A Cut Above The Rest

Speak Easy Toastmaster’s meeting on February 10th 2011 was another in which guests and members enjoyed themselves.

Joining President Margaret O’ Regan at the top table was Joe Hassett, Toastmaster who chaired the meeting and Dave Clarke who was Topicsmaster.

First to the lectern was Angela Sheehan with a speech entitled ‘Select your topic’.
Angela was very enlightening on how to find topics from speeches. Ideas can come from personal experiences ie family events, professional encounters or interests. Ideas for speeches can also come from books and newspapers.

Following Angela was Jean Sayers who did a monodrama entitled ‘ A love song of J Alfred Prufrock’ by T S Eliot.

Jean was followed by Liam Flynn with a speech entitled ‘A cut above the rest’. Liam demonstrated to the audience how to prune roses. He advised on the types of tools and gloves to use when pruning. He concluded by informing the men in the audience to buy a rose bush this Valentine’s Day rather than a bunch of roses for their loved ones as they will have roses for the year.

Finally it was the turn of Jerry O’ Callaghan with his Folk Tale entitled ‘Three Wishes’. Jerry recounted a folk tale with a morale to the audience. Although the folk tale related to a time long ago the morale is as relevant today as it was back then- ‘be very careful what you wish for because you just might get it’.

The topic session for the evening was conducted by Topicsmaster Dave Clarke. Dave had a huge amount of topics which were varied and various.

Timekeeper Michael Cronin reminded speakers/people contributing to topics when their allocated times were up while grammarian/ah counter Mary Buckley gave feedback at the end of the meeting on how the group performed regarding the use of ‘crutch words’ and ‘fillers’ e.g. um’s and ah’s. She encouraged the use of the word ‘propensity’ which means a natural propensity, disposition or inclination throughout the meeting.

Marie Fitzpatrick, conducted the General Evaluation Session and conducted the part of the meeting in which speakers received feedback from their assigned evaluators who were Sean Corcoran, Bridget Breen and Anne Buckley. Angela Sheehan’s presentation was not evaluated. The Sergeant at Arms for the meeting was Liam Flynn.

Speakeasy Toastmasters is hosting a night of Humour on February 24th 2011 at 7.50pm to give its members, as well as everyone who wishes to attend, a much needed tonic having being totally saturated with talk of recession and all that goes with it. The night will consist of ten humorous speeches from renowned toastmasters both from the Speakeasy Club as well as members from Toastmaster Clubs from much further a field.

Non members are welcome to attend. Further details about the Club are available on our website, www.speakeasytoastmasters.com or why not become a Speak Easy Toastmaster Facebook.

“A Feast of Humour” on Feb 24

On Thursday 24th of February, Speakeasy Toastmasters in Mallow is hosting a night of Humour to give its members, as well as everyone who wishes to attend, a much needed tonic having being totally saturated with talk of recession and all that goes with it. The night will consist of ten humorous speeches from renowned toastmasters both from the Speakeasy Club as well as members from Toastmaster Clubs from much further a field.

It is worth noting in this time of doom and gloom that 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.
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 as well as being the best medicine.
Use the acronym L.A.U.G.H.T.E.R. to remind yourself of some of its benefits: 'L' stands for LIVE life to the fullest. When we share humor, we are living in the moment and spreading.
'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 humor 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.
By the 24th of February you will need some light relief before you face the ballot box the following day. Make your way to the Hibernian Hotel in Mallow for what promises to be one terrific night of laughter.

Remember Laughter is the best medicine, so you can become your own best medicine by joining Speakeasy Toastmasters for a “Feast of Humour” at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, February 24th at 7:50pm.

For more information log onto: www.speakeasytoastmasters.com.

“A Feast of Humour”

Speakeasy Toastmasters invite you to

“A Feast of Humour”

An evening of hilariously funny speeches displaying toastmasters’ skills at their best.

Speakers:
The Master of them all … Noel O'Beara
The pretender to Noel’s throne … Gerry French
From Mullingar, the one and only … Brian McLoughlin
From Cork, and famous for her performance at this year’s district final … Ellen O’Mahony
The man, who can’t sing, can’t dance (but that doesn’t stop him)… Michael Buckley
Winner of this year’s Speakeasy Schools contest with his observations of the Irish… Radek Zuk

From the Speakeasy stable,
Multi award winner… Michael Cronin
“We’ll give her a push”…Michael Walsh
Memory man himself … Jerry O’Callaghan and
IT expert extraordinaire …Sean Corcoran

Date: Thursday 24th February 2011
Time: 7.50pm
Venue: The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow

Open to everyone.
Admission €5

There are 336 hours in a fortnight, why not reserve just 2 to enjoy yourself?

For further information visit our website
www.speakeasytoastmasters.com

-‘The need for Speech Training in the age of Communication’

One needs Public Speaking skills to live productively in the age of Communication. Unless one has speaking talents necessary to engage in Committee discussions, presentations to clients, one may be in trouble in one’s job. One’s speechmaking skills also affect one’s ability to change peoples’ minds at meetings, student councils, political conventions etc. or in pressure groups that lobby the Government.

One will become a fully developed, thinking, and forceful human being to the degree that one has learned and practiced speech making skills and oral communication skills. Ultimately one speaks not only to serve others, but also to achieve one’s own goals on the job and in the public forum. Speeches are one form of the general activity called communication.
Some speeches are read to the audience - watch the next press conference on T.V. Other speeches are given in an impromptu manner. After dinner speeches tend to be light.
All speeches, despite differences in formality are –
o Continuous oral messages
o Delivered by a communicator (speaker)
o Through various channels (electronic etc)
o To others (the listeners) who can feed back reactive messages.

The primary purpose of joining Toastmasters is to gain confidence, to learn to communicate effectively. Just think what a relief it would be to be able to meet people on an equal footing, make your point diplomatically but firmly, and leave knowing you have not been ‘brow beaten’. This is a good feeling, which will allow you then, to perform to your optimum.

While it is not easy to participate at the beginning – with time and perseverance it will become second nature to you to stand up and give your opinion voluntarily. By doing this you will slowly notice the change in yourself. You will feel more confident, more decisive, and happier in yourself. Toastmasters’ gives you that opportunity to obtain speech training.


Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, February 10th 2011 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 or on Speak Easy Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Easy-Toastmasters167687469936952

‘What possessed me?!’

Speak Easy Toastmasters-‘What possessed me?!’

Speak Easy Toastmasters meeting on January 27th 2011 was another in which guests and members enjoyed themselves. There was a great atmosphere during the course of the meeting.

Joining President Margaret O’ Regan at the top table was Pat Duggan, Toastmaster who chaired the meeting and Bill Martin who was Topicsmaster.

First to the lectern was Mary Moynihan with a speech entitled ‘What possessed me?’ Mary entertained the group with her humorous speech about a family wedding. She recounted her efforts about trying to find the right dress and shoes before the wedding as well as the funny events that happened on the night as a result of her carrying out some further alterations to her dress after the meal.

Following Mary was Liam Flynn with a speech entitled ‘Single Transferable Vote and all of that.’ Liam clearly explained to the group how the system worked. The group learnt that Ireland and Malta are the only two countries where this system is in operation.

Liam was followed by Claire O’ Connell with a speech entitled ‘Our digital world is killing us’. Claire opened her speech by informing the group that the Digital World is all around us. She referenced a number of digital objects and the negative impacts they can potentially have on our lives including the television which can lead low attention span as well as impacting on friendships; computer games which can be addictive as well as mobile phones which can affect our creative abilities. Her speech was very thought provoking.

Next to the lectern was Noel O Connor with a speech entitled ‘Is our green image important?’ Noel informed the group of the importance of promoting our green image which is used to sell Irish products. He stressed the need to encourage and support small food businesses which are doing well at the moment.

Finally it was the turn of Angela Sheehan with a speech entitled ‘A taste for success’. Angela was promoting the taking up of ‘a Diploma in Specialty Food Production’. She encouraged people in the group who have a love of good food to do the course and set up their own business. The course is good for networking.

The topic session for the evening was conducted by Topicsmaster Bill Martin. Bill’s topics were very varied and included ‘Describe your perfect evening’ to ‘Farmers Market’s- overpriced or undervalued’.

Timekeeper Jerry Mulcahy reminded speakers/people contributing to topics when their allocated times were up while grammarian/ah counter Cait Murray gave feedback at the end of the meeting on how the group performed regarding the use of ‘crutch words’ and ‘fillers’ e.g. um’s and ah’s. She encouraged the use of the word ‘adept’ which means thoroughly proficient or a skilled performer throughout the meeting.

Bridget Breen, conducted the General Evaluation Session and conducted the part of the meeting in which speakers received feedback from their assigned evaluators who were Bridie O’ Connell, Michael Cronin, Marie Fitzpatrick, Joe Hassett and Margaret O’ Regan. The Sergeants at Arms for the meeting were Liam Flynn and Jerry Mulcahy.

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, February 10th 2011 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 or on Speak Easy Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Easy-Toastmasters167687469936952