Project Planning!

This week I spoke about project planning at our Toastmaster meeting. The fun part is that I spoke off the cuff!!! I was thinking about it for a couple of minutes into the meeting and spoke for 5-7 minutes and got great feedback as well. The thing that I am happy about is that I remember the first time I spoke at Toastmasters, I could not peel my eyes off of the paper I was reading from... and a year and half later I collect my thoughts and am able to give a speech that is well received by an audience! This is the charm of being here every week. Gurpreet TM member at Early Words

Patriotic Duty

Today I had the honor of asking our club members to assist in getting 6 members in 12 days so we can get our Distinguished Club Award. I look forward to our members rallying together to reach this goal. If you have ever considered joining Toastmasters now is the time. Contact me a Gary@lwadvice.com if you are considering joining. You have until the 29th to take advantage of a special offer. Gary

LIving the Dream? or Feeding the Addiction?

What is golf? A hobby? A passion? or an Addiction? You be the judge:

Ken Smith's "Show What You Mean to Say"

Ken Smith presented the Toastmaster Better Speaking Series module "Body Language" at the May 29th 2012 meeting of Early Words Toastmasters.

Arlinda Smith presenting "General & Specific Speech Purposes"

Arlinda Smith gave a winning educational speech explaining how to make sure your audience knows and remembers both the general and specific purposes of your speech.

What a day in Toastmasters

Today's meeting was a great example of what a Toastmasters meeting has to offer. We heard an educational speech on how to organize your speech. We heard a rehearsal speech for professional presentation to be given before a group of small business professionals. And we heard the following speech about growing up in Igloo, South Dakota. All this and more for only $12.00 per month.

The Highwayman

Kerry reads "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes in completing Project 2 of the Interpretive Reading Manual. This Project tied with Kanda Alahan for the day's best speech.

Arlinda's "Roasting Ken" speech

Arlinda roasted Ken in winning humorous speech at the Rising Stars Toastmaster Club. It was good entertainment.

Who's the funniest Early Words Toastmaster?

This coming Tuesday promises to be a fun day at Early Words Toastmasters. First will be the evaluation contest, a contest which pits the best speech evaluators in the club against one another for the honor of representing Early Words Toastmasters at the Area B17 Speech Evaluation Contest. Then comes the Humorous Speech Contest which will feature three members doing their best to make the audience laugh the hardest. Surely there's no better way you can think of to spend a Tuesday morning.

The FBI visits.

The FBI was created on July 26, 1908. To celebrate its 103rd birthday, Early Words Toastmasters was briefed by agents of the FBI. Led by Special Agent in Charge Kerry Jones, a team comprised of Special Agent Ken Smith (head of the Humorous Investigations Division), Special Agent Kanda Alahan (chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit), and Special Agent Arlinda Smith (Chief Interrogator) the team highlighted moments in FBI history.

My 2056 Experience

I have been a member this club for approximately 6 months. For those folk considering joining Toastmasters I must say it has been an outstanding experience. Every person has contributed to this experience to make me feel welcome and that I might be improving as a speaker. 2056 Rocks!
Every Tuesday we share company, bread, words and togetherness.

Be well,

Gary

Name Change

Concord Breakfast Toastmasters voted this morning to change it's name since we no longer meet in Concord and we don't serve breakfast. Initially the club considered changing the name to "Up Early and Speaking" which was the original name of this blog. However, the club felt this name was a little too long and settled on the name "Early Words". So, if the early bird gets the worm, does the early word get the berm? Berm or not, welcome to Early Words Toastmasters.

Toastmaster Friend Survives Shiprweck at Sea

Our good friend, Toastmaster Charles C. Gibson, survives a shipwreck and nine or ten hours of swimming without a life jacket to reach the shore of a deserted island in the Sea of Cortez. Read the article in this Contra Costa Times article.

Speaking With a Purpose

The Toastmasters Advanced Speaking Series offers guidance and practice in speaking for almost any purpose you might imagine. Today, our club had two speeches from Advanced Communication manuals.

Arlinda read Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven for a project from the Interpretive Reading Manual. Kerry spoke of "The Longest Eight Miles" for a project from the Storytelling Manual.

Ken & Arlinda re-marriage proposal and acceptance 02-09-2010

Video posted to our youtube channel shows some of the fun that members have in Toastmasters.

Officers Installed - In with the New!

By all accounts, Concord Breakfast Toastmasters is an old club...approaching the 55th anniversary of its charter.But old doesn't have to mean stodgy or decrepit... The club officers who were installed today are a great mix of new and experienced members, making for a very promising year.

Our new President, Gurpreet Kaur, and our new Vice President of Membership, Eric Bergquist, are first time club officers. First time officers are great for the health of the club in that

Dennis Owen's quote in South China Morning Post

Club member Dennis Owen recently passed this on to his club mates:

South China Morning Post (Circulation / Reach: 100,004)  2011-07-01
" The stories of the volunteering works of 38 Cathay Pacific Airways employees are told in a book entitled Flying High with 38 Hearts of Gold. Many of the 38 were at the book's launch at Cosmos Books, Wan Chai, on Wednesday.  

Adventures in Geography

Days like today are what make Toastmasters so much fun. In addition to learning a lot of geographical trivia, we had speeches about Volleyball, growing plants in San Francisco, and Arlinda’s grandmother. And it was fun to hear about both real and imaginary trips to the seven continents. Koala bear hunting? Where did that come from?

Ok, now I'm afraid of YouTube

I was in Toastmasters for a very, very long time before I watched a video of myself for the first time. I always felt kind of guilty about that because there is someone there every week who painstakingly records our speeches. (Thank you, by the way.) But I was really nervous about watching them! I was afraid of what I'd see. When I finally did watch them, I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now I am back to the drawing board and nervous about the YouTube recordings. I will get over it -- I just hope it doesn't take two years.

What to speak about?

Once you decide to join toastmasters, an initial mind block is what do I speak about? I faced the same fear. I thought it had to be something that had a lot of meaning and weight. In my mind it needed to be educational as well.