SPEAKEASY NEWS Dec 2

By G. K. Andersen

It seems longer than two weeks, but that's all it was. Those old bugaboos -- shaking knees, churning stomach, chattering teeth -- are on the verge of returning, so I'd better get a good dose of TM soon.

I guess it's never too soon to consider attending a ball game in July, so I'm passing along the attached advance information that may be of interest to you. If you think you might be interested, talk to Gene; he'll be collecting names. It'll be a chance to get a look at the new Twins ballpark.

We had 5 guests at our Open House, and plenty of pumpkin pie for everyone. Unfortunately, I was busy closing things up and didn't get a chance to get our guests' e-mail addresses, so if any of them were your invitees, get their addresses to me and I'll add them to my list. (Also, I was in a hurry to get my car over to the service station before 8:00 to deliver the keys. I made it, with 5 minutes to spare.)

Now for a look at this week's cast of characters:

Toastmaster -- Kara Johnson

Master Evaluator -- Eric Fager

Table Topics Master -- Tony Carlson

Speaker -- Gordon Andersen

Speaker -- Larry Green

Evaluator -- Gene Welch

Evaluator -- Dorothy Woodard

Timer -- Sharon Gifford

Grammarian -- Melony Fender

Ah Counter -- John Weidner

Ten positions, ten Toastmasters. Looks like a perfect evening that could be better with a guest or two, or three.

SPEAKEASY NEWS

By G. K. Andersen

We're hoping for a houseful this week, to join us for our Open House meeting. If we all contacted everyone likely to attend, there should be many. So far, we've not had any member indicating inability to attend, so that's encouraging.

Since we're expecting folks who perhaps may not be familiar with the Toastmasters program, it would be helpful if speeches and Table Topics could be oriented toward TM. Easy to do with TT, but a bit harder for speeches, which are, of course, the speakers' choices. Just a suggestion. There will also be time for comments from all members at the end of the meeting as usual.

Note: Next week we will be off, doing what we need to do before Thanksgiving dinner, wherever and whatever that may be. I always try to be judicious concerning my culinary intake, but I always fail. Turkey and the fixings always have a hypnotic effect on me. Luckily, I have plenty of time to recover.

Word of the Week for November 11th.

ONOMATOPOEIA, on'-o-mat'-o-pe'-ia, use of words that sound like their meaning: i.e: Hiss... Buzz... Thump...

Word of the Week for November 4th.

Neophyte, ne'-o-fite, Beginner, Tyro, as a novice Toastmaster speaker.

Second word of the week. TYRO, a beginner in learning

Fall open house progress

Plans are coming together for our Fall open house. The flyer is being finalized today and should show up on public notice boards Friday. I will get everyone a copy in PDF format to give to potential guests.

Still to do: notify the other clubs in Area 93, notify the media and think about room set up for a potential crowd. ;)

Word of the week for October 28th

Intrinsic, in-trin'-sic, Inherent, as personal growth is intrinsic in Toastmasters.

Happy Anniversary

This email letter was received from Toastmasters International on October 22nd.

Fellow Toastmasters,

Happy Anniversary!

October 22 is an auspicious date for Toastmasters around the world. It marks the day that a small group of people, led by Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, held the first official Toastmasters meeting in the basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana, California, USA.

While the original intent of the group was to teach after-dinner speeches to young men, as we all know, Toastmasters has evolved to become a worldwide leader in communication and leadership development. This evolution was no accident; Dr. Smedley firmly believed that the improvement of a person's ability to communicate his or her ideas was a means of improving life in all its phases, personal as well as professional. It's a philosophy that resonates as clearly today as it did back in 1924.

Since its founding, Toastmasters International has empowered more than 4 million people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. Our organization's long-term success and growth is a tribute to Dr. Smedley's vision. He understood that communication isn't optional and leadership isn't always natural, but both can be learned through doing.

As we celebrate our 85th anniversary, the organization stands at a historic high point. Our membership is at an all-time high of 252,000 and growing, our programs are more expansive and our leaders have developed innovative strategies to keep up with advances and shifting cultural dynamics of the global age.

The next 85 years hold even greater promise as we continue to adapt and evolve in an ever-changing world. Let us work together to build our organization by building our members - with confidence, leadership and service.

Thank you for all you do to support and serve Toastmasters.


Sincerely,



Gary Schmidt
International President
Toastmasters International