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

Barb Weisenberger, of Chippewa Valley Toastmasters,  took First Place! Congratulations, Barb! Her telling of a story that had a runaway Rabbit, a Turtle, her seven year old daughter, and her husband in the Emergency Room was exceedingly well done.

Second Place was earned by Susan Engebrecht, Wausau Morning Toastmasters, with a story of her first ice fishing event with her outdoor husband.

Jeff Eble, Stevens Point Toastmasters, won Third Place with his telling of his one-game one-play football career.

Other speakers in the Humorous Speech Contest were Tim Kelley of the New Richmond Toastmasters, Patty Ann O’Hara of the Wausau Morning Toastmasters,  Carol Prince of the New Richmond Toastmasters, and myself.

The Evaluation Contest occurred immediately afterward. First Place went to Kathleen Wesselink of Eclectic Image Toastmasters and Second Place went to Jeff Viergutz of Marshfield Toastmasters.  Tim Kelley of New Richmond Toastmasters was the third contestant in the Evaluation Contest.

As usual, I was completely calm, during the Humorous Speech Contest, until the speaker before me presented. Then the butterflies hit me, my throat went dry, and I assumed the look of a stone sculpture… well, not quite that bad, it was easier this time than any other but there is still room for improvement.

I never understood the fear some people have of taking tests. Throughout my academic years I never had a problem taking any math, history, or other tests. I knew what I had learned and that I would not forget it during a test. Speaking publicly is different though for me. It is less about what I know and more about what I do. And for a guy who can never do the same thing twice the same way, it’s a challenge to take my “practice speech” and deliver it to an audience. My practice speeches are awesome, just ask me! I have the cadence, rhythm, timing, and ‘pauses for effect’ down pat. Yet that all melts away when it’s time to perform.

One of the advantages of joining Toastmasters is to develop your  public speech delivery just as well as your private. It is a joy to watch and listen to speakers and learn from them. It’s not an easy process but the journey to speak publicly has to begin sometime. Why not now?

If you are uncomfortable speaking in public like I am, please come join us at Chippewa Valley Toastmasters. Every meeting is filled with examples of what to do and , of course, what not to do. Learning by doing, developing experience, and sharing your experience with others is the best way to gain skills to speak well in public.

I hope to see you at our next meeting, November 3rd, 2011… See the header tab for location and directions.

Vic Galafano, of the Chippewa Valley Toastmasters, presided over the evening activities and was at his best by deftly telling all of us jokes about Claude’s parrot.  Claude does not actually have a parrot but as Claude himself has said, “Never let the truth stand in the way of a good story”.

Many people rose to tell personal stories of Claude’s leadership in Toastmasters and it was easy to see that he has earned the respect and admiration of all Toastmasters in Eau Claire.

Claude’s wife,  Corrita, took the center of the room and gave a heartfelt recognition of Claude that was emotional for many of us.

I won’t go into all the memories and the humor that was shared that evening but it was a wonderful tribute to a community leader. We should all strive to become the leader that Claude has been in this area.

The evening concluded with an Ode to Claude Schilling .

(Later we  learned that this was also his birthday and it made this more fitting.)

An Ode to Claude Schilling

May Happiness seize thee, Claude, our friend,
O Toastmaster leader extraordinaire!
Your service to mankind will surely append
Another one’s history here in Eau Claire.

Your Time and your Talent share a witty blend,
And your precious wisdom, spoken with a smile,
Reveal true greatness and they do but extend
The myth and the legend of you without guile.

‘He was no myth of history,’ the historians defended.
‘Claude led the area through the difficult days.
All here know he frequently wended
His Wisdom to everyone like a fire ablaze.’

‘Older than dirt’is his friendly approbation,
And ‘Toastmaster sandwiches’ are now eaten every day,
‘The meat is the substance for the evaluation’,
Our Toastmaster Leader communicates this way.

Our Leader among Leaders respectfully teaches,
With an integrity and courtesy that we commend,
That in Toastmasters there are ‘No Free Speeches’
And that we should complete objectives to the very end.

May Happiness seize thee, Claude, our friend.
May the shackles of mediocrity never arise,
The misfortunes of this world you will surely transcend,
To us, your fellow Toastmasters, you are ‘Claude the Wise’.

Chippewa Valley Toastmasters
Club 6173 District 35

Krissy Custer led off the competition with a light-hearted review of a vacation experience of swimming with sharks. I checked out her boyfriend for the web feet that she mentioned but I only saw normal guy shoes.

Tom Wagener has a wonderful presentation style that was a good fit with his around-the-house-Tim-the-Tool-Man approach to humor about himself. I enjoyed him immensely.

Barb Weisenberger  had kept a secret for years from her husband and she finally told him during a medical emergency because ‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’.  She re-told that story and the laughter that allowed them to lighten the burden during that emergency. Today her husband reminds her of the story whenever he has a chance.  She has a wonderful story-telling style.

Dale Lehner  (that’s me) spoke of the power and types of secrets in a humorous way that people could identify with.

Barb Weisenberger took first place and Dale Lehner took second place.

Given that both winners spoke of secrets, should we speculate that secrets of any kind still hold power in mysterious ways?

The next step is the Division level contest to be held in Wausau in October. Both Barb and Dale will present at that competition. More to come later about that…

I entered the Humorous Speech Contest last year and had great fun with it. The key, I think, is to pick a topic with which you are very familiar and that resonates with the masses and find the humor in it. The time limit for the humorous speech is 5-7 minutes.

Please consider entering the Humorous Speech Contest.  In addition to speakers, we need judges (5) and timers (2).  I am the contest chair, so please let me know if you are speaking or would like to serve as a judge or timer.  Thanks!

I’ve pasted the rules below.  You can also find out more about the Humorous Speech Contest on the Toastmasters International web site.

Humorous Speech Contest Rules
The Humorous Speech Contest follows all rules outlined in the General Rules section of this rulebook.  In addition, the following additions and exceptions apply.
1. The subject for the humorous speech shall be selected by the contestant. The speaker shall avoid potentially objectionable language, anecdotes, and material.
2. The speech must be thematic in nature (opening, body, and close), not a monologue (series of one-liners).

Thanks much….Arlene

We had three competitors in our club competition, and three fantastic speeches.  When the points were all tallied, Barb Weisenberger took 1st place, and Christopher Kamrath took second place.  This means that both Barb and Chris will be advancing to the area contest later this month – which will also be held at our normal meeting place (the LDS church in Eau Claire).  Way to go Barb and Chris, and good luck at the area contest!