Visitor Night

Boca Raton Toastmasters is having a Visitor Night tonight, Tuesday 12/8/09. All are welcome to see what Toastmasters is all about.

Club members - please invite your colleagues, friends, and family who may benefit from all Toastmasters has to offer.

Elizabeth Rando's Winning Evaluation Speech at Area Contest

First, here is the test speech Elizabeth had to evaluate:


Now that you have seen the "test" speech, see how your evaluation would compare with Elizabeth's winning evaluation:

Area Contest Evaluation Awards

James Meringolo Area Contest Humorous Speech

Karen Novek addressing Area Contest

John Schneyer Speech #9 - Going Greener

John Schneyer Speech #8 - Cost Cutting Through Problem Prevention

John Schneyer's Speech #8, Cost Cutting Through Problem Prevention

Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests Pictures

Here is a link to pictures from our Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contest 8/11/09. Thanks to Ken Hirsch for taking the pictures.

John Schneyer Speech 5 - Learning from Mistakes

Here is a copy of John Schneyer's Speech 5 - Learning from Mistakes

Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests

Would you help out a friend in need?

Would you do something a little different and possibly uncomfortable if it helped you and your friends learn and grow?

Would you read the rest of this and let me know how you will help me if I promise you a piece of chocolate?


If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, then you are just who I am looking for (and if you answered ‘no’, call me and let me know what I have to do to get a ‘yes’ out of you).

Please read and get back to me.



BOCA RATON TOASTMASTERS CLUB 3299

HUMOROUS SPEECH AND

EVALUATION CONTEST

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2009


All eligible members in good standing are encouraged to participate


HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST … QUALIFICATIONS
• Member in good standing with club #3299 (active member)
• Each contestant must present an original five to seven minute speech
• Speech must have a theme, not just a monologue or a series of jokes
• Material must be substantially original


EVALUATION CONTEST … QUALIFICATIONS
• All members in good standing club #3299 (active members)

In addition to speakers we will need:
• Two Timers
• Three Ballot Counters
• Chief Judge
• Five Qualified Judges, you know who you are
• A Tie Breaking Judge
• Sergeant at Arms
• Assistant Sergeant at Arms
• A Speaker to give a prepared speech for the Evaluation Contest


This is a great opportunity to have fun and test your speaking and evaluation skills.


Please e-mail or call me to let me know what role you will be filling for these contests (see above) even if you have already told someone else you will be participating.


Regards,

John Schneyer
President
Boca Consultants, Inc.
www.BocaConsultants.com
561.459.4814

Special Event

At the the Broward Advanced Toastmasters Club on Thursday, July 23rd in Coral Springs. 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM, the Immediate Past District Governor Antionette Fox will be visiting. She is on vacation but will come visit Broward Advanced!

Please come out and take the opportunity to applaud her for the fantastic job she did as District Governor last year.

There will also be a presentation from special guest Steven Harwood from the Gelfand Club giving his speech on "How to Master a Foreign Language"

Looking forward to a fun meeting!

So You Wanna Speak

Last week, Toastmaster Rando shared with us some valuable tips to help each of us have a speaking opportunity during meetings. Here is just a partial list.

• Be a backup speaker (have a speech ready)
• Speak at another club
• Volunteer for a meeting role
• Be an evaluator
• Call the Toastmaster and ask to speak
• Give your Icebreaker (these speeches are given priority)
• Ask to be a Table Topics speaker
• Speak outside the club where another TM is in attendance
  

Post a comment and add your suggestion on how we can all have a better chance at speaking and reaching our goals.

Congratulations Barry Rinehart

Congratulations to Toastmaster Barry Rinehart on his third place win at the Toastmaster International Regional competition in Greensboro, NC last weekend. Barry's wins at the local, division and area competitions earned him the right and honor to compete at this elite level. We look forward to Barry sharing his experiences with our club.

The Rule of Three

During last weekend's Toastmaster Leadership Training, I heard about the "Rule of Three" and how it can improve your speeches. Click here to read an excellent article from Andrew Dlugan. Andrew is an award-winning speaker and his web site is entitled "Six Minutes."

As we’ve learned in the earlier articles, there’s something magical about words, phrases, or sentences that come in sets of three. Three-element sets are found in many cultural areas, including religion.

The title "Six Minutes" refers to the average length of a Toastmaster speech (5-7 minutes). You will find many helpful tips and useful information on his site.

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PowerPoint is NOT Your Speech

Click here to read a great article by Bert Decker explaining that your PowerPoint (or Keynote for Mac users) should not be the focus of your presentation. However, the article points out that visuals are important because most learning comes from seeing and observing. What the article stresses is striking the correct balance between you, your speech and the visuals.

He compliments Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple (pictured above) on being able to use his energy and enthusiasm to captivate an audience's attention. He especially likes that Job's will put up a blank slide to bring attention back to the presentation. Click here for an analysis of how to present like Steve Jobs.

Upcoming Contests - Save The Dates

Great news! Humorous Speech and Evaluation contests will be this fall. These will be some important, interesting and entertaining contests that I encourage all of our Toastmasters to participate in.

The Area 44 contest will be held Friday, September 11, 2009 at the Boca Raton Community Center. Palmetto Park Road and Crawford Blvd.

The Division D will be held on Friday, October 2, 2009. Location TBD.

Keep watching this blog and the main web site for further details and developments.

TLI Training 6/20/09

From Toastmasters TLI Training

Here is a link to some pictures from yesterday's training session.

TO ALL TOASTMASTER FATHER'S

Happy Father’s Day.

Kind regards, Patricia

Patricia Anne Martinez

District 47 Secretary Elect
Boca Raton Toastmasters, President
District 47 Fall Conference Chair
ToastmastersD47.org

Tips From Toastmasters

Be sure to check out the Toastmasters International site for some terrific information about our organization. The site has information for free to the public and special sections for members and officers. While you are there, be sure to look at the Tips & Techniques section for great information on how to make your next speech or evaluation even better.

Don't forget this valuable resource!

John Schneyer - Speech #3 Cost Effective Problem Solving

This is John Schneyer's third speech titled "Cost Effective Problem Solving"

Visit Toastmaster Clubs

I did something today that I recommend to all other Toastmasters - visit another Toastmaster club to see how other people run meetings.  I spent lunchtime visiting a the Bill Gove Golden Gavel Toastmasters Club that meets every Friday from noon - 1PM.  Because of the one hour time limit the agenda ran at a much different pace then our club.  I found the afternoon club was full of the same kind of friendly and supportive people that make up our club.  It is also a great way to meet new people with similar interests.  Maybe you already have a friend or know somebody in another club.  Ask that person if you can come and visit.  If you travel, seek out TM clubs where you will be staying.  And if you find that the club you visit does something great or innovative, bring it back to our club so perhaps we could incorporate it into what we do to make our club even better.

Your TM Goals

What goals do you want to achieve with Toastmasters?  Are you looking to conquer your fear of public speaking or do you want to practice your presentation techniques in a friendly and supportive environment?  Whatever your goal, I encourage you to work with the club officers and members so we can help you reach it.  Even if you are an experienced TM, I hope that you share your goals and let the group provide support in any way we can.

Toastmaster Leadership Institute

Fellow Toastmasters,

The local TLI training session will take place on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at the BankAtlantic Corporate Center, 2100 W. Cypress Creek Road, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309.

Please be sure to sign up for the TLI event. All officers are required to attend training and it will move our club forward in the first step to becoming a distinguished club. We can sign up as individuals or as a group. This training is open to all Toastmasters.

Please do not hesitate to sign up as an individual. Click here.

Thanks,

Walter Bald, President Elect

Save Your TM Magazines

Do you just throw your old Toastmaster magazine away after you read it? Is there a way we could use these old issues to increase membership and awareness in our club? Here are some suggestions I read about:

• Put a sticker over the address part with your club info and distribute (with permission) to doctor's offices, dentists, car repair waiting rooms, etc.
• Give them to someone helping to build a new club.
• Insert club information, pamphlets, and an application form and hand them out to the potential members at meetings.
• Leave them on tables wherever you eat lunch.

Any other suggestions?

Job Fair Today

From WPTV Channel 5

WEST PALM BEACH, FL--A job fair is scheduled to be held Thursday in West Palm Beach. It will take place at the Marriott Hotel at 1001 Okeechobee Boulevard from 10 am until 2 pm. Organizers expect as many as 1,200 people to attend. They urge job seekers to dress well and bring resumes. They are also encouraged to pre-register online at www.jobnewspalmbeach.com.

Positions available range from management openings to hourly retail jobs.

Companies Attending:

Aflac
Sales & Marketing

Avon Products Inc

BLOG Updates

Just an update to let you know some of the addition we have made to the blog site.  Now when a new post is added to the blog you will receive a notification email. This is will help remind you to check the blog when important and interesting information is added.

Also, there is a new poll on the site and I encourage you to vote. This poll asks if you would be willing to share the video of your prepared speech by posting it on the blog.  If the votes come back yes, we will discuss with the club how exactly that will be accomplished. Your vote can influence how the club implements future changes in technology and operations.  

You can also leave comments by just clicking the comment link below any message.  We want to hear from you!

John Schneyer - Speech #2 Cost Effective Networking

John Schneyer's Speech #2 - Cost Effective Networking



Compare this video to the two videos below. This one was recorded on my Flip digital camera (basic model, not HD), transferred to my laptop, uploaded to YouTube and then embedded on the blog.

The two videos below were recorded on the club's mini-DVD camera, loaded to my laptop, converted to iPod format, uploaded to YouTube and then embedded on the blog.

I embedded all three videos in the same size so you can compare the sound and image quality.

John Schneyer - Ice Breaker Evaluation

Walter Bald's evaluation of John Schneyer's Ice Breaker

John Schneyer - Ice Breaker - Ask Me Why

John Schneyer's Ice Breaker - Ask Me Why

Sunset Networking Cruise - Don't Miss The Boat

Hi Toastmasters,

The sunset cruise event will be on Thursday June 4th after work. Info below. Please email me at marshall05@comcast.net or call 561-395-2587 if you would like to attend & how many in your party. I will try to get a better price, but it will be no more than $20 per person. I will need to let them know how many will be going from our toastmasters group. It is easier to join another group since it is all set up & includes some food. I went a couple of months ago and I had a great time. The cruise is very relaxing.

My best,

Marshall Isaacson

President & chairman of events.

To see details from the cruise web site Click Here

Emailing the Club

Tim Adler, our VP of Public Relations and resident web guru, has implemented a better way of sending email messages to all of the Boca Raton Toastmaster #3299 members using just one simple address. The next time you want to send a message to all of the club members, just address your message to bocaraton@freetoasthost.ws and it will automatically be sent to all of the people on the membership roster. No need to copy and paste all of those addresses into the “To:” section of your email. Using this address will also help prevent missed email addresses and reduce the dreaded scourge of the internet, SPAM.

There is also an email address that will go to the officers of Boca Raton Toastmasters #3299. If you send your message to bocaraton-officers@freetoasthost.ws, your message will be sent to all of the current officers of the organization. Quick, easy and a lot easier to remember.

Please make sure that you have logged into your member account at http://bocaraton.freetoasthost.ws/ and brought your information up-to-date. The only way to insure that you stay current with the club is to make sure your profile contact information is correct.

New Articles

Toastmaster Florence Ferreira was gracious enough to provide PDF copies of two of her articles published in Toastmaster Magazine. Go to the Boca Raton Toastmasters web site to read these interesting and informative articles. Just look for the articles section on the left-hand navigation bar.

Public Speaking Tip

 
Here is a video I found on YouTube which gives some good tips on public speaking. Enjoy.

June 30th Pot Luck Event

Note: The following is not intended as an offer to speak at the meeting. It is intended to get members to participate and bring food and supplies to the event.


Imagine, if you will, an evening filled with fun, surprises, good food, and drink, as diverse as the members of our club.

Now imagine your role in making this happen.

Fellow Toastmasters,

I'm John Schneyer, your Event Master for our June 30th Pot Luck Night. Please put on your thinking hats and come up with something you would be proud to bring to our club. Switch roles and put on your chef hats (or shopping hats as the case may be) and show us what you can do. Don't hold back or get stage freight ( 3 deep breaths, hold, and slowly release and you'll be fine).

Treat this like your Ice Breaker and you'll be fine.

Executive Summary:

For this project, you will introduce your food choices to your fellow club members and give them some insights into your skills and background. Practice preparing and eating your food and strive to make it tasty and safe. You may use recipes during your preparation and napkins if you wish during your eating. Read the entire recipe before preparing any food.

Objectives:

• To begin preparing food for an audience
• To discover food preparation skills you already have and skills that need some attention
• To begin eating before an audience
• To discover eating skills you already have and skills that need some attention

Time: 60-90 minutes


We are looking for:

Appetizers
Salads
Desserts
Beverages (soda, water, iced tea, cider)
Ice
Set up (napkins, plates, cups, table cloth, utensils)
Clean up (baggies, paper towels, sponges, small bottle of all purpose cleaner)

My suggestion is to let us all know what you will be bringing by commenting to this post.
You should also send an e-mail to John.Schneyer@BocaConsultants.com letting me know so I can track everything.

Lectern or Not

I was intrigued at last week's Evaluators Workshop by the discussion around using the lectern while delivering a speech. The next day I went through my materials and did not find reference to proper use. I searched the Toastmasters International website and didn't find much there either. I checked the Toastmasters group on LinkedIn and found varying opinions.

What do the members of Boca Raton Toastmasters think about this issue? As a new member, I have the sense that most of you think it is important to get out from behind the lectern as soon as possible. That's what came across to me.

Please provide your input so I may learn.

Thank you.
John Schneyer

You Are Invited

On May 23, 2009, Exor Galleries invites the public to the opening of its Purvis Young exhibition.  Exor will host a cocktail reception from 7 to 9 PM.  For more details call the gallery or visit its web site.

EXOR Galleries, LLC 

Royal Palm Place 291 Via Naranjas, Suite 45A 

Boca Raton, Florida 33432 

p: 561 361 7474 

Click here to RSVP.  

Comments or questions? Please email us at info@exorgalleries.com

Board Meeting

May 20, 2009 - 6:30 PM - There will be a board meeting at Romano's Macaroni Grill at NW Executive Ctr. Dr.Boca Raton, FL 33431 - 561-997-5492. Click Here for a map to the location. All members of Boca Raton Toastmasters Club 3299 are invited to atttend.

How Tweet It Is

From Wikipedia - Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications.

Are you using Twitter? If you are, post your link in the comments section so we can follow you too!

Bloggers Wanted

Calling all Boca Raton Toastmasters.  If you want to contribute posts to this site, just let me know and you can start adding to the dialog.

Are you Linked In?

Are you a member of Linked In the social networking site for professionals? The site allows people to connect with other professionals locally and as well as all over the world.  Once you have joined, you just fill out the personal and career information and choose what information you would like to share in your profile.  You can also find groups of people with related interests. Toastmasters International has a group and so does Boca Raton Toastmasters. Let me know what you think.

Word of the Day

Are you the Grammarian for this week's meeting? If you are, you might want to check this blog daily to see the "Word of the Day." Just look on the right-hand column of the site to get the "Word of the Day" from The Free Dictionary. If you have a word that you really like to hear or read, send it to me and we will start a list of "Member's Favorite Word."

You Know You Are A Toastmaster When...

You know you are a Toastmaster when you hear someone say "Ah," "Um," or "Ya Know" while speaking, and a bell rings in the back of your mind. Share with us when you knew you were a Toastmaster. Send an email or add a comment below.

New Polling Feature

We have added a polling feature to this blog.  Take a look at the right-hand column and you will see our first poll question.  We can use this feature to ask our members how they feel about making changes in the club.  If you have any ideas for a poll, let me know.

New Officers

Congratulations to the following members who were elected officers of the Club for the term July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010: 

Walter Bald President

John Jacobson Vice President Education

Anthony Wilcher Vice President Membership

Tim Adler  Vice President Public Relations

Carl Sanderson Secretary

Stephen Marinaccio Treasurer

Eduardo Cardenas Sergeant at Arms

James Meringolo Deputy Sergeant at Arms

Cynthia McGuire  Mentor Chair

Congratulations also go to Chris McGuire and John J. Schneyer, Jr. who gave their Ice Breakers.

Elections

Boca Raton Toastmasters,

"The reason we have such a great club is that we've been blessed with some spectacular people serving as officers!"

TONIGHT...Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 7:00p.m. Boca Raton Toastmasters' Club 3299 will hold 2009/2010 club officer elections.

Fellow Toastmasters...YOUR ATTENDANCE TO THIS IMPORTANT MEETING IS NEEDED!

Thank you to all of you in advance for your willingness to serve.

ALL NOMINEES SHOULD BE PREPARED TO GIVE A ONE MINUTE CAMPAIGN SPEECH.

By serving as an officer you will capitalize on the wonderful opportunities Toastmasters will offer you. "Plus, there's a unique joy that comes about only from serving others. " If you want to GROW in CONFIDENCE, EXPERIENCE, and as a LEADER . . . step out of your comfort zone and move forward to new and exciting heights.

Thank you for your participation.

TOASTMASTERS DISTRICT 47 CONFERENCE WINNERS

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…..

 

Here are some of the Winners of the District 47 Spring Conference:

Table Topics Winner:  Barry Rinehart

International Speech Contest Winner: Barry Rinehart

Congratulations, Barry, for an exemplary presentation!!

Barry will go on to compete at the 2009 Region VIII Conference, June 25 – 27, to be held at the Embassy Suites in Greensboro, N.C.

The 2009 International convention will be August 12 - 15 in the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

 

Officer Elections:

Division D Governor:  Karen Novek

District 47 Secretary:  Patricia Martinez

District 47 Spring Conference

I hope that everyone is enjoying the District 47 Spring Conference this weekend in Tampa.  I'm sure you will learn a lot, but more importantly you will have a great time with all of our fellow Toastmasters. Bring back lots of pics!

MIT Public Speaking Tips

The MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) web site has some great tips on public speaking. It was written for incoming freshman, but contains useful information for any speaker.  There is information from initial preparation of the speech to what to do on the day you present.  Click here to view the site. 

PowerPoint Tips

Here is a helpful tips on the "Dos and Don'ts of PowerPoint."  

Suggestion Box

If you have any suggestions that you think might make our club better, please leave a comment and let the club know.

Evaluation Workshop

On Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Tom Newbery, ATM will present a special Evaluation Workshop. Tom is an experienced evaluator with great tips on how you can be better at the evaluation process. He will cover:

• What is an Evaluation ?
  
• What must I do to be Good at it ?
  
• What tools do I have ?
  
• What is the Evaluation process ?
  
• What’s in it for me ?
  
• How do I use the Tools ?
  
• Is the a “Guide”?
  
• Practical Tips !
  
• Evaluation Habits

Don't miss this special event!

For more information about Boca Raton Toastmasters, visit our main web site.

Fear of Public Speaking

Conquer your fear of public speaking through Toastmasters.



Find out more at our web site!

Hello World

This is the brand new blog for the Boca Raton Toastmasters Club 3229. We look forward to posting information about our club and its members.

Find out more at our web site!