Looking Back on 2011

As 2011 is drawing to a close I can report that it has been a successful year. We escaped our snowy winter weather for a long weekend trip to Florida's Everglades, where I took a bird photo workshop with Arthur Morris.
Spring also brought several lecture engagements at a library and several garden clubs for me. At the Pennwriters conference I garnered a First Place in the nonfiction In Other Words contest. After that, I spent much of the summer photographing plants and wildlife in our garden.
In July I traveled to Germany to celebrate my dad's 85th birthday. Unfortunately, the already lengthy trip took 24 hours longer than expected after my plane had to return to Charlotte. When I finally arrived in Frankfurt my suitcase did not--until three days later. I have never been so glad to see a suitcase in my life.
Fall was especially eventful. I participated in my Toastmasters Humorous Speech contest and advanced all the way to the district level, where I placed third.
To sum it it, my most memorable experiences this year involved personal growth by attending workshops, conferences and contests.

How to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking

Supposedly, a lot of people fear public speaking more than dying. And yet, many people have great stories to tell. They never live up to their potential because of their fear.
How do you conquer a fear of public speaking? By joining Toastmasters, of course. In this great organization our members gradually learn how to become better speakers by addressing issues such as Ahs and Ums, eye contact, vocal variety, body movements, researching your topic, and organizing your speech. That doesn't mean that our speeches are boring. On the contrary: We have amateur and improv actors in our club who are giving us more than our money's worth.
You can overcome your fear of public speaking by speaking about your passion. Let's say you're an accountant and your friends roll their eyes when you start talking about your job. But your real passion is fly-fishing. By all means speak about fly-fishing, and your passion will shine through.
Giving the audience what they want is key. They have to leave your presentation with a message they can use to improve their own lives.
What are you waiting for? Go for it!

And the Winner is ...

Last Monday, my Toastmasters club held a Humorous Speech contest. I decided to participate for the first time ever with my speech "Confessions of a Baseball Wife." After all, I had already given the speech while working on my Entertaining Speaker manual and had won First Place in the In Other Words contest at the Pennwriters Conference 2011.
Indeed, I beat two award-winning speakers to win First Place in my club! I will now advance to the area contest.

A Toastmaster's Year

It has been quite a year for this Toastmaster. I earned my Competent Communicator award in the spring and have given three speeches from an advanced speaker manual. The title is "The Entertaining Speaker" and seems to be a good fit because my audience was clearly entertained. One of my speeches was such a success that I turned it into an essay. I hope to see it in print someday, just as one of my speeches from the CC manual ended up as a First Person essay in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this summer.
I also became Vice President of Public Relations early this year. As if that weren't enough, I was even a judge at one of our club contests. That was quite a stretch, considering that I have a hard time making up my mind...
Toastmasters has been a launching pad for me as I began giving presentations about backyard habitats at local libraries, a nursery, and at Phipps Conservatory.
What will the new year bring? The sky - or lectern - is the limit.

A New Officer

When I joined a Toastmasters club one and a half years ago, I had no intention of becoming an officer. After all, I just joined to gain speaking experience before starting my new endeavor of giving presentations about backyard habitats. Fast forward to now, and I am suddenly the newest officer of Toastmasters Club #144, the Vice President PR. My role will be to promote our club in the media, send out newsletters, and greet guests, among others.
Are you wondering whether Toastmasters is for you? Check out www.toastmasters.org to find out more information or to locate a club near you. Whether you are a student or professional who needs to improve his/her speaking skills, or simply want to join to make new friends--you will be welcome with open arms at a club near you.
I'll see you at our next meeting!

Party Like It's 1939

Perhaps 1939 wasn't the best year to choose as a party theme, but that's when my Toastmasters Club was founded. So, last Monday we celebrated our 70th anniversary with a phantastic wingding. Most of us played period roles and the illustrious crowd included Glenn Miller, Charles Lindbergh, Bob Hope, President Roosevelt, Rosi the Riveter, yours truly as John Steinbeck, and many others.
At the last minute I was asked to bring my camera to the festivities, and so I was pulling double duty as both photographer and participant. There was a lot of talent at the event - we had dancers, singers, a DJ, two photographers (Ansel Adams was the other one) and speakers, of course - and I'm glad someone recorded everything. I can't wait to see the movie, especially the parts that I missed because I was too busy.
Happy birthday, Toastmasters Club 144!