"Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal."
Vincent Lombardi, NFL American Football Coach
Toastmasters Family and Friends,
This quote by Coach Lombardi was picked for our last, football-themed meeting. I love it. Personally, it gives me great reassurance and a lot of hope. I'm not sure if I have been born with the talents needed to achieve what I've set to achieve in my life, but I know I can work hard and hone the skills necessary to reach any goal I set for myself.
It was wonderful to see everyone at our last meeting. We had 18 members in attendance and a guest, David Gomez. It was great to see you again, David. Anxious to hear your Icebreaker speech soon!
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| John Harman as Toastmaster of the Evening |
John Harman served as Toastmaster of the Evening.
Dr. June Montgomery was Table Topics Master.
Stacey Wallace was General Evaluator.
Dr. June Montgomery was Table Topics Master.
Stacey Wallace was General Evaluator.
Dr. Adam Gold was the first speaker of the evening. He presented his third speech from Competent Communicator manual, titled "Kick Off New Habits".
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| Dr. Adam Gold |
Adam's speech was evaluated by Dr. June Montgomery. Adam gave us great advice on how to stick to positive habits which will carry us towards achieving goals. We need to remember that, first of all, any change begins with us, individually. Additionally, while setting goals, we need to be S.M.A.R.T.E.R:
S - Specific - goals have to accurate and specific.
M - Measurable - e.g., instead of saying " I am going to lose weight", be more exact :"I will lose 10 pounds by Christmas".
A - Achievable - a goal needs to be achievable and within reasonable reach.
R - Reasonable - a goal needs to be reasonable, not a "pie in the sky".
T - Time frames - set exact time frames for achieving a goal.
E - Evaluate - evaluate your progress.
R - Re-organize - reset your goals if you set them too high or too low.
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| Juan Martinez |
Juan Martinez, MBA student at William and Mary, was second speaker. His evaluator was Grayson Williams. Juan gave a speech from Advanced Communicator manual. The purpose of his project was to present a fictitious award. Juan did a great job presenting a bowling award!
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| Danita Fox |
Danita Fox, evaluated by Maritza Alger, was third speaker. Danita presented project # 5 from The Professional Speaker manual. Danita's speech was titled "Lessons from Geese...No, no. I mean, football!". Danita talked about lessons drawn from observing football coaches and dynamics of an effective team. Any team player needs to know these basics:
1. Know who you are as a team.
2. Know your role on a team and why what you do is valuable to your team.
3. Know who your opponents are.
Oyster Point Speakers club is also a team. Every member of our Toastmasters team has a purpose and an important role to play. Our bi-weekly meetings are our game night and as such, we need to be prepared to play our role to the best of our abilities. We, just like a sports team, have opponents as well. Our opponents in Toastmasters are fear and doubt, inconsistent attendance, and indifference. They prevent us from acting and becoming our best. In Danita's words: Enthusiasm inspires and breeds excitement. Excitement breeds effort which in turn produces achievement. Achievement breeds success!
1. Know who you are as a team.
2. Know your role on a team and why what you do is valuable to your team.
3. Know who your opponents are.
Oyster Point Speakers club is also a team. Every member of our Toastmasters team has a purpose and an important role to play. Our bi-weekly meetings are our game night and as such, we need to be prepared to play our role to the best of our abilities. We, just like a sports team, have opponents as well. Our opponents in Toastmasters are fear and doubt, inconsistent attendance, and indifference. They prevent us from acting and becoming our best. In Danita's words: Enthusiasm inspires and breeds excitement. Excitement breeds effort which in turn produces achievement. Achievement breeds success!
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| Table Topics Participants: Magda, Stan, Cristina, Victor, Christie, and Grayson |
Victor Lopez presented Word of Day, which was "scramble". Scrambling is a term used in football, and translated into lay terms, means "to buy time". The word came in handy during Table Topics when the participants were faced with challenging questions from "The Book of Questions" served by the Table Topics Master, Dr. June Montgomery. Table topics is a great opportunity to learn to "think on our feet" and give short, impromptu speeches.
It was a great meeting once again!
It was a great meeting once again!
Ribbon Recipients of the Evening
Danita Fox, Best Speaker
Dr. June Montgomery, Best Evaluator
Victor Lopez, Best Table Topics
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
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| Dr. June and Club President Stan Dalziel |
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| Danita and Stan |
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| Victor and Stan |
P.S. Danita Fox has accepted the position of Area Governor. Congratulations, Danita!
Good luck, Matt Phillips, at Area Humorous Speech Contest. You will do great! Thank you for stepping up to represent the Club!
Thank you,
Magda Brugos
OPS Club Secretary
