Toastmasters international convention

While in Las Vegas for two work-related conferences, I was able to go to part of the Toastmasters International annual convention at Bally’s casino.

I got to hear some of the keynote address and pick up a free copy of the speaker’s book; watch some of the semi-finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking (with the winners of the district International speech contests); and participate in the Business meeting.

It was exciting to watch Toastmasters from all over the world give great speeches, although I found some of the speeches to be a little lacking in substance and some speeches to be over the top in terms of volume and body movement. (More speakers than I would have expected also told stories, skipping the standard three-point speeches that I’m more used to.) The winner of the semifinals session I saw most of was a Maori man from New Zealand. I ordered a DVD of this session, and I’ll hope to show at an upcoming Peace Speakers meeting speeches given by two women who covered similar themes and were both quite good.

Probably the most memorable aspect of my Toastmasters convention experience was meeting other individual Toastmasters, including:
- A group of Toastmasters from Australia, with whom I had dinner. Several of these were women from southeastern Australia who were on a five-week round-the-world trip for which Las Vegas and the convention were just one stop. These folks were really fun.
- A long-time Toastmaster and fellow Floridian who is chairing the planning committee for next year’s international convention, in Orlando. The international convention in two years will be very near us, in Cincinnati.
- A new Toastmaster from a club in southern California that is a wine-tasting club, with wine-tasting as part of their meetings.

I also saw half a dozen Toastmasters from our own District 11, and chatted with Walter Wolfe, the New Albany (IN) Toastmaster who is district governor, who said he’d be in touch with us about visiting a Peace Speakers meeting. And I saw a convention facility peppered with lots of examples of the new Toastmasters International logo and the new website.

-- Perry

Summer Meetings a Cool Opportunity for Expression at Peace Speakers

Despite searing temperatures and unbearable humidity this summer, Peace Speakers' members enjoyed opportunities to cool off and express themselves in interesting ways. Here are a few of the ways we accomplished this at our July 6th, July 20th and August 3rd meetings:

In a speech given early in July, Ada Middleton chose to exemplify the 4 four attributes she felt were of most importance to a Peace Speaker:
1. Agility, which requires flexibility, quick action and effectiveness. Members often take on roles during meetings, which helps them build effective speaking and leadership skills.
2. Commitment, which is a pledge to do something in the future, like attending meetings regularly, giving speeches on a regular basis, and being willing and ready to fill roles at meetings.
3. Spontaneity, which involves acting on impulse voluntarily. Our impromptu Table Topics sessions, where questions are answered in short 2-3 minute speeches without preparation time, gives members opportunities to share and express themselves.
4. Perseverance, which requires a continued effort despite challenges to achieve something. Each Peace Speakers' meeting affords everyone a chance to practice and build their speaking and leadership skills. The gains over time are often amazing!
Ada reminded us at the close of her speech to let these 4 attributes (and others you might add to the list) take you to places you’d never dream.



















Eva Stimson gave a speech called "Slavery Today?" shaking any complacency the listeners might have had about human trafficking. Today in the U.S. and abroad, the mind-numbing figure of 27 million in bondage creates an unsettling image of brothels and sweatshops, where people are often bought and sold as commodities. Eva closed with a host of sites for taking caring action. If others around the globe are enslaved, then we have the responsibility to be informed and report suspected incidents of human trafficking. The Hotline number is: (888) 373-7888.

In late July, Ada Middleton lead a fun-filled Table Topics session asking questions pertaining to weddings and vacations. As always, these short speeches are often informative and entertaining. This is an opportunity for members to share their memories, thoughts, knowledge, and story telling skills, depending on the question posed. Ada reminded us that success comes from organizing your thoughts, visualizing yourself as confident and excited, staying on the point, and remembering to b-r-e-a-t-h-e. (It's best not to pass out during Table Topics!)


Our first meeting in August brought 3 members up to the podium individually to discover what was hidden behind 3 doors. Kay Chambers found a fancy black hat and created a quick speech on how lucky it had been the year she won $10,000 at the Derby on a horse she decided to bet on because it had winked at her. Steve Lanham discovered binoculars and a universal tool, which he shared were handy items for numerous reasons and ones that hunters, like his sons, would find useful. Behind the 3rd door, Becki found an ornate bell and shared that she would ring it to send the message to all young people that life gets better after high school, even if you aren't the cute cheerleader or the popular football player. She finished by saying, "It's okay to be who you are!"















Another opportunity for improvisational talks came during a Table Topics session where Becki Moody created questions pertaining to songs sung by The Doors, a rock band from the early 1970's and whose music is still popular. Songs named "Light My Fire," "People are Strange," and "The Mosquito" became props for intriguing questions and lots of fun responses.

These few examples show some of the ways that Peace Speakers and guests have enjoyed their summer meetings. Anyone can join us on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. Peace Speakers gather from 1-2 p.m. at the Presbyterian Center, 100 Washington Street, Conference Room B, in downtown Louisville. We welcome visitors at all meetings!

Kay Chambers, VP for Public Relations of Peace Speakers