Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Laughter is the best medicine’

Humour is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together.
Good humour springs from the heart, not the mind. It is a shock absorber that helps us get over the bumps in life. Those with a good sense of humour have a good sense of life.

Much research has been done on the effects of humour and laughter on our health. The benefits are enormous and include boosting our immune system, reducing stress and hastening the healing process.

By now, almost everyone is familiar with the link between our body and mind that has been proven. For example, it has been shown that our attitude is more important than our physical health in determining how long we live. That is, people with a good sense of humour and a positive attitude, but poor health, survive longer than those that are in good health but have poor attitudes.

Use the acronym L.A.U.G.H.T.E.R. to remind yourself of some of its benefits when the skies are grey for you:

'L' stands for LIVE life to the fullest. When we share humour, we are living in the moment and spreading joy.

'A' stands for an AWARENESS and APPRECIATION for the incongruities of life. The inconsistencies and ironies you face offer unlimited opportunities to laugh at them.

'U' stands for USE your brain to drain pain with laughter. USE humour to discover delight, joy, and peace of mind.

'G' stands for GOOD HUMOUR at all times.

'H' stands for HEALTH. Laughter detaches us from our problems and releases negative emotions; it is the best medicine.

'T' stands for TRANSFORM. Laughter transforms our thoughts, which in turn transforms our feelings for the better.

'E' stands for EXUBERANCE, which is the zest that laughter brings to our lives.

And 'R' stands for the RESILIENCE we acquire by learning to deal with hardship and pain, for humour is the strongest weapon against adversity

Laughter and good fun are two things that Speak Easy Toastmaster Club has an abundance of.
This is a club with people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humour in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious

Remember Laughter is the best medicine, so you can become your own best medicine by attending Speak Easy Club Humourous Speech and Table Topics Contest at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, September 30th at 7:50PM. Non-members are more than welcome to attend and will not be asked to speak. Further details about the Club are available on our website, www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

A Moment of Calm

Speak Easy Toastmasters recent meeting was opened by the Club President, Margaret O’ Regan. Toastmaster Jerry Mulcahy chaired the meeting.

Speaker No 1 Jean Sayers did an interpretative reading from the short story ‘My Confirmation Suit’ written by Brendan Behan. Jean’s reading was evaluated by Pat Sexton.

Jean was followed by Mary Moynihan who did a speech from the Entertaining Speaker manual entitled ‘My First Flag’. Mary, who is an avid Kerry Supporter, entertained the group as she recounted how her first flag, which was made from the jacket of her Confirmation suit, was wrenched from her hand by a Cork Supporter as she waved it out the car window as she and her family returned from a Munster Final. Mary’s speech was evaluated by Loretta Barry.

The third speaker of the night was Claire O Connell. Claire’s speech was entitled ‘Breaking the ice’. Claire recently joined the Club. The first speech a member gives at their Toastmaster Club from the basic manual is called the ice breaker. During her speech Claire told the group that one of her greatest loves is writing poetry and with that she recited a verse of one of her poems. Claire’s speech was evaluated by Pat Duggan.

Claire was followed by Bridget Breen, who delivered a stage 3 project from the basic manual. In her speech entitled ‘The Present’ Bridget informed the group that we cannot manage time but that we can manage ourselves. She encouraged the group to live in the present and by doing that we would live happier, healthier and more successful lives. Bridget’s speech was evaluated by Angela Sheehan.

The final speaker for the night was Bridie O’ Connell. Bridie did a project from the Speaking to Inform manual. In her speech entitled ‘A moment of calm’ Bridie demonstrated to the group how music has the power to effect our mind, body and spirit. Music can bring harmony to our lives by listening to our favourite pieces. Bridie’s speech was evaluated by Sean Corcoran.

The topic sessions for the evening were conducted by Topicsmaster Marie Fitzpatrick. Marie’s topics were both varied and topical

Timekeeper Mary Buckley as time keeper reminded speakers/people contributing to topics when their allocated times were up while grammarian/ah counter Michael Cronin encouraged the use of the word ‘limpid’ meaning clear or transparent during the course of the meeting.

The Sergeant at Arms for the meeting were Mary McCarthy and Liam Flynn.

Ray Ryan, conducted the General Evaluation Session. Ray also addressed the meeting in his capacity as Area Governor.

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, September 30th at 7:50PM. An enjoyable night is expected by all as it is the Club’s Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest. Non-members are more than welcome to attend and will not be asked to speak. Further details about the Club are available on our website, www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Toastmasters assist people in developing life skills

Many people join toastmasters to develop public speaking skills. However they soon realise that they are also developing life skills to be a better friend, daughter/son, husband/wife, co-worker. I would like to share with you hereunder the experience of a member of Speak Easy Toastmasters Club since that person has become a Toastmaster.

‘Since joining Speak Easy Toastmasters Club I have developed in the flowing ways:

Speaking:
By giving prepared speeches and participating in Table Topics Session (this is where members learn to think and speak on their feet) , I have learned that telling stories from my own life experiences is one of the best ways to connect with an audience.

After I realised this, I started sharing stories with family and friends, about experiences that have shaped me. I tell them about my dreams-some became goals that I have achieved, some are still work in progress while others have been replaced by an obligation to focus on current needs. I talk about the lessons I am learning such as taking responsibility, not expecting life to be smooth and seeing challenges as opportunities.

Listening:
By being an evaluator of other fellow toastmasters’ speeches and by participating in Table Topics I have become a better listener. Since I started sharing about my stories, family and friends have opened up about events in their lives. I listen intently to them.

Evaluating:
When I evaluate speeches in Toastmasters my goal is to try to help a fellow toastmaster improve. I present my evaluation in a positive way because I want the speaker to be receptive. I do not hurl insults. Since joining toastmasters, if asked for feedback by family and friends, I give it in a positive way.

Leading:
Additionally my toastmaster training helps me to improve in unexpected ways. For example when I encourage people to come to a meeting, I am doing it for the club. I soon realised I am also benefiting personally by developing skills to influence people.

By continuing to be a member of Speak Easy Toastmasters I am benefiting personally by developing life skills. So why not come along and take your first step in your own personal growth.’

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, September 16th at 7:50PM. Non-members are more than welcome to attend and will not be asked to speak. Further details about the Club are available on our website, www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

One For The Road

Speak Easy Toastmasters First Meeting 2nd of September

Speak Easy Toastmasters commenced the 2010-11 Season on September 2nd, with our first meeting being opened by the new Club President, Margaret O’ Regan. Toastmaster Jean Sayers chaired the meeting.

The first speaker was Joe Hassett, who delivered a speech entitled “One for the Road” as a fact finding report from the Speaking to Inform Manual. After the report, Joe conducted a question and answer session with the audience. Joe provided the socking statistics that 37 out of 100 road deaths are caused by alcohol. Cait Murray was Joe’s evaluator.

Joe was followed by Kieran Butler, who delivered a stage 7 project from the basic manual. In his speech entitled “The Burning Question”, Kieran highlighted the fact that Climate Change is everybody’s responsibility. Kieran’s speech was evaluated by Angela Sheehan.

The third speaker was Liam Flynn, who did an interpretive reading from the play ‘The Field’. Liam brought the piece to life with his excellent use of vocal variety. Liam’s reading was evaluated by Jerry Mulcahy.

Following Liam, came Sean Corcoran who did a project from the story telling manual. The humorous story entitled ‘All is not as it seems to be’ gave an insight into the fact that most publications are geared towards a certain section of society. Sean was evaluated by Noel O’ Connor.

The final speaker for the night was Pat Sexton who delivered a stage 7 project from the basic manual. In his speech entitled ‘The evening recital’ Pat gave us an insight into the importance of music as a backdrop to our lives. Pat’s speech was evaluated by Marie Fitzpatrick.


A humorous topics session was conducted by Topicsmaster Pat Duggan, with Pat leaving everybody at the meeting in a positive frame of mind after the topics session.

Timekeeper Jerry O Callaghan kept everybody on their toes as time keeper while grammarian/ah counter Ray Ryan encouraged the use of the word ‘paragon’ meaning a model of excellence during the course of the meeting.

The Sergeant at Arms for the meeting were Josephine O’ Sullivan-Lenihan, Mary McCarthy and Liam Flynn.

Michael Cronin conducted the General Evaluation Session. Finally, the Club’s achievements for the previous year were recognized by Toastmaster International with the presentation of an award to Michael Cronin, the immediate past president of Speak Easy Toastmasters.

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, September 16th at 7:50PM. Non-members are more than welcome to attend and will not be asked to speak. Further details about the Club are available on our website, www.speakeasytoastmasters.com