To Make a Difference

Congratulations to Shannon on giving her first speech in Cottonwood Toastmasters. The project "Ice Breaker" was titled "To Make a Difference". Shannon works at the Verde Valley Sanctuary where she is a great example to those she serves and is truly making a difference in the lives of others. Below is a poem she shared with us that has influenced her life for many years. Good job Shannon! We are lucky to have you in our club!

THE  STARFISH  POEM

Once upon a time there was a wise man

who used to go to the ocean

to do his writing.

He had a habit of walking

on the beach

before he began his work.

One day he was walking along

the shore.

As he looked down the beach,

he saw a human

figure moving like a dancer.

He smiled to himself to think

of someone who would

dance to the day.

So he began to walk faster

to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw

that it was a young man

and the young man wasn't dancing,

but instead he was reaching

down to the shore,

picking up something

and very gently throwing it

into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out,

"Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused,

looked up and replied,

"Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked,

why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out.

And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that

there are miles and miles of beach

and starfish all along it.

You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely.

Then bent down, picked up another starfish

and threw it into the sea,

past the breaking waves and said-

"It made a difference for that one."

  

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

The Moral of the Story

Today I gave a speech titled "The Curious Frogs" and hopefully entertained a room full of Toastmasters. It was a lot of fun. I have put this shortened version in this blog for those of you who may need to hear the "Moral of the Story" or who may need a good speech for a Story Telling project. Feel free to embellish the story and have fun with it. I sure did!  
Enjoy, from you Toastie Laina!

Once upon a time there was a pair of little green frogs who were looking to have an adventure. They decided to pay a visit to a farm house in the big village near the beautiful pond where they lived. As they happily hopped in through the kitchen door, the little green frogs saw a large bucket. They were curious about what it contained. "A-goong, let's jump up and see!" suggested the first little green frog. "A-goong, yes, let's," replied the second little green frog excitedly. So, both little green frogs took a giant leap and landed right inside the bucket. 

The little green frogs soon discovered that the bucket was full of rich cream. The little green frogs floundered in the thick, frothy mass, trying to climb out. They kicked and splashed in the rich cream as they tried to get out of the bucket, but their legs slipped and they fell right back into the bucket of rich cream. "A-goong! Oh, no, now what shall we do?" cried the first little green frog. "A-goong! We'll just have to keep trying,' replied the second little green frog

The first little green frog made a few more attempts, but they were half-hearted. He was too discouraged to keep trying to get out of the bucket of rich cream. "A-goong, I can't carry on any longer," he sighed and went down and drowned. The second little green frog kept on trying, kicking his hind legs strongly and stretching out his forelegs to get a foothold on the rim of the bucket. Finally, after more than an hour, he found his hind legs strike something solid. To his amazement the cream turned into butter and the little green frog simply gave one more gigantic kick, leapt out of the bucket and hopped gratefully away back to his pond.

The moral of the story is that even if we stumble and others try to pull us down, we’ve got to keep on swimming because eventually the cream will turn into butter and we'll make it out of the pail stronger and wiser than before.

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

Too Much FUN!

You would LOVE our Cottonwood Toastmasters group. We have too much fun! It's a great thing seeing each of us progress in our public speaking goals and the learning of leadership skills. Here are just a few highlights of the past month of meetings:

Tara, our newest member, gave her first speech from the competent communicators manual, project one, titled "Ice Breaker". She did a fantastic job. A quote from the beginning of her speech is "How do you make God laugh? You tell Him your plans." We learned a lot about Tara and appreciate her courage!

Laurie gave us a speech on learning to drive and her experiences with her children. How fun to relive those memories!

Helen gave a wonderful speech from her competent communicator manual, the project titled "Vocal Variety". We learned about her many travels with her sister and their surviving each other in long distances and in close quarters. Excellent speech Helen!

AND last, but not least, our Table Topic for today was about a carnival caravan having an accident (the theme of the day was "Road Rage"). What a hoot! We had witnesses to the accident. There was Donald Duck, a little five year old girl, an old man, a Ring Master, and more. Everyone did a great job!

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

Toastmasters International Enters a New Era with Updated Brand

The following article was taken from Toastmasters International Web site:


The organization modernizes its look and strengthens its focus on leadership

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif., Aug. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time in 70 years, Toastmasters International, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to teaching communication and leadership skills, is updating its brand. The organization unveiled its new brand identity at its International Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, today. As part of the rebranding effort, the organization has updated its logo, colors, fonts, imagery and messaging to make Toastmasters’ identity clearer, increase awareness of its impact around the world and focus more on leadership.

“Despite the fact that Toastmasters International is a global organization, we have suffered from an inconsistent understanding of what we do and how members benefit,” says Pat Johnson, Toastmasters International President. “For many people, Toastmasters is synonymous with public speaking, but we are much more than that. We are not your grandfather’s Toastmasters.”

The Toastmasters members of today are culturally and ethnically diverse, representing all ages and professions, meeting in communities and corporations in 116 countries.

While more than a quarter of a million members attend approximately 13,000 club meetings each week, how they experience those meetings and describe their experiences vary widely from member to member and club to club. It’s important to note that the brand refresh does not affect or alter the organization’s core programs of communication and leadership skill-building; rather, it provides potential members with a clearer picture of what to expect when visiting any club in the world.

“The refreshed brand reflects the organization’s evolution while honoring its heritage,” says Johnson. “It allows us to unite and grow in exciting new ways."

Toastmasters: Where Leaders Are Made

In 2009, Toastmasters and its branding partner, Innovation Protocol, conducted research to better understand the organization’s position in the market.

“We heard loud and clear from the members and leaders we spoke with that the Toastmasters program helped them gain the competence in communication that gave them theconfidence to lead others. It is the foundation of our program,” says Daniel Rex, Toastmasters International’s executive director. That powerful combination of strengthening one’scompetence in communication and leadership skills – thereby gaining the confidence to lead – is what differentiates Toastmasters International from other skill-building programs.

The Look

Along with the new logo, which is an evolved version of the Toastmasters globe emblem, the organization is now represented in bolder colors and imagery.

Mark Scoggins , a Los Angeles based photographer and videographer, contributed to the newly branded photo and video libraries. These images are unique to Toastmasters and represent all members. The photos reflect the Toastmastersexperience.

For more information about the history of the logo and the brand refresh, please visit: www.toastmasters.org/vbp

About Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Founded in October 1924, the organization currently has more than 270,000 members in 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Each week, Toastmasters helps more than a quarter million people of every ethnicity, education and profession build their competence in communication so they can gain the confidence to lead others. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, please visitwww.toastmasters.org.

Media Contact:
Katie Ferguson
949-858-8255
Kferguson@toastmasters.org

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

Goodbye To One of Our Members

We are sorry to say goodbye to Lisa, one of our amazing Cottonwood Toastmasters. May you and your family be blessed with abundance and joy in your new journey. Thank you for your great contributions and wonderful spirit. You will be missed! 

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

Humorous Speech Contest

Toastmasters had many opportunities to participate in speech contests each year. My favorite is the humorous speech contest. "What is it's purpose?" you ask. Below is a brief outline of the humorous speech contest. By clicking on the word "Purpose" you can go to a link that gives detailed information about the contest and how it is organized. 

• PURPOSE
  To provide an opportunity for speakers to improve their speaking abilities and to recognize the best as encouragement to all.
  
  
  To provide an opportunity to learn by observing the more proficient speakers who have benefited from their Toastmasters training.
  
  
  To recognize the value of humor in speaking.
  
  
  *********************************************
  This past Monday we had our Cottonwood Toastmasters Humorous speech contest. Our winner was Dorothy. She did an excellent job talking to us about getting old. The title of her speech was "On Getting Older".  
  
  
  Dorothy started out by mentioning that when we are children we can  hardly wait to grow up. We often imagine how things are going to be. When we finally grow up, reality sets in and we learn about the many responsibilities we have as an adult. One day Dorothy's fourteen year old daughter asked her "Why don't you stop dying your hair and grow old gracefully?" That didn't go over very well!
  
  
  She talked about how quickly we become senior citizens. In some places a citizen is considered senior at the young age of fifty five. Getting a cup of coffee for twenty six cents might sound like a great deal, however, Dorothy portrayed through her emotions and experiences that many of us don't want that discount and would prefer to pay the normal amount and hang on to our dignity! 
  
  
  
  We learned from Dorothy that in other countries, for example Korea, the older people are treated with respect. However, when Dorothy was told by a native of Korea that she was "old", all she could do was say "Thank you". 
  
  
  
  Then there are the terms that come with old age. Terms such as "Old Hen", "Old Bat",  Old Battle Ax", "Old Goat", "Geezer", and "Old Coot".  We learned that a coot is a bird. Dorothy asked us to remember that the next time we hear an old Geezer called an old Coot,  we are to "Please, straighten them out". 
  
  
  Thank you Dorothy. You will represent us well at the Y6 Area contest. For those of you who are interested, the contest will be held on Sunday the 18th of September at the Flagstaff Medical Center Auditorium. This is located at 1200 North Beaver Street in Flagstaff. The contest will begin at 1:00 pm. For more information contact Roger E. Eastman, Contest Chair, at 928-451-2127. 

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

Our Bodies and Non Verbal Communication

We would like to thank Helen for giving her speech on Monday at Cottonwood Toastmasters. She has graciously given us this summary of her speech to assist us in remembering her teaching words.Thank you Helen! 

We all use body language to facilitate our verbal communication.  Gestures, which is the form of non-verbal communication we’re most aware of using, is when visible bodily actions are used to emphasize or communicate particular messages.  But gestures are only a partof what we call body language.  Some experts contend more than 90% of communication is non-verbal: posture, gestures, voice tone, eye movement, and facial expressions.

The interesting thing is that we humans tend to send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously.  Which means our bodies may well be telling a different or deeper story than our words.  We give away information through gestures and other body language.  Have you ever seen someone saying “great idea!” but their head is shaking “no?" 

As a speaker, using gestures and body language with purpose and intention can enhance your communication.  And as a listener, paying attention to those clues can help you get the whole story.

Something wonderful is happening through you!

    -Helen

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

Membership Dues for October 1, 2011

The following is an important announcement from Toastmaster's International:

Dear Toastmaster Member,

  

As directed by policy, the Board of Directors periodically reviews membership dues to ensure that the organization can satisfy member needs while continuously enhancing their experience and the services and programs provided. After a review of the organization's five-year financial forecast of activities compared with forecasted revenue, the Board has voted to increase membership dues.

As a result, on October 1, 2011 Toastmasters' annual membership dues will increase from $54 (U.S. dollars) to $72 (U.S. dollars), payable in increments of $36 (U.S. dollars) every six months.

Several factors drive this increase:

1. Member needs are greater than ever.
2. Since 1995, membership has grown nearly 55%, from 169,330 members in 1995 to 262,000 in 2010. In this same period, annual dues increased only once in 2005 from $36 (U.S. dollars) to $54 (U.S. dollars).
3. Toastmasters has passed the economy of scale established a decade ago; its support services must expand in order to better serve its ever-expanding member base.

The increased funding will be used to enhance member support and services, and enable the implementation of the five-year Strategic Plan that was developed by the Board of Directors in 2010.

  

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

5 Simple Steps

Our speaker yesterday at Cottonwood Toastmasters was our most loved Marian, our clubs very own DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster). She did an excellent job of teaching us 5 Simple Steps in communication. Marian came prepared with visual aids and a book she wrote titled "Take Charge of Your Life - Now". In a review of what she taught us, we learned the following:

1. Identify the right way to ask a question

-Start with an "I" statement, talking about yourself. Stand up for ones own rights without violating the rights of the other person.

- State your feeling. "I feel ....." If unsure of your feeling, hold your hand over your heart.

-State the behavior "When you ......" 

-State the new behavior. "I would like it if......"

-Ask for a response "Are you willing to do that?"

2. Criticism and Anger

Treat criticism like a hot potato! Get rid of it! Don't internalize it or make it your own! Say "That's how it seems to you." or "From your point of view, you could be right." When you encounter an angry person say "You seem really angry." and watch their response as you call them on their behavior.

3. Vocal Tone

Your vocal tone is always important, make it work for you. Also remember that your word is your bond. When you say something, do it. Relationships are built on trust.

4. Self Esteem

To assist others in achieving a better self esteem, ask "How did you feel about the job you have done?"

5. Words

Delete the following from your vocabulary: Can't, Don't, Won't, nothing works, etc... Replace it with "Up until now". Remember, things CAN change!

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 928-634-6540

If You Were A Mirror

Congratulations to Paula for winning the Table Topics portion of our Cottonwood Toastmasters meeting yesterday. You did a marvelous job answering the following question: "If mirrors could talk, I wonder what they would say. Mirrors capture the images of many things such as people, shower steam, animals, insects whizzing past, and so much more. If you were a mirror, explain to us what travelers you may have seen that have passed your way."

In the Free Dictionary by Farlex, we learn that a mir·ror  (mrr) n, is:

1. A surface capable of reflecting sufficient undiffused light to form an image of an object placed in front of it. Also called looking glass.

2. Something that faithfully reflects or gives a true picture of something else.

3. Something worthy of imitation.

 

 

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 928-634-6540