Regrets Regrets Regrets

The general consensus is, that it is the things that we have not done – not the things we have done that we regret most at the end of our days. So all of you out there who missed the last meeting by either not coming; could not come, would not come or could not be bothered generally. you missed a very enjoyable night. We had a very productive and entertaining meeting on 22^nd of March. We had four speakers. Kieran Butler, Vivienne Buckley, Ray Ryan and John Dillon - all advanced speeches. All very informative and delivered with style.

The topic session was in the very able hands of Jerry Mulcahy. As usual Jerry was very well received by the audience.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday 4^th April because Thursday is Holy Thursday. This will again be a contest night. This time it is THE TALL TALES CONTEST. This night you will hear the greatest lies you ever heard cushioned under the guise of ‘TALL TALE.’. Just don’t be taken in by them. It is all in the night’s fun.

We are drawing towards the end of our year. Only five more meetings!! We close shop at the end of May. You could test the waters by coming as a guest for these meetings. By September you will be raring to go, and to become a member. We will make you feel welcome, and at home. So take the plunge – see you on April 4^th. At the HIBERNIAN HOTEL MALLOW at 7.50 for 8.00 pm start. You will have comfort, comraderie, entertainment, tea/coffee and the best biscuits that I have ever come across at a meeting all for €5.00. Is that value for money or not? Eddie Hobbs eat your heart out! To top it all you can be a ‘hurler on the ditch’ for as long as you choose to. We do not ask guests to speak. Of course, should you wish to do so, you may speak. Log on to our up to date web page. www.speakeasytoastmasters.com See you there on Wednesday, we will have the kettle boiled.

Guess what -it is General Election Time

Guess what -it is General Election Time. Now that St Patrick is put to bed for another year, the party canvassing will start fast and furiously. If you are not disconnecting your doorbell, here are a few hints on how to be a good LISTENER. Listening is not a skill that is often practiced, but it is worth cultivating. The following are a few hints.

1. Tune out all distractions.

2. Focus on who your are listening to. Not what you might answer.

3. Watch the speaker’s eyes and body language. They all communicate different things, often more accurate than words being said.

4. Notice a person’s tone of voice, mannerisms, manner of speaking, and habits.

5. Keep quiet and let the other person talk.

6. In a conversation respond with questions, gestures, and word that demonstrate that you are listening

On Thursday next, at the Hibernian Hotel Mallow, Speakeasy Toastmaster have a great programme lined up. Last Meeting was a Contest Meeting, this week we are back to business as usual. We will have the kettle boiling and our chief cook and bottle washer is making an apple tart for the break I think. Promises, Promises they will be in the air from now on, so I am joining the bandwagon. So do come along and see for your self what a great bunch of people we are. We will meet you and greet you, and make you ‘one of our own’. Guest please note you will not be asked to speak unless you wish to. Come along at 7.50 for an 8.00 pm meeting.Log on to our up to date web site www.speakeasytoastmasters.com for further details.

International Speech and Evaluation Contest Meeting

Last week saw the results of the hard work and determination of our members who took part in the Club Stage of THE INTERNATIONAL SPEECH and
EVALUATION CONTEST.

The meeting was well attended and it was great to see so many guests. We are always happy to welcome new comers. The Contest was chaired by Loretto Barry and the Topics Master of the night was John Dillon. The topic session was varied and controversial, which generated a great response from the audience.

The results of the Speech Contest are –
1^st Place Pat Sexton followed by Mary Buckley in 2^nd place.

The standard of all the speeches was extremely high, but unfortunately there is always only one winner. Pat will now go forward to the Area Final which will be held in the Grand Hotel Fermoy on 27^th March.

The Evaluation Contest was won by Mike Cronin. Pat Sexton took second place. Mike will represent the Club in the Area Final

The Guest Speaker for the Evaluation Contest was Brian O’Farrell – President of the Fermoy Toastmasters Club. His speech was entitled ‘wikipaedia.org’. Brian’s speech was brilliantly crafted and eloquently delivered. It gave the Evaluation Contestants food for thought. For those of you readers who like me heard of wikipaedia.org for the first time it is most interesting. Do log on – it has vast information. You could spend hours looking up different topics - that is if you have the hours to spare! Just think of all the material you have at the click of a mouse for your next speech.

The evening ended with all contestants being presented with certificates of participation and the winners and runners up were presented with very nice plaques.

Our next meeting is on 22^nd March at 7.50 p.m. sharp at the Hibernian Hotel Mallow. Make a note of the date in your diary – we are always glad to see new guests coming in the door. We will greet you with open arms. At the interval we have tea/coffee and may I say last weeks biscuits were gorgeous! We will have more of the same next time.

For any queries www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

Speak Easy Toastmasters Club

Hello everybody - Before I begin this week’s party political broadcast on behalf of Speakeasy – apologies to all who came to the 18^th January 2007 meeting, which was cancelled after press release. Sincere apologies for our not being there to meet and greet you. Please come again. Every guest is important to us.

This week you and I together will explore the damage done by self criticism. Thoughtless self criticism can be more damaging to a speaker than a poor evaluation. A harsh evaluation in a club will only last two minutes. In my experience I have never heard a harsh evaluation but should it happen, the other club members will rush to boost your moral. Self Criticism can go on and on and on, because there is no one to refute it. Negative self evaluation is not only hurtful but it is harmful to the victim. According to Barbara Hoberman Levine, author of “Your Body Believes Every Word You Say”. Any negative self-talk can have a punishing effect on the mind, body, and spirit. If we tell ourselves we are hopeless – then sure enough we end up loosing hope. Sadly people at all levels of accomplishment engage in such harmful self-talk. The next time you engage in this destructive practise – stop and ask your self – “what would I tell myself if I were someone else? Remember when we are down on ourselves we tend to magnify our weaknesses and forget the very strengths that others recognise in us. Take a leaf out of Mohamed Ali’s book, and tell yourself “I am the greatest” and give yourself a clap on the back. It works because who is 100%, 100% of the time?

Nobody. In Toastmasters every member is supportive and helpful. All you have to do is ask. It is the maxim by which our clubs runs so well. It comes naturally to all members. If you don’t believe me, come and see for yourself.

Our next meeting is on Thursday 8^th March at the Hibernian Hotel Mallow at 7.50. sharp. This meeting is slightly different – it is a competition night. Speakers within the club compete against one another. All very politically correct, because we import a fleet of judges. The Club Finalist goes on to the next stage where clubs in four areas compete against one another. See you all on Thursday. We will welcome you with open arms. We are a very warm friendly bunch. Further details at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com