Are you near the finish line?

Well the Toastmaster year is coming to a close in a few short weeks.  At club meetings you will see members frantically trying to complete presentations.  Trying to meet the goals they set for themselves last fall.  Well this week we heard how Christine crossed the finish line and how she continues to compete.  It turns out Christine loves to run.  She explained to us how she got started running in her small town.  With encouragement from her mother and friendly wagers with her father she won six Provincial Medals.  She went on to compete in four National Championships and ran cross country for the Huskies.  Working through project six of the Competent Communicator manual, Christine used vocal variety to enhance her presentation and show the passion for the sport she enjoys.

Our second presentation was given by Julia who is working from the Speaking to Inform Advanced Communicator manual.  Julia presented a hypothetical fact finding report regarding the strategic relations a mining company wanted to enhance.  The presentation was well laid out with visuals that guided the audience through the available information.  Julia also conducted a question and answer period.  Without using notes, Julia’s presentation was both professional and informative.  Her ability to handle the question and answer portion was outstanding and showed she was well prepared for any questions that were asked.

Although we are near the finish line, summer is upon us.  This usually means a drop in attendance and meeting roles sometimes need to be filled on the fly.  With confidence and professionalism Jeremy stepped into the role of Topics Master at the last minute and asked us some very interesting questions.  He was even prepared for the theme of the meeting (Mickey Mouse) by wearing a Disneyland shirt and shoes.  Of course Jeremy didn’t connect the two until he noticed the audience commenting on his attire.  Way to go Jeremy.

We also had two guests at our meeting this week, one returning and one new.  Hopefully they will be back as members soon.  New members always bring interesting stories and perspectives to the meetings.  There is always room to grow and learn from each others experiences.

Another special guest was with us.  Our Area Governor Vijay, stopped in for a visit.  The Toastmaster club is guided by a much larger organization than you see at a club meeting.  Our Area Governor, Vijay has provided guidance, motivation and advice to Prairie Schooners members the past year.  I wouldn’t be wrong in stating the whole club appreciates the attention she has given us over the past months.

Why not come out for a visit?  Guests are always welcome and there is no obligation to participate in the program.  Just sit back and observe what Toastmasters in all about.  I am sure you will see how Toastmasters can help you improve your presentation and leadership skills.

Remember, Toastmasters, Where Leaders are Made.

Until next time.

Free Money and a Free Education

That’s right folks; we had a Toastmasters educational presentation this week as well as a description on how to get free money from the Government.

First off, Jane presented from the Toastmasters Better Speaker Series of manuals.  She explained how to “Take the Terror Out of the Talk”.  We all get nervous before we make our presentations and Jane provided some very useful techniques to try and tame that terror.  As a seasoned speaker I found the information useful and I am sure our new members did as well.

Now let’s get to the free money.  Well it turns out to really not be free.  First you have to have children or grandchildren and have to make some financial investments.  Marloes told us all about the Registered Education Saving Plan (RESP).  She encouraged us all to put money away for our children or grandchildren.  The sooner we start, the more money will be available for their post secondary education and the more money the government will contribute.

Elections were also discussed at this week’s meeting.  It turns out we have a full slate of new officers ready to take over the reins.  I am sure they are looking forward to developing and practicing their leadership skills and are anxiously waiting for the club officer training.

We also had a guest this week who was an active Toastmaster in Calgary.  We are hoping that Vera will be joining our great group and share her experiences with us.  The more members we can attract, the more interesting our meeting become.  I look forward to the presentations where members share their background and interests with us.

Who knows what next week will bring.  Why not come for a visit and see for yourself.

Speaking and Getting What You Want

Another great meeting this week with topics that were both educational and entertaining.

If you have read previous entries in this blog you know about the impromptu speaking portion of a Toastmaster’s meeting.  The dreaded “Table Topics” session, where you are asked a question and you have to come up with a mini speech answer.  Well this week Julia provided an excellent overview of how to prepare, as much as one can, for Table Topics.  This presentation is part of the Toastmasters “Better Speaker Series” of manuals and covered the 5 steps you should use when faced with a question.  Julia also provided some tips and strategies along with examples on how to deliver a winning answer.  She also talked about things to avoid.  I am sure the audience will be using these techniques at next week’s meeting.  They were all taking notes.

We also learned the fine art of negotiation.  Did you know we negotiate all the time?  Jackie provided us with an overview of the negotiation process so that both parties can come away winners.  We were exposed to the four steps involved.  They are Assess, Prepare, Ask and Package.  The presentation took on a whole new meaning and came to life when Jackie added her own personal experience.  She related her experiences when she was negotiating the purchase of a hot tub for her yard.  She explained how she assessed her needs, did her research on-line in preparation for her visit to the show room floor of a local retailer.  We also learned of her sly way of preparing the salesman for her final ask and how she bundled her purchase with a package of add-ons at no extra cost.  At the end of the day Jackie was able to purchase a hot tub below the already discounted price, have it stored until they were ready for delivery, have it delivered for free and get a year worth of chemicals also for free.  Not bad when you know the steps involved.  The audience was taking notes here too.

Next week is club elections.  We will elect a new team of seven executive from our membership who will take over the running of the club in June.  This new team will plan and manage the club.  This includes everything from keeping the financial records to arranging the physical facilities.  This new team, some seasoned members and some new, will undergo training for their new leadership roles in the coming weeks.  It will be an exciting time for those newly elected as well as the rest of the club.  We all look forward to new leadership and communication opportunities in the coming months.

Till next time.

Tweeter or Bowler?

That is the question we were left with after today’s two presentations.  Melissa gave us a brief history and short introduction on the Twitter Universe.  We learned the origins of what is now the most popular social network.  We also learned how the logo for twitter has changed over time and if you are familiar with the hash tag (#) functionality you can keep up to date on the tweets (news) that have been associated with the tag.  So if you are interested in what is going on at the local city council meeting all you have to now is the proper #.  

Not only can you get breaking news from those tweeting at the city council meeting or from the local and national news organizations, you can also have discussions with your local community organizations.  Oh and don’t forget you can also follow your favourite politician or celebrity and who knows, maybe someone will want to follow your tweets.

The next presentation was a short introduction to the few similarities and the many differences between baseball and cricket.  From the brief description the only similarities are both sports use a ball and a bat.  Everything else is completely different, from the size of the teams the way points are accumulated.  Although we aren’t exposed to a lot of this interesting sport, it is the second most popular sport in the world.  One of the reasons we may not see a lot of cricket is the length of the game.  Unlike baseball that can last a few hours, a championship cricket match can last days.  Yes, Days!!

Both our presenters went over their time allotment.  A lot of information was presented and I think there is still much more to learn about these two topics. I hope we get a chance for a second class.

So what is it?  Are you a bowler or a tweeter?

Ups and Downs

Well we were on a bit of a roller coaster this week.  

Our first presentation was delivered by Christine.  Her objectives were to use body language and gestures to enhance her presentation.  She certainly hit the mark with a presentation on her and her mother’s attendance at the recent Oprah event in Saskatoon.  Certainly there was a powerful message delivered to the audience, some of which we heard about during the speech.  But Christine’s animated gestures, expressing her mother’s excitement to finally see her life long idol, really added humour and excitement to our afternoon.  Well done Christine.

From the highs to the lows we went when Jane explained to us how the development of the world was so dependant on water.  She went on to explain how life exploded to where we are today almost in a non-sustainable situation.  Jane explained to us how our water systems are being polluted buy numerous things that originate from our human existence, from lakes and waterways being polluted by agricultural runoff to the huge vortexes of garbage that are present in the oceans.  Jane’s presentation was a bit of a downer but she ended with a very strong message that we need to smarten up or we will be in a worse situation and we have to find a caretaker for our lovely blue planet.

You never know what you are going to be presented with at a club meeting.  We are entertained, made to think about our actions, inspired, as well as educated.  Why not stop by next week.  I heard a little bird tweet it will be fun.

'Till then.

Contagious Random Acts of Kindness

Two great presentations and a business meeting today.  The business meeting was just getting started when time ran out.  Of course the important aspects of the meeting were dealt with.  We had a little extra time so “Monkey Business” started.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at things, there will be a motion on the table that we will have to attend to at our next business meeting.  It’s just another opportunity to practice running meeting as I am sure we all have been to some that are poorly run and very unproductive.  Toastmasters tries to rectify these situation.  The more we practice, the better we become.

Both presentations today were from the Competent Communication manual.  Erin presented a great speech, Project 3 – Get To The Point, that spoke of random acts of kindness. Something she feels is contagious.  Her examples and excellent word choice painted pictures that we could certainly see ourselves in.  Here personal examples were well explained and appreciated by the group.  She certainly got to the point.

Our second presentation was by Richard, an experienced Toastmaster.  He was completing project 10 – Inspire Your Audience.  With a speech title of “Not In My Back Yard” the audience was persuaded to consider their environmental footprint as it extents outside their immediate area and think about the amount of garbage they generate.  The key message was to reduce and recycle, not just throw away and forget about the impact of your actions.  I think the audience was inspired.

Again we had top notch evaluations from Marloes and Julia.  Feedback is always important and happily received.  It is important to know the things the speakers did well and also the areas that could have been changed to better fit the objectives or make a more powerful and compelling presentation.  It was nice to hear the assigned evaluators but also nice to see notes being passed to the speakers from the rest of the audience.  This way the speakers get additional feedback on their presentations.

I am looking forward to our next Business meeting so we can continue our monkey business.  In the mean time, I will be thinking of a new subject for my next presentation.

Maybe I will see you next week.

Fun with April First

As you can guess, the theme of this weeks meeting was April Fools.  With this theme and the word of the day being “Kibitzer”, there were some interesting introductions.  We all had a laugh, either while describing pranks that had been played on us or hearing of those played on others.  If you don’t know the meaning of kibitzer, look it up and try to use it in a sentence or two.  You will then have a better understanding of what I mean when I say we had some Interesting Introductions.

We also had 2 very interesting and entertaining presentations on the program.  Meg presented speech number four from the Competent Communication manual entitled “The Grammar Nazi”.  Meg explained and showed us how the proper use of grammar, either written or oral, has declined over the years.  The excellent example she used were the song lyrics of two popular heartthrobs, Frank Sinatra and Justin Bieber.  By reading a few lines from each of their popular songs, we could certainly see what she meant.

Julia then presented speech number five from the Advanced Communication manual, Speaking to Inform.  Julia’s presentation, “Wonder Where We Live”, explained to us the impact and evolution of The Hudson Bay Company.  She went on to explain how many of our northern communities are a direct result of the commerce they carried out.  An interesting subject steeped in history that most people are unaware of.

Table topics were eliminated due to us running out of time.  I can just imagine the fun we would have had given the theme and word.  We wrapped up the program on time after some excellent speech evaluations given by Marloes and Rathan.  We were also reminded that before next weeks meeting the Area we belong to is holding the Area Spring Contests. This is an excellent opportunity to observe the best speakers in the Area as they vie for a position at the next level of competition. It was also suggested that it would be a good opportunity to come out and show support for Jane and Richard who are representing Prairie Schooners.

Till next week.

Puppies, Chicken and Curry

That's right folks.  Puppies, Chicken and Curry.  No, not Plane, Trains and Automobiles.  But just as entertaining.

Well if you are wondering what I am talking about.  These were the subjects of the two presentations given at this weeks Toastmasters meeting. 

Melisa was presenting project number 6 from the competent Communication manual and told us all about the 5th member of her family.  Upon hearing this I was a little surprised as I work with Melissa and know she is married and has 2 children.  Who is this 5th family member she is talking about?  Well it turns out that there is a chocolate Lab living with them.  Melissa explained to us how the dog training had progressed since they adopted this bundle of joy.  It seems there is quite a bit involved in training your puppy to sleep through the night, be kennel trained, learn where to go to the bathroom and how not to bark All The Time.  It was a very entertaining presentation, especially if you have ever owned a puppy.

Our second presentation, another very entertaining story, described a major kitchen disaster that occurred to Christine.  You guessed it, that is where the chicken and curry comes in.  The story starts out with Christine describing this delicious chicken curry recipe that she was preparing for her slow cooker.  With all the ingredients were described in great detail and the time being around 12:30, I am sure the whole audience were wishing she had brought in some samples.  The story goes on to describe how the slow cooker was set and the evening meal would be cooked while everyone was at work.  Only to return home at the end of the day to a delicious meal.  Somehow, Christine thought she could hurry up the process when she got home by removing the pot from her slow cooker and put it on the stove top for the final heating,  Christine was so distraught when the bottom of the ceramic pot cracked, which resulted in curry and chicken flowing all over, she just didn't know what to do.  Fortunately her husband saved the day by cleaning up the mess and advising her that tonight would be a perfect time to go out for dinner.

Two happy stories that were well presented.  But the theme of the meeting was Easter and the word of the day was Rabbit (bunny) so you knew that the Table Topics questions would probably revolve around these things.  Jane didn't disappoint.  We learned where Easter eggs come from.  Ask anyone at the meeting and they will tell you the secret place.  We learned the rules around when Easter occurs.  It was very technical.  As well we learned all about Maundy Thursday.  I am still not sure about this one as the answers we got were probably made up.  I will have to do a little research to find out for sure.  Never the less, it involved Easter.

There were a lot of laughs during the meeting and a lot of information explained.  If you want to know more about Toastmasters and have a Wednesday lunch hour free, why not stop in for a visit.  If you have read any of my other posts you will quickly learn we always have fun.  It's the best thing that can happen when you are learning.

See you soon.

Fluffy Pink Teddy Bear

You can imagine my surprise when our guest speaker, Julie, pulled out a teddy bear for her demonstration speech at our Club Evaluation Contest.  I wasn't really surprised to see a teddy bear, but because of the title of her speech, I was expecting something fluffy and pink.  Her bear was actually fuzzy and white.  Boy, I really had to listen closely to get the whole story.

Julie went on to describe her first best friend and how it followed her everywhere.   Parties, family pictures and even a made up graduation picture.  Julie's bear was everywhere and they were inseparable.

In her speech, Julie demonstrated great eye contact with the audience, had many good visual aids and excellent facial expression.  Here humour was accentuated by her short vivid word choice which painted pictures the whole audience was drawn to.

Well that was the scene for our Club Evaluation Contest this week.  There were five contestants, all listening intently and observing the presentation.  They would soon be ushered out of the room and given five minutes to collect their thoughts before being brought back in, one at a time, to deliver their evaluations.

I happened to be one of the competitors and had drawn the third spot.  Although I didn't get a chance to hear the first two competitors, the last two competitors and myself recognised many similar strengths and areas that could be improved in Julie's, very entertaining and somewhat emotional story.  It is interesting how 5 people can hear and observe the same presentation yet come away with different feelings, emotions and suggestions.  I guess that is why an evaluation is really only the personal feeling of that person.  I am sure Julie appreciated all the feedback she received from the contestants.

If you are interested in knowing who won the competition, I am not going to tell you.  You will have to attend the next level of competition to see who will be representing Prairie Schooners.  This competition will be held on April 6th, between 1 and 4 in the afternoon at The Bently, 1622B Acadia Drive Saskatoon.

Hope to see you there.

Mountain Top Household

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a mountain?  

Well today Jackie gave her ice breaker speech, after joining the club just a few short weeks ago.  We learned how she grew up, literally, on the side of a mountain in British Columbia.  Her dad had to park at the end of the block because their road was too steep for traction in the wintertime and her front yard proved to be an excellent toboggan run.  That is, as long as you banked the snow up at the end or else risk ending up over the cliff.

Jackie lived close to a glacial fed lake that was crystal clear and very, very cold.  She wasn’t too fond of summer time swimming.  She informed us those dips were very short.  Thank-you Jackie for sharing your story and congratulations on completing your first speech.

 Table topics were replaced this week with a business meeting.  I think this caught the members a little off guard.  This was evident by the apparent confusion among the executive members.  Oh well, we practiced our parliamentary procedures and had many opportunities to learn as reported by the Parliamentarian.

An interesting meeting, all in all, with much buzz around the table about the club’s International Speech contest being held next week.  It turns out we have a potential of 3 competitors and will have judges from outside the club.  The winner of this contest, as well as the winner of the Club Evaluation contest being held March 20^th, will go on to represent Prairie Schooners at the Area contest being held April 6^th.

Why not stop in next week to hear some fantastic presentations.  All are welcome.