Speech Craft

Cottonwood Toastmasters is hosting a Speech Craft, which is a short, seminar-style presentation that teaches basic Toastmasters skills: speaking and evaluating, with a focus on interviewing skills. 

Please join us in this mutually supportive and positive learning environment, where every member and guest will have the opportunity to develop valuable communication and leadership skills necessary in seeking employment.

Where: Cottonwood Village

             201 E Mingus Avenue

             Cottonwood, AZ 86326

When:  January 16^th, 23^rd and 30^th  2012

          

Time:   12:00 to 1:00 pm 

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

HUGS!

Congratulations are in order to Tara for completing her third speech in our Cottonwood Toastmasters Club! We will miss you when you leave Tara. You have been a wonderful addition to our club. Hopefully you won't be absent too long, however we wish you abundance and joy in your new adventure!

Tara taught us how hugs are important to a sense of well being. Psychologists have done case studies on babies in orphanages to determine that if these children are not held they show a failure to thrive and usually die. In a study of monkey types, monkey infants chose an empty feeding bottle covered with soft terry cloth over a full bottle left uncovered. The need for touch, gentleness, comfort and softness was preferred.

Adults will wait in line for hours to receive a hug. As an example, Tara once went to a lecture on Love by Leo  Buscaglia, a famous author and motivational speaker known as "Dr. Love"  who said he would stay after the meeting to hug anyone that came to him. Tara herself stood in line for forty minutes to receive a hug, others stood in line much longer.

There is a woman in India known as the "Hugging Saint", lovingly called Amma, which means "mother", who, according to Wikipedia, has hugged over thirty one million people throughout the world. People go to her to share their troubles. Amma holds them, wipes away their tears, and hugs them. This one woman's actions are evidence alone that we human beings desire hugs to assist us in achieving a sense of well being.

	"There is one truth that shines through all of creation. Rivers and mountains, plants and animals, the sun, the moon and the stars, you and I—all are expressions of this one Reality." --- Amma

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

Did You Know About Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

Rudolph came to life in 1939 when the Chicago based Montgomery Wards asked one of their copy writers, Robert May, to come up with a Christmas story they could give away in booklet form to their shoppers. Wow, look at what happened from there! Who would have imagined? This is something we learned in Toastmasters, which is not only a public speaking arena, but also an educating one. We learn all sorts of interesting tid bits of history. 

This past Monday we also learned about a horse named Robert who overcame his allergies to Roses and went on to be an amazing and heroic police horse! 

Fun and folktales at Toastmasters! 

It doesn't get much better than that!

Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:00
at the Cottonwood Village  located at 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome.

For more information call Laina Lloyd at 928-300-8638
or Dave Ellison at 634-6540

Elevator Speech

The following information is taken from the Toastmasters International Branding Manual:

What is an “elevator pitch”? An “elevator pitch” is an exceptionally brief (5 seconds/3-floors per statement), unassuming summary used to define the organization and its value proposition with the intent of simply getting the audience to ask for more information, ride another floor, request a business card, etc. Each statement of an elevator pitch lasts about five seconds, or three floors of an elevator ride.

Preparation is key. Be ready with three key things you can say about the Toastmasters organization. Your three key messages should be authentic; therefore, each pitch will be a little different. The only thing that should remain consistent is that you clearly explain what Toastmasters International does, and frame it in a way that relates to the interests of your listener. Stuck on what your key messages should be? Here are two ideas to get you thinking:
1. Describe three things that the Toastmasters International program
helped you accomplish over the past year and the impact of these
accomplishments.
2. Tell one great story about the work you do in Toastmasters that
is personal, compelling and representative of the Toastmasters’
organizational purpose.

Being prepared means being ready to go further. In other words, if someone is really interested in what you just told them, you need to be ready to expand on the conversation with more information. You also need to know how to help your listener find more information and contact someone who can guide them through a welcoming engagement.

Here is an example of a 250 word Elevator speech:

“For more than 86 years, Toastmasters International has been recognized as the leading organization dedicated to communication and leadership skill development. Through its worldwide network of clubs, each week Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million men and women of every ethnicity, education level and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. The world needs leaders. Leaders head families, coach teams, run businesses and mentor others. These leaders must not only accomplish; they must communicate. By regularly giving speeches, gaining feedback, leading teams and guiding others to achieve their goals in a supportive atmosphere, leaders emerge from the Toastmasters program. The organization answers a new generation’s plea: Where can I go to become a better communicator and ultimately, a stronger leader?

Toastmasters continues to build on its legacy by providing a strong foundation for the future. Its proven educational program continually evolves to address the needs of the world’s communicators and leaders both today and tomorrow. Toastmasters members learn to tell their stories. They listen and answer. They plan and lead. They give feedback — and accept it. Through our community of learners, they find their path to leadership.”

Toastmasters International. Where leaders are made.

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