know we had a world river swimmer with us?  One with medals too.

One last bit of excitement was the presentation of a new name badge to Brad.  Brad has been steadily working through his Competent Leader manual and it looks like he has successfully completed is.  His new badge has his new CL designation proudly inscribed.  Way to go Brad.

To learn more, stop by for a visit. We meet Wednesdays at noon, downtown in Saskatoon Square.

Happy Anniversary

Inspiring Minds Toastmasters celebrated their 20th anniversary this week. 


Vi

I was invited to this exciting celebration, Thursday at noon.  It was well attend by former club members and many Toastmaster dignitaries.  The Master of Ceremonies, Vi, did an excellent job keeping the meeting flowing through all the welcome remarks and congratulations from the officials and ended things on time, in true Toastmaster fashion.



Karen

 The Club President, Karen, got things started by welcoming the crowd and then passing the proceedings over to District 42 Lieutenant Governor Education and Training, Don and our Division Governor, Rena.  Both of these dignitaries congratulated Inspiring Minds Toastmasters on their accomplishments and wished them continued success in the future.


Julian



The club's Historian, Julian, conducted a short interview with former members,  Austin and Tom.  We got to know a little about the club's roots as The Old North West Toastmasters and how the club was refocused and moved to their present location.  Other former members, Maureen and Stuart also had kind words of encouragement and well wishes.  One of the club coaches, Cecile, showed the club's appreciation of the Edwards School of Business, the organisation hosting the club's meeting, by presenting their representative, Lynne with a thank you card.  Prior to group pictures being taken, Donna invited those in the audience that were not members of Inspiring Minds Toastmasters to join so they can have as much fun as the members do every Thursday at noon.

I really enjoyed myself at this special Toastmasters meeting.  I always leave a Toastmasters meeting feeling pumped and ready to tackle any and all obstacles that I may encounter.  Thursday was no different.

If you want to know more about Inspiring Minds why not check out the club website:

http://inspiringminds.toastmastersclubs.org/ .  I see that the official photographer for the club, Eamonn, already has photo's posted.   To see more head on over to:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.236141306489104.34492.160844474018788&type=1&l=c0e0310144

Want to get pumped?  Visit a Toastmasters meeting, especially one that is having a party.

Breaking The Ice

Another great meeting today.  Things were a little more intimate as we were in a smaller boardroom due to renovations at Tetra Tech, but a great meeting none the less.  I was hoping that the final winner of the club's on-line scavenger hunt would be revealed.  But that didn't happen.  I guess we will need to wait another week.  But those of you that regularly attend our noon hour meeting, might be able to figure out who the lucky winner might be.  But be patient, this last BIG PRIZE will make it's way to the final winner sooner or later.

The speaking program was enjoyable.  One of our newer members, Kris, delivered his second speech.  We heard about the skills and morals he learnt as a young 4H member,  How in 4H you learn by doing, much like in Toastmasters.  And now, Kris is passing the skills he learnt as a young person on to his young family by getting them involved with the same organisation.



Erin

 We also heard Erin's Icebreaker, her first speech.  A monumental occasion, your first speech completed, nine more to go.  Erin told us she is very shy.  The audience didn't see this side of her today.  Erin joined Toastmasters on the recommendation of her father, who had never been a Toastmaster.  She thinks Toastmasters is like AA for the Shy but from her presentation today it doesn't appear she is shy at all. We learnt that Erin plays multiple musical instruments, she is a poet and a songwriter.  She likes the outdoors and has a number of pets.  Her goals with Toastmasters are to lose the stress she feels because of her shyness, she wants to dance as well as sing.  Unfortunately Erin will be moving in the late summer to continue her education in Moose Jaw so we will not see her develop her speaking skills to the point where she feels comfortable singing and dancing for the club.  But I am certain the Toastmasters club she joins in Moose Jaw will see her dance and hear her sing.  Hopefully we will hear a few more of Erin's presentations before she hits the books this fall.

Why not stop by for a visit next Wednesday.  I am not sure what is on the program.  There may be a dancer or a singer and we might be giving away that BIG PRIZE.

Toastmasters, Where Leaders Are Made.

It's a 3pete

Within a few short weeks we have had meeting where a new member has given their first speech, the Ice Breaker, and started the journey in developing their communication skills.  Opposite them, we have had a seasoned member give their tenth presentation, completing their Competent Communication manual. 


Mandy



This week was no different.  Mandy, one of our newest club members, presented an excellent "Ice Breaker".  Mandy confidantly told a story beginning in her youth and ending with where she would like to go with her urban planning education.  Mixed in was a little poetry, great eye contact and a beautiful smile.  She had us all captivated.



Karen



Karen, our Vice President of Public Relations, completed her first communications manual with a persuasive tenth presentation on the reasons why we should practice forgiveness.  We were presented with common examples where we could easily become mad and upset.  With these examples and the 5 simple steps to forgiveness she explained, we were all able to see ourselves loosing the anger, forgiving and being happy.



Jane and Karen

With Karen's completion of the Competent Communication manual she was presented with a new name badge by our Vice President Education.  I am sure Karen will wear her new badge proudly showing off her new Toastmaster designation.   I am sure she is aware how much more confident and effective her presentations are now.

I am sure Mandy is looking forward to her journey with Toastmasters.  She didn't get a fancy badge but she will get the support and encouragement from the whole club.

This week we had two great presentations by two great presenters.  Why not come out and visit us.  In the last two weeks we have gained three new members and  two guests have returned for a second visit.  We have a well rounded membership, new members and more seasoned (I won't say old).  This mix provides for interesting and engaging presentations we can all learn from.

If you are intrigued or interested in learning more about Toastmasters stop in for a visit on Wednesday.

Candy Land

What a magical place we visited today.  Rathan transported us to the magical, Candy Land.  In his second presentation to the club, he told us of a little girl who loved to eat candy but was troubled with all her visits to the dentist.  You see, she didn't like brushing her teeth.  During a dream, this little girl woke up in a magical land where everything was made from candy.  While she was indulging on the abundance of sweets, she noticed the walls of her bedroom were being destroyed by monsters.  Monsters she could not destroy.  In a panic she awoke and realised she must start brushing her teeth or they will be consumed by the monsters.  What a great story with a moral.

We had two other presentations today.  One was demonstrating how to accept an award.  Julia did an excellent job in accepting an award graciously and humbly.  She also recognised the other individuals that worked behind the scenes on the project she was being recognised for.  Our last presentation was a description and practical advise on how to overcome conflict.  Jane presented many techniques so the outcome of the conflict will be a win-win situation.  We all learnt something.

Karen and Jeremy

You might remember a few weeks ago we had an on-line scavenger hunt.  The purpose of the hunt was to get the club members familiar with the features of our new club website.  Well we had three BIG prizes with 3 winners.  We had previously presented one of the winners, Jane, with one of the prizes.  Unfortunately the other two winners haven't been to a meeting, except today.  Jeremy is seen here accepting his BIG prize from Karen, our VP-Public Relations.  Congratulations Jeremy.  You will have to stay tune to find out who our final winner is.  Rumour has it that this last BIG prize will be awarded next week.  Why not stop in for a visit and see who it is.

One last thing I must mention before closing.  That is the work recently completed by our Secretary.  While on leave from her day job, Melisa has been compiling questions that will help explain what Toastmasters is all about.  There are quite a number of questions and if I have piqued your interest in Toastmasters, why not head over to our "Frequently Asked Questions" page and get your questions answered.  If you have a question about Toastmasters that isn't listed on our page, there is a link available to you can ask us. 

For more information, drop in for a club visit.  Guests are always welcome and are under no obligation to say anything.

What else can you pack into a 50 minute time slot?

I don't think we could have accomplished much more at our Toastmasters meeting today.  There were two speeches, club elections, member recognition, with two guests joining, with another in the wings for next week.



Tanya and Julia


First, you will remember Tanya from my last post.  Well today she was formally recognized by the club.  She was presented her new name badge by our President, Julia.  Tanya's new name badge is inscribed with her current educational achievement.  Way to go Tanya, we are proud of you.  Recognition is a big thing at Prairie Schooners.





Karen

 Our Vice President Public Relations was one of the presenters today.  With a speech title of "The Debt Trap" she had the audience guessing.  We were informed that we should all be looking at our spending habits and determining if we really NEED that item we are thinking of purchasing or just WANT it.  She gave examples of why we need to be focused and have a plan for ourselves not just a want for more money.  More money is always a good thing, but do our retirement plans depend on Loto 649?  Something to think about.

Jay

Our other presentation was by Jay.  He delivered a very well developed, educational "Ice Breaker".  We got to know a litttle about Jay as he grew up on an acreage, otherwise known as a trailer in the woods.  How he enjoyed the outdoors as a youth and was always interested in any type of science.  I am not sure how much exageration there was when he told us that for fun he would read encyclopedias...cover to cover.  Because of his experiences growing up at the lake and in the woods, Jay studied environmental science and is now working at Federated Coop in that field.  Jay is enjoying the wonder in the eyes of his young family as they discover things in nature that he himself found interesting in his youth.

And elections were held.  It turns out that our Past President was in charge of the nominating committee and came up with club members to fill all the executive roles for the next Toastmaster year, which starts July 1.  Way to go Brad.  Out of the 7 Executive positions, five are filled with new members.  I am sure all of them will enjoy the challenges of their new roles as well as further develop their leadership skills. 

And we have two new members.  Both of these ladies work at the company that hosts our meetings (Tetra Tech) in the Saskatoon Square on 22nd street and 4th ave.  They had visited us in the past and must have liked what they saw.  I am sure if you ask them they will tell you that we seem to have a lot of fun while developing our presentation and leadership skills.  We look forward to hearing presentations by Mandy and Shuqing.  We also had a guest today from the Health Region and she also seems interested in joining our club.  Who knows, we might have another new member next week.

If you are interested in seeing what we are all about, why not stop in as a guest at one of our meetings.  You won't be asked to participate in the program but we will give you an opportunity to give us your thoughts near the end of the meeting.

Hope to see you soon.  Remember "Toastsmaster - where Leaders are made".

Number 10 or Number 1

Is this a repeat?  Last week we heard an Ice Breaker speech as well as a Competent Communicator speech number ten.

This afternoon we had another great Toastmaster meeting with an Ice Breaker speech, the number one.  And a Competent Communicator, Inspire Your Audience speech, the number ten.

This afternoon we got to know a little bit about one of our newest members, Kris.   Kris delivered his Ice Breaker today.  His first speech.  Was her nervous, you certainly couldn't tell.  Was it an engaging story?  You bet.  His presentation was well delivered to a very attentive audience.  We all got to know about the places Kris has lived in his search for the perfect place.  We also heard some of the good as well as the bad things about these places.  Kris is in the environmental field and from today's presentation, I am sure there are some stories that are busting out from his experiences that we are sure to hear in the future.  Thanks for your presentation Kris.  You did a great job and the club is looking for your next presentation.

Next up was Tanya.  She is also a relatively new member to Prairie Schooners, transferring to our club last fall from WE Toastmasters.  As Tanya has completed her presentations we have come to enjoy her easy story telling voice with her gestures and animations.  Her presentation today did not disappoint.  As Tanya is involved in the health field, her presentation revolved around appreciation and looking at changing our perspectives.  Tanya presented many facts that convinced us if we are happy and appreciative, we are healthier.  She guided us in a visual exercise that demonstrated her points.  With the completion of this speech, Tanya has earned her Competent Communicator educational designation.  Great job Tanya.  Even thought there were some minor technical difficulties, your presentation went off without a hitch.

I am certainly looking forward to hearing the continuing adventures Kris chooses to share and well as seeing what advanced manuals Tanya dives into next.  The whole club is waiting in anticipation as am I.

If you are interested in Toastmasters and what Prairie Schooners has to offer, why not stop by for a visit on a Wednesday noon.  Here is a link to our website showing our location:
http://prairieschooners.toastmastersclubs.org/directions.html

Hope to see you at a meeting. Guests are always welcome and are under no obligation at all.

New Author

Well we have finally figured out this high tech blogging platform and have added a new author.  You will now see entries from Prairie Schooners cracker-jack writing team, Karen and Richard.

We hope you enjoy our contributions.

Number One or Number Ten?

 

At today's Toastmasters meeting we heard two great speeches. 



Rathan's Ice Breaker



One of our new members, Rathan, delivered his ice breaker speech today.  We heard about an adventure he had a number of years ago while riding his bicycle to work.  It turns out that a beautiful young woman ran into him with her car.  Rathan was only slightly hurt but his bike did not fair as well. 

He described how he downplayed his injuries to prevent the policeman at the scene from extorting the lady.  The story continues as this mystery woman drives Rathan and his damaged bike to a repair shop.  She also drove him home so he could change and then drove him back to work.  It turns out Rathan accepts a coffee date a week later with this lovely lady.  They ended up in a very expensive, high end restaurant where Rathan was unsure how he could pay the bill.  He tells us that this will be material for another adventure.  We can't wait. 

 How did the story end you ask.  Well this beautiful mystery lady turned out to become Rathan's wife and mother of his 2 children.  Well we don't know if Rathan was being stalked in this adventure but we do know he is an energetic story teller.  Speech number one complete, nine more to go.  Good luck Rathan, we all enjoyed your presentation.



Bonnie accepting her new CC Name Badge



Our next speaker was Bonnie.  She was completing her Competent Communicator manual with speech number ten.  She inspired us to consider random acts of kindness with examples and photos of people and events in her life.  Touching stories of her father reading to her, to stories of children she influenced while running the lunch program at school. 

Beautiful photos and a great powerful presentation brought this speech to life.  The interesting thing about this presentation is Bonnie weaved examples from her previous speeches into an effective message.  With a tittle of "Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something!", we were left with the belief that a single act of random kindness can certainly make a difference in someones life.

Speech number ten complete.  The sky is now the limit for Bonnie.

If you want to learn more about the adventures Rathan discovers or hear Bonnie's thought provoking presentations in the advanced communicator manual stop by at one of our meeting, Wednesday noon at Tetra Tech in Saskatoon Square.

Scavenger Hunt, Did you find any Easter Eggs?

Two weeks ago the members of Prairie Schooners Toastmasters were given a quick overview of their new club website.  Check it out, 6372.toastmastersclubs.org.

At the end of the presentation they were give the challenge of completing an on-line scavenger hunt.  They had 12 questions to answer and one week to complete the mission.  All, with a chance to win BIG prizes.

The intent was to have the members become more familiar with what the website has to offer and to ease them into changes that will soon occur in the way we schedule meetings and communicate with the members.  Due to many reasons, the participation rate was less than stellar.  But those that did participate enjoyed the challenge and, oh yeah, the chance to win BIG prizes.

Well, today the answers were revealed with three BIG prizes up for grabs.  Unfortunately only one winner was present at the meeting.  Our Vice President Education, Jane was the lucky winner of one of the BIG prizes.



Jane receives one of the BIG prizes

 Stay tuned to see who the other winners are.  Those in attendance at today's meeting know who they are, but you will have to wait and see.

Cheers and remember, Toastmasters, where leaders are made.