Chippewa Valley Toastmasters welcomes new member Dr. Steve Mickelson (left).  Following his first speech, Steve receives his Ice Breaker ribbon and mints from Gene Radtke, Vice President-Education.

As some of you might guess, the Grammarian’s word for the meeting was ‘lagniappe’.

The Grammarian’s role during a club meeting has several components. When introduced, the Grammarian announces the word of the day, state its part of speech, define it, use it in a sentence and ask that anyone speaking during any part of the meeting use it.
Typically the Grammarian listens to everyone’s word usage during the meeting. He/She writes down any awkward use or misuse of the language (incomplete sentences, sentences that change direction in midstream, incorrect grammar or malapropisms) with a note of who erred. For example, he/she points out if someone used a singular verb with a plural subject. “One in five children wear glasses” should be “one in five children wears glasses.” Note when a pronoun is misused. “No one in the choir sings better than her” should be “No one in the choir sings better than she.”

Write down who used the word of the day (or a derivative of it) and note those who used it correctly or incorrectly.

When called on by the general evaluator during the evaluation segment, the Grammarian will:

Stand by his/her chair and gives the meeting’s report.
Try to offer the correct usage in every instance of misuse (instead of merely announcing that something was wrong).
Report on creative language usage and announce who used the word of the day (or a derivative of it) correctly or incorrectly.

Some you know that these short comments are a lagniappe for the Ice Breaker speech announcement.

Dear Members of Chippewa Valley Toastmasters,

Representing four area Toastmasters Clubs at the Northern Division Area 4 speech contests on March 15 at Globe University in Eau Claire were David Martinez, Tom Yeater, Krista Spaeth, Judy Ring, Melynda Yeater, Barb Weisenberger, and Sue Peiffer.  Judy Ring and Barb Weisenberger placed first and second in the International Speech Contest.  Krista Spaeth and David Martinez earned first and second place in the Table Topics Contest.  The first place winners, Judy Ring-International Speech Contest and Krista Spaeth-Table Topics Contest, advance to the Northern Division Contest on Saturday, April 14, 2014, at Rasmussen College, 1101 Westwood Drive, Wausau, WI. Registration is 9 AM and the contest starts at 9:45 AM.  Congratulations!

This is an especially exciting event for those participating in the Table Topics portion. Each contestant delivers an impromptu speech on the same topic. Sequestered, they do not have the ability to hear each others speech. This permits a level playing field in order to judge the 5-7 minute off-the-cuff speech. This is a wonderful opportunity to compare and contrast the style and the approaches of different speakers.

In the International Speech contest portion, I am rooting for Barb Weisenberger. She is an excellent speaker and is my role model at the moment. Come listen to her!

Here is a picture of the winners of the Chippewa Valley Toastmasters Club speech contests on Thursday, February 16.  From left to right: Randi Johnson, 2nd place Table Topics; David Martinez, 1st place Table Topics; Barb Weisenberger, 1st place International Speech.  David and Barb will represent the Chippewa Valley Toastmasters Club at the Area N4 Speech Contest.  The Area N4 Contest is Thursday, March 15, 2012, at 7:00 PM at Globe University, 4955 Bullis Farm Rd, Eau Claire, WI.
-Arlene

The International Speech and Table Topics Contest is Thursday, February 16th, at 7 PM at Globe University.  At this time we have one contestant, Barb W., for the International Speech Contest.  For the Table Topics Contest we have 4 contestants: John, Randi, Tim, and Dave.  Any club members are welcome to participate in either or both contests on Thursday.  To be eligible for the International Speech Contest, you must have completed 6 speeches in the Competent Communication manual.  There is no such requirement for Table Topics Contest.

Randi is the Contest Master for the International Speech Contest and I am the Contest Master for the Table Topics Contest.  (Randi, I have printed all the necessary forms for both contests.)

In addition to participants, we need judges, timers, and ballot counters. Please plan to attend the speech contest on Thursday. It will be lots of fun and we need your support and assistance.

Gene

Toastmasters Leadership Institute Winter Session for Areas N3 and N4. Time: Registration 8:30 – 8:50 AM; Program 9:00 AM – 12 Noon
Place: Leisure Services Center, 1412 6th Street E, Menomonie, WI
International & Table Topics Speech Contest Schedule
The 2012 Speech Contest Rulebook is attached. More forms and certificates for the speech contest are downloadable at the Toastmasters International web site.
CVTM  Club Contest scheduled February 16, 2012, at 7:00 PM at Globe University. The Area N4 Contest is scheduled for Thursday, March 15, 2012, at 7:00 PM at Globe University, 4955 Bullis Farm Rd, Eau Claire, WI.
The Northern Division Contest is Saturday, April 14, 2014, at Rasmussen College, 1101 Westwood Drive, Wausau, WI 54401. Registration is 9 AM and the contest starts at 9:45 AM.
The District 35 Table Topics Contest is May 4 and the International Speech Contest is May 5 at the Spring Conference at the Hotel Meade and Conference Center, 451 East Grand Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids, WI.
Thank You
Gene Radtke
N4 Area Governor

We had an impressive & fun filled meeting with five great speeches. I can not wait for the next meeting. The theme for the next meeting is Holiday Movies.

]]> http://cvtoastmasters.org/index.php/2011/12/03/holiday-theme-for-next-meeting/feed/ 0 http://cvtoastmasters.org/index.php/2011/11/01/november-is-toastmasters-month-in-wisconsin/ http://cvtoastmasters.org/index.php/2011/11/01/november-is-toastmasters-month-in-wisconsin/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:17:52 +0000 Dale Lehner http://cvtoastmasters.org/?p=213