Toastmasters in Hungary

2014

Edited by

Judit László - Chief Editor - Vice President of PR

(Budapest Toastmasters)

Zsuzsanna Bagi – Editor

Richard Beamish - Lector

Áron Benedek - Vice President of PR (Skylarks)

Bea Bincze - District 95 PR Officer / Past Area

Governor

Zsuzsanna Forray - Vice President of Membership

(EBSC)

Elisabeth Katalin Grabow - Editor (Budapester

Zeitung)

Emese Homolya – President (Pestbeszéd)

Balázs Kuzsel - Area Governor

As I made my way through the Competent

Communicator’s manual and made my speeches, I

became more comfortable in taking on more difficult

roles.

My mentor helped me to, make better speeches.

Then, I too became a mentor, and learnt how I could

help other people.

Without my Toastmasters experience, I would never

have dared to compete in the Gift of the Gab, an

English-language speech slam held in Budapest. I

would not have been invited to be the speech coach

for all the English speakers at the TEDxBudapest

Future 2.0 conference in 2014.

Toastmasters founder Ralph Smedley said: ‘We

learn best in moments of enjoyment.’

My biggest pleasure is to see other Toastmasters

develop.

Seeing the young girl, who sat with folded arms in

the back row at her first meeting confidently deliver

her speech and earn her well-deserved Competent

Communicator award some months later was

inspiring. It was not just her presentation skills that

changed; in Toastmasters we also build self-

confidence.

But please don’t just take my word for all this, come

and visit one of our clubs and see for yourself!

As our District conference slogan said:

LAUGH AND LEARN!

Welcome to the

World of

Toastmasters

A message from our

Past Area Governor

- Bea Bincze -

‘Do you really go to a club early in the morning to

make toast? You will get a toaster for your next

birthday’, declared a friend of mine when I invited

him to come to a Toastmasters meeting.

Toastmasters International is a world leader in

communication and leadership development. Our

membership is 313,000 strong. Our members

improve their speaking and leadership skills by

attending one of the 14,650 clubs in 126 countries

that make up our global network of meeting

locations.

In Hungary we have more than 200 members in 6

clubs, and we grow continuously.

The first one, the Budapest Toastmasters Club,

was set up by Willy Benkő 11 years ago.

Today we have 6 clubs (5 English and 1 Hungarian

speaking) that you can visit to develop your

potential and make new friends.

When companies and local communities are

interested, we visit them and hold demo meetings.

They can then decide if they want to start their own

club. Most of them choose to go ahead, and we are

happy to support their growth.

My journey started in February 2011, on a cold

dark Tuesday morning at 7 am. I arrived at the

California Coffee Company on Szent István square.

Uncertain, I asked a woman if this was where the

Toastmasters meeting was being held. She was a

member, very friendly and helpful. Then Imre

Pakozdi, the Toastmaster (in other words the

Master of Ceremony for that morning’s meeting)

arrived and invited me to be the vote counter.

He ran through the agenda, and made us feel

comfortable.

During the Table Topics session I made a 1.5

minute impromptu speech. At the end of the

meeting I had the honor of announcing the best

speakers of the day, and the best evaluator.

At the end of the meeting, I signed up as a

member.

In our magazine you can read introductions to our

public clubs, and also some interesting articles

written by our members. In short testimonials our

members share with you what they have learned

and offer some useful tips.

Some of the articles are in Hungarian and some of

them are in English, because we have clubs in both

language, and don’t want to exclude anyone from

reading the magazine.

Újságunkban az olvasó találkozhat nyilvános

klubjaink bemutatkozásával, valamint tagjaink által

írt érdekes cikkekkel. Klubtagjaink rövid

idézetekben osztják meg tapasztalataikat és adnak

pár hasznos tanácsot.

A cikkek egy része magyarul van, másik része

angolul, ami annak köszönhető, hogy mindkét

nyelven vannak klubjaink, és nem célunk kizárni

senkit az újság olvasásából.

Elements:

Once you have the message, you decide what

stories would strengthen it. Personal elements

motivate the audience to empathize with you, and

citing data and statistics make the speech more

credible. Also well-chosen metaphors and

comparisons facilitate understanding. And a good

laugh wins the heart of your listeners.

Organization:

No matter whether you talk about the newest space

technology or how to make a perfect frittata, there

must be coherent order of thoughts from the

beginning to the end, which helps listeners follow

your story. The transitions between the different

elements of the speech are crucial. Referring back

to a previous part of the speech, a bit of repetition,

also enhances understanding.

Body language, vocal variety, and visual

presentation are also necessary to sell your

necklace, but first you have to have it in your hands.

So, what are you waiting for? Make that necklace,

and let the others admire it.

Necklace Made

of Words

- Viktória Sárkány -

For me, giving a good speech is like making a

beautiful necklace on my own.

Step 1: You fall in love with it and buy the medallion

first – you then decide the message you want to

convey in the speech.

Step 2: You choose the big and small pearls,

crystals that fit and highlight the medal – these are

the different elements of the speech

Step 3: Finally you choose how you are going to

string your pearls around the medallion- this is the

organization of the speech.

Message:

The message explains why you are giving the

speech. Either you want to inform, entertain,

persuade or inspire people, and it greatly helps if

you have a key sentence the audience can recall at

the end of your speech. Here are some key

sentences I now recall: “Praise often” ; or

“Volunteering opens new horizons” “Nature doesn’t

hurry, you can slow down as well”.

„A Toastmasters, az én retorikai

„játszóterem”, avagy másfél órás szórakoztató

csütörtök esti önfejlesztés. Általa egy

nagyszerű csoporthoz tartozhatok, ahol

folyamatosan új embereket ismerhetek meg és

hallgathatom meg kreatív bemutatkozásaikat,

különleges életútjukat. Az ezáltal nyert

motiváció és a bátorító tekintetek elősegítették,

hogy első „jégtörő” beszédemet saját

stílusomban, „Alíz Csodaországban” címmel

és hozzá illő öltözékben adhattam elő.”

TESTIMONIAL

ALÍZ MOLNÁR

"Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to

the individual, we work together to bring out the

best in each of us and then we apply these skills to

help others."

– Ralph Smedley, Founder of Toastmasters

He started off strong, with a dynamic style similar to

the first speaker, but then, after a minute, upon

realizing that something was amiss, one of the

organizers jumped in, grabbed a microphone, and

started translating.

This threw the speaker completely off guard, and

thoroughly broke his spirit. It was almost as if he

was insulted to have someone translating his

thoughts to another language.

Whatever the reason, his speech turned completely

flat and boring, and even though, in stark contrast to

the first speaker, he actually had an interesting

message, his monotone, phlegmatic presentation

style killed the speech. Lesson No. 2: Be flexible.

Just because things don't go the way you planned,

don't let it break your stride. Your audience is still

there to hear what you have to say.

To end with a positive evaluation: the lady who

jumped in to save the day by translating was first

class.

Her translation was easily understandable, flowed

well, and made perfect sense. Her voice, posture,

and style were impeccable. She stood comfortably

off to one side where she was still well visible

but didn't steal the stage. Lesson No. 3.: a good

translator is worth her/his weight in gold.

A few weeks ago I attended a classical corporate

event - one of these after-work business cocktail

affairs, you know: networking, rubbing elbows, see-

and-be-seen, and all of that stuff.

To give the event an appearance of legitimacy, it

started off with a few short speeches, which proved

fertile ground for any critical Toastmaster to

conduct silent evaluations - which I proceeded to

do without hesitation.

The first interesting observation was of the

introductory speech by the host (a high level official

from the Commercial Service Office). He was a

captivating speaker: blending all of the things we

learn from the CC manual: body language, stories,

vocal variety, posture, voice. I was amazed by his

presentation style. Alas, there was only one

problem, and a critical one at that: he didn't actually

say anything!

After being wowed by him for 5 minutes and giving

my thundering applause, I realized that he hadn't

delivered a single

message. Nothing. Zero. Lesson No. 1: you can

be a phenomenal presenter, but if you don't have

anything to say, then stay off the stage.

The second interesting observation was the

keynote speaker, a high-level official from the

Energy Ministry (or equivalent thereof), who, for

some odd reason, didn't realize that he was

expected to give his speech in English (you'd think

that an event put on by the US Embassy for foreign

business people would have been a clue, no?).

A

Toastmaster

Incognito

- Péter

Temesváry -

"While most of us may have entered Toastmasters

to learn to make speeches, that benefit is but the

beginning of the good which may come to us and

the good which we may do for mankind.„

– Ralph Smedley, Founder of Toastmasters

This was the main reason why we organized the

Toastmasters Startup Demo event. To show, what

Toastmasters has to offer to entrepreneurs. How our

organization can help overcome speech anxiety,

develop basic public speaking skills, master the art

of rhetoric.

On 23rd of April, on a sunny afternoon, more than

40 people gathered in Apacuka Restaurant. Some

fellow Toastmasters, most of them curious

entrepreneurs. Our experienced Toastmasters gave

two talks. Judit László, VP PR of Budapest

Toastmasters shared us valuable information about

speech anxiety and how to overcome it. Hans

Peterson, one of our most experienced members

revealed the difference between a presentation and

a speech.

After the prepared speeches, we continued with

Table Topics. Tamás Mester called people from the

audience, who had 1 minute to improvise a pitch

about a famous company - at the time they were

formed. It was encouraging to see, that all people

could fill out this one minute with engaging pitches.

So there is hope.

Start-Up Moonwalking

- Attila Szigeti -

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to

the moon in this decade and do the other things,

not because they are easy, but because they are

hard…”

When Kennedy said these words, the US was

completely unprepared for the mission ahead.

Nobody thought that it could be done. But JFK - as

a great public speaker, could use his words to

inspire a nation, and bring us to the moon.

This is the power of a good pitch. It forces you to

clarify what you want to say, how you want to say

it. And if delivered in a good way, it helps you to

win hearts and minds. So people who heard it can

spread your idea, and win you more followers for

your cause.

This is why public speaking should be a basic skill

taught in schools. This is why the famous startup

mantra “Always be pitching!” is so true.

Sadly, most people, especially in our region, don’t

have these skills. Even worse, most don’t even

recognize that they would need it. And the result?

Lots and lots of people, with great ideas - that could

improve our world. Most of these get wasted on

stage, overshadowed by shaking legs and

trembling voice.

„When I joined Toastmasters, this is what I

thought: "Wow! There are so many excellent

self-confident people in Toasmasters, born

public speakers!" I then thought: "Maybe I’ll

never be that good." Recently, I have been

working on my Gold achievement award and,

over the years, my self-confidence has shot

straight up. Join today and increase your

confidence in a honest, friendly, and risk-free

atmosphere.”

TESTIMONIAL

BARNABÁS SZILÁGYI, PHD.

"Circumstances always modify rules.„

– Ralph Smedley, Founder of Toastmasters

Most épp azon dolgozom, hogy ezt az izgulást

hogyan fordíthatom a javamra. Két év múlva

érettségi, aztán felvételi… időben vagyok.

Már várom, hogy beszédet is értékelhessek. Szűcs

László épp a múltkor vállalta el, hogy a mentorom

lesz, ez nekem nagyon fontos, örülök neki.

Hogy mit tanulok a PestBeszédben? Rengeteg

történetet hallok: Ágh Karcsié nagyon megérintett,

Máthé Lajos különleges utazásokra röpít Ázsiába,

Tar Adrienn analógiái felejthetetlenek, Lukács

Andráson bármikor szétröhögöm magam. (Persze

tudom, ezt most választékosabban is kifejezhettem

volna, de ha hallottad már Andrást, tudod, miről

beszélek...) Németh Zolitól az üzenetek fontosságát,

a történet elejének és végének kidolgozottságát

tanultam meg. És persze, ott a közvetlen

családom… nem biztos, hogy mindig előny, ha a

felmenőid között tréner is akad. Néha meg jól jön…

Emellett persze hajrá Manchester United,

fesztiválok, lányok és focimeccsek.

Nem is értem, miért mondják annyian és annyiszor,

hogy mekkora mázlista vagyok, hogy ennyi idősen

"elkapott a gépszíj"...

Illetve: de, értem. Értem.

A PestBeszéd Retorika Klub Benjáminjának, Pató

Dávidnak gondolatait sajtó alá rendezte: Homolya

Emese

"Nagyon kevés olyan helyet ismerek, ahol

biztonságos körülmények között állandóan

meg tudok újulni, fejlődni és feltöltődni. Ez a

klub ilyen! ...és még az önbizalmam is

szárnyal, és együtt jár a folyamatos üzleti

sikerekkel. Az egész országnak ilyen

klubokban a helye!”

TESTIMONIAL

ZOLTÁN NÉMETH, PHD

Jégzajlás

- Emese Homolya -

Hogyan változtatja meg a kőolaj a világot?

Ez a kérdés hangzott el, majd kisvártatva egy név

is... Az én nevem.

Ki kellett mennem és beszélnem kellett volna erről

a témáról.

Nekem, akinek a gondolatait pillanatnyilag a

Manchester United kötötte le leginkább.

Hosszú csend volt. Aztán már kínos is.

Ott álltam, mert anyám elhozott ide, a találkozóra...

mit is keresek én itt, kinn, vadidegen emberek előtt

állva, égő arccal... de nem, csakazértsem megyek

a helyemre... és – nekem úgy tűnt, órák múlva -

elkezdtem beszélni... Van Persie

mesterhármasáról. Aminek ugyan semmi köze

nem volt a kőolajhoz, de nekem ott, akkor, 2013

áprilisában a Magyar nyelvű Toastmasters Klub

második alakuló találkozóján tört meg a jég.

Először.

Aztán 2014. május 13-án, az Első Beszédemkor

másodszor is. Azóta jégzajlás van.

A PestBeszéd Retorika Klub, a magyar nyelvű

Toastmasters Klub tagja vagyok, szeptembertől az

óbudai Árpád Gimnázium tizenegyedikese.

Csütörtök estéimet a Kaptárban töltöm, rutinos

szavazatszámláló vagyok, de voltam már időmérő

és rögtönzésvezető is. Épp a harmadik

beszédemre készülök. Nincs ebben semmi

különös.

Persze, hogy izgulok a beszéd előtt, de látom,

tapasztalom, hogy mindenki más is… aki a

Tudományos Akadémián tart előadást, és aki az

ötödik vagy a tizedik TM beszédét tartja, az is.

Pestbeszéd

Amikor arról beszélgetsz Magyarországon egy

toastmasterrel, hogy miért jár a találkozókra, a

céges résztvevők nagy része az angol nyelv

gyakorlását jelöli meg.

Erre itt a PestBeszéd Retorika Klub, a magyar

nyelvű Toastmasters klub, ami 2013 tavaszán jött

létre.

Mi ebben a közösségben már-már kényszeresen

ügyelünk arra, hogy minél több angol kifejezést

magyarul használjunk: nálunk a műhelymunka a

workshop és házigazda a toastmaster.

A minap a bemelegítő kör arra keresett választ: mit

ad neked a PestBeszéd?

Szemezgetek a válaszokból:

Fontos, hogy kellő önbizalommal álljak ki, mikor a

munkahelyemen előadást kell tartanom.

Jó a hangulat, a közösség.

Támogatást, őszinte elismerést kapok.

Jó, hogy a fejlesztendő területekre is támogatóan

hívjátok fel a figyelmemet.

Érdekes embereket és történeteket ismerhetek

meg.

Életem több területén is érzem a változást, a

fejlődést.

Sok elfelejtettnek hitt kifejezést kezdtem el újra

használni...

Igen, ékes-míves magyar nyelvünket használjuk,

telnek és nem múlnak a napjaink.

Felhőzte könny a szemünket bánattól, örömtől,

született már TM baba, sőt, novemberben is fog,

esküvőre is voltunk már hivatalosak. Biztattuk

egymást egy-egy elakadt mondat után, átsegítettük

egymást testi és lelki bajokon, drukkoltunk, hogy

sikerüljön egy új állás, - nem csak csütörtökön

18:30 és 20:10 között vagyunk kapcsolatban...

Ettől, a közösség megélésétől vagyunk

különlegesek. Is.

Ahogy Hans Kudszus mondja: Utak úgy lesznek,

hogy járunk rajtuk.

Club Intro

Budapest Toastmasters

Our club, Budapest Toastmasters, is the oldest

Toastmasters club in Hungary, and we meet ever

Monday at 18:30 in a Central European University

(CEU) building on Frankel Leo Utca.

After our English language meetings on Monday

evening, we get together in nearby cafés for drinks

and dinner.

For us learning is a constant experience, and our

members always come up with something fresh

and exciting where you can learn and practice

valuable skills e.g. Leadership, mentoring,

evaluation and speechwriting.

Over the last few years we have also been proud

organizers of area, divisional and district level

conferences. Our membership is solid and we

always have new members and visitors from

Hungary or from clubs around the world.

Come and join this unique experience every

Monday: 1830 at CEU, Frankel Leo Utca.

A céges élet egyik bűvszava a ’míting’, ami azt

kellene hogy jelentse, hogy emberek összeülnek,

megosztják információikat, ütköztetik álláspontjaikat,

döntésre jutnak, megállapodnak a következő

lépésekben amit mindenki nekilát végrehajtani a

következő találkozóig. Ehelyett leginkább egymás

idejét rabolják, nem sikerül információt cserélni, stb.

A cégek ezért küldik el alkalmazottaikat

kommunikációs tréningekre. Ott 1-2 napig

intenzíven kapják a tudást, épp csak elsajátítani,

begyakorolni nincs idejük. El is felejtik egy hét vagy

egy hónap alatt. Majd 1-2 év múlva lárva arccal

jelentkeznek megint ugyanarra a tréningre, hogy jó,

voltunk, de azért nem ártana még egyszer...

A Toastmasters pont fordítva működik: a tananyag

ugyanúgy elfér 1-2 munkafüzetben, de hetente csak

1 órát foglalkozunk a szónoklással. Összegyűlünk

egy klub keretében, és ugyanabban a struktúrában

újra és újra gyakoroljuk. Nem ugyanazt csináljuk

hétről hétre! Mindig változó szerepekben, mindig

változó céllal veszünk részt. Mindenki a saját

tempójában, a saját igényei és lehetőségei szerint

halad a tananyagban. Nem lehet hibázni, ha nem

akarod, akkor is csak fejlődsz már azzal, hogy

beülsz nézőnek. Nincsen fizetett oktató. Mindenki

mindenkit tanít a saját példájával, visszajelzésével,

de akár közvetlen mentorálással is. Az eredmények

megdöbbentőek. Átlag 1 éven belül olyan fejlődést

produkálnak a tagok, hogy nem nagyon marad

idejük a klubra, mert beindul a karrierjük.

Céges környezetben különösen hatékonyan tud

működni egy klub: Azonos nyelvet beszéltek (céges

gondolkodásmód), rendelkezésre áll a megfelelő

infrastruktúra (a teremtől a csoportmunka-, és

kommunikációs alkalmazásokig), és még csak

utazni sem kell, csak elmenni egy épületen belüli

tárgyalóba. A találkozók stílusát, témáit a cégnek

megfelelően lehet alakítani. Remek lehetőség nyílik

a céges kapcsolati hálónk építésére, akár olyan

üzletágakból is, akikkel soha nem fújna össze a

szél.

Amit a cég nyer vele: javul a hatékonyság, csökken

a feszültség, nő az elhivatottság. Erős kötelék épül

az alkalmazottak között. Egy tanfolyam árához

képest elhanyagolhatók a költségek.

Csak ajánlani tudom minden cégnek. Az egyik

legjobban megtérülő befektetés.

Skylarks

The newest Toastmasters Club in Hungary is

called Skylarks. Chartered on 12th May 2014, the

establishment of the Club has fulfilled various

needs as it satisfies the area governor’s goal of

establishing new clubs and allows motivated and

enthusiastic people to interact.

The Skylarks founders were initially part of the

Budapest Toastmasters Club, as was the Skylarks

meeting venue, which is the California Coffee

Company located next to picturesque St. Stephens

Basilica.

The idea of establishing a new club was due to the

growing number of participants at BPTM, and it

took only one month to recruit the minimum

number of 20 members needed to create a new

club. Now Skylarks has more than 30 members

who are willing to get up early on Tuesdays and

attend the 8 a.m. meetings.

The early starting time inspired the name of the

Club, which was invented by Dani Faragó.

The Club membership is a good mixture of

veterans and rookies, natives and non-natives. The

meeting atmosphere is always very friendly and

motivating.

If you want a stimulating start to your Tuesday

mornings, please come!

Miért alapíts Toastmasters

klubot a cégedben?

- Viktor Farkas -

Club Intro

"When you talk, you give yourself away. You

reveal your true character in a picture which is

more true and realistic than anything an artist can

do for you.”

– Ralph Smedley, Founder of Toastmasters

„I didn't ask people if they could see any difference

in my communication skills, but after a few months

of active membership, they came to me and told me

that I had improved a lot! :)”

Improvements, developments, even promotion or

foreign assignments were enhanced through

Toastmasters activities. Being involved in

Toastmasters can raise a person’s profile in his or

her corporation.

At the end, attendees raised several questions to

learn more about the ins and outs of Toastmasters,

and we continued this open discussion during the

closing lunch, which also served as a great

networking opportunity.

And the final result? It was a successful event.

The organizers had contacted about 20 companies,

of which 16 sought more information, and finally 12

of them actually came to the Summit! 8 of them

indicated they were interested in in forming a club,

and they have either organized or are organizing

demo sessions. Moreover, some are actually in the

process of forming a new club!

Demo session at CBI

Success of the event is also reflected in the

feedback of company representatives:

„… I have to say it made a very positive impression

on us and we definitely want to join in.” – from

Motorola Solutions

„…we have both liked it a lot and we can now see

clearly many positives that creating of our

own corporate club could bring.” – from Lufthansa

I was amazed by the energy and professional

execution of the event by the organizers, and how

smooth it all went.

I very much hope we will have soon a Corporate

Summit also in Budapest, and able to share and

convince more and more corporations about the

benefits of Toastmasters and let them sponsor more

and more Toastmasters Clubs to

achieve excellence.

Kick-Off For Corporates

- Balázs Kuzsel -

I had no idea what a Toastmasters Corporate

Summit was until I received an invitation from Brno

to present there, and I subsequently represented

the Hungarian corporate clubs, sponsored by

Morgan Stanley, ExxonMobil and BP.

Corporate Summit is a special event to promote

Toastmasters within companies, and give decision

makers the opportunity to explore creating a new

Toastmasters club. Creating new clubs is one of

the missions of a Toastmasters District:

“We build new clubs and support all clubs in

achieving excellence.”

In Brno the half day event had a friendly

atmosphere even though the majority of the

participants were absolutely new to Toastmasters.

On our agenda we had a prepared speech, an

impromptu speech, and evaluations. We explored

the three basic aspects of every Toastmasters

meeting, followed by an overview of the

International Toastmasters organization. Also two

of us gave testimonials about our long years of

corporate club experience.

In my presentation Benefits and features was the

main focus point, stressing that it is a cost-

effective, world-class development opportunity.

Other advantages are that it provides a regular

networking opportunity for employees from different

departments, plus individuals gain in self-

confidence, and augment their presentation and

leadership skills.

Successful club, effective sponsorship and

management support is essential, even if clubs are

always self-sustained and led by a few dedicated

members. It is also important that club members

are considered equal, regardless of their position,

which helps maintain Toastmasters’ friendly spirit

and allows for honest evaluations.

Development, Boosting Career

„You are amongst friends who share the same

goals and can sympathize with your short-

comings.” „...plus it’s also an excellent networking

opportunity!”

„When I was first called to do a tabletopic, I

returned to my seat because I had no idea what to

say. Half a year later I won the table topic trophy

which I previously would never have expected.”

Tip 3: Use feedback slips as mini-evaluations.

Evaluating fellow Toastmasters’ speeches ensures

progress as you develop numerous skills by doing it.

However, it requires major involvement and often

Toastmasters avoid it.

At meetings feedback slips provide a simple way to

prepare for an evaluator’s role, allowing you to

provide comments using the sandwich technique

where you give one suggestion for improvement

between two positive comments. If you constantly

use the feedback slips, you will internalise the

structure, making it easier for you to be an

evaluator.

Tip 4: Go to meetings at smaller clubs.

Let’s face it, big clubs with their big meetings can be

intimidating for beginners or for those of us those

who have lost momentum.

Reduce this fear and increase your chances of

getting a role by going to a smaller club’s meeting.

Your confidence will grow.

Tip 5: Get a kickass mentor.

Nothing will enhance your progress more than a

Mentor who takes an active interest in you.

The secret is to choose someone you get on with

and who motivates you to take roles that help you

achieve your goals.

Self-knowledge is the key here. If you require

strong external motivation, give your mentor

permission to use a big stick!

The Zen of Toastmasters: 5

ways to get moving and start

speaking

- Henry Scullion -

Think back… How long has it been since your last

speech?

When was the last time you took a role at a

meeting? When was the last time you spoke at a

meeting?

If the answer to one or more of these questions is

over a month, you are not fully profiting from your

(very affordable!) Toastmasters membership.

You also risk abandoning Toastmasters altogether

if you don’t regain your momentum.

So, here are my five top tips for revitalizing your

Toastmasters experience.

Tip 1: Use Easy-Speak to take on roles in future

meetings.

Committing to a role means you are more likely to

attend a meeting as you have put your reputation at

stake. If you let your fellow Toastmasters down,

your image will suffer, and few people want that.

If you wait until you’re at the meeting to take on a

role, it reduces the chances of your actually doing it

as someone else may volunteer, allowing you to sit

back and do nothing. Your comfort zone is a

beautiful place, but it can lead to stagnation.

Tip 2: Become a Ninja Vote Counter first.

The Vote Counter differs from other roles as you

don’t have to pay full attention at a meeting. As a

result, it is the least demanding of the meeting

roles. However it will still provide you with a sense

of involvement. It is the easiest way to gain

momentum and motivate yourself to take on other

meeting roles.

„I wanted to improve at public speaking. Since

Toastmasters was the only place where I could

practice public speaking, I had to give it a go.

That was back in 2010 and now it is an

integral part of my life. I work as a master of

ceremonies at weddings, I give speeches at

competitions, and I give workshops on public

speaking. Toastmasters has made me a more

confident and positive person.”

TESTIMONIAL

ATTILA SZABÓ

Élethosszig való tanulás

Mindig is önmaga fejlesztését tartotta legfontosabb

feladatának, erre sosem sajnált időt, pénzt, energiát.

Az egyetemen kezdett angolul tanulni, egyből hat

kurzusra járt párhuzamosan, a kezdőtől a felsőfokú

nyelvvizsga felkészítőig. Villamosmérnöki karon

végzett, de nem tartja magát tipikus mérnök

alkatnak, inkább az összefüggések, a döntések, a

kapcsolatépítés érdekli.

Már az egyetemen eldöntötte, hogy emberekkel

akar foglalkozni, vezetőként. Tehát keresett egy

mentort. Sportolói múltjából – válogatott bokszoló

volt – nagyon jól tudta, hogy csak úgy fejlődhet, ha a

legjobbtól tanul. Az IBM egyik felsővezetőjét sikerült

megnyernie, akivel a mentori kapcsolat azóta is tart.

Mostanra Laci vezető beosztásban dolgozik,

huszonöt embert irányít, akik mindannyian

idősebbek nála.

Toastmasters-en belül is szeretett volna egy

mentort, akit Jennifer Blanck személyében talált

meg. Együtt dolgoznak Laci célján, hogy jövőre

versenyzőként lehessen kint a TM világversenyen.

Ugyan csak résztvevőként, de idén is ott volt a

versenyen, Malajziában, ahol megragdta az

alkalmat, hogy bemutassa egy start-up ötletét, a

ToastMeetert. Az applikáció lényege, hogy az egy

szervezethez – jelen esetben a Toastmasters-hez –

tartozó, egymást még nem ismerő tagok

megoszthassák egymással a naptárukat és közös

programokat szervezhessenek.

Hobbi és munka

Toastmasters és start-up cégek, a két szerelem,

melyeket sikerült kombinálnia amerikai

tanulmányútján. Hét TM klubot is meglátogatott –

mindenhol rögtönzött is –, valamint olyan cégeket

keresett fel, mint az Apple, a Google, a Prezi és a

Yahoo. Különösen nagy élmény volt számára, hogy

lehetősége volt Steve Jobs özvegyével is

beszélgetni Palo Alto-i házuk kertjében.

Lenyűgözte az a pozitív energia, amit a

Szilíciumvölgyben és start-up rendezvényeken

tapasztalt. Csak a lehetőségekre koncentrálnak,

nem az akadályokra, támogatják, biztatják egymást,

a sikeres vállalkozók pedig szívesen megosztják

tapasztalataikat, visszaadnak a közösségnek.

A TM-en belül is működik ez a támogatói légkör és

különösen érezhető ez a nemzetközi

rendezvényeken. Laci mindenki arra biztat, hogy

vegyen részt minél több ilyen eseményen, hogy

megérezhesse a TM közösség erejét. Számára a

nemzetköziség a Toastmasters „sója”.

Toastmasters életérzés Porté: Szűcs László

- Zsuzsanna Forray -

Szűcs Laci a „Toastmasters életérzés”

megtestesítője. Lelkesen toborozza az új tagokat,

szívvel-lélekkel vesz részt a találkozókon, ő kezdi a

tapsot, hogy biztassa az éppen szereplő

klubtársakat, ott van minden rendezvényen. Bárkit

ledumál a lábáról fél perc alatt, bókol a lányoknak,

és szinte mindenkit ismer Toastmasters-es

berkekben. Ez nem is csoda, hiszen három klubba

jár heti rendszerességgel: a Budapest

Toastmasters Club-ba, a Skylarksba és a

PestBeszédbe. Ezek után meglepő hallani, hogy az

első találkozása a Toastmasters-sel nem ment

zökkenőmentesen.

Az első

Mikor először vett részt egy angol nyelvű

rögtönzésen, nagyon gyengének érezte a

szereplését. Pedig a középiskolában, egyetemen

mindig élvezte a prezentálást, többször adott elő

konferenciákon, nem volt zöldfülű előadó. Így ez a

kudarc olyan sokként érte, hogy másfél hónapig

nem is ment vissza a klubba.

Mivel maximalista, mindent csak jól szeret csinálni.

Nekiállt tehát fejleszteni az angolját, hogy az

anyanyelvű tagok mellett is helyt tudjon állni. Aztán

visszatért a klubba és újra próbára tette magát. Az

hozta meg számára az áttörést, mikor első ízben

nyert meg egy rögtönzési versenyt.

Elkötelezettség

Azóta beszippantotta a Toastmasters világa. A

PestBeszéd, az első magyar nyelvű klub a szíve

csücske. A vezetőség munkájában is részt vesz, ő

a tagságért felelős elnökhelyettes. A kilencedik

beszédénél tart, de itt sem választotta a

könnyebbik utat. Mindegyiket kétszer mondja el, a

Pestbeszédben magyarul és a Skylarksban

angolul. Elsősorban inspirálni szeretné

hallgatóságát, a célja, hogy érzésekre hasson és jó

ügyek érdekében mozgósítson.

I attended my first District 59 Conference in

November 2013, it was held in Budapest, Hungary.

I was impressed by the amount of work necessary

to run such a big event in a smooth and effective

manner. Consider attending such a conference, at

least once in a lifetime! Below you will find eleven

reasons why.

Workshops.

I attended good quality workshops on how to

incorporate appropriate gestures with my hands

into my public speaking encounters, how to

become a professional speaker, how to build a new

club and much more! They were full of valuable

content, interactive, professional, practical and

motivating.

Contests.

I listened with a true delight to best impromptu

speakers in French and English contests. Even

though humorous speeches tend to navigate

around the same universal topics as love

relationships or stereotypes, they were original,

perfectly written and greatly performed.

City and its unique culture.

Budapest was new to me and in spite of the cold

(winter time!), I arrived early enough to enjoy

visiting some key monuments, walking around,

taking pictures and even enjoying a short relaxing

moment in Budapest famous SPA.

People.

I met dozens of wonderful fellow Toastmasters.

What is great about a District Conference, is that

you are sure to meet lots of other members: people

passionate about communication and personal

development. Three days is way too short to make a

truly deep connection with most of the participants

and the number of new faces might be intimidating

but over all, it really is a pleasure to be in this

international, diverse and positive environment!

Feedback.

If you are a contestant, you will receive plenty of

valuable feedback from a large audience (400 or

even more). If you are a participant, you will not only

clap your hands to exhaustion, scream out of

enthusiasm and be moved to tears by inspiring

speeches, but also you will have a chance to model

best speakers, compare and contrast their

performances and finally, provide them with a

quality feedback. This is a huge learning curve!

The Hall of Fame.

Dozens of certificates and awards were given during

the Hall of Fame. Toastmasters recognizes

commitment of its members and generously

rewards (among others) best area governors, best

clubs and people who simply demonstrate

Toastmasters spirit.

The District Council.

If you are not familiar with Toastmasters policies

and its ways of making decisions, the District

Council will surprise you! You can be lost the first

time as I was but this is definitely worth attending as

it offers you an opportunity to participate in collective

decision making processes and gain a bigger

picture of the organization we are all part of.

Laugh and Learn 11 reasons why you should attend the

next District Conference

- Paulina Biedugnis - (CC, President of Toastmasters Agora 75 based in

Paris, France

Written in February 2014)

Our Division D Conference 2014 was absolutely

fantastic. People came from the Czech, Slovakian,

and Austrian clubs, and not only appreciated the

superb conference atmosphere, but also that of our

magnificent capital, Budapest.

On Friday night guests were warmly welcomed at

the El-Rapido bar where they enjoyed socialising

with Toastmasters from the other clubs, and

savoured Mexican tequila, food and beer.

The Conference started at 9:00 a.m in the CEU

building. Thanks to the Organising Team for the

efficient opening and the smooth registration

process. At the registration desk, participants were

easily able to collect their badges and find their way

to the contests and workshops. The workshops

were led by Zoltán Németh, Dani Faragó, Jennifer L.

Blanck, and Steven D. Nelson.

In two key categories-Humorous Speeches and

Table Topics- we had the opportunity to hear great

speeches in English, Hungarian, Czech, and

German.

At 20:00 the conference officially ended, but the

party continued at the Runtotta bar. Later some of

our foreign visitors went with their Hungarian hosts

to the Szimpla Kert for some serious partying. On

Sunday the weekend wound up with a sightseeing

tour of Budapest.

We sincerely hope that you all enjoyed yourselves

and thanks a lot to everybody who made it happen.

Special thanks goes to CEU Business School for

providing us with an excellent conference venue.

Ninety-six registered people attended the

Conference, which was more than expected.

Among the attendees, thirty were Czech and

twenty-seven Hungarian.

See you in Frankfurt at the District 95 Fall

Conference 2014!

The Gala Dinner.

Delightful! Classy, chic hotel, beautiful and nicely

dressed men and women, delicious food, great

music and a very energetic party! If you like this kind

of atmosphere, you enjoy wine and dance, you

should attend! Last but not least, this is THE

moment to know the winners of different contests!

Laugh and learn.

Every conference has its tag line. I loved Hungarian

team’s “laugh and learn”, they even created a song

inspired by this theme! It truly embodies the

philosophy of district conferences where you are

learning and having fun at the same time.

Inspiration.

You are inspired by workshops you attend, people

you meet and most importantly the keynote speech.

In Budapest, John Zimmer, professional speaker,

teacher of public speaking for over 20 years, and the

author of popular blog about public speaking –

mannerofspeaking.org, moved us with the story

illustrating the importance of being of service to

others.

Investment.

Attending the District conference requires planning

and adjusting on financial, professional and personal

level. You need to cover transportation,

accommodation and conference cost, it is also

useful arriving earlier, before the conference, or

staying a bit longer for as to fully appreciate the

location and its main touristic attractions. It is

definitely worth it as you learn a lot, have fun and

leave as a different person! You are empowered,

motivated and committed to your personal growth

and willing to contribute to your local club and

community. You invest in yourself and I truly mean

it: you are worth it!

Speak Glamorous –

Speak Humorous Set your mind and voice – and run for

your goals!

- Adél Kertész -

"The destination determines the direction."

– Ralph Smedley, Founder of Toastmasters

Club Contacts

Budapest Toastmasters Club

www.toastmasters.hu/clubs/bptm/

Pestbeszéd Toastmaster Klub

www.toastmasters.hu/clubs/pbt/

Skylarks

www.toastmasters.hu/clubs/skylarks/

More information:

www.toastmasters.hu

Sponsors

http://www.xerox.com/index/huhu.html www.ceubusiness.org