Mare Island Toastmasters January 9, 2025 meeting

The meeting theme was --things that make you smile or go Oh!

The word of the day was introduced by the Grammarian, Christopher.  The word of the day=decidophobia.

"Decidophobia" is the fear of making the wrong decision.  The term was coined by Princeton University philosopher Walter Kaufmann in his book Without Guilt and Justice .—Decidophobia can affect people even when it comes to the smallest choices, such as what to have for lunch or what to wear. Decidophobia can lead to blurred thinking, a lack of clarity and increased dependence on others to choose for you, all leading to an overall lost sense of direction and control according to Forbes magazine article dated  7/5/17.

   We generally have a word of the day at each meetng.  Members and guests are challenged to use the word during the meeting.  When you practice using new words, you are more apt to use those new words in your daily life.

The inspiration was by Tanya.  Her inspiration was about a story she read about snowstorm strangers. People's cars were stuck in a snowstorm.  Stranded, they helped one another and shared supplies and one peson invited all of the strangers to her house.

Speech  by Flaka

---title  "A visitors guide to London, mind the gap

---project: Presentation Mastery--evaluation and feedback

Speech by Curt

---title  "Small groups in children's ministry

---project:  Visionary Communications, level 3, Effective body language

Table Topics

topic=if you had to vacate in 1 hour, what would you take with you?  Tanya would take her purse, identification and documents and keys.

topic=do you have a story about a movie.  Linda said that our family rewatches the movie, REd.

topic=Tell us about the perfect house or perfect spouse.  She helped her contractor design her 3br house in Rio Del Mar in Santa Cruise.

topic=What fun thing she did as an adult that was child like.  Kaylin like roller skating with a boom box.

topic=Most fun?  Christoper said that 5 guys made a trip in 15 hours going from Chicago to Salt Lake City during the Olympics

topic=What activity did you hate, but learned to love it.  Charles told about Bart.  The issue is Fire Safety.

topic=Story about a stranger.  He shared a story when he went out in a snowstorn to find someone who left home that had not arrived at the next place.  He found him and then took the man to the school house.

 

New Years Celebrations and Speech Ideas

                                       

Great speach ideas can be made from observing New Years celebrations and traditions being practiced around us.

If you are gathering with friends or family or strangers to celebrate, will you:

---kiss under the mistletoe?

---put mistletoe under your pillow to dream about a new love,

---eat blackeyed peas, hopping john,

---eat pizza, nachos, chips and dip,

---watch a football game

---watch a fireworks,

---watch the ball drop at Times Square? 

Is there  someone who always tells jokes, or takes pictures, and greets all the guests at the party?

What were the interactions?

In the US, people often gather to watch fireworks or watch the ball drop at Times Square.  However, other countries have different traditions.   Do you know people who follow other customs?  In Canada, people gather to go ice fishing.  In the Philippines, if you wear polk-a-dots, you should have good luck. In Latin America, if you wear yellow underwear, it is said, you will have good luck and if you wear red underwear, you will have love.  In Ireland, they bang bread on the walls for prosperity and health.  In Columbia, if you run around the block with suitcases, you will have luck in travel.  Pack bathing suits if you want to travel to a beach.  Many people have wishes, or goals or make new years resolutions on January 1.

This year, my family went to Dave and Busters.  Dave and Busters a restaurant with games and it is like Chuck-e-Cheese, but it has many TV's to watch sports and has different video games.  I played ring toss.  My son, who is grown, had the best luck and ended up having enough credits to purchase headphones and a scale with the credits.  The holiday package we purchased, gave us a side area with other people celebrating.  The restaurant employees decorated the tables with New Years themed party hats, noice makers and clappers.  Overhead were balloons suspended in a netting.  The balloons were reserved for the midnight ballon drop.  At 6pm they served food.  It was very tasty and included pizza, chicken nuggets, salad and mini hamburgers and more.   The filled churros were served later as dessert and they were hot, crisp and tasty.  There were about 10 families celebrating in the party area.  All with their young kids.  We were the only all adult group, which wasn't an issue because there were many challenging games aimed at adults.  

----.My wish is that everyone has a happy celebration, no matter what it is and I hope it is a peaceful day and night.  Maybe, if we all hum the word "Peace" at midnight on New Years eve, the Universe will hear us and we will have wonderful memories and stories to tell.

--visitors can get an idea of what happens at a Toastmasters Meeting from the notes below.

The meeting was called to order at 10:30 am.

Functionaries

---Word of the day=Optimal

---Inspiration=Fresh start at any time

Prepared Speech

Titile:  The Journey to Find my Voice, by Flaka

She describes her 3 year journey to Toastmasters.  Flaka grew up in Notinghill England.

Her travels took her to Bahrain then, Edmonds WA.  Then she had a change in careers.  Then she moved to the Bay Area and connected with Toastmasters.

Table Topics--this is where we speak without preparation.  These mini speeches are 1 to 2 minutes long.

First topic=What have you tried that you never would have tried again.

----Joel said she would never do the "garage sale" rapids, and explained her rafting journeys.

Second topic=What tips would you give to someone making a career change.

----Babette said, do your research on the business, make sure it is something you really want to do. She explained why.  She gave the example of her additional careeer as a martial arts teacher.

Third topic=If you had a chance to go to the Northpole, would you take it.

----Herman said, he would not want to go.  He remembered the TV show lost and how they lost power and how they had to huddle together to keep warm.  It was not something he was looking forward to doing.

Fourth topic=What is your hidden talent.

----Flaka said her hidden talent is painting and the free expression of self.  She hopes to get back into it in the future

Fifth topic=If you could switch places with anyone alive today, who would it be and why.

----Bryon said that he would not want to switch.  He has worked hard to be where he is today, and is content and happy.

Sixth topic=If you could get 3 wishes from a genie, what would they be.

----Lena said she would ask to be a billionaire.  First off, she'd pay off any school loans and told how valuable training was.

Seventh topic=What 3 items would you take on a desserted island.

----Daniel said he'd take the 3-P's (plan, play, perserverence)

Eighth topic=What painting do you admire.

----Mary said she enjoyed the painting, "Sunday at the Park".  She told the story of seeing it with her kids and told us it reminded her of her daughters wedding that was held in the park.

Evaluation Portion of the Meeting

The general evaluator called on Lena to give a 2-3 minute speech evaluation of Flaka's speech.

Then the general evaluator called on the timing report and word of the day report.

The meeting ended with a joke from Herman

Announcement=TLI training upcoming for officer.   The club's open house will be on Sat, Jan 18 with snacks.  Daniel is trying to get an outside speaker.  Meeting roles were discussed for the meeting.

Other from the district=The person who won Toastmasters World Championship of Public speaking in August 2024, will be at the district online on January 18.  See the districts website at d57tm.org.

 

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---The first resource:

Read “25 Great Ways You Can Step Outside Your Comfort Zone” from AARP at https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/members-only-access/info-2024/ways-to-step-outside-comfort-zone.html?cmp=EMC-DSM-NLC-OTH-RWDS-2005600-2090410-8932542-NA-01072025-Rewards-MS1-Hero_Module1-TXT-CTRL_SC4N_A-Hero_Module1-emailLink&encparam=jrvPj3Yfr5yBiQC0%2fAuAGw%3d%3d

One of the 25 ideas is to downsize and declutter. Scientist have discovered that  clutter takes up visual space. You spend a lifetime accumulating treasures, trinkets and memories. All that “stuff” can make downsizing feel like a monumental endeavor. Skip the maybe pile, get feedback from your family and Go room by room and make a list.-Need help? AARP has a 52 minute instructional video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-_36Hqn-8c&t=13s as well as a comprehensive smart guide at https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/members-only-access/info-2021/smart-guide-home-decluttering.html

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The second resource:

A  Vision Board class by River Easter  on January 11, 2025. See the Eventbrite link below

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vision-to-reality-a-vision-board-workshop-to-design-your-ideal-life-tickets-1134175362039?aff=erelexpmlt     

During this workshop, you will learn how to:  1.Increase Your Confidence to pursue what you truly love.  2.  Release Blocks that are undermining your success   3.Clarify Your Goals for 2025 4.  Create a Game Plan to manifest what you would love!This is a Virtual Free Workshop (I attended a Vision Board workshop by Michelle Thames and it was wonderful).  There were many other Goal Setting or Vision Board classes or webinars listed on Eventbrite, if you miss the one above.

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The Third resource:

Find out how to get UnStuck and find your breakthrough moments with speaker and author Darren Hardy.  

The information to help you Jumpstart your transformation can be found in Darren's best-selling book,“The Compound Effect”.

In Darren's book, you will learn

• How to identify and eliminate the unconscious barriers secretly programmed into your operating system that keep you stuck (even when you're doing everything else right).
• The Effect has 6 components:                                                                                                             1. Your identity                                                                                                                                    2. Your habits                                                                                                                                    3. Behaviors=how to remove friction points that derail you.                                                              4. Your choices (learn 4 traps that sabotage you).                                                                           5.   Consistency                                                                                                                                 6. Now Change your sabotaging beliefs that have derailed you.

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The Fourth resource:

---------The Headway Library 

For apps on motivation go to----- https://makeheadway.com/blog/best-apps-for-motivation/

Check out the Headway library to take the next step toward communication mastery. They have many summaries of best-selling books on conversation skills and many other associated topics, including listening skills. In just 15 minutes, you can listen to or read a summary and discover fascinating and actionable insights. Over time, you'll notice that your confidence grows and your communication skills improve beyond measure.

Improved communication skills in the workplace and beyond are within your grasp!

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Resource number 5::

Toastmasters.

To find a Toastmasters club near you, go to

 https://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club?2Deh5K=&longitude=-104.9878&latitude=39.6478

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Why do certain people compete?

   1.  they love it

   2.  they improve faster.  Read the article in Toastmasters Internationals magazine                dated 11/2020  titled "The True Value of Speech Contests".  It is written by a                  speech  contestant.

   3.  each time you take the stage, it gets easier and you gain more confidence.

Do you grow by competing in speech contests?  Click on the picture to Watch the video about Growing Through Speech Contests. 

What are different mindsets?

     Dale Alexander, DTM, Acredited Speaker, and Past International President said (in       part) in  the TM magazine dated January 2024, .."contestants who have the-                   mindset that they are only competiting with themselves, come out as winners."  He       said that some of the following  understandings have helped him:

• In this world, there will always be speakers who are better than I am, as well as those who are not as skilled.
• My task is to keep improving as a speaker and strive to give a better speech on the day of the competition than I had ever done before.
• If I won the contest, wonderful! Enjoy the feeling and show gratitude to those who helped me.
• If I did not place in the contest, I reflect on what I might need to learn to become better and who might be able to help me.
• I learned new skills to help me with my speeches. 

One Person's Story about Competiting at Toastmasters World Championship of Speech Competition.

     There are people who are born competitors. To find out one person's story, view

the interview of Rich Hopkins on you tube at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wpXsJ6utog.

Rich competed at Toastmasters World Championship of public speaking in 2005, and placed 3rd. He competed again, and was in the movie titled, "Speak, the Movie". Listen to the interview to find out what happened at the second speech competition. I will tell you that he used his experience as a speech conpetitor to springboard into becoming a professional speaker and give a Tedx speech. He started traveling more, and gives educational speeches.

People will be following in Rich's footprints.

Many people will start their Toastmasters journey, this January, just like Rich did.

They will compete in their club contests. If they win, they will compete in the Area Contest against people in different clubs. If they win at the Area level, they advance to compete in the Division contest. If they win at the Division contest, they advance to compete at the District level. This is like a round robin elimination competition. Those people who win at the District, will go on to compete in the semi-finals at Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking competition which is held at Toastmasters Int'l Conference in August. The best 10 people will compete in the finals at the Conference. At each level, competitors learn, advance skills, and gain more than confidence. They gain a group of people cheering them on. The cheering squad brings joy to the competitors. Competitors bring happiness to those cheering them on.

#ContestTime #worldchampionofpublicspeaking

             

                         

Learning the art of small talk or making conversations can help you :

     ++be seen at work, and

     ++connect with people in your social life, and

     ++gain confidence.

You can practice this art of conversation any any Toastmasters meeting.  Feel free to contact Mare Island Toastmasters 2839 or NorthBay Speech Masters 3038.  I hope you enjoy all of the speakers as much as I enjoyed hearing all of their stories and examples.  I hope you find all of the information as helpful as I did.  Enjoy !

                                         Toastmasters Podcasts and Resources

1.  Diane Windingland's podcast on "Cracking the Small Talk Code" episode #230 can be found at   https://www.toastmasterspodcast.com/posts/230-small-talk-big-results--diane-windingland.html  In this Toastmasters Podcast episode,  Diane offers a plethora of tips to help you make the most of small talk and maximize your chances of progressing to more meaningful conversations. You'll even hear how she handled it when her children were small and a cashier asked Diane if her children had the same father!  Some of Diane's Tips on small talk include            -- how to:

• Use small talk to build rapport and trust
• Exit a conversation gracefully
• Break the ice with the CAAA process (Comment, Ask, Affirm, Add)
• Deal with awkward questions, and more.

Diane has written several books including one titled, "Cracking the Small Talk Code".  More about Diane's classes, coaching and books can be found at   https://www.virtualspeechcoach.com/

2. To view the You Tube video about Holiday Conversations with panel discussion click on the picture or link at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUNRJAma2zQ&t=2s

 

3. Podcast #257 has an interview of Charles Duhigg.  Charles' latest book is titled "Super Commmunicators Identify and Match Conversation."   View on Youtube.  You tube also has a transcript.  Click on the picture or View at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBjV7lJnURY

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                                            #4   Resource from a non-toastmaster source

Vinh Giang's youtube videos, webinars and classes 

--search for Vinh's webinar online titled, "Master Conversations and Amplify Your Communication".

   In his webinar, he gives 3 different frameworks for making conversations.  What is most helpful is         that he gives examples of how to use the 3 different frameworks.  He also talks about the                         roadblocks to making change.  He emphased the need to implement new information you've gained.

--To see a youtube video of Vinh's about the PREP framework method click on the picture below or go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvvQj9ezWg

       

Meeting Theme for January 2, 2025= WOW or WO-OOOOW.

-----Mary--Toastmaster of the Day's theme: 

       Determined to have WOW moments this year.  Beautiful sunsets.

Word of the Day=delitation, Means great pleasure or enjoyment

Kalyn's Speech titled=Time Lost and Found

----Her question:  Do you live as if you have an endless time left to live?  She was inspired by a book about a persons iespand and it gave her a sence of urgency.  The book said the average US life span for women was 79 years and age 73 for men.  (books name or publishing date not given).  Her conclusion is that she wants to focus on what is essential for her and not what is non-essential for her and find out what is her passion.  In her conclusion, she asked the audience what was their passion and when they would start working on it because it may be later than you think.

Table Topics was looking forward to 2025 and a roadmap for it.

The first question was about artificial intelligence.   What are looking forward to in 2025 as far as AI or technology?  Charles--Crypto and investments and NFT associated with comic books.

Movies looking forward to watching in 2025.  Curt--the SMURFS.  

How to make progress in 2025 from the chart of 32 ways.  Flaka- health, organic food, reduce foods with preservatives, having a moring routine and taking the dogs out.

From the article in Mind Menace about phrases to give your children in 2025. Tanya gave 2 phrases.  The first--two wrongs don't make a right.  Second was, you can catch more flies with honey.  She gave examples of using those phrases and told how she deals with conflict and the importance of making decisions that takes everyone into consideration.

In the new year-how to talk to strangers-Christopher's advice he was given was to start everyone out in the positive.  Assume everyone is a potential new friend.  This will help with a positive outlook for 2025.

What change do you want for 2025?  Mary wants to make the world a brighter place.  Example, her roses for spring.

The table topics were concluded by the Happy New Year song by Dan and Shay (from facebook).

Speech evaluation by Christopher--He used the O.R.E.O method (his own acronym).  I think it stood for Opening, Role (flow), Examples, and Opportunity.

Meeting announcements--we will hold a hybrid meeting next week.  Next weeks meeting will be online and at Kaiser Vallejo Hospital, 3rd floor.

On January 23, we will hold the club contest online.  You can find information about the contest on our Facebook page at Mare Island Toastmasters Facebook