‘I should have said nothing’

Speak Easy Toastmaster’s meeting on April 20th 2011 was another in which guests and members enjoyed themselves.

Joining Immediate Past President Michael Cronin at the top table was Loretto Barry, Topics Master and Cait Murray who was Toast Master.

First to the lectern was Claire O’ Connell with a speech entitled ‘Jump Suits Fashion Supreme or Fashion Dud’. Claire’s speech was very entertaining. She informed the group of her fashion dislikes including the jump suit, culottes and skinny jeans on men. Claire gave some of the practical uses where jump suits could be used but was adamant that they should not be seen on the cat walk.

Following Claire was Pat Duggan with a speech entitled ‘Grumpy old men’. Pat decided to do his ice breaker again. His speech was very philosophical and optimistic. He reminded the audience that happiness happens without money and recommended to the audience that they should ask for support when they require it.

Pat was followed by Angela Sheehan with an educational session on giving an impromptu talk. Angela’s presentation was very informative as impromptu speaking is a valuable skill to be acquired for every day living. This skill can be developed in Toastmasters and used elsewhere. The key aspects of giving such a talk include listening; pausing; confirming; telling and most importantly knowing when to stop.

Next to the lectern was Mary Buckley with a speech entitled ‘I should have said nothing.’ Mary’s speech was entertaining and emotive. Mary recounted a true story from her childhood. The lesson she learnt from the specific incident came to light at a recent school reunion where the story was retold.

Mary was followed by Kieran Butler with a speech entitled Pieta House- Bringing Hope’. Kieran gave a very effective speech on the subject of Suicide. He informed the group of the great work Pieta House does in the area of suicide prevention and the assistance it gives people in regaining the zest for life.

Finally it was the turn of Jerry Mulcahy with an interpretative reading from the poem ‘Lines from Adonais’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

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

Timekeeper Mary Moynihan reminded speakers/people contributing to topics when their allocated times were up while grammarian/ah counter Bridget Breen 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.

Sean Corcoran, conducted the General Evaluation Session and conducted the part of the meeting in which speakers received feedback from their assigned evaluators who were Michael Cronin, Bill Martin, Tony O’ Regan, Bridie O’ Connell, Ray Ryan and Dave Clarke. 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, Thursday May 5th 2011 (Club AGM) 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 why not follow Speak Easy Toastmasters on Facebook?

‘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?
As we are nearing the summer break, why not come along and see for yourself what we are about? You will be delighted you did.

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, Thursday May 5th 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 why not follow Speak Easy Toastmasters on Facebook

A crowd is not company’

Speak Easy Toastmaster’s meeting on April 7th 2011 was another in which guests and members enjoyed themselves. The club was holding The Area 17 Finals of the International Speech and Evaluation Contests.

Joining President Margaret O’ Regan at the top table was Ray Ryan, Contest Chair and Johanna Hegarty who was Topicsmaster.

First to the lectern was Michael Cronin (Speak Easy Toastmasters, Mallow) with a speech entitled ‘Heroes’. Michael’s speech was thought provoking. He reminded us that there are heroes all around us, including those who care for the sick and look after the less privileged. He concluded his speech by reminding the audience that ‘we are all ordinary people but capable of doing extraordinary things’.

Following Michael was Dick Lyons (The Galtees Toastmasters, Mitchelstown) with a speech entitled ‘Free at last’. Dick recounted in a very humorous manner the impact of acquiring a family dog and what he learned from the experience. He ended his speech with a quotation from John O’ Donoghue, author of ‘Anam Cara’; ‘the forgiving heart knows the art of liberation.

Dick was followed by Colette Noonan (The Failte Toastmasters, Charleville) with a speech entitled ‘The spirit of Granuaile’. Colette recounted a documentary she heard on the radio as she traveled home from a funeral one evening. The documentary detailed how one particular Dublin rowing group was founded. This rowing group was set up by 3 women who suffered from cancer. She compared the spirit of these women together with that of the lady whose funeral she had attended to the spirit of Granuaile which is still alive and well in these women.

Finally it was the turn of Kevin Walsh (Fermoy Toastmaster’s Club) with a speech entitled ‘A crowd is not company’. During his speech Kevin spoke about loneliness, the impact that it can have on peoples’ lives and gave the audience examples of how people can overcome it through for example reading and observing nature. Kevin concluded his speech with a thought provoking statement ‘Every stranger is a friend that you have not met. If we embrace each other in harmony and closeness the world is your oyster and we will never walk alone’.

Kevin Walsh (Fermoy Toastmaster’s Club) won the speech contest and Dick Roche (The Galtees Toastmaster’s Club, Mitchelstown) was runner up.


Following the speech contest Ken Armstrong (Killarney Toastmaster’s Club), test speaker, gave a very inspirational speech entitled ‘Why are we here?’ which gave reasons as to why people join toastmasters. This speech was the speech which was used in the evaluation contest.

There were four evaluation contestants- Frances Lowry (Failte Toastmaster’s Club, Charleville); Pat Sexton (Speak Easy Toastmasters Club, Mallow); Fanahan Colbert (Fermoy Toastmaster’s Club) and Eamon Rea (The Galtees Toastmaster’s Club, Mitchelstown).

Pat Sexton (Speak Easy Toastmaster’s Club, Mallow) won the evaluation contest and Eamon Ray (The Galtees Toastmaster’s Club, Mitchelstown) was runner up.

Kevin Walsh (Fermoy Toastmaster’s Club) and Pat Sexton(Speak Easy Toastmaster’s Club, Mallow) will represent Area 17 in the Divisional Finals of the International Speech and Evaluation Contests, which will be held in the Hibernian Hotel on Sunday the 17th of April 2011 at 2.30pm.

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

Timekeepers Michael Sheehan and Ann Lyons reminded speakers/people contributing to topics when their allocated times were up. The Sergeants at Arms for the meeting were Jerry Mulcahy and Liam Flynn.

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, Wednesday April 20th 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 follow us on Facebook

The Power of Habits

Don’t get trapped in a routine. The secret of success is to practice what you are not good at. Get uncomfortable. A sport’s man, when asked to identify the secret of his success, replied ’I practiced what I was not good at’.
All successful people both in and out of Toastmasters have had to overcome obstacles in life. What determines their ability to transcend those obstacles and fears is a great willingness to stretch their comfort zones. In a Toastmaster’s Club your comfort zone is measured by the speeches you give and the assignments you take on. Successful Toastmasters have one thing in common – they form the habit of thorough preparation and active listening. People who clock watch and day dream do not get far.
Your habits reflect your personality. They influence how you dress; walk; sit; smile and laugh. As part of your internal makeup most habits are formed early in life. By adulthood those habits are much easier to follow than change. If you want to be more successful both in and out of Toastmasters, you must make an effort to reject stagnation, and form habits of self improvement. To evaluate your personal habits – ask yourself
• Do successful happy people seem to enjoy my company?
• Do others seek my advice?
• Do I continue to grow through careful reading and exposure to stimulating ideas?
• Do I surround myself with positive uplifting influences including people?
• Do I usually feel good about myself?
• Do I look for new ways to improve my speaking, writing, and listening skills?
The ability to invest time wisely is a habit acquired through deliberate choice. Success requires passion and is governed by the laws of habit. To develop habits, one must have an objective. It is never the strength of a goal that will make you do anything in life. It is the strength of the purpose behind it. If your goal in life is to make money to put bread on the table, then that is all you will do. This standard requires you to cross the finish line only because it exists. In order to achieve a far greater level of success, you must have passion to go the distance.
Remember: “Never be content with what you are, if you want to be what you are not”.

Speak Easy Toastmasters will hold their next meeting (The Area Finals International Speech and Evaluation Contests) at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, April 7th 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 why not follow Speak Easy Toastmasters on Facebook