There Must Be Something In the Water
Special Guest Speaker, 2008 Olympic Beijing Bronze Medalist Tasha Danver, will be at A.C.T.S Toastmasters Club May 21
THE ADVANCED COMMUNICATION/LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND SPEAKERS BUREAU
A.C.T.S. TOASTMASTERS CLUB
Cordially invites you and your friends, to the
Silver Anniversary Celebration of ACTS Toastmasters Club.
Celebrating the Club.
Celebrating the Member.
Tuesday, May 21 2013
6:00PM
Kaiser Permanente - Walnut Center
393 E. Walnut St - Conference Room 1D
Pasadena Ca. 91188
Featuring as Guest Speaker: 2008 Olympic Beijing Bronze Medalist
Tasha Danver.
This is a Free Toastmasters Event. Appetizers, Beverages and Anniversary Cake.
3 Elements of Great Communication
To make it in any job, you need to be able to convey ideas clearly and effectively. There are three things the best communicators employ to deliver their message:
Source: http://hbr.org/tip/2013/04/26/3-elements-of-great-communication
- Credibility. Prove your authority by demonstrating technical expertise in a specific area, which helps convince people that you know what you're talking about. If you can’t do that, display integrity and character, which convinces them that you're not going to lie to them.
- Emotional connection. People need to believe that what you're saying will matter to them. Connect by giving them your undivided attention and linking your message to something they care about.
- Logic. All the authority and empathy in the world won't help you if people don't understand your basic idea or how you came to your conclusions. Make a clear argument that people can follow and use data and analysis to back up your points.
Meeting April 10: An Especially Entertaining Meeting
This weeks' meeting was especially fun. The meeting was led by Toastmaster (and President) Bill Harmon who, as always, is entertaining and full of surprises. We had two prepared speeches and movie themed table topic questions. To make things interesting, the table topic master, Rose Abbott, engaged members in a non-conventional way, which really keep the speakers and the audience on their toes. There were three guests and three new members. We hope that you can attend our next meeting. There is no telling what will happen.
Meeting Today: Theme is "April Fool-ish"
We hope you can make it to Parsons Toastmasters today. We have a packed meeting today with two prepared speeches, table topics and a fun theme, "April Fool-ish". Be prepared for some interesting responses to table topics. As always, the meeting starts promptly at 12 PM at 100 W. Walnut street 91124. We will be in the Velasquez room. Parking is free.
Parsons Toastmasters' International Speech Contest
Congratulations to Kim Acedo on winning the Parsons International Speech Contest today! She will represent our club at the Area B2-B3-B4 Contest on March 2nd at Kaiser Permanente (393 E. Walnut Street, Rm. 1D). Cost is $7 and breakfast/registration begins at 8:00 am with contest scheduled to begin at 9:00 am. It would be great if as many of us as possible could be there to lend Kim our support. Congratulations also to our second place contestant, Charlene Love!
International Speech Contest Contestants:
Tina Lenert – Her speech entitled “Fairy Dust” was about special moments and friends in our lives, and how we all have something important to share with each other. She gave an example of her friend Joanie who encouraged Tina to join Toastmasters.
Kim Acedo – Her speech entitled “Would You Sell Your Dog” was about how belief is so important. She gave an example of Sylvester Stallone who believed in himself and eventually became successful, even though he had to sell his dog (but was able to buy the dog back).
Charlene Love – Her speech entitled “Pick up the Pieces” gave a personal story of how she overcame adversity and gained a sense of self-worth. She used a jigsaw puzzle as a metaphor for how she “picked up the pieces” and got her life back on track.
(Tina left, Kim middle & Charlene right)
Welcome to Kim Acedo
Congratulations to Parsons Toastmasters' Newest Member Kim Acedo (seen here with VP of Membership, Rose Abbott). Kim is a veteran toastmaster who recently joined club 2151. We are excited to have Kim who offers advance speaking skills and a positive and supportive attitude outlook. Welcome to Kim and we look forward to your participation.
New Toastmaster Member Steve Feng
Congratulations to Parsons Toastmasters' Newest Member Steve Feng (seen here with VP of Membership, Rose Abbott). Steve has already started working through his competent leader manual by taking on various roles during club meetings. We look forward to hearing his "Ice Breaker" speech.
Tip:Keep Your Audience Engaged By Sharing the Stage
Audiences can find monologues boring. They're less willing to sit for an hour while a single speaker drones on. The key to getting and holding their attention is having new things continually happen. You can keep your presentation lively by doing two things:
- Bring in other presenters. You can invite insight from other experts and have them join you on stage or by video (but remember, it is your presentation so don't let the other presenter steal the spot light). You can also look for your audience members to participate by having them ask or answer questions. Bring them up to the stage or have them stand to speak.
- Be Visually Appealing. Alternate between slides and other media (but not so much to where the audience is confused or overwhelmed). Hang posters and exhibits on the wall (but not too many to where they are distracting). Use video to inject humor, boost credibility through testimonials, or clarify concepts with animated infographics.
Tip was adapted from the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.
Record Breaking Meeting
Parsons Toastmasters received eight guests at this week's meeting, breaking our personal record of the most "First Time" guest at one meeting. The theme was "Stress Can Be a Good Thing". Our own President Bill Harmon was the Toastmaster of the day leading the meetings' activities. Member Tina Lenert presented her 9th prepared Speech and we had a number of members and guest particpate in a fun session of Table Topics.
Reminder: Our International Speaker and Table Topics Contests are coming up soon. Please inquiry to find out more on how you can join or attend the contests.
Reminder: Our International Speaker and Table Topics Contests are coming up soon. Please inquiry to find out more on how you can join or attend the contests.
Meeting: Tuesday Jan 15, 2013
The meeting room had a great turn out with15 members and two guests. We had a new member initiation ceremony for Sowmya Venkat, two prepared speeches and several table topics participants. The theme of the day was "Going One Step Beyond" which was a very fitting theme as members and guests pushed themselves to step outside of their comfort zone and practice their public speaking skills. Speeches were presented by our President Bill Harmon and member Vanna Vuong. Thank you to all those who participated in the evaluation team which was lead by Joyce Brew. Don't forget to sign up for roles and guests are always welcome to visit and see why we are a distinguished club.
Parsons Toastmasters Welcomes New Member: Sowmya Venkat
Congratulations to Parsons Toastmasters' Newest Member Sowmya Venkat (seen here with VP of Membership, Rose Abbott). We look forward to your "Ice Breaker" speech.
Leadership And Communication Education (LACE) Training - Jan 12 & 19
The Leadership and Communication Education (LACE) interactive workshops feature 30 hours of training for an economical fee (typically around ($12.00) and is open to the general public as guests of Toastmasters Founder's District.
To register go here http://www.foundersdistrict.org/lace-information
To register go here http://www.foundersdistrict.org/lace-information
Parsons Toastmasters Begins 2013 with New Board Members
Announcing the New Club Officers (Term Jan. 1, 2013 – June 30, 2013)
President Bill Harmon
Vice President Education Tina Lenert
Vice President Membership Rose Abbott
Vice President Public Relations Krystal Rose
Treasurer Viola Tawil
Secretary Ron Morris
Sergeant at Arms Michelle Bender
Know the Impression Your Body Language Makes
Gestures, posture, and facial expressions all convey powerful messages to the people you interact with. Yet far too many people are unaware of the messages their body language sends. Next time you're in an important meeting, ask yourself these two questions:
- Am I fidgeting? If you're sitting still and listening, then all is probably well. But if you're shifting about in your chair, drumming your fingers, or worst of all, looking at your phone, then you can be sure that the person talking feels like you're not interested in what they have to say.
- Am I interrupting? In any healthy debate people will occasionally interrupt. But if you do it a lot, or are leaning in to make your point, people may feel that you're not open to what they are saying
Our Members Are Featured On Toastmasters Founder's District TV
Congratulations to Shannon O’Connell and Bill Harmon for being featured on the newest Founder’s District TV video! Watch their debut at the link below.
http://www.foundersdistrict.tv/2012/10/division-e-speech-contest-highlights/
Welcome to TWO New Members
Welcome and Congratulations to Parsons Toastmasters Newest Members, Viola Tawil and Karen Gibson!
Parsons Toastmasters' Bill Harmon and Shannon O'Connell Both Place in the B2 Contests
On Saturday, September 22nd the B2 Humorous and Evaluation contest was held at Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, CA. The theme of the contests was “Laughter in the Fall”.
Bill Harmon 1st Place in Humorous Contest
Shannon O’Connell 2nd Place in Evaluation Contest
Both Bill and Shannon will represent not only Parsons Toastmasters but also the B2 Area at the Division B Contest which will be held on October 6th.
Tips on Using Humor in Your Speech
In the October Issue of Toastmaster Magazing, writer Judy Carter provides a few rules to follow when adding humor to your speech:
> Never Use a Joke You Didn't Write. Be creative and original when writing in jokes. Make sure the jokes fit the rest of your sppech content and don't steal jokes from other writers.
> Don't Add Off-Topic "Funny" Stories to Your Speech. Stay on track with your speech's message. If you have a funny story to add but it does not align with the main message, don't add it in.
> Look for Landmines in ADVANCE! Be aware of who will be in your audience and don't assume that your punch lines will pack the same punch on every audience member. Consider the diverse backrounds, religious, political, ethnic and moral beliefs.
> Keep It Clean. If it's sexual, scatological, or disguesting, it would be best to leave it out.
Source: Toastmaster Magazine October 2012
> Never Use a Joke You Didn't Write. Be creative and original when writing in jokes. Make sure the jokes fit the rest of your sppech content and don't steal jokes from other writers.
> Don't Add Off-Topic "Funny" Stories to Your Speech. Stay on track with your speech's message. If you have a funny story to add but it does not align with the main message, don't add it in.
> Look for Landmines in ADVANCE! Be aware of who will be in your audience and don't assume that your punch lines will pack the same punch on every audience member. Consider the diverse backrounds, religious, political, ethnic and moral beliefs.
> Keep It Clean. If it's sexual, scatological, or disguesting, it would be best to leave it out.
Source: Toastmaster Magazine October 2012
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