december 2013 volume 10, issue 6 the...

How To: Tips for a New Year’s Eve Toast

2

District 39 Fall Conference 3

Meet Stuart Walsh Meet Parminder Martindale

4 4

Club, Area, Div, TM International News

4 4

1st Place Winners New Members

5 5

Learning & Development 6

Inside this issue:

Editor: Barbara Brackett, DTM, PDG 8667 Kiwi Cir. Elk Grove, CA 95624

1528-39, Tuesday 7-8:30PM Carlton Plaza 6915 Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove, CA 95758

December 2013

Volume 10, Issue 6 The Voice of the Speaking Machine Toastmasters

Distinguished Club Goals 2013-2014

CC: Dan Rose CC: Rick Pierce CC: Sue Eisberg CC: Rasheed Bustamam AC: Cathy Dessert AC: ? CL/AL/DTM: R.Bustamam CL/AL/DTM: Rogelio Clark 4 New Members: Jaswinder Kaeley Matt Nieman Jan Funk Parwinder Martindale 4 New Members: Stuart Welch ? ? ? Officers Trained in June: 7 Officers Trained in Jan: ? Dues in on time Oct: Yes Dues in on time Apr: ? Officer List in by Jun30:Yes

President’s Corner

Rick Pierce, President

My family moved from Ar-kansas to Pennsylvania when I was in Fourth Grade. Things were differ-ent in the new school. My first day of school, my teacher asked me if I want-ed to go to the lavatory. I thought she meant labora-tory, and had no idea why I

would want to go there. Later, a fellow student showed me to the lavatory and I found out that lavatory meant bathroom. Why didn’t they just say bath-room!

The point is that in every new environment, there are new and unfamiliar words and ex-pectations. It was helpful to have a fellow student show me these things. In Toastmas-ters we assign mentors to ac-climate new members to the new culture. The role of the mentor is not only to help the new speaker with the first speech, but to guide the new-bie into understanding the new culture.

If you are assigned as a men-tor, please take the time over the next couple of months to

walk your mentee through the various roles and explain why we do the things we do. It is helpful to call them whenever they are taking on new roles, to explain the manuals to them, to go explain to them what a DTM is and how to become one and even to sit next to them as they attempt to be timer for the first time.

If you are new to the club or are curious about why things are done a certain way or you don’t know how to use the timing device; ask your mentor. Often as mentors, we forget that you are new and may not know why we do the things we do. Some-times we forget that we are mentors, but I am certain that if you ask us we will help in any way we can.

Speaking Machine Toast-masters cordially invites you, your family and friends to our Annual Holiday Party & Membership Drive,

Saturday, December 7th

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Location: Sue Eisberg's home,

10356 Christo Way,

Elk Grove, CA Phone: 916-691-1612

Food: bring a side dish, salad, or desert.

Gift exchange: if you would like to participate in the gift exchange, bring a gift valued at approximately $15. If you are bringing guests and they would like to participate, they should bring a gift too. If you are bringing kids, bring a kids gift for the gift exchange (as many gifts as kids you're bringing).

Holiday Party & Membership Drive

The Voice Volume 10, Issue 6

How To: Tips for a New Year's Eve Toast

yourself, “Yeah, no kids!” Or you ask, “What’s my relationship to the people here tonight?” Answer: They’re friends and family. So you say to yourself, “Great – no co-workers or boss!” In addition, the more you know about your audience, the easier it is to create the appropriate content for your toast.

Agenda Toasts are most engaging when three pri-mary elements are clearly defined: Why are we celebrating? Who are we honor-ing? And what is the point you as the toaster want to make? Knowing what you want to say keeps you calm, even while standing in front of a party of people with all eyes focused on you. Use a succinct sentence to explain the agenda and set the foundation for your toast. For example, “I find when families pause their busy lives to gather from five different cities and share stories, our holiday meal times become magical.”

Ability Whether you’re an executive used to talking to a crowd or just starting out in Toastmasters, be sure to evaluate your skill level. Practice one or all of the Spe-cial Occasion Speeches (Item 226N) at your club and you’ll no doubt receive valuable feedback. Some people get very nervous when they have to talk in front of a group. Even seasoned speakers fre-quently talk too fast, causing spectators to ask their neighbor, “What did he say?” By honing in on your skills through prac-tice, you can build the experience and self-confidence necessary to communicate effectively.

As the author of the book Tasteful Toasts, the question I’m asked the most is, “How long should a toast be?” In a word: short. Be as brief as possible. It may seem like a cliché, but leave them wanting more. If you are going to speak for as long as five minutes, you’d better be outstanding and bring your Grade-A material. For first-time toasters and experienced speakers

alike, I recommend following the three B’s: be brief, be bold, be done. Be Brief Two minutes is a terrific target time for a tasteful toast. Keep your remarks short and simple and your toast will have a greater effect. If you hit five minutes, the snore bore alarm will begin to sound. Be Bold Enunciate clearly and project your voice to the back of the room to ensure every-one can hear your words. Display poise and confidence.

Be Done When finished, sit down. Avoid the urge to take a bow or return for an encore performance. Remember, the purpose of a toast is to shine a gentle spotlight on, and pay tribute to, a specific person or event. Say your toast and then return the attention to the honored guest and festiv-ities. Dec. 31 will soon be here and Toastmas-ters across the globe will be called to convey, with conviction, a reflection on 2009 and a vision of prosperity for 2010. Yes, I am referring to the New Year’s Eve toast. And as promised, it’s as easy as A, B and now C: communicate, commemo-rate and celebrate. Your first remarks before the midnight hour will slow the hands of time, and party participants will gather round for a message of inspiration. A short joke will bring laughs followed by a few seconds of silence. These golden ticks of the clock are when people will look to you for your next witty comment – it’s hu-man nature. In this pivotal moment you control the room and set the mood. Say something pithy and spirits remain light; say something serious and people be-come reflective. Take advantage of this precious time and use it wisely. Know what you want to say before you say it.

By Michael Varma, ATMG, ALB Article: Toastmasters Magazine 2009

As a professional magician I’m con-stantly asked, “Can you show me a magic trick?” I smile and consent to conjure up a miracle or two. It’s an occupational hazard. Toastmasters are constantly faced with requests for simi-lar command performances – for in-stance, to stand up and “say a few words” at family gatherings, or holiday meals, or to give a toast to the New Year. To avoid a real-life, spur-of-the-moment Table Topics test, remember to be prepared and follow the ABCs of toasting. To begin a well-thought-out toast, consider the following three A’s: audience, agenda and ability: \

Audience Parties and gatherings are a melting pot of ages, genders, relationships, educa-tional levels and ethnicities; all these folks carry high expectations for Toastmasters to speak with poise and confidence. Feeling the pressure? Take a deep breath... exhale. Release that mental stress by asking yourself some questions beforehand about the audi-ence you’ll be facing. Answer those questions and your anxieties will vanish as fear of the unknown dissolves, espe-cially when you stress the positive. For example, you might ask, “What is the age range of this audience?” An-swer: 20- to 40-year-olds. So you say to


Highlights of District 39 Fall Conference

Evaluation Contest Winners

Jeff Purtee, Cindy Harkness, Louise

Houdelette (Lt Gov Mkt), Ron Barnes

Humorous Speech Winners

Marc Gabris, Courtney Dyer,

George Jarosik

District 39 Governor

Joey Waldrop

"Speak from the heart and the world will listen," said Avery. He also invit-ed his wife on Chelsea on stage and reminded the audience that speaking and leadership are team endeavors, and he would not have made to be a WCPS if it were not for his wife, and other Toastmasters.

Lunch on Saturday included an-nouncements of award winners for their accomplishments the prior Toastmasters' year. They were: Area Governor of the Year: Julie Mattox. Division Governor of the Year: Dwayne Landenberger. Toastmaster of the Year: George Jarosik.

Lunch was Saturday was followed by the evaluation contest. The eight division winners evaluated a demon-stration speech by Scott Alexander, a District Governor from Oregon. District Chief Judge Matt Peterson ran an effective contest emceed by Lieutenant Governor Marketing, Louise Houdelette. The winners were: First Place, Cindy Harkness, Second Place, Ron Purtee, and Third Place, Ron Barnes.

After the evaluation contest, members could pick from two of six education-al sessions. Speakers from within and

outside the district were recruited to speak on leadership and public speak-ing related topics. Joe Hunnicutt gave a humorous presentation on "Unraveling the Retention Riddle" and encouraged participants to win Zimbabwean dol-lars. Hunnicutt iterated the Averys' message that with teamwork and shar-ing our stories we can grow individu-ally as speakers and leaders and also as clubs, areas, divisions, and as a dis-trict.

The fun and fellowship continued at dinner where twelve members received their Distinguished Toast-master award.

The Fall Conference concluded with the humorous speech contest. Em-ceed by Lieutenant Governor Educa-tion and Training, Brian Hatano, Matt Peterson's judges had a challeng-ing task determining the winners. The winners were First Place, Courtney Dyer, Second Place, George Jarosik, and Third Place, Marc Gabris.

I invite you to come join us at the District 39 Spring Conference at Peppermill in Reno, May 16-18, 2014. The keynote speaker will be 2000 WCPS Ed Tate.

Fun, fellowship, and fabulous speech-es highlighted the District 39 Fall Conference at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Sacramento, November 1 and 2, 2013.

The fun started Friday night with a recognition dinner honoring the Past District Governors (PDG) who led the district over the past sixty years. John Davis emceed the hour long celebration and provided anecdotes written by the PDGs who were indi-vidually recognized after each story and collectively together. Those men and women continue to inspire, and few outlasted of their younger Toast-masters on the dance floor.

Saturday morning the fun and fellow-ship with breakfast followed by a two hour keynote-educational presentation by Ryan Avery who at 25 became the youngest World Champion of Public Speaking (WCPS), in 2012 beating out 30,000 other speakers and competi-tors in 116 countries. Ryan provided tips on how to be a good speaker.

By Kristi Beres

District 39 Social Media Chair

Past District Governors

Recognition Dinner


Club, Area, Division, District Events AREA 11:

Not at this time

DIVISION A:

Jan 4th—TLI hosted by Divi-sion A 9:00-11:00 AM Sequoia Heights Baptist Church, Manteca, CA

CLUB:

Dec 7th— Club ‘s annual

holiday party and member-

ship drive.

Hosted by Sue Eisberg

6:00 PM

Bring your family and friends

See flyer for details

DISTRICT 39:

Jan-18th– CLUB OFFICER TRAINING

700 H St., Sacramento, CA

9AM-12:00PM

TM INTERNATIONAL:

Not at this time.

“I’m excited to be a club

member of the

Speaking Machine…”

Meet Stuart Welch I am currently the Senior

Pastor of Bread of Life-Elk

Grove and coach High

School basketball at Franklin

High School in Elk Grove.

I’m a retired Police Officer

and past founder and owner

of one of the Delta regions

largest security companies.

I have authored two books

and speak often on them.

I am also a licensed and cer-

tified Community Chaplain.

I joined Toastmasters as a

recommendation of a Pastor

friend who serves as

Club President in Sacra-

mento. He speaks so

highly of the vision and

purpose of the Club, it

encouraged me to visit

and eventually join. I

look to continually im-

prove my communica-

tion skills as I speak of-

ten in different venues

and settings. I speak on

business, leadership, fam-

ilies and ministry related

issues and I want to

always present the best

speaking product I can. The

skills Toast Masters teaches

can do nothing but benefit

me and others as we apply

what we have learned.

I’m excited to be a club

member of The Speaking

Machine and I encourage

others to participate and

enjoy the benefits of

Toastmasters.

“My confidence has risen

significantly in a very short

amount of time..”

Meet Parminder (Pam) Martindale The thought of public speaking has always topped my list of fears. I tend to tense up, freeze, and stumble over my words when faced with a situation in which I am required to speak in front of my peers during work meetings or confer-ence calls.

I originally joined Toastmas-ters in order to tackle this fear and to strengthen my communication skills overall

but what I have gained thus far has surpassed my expec-tations completely. My con-fidence has risen significant-ly in a very short amount of time. I no longer fear the idea of standing in front of a group of people rather I look forward to the oppor-tunity to share with my fel-low Toastmasters.

Although, I still have that all too common nervous feeling prior to giving a speech, I

now look at it as a challenge that I shall overcome by tak-ing my time and having con-fidence in my ability to ex-press myself.

Toastmasters is a class I would undoubtedly recom-mend to everyone and I can't wait to look back at the end of the class and see just how far we have all come.


Dec 3—Tina Dyer (Wells) Dec 9th—John Shober

Happy Birthday!

December Birthdays

Our Newest Members

a friendly, supportive

atmosphere, to give

you opportunities to

help others, and to

make your Toastmasters

membership a rewarding

and fulfilling experience.

November 2013

We, the members of

the Speaking Machine

Toastmasters Club,

pledge to support you

in your quest for self-

development, to provide

you with positive, helpful

evaluations, to maintain

Congratulation

to our newest

members

Member 1st Place Achievements

BEST EVALUATOR

Nov-5-Joey Waldrop

Nov-12-Matt Niemann

Nov 19—Gina Connors

Nov 26-Maria Robinson

BEST SPEAKER

Nov-5-Dan Rose

Nov-12-Pam Martindale

Nov 19--Barbara Brackett

Nov 26-Stuart Welch

BEST TABLE TOPICS

Nov-5-Amaryllis Welch

(guest)

Nov-12-Stuart Welch

Nov 19--Devein Munn

(guest)

Nov 26-Brad Driggers


We provide a supportive and positive

learning experience in which members are

empowered to develop communication and

leadership skills, resulting in greater self-

confidence and personal growth.

Club Officers

Rick Pierce, President 916-683-9737

Rasheed Bustamam, VP Education 916-623-5146

Ted Oien, VP Membership 916-416-8886

Barbara Brackett, VP Public Relations 916-417-9164

Sue Eisberg, Secretary 916-317-8989

Randy Connors, Treasurer 916-896-5688

Alex Jubane, Sgt At Arms 916-896-7430

We’re on the Web! www.speakingmachine.org Email: [email protected]

The Voice is the monthly newsletter of the

Speaking Machine Toastmasters, Club #1528.

Speaking Machine Toastmasters is a member

club of Toastmasters International.

PUBLISHER: Rick Pierce, President, 916-683-9737

EDITOR: Barbara Brackett, VPPR , 916-417-9164

Together Everyone Achieves More

Club Mission Statement

Together Everyone Achieves More

Favorite Quote:

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – John C Maxwell.

I have 26 years’ experience within the financial services industry in a variety of capacities, including 15 years of manage-ment experience. Currently I am a Learning and Development Consultant with a major financial services company.

I support the growth and devel-opment of leaders through the facilitation of a variety of leader-ship courses some of which in-clude: Crucial Conversations, Presentation and Public Speak-ing Skills, Situational Self Leader-ship, Situational Leadership II, StrengthsFinders and Transition-ing to a Manager Role are just a few.

I joined Toastmasters nearly 18 months ago to strengthen my skills and hone my talents. More specifically, I joined to have op-portunities to practice speaking and techniques to reduce my use of filler/junk words when pre-senting.

Participating in Toastmasters has helped me increase my confi-

dence, network with others and most importantly it has helped me achieve my goal of reducing the use of filler/junk words as I present on a regular basis.

In 2013, I embarked upon a new journey by founding Graft-ed Together Consulting Group, a consulting firm bringing lead-ership solution to corporations, small businesses and non-profits for the purposes of helping individuals and teams discover the very best of them-selves and leverage that knowledge to make an impact for good.

Toastmasters has been a bless-ing and I look forward to my continued growth and develop-ment in the years ahead.

Learning and Development

By Tina Dyer (Wells)

Learning & Development

december 2013 volume 10, issue 6 the...

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