Bringing in the New Year

The end of year is fast approaching, and with that it’s time to start thinking about those New Year’s Resolutions. Last year, I made good on a few including joining Toastmasters. At the time of my resolution last year, I had not been to a Toastmasters meeting. However, shortly after the first of the year, I kept my commitment alive and found a neat link online that provided all the information on clubs from around my area: Toastmasters Find-a-Club. I spent some time on the site, and then made a simple spreadsheet from the information I collected so that I could see what clubs offered the times and the days that worked best for me. I also paid attention to anything the clubs might specialize in. I tried a few before visiting and then joining the Top of Texas Toastmasters Club.

I’d recommend to anyone who’s on the fence about joining, to just go and visit some clubs. In addition, be sure to visit the Toastmasters International website. Remember also that you can usually visit a club anytime. Once you join, it’s helpful to observe and watch others, and pick up on different techniques, however subtle they may be.

Fall 2014 Humorous Speech Club Contest winners
Ken Dorsey and Regina Clay.

I understand now that Toastmasters is what you decide to make it. The opportunities are definitely there. The group at Top of Texas that I chose to spend my Saturday mornings with is gracious, encouraging, and fun to be with, and not afraid to offer up some good tips and critiques to help you improve.



For me, Toastmasters has been one of the best resolutions I’ve made good on! I got involved, and managed to earn my Competent Communicator certification this past year. By participating heavily, I have opened enough doors to peer in and see just how much I have to learn, and how much is offered.

I’ll need to figure out what my Toastmaster resolutions and goals are for this coming year very shortly. And let’s face it, bringing in the New Year is always one of the prime times we have in life to toast!

Submitted By
Ken Dorsey

Aparna's Youth Leadership Experience

A couple of months ago, I got an opportunity to be the Youth Leadership Coordinator for Extraordinary Toastmasters At East Fort Worth Montessori Academy. I took the opportunity because this is one of the goals I needed towards my DTM. I was apprehensive and excited at the same time. After carefully planning out the schedule with the President of Extraordinary Toastmasters, the leadership club commenced on September 15th.

There were 5 students in total, ranging from grade 3 through grade 5. They were pretty enthusiastic from the start, and we worked as a team. The best part of Toastmasters Youth Leadership program is the wonderful manuals they provide to the coordinator and the students. They are very similar to our speech manuals with an objective to keep in mind. There were two officer elections and the students carried out the roles of President, Vice President, Secretary, SAA and Historian.

I saw a gradual improvement in their confidence and readiness to give speeches. They had a blast during Table Topics. Somehow, Table Topics was never intimidating to them, and they became experts at it. The finale was the speech contest at the end of 10 weeks. The students prepared hard, and in the presence of their family and friends, 4 students competed at the contest and did a fabulous job.

It was a very rewarding experience for me, especially when some of them mentioned that it made a difference in their life and that they are more confident in giving presentations. A fulfilling and exciting journey, I would never hesitate to do it again. Seeing a child beaming with confidence at the end of the training is definitely worth it.

I would like to thank Sandra Price for guiding me in this endeavor, and encouraging me throughout these 10 weeks.

Submitted By
Aparna Valluri

Communication Skills Overlap Personal as well as Professional

This past year I managed to get my Ham Radio Operators License (I’m now officially KD5DFW). I also attended some interesting courses and became a member of the SkyWarn team so I can now (as officially as I can see to make it) have an excuse to chase tornadoes should I ever get the urge to do so.  I also joined FISTS to help preserve Morse Code and I’ve participated with online learning and contests. Finally, I took some courses and joined CoCoRaHS (with a name like that who can resist), and now participate with Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow reporting via my backyard. There are so many interesting things available to us these days! 

However, the one thing I also did this past year that I must mention as the headline of my memberships is that I finally attended and joined a Toastmasters Club. I procrastinated over taking the initiative to do this for 20 years, primarily because I wasn’t sure how to, and I didn’t offer up the time to learn how. Yes, I am kicking myself I didn’t do it sooner. 

If you enjoy learning and improving your knowledge and skills, you really need to check out Toastmasters. The opportunities are many and they are what you make them. Those I’ve met through Toastmasters are involved just like me in that they are enthusiastic about succeeding with improvement and helping others improve. If you are concerned about speaking, know that the pressure to speak is what you make it. You join Toastmasters to learn and improve and the club provides the perfect outlet for you to do just that! No pressure to speak and everyone wants to help you feel comfortable. 

Of all the skills I can think of, being able to speak and articulate your thoughts well has to be at the top because communication is not only a key to success in business, it is also imperative to be able to communicate within a relationship. I’m quite sure that many relationships suffer because of the inability, fear, or avoidance of communication. We often think of communication as key to being able to climb the corporate ladder, but I’d take it a step further up that rickety ladder and state that we must recognize that communication is also key to life and your relationships as well. I hope that if you are considering Toastmasters, that part of your consideration takes into account the strong benefit it can have in your life, not just in business.  

And when it comes to learning to speak well, consider this personal motto: “There is no finish line”.

Submitted By
Ken Dorsey









Photo Credits:KN6KS via Compfight cc and Sandra Price

Candy Canes, Mistletoe, Christmas Pickles

The theme for our first December meeting was "December Traditions." As the Toastmaster for the day, I researched a few December traditions to share with the group throughout the meeting.

• Sticks of sugar shaped like a shepherd's crook was used by a choirmaster in the 1670s to quiet the younger children during long services. These became what we know today as the candy cane.
• Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. In the 1800s, couples would kiss under the mistletoe, plucking a berry after each kiss. Once all the berries were gone, the kissing stopped.
• The Christmas pickle ornament is hidden in the Christmas tree.  The first child to find the ornament on Christmas morning gets an extra present.

Our first speaker of the day was Richard, a member of Toastmasters for only a few weeks!  He presented his Ice Breaker speech from the Competent Communication manual. He opened up to us about one of his weaknesses, told us about his family, and shared his interest in being a lifelong learner. Ken, our second speaker, presented Project #3 from the Storytelling manual. We learned about a few interesting methods he used to teach classic stories to this sons. One of the adventures they went on included taking a trip to a fish farm when they read Moby-Dick.

Jeff tried out a new method for Table Topics this week which I thought was very successful!  Instead of posing a question, he used word association and allowed us to take our answers down our own paths. We took one to two minutes to present our thoughts on Santa Claus, Black Friday, Christmas Movies, and Holiday Foods. Is this the start to a new Top of Texas tradition?!

Submitted By
Lina Choun

A Walk Down Memory Lane

With contest season drawing to a close this coming weekend at the District 25 conference, attendance was back up at our weekly meeting this past Saturday! Not only did we have a guest, we also gained a new member.

Shannon, the meeting's Toastmaster, chose High School Bands for the theme.  She took us all back to our high school days with most of us reminiscing about the instruments we played when we were younger.

Jodie gave a speech from the Speeches by Management manual.  She told us about the three new District 25 Toastmasters clubs that formed this past month!  A question and answer session followed her speech.  We all learned a little more about what goes into forming a brand new Toastmasters club.

During Table Topics, Aparna asked quite a variety of questions.  Judy demonstrated the drill team's walk that influenced her to try out for the drill team instead of playing an instrument.  Richard, our guest, told us about the instruments he dreamed about being able to play.  I gave my thoughts on what kids learn from being in a band.  Dan closed out the Table Topics portion of the meeting by telling us about the pride and joy he feels from his son's journey as a piano player.

It was a lively meeting and I'm looking forward to finishing out the year with this great group of Toasmasters!

Lina Choun, TM

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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

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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

September 20th Meeting - Small, Intimate, and Full of Content

Saturday's meeting was an intimate one. Lina, who graciously stepped in to be Toastmaster picked the theme, "An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away." What did she share with us all? Interesting facts about apples, of course, because it was Eat an Apple Day. Did you know there are 7500 varieties of apples around the world? I learned this among facts about apples!

Ken was the only speaker, and he spoke out of the Competent Communication manual Speech #8: Getting Comfortable with Visual Aids. His speech title was "Space and Nanotechnology." It was a fascinating explanation on the expanse of the universe versus even the expanse of the "microuniverse" we cannot see in terms of atoms and molecules. It is through nanotechnology, attributes of things as common as plastic and foil can drastically change once they are broken down to its smallest components. It was a captivating speech which piqued my interest in the advancements we're making in technology. Ken spent a considerable amount of time preparing for this speech, and he is showing a strong dedication to Toastmasters.

Table Topics was fun because everyone was called upon twice to speak! Fun questions. It was a tie breaker!  Both Jeff and Lina won! Shannon asked terrific questions ranging from topics on organic foods to holistic medicines. I think everyone did a great job on participation.

Next week Jeff will be the Toastmaster, so it's definitely going to be the meeting to attend!

DeAnne Wolf, CC, CL

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The Rickey Henderson Effect

Gary Vaynerchuck

I was recently reminded of a post Gary Vaynerchuk wrote a few months back called the “The Rickey Henderson Effect.”In the piece he recounted an incident that took place in 1985 at Yankee Stadium. Yankee outfielder Rickey Henderson was running toward the dugout after catching a fly ball to end the inning. On his way to the dugout he looked over at the then 10 year old Vaynerchuk and gave him a wink. Vaynerchuk then goes on to talk about how special that simple gesture was to him and how he became such a huge fan.

Maya Angelou once said “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” For the 10 year old Vaynerchuk that effortless wink that Henderson gave him made him feel special and nearly 30 years later he is still telling the story.

Remember the “Rickey Henderson Effect” when preparing a speech. This is apparent in certain speeches such as speech 10 in the Competent Communicator Manual which calls for an inspirational message. However, when giving informative or research speeches it is essential to mix in some emotional content to capture the audience’s attention and make the speech memorial.

The “Rickey Henderson Effect” is clearly more applicable in the leadership zone of Toastmasters. I once had a boss that left me waiting in the lobby of a hotel for over an hour while he checked his email. I remember telling my wife later that night that my boss had a real knack for making me feel unimportant. My call to action is this: as you become more involved with the leadership team in your Toastmasters Club look for opportunities to make your club members feel wanted, appreciated, special.  

Marshall Lehr, CC, ALB

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Club Speech Contest on September 13th

Contest season reminds me of the first club contest I experienced last fall. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at the contest or what to do as a vote counter, but everyone in the club made sure to answer my questions and brief me on my duties. Since that first contest, I've been looking forward to participating in or just spectating at future contests at all levels (Club, Area, and District). The friendly competition between fellow club members along with the speeches always make me smile.

Top of Texas will be kicking off the fall contest season with a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed club contest this Saturday!

Anne Brown, Contest Chair, has gathered a handful of seasoned and novice Toastmasters for the Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests. Competing in the Humorous Speech contest will be Regina Clay and Ken Dorsey. These two speakers will also be competing in the Evaluation contest along with myself, Lina Choun.

This will be my first time as a contestant! Our Contest Toastmaster will be Aparna Valluri and many other members of the club have volunteered to be key players in making the contest a success.

Lina Choun

National Read a Book Day Theme at Top of Texas

Saturday’s Top of Texas Toastmaster’s meeting had two themes – National Read a Book Day, and Football.  You see, the toastmaster (me) inadvertently failed to advise the Table Topics Master of the theme and he felt it should be football because ‘tis the season for football. Nevertheless, we still had a great meeting with two speeches and three guests!  Our area governor paid a visit to the club and Aparna brought one returning guest and a brand new guest.

During his speech, Ken provided his ideas on how to reinvent education and with it he is just a couple more speeches away from completing his CC (Competent Communicator) award. Next, Jeff gave a speech from the Toastmasters Educational Leadership Series: Goal Setting and Planning. A job well done to both speakers on personalizing their speeches in order to draw in the audience.

When Table Topics time came around, Thomas, our Table Topics Master still managed to ask a question pertaining to reading, even though in his heart the theme should have been football!  One of our guests took the plunge and got up in front of the members and provided her answer to the Table Topic question about reading, and in doing so won the Best Table Topics ribbon!  It’s very exciting for our members when a guest overcomes his or her public speaking fears, gets up to the lectern, and gives a great answer to the Table Topics question.

Next week will be very exciting at Top of Texas Toastmasters when we hold our Fall club speech contest!  We have a good number of competing speakers and the entire club will participate in one form or another.  The fun begins at 9 am Saturday September 13th!  I’m looking forward to the speakers, the fun, the food, and the camaraderie!

Ana Ortega, ACB, ACL

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Holidays, A Time for Family

This past holiday weekend, I got a chance to spend time with my family, but I didn't want to.

At first.

For the past two holidays, I've tried to have a Father/Daughter holiday.  We would sit, watch movies, and he'd do some repair work around my house in return, all while my mom cooked.  Last holiday, July 4th, was a disaster.  My brother got wind of our get-together and conveniently showed up right as we sat down for movies, with his wife and newborn little boy.  As soon as the baby arrived my dad went nuts over him!  There I was, arms folded, pouting, sitting in front of the tv, subtitles on because I couldn't hear over everyone's cooing.

This time around, I kept our Father/Daughter holiday secret from everyone.  But even more siblings got wind of it, and by the time I realized, I had my mom, my dad, my two sisters, my brother, his wife, his stepson, and of course, the infant.  Grumpy at first, I realized that it had been a long time since all the family and I had really gotten a chance to get together.  Although we live no more than 40 minutes from each other, our schedules and lives are so different that we rarely see each other, or, if we do, not all of us are there at the same time.  When I joked with my sister I remembered how our senses of humor are identical, when I saw my nephew I loved how much he reminded me of my little boy when he was that age, and when my dad put up pictures on my wall, I knew that I can still have that time with my dad and still have a better time with my expanding family.

So if you have family close by, I challenge you to invite them over!  If you don't, then give them a call or videochat!  Now's not the time to be caught up in our own lives to forget about those we grew up with.

I'll be seeing them all next holiday!

DeAnna

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Meeting Recap for August 23rd

We have the most amazing club! Where else can we learn something new and have fun!? Our Toastmaster, DeAnna, carried over the music theme from last week – Elvis Presley – to this week's theme of Michael Jackson. Before the meeting started we listened to one of Michael Jackson's many hit songs - 'Wanna be Starting Something.' I thought it was an interesting choice of songs given that she was trying to 'one-up' last week’s meeting. I wonder if this will start a trend? It is definitely something for all of us future Toastmasters to ponder. During her role as Toastmaster she incorporated many of his song titles in her transition between roles – it was very well done.

Marshall delivered an informative speech about Dyslexia. He started the speech with a quote "You wouldn't wish dyslexia on a child of yours. Or would you?" He explained what dyslexia is, its causes and effects, and explained that many entrepreneurs are four times as likely to be dyslexic then the rest of the population. He included his personal experiences with dyslexia and answered questions from the audience as part of his objectives. He answered the questions honestly based on his knowledge and we all now know that some of the myths we hear about dyslexia are not true.

Jeff's speech was about becoming a distinguished club. He talked about the Leadership and Communication Track, and what the different acronyms stand for. He talked about our club's meeting specific goals in order to qualify for the distinguished club award and his handout provided us with information on the Distinguished Club Program goals. With so many new members in our club, the timing of this speech was perfect!

Ken introduced the word of the day – emulate – to try to equal or excel, to rival. The Table Topics portion of the meeting had fellow Toastmasters telling us about plans for surviving a zombie apocalypse, charitable causes, and awards to be won.  We did not give out a best table topics ribbon, but we did give out a best speech ribbon to Jeff and a best evaluator ribbon to Aparna.

Anne Brown

The Public Speaking Gene

Scientists have searched in vain for years to find the gene for public speaking talent. (Okay maybe not, but stick with me please.) They labor in vain because it doesn't exist. There is no such thing as a born public speaker.

Deliberate practice is the path to greatness in any field.

If you desire to build your skill set as a speaker, then Toastmasters is the perfect place. The organization provides you with the three of the four elements you need to succeed.

1. Solid curriculum built with ever increasing levels of challenge as you work the program.
2. An environment where it is safe to deliberately practice your developing skills.
3. Friendly support and encouragement.

The fourth element is up to you. Commit to working the program. Struggle through the assignments that push you outside the comfort zone. Before you know it, the speaking gene will be found to exist in you.

Jeff Wright, ACB, CL

A Rockin' Good Time

Before Saturday's meeting with my favorite Toastmasters club began, we rocked out to some "Jailhouse Rock" while setting up. The theme was "Elvis Presley," so our skilled Toastmaster Jeff warmed everyone up with some tunes. It was a very nice touch. Ana called the meeting to order, and Jeff gave a brief history of The King who passed away 37 years prior.

We had one speaker that morning, Anne, and her speech on Anxiety was exceptional. She provided us with facts on the types of anxiety, how many people are afflicted by it, and some remedies to relieve the symptoms. How appropriate for a Toastmasters meeting! That's what makes Toastmasters unique - it caters to those who are good speakers and want to improve, but also those who dread speaking in front of people to the point of feeling physically ill.  Many in the audience, including myself, know the feeling all too well. Anne, where was this speech sooner? She did an excellent job. Judy gave such a positive, informative evaluation that I, myself, learned a thing or two about how to structure an evaluation.

Table Topics was an interesting one, with our word of the day handed to us by Sandra. Euphemism - a word or phrase used in place of a term that might be considered too direct, harsh, unpleasant, or offensive. Many of us during Table Topics struggled with shoehorning that word in our response, but everyone did it! Shannon's questions were perfect, not too hard, definitely not too easy! Jennifer, our newest member by the way, won with her speech on her only concert experience, but a memorable one, watching Motley Crue. Kudos, Jennifer, especially because if you only go to one concert, I think you picked a good one! But also, because winning the coveted ribbon is an accomplishment especially after attending only a handful of meetings.

DeAnna Wolf, CC, CL

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A Truly International Organization!

The phrase “international” is used often by corporations when they have operations outside the United States, even if they have one small office in Canada. However, at Toastmasters International, International truly is worldwide! Toastmasters have clubs all over the world with active clubs in China, India, Australia, and any other country that you can think of.

When you join Toastmasters, you don’t just join your local club, you are automatically a member of a worldwide organization of like-minded individuals with a common goal: to improve communication and leadership skills. As a member you will open your horizons to the area, the district, the nation, and beyond.

During our most recent club meeting, member Cindy Hinkley, who is one of District 25’s leaders, shared with the members how she has met and become friends with Toastmasters from all over the world by attending the Toastmasters International annual convention. Cindy is looking forward to attending the upcoming International Convention being held August 20-23rd in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Now that’s international! For the first time in the 83 year history of annual conventions, Toastmasters is holding the convention outside the United States – and it looks to be really exciting and exotic.

Think about this: in what other organization could you travel to many different countries in the world, and each time be able to attend a function with complete strangers that will welcome you because you are one of them? With Toastmasters you can, and many members do. More about connecting with international clubs can be found on the Toastmasters International website, which is where I found the following line which really resonated with me: Members around the world speak a universal language – the vocabulary of Toastmasters.

Ana Ortega, ACB, ALB

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"Friends" - August 10th Meeting Recap

We had an exciting meeting Saturday with all the elements of a Golden Gavel meeting except one.

Everyone was enthusiastic in greeting each other and our two guests. We were excited to welcome Rey back. Our colorful table tents made the room more festive as DeAnna, our presiding officer, opened the meeting right on time. Our Toastmaster, Shannon, had the meeting well arranged and with only two agenda changes we were off!

As Marshall set up props for his speech from the Speaking to Inform manual, there was some movement in the audience away from the center of the room. Honest, cross my heart, to those of us in the back, it looked like he might be hitting that long ball right down the center aisle! Instead, Marshall showed us all the components of “How to Hit the Long Ball” without ever actually hitting the ball. His speech was delivered and received with enthusiasm as he entertained and educated us.

When Jeff, our scheduled 2nd speaker, was unexpectedly unable to attend, I was excited to have a speech already prepared with handouts and visual aids ready to go! My speech, “Building a Team” from the Leadership Excellence series, had some good ideas we can all use in our growth as leaders. This speech included what the benefits are and how to select, organize and train a team.

With the theme of “Friends” provided by our Toastmaster, how could Table Topics be anything but interesting? Ana had questions that had us all thinking, “Pick me! Pick me!” I enjoyed hearing about how Judy, Aparna and Cindy make, keep and value friendships.

Thomas and Jodie provided evaluations that were both supportive and helpful with relevant and constructive suggestions for Marshall and me.

We began our meeting wrap up with positive comments from our guests Megan and Jessie. Our short business meeting included the information that our club contest is scheduled for September 13th with Anne Brown as our Contest Chair. Contestants and team helpers were encouraged to volunteer. And, at last, ribbons were awarded for the Best Speaker - Marshall, Evaluator - Jodie, and Table Topics - Judy!

You might wonder with such an outstanding meeting what element was missing from a Golden Gavel meeting. We were two members short of the 15 necessary. Kudos to DeAnna for reminding us to check!

Sandra Price, DTM

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I’m Proud of You, Sun

If you find yourself internally or externally cursing the sun, which is common this time of the year in Texas, stop right there.  This beautiful, shining beacon is truly extraordinary and deserves a little blog space.  Here are some facts that are both enlightening and partially terrifying.

• Yes, the sun gives us the gift of life, light, climates, vitamin D, etc.  Wow.
• Currently, about a million earths could fit into the sun.  And it will expand even further.  If the solar system goes undisrupted, the sun will eventually consume the earth before shrinking down to about the size of the earth.  It will also engulf Mercury and Venus as appetizers.
• Well, at least the sun is just sort of sitting there, right?  Wrong.  It is actually cruising around the galaxy at a healthy 450,000 miles per hour.  Since we are circling that bad boy, we are actually going pretty fast as well.
• If the sun were to “burn out,” we wouldn't find out about it for about eight minutes.  Just long enough to go locate some batteries.
• If it were possible for me to stand on the sun, at 200 pounds on earth, I would weigh about 5,500 pounds. 
• The sun is actually white, but appears yellow because of the earth’s atmosphere.

While it is not important to know random facts about the sun, it is important to broaden your horizons, diversify your base of knowledge, and never stop learning.  Perhaps you might even discover a new passion and be able to connect with more people on this dismal planet.  So, next time you want to stop the fun at some party, rattle off these facts.  Then you, like the sun, will be a big star.

Thomas Kelliher

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Condiments, Condiments, Condiments!

The theme for this past Saturday's meeting was... Condiments!  A very fitting theme since we also had our annual Top of Texas barbecue that day.  Sandra, the meeting's Toastmaster, fulfilled her Facebook promise to let us know how condiments apply to speeches.  She explained that condiments are a type of seasoning and, as they make our food colorful and exciting, they also "add flavor" to our speeches.

DeAnna gave her first speech from the Special Occasion Speeches manual, "The Lady of the Hour."  She toasted Sandra's ability to create a meeting out of nothing while they lounged on a yacht before returning home on a super sonic jet.  Ken gave his seventh speech titled "The Deficit We Have in Our Understanding of the Federal Deficit."  A tongue twisting title for a speech that explained the federal deficit to fellow Toastmasters in layman's terms.  I was awed to hear it would take 32 years to count to one billion and 55,696 years to count to 17 trillion, the amount of the federal deficit.

After the morning meeting, we got together for the annual Top of Texas barbecue.  We mingled, ate some great food topped with condiments, and had an all around wonderful time.  Check out more pictures from the barbecue on our Facebook page!

Submitted by Lina Choun

“Post-Toasties”

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I am not sure who came up with the name Post Toasties, but this is the name that refers to the meal social hour that may follow a Toastmaster’s meeting. Since 2004 I have enjoyed quite a few “Post Toasties” social meetings and I have developed some wonderful long-term friendships because of them. Breaking bread with your Toastmaster friends is truly a great way to get to know your fellow toastmasters on a more personal level. You learn even more that you do from their Ice-breaker or CC speeches and you can continue the after meeting glow or just shoot the breeze. Whether it is a breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or just a coffee, time with your fellow Toastmaster friends can be a fruitful investment in a new friendship.

Submitted By
Judy L. Pérez

All or Nothing

The theme was All or Nothing for the July 27, 2014 Top of Texas Toastmaster Club meeting, and it fit the day very well. Ana Ortega was our Toastmaster and Jeff Wright called our meeting to order as the presiding officer. Recent new member Bobby Russell who was a little under the weather graciously introduced “Eclipse” as the word of the day, acted as Grammarian, and also was the team’s Timer.

Ken Dorsey and Jeff Wright both provided speeches while Table Topics was lively with an All or Nothing twist. Ken’s sixth speech met the requirement for Vocal Variety and was entitled “Life Thru the Eyes of a Child”. Ken described colorful encounters he had with his boys when they were younger and how sometimes what they are thinking is anything but what you expected.

Jeff Wright’s speech was an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene II. With this speech, Jeff completed his Advanced Communicator Bronze Certification. Way to go Jeff! DeAnna Wolf and Apama Valluri provided Evaluations. DeAnna shared the importance of protecting the lectern space and never leaving it unoccupied. A valuable tidbit for everyone! 

Ana wrapped things up as JokeMaster and shared several clever and funny anecdotes that had everyone amused. Great meeting!

Submitted by Ken Dorsey











Photo Credits: vramak via Compfight cc and SFPrice

Everybody Loves a Story!

According to the Storytelling Manual, storytelling is a unique form of communication. Stories have been passed down through generations. They provide entertainment, history lessons, and moral values.

My mother was a storyteller. She told stories to my siblings and me, the library children, and, on occasion, adults. I recently finished the Competent Communicator Manual and my first choice from the advanced manual series was the Storytelling Manual. Last Saturday I gave my first speech from it. I practiced on my family the night before. My daughter, who is a thespian, shared some tips with me that I would like to pass on to you.

1. When portraying characters, take on their persona and use focal points. For instance, a little girl would look up when she speaks. “Bad men” would look down and use big gestures. An elderly person would be stooped over and shaky.

2. Use vocal variety to help define your characters. The little girl would have a high voice; the bad men, low, gruff ones; and the elderly person a slow and shaky voice.

3. When using hand and body gestures, keep your body open to your audience. If you’re changing direction, turn toward your audience.

4. Display confidence when you walk to the lectern: shoulders back, head erect, and walk with purpose. Put a smile on your face and take a deep breath.

5. If you make a mistake, leave the mistake behind you and keep going.

These tips certainly helped me last Saturday and can be applied to any speech. I look forward to learning more about storytelling as I continue to grow in my communication, leadership, and listening skills. That is what Toastmasters is all about.

Submitted By
Shannon Watenpaugh










Photo Credit: UNE Photos via Compfight cc and SFPrice 

Do-It-Yourself

Oh what a meeting this was this morning (July 19th)! First, let me start off by saying that one of our former members/location setup/location liaison/gracious hostess Faith Pinto stopped by and stayed for a meeting!  For those of our members who do not know, Faith and her husband Dan run the church where our meeting is located, and she has been busy working and going to school, so we wished her luck while she pursued her desire to care for others. Good news, she is now officially a Registered Nurse, and it was such a breath of fresh air to see her again.

Our meeting was excellent! I was the Presiding Officer and Toastmaster, so I noted that it is an interesting duty to pass the lectern over to oneself. I picked out a fun theme, Do-It-Yourself-Projects, and if anyone knows DeAnna, they know that when I pick a theme, there is always a twist, this time mine being “When Do-It-Yourself Projects Go Wrong.” I showed everyone wonderful pictures of what a project is supposed to look like, and the disasters that ensued when people attempt them themselves. My favorite disaster was someone’s front porch looking like a murder scene after a red food coloring fiasco.

Shannon Watenpaugh, as usual, delivered a beautiful story from the Storytelling Manual of how the Sparkling Fire Owl got its name. Shannon was timid, Shannon was brave, Shannon was soft-spoken, Shannon was intimidating. Shannon also did not use notes. Shannon, how come you’re not a writer? How come you’re not an actress?

Table Topics was great. The winner, Judy Perez, won with a story of how after looking at a DIY show once on building a bench led to her, from her own imagination and common sense, to create a bench and update a chair. We can learn so much about our fellow Toastmasters just from Table Topics.

I had a great time, the members and two guests had a great time, and I think we all were entertained by everyone’s participation. A guest comment was, “This meeting was a lot more fun and jocular than I expected!”

I’ll see you all next week!
DeAnna

Photo Credit: Victor W. via Compfight cc

The Importance of Listening

One of the benefits of Toastmasters that, to me, does not get enough mention as leadership and speaking skills, is gaining better Listening skills. As Toastmasters is for building better speakers, we probably gain listening skills at a faster pace due to our spending a majority of the time not on the podium. That being said, for interpersonal communication, how do we fare? I have compiled a list of tips from a couple of websites (skillsyouneed.com and mindtools.com) on active listening, which involves not only hearing, but letting the speaker know he or she is being heard.

Top of Texas Open House

• Resist the urge to speak right away. Be patient.
• Treat the speaker as if you were in his or her shoes – show respect.
• Watch the speaker: make eye contact, look for non-verbal clues, and avoid physical distractions.
• Provide small responses: nod, use facial expressions, and verbally encourage them to continue (“yes,” “go on”).
• Without interrupting, paraphrase.
• Do not let the speaker’s mannerisms distract or bother you. We all speak differently.
• Listen for tone/inflection variations and watch the body language. Non-verbal communication is just as, if not, more, important than verbal communication.
• Stray from finding that counter-argument. Try to understand his or her viewpoint from his or her perspective. When the speaker is finished speaking, then discuss.
• Listen for the big picture or the main idea of the speaker’s argument. Do not get so lost in the details you miss the major point he or she is trying to convey.
• When it’s time to respond, be honest and tactful in your response.

After compiling these tips I realized I have this habit of finishing the speaker’s sentences, thinking it was showing I was paying attention! When I listen from now on, I’ll resist the urge to speak for them. Do you have any takeaways from this? Discuss them with someone and foster your listening skills!

DeAnna Wolf
VP Education
Top of Texas Toastmasters

Meeting recap for 7/12/14 - Summer Blockbusters

Top of Texas was its usually lively and inviting meeting on July 12th. Even with only eight members and one visitor we were able to keep up the energy of a full house meeting. The theme of the day was Summer Blockbuster Movies. As the Toastmaster for the day I threw in a few tidbits on interesting movies that were in the theater and how much money some of these popular movies grossed. 

Only two changes were made on the agenda and we jumped right into the meeting. Aparna guided the general evaluation team through the necessary roles. The word of the day, truculent (aggressive / savage) was chosen by Shannon. It was used 5X during the meeting. Interesting phrases that were noted were “freshly squeezed” and “shining my lights”. There were four table topic participants, Shannon, Aparna and new members Jonathan and Bobby. Aparna took home the best table topic ribbon for the day. 

Bobby, braved the waters of being the timer for the first time. He did a great job of juggling the timing jobs of the table topics, a speaker with a Q & A session, an evaluation and even handing over the duties so he could jump in to participate in table topics himself. Bobby says he was not nervous while being the timer and he asked a few clarifying questions to help him understand for the next time. 

The speaker of the day was Jeff Wright. Jeff spoke from the Speaking to Inform advanced manual and completed project #4, Fact Finding Report. This was a 5 to 7 minute speech with a 2 to 3 minute Q&A session. His speech title was “Raw Milk, It Does a Body Good”. Jeff gave information on the differences between pasteurized and raw milk and gave two sources to find raw milk available commercially. Jeff was quick on his feet when answering questions from the audience and he did a wonderful job speaking to inform. 

Regina gave Jeff’s evaluation. She found Jeff’s speech informative, well prepared and complemented his dialog with the audience over the Q & A session. The only suggestion was to use visual aids when speaking to inform in the future. Overall Regina said that the speech was timely and well delivered. 

I served as the listener and quizzed the audience on detailed questions of the meeting. Lina Choun, our presiding officer, asked visitor Lucia R. for her guest comments. Lucia said she liked the group and would like to be a part of it again. New member in TOT? I believe Lucia will be back for more. 

It was discussed that the TOT annual barbeque will take place on August 2. Brisket, black bean soup and veggie burgers will be served. All members are welcomed to bring a side dish. Invitations and a list of sides will go out soon. 

Submitted By
Judy Pérez, DTM

How Readable is Your Writing?

Do you struggle with editing? I certainly do.

Whether it a be a speech, a resume cover letter, or a blog post I struggle with writing the perfect sentence.  I use too many words.  Sentences, or whole paragraphs, are written with a passive voice (like this one).

Microsoft Word will catch many of the "there" versus "their" type of errors. But wouldn't it be great if there was an easy way to grade what you've written? Wouldn't it be nice to have a tool that points out where sentences could be made less sucky by changing the length, voice, or word choice?

You are in luck.  Hemingwayapp.com is a simple application that analyzes the readability of your writing. Copy and paste into the editor and color highlights appear showing you areas of improvement. 

Check out the attached photo for the grade a first draft of this post received.  As you can see, there were several issues to address.








Are you writing your next speech? Before the final draft, I encourage you to let Hemingway provide sound editing advice.

Submitted By
Jeff Wright
President
Top of Texas Toastmasters

The First Step

We’re now at the half way mark for 2014! Every year, at the beginning of the year, lots of us make resolutions and set goals.  How are you doing on yours? Have you moved closer to what you want? Have you begun the work you need? Have you taken that 1st step?

The members of Top of Texas have definitely been doing all that. I see you participating in contests, moving into officer positions that will stretch you, finishing education goals, and stepping outside the club for leadership positions. We got our blog up and running.

All of that AND making healthy changes in our personal lives as well! Ana Ortega inspired us to pay more attention to our health with a speech she gave to our club earlier this year. Because of her inspiration, some of us are eating healthier and even participating in marathons.

But, how did we start to achieve our goals? How did we begin to work on making our New Year’s Resolutions come to fruition? How did we begin to make changes?

We started with 1 step. Just one. And then we kept moving.

Each day is a chance to start new, to set up a plan to make the decisions that will lead us where we want to be, to take that 1st step.

Submitted By
Sandra Price

The Importance Of Mentoring

This Saturday one of my mentees will be giving his Icebreaker speech, and it got me to thinking about being a mentor. The Competent Leader manual has the requirement that in order to get credit, the mentee has to speak through three speeches. Sure, that's measurable, but to me, it's only the minimum.

I have had one of the most "intense" mentors, Aparna Valluri. Intense on her words, "DeAnna, you EXUDED confidence," intense on her encouragement, "DeAnna we're number one baby!"  And intense on her guidance, "DeAnna, here is a link to 17 sites to help you with speech #4." Okay, maybe she didn't send me 17, but it was plenty. She has taught me so much (and still does), that I can use her as an example of what a mentor can provide.

Guidance on Roles 

When a new member attends his or her first meeting as a member, it can seem daunting.

• Being a Listener? "What do I say?" 
• Being a Grammarian and Ah Counter?  "I have to tell all these people I've never met about all the crutch phrases they used and expect them to not be upset when I correct them on grammar?" 

A mentor tells the mentee how to handle the role without feeling under prepared.

Guidance on Speeches

Despite taking two years for my CC, I did at one point actually blaze through my first few speeches, but by the fourth speech, I couldn't come up with a topic.  With the bare minimum three speeches, Aparna could have felt her job was over and not helped, but she did, which brings me to one of my biggest emphases: there's no set stopping point.

Aparna is still my mentor, even now that I have finished my CC, and if there is anything I struggle with, I am free to talk to anyone, but I know I have Aparna rooting for me to keep pushing. To me, a mentee ought to feel the mentor is in his or her corner of the ring.

Guidance on Toastmasters

Toastmasters is an organization with so many levels above the club, and it's nice to excel within the club. But if ever a member feels that he or she wants to reach higher, by all means, the mentor should encourage. We're all here to get something out of Toastmasters and those who want to give back should have the opportunity to. A mentor encourages that spirit.

Having a mentor is an excellent benefit to Toastmasters and being a mentor is an excellent opportunity to have. I hope that both of these are promoted even more in Toastmasters as we see our clubs grow.

DeAnna Wolf, CC

Summer Solstice - June 21st Meeting Review

The sky may have been cloudy outside but inside our Saturday morning Top of Texas meeting the sun was shining with the Summer Solstice theme. Out toastmaster DeAnna gave us her long list of to-dos for the longest day of the year. I'd be interested to know how many items she managed to complete!

During out Table Topics we found out that a few of our members were spending their entire day working on Toastmasters business. Now that's dedication!  I'm sure whatever they worked on will benefit many clubs and their members.

We also had two speeches. The first speaker, Ken, is on his one-speech-a-week streak and gave his fourth speech titled "Kanban Meets The Family." Kanban is a methodology by which tasks are listed on a signboard, and we learned how the concept was developed by Toyota. Ken told us how the concept of Kanban could be utilized at home to keep all household chores prioritized and completed.

Our second speaker, Jeff, completed another project from the Interpretive Reading manual: The Monologue.  I have to say that Jeff's speech (or one-man act) was funny, entertaining, and one of my favorite of Jeff's speeches. He had the audience laughing and I think that there is a future for Jeff in theatre!  Great flair Jeff!

Last but not least DeAnna and Sandra announced that Top of Texas Toastmasters has earned the distinction of being a President's Distinguished Club for 2013 - 2014!  Our club earned *all ten* goals for the Toastmaster year! Our club is awesome and no doubt will have another great year coming soon.

Ana Ortega, ACB, ALB

Teamwork

A Toastmasters Club Mission “is to provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.”  

One of the ways we do that is through teamwork. As Toastmasters, we are almost always working as a part of a team. When we accept a role for a meeting, help plan a contest, even writing an article for the club blog, we are a part of a team. When we are a mentor or a mentee, we’re part of a team.

Sometimes we are the leader and sometimes not. In Toastmasters, you get the opportunity to do both - to lead and to follow. One of the great things about Toastmasters is that you get to choose.

Working as a team makes us stronger, more creative, and more effective. People learn about each other and depend on each other to accomplish more than they could on their own. Often a bond is formed between the members of the team.

Something I like about Top of Texas is the willingness of our members to step up as well as step out. Our members take pride in not only working together as a team within our club but also helping with district events and responsibilities.

Personally, something I have not done well in the past is to work well with a team. When I joined Toastmasters though, I was introduced to a different attitude about working with others. The good examples I've seen in my club and in my district have helped me grow as a person and as a Toastmaster and I am grateful for all those shining examples of service.

Sandra Price, DTM

Meeting Recap from June 14 - Mystery

Saturday's Top of Texas Toastmasters meeting on Saturday can only be best described by the theme. "Mystery."  

Regina Clay led the meeting with her interesting take on picking the theme, noting that we were all as a meeting going to improvise because... "That's the mystery!"  

Ken Dorsey continued his run of consecutive weeks doing speeches, doing his third speech. For a new member, he is showing us all up! Actually, he is doing an excellent job, continuing his excellence with the speech of the hour, "What's Next?" He described how predictions in the 1970s and 1990s of life today are actually coming true, and what we can expect next from those predictions. Truly, the possibilities are endless. It was such a befitting speech given the theme.

Ana Ortega led the Table Topics with interesting and fun questions, such as "How do you get your mystery fix?" "What's the biggest mystery to you?" "Do you believe in extra-terrestrial life?" and the biggest one answered by the winning response (Marshall Lehr), "What is the meaning of life?"

It was a very entertaining meeting, everyone had a chance to speak, and afterwards we handed out the Education Award to Lina Choun for reaching the halfway mark to her Competent Communicator after completing five speeches. Here's to five more Lina!

DeAnna Wolf, CC

Photo Credit: i k o via Compfight cc

Confidence Is A Game Changer

"Your results can never exceed your self-concept" - Brian Singer

Being fully invested in youth baseball I've often heard a well-meaning coach or parent yell out to their struggling hitter something like “be confident” or “believe you can.” The reason for those words is because the parent or coach understands how much confidence can enhance performance; it’s literally a game changer.

Here’s the problem. Confidence - full trust and belief in oneself - is not a product of the will.

Confidence cannot be mustered up in the on deck circle moments before you step into the batter’s box. The same is true whether we're talking about giving a speech, tackling a work project, or interviewing for a promotion.

Although confidence is not a product of the will it can be increased through education and preparation.

New Information Effects Your Belief

When you invest time in learning and understanding, you realize things are not as difficult as you first thought.

My first physical inventory at work was intimidating and I felt overwhelmed leading my first project of any significance. In the wholesale industry inventory is your lifeblood and thus taken very seriously. Because of this, I took the time to read through all the documented procedures. Once I understood that taking inventory was basically a five step process, I felt much more comfortable. I took time up front to educate myself and a new found confidence accompanied that understanding.

Preparation Boosts Confidence

This seems obvious, I know.  However, many people let procrastination win the battle over preparation.

I was very tense about giving my ice breaker speech several years ago, but to my surprise one of the evaluation comments received was about how confident I looked.  The level of confidence I achieved, a very small level, was because in my nervousness about the speech I practiced it over and over and over again. To this day it is still probably the one speech I rehearsed the most. The upfront investment in practice enabled me to feel a certain amount of confidence giving that first ever speech.

Benefits from Toastmasters

I bring up confidence and self-belief today because of all the benefits that Toastmasters has provided me, I believe a boost in self-belief has been the most valuable.

This boost applies to all areas of my life, not just in giving a speech. I've often shared with family and friends that Toastmasters changes you. It's so much more than just giving speeches. The ability to stand in front of a group of people and deliver a speech is a magical thing. You’re not the same afterward. For me my "if only then’s" and the "someday maybe’s" seem a little more within my reach.

Marshall Lehr, CC,ALB

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