The club had a very enjoyable meeting last Thursday week with a great selection of speeches and a great topics session, which was chaired by Pat Duggan who got the audience really going.
The first speaker of the night was Liam Flynn who read a number of poems and he had the audience enthralled by the way he delivered them. His evaluator on the night recognised this and commended him on it & also gave him a very good suggestion on how he could enhance his next presentation. Anne Buckley followed with another one of her very funny speeches. This time she was celebrating all the different birthdays of different pieces of technology that we all come in contact with these days, such as the Internet and the computer mouse. Anne brought a birthday cake to add impact to her speech and it also added greatly to the tea break as we all got stuck in.
Our third speaker of the night was Loretto Barry who gave us a very informative speech on how to set goals and how to achieve them. Loretto’s evaluator on the night Bridie O’Connell gave very helpful hints on how her next speeches can even have a greater impact on the audience. Our final speaker on the night was Joe Hassett who entertained us all with a monodrama and Pat Sexton evaluated this.
After the tea break Pat Duggan as topics master for the night got us all thinking and speaking on our feet. He had a wide range of topics, which got a great response from the audience and created a great buzz in the room.
The club would like to wish the beast of luck to past member Maire Welford on the upcoming launch of her new book, which takes place on Thursday 29th October in the town library at 6pm
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 29th of October. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and takes place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Lifelong Skills
Do you need to speak at a social function, give a presentation at work or improve your communication skills for an interview then toastmasters can help you. As a member of a toastmasters club you learn communication and leadership skills that will benefit you in all aspects of your life. You will learn these skills in a very supportive environment and in an atmosphere of fun.
The excellent speaking and communicating skills of some our more experienced members were on display at our last meeting. These speakers have developed their skills by practice and by the help of the other members of the club. Every occasion a member gives a speech another member evaluates the speaker. The aim of the evaluator is to motivate the speaker and not to criticise. The evaluator commends what the speaker did well and gives a suggestion on how the speaker could improve for their next speech. If the speaker takes on board the suggestions the improvement in their speaking skills becomes very evident. I will give a more detailed report on our last meeting in next weeks report.
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 29th of October. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and takes place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
The excellent speaking and communicating skills of some our more experienced members were on display at our last meeting. These speakers have developed their skills by practice and by the help of the other members of the club. Every occasion a member gives a speech another member evaluates the speaker. The aim of the evaluator is to motivate the speaker and not to criticise. The evaluator commends what the speaker did well and gives a suggestion on how the speaker could improve for their next speech. If the speaker takes on board the suggestions the improvement in their speaking skills becomes very evident. I will give a more detailed report on our last meeting in next weeks report.
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 29th of October. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and takes place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
Monday, October 12, 2009
Thinking on your Feet
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Effective Communication is a ‘must have’ in this electronic age. Being an effective communicator takes real skill. Communication skills have to be developed, honed and added to on an on-going basis. Communication is the basis of interpersonal skills and the greater your awareness of how it all works, the more effective your communication will be. To be effective in business, you have to communicate well. To be a good manager, you have to communicate exceptionally well. Communication is individual. We are not all the same. There is never one right way to communicate. Authentic effective communication always happens when we reply on those things we know to be true about or for ourselves. Your personal style can say more for you than all the words you use can. Most people look at what is wrong with themselves and other people, rather than focusing on what already works. Remember many things have to be working well for you to have got this far already. The communication cycle works as follows and you can take responsibility for every stage:
Spoken - Heard - Understood - Agreed To - Acted On - Implemented.
In Toastmasters you will become aware of where you or others tend to fall off the cycle. So, can I give you any greater reason for joining Speakeasy Toastmasters?
PERSONAL IMPACT
Personal impact includes key elements of Communication; Presentation; Assertiveness and Influencing techniques. All these components enable you to make the impact you want. We all can improve our ability to influence others. You all cringe at that interview that went badly wrong or that appraisal you wish to forget. Here is an opportunity to ensure that you will not repeat these experiences. In order to know making an impact works, there are a few areas you have to consider, and study.
Knowing how and why things go wrong
Improving your ability to influence others
Understanding rules and conventions and boundaries
Speaking your mind without offending
Finding our how others see you
An awareness of all of these will increase confidence and raise self esteem. Come along to our next meeting as a guest and see for yourself how we put these skills into practice. We do it in stages and in an encouraging way.
Thinking & speaking on your feet.
There may be an occasion when you may be asked to stand and say a few words without being given any prior notice. This is where being involved in the table topics session of a toastmasters meeting really helps out. It trains us how to think and speak on our feet. A club member gives out a topic to another member and they can speak on that topic for up to two minutes. The person giving out the topic is not trying to catch anybody out but to encourage another member to come up with a structured and response.
At our last meeting Gerry Kelleher was the topics master for the evening and he has a great skill in putting people at ease and allowing them to come up with very good replies to his topics. His topic regarding whether or not supporters should be left on to the pitch after the All-Ireland drew a great response.
Also on the night we had the club table topics contest, there were five contestants and they all replied to the topic very well. The topic while challenging ‘Marriages are all happy, its having breakfast together is the trouble’ brought many humorous responses from the contestants. A special mention for one of the clubs newer members Declan Curtis who replied very well to the topic even though it was his first time taking part in a toastmasters contest. The winner on the night was Ray Ryan and the runner up was Tony O’Regan. Ray now goes on to represent the club in the Area Final, which takes place on the 20th of October in the Galtees club in Mitchelstown.
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 15th of October and will return to its usual format. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and takes place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
Effective Communication is a ‘must have’ in this electronic age. Being an effective communicator takes real skill. Communication skills have to be developed, honed and added to on an on-going basis. Communication is the basis of interpersonal skills and the greater your awareness of how it all works, the more effective your communication will be. To be effective in business, you have to communicate well. To be a good manager, you have to communicate exceptionally well. Communication is individual. We are not all the same. There is never one right way to communicate. Authentic effective communication always happens when we reply on those things we know to be true about or for ourselves. Your personal style can say more for you than all the words you use can. Most people look at what is wrong with themselves and other people, rather than focusing on what already works. Remember many things have to be working well for you to have got this far already. The communication cycle works as follows and you can take responsibility for every stage:
Spoken - Heard - Understood - Agreed To - Acted On - Implemented.
In Toastmasters you will become aware of where you or others tend to fall off the cycle. So, can I give you any greater reason for joining Speakeasy Toastmasters?
PERSONAL IMPACT
Personal impact includes key elements of Communication; Presentation; Assertiveness and Influencing techniques. All these components enable you to make the impact you want. We all can improve our ability to influence others. You all cringe at that interview that went badly wrong or that appraisal you wish to forget. Here is an opportunity to ensure that you will not repeat these experiences. In order to know making an impact works, there are a few areas you have to consider, and study.
Knowing how and why things go wrong
Improving your ability to influence others
Understanding rules and conventions and boundaries
Speaking your mind without offending
Finding our how others see you
An awareness of all of these will increase confidence and raise self esteem. Come along to our next meeting as a guest and see for yourself how we put these skills into practice. We do it in stages and in an encouraging way.
Thinking & speaking on your feet.
There may be an occasion when you may be asked to stand and say a few words without being given any prior notice. This is where being involved in the table topics session of a toastmasters meeting really helps out. It trains us how to think and speak on our feet. A club member gives out a topic to another member and they can speak on that topic for up to two minutes. The person giving out the topic is not trying to catch anybody out but to encourage another member to come up with a structured and response.
At our last meeting Gerry Kelleher was the topics master for the evening and he has a great skill in putting people at ease and allowing them to come up with very good replies to his topics. His topic regarding whether or not supporters should be left on to the pitch after the All-Ireland drew a great response.
Also on the night we had the club table topics contest, there were five contestants and they all replied to the topic very well. The topic while challenging ‘Marriages are all happy, its having breakfast together is the trouble’ brought many humorous responses from the contestants. A special mention for one of the clubs newer members Declan Curtis who replied very well to the topic even though it was his first time taking part in a toastmasters contest. The winner on the night was Ray Ryan and the runner up was Tony O’Regan. Ray now goes on to represent the club in the Area Final, which takes place on the 20th of October in the Galtees club in Mitchelstown.
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 15th of October and will return to its usual format. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and takes place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
Monday, October 05, 2009
A Night of Laughter
A Night Of Laughter.
The Speakeasy toastmasters season of meetings are back in full swing with up to thirty people present at the clubs humorous speech and table topics contest. There was a great atmosphere in the room as the contestants in both competitions got the audience laughing out loud on many occasions.
The contest was chaired by Sean Corcoran who ran the meeting very efficiently and ensured all business was completed by ten o clock. Pat Sexton spoke first in the humorous speech contest and greatly entertained the audience by telling us what Ireland needed to produce another writer to win the Booker prize. He claimed the three essential items needed were poverty, precipitation and chastity.
Ray Ryan followed with a speech entitled ‘extra luggage’ in which he had the audience in stitches as he related to the audience about his urge to remove items for hotels that he stays in and he had a great selection of items, which he showed to the audience. The final contestant was Michael Cronin who entertained the audience with some humorous points about the recession, which included how parents will be able to keep their children quiet in the car next year until May as it will be probably by then a 2010 registered car will be spotted.
Following the speeches there was a tea break and the guests present enjoyed mixing with the members as they got to know each other and also learning more about the benefits of joining toastmasters. The table topics contest followed and there will be a report about this next week.
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 15th of October and will return to its usual format. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and take place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
The Speakeasy toastmasters season of meetings are back in full swing with up to thirty people present at the clubs humorous speech and table topics contest. There was a great atmosphere in the room as the contestants in both competitions got the audience laughing out loud on many occasions.
The contest was chaired by Sean Corcoran who ran the meeting very efficiently and ensured all business was completed by ten o clock. Pat Sexton spoke first in the humorous speech contest and greatly entertained the audience by telling us what Ireland needed to produce another writer to win the Booker prize. He claimed the three essential items needed were poverty, precipitation and chastity.
Ray Ryan followed with a speech entitled ‘extra luggage’ in which he had the audience in stitches as he related to the audience about his urge to remove items for hotels that he stays in and he had a great selection of items, which he showed to the audience. The final contestant was Michael Cronin who entertained the audience with some humorous points about the recession, which included how parents will be able to keep their children quiet in the car next year until May as it will be probably by then a 2010 registered car will be spotted.
Following the speeches there was a tea break and the guests present enjoyed mixing with the members as they got to know each other and also learning more about the benefits of joining toastmasters. The table topics contest followed and there will be a report about this next week.
The clubs next meeting will take place on Thursday 15th of October and will return to its usual format. The meeting will begin at 8pm and finish at 10pm and take place in the Garden room in the Hibernian Hotel.
Guests are always very welcome and will never be asked to speak. For more information about the club please go to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Humorous Speech Contest and Rehearsing that Speech
Previously, we discussed the way to structure a speech or presentation with the “Opening, Body and Conclusion”, this week we look at preparing yourself to make that presentation.
How do you do that? By rehearsing.
Practice the talk until you are comfortable with it.
You won’t need to memorise the body of the talk since you already know all about the subject. As mentioned already, you should memorise your opening and conclusion.
Present the talk to a family member or friend and ask for comments.
They may give you some helpful suggestions. If you have a tape recorder, record the talk and listen to it carefully making any necessary improvements to improve your speaking ability. Rehearse as often as it takes until you are comfortable with your presentation. Use visualizing techniques in which you imagine yourself in front of your audience delivering that perfect presentation.
Another very important aspect of making your presentation is appearance.
Be well groomed and appropriately dressed. When you look right, you feel good about yourself. You will then forget about your appearance and concentrating about presenting your talk. You will have increased confidence because you know you have made a good first impression on your audience.
All these presentation skills and many more are learned and practiced at every toastmaster meeting. A toastmaster meeting is not a classroom or lecture but a workshop in which the emphasis is on mutual support, learning but most importantly on enjoyment, fun and friendship.
Don’t just take my word for it, come along and see for yourself.
As a guest you will be most welcome and you will not be asked to speak.
Last Thursday night saw the Club Finals of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests.
Entrants in the Humorous Speech Contests were Ray Ryan with his speech, "Extra Luggage", Michael Cronin with, "Bright Spots", and Pat Sexton with, "Winners Podium".
Club members taking part in the Table Topics Contest were Michael Cronin, Pat Duggan, Tony O'Regan, Ray Ryan and Declan Curtis.
Winners were Michael Cronin in the Speech Contest and Ray Ryan in the Table Topics Contest.
Both will represent the club in the Area 17 Final on October 20 in the Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown.
Further information on The Speak Easy Toastmasters Club can be obtained by logging on to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
How do you do that? By rehearsing.
Practice the talk until you are comfortable with it.
You won’t need to memorise the body of the talk since you already know all about the subject. As mentioned already, you should memorise your opening and conclusion.
Present the talk to a family member or friend and ask for comments.
They may give you some helpful suggestions. If you have a tape recorder, record the talk and listen to it carefully making any necessary improvements to improve your speaking ability. Rehearse as often as it takes until you are comfortable with your presentation. Use visualizing techniques in which you imagine yourself in front of your audience delivering that perfect presentation.
Another very important aspect of making your presentation is appearance.
Be well groomed and appropriately dressed. When you look right, you feel good about yourself. You will then forget about your appearance and concentrating about presenting your talk. You will have increased confidence because you know you have made a good first impression on your audience.
All these presentation skills and many more are learned and practiced at every toastmaster meeting. A toastmaster meeting is not a classroom or lecture but a workshop in which the emphasis is on mutual support, learning but most importantly on enjoyment, fun and friendship.
Don’t just take my word for it, come along and see for yourself.
As a guest you will be most welcome and you will not be asked to speak.
Last Thursday night saw the Club Finals of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contests.
Entrants in the Humorous Speech Contests were Ray Ryan with his speech, "Extra Luggage", Michael Cronin with, "Bright Spots", and Pat Sexton with, "Winners Podium".
Club members taking part in the Table Topics Contest were Michael Cronin, Pat Duggan, Tony O'Regan, Ray Ryan and Declan Curtis.
Winners were Michael Cronin in the Speech Contest and Ray Ryan in the Table Topics Contest.
Both will represent the club in the Area 17 Final on October 20 in the Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown.
Further information on The Speak Easy Toastmasters Club can be obtained by logging on to our website at www.speakeasytoastmasters.com
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