It is so easy to say no, but it is much more interesting to say yes!

Recently I was going through the mail and putting a list together of things I had to do over the next couple of days. One of those things was to pack for a conference I have this weekend. I thought of the laundry and how many dresses, slacks and heels I had to pull from the closet. All of this planning was hanging over me and I thought to myself, "Ugh, do I want to go to this conference."

It would be easy to say no so I didn’t have to go through the laundry, wash, dry, pack, gather my toiletries, drive to San Antonio and be away from my husband and my normal routine. All of the preparation is daunting. Having to get out of your normal routine, and putting yourself in a strange place with new people can be overwhelming to some.

As I continued sifting through my thoughts and the mail I looked down at the newest Toastmaster magazine. The front page showed an audience at a Toastmasters conference. The headline read “Breaking the Ice Since 1924, Celebrating Toastmasters’ 90th anniversary.” My mind flooded back to the past 10 years of Toastmasters conferences I have attended, competed in, planned, packed for and returned from. I learned from the best speakers and leaders in the district and I had a chance to know my Toastmaster friends on a deeper level. I developed a huge network of friends and colleagues that shared my interest in public speaking. Each conference was like a homecoming where I could reconnect with Toastmaster friends that were outside of my usual network.

Toastmasters have been gathering for 90 years to educate and connect us in the area of public speaking. When you say yes to opportunities you invest in yourself to have experiences that you would not have just hanging around your normal environment. While it is easy to say no, it is much more interesting to say yes. The next opportunity to expand your experience and network in Toastmasters is at the District 25 Conference on November 14th and 15th at the DFW Marriott Solana.

Judy Perez

Lessons Learned from a Scrambled Agenda

Top of Texas meetings are always fun and exciting. Last Saturday was no exception.  We played a fun game call "Scramble the Agenda" where the object was to rearrange as many agenda items as possible.  Seriously, it was nice to see how adaptable we are to change when things don't work out exactly as planned before a meeting.

One of the "on the fly" agenda items added was a round robin evaluation.  Lina had the opportunity to practice her speech evaluation skills before the upcoming division contest.  After that evaluation, we all were able to provide her with praise for a job well done and with suggestions for improvement.  I am sure Lina will represent Top of Texas well at the November 1st Division A Contest.

There were several lessons learned I took from the meeting.

Be Flexible - While we always have assigned roles going into a meeting, these are subject to last minute change.  Be willing to step out and take on a role that you weren't prepared to fill.  Sometimes the best learning opportunities arise from unplanned events.

Be Prepared - Have a speech in your back pocket that can be delivered spur of the moment. This could even be a half-baked speech that needs further work. Practicing in front of a live audience is a great way to get feedback that makes your speech stronger.

Be There - It can be hard to get up on Saturday mornings.  Life happens and absences are necessary.  But Top of Texas is an ingredient that always enhances my weekend much like a fine wine enhances a meal.

Jeff Wright, ACB, ALB

Photo Credit: vincen-t via Compfight cc

Mentorship and Competition!

Saturday’s meeting was small but very productive! With all the excitement later that day at the Area 14 contest, we had a club meeting that was short in attendance but rich in content.

Our toastmaster of the day, Jodie Sanders, did an excellent job in encouraging member Jennifer Jones to give her impromptu, practice, Icebreaker speech. We learned about Jennifer’s early life then we provided feedback so that when Jennifer gives her Icebreaker speech the next time, she will do even better. If you missed Jennifer’s Icebreaker speech, stay tuned because you still have a chance to hear it.

At the same time, Lina used the meeting as practice for that afternoon’s Speech Evaluation contest. We gave her tips on what she could do to improve her evaluation technique and guess what? Lina incorporated those changes and went on to win the Speech Evaluation contest that afternoon and now she will be representing Area 12 in the Division A contest in November! Way to go Lina!

We managed to fill the entire hour of the meeting with excellent content, practice, and feedback. Kudos to Jodie for helping to mentor both Lina and Jennifer! There was only one casualty: the yellow-jacket wasp that made its way to the meeting… unfortunately he met his quick demise during our meeting.

Ana Ortega,  ACB, ACL