SSttaayyiinngg iinn FFooccuuss Focus Advanced Toastmasters Club 2173599, Area 34, District 70 Club News and Events – January 2013 Volume 2, Issue 1 Contents President’s New Year Message H ave you ever made a New Year’s resolution and not Page H kept it? Most of us, I’ll wager, have started a New Year at some President’s Message for 2013 1 time or other with the best intention of changing a habit for the better, only to look back some months later and wonder what happened to the Editor’s New Year Eloquence 2 promise we made to ourselves. Why haven’t I lost weight? How come my credit card still looks like a party balloon? Why am I not spending more The ‘Four by Three’ Formula 3 time with loved ones? You know how it is. Perhaps we have even tried the professional approach - SMART goals, for instance. Remember our Planner and Future Events 4 management training – goals must be Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Relevant, and Time specific. Yet, as each year passes we find ourselves Biggest Speaking Mistakes 4 making the same resolutions. So what’s the problem, doc? Basically, Club Member Profiles 5 change does not happen on the surface - whims do, and whims are notoriously fickle. Change happens in the psyche, where the brain’s wiring ‘Focus Advanced’ Defined 6 has been laid down to create routine in our lives, routine that saves us from having to think every little thing through time and time again - but Mondegreens and Eggcorns 7 which also produces the ties that bind us – habits. Our thoughts of a new way of behaving on New Year’s Day just don’t get through the telephone Christmas Party Photos 8 exchange to the engine room, so the old machinery just keeps chugging along. So how can we change? Hands up those who said Toastmasters! Inspirations and Joke Page 9 Through the simple act of standing up at a meeting and letting some words Speechcraft Dates 10 escape from our mouths we begin a process of lasting transformation! By joining, we make a resolution to change, and to our surprise, the changes remain with us all year round. Toastmasters provides a forum that is supportive, non-judgmental, educational and uplifting. It is in this environment that we feel free to change – our awareness is raised through encouragement to express ourselves and constructive feedback about our strong and not-so strong points. Not only are we making better speeches, we are becoming more self confident, and showing a greater example to others – as we emerge as leaders. So, what are your Toastmasters goals for 2013 - for yourself, your club, your organisation? How liberating to know we are not bound by resolutions, we are just asking what we can allow ourselves to become through our active participation with a group of like-minded people who are experiencing the same kind of lasting changes that will continue to enhance the quality of all our lives. Wishing you health, happiness and motivation in your quest for fulfillment during the coming year. FOCUS: Advancing speakers through learning, innovation and fun: by pushing, prodding and poking individuals beyond their comfort zone and through interactive workshops, to expand their speaking ability Focus Advanced Toastmasters Page 1 Editor’s Eloquence Focus Advanced Toastmasters Let Our New Year be Full of Joy and Hope as We Call to Mind an Extract from Barack Obama’s Recent Speech 2012/2013 Committee at Newtown, Connecticut President: Phil Keeling ATMG, CL VP Education: Alison Lavick DTM 0406 999 944 VP Membership: Graham Blandy DTM VP Public Relations: Anne Keeling ATMG, CL “Why are we here? What gives our life meaning? What gives our acts Secretary: purpose? We know our time on this Earth is fleeting. We know that we will Marianne Moore CC each have our share of pleasure and pain; that even after we chase after Treasurer: some earthly goal, whether it’s wealth or power or fame, or just simple Cheryl Keane DTM comfort, we will, in some fashion, fall short of what we had hoped. We know that no matter how good our intentions, we will all stumble sometimes, in Sergeant-At-Arms: some way. We will make mistakes, we will experience hardships. And even Margaret Donaghy ACB; when we’re trying to do the right thing, we know that much of our time will be ALB spent groping through the darkness, so often unable to discern God’s heavenly plans. There’s only one thing we can be sure of, and that is the love Webmaster: that we have — for our children, for our families, for each other. The warmth Vacant of a small child’s embrace — that is true. The memories we have of them, the joy that they bring, the wonder we see through their eyes, that fierce and Focus meetings: rd boundless love we feel for them, a love that takes us out of ourselves, and 3 and 5th Thursdays binds us to something larger — we know that’s what matters. We know we’re each month (except always doing right when we’re taking care of them, when we’re teaching them December) well, when we’re showing acts of kindness. We don’t go wrong when we do 6:45pm for 7.00pm at that”. Roseville Memorial Club, 64 Pacific Highway, David Brower, founder of Friends of the Earth, once said: “Think globally and Roseville act locally”. What moved me most on hearing Obama’s speech was hearing him speak as a loving parent, with family values, using the inclusive word Optional to socialize “we”, posing questions, inviting us to think, raising our awareness and and/or eat in the bistro conscious levels about the true values in life, experiencing the forgiveness for from 6pm sometimes failing to be perfect. I believe his gift is being able to reach into peoples’ hearts as one of them - not a politician patronizing the masses, but Focus Advanced as a humble common man, who has also known the suffering of human loss, Toastmasters who can touch our hearts, yet give us hope and the strength of our convictions PO Box 117 for the future. “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. Willoughby NSW 2068 For indeed, that’s all who ever have”, said anthropologist Margaret Mead. I like the way Obama reframed a past sad situation into a word-picture of hope The mission of a Toastmasters and joy by reflecting on what gives life meaning and purpose and where it all club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning starts, with our goal of love, kindness and family happiness. In the words of environment in which every Ralph Waldo Emerson: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small individual member has the opportunity to develop oral matters compared to what is within us”. It is what comes from within that communication and leadership shines without! May you all have a happy and joyful New Year – and a skills, which in turn foster self glow that comes from within, and may peace and gladness reign within confidence and personal growth. your hearts. Anne Keeling Focus Advanced Toastmasters Page 2 The “Four by Three” 4 by 3 - no, this is not the measurement of my new writing table: it's a quick and easy checklist of a presentation. It's a 4 step method with 3 sub points for each step. As good communicators, we all want to make sure our messages impact the audience, so here are some points to consider. 1.1 The topic: Do we know our topic well? If we are being asked to speak on an. unfamiliar topic, do we have sufficient time to research the topic and get to know it well enough to speak convincingly and confidently? Is it something we personally oppose or find offensive? While for some speakers speaking on a subject they find not to their liking may be a challenge they wish to take, would you rather decline because it goes against your conscience? 1.2 The audience: Do you know your audience well? Have you researched the age range, gender, and general educational level of the audience? Do they have something in common (all employees of the same company, or all parents who have lost young children to cancer)? Is the topic something they already have some knowledge about? In presentations, there is no "one-size-fits-all". Even if the core of our message remains the same, we need to alter it to make it particularly interesting to this group. 1.3 The point: Can you deliver your message within the time allocation? Brevity need not make a speech meaningless, in fact, that should help make the message crisp and forceful, with every word being carefully chosen for maximum impact. If on the other hand, you have an hour, are you using techniques to keep the audience interested, while not losing the flow or diluting the message? 2.1 Prepare: How will you prepare? If you write it out, you can edit it more easily, but you need to guard against memorizing it. Memorizing a speech can take away the spontaneous tone in delivery. 2.2 Practice: Practicing in front of a mirror will help you judge whether your gestures are purposeful or distracting. In front of a larger audience, your gestures need to be more exaggerated. If the audience is too big to maintain eye contact, remember to use the entire stage area and maximize facial expressions.