Holiday

'Tis the holiday season and for the first time since I have been a member of the Cottonwood Toastmaster's club, we had a holiday this past Monday. It felt strange not going to meeting and participating. I thought since there would be no club entry for this weeks blog, that some interesting tid-bits on effective speaking would be appropriate. The following comments on "Empowerment" are taken from the book "The Challenge of Effective Speaking" by Rudolph F. Verderber

Public Speaking is Empowerment!

First, public speaking is a form of empowerment because mastery of public speaking skills enables you to communicate even complex information in a way that all members of an audience can understand.

Second, public speaking is a form of empowerment because mastery of public speaking skills enables you to influence people's attitudes and behavior.

Third, public speaking is a from of empowerment because mastery of public speaking skills will help you in your search for a job.

Fourth, public speaking is a form of empowerment because mastery of public speaking skills is necessary to help you achieve positions of leadership. 

***Teaching tip: A primary teaching strategy is role modeling. Make sure your lectures are organized and employ good introductions, strong previews, and use of transitions. Model strong delivery skills, such as volume, posture, movement, eye contact and rate. 

To increase you public speaking skills and become empowered, join us at Cottonwood Toastmasters. We would love to have you! Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 634-6540

Pets on Parade

One day I heard someone say that they thought the Table Topics portion of Toastmasters was the dessert of the meeting. I would have to agree. We have oodles of fun with our Table Topics time and this weeks was not a disappointment! 

Our theme of the day was "Pets on Parade" and our Table Topics Master did a great job incorporating that theme into the meeting. One of the first questions he asked was "There has been a reversal in our the society, humans are the pets, and the pets are the masters. Your pet has taken you to a parade. Tell us what you are doing." This was too funny and quiet the challenge! Our speaker talked about her experience of being put in a wagon to juggle all different types of balls using her hands and her feet. She had to "Juggle, juggle, and juggle some more!" 

The next question was "You have recently written a book called "Pets on Parade". Tell us how you chose the title and who your intended audience is." Okay readers, why don't you answer this one? I'd like to know!

The last question was "Us earthlings have contacted an alien world. You have been chosen as a delegate to this alien world and have been asked to pick ten animals that best represent our earth. What ten animals would you choose, and why?" Wow! That's a difficult one. There are so many amazing creatures on our planet. The speaker did a great job and mentioned that he would start with a fish as it represents the life in the waters on our earth. The next would be the turkey, for it's intelligence, being smarter than the eagle. What animals would you choose? I think I would choose the lion for it's majesty and strength. To me it would represent us, the people. We are strong and courageous, having faced many challenges in our existence. We are mighty! Hear us ROAR!!

 

Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 634-6540

Cottonwood Toastmasters would like to say goodbye to our Toastie and friend, Helen. Today was her last day as a member of our Cottonwood Toastmasters and with sadness, we say good bye. We wish you well on your new adventure. 

"The hardest part of any friendship is when it's time to say goodbye. As much as we might like things to stay the same, change is an inevitable part of life. The universe may seem huge and the rift between friends on opposite side of the world may seem a great distance. There are many tools available with which we can communicate, but even without these tools there is a secret that only real friends know, and it is this. All the mountains and valleys in the world cannot separate friends whose hearts are as one." --anonymous

Source: Goodbye Friend Poems http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/friend/goodbye-friend-poems.asp#ixzz1d4ReLgiw 
Family Friend Poems 

Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 634-6540

Happy Halloween!

The holidays are now upon us and most everyone is in the celebrating spirit. This week in our Cottonwood Toastmasters club our Table Topics Master outdid herself! She began by handing out sealed envelopes to everyone in the room. In the sealed envelopes was a message. You either received a paper saying "Treat", "Trick", or "Trick or Treat". If you received a paper that said "Treat" then she threw you a bag of candy. If your paper said "Trick", then she read you a question, Halloween related of course, and you had to do your Table Topics on that subject. If you received a paper that said "Trick or Treat" you got to choose what you wanted, a treat or to do a trick. 

All of the impromptu speeches were fun and entertaining! Congratulations go to our winner, although, we were all winners this day!

Happy Holidays from your Cottonwood Toasties!

Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638 or Dave Ellison at 634-6540