Thursday 30th Aug 2012
Thursday nights' at Croydon Communicators always seek to humour, educate & inspire and yesterday delivered.
Sergeant at Arms Anne, gracefully opened the evening and we were led by an esteemed Toastmaster Hanna, who always demonstrates leadership at its best – her theme for the evening was inspired by the Olympics "what was your favourite sport at school?" and "which world renowned athlete or sports person would you want to be and why?"
The evening presented itself with an array of first time roles & Ice Breaker speeches.
In order of appearance and keeping track of time and grammar was Mobola (as always on point) & Kalpa on her first time role superbly executed (CONGRATS Kalpa!).
Mohan took centre stage in his first role as warm-up leader (CONGRATS!) and gently eased the audience into the session.
Tip of The day was presented by Joe reminding the audience about some home truths... "don't forget how fortunate we are!"
Then came the speeches, four in all, and if ever there was an opportunity to aspire to, this was it.
First up was Ayo, who blew the audience away with her 27 Dresses, Ice Breaker? too good to be true! What a performance, a natural on stage, who had the audience in fits of laughter. Well Done Ayo... Fantastic to say the least!
Second up was Donna, informing the audience about 'My Best'... Ice Breaker! No way... again, too good to be true! That was sublime, exquisite, executed with perfection, body language and use of stage. WOW! Can't wait to see what's next...
Thirdly, Sarah with 'What an Adventure', another Ice Breaker! And what an adventure it was; I for one, thought at one point I was on that bike going of a cliff face! Gripping speech.
And last of the speeches but certainly not least came Isaac and 'Dreams', cool, calm and collected with big dreams; and why not, the sky is the limit! Superb.
The edutainment flowed; then came the evaluations, providing some very useful and constructive feedback on all four speeches. Evaluators, Joe, Neelam, David T and Arcadius presented their opinions, tips, praises and thoughts. Very encouraging and an education for all throughout.
This was definitely a night of speeches setting new standards for all to aspire to.
The second half of the meeting presented more fun and humour with another esteemed member Cheryn who led the audience through some impromptu speaking in the Table Topics session. Topics ranged from 'choice of colours' to 'commanding roles' and we had topics contenders, Arcadius choosing not to Advertise, Oscar in the driving seat commanding his business, Wumi torn between Pink & Blue, Rahmat as knowledgeable as ever and the very experienced David L who was truly split between Wisdom & Intellect.
John K & Aleks, delivered some very useful comments whilst evaluating the Table Topics contenders and TT session overall.
To top off the meeting, David Q gave an impressive general evaluation, THANKS DAVID!
This was another great evening full of entertainment in a supportive environment inspired by our President Hanna and backed up with a team of experienced and up & coming new leaders and members.
Can't wait until the next meeting - Thurs 13th Sept 18:45 prompt!
Don't miss out, be part of it Get Involved & Get Motivated, Be Inspired, Build Confidence, Educate, Have Fun, Smile.
Excellence together at Croydon Communicators. Mind in Croydon, 10 Altyre Road, E. Croydon CR0 5LA
Division K Tip 8 - two briefing sessions?
Consider having TWO briefing sessions, one before the Humorous Speech Contest & the other before the Table Topics Contest
Why?
To reduce confusion; there are differences between the two contests:
* The Humorous Speech & Topics Contests differ widely in the way they’re run
* There are two sets of forms, with different judging criteria; different timings for the two events
* There’s likely to be a different mix of contestants & functionaries for the two events
Two sets of briefings will thus allow everybody concerned (Contest Chair & Chief Judge giving the briefings; contestants & functionaries being briefed) to concentrate fully on the next event.
Why?
To reduce confusion; there are differences between the two contests:
* The Humorous Speech & Topics Contests differ widely in the way they’re run
* There are two sets of forms, with different judging criteria; different timings for the two events
* There’s likely to be a different mix of contestants & functionaries for the two events
Two sets of briefings will thus allow everybody concerned (Contest Chair & Chief Judge giving the briefings; contestants & functionaries being briefed) to concentrate fully on the next event.
Tip 7 clarification
To start, there’s a clarification of Tip No 7, which included the warning that the Rule Book’s list of those ineligible to compete includes this entry:
“A member serving as a judge at any level for a contest in which the member is still competing"
It was asked if this rule applies to Chief Judges as well
The answer is Yes, it does
Thanks to David Marks (President Russian English Speakers) & Kulmit Bhambra (President CWC, Assistant Governor Area 31) for raising this issue, and to Melinda Perez of Toastmasters International’s Speech Contests Team for providing the definitive answer
“A member serving as a judge at any level for a contest in which the member is still competing"
It was asked if this rule applies to Chief Judges as well
The answer is Yes, it does
Thanks to David Marks (President Russian English Speakers) & Kulmit Bhambra (President CWC, Assistant Governor Area 31) for raising this issue, and to Melinda Perez of Toastmasters International’s Speech Contests Team for providing the definitive answer
Thursday 23rd Aug 2012
Another inspiring evening was held at Croydon Communicators, Mind in Croydon 10 Altyre Road, East Croydon CR0 5LA on Thursday 23rd Aug 2012.
If you ever wanted to be energised & inspired, then Croydon Communicators was the place to be on a Thursday evening.
It was also nice to see lots of new faces and regular guests signing up to full membership! New members... WELCOME :) You will not be disappointed!
The evening progressed with Toastmaster Gareth, leading the way with energy, ease and much humour.
We were enlightened by three great speeches, firstly an Ice Breaker speech "Two sides of Wumi" by Wumi who enlightened us with some 'real life' challenges which kept the audience totally engaged, and with plenty of laughter. Not a shred of nerves and a very positive performance.
Then followed up by an insight into the world "Media Power", and it worked! 'Have a Break' incited a prize delivery of a KitKat! Hope you enjoyed it Hanna?
Last but certainly not least of the prepared speeches was "Top Dog", by David B. Could you ever imagine witnessing two extravagant yachts' 'locked in unison' via a freak accident caused by pride?
We keep producing excellence... talented timekeeping; Ayo on her first timekeeping role. And more excellence... Mobola on her first Grammarian role with words of wisdom.
The Table Topics session always produces rolls of laughter. Led by Rahmat who dished out the best of the best, delivering some thought provoking topics questions from Wives' of Henry the 8th, Luna rotations, Champagne and Tigers!
And there were some great responses which included Lunatic's produced from Luna rotations; Mr. Champagne & his love for 'maybe' beer! the four legged Tiger who knew his way home! And Wives' of Henry the 8th where Mike E demonstrated the skilful art of Impromptu Speaking by answering, "Yes", 6 wives and possibly more associates!
To complete the program there were role performances by Cheryn (Evaluator & Tip of The Day), the experienced & esteemed David L (Evaluator), the true professional Shegun (Evaluator), Aleks (Warm Up Leader), Topics Evaluators (Anne & John) and always on point Dave T (General Evaluator) all of whom shined on stage.
Great evening as always, inspired by our President Hanna, backed up with a team of experienced and up & coming new leaders.
Thursday evenings could never be a dull evening at Croydon Communicators.
Can't wait until the next meeting - Thurs 30th Aug 18:45!
Get Involved & Get Motivated, Be Inspired, Build Confidence, Educate, Have Fun, Smile.
Excellence together at Croydon Communicators. Mind in Croydon, 10 Altyre Road, E. Croydon CR0 5LA
If you ever wanted to be energised & inspired, then Croydon Communicators was the place to be on a Thursday evening.
It was also nice to see lots of new faces and regular guests signing up to full membership! New members... WELCOME :) You will not be disappointed!
The evening progressed with Toastmaster Gareth, leading the way with energy, ease and much humour.
We were enlightened by three great speeches, firstly an Ice Breaker speech "Two sides of Wumi" by Wumi who enlightened us with some 'real life' challenges which kept the audience totally engaged, and with plenty of laughter. Not a shred of nerves and a very positive performance.
Then followed up by an insight into the world "Media Power", and it worked! 'Have a Break' incited a prize delivery of a KitKat! Hope you enjoyed it Hanna?
Last but certainly not least of the prepared speeches was "Top Dog", by David B. Could you ever imagine witnessing two extravagant yachts' 'locked in unison' via a freak accident caused by pride?
We keep producing excellence... talented timekeeping; Ayo on her first timekeeping role. And more excellence... Mobola on her first Grammarian role with words of wisdom.
The Table Topics session always produces rolls of laughter. Led by Rahmat who dished out the best of the best, delivering some thought provoking topics questions from Wives' of Henry the 8th, Luna rotations, Champagne and Tigers!
And there were some great responses which included Lunatic's produced from Luna rotations; Mr. Champagne & his love for 'maybe' beer! the four legged Tiger who knew his way home! And Wives' of Henry the 8th where Mike E demonstrated the skilful art of Impromptu Speaking by answering, "Yes", 6 wives and possibly more associates!
To complete the program there were role performances by Cheryn (Evaluator & Tip of The Day), the experienced & esteemed David L (Evaluator), the true professional Shegun (Evaluator), Aleks (Warm Up Leader), Topics Evaluators (Anne & John) and always on point Dave T (General Evaluator) all of whom shined on stage.
Great evening as always, inspired by our President Hanna, backed up with a team of experienced and up & coming new leaders.
Thursday evenings could never be a dull evening at Croydon Communicators.
Can't wait until the next meeting - Thurs 30th Aug 18:45!
Get Involved & Get Motivated, Be Inspired, Build Confidence, Educate, Have Fun, Smile.
Excellence together at Croydon Communicators. Mind in Croydon, 10 Altyre Road, E. Croydon CR0 5LA
Division K Tip 7 - Contests and a note of caution
This week's Tip relates to the approaching contests & sounds a note or two of caution.
The competition event consists of two contests, so there's plenty of opportunity to participate, and to mix & match - to compete in one & take on a role in the other.
However, the Rule Book says (in the General Rules Section, sub-section 2 Eligibility, paragraph A)
"4.The following are ineligible to compete in any Toastmasters speech contest:
a) A member serving as a judge at any level for a contest in which the member is still competing"
Secondly: Contest Chair
"Is a member allowed to act as contest chair in one speech contest and compete in another?
Yes, as long as the contest where the member is competing and the contest where the member is serving as a contest chair are not at the same event.
Example: Jane Doe is competing at Area G's fall conference in the Tall Tales contest. She cannot serve as a contest chair for any contests at Area G's fall conference. Jane is not competing in Area F's fall conference. Jane Doe can serve as a contest chair for any contest at Area F's fall conference"
This question and many others can be found here http://www.toastmasters.org/faq and scroll down to Speech Contests Frequently Asked Questions
Thirdly: Judges qualifications
Judges at club level contests must be members in good standing
Above club level, the Rule Book says (in the General Rules section, sub-section 5 General Procedure, paragraph B)
"2. All judges at area, division, and district speech contests shall have been a Toastmasters member in good standing since the previous July 1 and have completed at least six speech projects in the Competent Communication manual"
The competition event consists of two contests, so there's plenty of opportunity to participate, and to mix & match - to compete in one & take on a role in the other.
However, the Rule Book says (in the General Rules Section, sub-section 2 Eligibility, paragraph A)
"4.The following are ineligible to compete in any Toastmasters speech contest:
a) A member serving as a judge at any level for a contest in which the member is still competing"
Secondly: Contest Chair
"Is a member allowed to act as contest chair in one speech contest and compete in another?
Yes, as long as the contest where the member is competing and the contest where the member is serving as a contest chair are not at the same event.
Example: Jane Doe is competing at Area G's fall conference in the Tall Tales contest. She cannot serve as a contest chair for any contests at Area G's fall conference. Jane is not competing in Area F's fall conference. Jane Doe can serve as a contest chair for any contest at Area F's fall conference"
This question and many others can be found here http://www.toastmasters.org/faq and scroll down to Speech Contests Frequently Asked Questions
Thirdly: Judges qualifications
Judges at club level contests must be members in good standing
Above club level, the Rule Book says (in the General Rules section, sub-section 5 General Procedure, paragraph B)
"2. All judges at area, division, and district speech contests shall have been a Toastmasters member in good standing since the previous July 1 and have completed at least six speech projects in the Competent Communication manual"
Division K Tip 6 - Moments of Truth & Creating the Best Club Climate
The Toastmasters Educational presentations Moments of Truth & Creating the Best Club Climate both emphasise the importance of running exciting meetings with creative Table Topics sessions.
Some ideas for creative Table Topics:
The Switch
Choose topics which allow the speakers to take a definite stance – either Yes, definitely in favour, or No, definitely against.
Explain that the speaker must promote this stance with all the passion at their disposal.
At a suitable (or maybe embarrassing!) moment, you, the Topics Master, will call Switch! Whereupon the speaker must smoothly, stylishly and seamlessly promote the diametrically opposite point of view, with the same fervour as they began the topic
The Split
You all know how important command of language & vocal variety, body language & gestures are to ensuring your speeches have impact? And how Table Topics is all about dealing with the unexpected?
Here’s an approach which deals with all of those
Each Topic is to be answered by a team of two people
The Speaker describes the scene as vividly as possible – plenty of vocal variety and so on
And stands still, with no gestures or other movement
The Mover however adds all the body language, gestures, movement with purpose, to illustrate the Speaker’s description. And says not a word.
At the end of the Topic, the Speaker stands down & the Mover becomes the Speaker for the next Topic. The first Speaker can become the Mover in the last topic.
The Debate
As in The Switch, choose a question which lends itself to definite For and Against points of view.
Have two teams, with two or three speakers apiece.
These speakers take turns to eloquently persuade the audience to adopt their team's position.
This stage is followed by questions from the floor
And then a vote to decide the winning team
Mark their victory with prizes!
These Work!
And experience has shown that even the newest guest can participate whole-heartedly
If you would like to deliver one of these speeches, contact our VPE, Cheryn.
Some ideas for creative Table Topics:
The Switch
Choose topics which allow the speakers to take a definite stance – either Yes, definitely in favour, or No, definitely against.
Explain that the speaker must promote this stance with all the passion at their disposal.
At a suitable (or maybe embarrassing!) moment, you, the Topics Master, will call Switch! Whereupon the speaker must smoothly, stylishly and seamlessly promote the diametrically opposite point of view, with the same fervour as they began the topic
The Split
You all know how important command of language & vocal variety, body language & gestures are to ensuring your speeches have impact? And how Table Topics is all about dealing with the unexpected?
Here’s an approach which deals with all of those
Each Topic is to be answered by a team of two people
The Speaker describes the scene as vividly as possible – plenty of vocal variety and so on
And stands still, with no gestures or other movement
The Mover however adds all the body language, gestures, movement with purpose, to illustrate the Speaker’s description. And says not a word.
At the end of the Topic, the Speaker stands down & the Mover becomes the Speaker for the next Topic. The first Speaker can become the Mover in the last topic.
The Debate
As in The Switch, choose a question which lends itself to definite For and Against points of view.
Have two teams, with two or three speakers apiece.
These speakers take turns to eloquently persuade the audience to adopt their team's position.
This stage is followed by questions from the floor
And then a vote to decide the winning team
Mark their victory with prizes!
These Work!
And experience has shown that even the newest guest can participate whole-heartedly
If you would like to deliver one of these speeches, contact our VPE, Cheryn.
Want to make running your club easier?
Want to make running your club easier? Join our webinar on 13 August!
From Greg Ros, Division L Governor
At Club Officer Training, we received an overwhelming demand for training onEasySpeak/D71. Over two-thirds of officers made this request! We are pleased to announce that we'll be hosting two Webinar sessions in August and September to help meet this demand, with individual sessions aimed at Beginner or Intermediate proficiency. Even if you are unable to make the dates, these sessions will be recorded so that you can (re)visit the content time and again.
The Beginners Webinar on Monday 13 August is suitable for any Toastmaster who wants to learn more about the EasySpeak D71 platform, but has no/little prior experience. It's a great opportunity to be guided through the system interactively. You'll get to understand the benefits it could have for your club whether you are a member or club officer. Topics to be covered include:
- Getting Started
- Login / Personal Profile
- Left Hand Navigation Block
- My Participation
- User Administration
- Mass Communication
- Meeting Management
- Search & External Linkage
More advanced topics will be covered in the Intermediate level webinar.
PRE-REGISTRATION :To attend the Beginner Webinar on Monday 13 August(6.45-8.30pm) go to: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E051D784844B
Please verify your connectivity ahead of the session using the AnyMeeting System Test portal: http://www.anymeeting.com/systemtest
Division K Tip 5 - Upcoming contests
Division K Education & Training
This tip, Tip No 5, relates to approaching Contests
1. Open to all
Unlike the International Speech contest (where there's a minimum entry requirement - ie must have completed at least 6 projects from the CC manual) both the Humorous Speech & the Table Topics are open to all members in good standing.
2. Opportunity
The Humorous Speech contest is a speaking opportunity as well as a competing opportunity.
The contest speech could also be a speech from a manual, provided it meets both contest objectives & manual objectives.
Contestants will get a written evaluation, though not a public, spoken one.
3. Documentation
All contest documentation (including the Rule Book, forms, certificates) can be downloaded, free, from the Toastmasters web site:
Humorous Speech
Table Topics
Aspiring Judges & prospective contestants may wish to have a look at the Judge's Guide & Ballot Sheet for both contests
This tip, Tip No 5, relates to approaching Contests
1. Open to all
Unlike the International Speech contest (where there's a minimum entry requirement - ie must have completed at least 6 projects from the CC manual) both the Humorous Speech & the Table Topics are open to all members in good standing.
2. Opportunity
The Humorous Speech contest is a speaking opportunity as well as a competing opportunity.
The contest speech could also be a speech from a manual, provided it meets both contest objectives & manual objectives.
Contestants will get a written evaluation, though not a public, spoken one.
3. Documentation
All contest documentation (including the Rule Book, forms, certificates) can be downloaded, free, from the Toastmasters web site:
Humorous Speech
Table Topics
Aspiring Judges & prospective contestants may wish to have a look at the Judge's Guide & Ballot Sheet for both contests
Watch the World Championship of Public Speaking LIVE on 18 August
From Dorothea Stuart
Last year for the first time you could watch the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking via LIVE STREAMING. It was great!
This year there are more options -watching it live, watch on demand or get a DVD. It costs either $29.99 or $39.99 depending on the option you choose. As an experience live streaming is second best to being in Florida at the convention (though you could still do that)! As an educational tool the on-demand recordings or DVD will give you plenty to think about and make use of in the future. You can explore the options and pay atwww.toastmasters.org
Read more about the Toastmasters International Convention here.
Last year for the first time you could watch the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking via LIVE STREAMING. It was great!
This year there are more options -watching it live, watch on demand or get a DVD. It costs either $29.99 or $39.99 depending on the option you choose. As an experience live streaming is second best to being in Florida at the convention (though you could still do that)! As an educational tool the on-demand recordings or DVD will give you plenty to think about and make use of in the future. You can explore the options and pay atwww.toastmasters.org
Read more about the Toastmasters International Convention here.
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