Call for November 3rd Meeting Volunteers

On the night after election day, we'll have a lot to think about. What better place to take a break from the political overload than Toastmasters Club 1314. We still have a lot of open roles, so I hope you'll be able to volunteer for something if you haven't already. Thanks for all you do to make our meetings so enjoyable and productive!

Here are the role assignments as of now:

TMOE: Mike Nolan

Master Evaluator: TBD

Table Topics Master: TBD

Speaker #1: Mel Bayo

Speaker #2: Oswaldo Ortega

Speaker #3: David Buresh

Speaker #4: Eldon Ralph

Evaluator #1: Fiona Morrissey

Evaluator #2: Mary Olowofoyeku

Evaluator #3: Maxine Blanks

Evaluator #4: Anonymous Member

Timekeeper: TBD

Grammarian/Ah Counter: TBD

Listener: TBD

Snacks/Drinks: TBD

Please email David Buresh or reply to this blog if you available for any of these roles.

Thanks!

The Club 1314 Bandwagon Rolls On!!!

It's exciting! It may even be unprecedented! The Silver Spring Toastmasters Club Contest Bandwagon rolls on! Today, Club 1314's Mel Bayo and Clarence Featherson teamed together for dual victories in District 36, Division F's Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contests.

If you think that was easy, you should have seen the formidable competition. But Mel and Clarence both excelled in the eloquent crafting of their words, physical use of the entire stage, humor, storytelling, gestures, vocal variety, etc. And they made it look easy -- a thing of beauty.

And our own Merlyn Kettering did his usual outstanding job of leading the event as contest master, while Barry Piatt faithfully served as a judge!

It's not too late to get on the bandwagon. I know you won't want to miss seeing Mel and Clarence at the District 36 Fall Conference on Friday, November 19th and Saturday, November 20th. The Table Topics Contest is on Friday and the Humorous Speech Contest is on Saturday.

Thank you Mel and Clarence for making us proud and representing us so well!

Silver Spring Toastmasters October 20, 2010 Meeting Summary by Mel Bayo

Our Sergeant at Arms, Louise Janus, started us off precisely at 7:30pm with the Pledge of Allegiance and an opening citing the autumnal changes surrounding us in the Washington D.C. area. Images of the pastoral scenes of baseball and the rough and tumble moments in football filled this thoughtful beginning and set the stage for a transition into the business portion of the meeting.

The recap of club business had three focal points: the Toastmasters Distinguished Club Program (DCP), the upcoming Division F Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests and the welcoming of our guest, 2010-11 Division D Governor, Jim Cline.

The baton was then passed to the Toastmaster of the Evening, our Vice President of Education, David Buresh who strode to the lectern with his characteristic energy and enthusiastic smile. We were treated to pumpkin colored programs as a foreboding of the last day of this month. David's introduction of our Table Topic Master led us into the first speaking portion of the evening which began with a feeling of "Trick" but in the end was all "Treat".

Fiona Morrissey's Table Topics theme "Getting to Know You" had a fun, tongue-in-cheek opening that had club members thinking, "I wonder what she's going to ask me?" The respondents' answers had the room rolling in laughter. Thanks Eldon, Jim, Una and Mary for the fun responses and GREAT JOB Fiona!

Then quick as a flash, it was time for the prepared speeches.

Kim Crews let Silver Spring Toastmasters know "What Really Goes On In the Man Cave" during her speech about Fantasy Football. Did YOU know it all began in 1962, and currently has 30 million participants in North America who invest an average of $134 per person per year on their sporting passion? Outstanding work Kim and yet another step closer to that Competent Communicator's designation!

Next, our Vice President of Membership, Joan Phillips answered the question, "Was All That REALLY Worth It?". Her story told of a training contract she was involved in that eventually landed her in the Beverly Hilton at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards. While it's best to have her tell it since you'll enjoy it more, the core of her answer to the question posed in the speech title rests in a single letter: "D".

"The Rent is Due", delivered by Maxine Blanks, began with her singing a piece of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". Her speech reminded everyone attending that activism is not only our right but our responsibility. A stirring call to action and fantastic job on your second project Maxine!

Finally, our very own Area 62 Governor and club member, Merlyn Kettering treated #1314 to the speech that earned him the role of Contest Master at the 2010 District 36 Fall Conference. Influenced by two of the greatest speeches ever delivered on American soil, Merlyn entreated us all to Make Our Dreams Take Flight.

WOW, break time was ELECTRIC! The chatter, laughter and smiles engulfed Room 204 while everyone enjoyed the fare provided by Merlyn and Una Mae Kettering.

In playing Master Evaluator for the evening, I had the pleasure of introducing our Evaluators. Each was effusive in their praises of the speakers' efforts while being particularly helpful with the specificity of the suggestions for improvement. EXCELLENT evaluations were delivered and 3 of the 4 Evaluators were Una Mae Kettering, Tiffany Montero and our Treasurer Mike Nolan.

Also, outstanding examples of a Timer's, Listener's and Grammarian's Report were provided by Oswaldo Ortega, Eldon Ralph and Louise Janus respectively.

With EVERY meeting Silver Spring Toastmasters continues to gain more and more momentum. Because of the heartfelt contributions of members looking to improve themselves and help others do the same, this truly is a club on fire.

You can feel the connection, the excitement when you enter Room 204 at Marvin Memorial Methodist Church on the first and third Wednesdays of every month.

Whether you're already a member or visiting us online, we invite YOU to......

Come Soar With Us!

Silver Spring Toastmasters and the Distinguished Club Program by Mel Bayo

Hey there fellow Toastmasters!

Did you know our club has 17 meetings left in the 2010-11 Toastmaster year?

Wow, it snuck up on me too!

And that means we'll need to be just that extra bit focused, communicative, strategic, industrious and INSPIRED in order to reach our club's collective goal of earning the top distinction in the Toastmasters Distinguished Club Program, the President's Distinguished designation.

Okay, so what's the Distinguished Club Program (DCP)?

It's a set of 10 communication, leadership, training and membership goals meant to challenge a club and its individual members to grow each Toastmaster year.

First off, in order to qualify for any award, by June 30 of 2011 our club must have either:

• At least 20 members, or
• A net growth of at least 5 new members

The GREAT news is that with over 40 members, Silver Spring Toastmasters is all set on that requisite.

So the 10 goals are as follows:

1. Two Competent Communicator (CC) awards given to club members
2. Two more CCs
3. One Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB), Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS), or Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG) recognition given to a club member
4. One more ACB, ACS, or ACG
5. One Competent Leader (CL), Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB), Advanced Leader Silver (ALS), or Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) recognition given to a club member
6. One more CL, ALB, ALS or DTM
7. Four new members added to the club
8. Four more new members
9. Minimum of four club officers attending district-sponsored club officer training (TLI) during each of the two training periods
10. One dues renewal report and one club officer list submitted on time

Now, how does a club attain recognition in the DCP? Below are the three distinctions possible for a club and the number of completed goals required for their attainment.

• When we reach five of the ten goals: Distinguished Club
• When we achieve seven of the ten goals: Select Distinguished Club
• When we attain nine of the ten goals: President's Distinguished Club

In designing a strategy for becoming President's Distinguished this year, it's safe to assume that Goals # 9 and 10 will easily be reached since dues have consistently been taken care of and if all 7 officers attend the Winter TLI sessions (they did so this Fall) we will again have our Dream Team.

Note also that Goal #5 has already been attained so in essence we'll have three goals spoken for by early Spring.

By the way, we are currently at the halfway point (or better) on Goals # 1 and 7.

Club Challenge

Taking into account the time allotted to reach our collective goal I propose the following time-line to spur us on as individuals and a team:

1. Attain Distinguished status by January 19, 2011 (complete at least two more club goals within the next 7 meetings).
2. Reach Select Distinguished by March 16, 2011 (complete two additional club goals in the 4 February and March meetings)
3. Become President's Distinguished by May 18, 2011 (complete the final two club goals in the 4 April and May meetings)

Why complete 9 goals by the end of May when we have until the end of June?

• First off, because we CAN if we focus on it and work together as a team.
• Secondly, because the extra time will allow us to shoot for a PERFECT 10 of 10 goals.
• Thirdly, because don't you just LOVE a challenge?

We have a fair number of members who are 5 projects (or less) away from achieving that next level of recognition. So take some time before our next meeting on October 20th and look at how close YOU are to your next speaking and leadership designation.

After doing so, contact David Buresh to let him know how many projects you need to complete and schedule your next few speaking and/or leadership roles so you can be that much closer to your individual Toastmaster Goals.

I challenge you to STRETCH yourselves Silver Spring Toastmasters.

YOU CAN DO IT!

And when you win, our club will win as well.

LET'S GET THAT PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED!

Silver Spring Toastmasters Line-up for October 20th Meeting

Greetings to all Silver Spring Toastmasters,

We have a strong line-up for the October 20th meeting, with five speakers. We still need a Listener and we have room for a Hip Pocket speech.

Here is the current lineup:

TMOE: David Buresh

General Evaluator: Mel Bayo

Table topics master: Fiona Morrissey

Speaker #1: Kim Crews

Speaker #2: Joan Phillips

Speaker #3: Maxine Blanks

Speech #4: HIP POCKET

Evaluator #1: Anonymous

Evaluator #2: Yen Le

Evaluator #3: Tiffany Montero

Evaluator #4: Mike Nolan

Timekeeper: Oswaldo Ortega

Grammarian: Merlyn Kettering

Listener: OPEN

Snacks & Drinks: Merlyn & Una Mae Kettering

Please respond to this blog or email David Buresh if you are available for one of these open roles.

Also, for those who have leadership roles, please be sure to bring your Competent Leadership Manual to get credit.

The Lectern Speaks by Clarence Featherson

"Fake it till you make it!"

(Original Source Unknown)

Public speaking consistently rates as one of the top fears if not the #1 fear for most people. Just thinking about speaking in public (also called stage fright) causes panic attacks, sweaty palms, heart palpitations and knees that often get to shaking. The great news is that with practice, feedback positive expectations and a few tips, tricks and techniques most people can not only reduce or even eliminate the fear of public speaking but begin to see it as something fun and enjoyable! Below are some tips to make public speaking more fun and less scary. Try the techniques below and see if they make you feel more comfortable and confident. They may not at first but eventually they will. Until then use them often and if necessary......

"Fake it till you make it!"


15 Speak Easy Tips to Reduce the Fear of Public Speaking

1. Arrive early when speaking. Also confirm the date/time location and physically visit the location if you have not been there before.
2. Call before speaking to find out the dress code. Being dressed appropriately reduces stress.
3. Know your material inside and out before speaking.
4. A few minutes before speaking, close your eyes and see yourself enjoying talking to your audience.
5. Practice deep breathing to calm down and reduce tension.
6. Physically stretch before speaking and walk around the speaking area.
7. Avoid caffeinated drinks and dairy products before speaking.
8. Always have room temperature water available while speaking.
9. For cases of extremely dry mouth, apply petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to front teeth before speaking.
10. To eliminate sweaty forehead or palms, apply antiperspirant to those areas before speaking.
11. Do verbal warm ups like tongue twisters before speaking (Peter Piper patiently persevered at picking pretty purple petunias).
12. Look at friendly faces when talking.
13. Always prepare a back up low tech presentation in case your Power Point or other technical presentation equipment fails. Also prepare a condensed version of your speech in case you have less time than expected.
14. Focus on the information you want to share with your audience, not on how uncomfortable or nervous you feel.
15. If you make a mistake (everyone does) just do what the professionals do......"Fake it till you make it."

Doing all of the above helps you to be relaxed, confident and enjoy the experience of speaking to an audience.

Be Sure to Attend the District 36 Division F Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests!

Want to have a TON of FUN in just one afternoon?

The District 36 Division F Fall Contests is where you want to be!

• Clarence Featherson will compete in the Humorous Speech Contest AND....
• Mel Bayo will compete in Table Topics!

Come out and contribute to the Division's efforts while cheering on our club's competitors.

The Date and Venue are.....

Sunday, October 24, 2010 from 2pm-4pm Doors Open at 1pm

Montgomery County Council Building Auditorium
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland

Let's show the Division what Silver Spring Toastmasters is all about!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Ever Made a Fortuitous Mistake? by Mel Bayo

OOPS!

This might just be one, but your help is needed to figure it out.

Club Members received an RSS screencast by email today. While previously trying to fit it on our blog, a mistake was made.

I was playing with previews of blog templates and our original template went *POOF* then disappeared into thin air (I actually overrode it by accident but *POOF* sounds much better, doesn't it?).

Try as I might to recover the old template, the one you see remains. Before experts are brought in to diagnose and right the situation:

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS TEMPLATE?

Should we keep it or (if possible) bring the previous one back?

Please let us know in the comment section and we'll respond accordingly.

Thanks in advance for your replies!