Silver Spring Toastmasters Blog

New book unveils 12 soft skills that make or break one’s success

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:19:00 +0000

New book unveils 12 soft skills that make or break one’s success: Soft Skills That Make or Break Your Success: 12 soft skills to master self, get along with, and lead others successfully by Assegid Habtewold- a leadership expert and soft skills workshop facilitator, is now available. The book is based on a story and shares great insights, approaches, and tools essential to develop the 12 vital soft skills that make or break one’s success.

Compelling through storytelling . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:19:00 +0000

Silver Spring Toastmasters--you, too, may find the science-based information and practical suggestions of this blog entry, "What listening to a story does to our brains," interesting and helpful. And check out some of the other works recommended by those who comment.

Speaking of storytelling: Thank you, Eldon, Merlyn, and Clarence--storytellers par excellence--for calling up and sharing insights from your personal public-speaking journeys with us in "The Power of the Spoken Word" Q&A. And thank you, Pauline, for all the thought you put into making this an evocative and valuable experience for all. We need to do it again!

Debate Night!

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:55:00 +0000

Experiencing the magic of the tools, or the tools of the magic…
By Pauline Brown, Club President

"Debate Night” at Silver Spring Toastmasters on the eve of Thanksgiving 2012 was a huge success!

This was a first for our club. So the first order of business was to quickly and methodically demystify any debate angst. And alas, no more fears, no more tears. Then something magical took prominence—the ability to think and speak spontaneously.

The man behind the magic was Merlyn Kettering. With scrupulous attention to detail he organized a modified debate similar to Table Topics, with affirmative and negative arguments 2-3 minutes, and rebuttals 1-2 minutes.

As an important key to setting the tone and rules of conduct for the debate, Pauline Brown presented a 5-minute overview that defined debate, and encouraged the use of complete and full arguments. Dave Zielinsky, in the article, “Disarm them with debate skills”, simplified a full argument as one which includes:

1) An assertion--the major point of your argument

2) Reasoning--your reason for believing your argument is right

3) Evidence--support for your reasoning

From the Toastmasters public speaking toolkit emerged other elements such as: listening acumen, crafting quick responses, eye contact, gestures, vocal variety, and effective use of speaking area.

Sign-posting, a clear transition from one argument to another, proved to be a real a gem among the must-have tools of a successful debate.

As the saying goes, “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.” Well, one useful forewarning prior to the start of the debate was that one will often be in a position where one will have to argue the opposite of what one believes. Yes indeed, this forewarning really helped to take the sting out of some of the topics.

The meeting setting was friendly and inclusive, with chairs and tables arranged in a semi-circular format, looking more like a “C.” Opposite-facing chairs, one at either end of the “C” functioned almost like a holding tank for succeeding teams of two debaters, while at the same time, helped to create a mildly competitive atmosphere.

Following the drawing (from Merlyn’s real hat), for debate teams (A, B C, or D), and for the position of either AFFIRMATIVE or NEGATIVE, the two chairs were then occupied.

The big moment came when the first two debaters, Joan Phillips and visitor, Ken Roper, from an Advanced Toastmasters Club in the District, took center stage. With sword (the TOPIC) in hand, and with a clear definition of topic, the debaters charged. First up, the affirmative, giving point after point facts in support of the propositional statement: “Election day should be a national holiday in years when normally-scheduled elections are held for President, Senators and/or Representatives.”

Somehow, the idea of a debate provoked (at first), a nice balance between sophisticated fun and heightened anticipation. That changed slowly, perhaps with the realization that there were no cameras in the room--none at all, not even Mike Nolan’s. And the fact checkers had the night off, presumably for an early start to their Thanksgiving preparation.

This first duel between Joan and Ken was loaded with powerful arguments, counter-arguments, and rebuttal, and was as thrilling as it was funny. In one of the attacks in the friendly combat, Joan hurled the solid punch line, “election is the American citizens’ inalienable right, according to the constitution, and therefore a holiday should be instituted to allow everyone unimpeded opportunity to vote.

Ken’s offensive punch mitigated the impact, as he hurled back a crippling rhetoric, “Should a holiday be established for all the many rights that we do have as citizens?” He was resolute.

The other three debate teams were: Mike Nolan and Ellen Segal; Assegid Habtewold and Pauline Brown, and Fiona Morrissey and Shirley Jarvis.

Mike and Ellen sparred over the ever-so-intriguing topic, “The United States should re-establish a national speed limit cap at 65 mph, as in the mid-1970’s, to promote energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.” Mike really had the luck of the drawing, because as many might recall, he has a real affinity to transportation and traffic matters. Not to be outdone, Ellen firmed her resolve, and stuck to her guns that the speed limits should remain where they are, for the benefit of truckers, for example.

Pauline and Assegid debated the topic: “All schools should set limits for the use of computers and information technology and strengthen emphasis on the use of textbooks and written assignments.” Assegid spared no argument in support of setting limits—citing the negative impact of uncontrolled use of on kids’ overall development. His rebuttal set the record straight, that while he is not advocating eradication of computers, he believes that their use should be limited.

With a career in teaching, dating back in the days of text books and hand-written assignments, you bet, Pauline’s critical thinking and persuasive skills quickly went into overdrive in order to argue the negative for this topic. Her punch line was a powerful juxtaposition of the dark night giving way to a bright sunny day, and the overweight text books and hand-written assignments giving way to the free reign of computers.

Fiona attacked the provocative topic, “The death penalty should be repealed in all states and revoked for all instances” with her characteristic bold and direct speaking style. This brought a new wave of energy to the debate, as she stated unequivocally the affirmative that there should be no repeal of the death penalty, as criminals can be rehabilitated.

One of the most profound rebuttal statements of the night came from Shirley. She was a natural. She planted her stance firmly in the negative as said, “the Bible says, an eye for an eye, but I say, a life for a life!” This was tantamount to a zinger in the Presidential Debates.

And like any competent leader, Merlyn left no one without a role. All attendees participated in one role or another—some even did the balancing act with two hats.

Speaking of two hats, Joan was Master Evaluator. She came armed with the evaluation criteria which resembled regular speech evaluation of Project #’s 9 and 10. The focus was the effectiveness of the debate with respect to delivery, persuasion, and audience impact.

Coming out of the feedback from every one present was, “This was a great learning experience, let’s do it again soon.” To crown it all, Ken made a very valuable observation that it is the audience we are trying to persuade, not our opponent, hence we should endeavor to make eye-contact with the audience also, while delivering our arguments.

Desiree’s primary hat bore the banner, “Grammarian/Aah Counter.” Yet, her report was quite brief as she admitted that her focus got lost somewhere in the friendly cross-fire or while she was being mesmerized by the debaters. She redeemed herself later with a rather firm, but confident one-minute affirmative on the topic, “Children should not be encouraged to believe in Santa Claus.” She opined that, on the contrary, children should know that gifts came from their parents’ hard-earned money, not from Santa Claus.

As with any properly run Toastmasters meeting, timing is everything. With his proven mastery of the timing lights, Mel Bayo did not skip a beat, or a ray, for that matter. Almost as if a mini side show, Mel delivered his report in a most efficient and stylish fashion. Sounds Mel-anian to you?

As the old adage goes, If you are given lemon, make lemonade. Mel’s topic was kind of lemon-ish. It said, “Barbie dolls negatively affect the self-images formed by children and youth.” Fresh from his Table Topics competition the week prior, Mel quickly and skillfully crafted and delivered a one-minute humorous argument against the topic. If laughter is truly the best medicine, we each got a belly full.

Mahatma Ghandi was quoted as saying, "Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress." And progress we made.

Silver Spring Club 1314 has taken a bold new step in galvanizing the speaking and leadership tools available, in the effort to develop/improve the art of persuasive argument. That’s the magic.

Let the next debate begin soon!

Our club shined during Area 62 Table Topics & Humorous Speech Contests

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:21:00 +0000

Under the leadership of Area Governor Andrea Tolbert, and active involvements from all Toastmasters clubs within Area 62 (Do Tell, Holy Cross “Word”, Monument, Silver Spring Toastmasters, Toast USS, and Top Notch), the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests that were held on September 30, 2012 at the Holy Cross Hospital was a success story to tell.

Andrea making opening remarks...

With humor and candid, Adrienne Charles from Monument, graced this year’s Contests as Contest Master. The Chief Judge- Sandra Coles-Bell, former District 36 Governor, brought her rich experience of leadership coupled with her extraordinary sharp communication skill to successfully direct the overall contest process. The Chief Judge plus the five-team Contest Judges- Bonnie Maidak, Mike Nolan, Louise Maitland, Yentzu Chen, and Kieara Butler worked together flawlessly and put forward two winners from each contest.

Teddy Walker, Adrienne, Andrea, Sandra

Not only that, some of our club members including our President Pauline Brown, and former Division F Governor Una Mae Kettering volunteered, contributed their share, and made the event a success story.

Una and Mariusz Dymerski

Mel Bayo and Merlyn Kettering representing our club contested for Table Topics and Humorous Speech, respectively. This time, Renee Davis (our club's VPE) represented Do Tell club and contested for Humorous Speech. These three classic speakers were formidable contestants in both contests. They performed greatly, and demonstrated how good they are in their communication ability. I was proud of them…

Mel Bayo, our Treasurer and former Area 62 Governor, won the club level Table Topics contest and went to represent our club at the Area 62 level. Though he didn’t get the top prize, as the contest was very competitive, he secured the second spot. However, since the winner of Table Topics contest- Gary Vogan, won’t be able to make it for Division level contest on October 14^th, Mel will go ahead to represent Area 62. Congrats Mel!

Mel- Table Topics 2^nd place winner, & Andrea

Representing Do Tell, our VP of Education- Renee Davis won the humorous speech contest with her trademark: “My day at the DMV”. Congrats Renee!

Bonnie Maidak, Renee- winner of Humorous Speech, & Andrea

Note: Renee Davis and Mel Bayo will represent Area 62 to contest at the Division F Table Topics and Humorous Speech contests on October 14th.

Good luck to you both!

In becoming forward pushing people

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Most of the time, we are either forward or backward pushing people. To make my case, I bring to your attention my two equally important friends. Let's call them Mr. Boo and Ms. Foo. They provide me two opposing and contrasting perspectives and views. Today, I am going to introduce them to you and hope that they will do the same to you too.

First, let me introduce to you Mr. Boo. He describes himself like this: “I am a very practical, grounded, and realistic guy.” He celebrates his past and measures his progress based on his previous accomplishments. Likewise, he values people according to their past performances and judges them based on the mistakes they have committed. He is skeptic about people who are optimistic, positive, and visionary. For example, he complains about my other friend Ms. Foo by saying: “She is unrealistic, out of touch, and a dreamer.”

On the other hand, Ms. Foo explains herself proudly as follows: “I am a reasonable, optimistic, and visionary person.” She takes lessons from her past in order to help her better perform now and most importantly in the future. She strongly believes that her worst days are behind, and her best days are ahead. When she relates with others, she focuses more on their strength, where they are going, and in their future. If she ever goes back into someone’s past, this is to point out those weaknesses, failures, and mistakes to help that person draws lessons and uses them to push himself or herself forward. Ms. Foo doesn’t normally complain about others. However, I pushed her a little bit and asked her to express her views about Mr. Boo. Finally, she gave up and said, “You know him. He is a status quo maintainer, pessimistic, and picky.”

If we want to be successful, we should be people who have positive outlook about others. We should also become forward pushing individuals. Rather than focusing where people have been, and what they have done wrong, we should focus on their passion and help them achieve their dream. We should also hang out with people like Ms. Foo who stretches, encourages, and supports us as we pursue our vision.

I truly believe that Toastmasters are like Ms. Foo and hang out with people like themselves such as positive, encouraging, and visionary people. We should be grateful since Toastmasters has given us this wonderful chance to be with people who are like Ms. Foo. Twice a month, positive, visionary, and reasonable people gather to support one another focusing on their future and vision. We have people who provide us positive and constructive feedbacks that would improve our speaking skills.

Of course, there are people in our life who are like Mr. Boo whom we cannot do anything about except loving and serving them. They could be our relatives, neighbors, and colleagues at work. We were born into a family and we cannot change that. We are working in an organization and we should have wisdom on how to cooperate and get along with such personalities, at least, until we change the job.

As I prepare for this message, I asked Ms. Foo to give me three tips that may help develop a personality like her:

· “First, to become positive,” she said, “Audit your personality continually and turn negative and pessimistic characters into positive and optimistic.”

· “Second,” she pointed out, “It is possible to turn around back-pushing people into forward-pushing. To achieve that, someone should be a positive influencer!” By the way, she doesn’t mind for my being a friend of Mr. Boo. For that matter, she encourages me to take him to Toastmasters so that he may turn from backward to forward pushing person. I heeded to her advice, and therefore, I am planning to bring him here one of these days.

· “Third,” she stressed, “Association matters. It isn’t enough to be in a positive atmosphere once in awhile. Attract and maintain friends, colleagues, and partners who are positive, constructive, and visionaries.”

Don’t you like Ms. Foo? Hope, you do. If that is the case, let’s apply Ms. Foo’s advices and become positive and forward pushing people here at Toastmasters, in our place of residence, work, and wherever we find ourselves. Let's also use all the available opportunities here at Toastmasters and become extraordinary forward pushing people.

Club 1314 Does it Again

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 03:29:00 +0000

WOW,

Let me tell you if you missed last night’s Toastmasters meeting, I just want to let you know that you missed a great meeting. Silver Spring Toastmaster 1314 did it again.

First the mini storm had me wondering if there would be a meeting, would we have power? would there be down trees and power lines surrounding Marvin Memorial? would we have to swim to get there? Then the rain stopped and there was still power around four corners and we proceeded with our meeting.

A few highlights;

· Mike Nolan as always did a fantastic job as TMOE, he pulled it all together so that we all enjoyed the meeting

· Congrats to Mike Nolan on his Life Time Achievement Award, this a special award given to Mike for his tireless commitment to Toastmasters

· Congrats to Una Kettering on her award as Division Governor of the Year

· Congrats to Mel Bayo on his award as Area Governor of the Year

· Four great and informative speeches, thanks Una, Assegid, Fiona and Clarence

Merlyn's unique approach on Table Topics had us all thinking about Toastmasters

· Fiona completed her 10^th speech last night and in a few days will be known as Fiona Morrissey, CC

· Clarence is on his way to Orlando, FL next month to compete at the Internal Convention, Good Luck Clarence

· We had our new Area Governor in attendance at the meeting, Welcome Andrea Tolbert

· Welcome our newest Toastmaster Yanique Redwood. Yanique has already signed up for an agenda role for our next meeting, YEAH!

The snacks was very healthy, except for the oatmeal and raisins cookies, wait a minute, there was oatmeal and there was sraisins, in my book that qualifys as a snack healthy also!

A special thank you to all the Super Sports and you know who you are!

Alright now that you see what you missed, don’t miss the next meeting, August 1^st, the agenda is already posted and roles are being filled as we speak, do not miss this opportunity to get your speeches in, there is a lot to tell us about, Did you lose power in the storm? How was your 4^th of July? Did you catch the bouquet at the wedding? Are you getting married soon? Tell us your stories they make great speeches

Oh one more thing our Club Contest is just around the corner, Table Topics and Humorous Speeches, stay tuned for the date and don't be late.

New beginnings for Silver Spring Toastmasters Club 1314

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Mel thanking Club Officers (2011-2012) for the job well done

The meeting on Wednesday June 20, 2012 was a new beginning because:

1. New Club Officers were inducted, and

2. Two new CC’s were achieved by Drew Kolody and Renee Davis.

Congratulations to Drew and Renee!!!

What a fantastic year it has been, thanks to Club Officers of the year 2011-2012. Lots of milestones were achieved including the most prestigious award: President's Distinguished Club.

Mel inducting the new Club Officers (2012-2013)

The new Officers of Silver Spring Toastmasters Club 1314 for the year 2012-13 Pauline Brown, President; Renee Davis, VP Education; Desiree Payne, VP Membership; Shirley Jarvis, VP Public Relations; Mel Bayo, Treasurer; Ellen Segal, Sergeant-at-Arms; and me Assegid Habtewold, Secretary installed by immediate Past Area 62 Governor, Mel Bayo.

Una-Mae Kettering, immediate past Division F Governor, took the turn and inducted Mel. The ceremony was terrific and full of fun.

Una inducting Mel

Representing the previous leadership, Joan Phillips- the immediate past President of our Club beautified the event by awarding orange flowers to both past and newly inducted Club Officers. Joan’s color choice was purposeful. It was the Club’s color- orange which, according to Joan, is “a powerful color evocative of activity, fun, socialization, and more.”

Mel Bayo, the Toastmaster of the Evening, artfully led the event and made it colorful. Below are the three inspirational speeches from three great communicators:

“Give One Piece a Chance” by Drew Kolody
“I Have a Dream” by Renee Davis
“Be the Spark” by Myrln Kettering

Every new beginning starts with a “Dream”, says, the new President of our Club Pauline Brown. Both Renee and Merlyn made reference to Dr. Martin Luther King, who is synonymous with the word “Dream”. Drew also motivated us to listen NPR and some of us have already begun a new journey to listen Channel 88.5 FM.

What is more? We all profited from evaluations given by the Master Evaluator Myrln Kettering, and Evaluators of the three speeches enlisted above Fiona Morrissey, Desiree Payne, and Una-Mae Kettering.

We also received valuable feedbacks from our Timer Andy Jacobs and Grammarian/Wizard of Ahs Ignatius Cobb.

Many thanks to Mike Nolan and Una, we enjoyed your delicious refreshments during our social time.

We were also so much happy to have three wonderful guests-Rebecca (from the neighborhood), Rebecca (from New Mexico), and Rich. We hope to see you again.

Thanks to Ignatius for the pics.

Keep your fingers crossed for another exciting and new Toastmasters year ahead...

Keep dreaming for another great new year: 2012-2013...

See you all on July 18, 2012.

Living each day with a sense of urgency

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:37:00 +0000

When it comes to time management, there are three kinds of people: a) Those who abuse time as if they live forever, b) Those that live with a sense of urgency, and c) Those in between. I have been in these categories at some points in my life. What about you? In which category do you find yourself in this season of your life?

Time is one of the scarce resources in this world. We all have 24 hours per day and how we spend it determines our status in life now, and most importantly in the future. Paradoxically, whether we are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, known or obscure, we all have equal amount of time per day. If we lose the time we have today, we lose it forever. No rich, title, money or recognition can buy us back a fraction of second we have already spent.

On the other hand, if we lose our money, friendship, or health, we may get it back. That is not the case when it comes to time. Time is none renewable. That is why we need to enter into a sense of urgency to use our time on a daily basis wisely, effectively, consciously, and by pursuing those important things in our life, for which we care deeply.

We should also know that there is a direct correlation between using time efficiently and success. Successful people live with a sense of urgency and as if each day is their last. Accordingly,

1. They allocate the chunk of their best time towards the accomplishment of those things they care the most.

2. They don’t just make the time available though; they maximize it by investing their scarce resources.

3. Not only that, they remain continuously aligned with those main things closer to their heart and exploit the time they have now and today regardless of so many distractions they may face every now and then, especially in this information age.

Unfortunately, we don’t find many people living each day with a sense of time. The majority of us fail to adopt this lifestyle and remain there for a very long period of time. There are, at least, three compounding factors that may disallow us from living each day with a sense of emergency and at the end of the day deny many of us success, significance, and most importantly fulfillment in life. These triads include but not limited to:

1. Preoccupying with the past in the expense of the moment at hand. Talking, celebrating, or complaining about the past takes the majority of our time, focus, and energy.

2. Procrastination. By waiting too long until pursuing those crucial things in our life becomes too late or impossible. We pause or slow down today for better days ahead.

3. Skepticism about the future. Some people have a very gloomy picture about the future that they forsake making each day count.

But, we should be careful from making a big mistake in the name of living each day with a sense of urgency. We shouldn’t make a blunder of entering into a pseudo sense of urgency. Therefore, we should familiarize ourselves with what is not a sense of urgency? For instance, sense of urgency doesn’t mean, we:

1. Do things with a fast pace and all the time, without rest, and by ignoring some important tasks such as learning and growing on a daily basis. Sense of urgency doesn't mean that we do certain things in a fast paced without rest & in the expense of other important aspects of our life.

2. Avoid our obligations in serving our communities, churches, and nations.

3. Undermine other important aspects of our life such as our relationships, health, spirituality, and social life.

In conclusion, time is none renewable resource that we should maximize the time we have at hand and each day towards those things that are at most urgent in our life, things that matter the most. Yet, we should be cautious not to enter into a state of pseudo sense of urgency. We should also know that our success here at Toastmasters is determined by how much time we allocate for it and whether it is one of our priorities. We should also use every opportunity here in our club to improve our skill on how to use time wisely.

Prices of leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:52:00 +0000

“No pain no gain!” You most probably heard this popular saying more often. It is universally accepted that if we desire to gain something, we should be ready to pay its worth. This is so true when it comes to leadership. If we desire to enjoy the full benefits of leadership, we should be ready to pay the attached prices.

We joined Toastmasters and started a rewarding journey towards becoming great communicators and leaders. It was a very smart decision. Toastmasters is the right place where one can improve his or her leadership skill. Indeed, the sky is the limit.

Yet, expecting to enjoy the accompanying advantages of leadership alone is never enough. It requires us to acquaint ourselves with the prices of leadership, and remind ourselves about them once in awhile. As we all know, anything valuable has a price tag. We even become suspicious if something valuable is available for free. Leadership is one of those worthy things that demand paying its dues. There is no free ride in leading our glorious destiny.

For that matter, when we look back in history, we notice that those successful leaders we admire shouldered the burden of leadership and passed through lots of challenges. These leaders, not just lived a quite and smooth life all the time, they also experienced chaotic moments and spent some time in the wilderness. Not only they drove on the highway, but also they walked through the valley at some points in their leadership journey.

Unfortunately, many people appreciate successful leaders, and the recognition, wealth, and power they possess and aspire to become leaders without counting the prices of these possessions. Many times, those who are inspired by the bright and good sides of leadership may find themselves shocked when they are confronted with lots of challenges they never thought exist. What is sad is that when they are faced with consistent obstacles as they lead towards achieving their dream, they think that it is odd and only happens against them. They may think that something isn’t right or they start to doubt themselves and whether they are capable to lead. They don’t consider passing through these challenges as part of the process. Some may even quit when the going gets tough.

Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the burden and count the prices of leadership ahead of time. When we do so, we are immunized and prepared to shoulder the various prices of leadership that may come in our way. When we actually pay the prices of leadership, we would become battle-tested leaders.

Leaders who impacted the most and left legacies are the ones who endured lots of challenges that shaped their character. While they were passing through challenges, they persisted till the end and that is why we admire and adore them. If we aspire to become great leaders, there is no short cut. We should be willing to pay the prices of leadership and get shaped in the process.

There are numerous prices of leadership. The size and magnitude of these prices may vary from person to person. We may face one or some or all of the following prices of leadership, and even more:

Scrutiny,
Ridicule,
Rejection,
Intimidation, and
Assassination.

When we were living without taking leadership in the area of our passion, no one cares. The moment we step out and take leadership initiatives, that is when some people may start to scrutinize us. They question whether we are capable and qualified to lead. They may go back in our past and try to find some dirt and weaknesses. When they see that we are firm and continued to lead regardless of intense scrutiny, they step up their price and start to ridicule us. If we are persistent, some people reject our relationship to show us how much they distaste our life style of leadership. Many people reject you and leave you alone but some people are not nice. They may intimidate you using various mechanisms. You may not get thousands of intimidation letters per year like US Presidents that threaten their life but you may encounter some forms of intimidations.

If we are persistent and continue to pay the aforementioned prices, we may be challenged to pay the ultimate price. It is like in bidding. You should continue to pay until no one is matching your bid. Many great leaders we admire such as Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. paid the ultimate price, assassination. Nonetheless, many of us may not face assassination but at least, we may encounter character assassination. People may assassinate your character so that you may not have credibility. Without credibility, our leadership is lame.

The good news is that Toastmasters gives you the platform to equip yourself to lead. The environment at Toastmasters is supportive where you may begin as no body but ended up a great leader. You gain practical experiences of leadership and develop the necessary skills and character you need to endure challenges you may face outside of Toastmasters. There are lots of leadership opportunities that would prepare you to pay the prices of leadership while smiling. You will be shaped to endure challenges, and finally become a battle-tested leader.

A Sparkling Success of a Division Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:10:00 +0000

Una Mae Kettering planned and hosted it, Sandra Coles-Bell emcee'd it, Maxine Blanks competed in it, Mel Bayo and Merlyn Kettering supported it, Barry Piatt addressed it . . .

Una recognizes test speaker
Gary Vogan

With such a great Silver Spring Toastmasters Club 1314 presence, how could the Division F International Speech and Evaluation Contest have been anything other than sparkling!

Every element--from the timing and presentation to the refreshments and acknowledgments--was first rate. Division Governor Una, your meticulous planning paid off beautifully. Yet what I found most beautiful were your graciousness in acknowledging everyone's contributions and the passionate, exuberant sincerity of your testimonial to the value of the Toastmasters experience. You inspired us all.

Speaking of testimonial to the value of the Toastmasters experience . . . So many of us have found just that over the years in the person of the afternoon's Contestmaster. Sandra, from your contestant introductions and interviews to your closing ad libs, I was busy making mental notes for the next time I step up to the Contestmaster role. The combination of grace, intelligence, caring, humor, and forthright ease that is your "special sauce" made the entire proceedings delightful.

Maxine with fellow Evaluation
contestants

Speaking of stepping up . . . Maxine, wow! I was so proud of how well you represented Club 1314; thank you so much! Though you were not to prevail this time around, it was abundantly clear how much preparation and professionalism you brought to your evaluation of the test speech. Your evaluation was a model of style and substance. As we often say, we will certainly look forward to more evaluations from you, as learning opportunities for all of us!

Mel being recognized with other
Div. F Area Governors

And then there was the supporting cast of guys in orange--shirt, tie, or bandanna. Area 62 Governor Mel, thanks for your unflagging, spot-on guidance and support for Maxine and all members of our club, all year. Merlyn, I will take Una at her word in saying she couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for being there, taking care of so many details and providing moral support so that she can do so much for all of us!

Barry and team: Go Orange!
Be the Spark!

Finally, District Governor Barry: I was excited to learn that former U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan will be speaking at the District 36 Conference on "how to talk about complicated matters in a way that makes people listen and even want to take action." I need this! We need this! Everybody, check out the great program Barry is planning for Friday, May 18, and Saturday, May 19, and plan to take advantage of as many opportunities for personal growth, learning, and fun as you can!

Active Listening: the key ingredient for effective communication

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 01:19:00 +0000

Effective communication is the number one tool to succeed in any endeavor, said Les Brown, one of my favorite motivational speakers. He said that communication determines whether people vote for you; write you a check; invest in what you do; and buy your services and products.

Communication is the key to create and sustain relationships at home, work, and in the marketplace. Relationship without communication is a handgun without bullets. Fortunately, those of us who joined Toastmasters believed in the importance of communication. That is why we joined this world-class organization that provides its members the opportunities to improve our communication skill.

However, mastering communication is not an easy task. It takes to invest time and show some serious efforts. It also requires understanding that effective communication consists of the three most important triads: relating, connecting, and listening. We should also know that effective communication isn’t a one-way street as many communication experts agree. It isn’t all about talking, oratory, and even convincing the other side. The two parties should come into concordance through coding and decoding the messages transmitted. As much as effective communication involves speaking, it also entails listening. The latter is the most important part of the equation. For that matter, communication without active listening is incomplete.

Therefore, as we communicate with our loved ones, co-workers, and partners, we should make sure to listen their side of the story too if our desire is to communicate our messages and also earn their trust. We need to listen their feedbacks, and also make sure to read their unexpressed questions, doubts, and concerns they may have. Without active listening, it is hard to pick these signals. That is why many relationships and partnerships have been ruined. When people are asked why their relationship failed, they say something like this: “He or she doesn’t listen to me”.

When we have an active listening skill, not only we succeed in communicating in a given instance, but also enable the relationship to continue. Once people see that we listen, they are encouraged to further continue relating with us. They consider us respectful and trustworthy persons. They trust us for their time. They also know that we care and love them. This is because listening is an expression of love. That is why Paul Tillich said: the first duty of love is listening.

Any ways, what is active listening? First, what active listening is not? It is not just giving our ears and nodding our head while the other person talks. It takes to give our whole being- our ears, mind, soul, and heart. We know that we have fully developed active listening, as Peter Drucker noted, when we listen “what isn’t being said”.

The challenge is why many of us fail to listen wholeheartedly? One or more of the following reasons may apply. We may be:

Preoccupied with personal pressing and urgent matters. Rather than giving our full attention while the other person talks, we may think about issues that are on our plate.

Absorbed by what we would reply as soon as the speaker finishes. Sometimes, we may not even wait until the person finishes his messages; we may interrupt, and make sure our points of views are heard.

Engrossed with preconceived biases towards the person, his beliefs, or messages. When we have prejudice towards the speaker, chances are high that we may not listen what he has to say.

Distracted by external factors. These factors could be related to the environment, the people around us, and/or the way the speaker is dressed or his styles, and movements. We engage our eyes and divert our attention towards those things that are nothing to do with the message the other person is trying to extend. We criticize silently how the place should be organized; the person is dressed, behaved, and acted than listening what he is saying.

Engaged with our emotion than heart. The moment we hear some offending terms or ideas, or disagree with the speaker; we are caught up with disagreeing spirit, and stop listening the reminder of the talk. We cannot wait to react angrily or leave the conversation.

The final question is how can we discipline ourselves and start to listen actively?

First, we need to embrace listening as the key ingredient for effective communication.

We should also train ourselves to listen consciously. Listening hasn’t always been my strong suit. I have got some results but I am still working on it. These days, I train myself consciously to listen until the other person finishes his/her thoughts. I train myself to ask clarifications and follow-up questions before making statements.

If you aren’t yet, join Toastmasters that gives you chances to improve your communication, and listening skills. Those of us who are members, we should use every opportunity to train ourselves listen actively.

Get feedback from people around you to know whether you listen to them.

More than Bargained for: Our Area 62 International Speech and Evaluation Contests

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 03:27:00 +0000

Yes, indeed, the gavel sounded at just past 2:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, 11th March, and the International Speech and Evaluation contests were exhilarating. In the rare occurrence, we were served the icing before the cake.

Silver Spring 1314 president Joan Phillips, in her role as Contest Master, pulled off a surprise drama. As a prelude, Area 62 governor Mel Bayo took center stage and showcased a bit of gallantry as he assisted her with putting on the final "touch of elegance"--her complimentary sweater. Joan then unleashed her vocal composition of "It's a Beautiful Day in the Area." This was a welcome treat to which she invited the audience to participate. It was a graceful stage performance--the kind for which Julie Andrews is famous.

With such an invigorating stage setting, the contest progressed with a fancy flair. Our contestants, Maxine Blanks and Shirley Jarvis, represented our club well. Shirley had the audience enthralled as she gave a rather "potent" rendition of her speech titled "The Devil in Disguise." Can you guess what that is?

Maxine "took the cake"! She was awarded the first place trophy for the Evaluation contest! With her budding critical listening and thinking skills, she delivered her carefully structured evaluation of Beth Mizuno's provocative speech titled "My Auntie Kai." Beth brought a bit of Hawaiian cultural chant to life onstage. She is a member of the NRC Toastmasters.

Silver Spring 1314 will be represented by Maxine at the Division F Evaluation Contest slated for Sunday, April 22nd. Kudos to you, Maxine!

The first place trophy for the International Speech went to Justin Fry of Monument Toastmasters. Justin took us on an emotional ride with his evocative "She Said No" speech. Thunderous applause followed the happy conclusion when she finally said yes!

Toastmasters contests seem to offer more than bargained for, and yesterday's contest certainly delivered. Guys, if you missed the speech contest, make a point of asking Teddy Walker of Toast USS about the "magic" in wearing a pink shirt. Speaking of magic, did you know that Calvin Robinson of Top Notch Toastmasters is "running" inspiration?

Hats off to Mel and the host of volunteers who blended hearts and hands in pulling together such exciting and rewarding contests. Let's look at a few notable mentions: Andrea Tolbert of Holy Cross Words was Sgt-at-Arms. Her winning smile and confidence overshadowed any clues to the fact that this was her debut role in an Area contest. Karin Francis, Area 66 governor, was Chief Judge. And the all-important Timing was managed by Una Mae Kettering, Division F governor, with her Timer-in-Training, Pauline Brown.

Renee Davis of Silver Spring 1314 continued her enthusiastic strides for growth and success in Toastmasters. She was on top of things, both at the front of the house with registration and back stage with ballot counting. Desiree Payne provided her usual quiet support.

It was a delight to have Ida Hayes, past president of Silver Spring 1314, attend in support of our contestants. Welcome back, Ida!

This was truly a delightful experience. Commendations to you, Mel, on your dedicated and competent leadership in executing another Area 62 contest!

--by Pauline Brown, Silver Spring Toastmasters Club 1314 VP Education

Mitigating Culture Shock

noreply@blogger.com (Assegid Habtewold) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:17:00 +0000

In this globalized and highly networked world of the 21^st century, culture shock is more prevalent than ever before.

Almost all of us have been exposed to other cultures, thanks to globalization and the Internet. Many reading this blog have been virtually connected, related, or have worked with diverse people from different cultures using advanced telecommunication tools or, at least, befriended them on social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

In short, we have crossed cultures. We have either been exposed to or visited or lived in cultures other than our own.

What do all people have in common when they first cross culture? They experience culture shock, especially before familiarizing themselves with the new culture.

So, what is culture shock?

According to Wikipedia, culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is placed in a new culture.

Why do we feel these symptoms?

Because we haven’t prepared for the new culture. We have been nurtured and shaped by our own culture in certain ways and when we are exposed to a culture different from ours, we don't know how to communicate, behave or do things in that particular culture. So we display signs of frustration.

Of course, the magnitude of the shock may vary from person to person. For some, it might be equivalent to a 1 or 2 on the Richter scale while for others it might be even greater like a 7 or 8.

I personally experienced culture shock when I was exposed to the cultures of some countries in western and southern Africa. I traveled there while I was a student leader at Addis Ababa University in 1997/98. It happened again, more than six years ago, during my early days in the US.

Because culture shock cannot be completely avoided, how can it be mitigated?

Here are four suggestions.

First, we should understand the major cultural divides in the world. Many culture experts agree that the world cultures can hypothetically be divided into individual-based and communal-based cultures. Most of the western countries such as the US, Canada, and Europe can be categorized under individual-based cultures while cultures in continents such as Africa, Asia, and South America can be categorized as communal-based cultures. Of course, we have subcultures within these broader categories. There are also exceptional individuals who may not display all of the features of the culture they are living in.

We can compare and contrast these two broad cultural divides using three known parameters suggested by culture experts: Context, Time, and Space. Let me just take one of these indicators and make a comparison. The culture we Ethiopians grown up, as a high context culture, most people express themselves and their ideas covertly, implicitly, and non-verbally. Most people are reserved to express themselves, and are inward. When I came to the US, I observed the opposite. As a low context culture, most Americans expressed themselves and their ideas overtly, explicitly, and verbally.

Second, we should also take time to study and research the main characteristics of a given culture before we cross it. We should go to libraries and read about the culture we are intending to visit. Internet is also a great resource to carryout the research.

Third, we should use every opportunity in our neighborhood, workplace, and in the marketplace to interact with people from diverse cultures. Toastmasters is another avenue we should consider to expose ourselves to various cultures.

Last but not least, we should also take some advices from individual adherents who lived in that particular culture we anticipate to visit. We should ask them to give us the most important aspects of the culture and the things we should pay closer attention. These ways, we may at least avoid catastrophic cultural slurs, and mitigate the magnitude of culture shock we may experience.

In conclusion, culture matters. It determines who we would become at the end of the day. It makes or breaks us. It releases or binds us. Thus, we should understand the impact of the culture we live in, and shed those cultural elements that restrain us from progressing and succeeding. We should also embrace multiculturalism, and develop cross-cultural communication skills so that we may mitigate culture shock, effectively communicate, relate, and work with various people from diverse cultures. Toastmasters is a great place to expose ourselves to multiculturalism. More than any other organization in the world, it gives us opportunities to improve our cross-cultural communication skill. If you are not yet a member, join the nearest Toastmasters in the place where you live or work, and start to expose yourselves to diverse cultures, and learn how to communicate with people from different cultures.

Area 62 International Speech and Evaluation Contests!

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:26:00 +0000

Silver Spring Toastmasters......

You've GOT to be there!

The District 36, Division F Area 62

International Speech and Evaluation Contests

Here's the details.......

March 11, 2012 2-5pm

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church

310 Tulip Ave, Takoma Park MD

Doors for Set Up 1pm

Registration Begins 1:30pm

Briefings 1:45pm

Come support your club contestants and Area!

Ignite Your Potential......See YOU There!

Make Your Success in Toastmaster Evaluation Contests Simple: Use 3 S's: Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:15:00 +0000

The operative word in that title is "SIMPLE". As in uncomplicated.

Success in Evaluation Contests is not "EASY". As in effortless.

If you're going to compete you may want to get familiar with 3 S's: Study, Structure and Simulation.

In this post we'll take a look at the first BIG "S"..........

1. STUDY

You'll go up against other Toastmasters so you'll need to know A LOT about about speaking and speech evaluations. Here are 3 smaller s's to help you along in your STUDIES:

a. sites

Yes, Toastmasters information on delivering evaluations is outstanding. Study all that information and then........

Study some more!

Search for the phrase "Toastmaster Evaluation Contest" on the Internet and discover preparation treasure.

Two of my favorite gems are:

This series about evaluations on Six Minutes Blog and.....
An article by an evaluation contest champion from New Zealand

Internalizing and using the content from these two sources will give you a decided edge over your competition.

b. speakers

If you visit Toastmasters International you'll find a list of previous World Champions of Public Speaking.

A number of these speakers have their own websites and offer educational material that will give the knowledge you get in Toastmasters an additional boost.

Another resource I found invaluable is Rory Vaden's 57 Points to a World Championship Speech, which is part of his 6 CD set entitled "The Audience is NOT in their Underwear".

Be sure to invest in your contest success!

c. speeches

Study as many as you can before contest time. Not just in Toastmasters meetings. Check out YouTube. If possible, watch contest speeches too.

Does your Club, Area, Division or District have a videographer?
Do you have access to recordings of speeches at some of or each of these levels?
How about videos of previous Evaluation Contests?

Learn from speeches displaying all levels of skill. Also, be sure to watch speeches delivered by Toastmasters from various countries.

Studying high level contest speeches makes it easier to formulate recommendations for test speakers. Studying speakers from various countries ensures you won't be thrown off if your test speaker has an accent you're not accustomed to. And studying previous Evaluation Contests helps you find ways to stand out with your analysis and delivery.

Well, that wraps up this first post!

Come back to Silver Spring Toastmasters Blog soon where you'll learn how to "Make Success in Evaluation Contests Simple" with the second BIG "S":

SPEECH!

Club 1314, we made a great contest happen!

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:33:00 +0000

Thanks again to EVERYONE who made our Silver Spring Toastmasters Club International Speech and Evaluation Contest last Wednesday evening a resounding success.

We put into play all the practices and protocols proven to make for a fair, valid, and exciting Toastmasters competition. Thanks again, Fiona Morrissey, for stepping up to the role of Contest Chair and preparing thoroughly for it. Thanks again, Merlyn Kettering, for stepping in to provide coaching and assistance, and Una Mae Kettering, our Division Governor and club member, for your leadership in acting as our Chief Judge.

We had great participation . . . bold participation! We had just about everyone in the room playing one role or another, including new member Assegid Habtewold as Timer and new member Barbara Sahli as Sergeant at Arms. We had Five Evaluation contestants--Desiree Payne, Maxine Blanks, Marcia Snyder, Renee Davis, and Ignatius Cobb--each of whom was competing in this contest for the first time, if I'm not mistaken (and Ignatius, stepping up to the Club 1314 lectern for the very first time in any capacity!) We had Four International Speech contestants--Renee Davis, Drew Kolody, Andy Jacobs, and Shirley Jarvis--all of them also throwing their hats into this ring for the first time. Hats off to all of you!

We had a terrific test speaker for our Evaluation contest. Thank you again, Pamela Copeland, Area 61 Area Governor, for giving us your time, treating us to an informative and enjoyable speech, and being a wonderful meeting guest.

And, yes, we had two excellent competitions . . . and we have our winners! CONGRATULATIONS to our Club 1314 Evaluation Contest winner: MAXINE BLANKS! CONGRATULATIONS to our Club 1314 International Speech Contest winner: SHIRLEY JARVIS! And CONGRATULATIONS to our runner-up in BOTH categories: RENEE DAVIS!

Again, thanks to everyone who made this contest meeting the great learning and growth experience a Toastmasters contest is meant to be.

Please mark your calendars, everybody, for Sunday, March 11th, 2 til 5 p.m.. Come out to support our contestants in the AREA 62 CONTEST taking place at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church!

Three great opportunities to become a stronger evaluator

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Silver Spring Toastmasters family members :

Many of you have said nerves get the better of you when it comes to signing up for the meeting role of Evaluator. Others have said you'd like mentoring in this important skill. All of us would love to become better and better at this vital role that's at the heart of what makes Toastmasters such a powerful personal growth experience.

So . . . please take advantage of these excellent opportunities to build your Evaluation skills and confidence:

This Weds., Feb. 1, 7:30-9:30 p.m. (our regular meeting): "Evaluation to the Power of Three: A Special Skills-Building Presentation." Learn by demonstration and discussion when two of our club's most experienced and accomplished Evaluators, and one of its most experienced and aspiring, provide three different "takes" on a single manual speech (by one of our club's soon-to-be CCs!). Observe and contrast their individual approaches. Hear the tips and experiences they've found most valuable. Ask questions! We believe you'll find there are many routes, and yet some common mileposts, on the road to great evaluations.

Next Sat., Feb. 4, 11:10 a.m.-1:10 p.m. (TLI at MedImmune in Gaithersburg): "The Art of Evaluation." Build on what you've learned at our meeting in this in-depth District 36 Toastmasters Leadership Institute training session. This educational elective, along with others, is open to any Toastmaster free of charge! See details at the District 36 website.

Weds., Feb. 15, 7:30-9:30 p.m. (our club's Spring contest, coming right up!): The Evaluation Contest. There's nothing like a little friendly competition to take your skills to new heights. Here's your once-a-year chance to apply what you've learned by competing to be our club's (and then our Area's? Division's? District's?) Evaluation Contest winner--or to learn by seeing and hearing the winning evaluation that gets this journey started!

SEE YOU SOON!

Members & Guests: Please join us!

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:59:00 +0000

Customize your own invitation card

Area 62 Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 03:45:00 +0000

Silver Spring Toastmasters......

You've GOT to be there!

The District 36, Division F Area 62

Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests

Here's the details.......

September 18, 2011 3-5pm

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church

310 Tulip Ave, Takoma Park MD

Doors for Set Up 2pm

Registration Begins 2:30pm

Briefings 2:45pm

Ignite Your Potential......See YOU There!

We have . . . TWO WINNERS!

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:53:00 +0000

Congratulations to the winners of our Silver Spring Toastmasters Club 1314 Table Topics and Humorous Speech contests . . . and Bravo/a to all those who participated!

Six contestants came forward for Table Topics, conducted into the room one by one by our Sergeant-at-Arms Robin Bradshaw. Contest Master Merlyn Kettering presented each with the thought-provoking query: What person from the past, present, or imagined future would you most like to meet, and why? We enjoyed thought-filled responses from Andy Jacobs, Drew Kolody, Mary Olowofoyeku, Renee Davis, and Fiona Morrissey . . . and CLARENCE FEATHERSON, whose intriguing two-minute account of the pioneering life of America's first African-American female physician garnered the most votes from our judges.

It was exciting to have three of our newer club members--each of whom has joined within the last year--entertain us with well-prepared Humorous Speech entries. Andy Jacobs, Drew Kolody--double entrants both!--really had us chuckling! But in the end it was SHIRLEY JARVIS, drawing us in with a tale that began darkly--like, really darkly--and then delightfully lightened right up, who emerged as our judges' top choice.

Thanks to Merlyn, and Chief Judge Mike Nolan, our judges, and everyone who enjoyed a fun and enlightening evening as they supported our contestants.

Congratulations, Clarence and Shirley!! We are pleased and proud that you will represent our club in the Area 62 Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contest at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 18, at Takoma Park Presbyterian.

First meeting full of verve and vigor!

noreply@blogger.com (Joan Phillips) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:02:00 +0000

Thanks again, everyone who participated, for kicking off our new Silver Spring Toastmasters year con BRIO last Wednesday evening!

We lived up to that excellent Word of the Evening that Renee Davis shared with us--so much so that most of the photos I snapped came out a blur! (Likely there's an iPhone setting to take care of that . . . will explore further, or try taking video next time! :)

Featured here is the sole posed photo--of 2011-12 Silver Spring Toastmasters Club 1314 officers Pauline Brown, VP Education; Desiree Payne, VP Membership; Maxiine Blanks, VP Public Relations; Andy Jacobs, Secretary; Mike Nolan, Treasurer; Shirley Jarvis, Sergeant-at-Arms; and me, Joan Phillips, President--snapped by Merlyn following our installation by immediate Past President, Mel Bayo.

Fittingly, our leadoff meeting featured some new developments . . .

See the NEW ORANGE NAME TAGS? If you're a member who wasn't able to attend, you'll find one waiting for you at the door at the next meeting. No more hand-scribbled stick-on throwaways, thanks to Shirley!

Why orange? We introduced OUR NEW CLUB COLOR: ORANGE--a powerful color evocative of activity, fun, socialization, and . . .

Our 2011-12 CLUB MOTTO: IGNITE YOUR POTENTIAL! as well as member and District Governor Barry Piatt's District 36 motto, BE THE SPARK! and member and Division Governor Una Mae Kettering's Division F motto, FIRE UP!

We also enjoyed some new twists . . .

. . . (and a lot of laughs) as our creative respondents, including William Aley, rose to Table Topics Master Mike Nolan's challenge to concoct a story leading up to the "moral of" he provided them.

. . . as Master Evaluator (and new Area 62 Governor) Mel Bayo expanded on the three excellent evaluations with insightful pointers of his own . . . foreshadowing the You Too Can Become a Great Evaluator theme you'll find at many of our meetings this year.

As always . . .

. . . The meeting featured admirable preparation and delivery by our Toastmaster of the Evening (Pauline).

. . . We were treated to informative and inspired speeches: K.I.S.S. (Keep It Short & Simple) by Maxine, who did!; "Medicaid's Nursing Home Benefit" by Henry Nash (many notes taken); and "We've Got Talents" by Las Vegas International Speech Contest bound Eldon Ralph (GO ELDON!).

. . . Our speakers, and each of us, benefited from perceptive, well articulated evaluations (by Andy Jacobs, Eniola Olowofoyeku, and Merlyn Kettering).

. . . We also received valuable feedback from our Timer (Robin Bradshaw), Grammarian/ Wizard of Ahs (Hoan Dang), and Listener (Shirley Jarvis).

. . . And, of course, we enjoyed great refreshments (thanks to Fiona Morrissey, Marcia Snyder, Una and Merlyn, and other contributors).

Looking forward to seeing you on WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, everybody!

Get to Know the Great Leader Inside You!

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:46:00 +0000

Fellow Silver Spring Toastmasters,

It has been a fun year full of growth opportunities for all and high achievement for our club as a whole. I personally thank and commend every member of #1314 for their contribution to our joint success in the 2010-11 Toastmaster year.

You’ve been the embodiment of our club’s tagline: Together We’ve Soared!!!

Want to soar even higher?

Get to know the Great Leader inside you better. Be a Silver Spring Toastmasters club officer in the 2011-12 Toastmaster year!

I can clearly remember my first #1314 meeting in March of 2008. As I walked in the door I was FULL of trepidation. This was a room FULL of accomplished speakers and leaders, what could I bring to the table?

But as the meeting was about to begin, the Sergeant at Arms greeted me with a welcoming smile and introduced himself. Without the safety net he provided my first meeting experience wouldn’t have been the same. That gentleman went on to become Vice President of Education, President and is now our Area 62 Governor. You know him well: Merlyn Kettering.

I was also struck by the eloquence and grace of the club President that evening. She was engaging energetic and, above all, full of encouragement for each member who performed a role and for the club as a whole. She became Area 62 Governor in 2009-10 and is our incoming Division F Governor. You know her well too: Una Kettering.

One of the speakers that night delivered a 7 minute speech with no notes. That was amazing to me! What presence, what casual confidence and WHAT A SENSE OF HUMOR!!! So that’s what a decade or so of taking on Toastmasters speaking and leadership opportunities can do for you. That gentleman was Division F Governor, went on to be Lieutenant Governor of Marketing, Lieutenant Governor of Education and Training and is our incoming District 36 Governor: Barry Piatt.

There are NUMEROUS additional examples of OUTSTANDING Toastmasters Leadership in our club’s history (to those not mentioned here: sorry for holding true to tri-partite structure) and the three described above were chosen so you could convince yourself not only of the importance of taking on club officer roles but the many benefits you’ll enjoy when you do so.

And please understand: those benefits are available to you regardless of how long you’ve been a club member. EVERY great Toastmaster Leader began with their first meeting. In fact, it’s great when new members decide to take on a club officer role right from the start!

To that end: It’s time to nominate club officers for the new Toastmaster year which begins in July.

Please be sure to attend our next meeting which will begin at 6:45 (in order to accommodate the club officer nomination proceedings) and will be followed immediately by our regularly scheduled club meeting from 7:30-9:30.

Also, please visit the Toastmasters International website beforehand to get an understanding of what each of the club officer roles entails.

Get to know the Great Leader inside you!

Silver Spring Toastmasters: The Resolve to Win by Pauline Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:32:00 +0000

Mel Bayo and Eldon Ralph, you are truly quintessential communicators!

Silver Spring 1314 salutes you and shares the sentiments. You competed among six of the best speakers and earned first place in your respective contests. By your sterling performances, you have certainly set the standards higher.

Kudos!!!

Winning at the May 2011 District 36 International Speech and Evaluation Contests was indeed a by product of their unwavering persistence, focused hard work, and the resolve to win.!

Mel and Eldon shared these common denominators of success!

In his response to the question, “Are you ready for the Evaluation Contest?", Mel said in a rather calm and confident manner, “I am going to have fun, and I am going to deliver my BEST 3-minute evaluation speech ever!”

Not surprisingly, Eldon remarked prior to the start of the International Speech Contest that, “This will be my LAST speech contest—at the District level!”

The resolve to win was clear!

The inimitable Mel Bayo stepped out on center stage. Right away his keen listening skills were evident. The audience knew that his three main focus points for the evaluation of Wilson Rumble’s Test Speech titled, “Peeps Value” were: storytelling, structure, and premise.

Mel had a style. He was sharp—his attire was demonstrative of success!

He exuded confidence, boldness, and charisma. Mel’s gestures and use of speaking area were right on. He commended the Test Speaker’s use of story-telling with dramatic pauses throughout the speech. He spoke directly to the Test Speaker, but also maintained reasonable eye contact with the audience.

Mel identified values in the speech, and created the right balance by providing suggestions for improvement. Among his suggestions for improvement, he encouraged the speaker to make his premise and personal values clear. His job as an evaluator was well done. He validated the speaker.

Yes indeed, Mel delivered his BEST 3-minute evaluation speech!

Eldon’s speech titled, “You’ve Got Talents” was inspirational. It was clear from his speech that he had the benefit early, of becoming aware of his innate talents and abilities. He carefully navigated his path to success by focusing on using his natural talents as frequently as possible in environments that best rewarded them—He joined Toastmasters!

If Eldon’s innate abilities could be seen as a well-make cake, then Toastmasters was certainly the icing. He employed all the elements of speech-craft and delivery! How could one ever forget his amazing and humorous use of vocal variety? Eldon’s pace as he “navigated” the speaking area, was calculated and rhythmic. This served to enhance his transition as he moved through the speech.

The conclusion was memorable! As he charged the audience to celebrate their talents his final set of gestures illuminated the stage. It was awesome! The applause was sustained, with a subtle jubilant tone as Eldon Ralph did the Do-Si-Do that signaled the end of his speech—his LAST speech at the District level!

Actor, Richard Cline summed up the success strategy best when he said, “Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control.” Our winners were prepared to win!

Mel and Eldon, you are the “Spark!” Best of luck as you continue to reflect your light.

Eldon, your friends and family at Silver Spring 1314 look forward to seeing you electrify the audience as you compete in the August 2011 World Championship of Public Speaking in Las Vegas!

Silver Spring Toastmasters Meeting Summary April 20, 2011 by Pauline Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:49:00 +0000

”Tulips are at their perennial best in ideal conditions!“ This was the response given by flowers expert, Frans Roozen, to the ever pressing horticultural puzzle, “Why don’t tulips always behave as perennials?”

April 20^th was heyday for Silver Spring 1314! Live, beautiful, flowering tulips “decked” the meeting room, and the agenda in its flowery splendor was a special rendition of Kim Crews’ creativity. It was little wonder then, that the word of the meeting was blossom—an intransitive verb.

As if May flowers burst forth ahead of the April showers, all 21 attendees, including two returning guests, were at their perennial best! This particular meeting must have been the kind of experience that motivated Doris Lessing, British writer, to say, “Any human anywhere will blossom in a hundred unexpected talents and capabilities simply by being given the opportunity to do so.”

Like proud eagles in flight, attendees harnessed every opportunity and every challenge to soar higher and higher. No one dared to lose the momentum. Each leadership and each speaking role was a stellar performance!

Kim Crews, in her role as TMOE was a delight—a real pace-setter! There was no question as to whether she prepared for this role. She added value in a variety of ways. From her introduction of each leader/speaker we learned of their particular affinity to flowers. The secret’s out! Joan Phillip’s charming personality lies in her genes—her father was an amateur horticulturist, and she is particularly fond of pink tulips!

There were double-bloomers too! Merlyn assumed the role of Sgt-at-Arms and also gave a speech, while Joan Phillips graciously presided as President, and was also Table Topics Master. Eldon was Master Evaluator, and volunteered at last minute to fill one of the role as speech evaluator.

Table Topics was a blast! From the Quote Garden (website) Joan Phillips rolled out quotes dating back as far as the 16^th century. Remember literary/poetic favorites such Dickens, Shakespeare, Herbert, and Browning? Like a champion, Desiree Payne ‘danced’ verbally for about two minutes to the tune of the unfamiliar Shakespeare quote, “Oh, how the spring of love resembles the uncertain glory of an April day.” Great impromptu speech Desiree!

The three speeches were inspirational and powerful!

Merlyn Kettering spoke first—from the heart. Transitioning from his powerful and appropriate opening, “It’s not just flowers that blossom, people do too,” he unfolded in an almost solemn manner, his Rite of Passage. Can you guess the Rite of Passage that is associated with: socks and shoes taken off, towel draped around his waist, a basin (of water?), and a chair? Yes, the Ordinance of Feet-washing it is! We saw the magic of using props to add character and value to a speech—a firsthand illustration of true humility, and another opportunity to know Merlyn better!

Una-Mae Kettering ‘s speech titled, “My Path” provided much food for thought. She methodically and skillfully used the analogy of a waiter to inspire us to reach out and serve others. Could it be that this analogy also bore the underlying principle upon which Una planned and executed her path to growth as a Toastmaster? Let’s spread our wings and soar with her to greater heights!

“Setting the Tone” was Barry Piatt’s speech title. This was packed with powerful punches. One of them was his very personal and compelling story as a 9-year old, and the brilliant action that he took—that set the tone for his career as an adult. It was clear that with Barry’s wealth of knowledge, experience, and dedication as a Toastmaster, he is poised for control of the lectern and gavel at a higher level. See Barry in action at the District 36 Convention next week!

In his usual confident manner, Eldon Ralph led the evaluation segment of the meeting. Every attendee participated! Pauline Brown and Shirley Jarvis evaluated the first and second speeches respectively. The third required a round-robin evaluation. It was great hearing the many perspectives as to what worked and suggestions for improvement of Barry’s speech.

Another key component of the meeting, the reports, were provided by:

Mike Nolan – Timer, Marcia Snyder – Grammarian/Ah counter, and Fiona Morrissey – Listener’s report.

Social Time is special at Silver Spring 1314. Much gratitude went to Mike Nolan and Shirley Jarvis for providing delicious snacks.

In their concluding remarks, the Master Evaluator and President (acting) both agreed that the meeting was another well-spent time of fun and sharing!

Come soar with us at our next meeting!

Division F International Speech and Evaluation Contests - AND THE WINNERS ARE...by Pauline Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Mel Bayo) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:22:00 +0000

Three Cheers, Silver Spring 1314!!!

Eldon Ralph and Mel Bayo have done it once more--They have done us proud, and have claimed the FIRST PLACE TROPHIES!

The international Speech Contest was as inspirational as it was entertaining. With his speech title, "You've Got Talent," Eldon held the audience captive as he showcased all the elements of speech craft and delivery. He had stage-center, left, and right well defined, and he certainly spared no opportunity in rolling out vocal variety with appropriate gestures. He evoked furrowed brows at times, laughter at other times, and bobbing heads throughout. Eldon, you've got talent!

Mel Bayo's evaluation of Liz Porter's Test Speech, titled, "Doors and Windows" was indeed a mini-speech of of high class! It was clear that speech-mastery is transferable--the structure was well defined, and he transitioned well from one part to the next. Most notable was his conclusion. Mel's listening skills, coupled with mastery of delivery elevated his performance clearly above the rest. Mel's evaluation was a incontestable winner!

Silver Spring 1314, this is history, and this is big! Let's follow our winners to the next level!