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.

Was that motion on the table?

Another interesting and VERY educational meeting yesterday.  Unfortunately we had no manual presentations.  Instead we filled the time with an extended Business Meeting.

How boring you say.  I say "No Way!"

This wasn't your typical "Business Meeting".  Sure, brief reports were given and there was a short review of the past Executive meeting but the fun and excitement started when we tried to remove a motion from the table.

Well it turns out the minutes from the previous meeting did not exactly say that the motion in question was ever placed on the table.  Hmmm, if it isn't on the table, how can we remove it?  Let the learning begin....

If you are not sure what I am talking about, stop in at our next club meeting when we are conducting business.  You are sure to learn something and have a giggle or two while we conduct our "Monkey Business". 

The bottom line, we dealt with the outstanding motion that was left over from the previous meeting and attempted to change it with another amendment.  The orders of the day were called and I am not sure if the amendment passed or not.  All I know is that I may be on the hook to provide a non-water beverage for our next meeting from the vendor outside our meeting room.

Do I hear Double-Double?

I hope nothing falls off the table till next week.

It's Contest Time

What an interesting and motivational afternoon I've had. 

Toastmaster's Division E, Area 47 Governor, Joan Liddington, held her Area International and Evaluation speech contests where Prairie Schooner's representatives Tanya Rac and Jeremy Nelson were present and at their best.  Before a packed meeting room at the Lakewood Civic centre in Saskatoon everyone heard about the adventures of a reformed "Tupperware Lady".  A very humorous presentation by Melissa Edge explained how Tupperware is never referred to as plastic, how cheese balls are always present at Tupperware "Rallies", and if you find that you are your own best customer, it's time to get out while you still can.  Jeremy provided an excellent and positive evaluation of Melissa's presentation.  I am sure she appreciated his feedback.

Tanya also presented an uplifting presentation on the benefits of humour in the workplace.  We now know successful companies embrace humour with their "Fun" departments.  We were also reminded how the employees of Westjet embrace humour and that the American ice cream manufacturer, Ben & Jerry's, have a team dedicated to creating innovative and fun names for their new flavours.  Sounds good doesn't it?

Other members of Prairie Schooners were present, not only to support Tanya and Jeremy but also to support Joan with running the contest.  Richard Jackson assisted by performing the role of Tie Breaker Judge and  Jane Danoczi helped in the role of timer.  Ken Tanner was also in the audience in support of us all. 

Without the aide of these club members the contest would not have ran as smooth as it did. Of course, there were others involved, in front of, as well as behind the scenes.  From those that supplied the great lunch, which included fresh Tim Horton's coffee and fresh home made baking, some still warm from the oven, to those from Area 32 who helped support our contest as we helped supporting theirs.  Contest Chairman Amee Harrison and Chief Judge Paula Noon  ran an excellent program.

Oh, and our contestants Tanya and Jeremy, each place second in a very tough field of competitors.  Congratulations to all those involved especially Tanya and Jeremy.  For those of you that missed this, it was something to be seen.

Welcome to Prairie Schooners new member Sasha

Prairie Schooners is happy to welcome our newest member, Sasha who joined today!   You will enjoy being a Prairie Schooner. We also had three visitors today.  Visitors are always welcome.  If  you are curious about Toastmasters, come watch a meeting in action.

Blast for March 28

We had a great meeting March 21.  We learned about Dawn's early life and values from her IceBreaker Speech and Ken T gave us an excellent educational on debating, to prepare us for the Club's debate meeting April 4th.  During our meeting, Jane Danoczi finished all the requirements for her Competent Leader designation.  Congratulations to Jane, a great accomplishment!!

If you have any green clothes, the theme for March 28 is St Patrick and we have two prepared speeches; Julia and Tanya. 

The following week we have another two prepared speeches; Dawn and Bonnie

The Week of April 4th is our exciting debate with the topic:"That there be mandatory re-certification of Saskatchewan drivers every 5 years"  Jane said that Tony and Julia have not confirmed their participation yet, so she is still open for volunteers in this event. Jane also requires a Chief Judge for the event. Everyone not on the program will be involved in judging as per the judging sheet.

April 11th we have 2 speakers Dawn and Melissa.  This is the first meeting for Melissa following the birth of her baby.

March 31 Jeremy, as winner of our club's Evaluation Contest will be representing Prairie Schooners in the Evaluation Contest and Tanya, as winner of our club's International Speech competition will be representing our club in the Area competition.  The competition will be held at the Cliff Wright Library. Registration starts at 12:30. Let's all try to be there to support Tanya and Jeremy!

Thank you very much to Bonnie  who will be sending the weekly blast for the next 3 weeks while I am on vacation.  If there is anything you want your fellow club members to know during that time, please tell Bonnie.  As always, if you have to be away or if you want to do a speech, please contact Jane.

I'll close with a couple of Irish Blessings:

“As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point in the wrong direction!”

“May God bless and keep in good health your enemies’ enemies.”