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2012 CLUB #28 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH AND TABLE TOPICS CONTEST DAT SET

Orlando Toastmaster Club #28 Vice President of Education Laval Brown set the date for the 2012 Club #28 International Speech and Table Topics Contests for the First of March, 2012.

In the past, the Club #28 International Speech contests as well as the Table Topics Contests, have been some of the most honored and talked about events in Central Florida Toastmaster history. Legendary speaking performances have been the norm at past Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 contests and are often compared with Area, even Division contests for the speaking quality and high excellence of competition. This year seem to be shaping as one of the very best in the almost 80-year history of Club #28.

In order to produce such high quality contests, it takes the entire club to participate. The sign up sheet for the contests will be passed around starting with the February 2nd meeting and at meetings throughout the month or contact Ken Walley (kwalley@cfl.rr.com) or Laval Brown (lavalbrown@yahoo.com). The sign up sheet for the contest will be updated here online weekly as well. Open Positions will be assigned one week before the contests to club members, so be sure to sign up for a role!

This year promises to be a remarkable evening of fun, entertainment and talent on display as Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 holds it's International Speech and Table Topics Contests at the Herndon Branch Library in Orlando on March 1, 2012 at 7:00pm, sharp.

CONTEST MASTER: Kenneth H. Walley

SGT. AT ARMS & INVOCATION AND PLEDGE LEADER: OPEN

AREA #32 GOVERNOR: Kenneth M. Blake

CHIEF JUDGE: OPEN (From another Club)

CHIEF TIMER: OPEN

TIMER: OPEN

VOTE COUNTER: OPEN

VOTE COUNTER: E. J. Jones

TABLE TOPIC CONTESTANT: OPEN

TABLE TOPICS CONTESTANT: OPEN

TABLE TOPICS CONTESTANT: OPEN

TABLE TOPICS CONTESTANT: OPEN

TABLE TOPICS CONTESTANT: OPEN

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTESTANT:Jennifer Hensley

NTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTESTANT: OPEN

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTESTANT: OPEN

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTESTANT: OPEN

INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CONTESTANT; OPEN

JUDGE #1: OPEN (Outside of Club)

JUDGE #2: OPEN (Outside of Club)

JUDGE #3: OPEN (Outside of Club)

JUDGE #4: OPEN (Outside of Club)

CLUB #28 EYES INCREDIBLE 10TH PRESIDENT'S DISTINGUISHED AWARD!! THE GREAT 28 GOES FOR THE "TOP #10!"

By Vice President of Education Laval Brown,

Club #28 has done something truly extraordinarily difficult for a Toastmaster Club to accomplish. We won six straight President's Distinguished Awards from 1999 to 2006! We were able to achieve our 7th and 8th President's Distinguished Award in 2009 and 2010! Just last June 2011 we were awarded our 9th Award and 3rd in a row! The award is rare even among large Toastmaster Clubs because it requires that all of the club's members take a part in earning it. It is the highest award that Toastmasters International can bestow upon an individual club, For a club our size to have accomplished this feat for nine out of 12 years has been nothing less than remarkable. But we believe that we should not rest on our laurels! We have a wonderful opportunity to go for "The Top #10!" our 10th in 2011/2012, the 10th in the last 12 years...which would be truly remarkable. We will keep track here updating every week.

We will need at least 20 members in our club on June 30th 2012...I challenge this club to have at least 40 by then! We Have: 27 Members on January 1st 2012.

GOAL #1: TWO CC'S: (Competent Toastmaster / Completing Basic Manual): 1.) Ryan Dick 2.)

GOAL #2: TWO MORE CC's!" 1.) 2.)

GOAL #3: ONE AC (Advanced Toastmaster) Bronze, Silver or Gold) 1.) Barbara Cusack ACB

GOAL #4: ONE MORE ACB, ACS or ACG: 1.)

GOAL #5: ONE CL (Competent Leader Award) or DTM (Distinguished Toastmaster Award) !: 1.) Ruble Nedumkunnel, CL

GOAL #6: ONE MORE CL, AL OR DTM: 1.) Wilner Luders CL

GOAL #7: FOUR NEW MEMBERS! 1.) Janet Madden (7/11) 2.) Laval Brown (7/11) 3.) Michael Whisenant (7/11) 4.) Rodney Higgins (7/11)

GOAL #8: FOUR MORE NEW MEMBERS! 1.) Natalie Mencia 2.) Demrtri Ganoff 3.) Stokley Gittins 4.) Jason Price, Belinda Brown, Bihn Ngygen, Veronica Boaz, Alpesh Mittal.

GOAL #9: AT LEAST FOUR OFFICER TRAINED (Attending TI Officer Training for both TM term sessions) July 2011: Pres.; VPE; VPPR, VPM; Secretary; Treasurer; SAA (7!).

January 2012: Pres.; VPE; VPPR; VPM; Secretary; Treasurer; SAA.

GOAL #10: SUBMITTED ON TIME ONE SEMI-ANNUAL PER CAPS AND ONE CLUB OFFICER LISTS:

Semi Annual (Per Caps) due by 9/30/2011 and 3/31/2012: Per Cap #1:) DONE! Per Cap #2:) NOT DONE!

Officer List due by 12/31/11 and 06/30/12:
Club #28 is also in easy reach of a 10th President's Distinguish award. We are going to keep going ACHIEVE THE TOP #10! WE ROCK!



A MESSAGE FROM PAST CLUB #28 PRESIDENT RYAN DICK:

Friends and fellow Club #28 members, I do not know you very well. I know your names. I know how some of you make your living. I know only where some of you went to college or where you call your hometown.

What I do know is that we are all part of Orlando Toastmasters Club #28.

We joined this club for a reason. Our motivations for being Toastmasters are different. Friendship. Conquering our fears. Professional growth. It does not matter why. We are members of Club #28. We dedicate an hour-and-a- half to something, something that makes our worlds collide right now.

Regardless of your history with this organization, I'm asking you when you walk through those doors at the Herndon Branch Library every Thursday night, to be ALL-IN! I am asking you when you come to a meeting, to ask yourself: "Am I prepared to do my best? Am I ALL-IN?"

Am I ALL-IN with that speech I am about to deliver? Is it well written? Have I practiced? Have I set out to reach the objective that is outlined for me? I sit in those chairs and I hear fluid, well-planned, entertaining, thought-provoking speeches. I hear speeches that encourage me, and everyone else in the room to be better communicators.

I know that these well prepared speeches do not come easy. But I know that their authors are ALL-IN when they overcome writer's block, when they mold their ideas by revising and editing. I foresee a club filled with well-planned speeches because it's members are ALL-IN. They are committed to stand here and deliver a speech with attention-grabbing openers. They are ALL-IN and tie their points together and leave the audience with a clear message!

Is this club ALL-IN with your functionary duties? Are we maximizing our one-and-a- half hours together? Are we consistently meeting our mission to develop communication skills? I foresee a club that elevate the role of AH Counter. A club that prides itself in diligently correcting those verbal mistakes we all make. A club that is ALL-IN says "Let's RING that bell for every UM and AH so we can continue to develop our oral communication skills!

To my fellow officers, will you be ALL-IN and make our meetings run smoothly? I foresee a club with meetings that end on time because it's members are ALL-IN. They are dedicated to delivering on their commitments to be here and fulfill obligations they have elected to do. I foresee a club full of members that are prepared to speak and speak succinctly, from the time we commence our meetings to the time we adjourn promptly at 8:30!

Club #28 has an amazing strength. When someone searches "Orlando Toastmasters" we show up #1 on Google! We have been lucky enough to have a steady stream of curious people, those seeking self-improvement with different backgrounds and talents that we could all learn and benefit from. Together, as a group, let's be ALL-IN and watch our membership grow!

A future Club #28 President may walk through those doors next Thursday as I did just 5 months ago. I foresee a club that's proud in their dedication to producing stronger communicators and leaders! I foresee a club that is tactfully welcoming to our guests; a club that portrays a bit of a swagger and turns those curious outsiders into people who are banging on the door to join such a dedicated and proud group!

Fellow Toastmasters, we have a barometer to check if our club is ALL-IN. It's called the Distinguished Club Program. Club #28 has earned the highest title of President's Distinguished Club NINE times and, if we are ALL-IN, we'll win it a tenth!

The criteria for earning the title of President's Distinguished is centered around our newer members earning their Competent Communicator Awards (CC), our established members advancing their education awards, - Advanced Communicator Bronze, Silvers, Golds, etc. and gaining new members. These goals will be simple to achieve if, every Thursday, our members are ALL-IN. It will be encouraging to our new members to continue down the path to their CCs when they hear the quality and growth in the speeches of their peers. Established members will see Club #28 as the club to be involved in because they value efficient, interesting and enjoyable meetings! Guests will be converts when they see a group of professionals who take pride in their Thursday nights.

I want to thank my fellow Toastmasters and especially last term's officers for giving me the opportunity to be your next President.

I want to be clear that I am ALL-IN when I accepted this role. And, I ask you, right now, to be ALL-IN with me!

Sincerely,

Ryan Dick



WHY I JOINED & HOW MUCH DOES IT COST & HOW IT WORKS

By Steve Wood

We've all heard that the pen is mightier than the sword. The idea is that words have more power than weapons and this is true whether the words are written or spoken. Having good public speaking skills can enable a pauper to become a king. It can change you from being a mere spectator to being the one everyone is listening to.

In life we are all public speakers and our success is influenced by our ability to speak publicly. You may not be interested in ruling the planet but there are many other reasons to improve your speaking ability. Many people come to Toastmasters to help them with work related tasks. Maybe you just want to be more fun at the party. I am always interested in what motivates people.

If you have ever been to a Toastmasters meeting you may have some questions. I remember two questions I had and I could not seem to find the answers anywhere. They were "how much does it cost?" and "How does it work?" Toastmasters is a non-profit organization and the cost is minimal. My last membership renewal was $47 for six months. Your first six month membership might be as high as $70 because you get some books at that time. To find our "how it works" you can watch the short video we have on this website or you can just come by an visit, or both. The way it work is that we all meet at the designated time and then we learn by doing. There are several opportunities for each member to speak at a Toastmasters meeting but the main opportunity is given to those who sign up to give a speech. A speech typically lasts from 5 to 10 minutes.

Nothing comes without effort and effort is easier when it is fun and you can see progress. This is one reason why Toastmasters works.

Become a Toastmaster and let it work for you!

Steve Wood

Immediate Past Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 President,

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SPEAKER TIPS:

5 Super Duper Basic Speaking Tips:

1. Rehearse. Practice until you have confidence. Practice in front of a mirror. Tape yourself while practicing until it sounds just the way you want it to sound. 2. Visualize. "See" the audience in your mind and how you would like them to react to different parts of your speech. 3. Give a performance, your audience will react to your emotions, actions and feelings as much as they will to the words. Speak from the heart. 4. No notes. Use sincerity and Conviction instead. 5. Use a conversational tone. Speak to your audience as if you were speaking to a single, close friend.

5 Non-Verbal ways to hold your Audience: 1. Vary the "tone" of your body language: A relaxed speech relaxes your audience and might put them to sleep. A rigid speech might have them thinking you are scolding them! You are not their mom! 2.You are what you wear! Dress for the part. A well dressed speaker demands respect. 3. Work the room! Speak to different "zones" and get out from behind the lectern. 4. Create the environment you want. Get to the location before your audience and have props, projectors and effects set up and ready to go. Create some "magic"! 5. Eye contact, eye contact, eye contact!

Speech Writing Tips (From Paul Meunier, DTM): 1. Pick a Topic that interests you. 2. Pick a Topic that does NOT interest you! Almost any topic becomes interesting with a little research. 3. Let your Ideas Flow. 4. Focus on Your Theme. Use outlining or mind-mapping to begin to get your ideas down. 5. Less is More. The shorter the speech, the better! 6. The Power of a Personal Story. 7. Practice your Speech. Rehearse OUT LOUD in front of a mirror, to a tape recorder, and with your mentor. 8. Memorize Your Beginning and Ending!

The Power of Speech, A Six Point Checklist:

1. Strong Start. 2. Pause for Effect and Drama. 3. Eye Contact. 5. Enthusiasm and Energy. 5. Conversational Style. 6. Humor.

Trite Phrases Guaranteed to Lose Your Audience:

1. "Without Further ado..." 2. "Last but not least..." 3. None other than..." 4.At this point in time..." 4. "Let me turn over the lectern ..." 5. As you probably already know..." 6. I don't want to bore you, but..." 6. "Now as I was saying..." 7. "Thank you so much for having me..." 8. "This speaker needs no introduction..." 9. "Let's give a BIG HAND to..." 10. "I'm Sorry 'bout that.."