Toastmasters Convention 2010

The 2010 version of the Toastmasters Convention saw the participation of Financial Toastmasters members once again, without fail!!

Relive the best moments and browse through the pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ibrahim.sheikyousouf/2ndToastmastersConvention#

Till the next exciting Toastmasters meeting, enjoy and over to you!
Humbly yours,
$@br|n@

TOAST OF THE DAY - RENEWAL

By Anna Hausser

After three weeks of holidays, the word that comes to my mind is RENEWAL for I have experienced it in several of its forms.

Holidays are a time to replenish the batteries, by recovering if you feel tired of routine or physically tired and become new or as if new again. Refilled with a fresh supply of energy. Renewed my spirits in the country air.

Holidays can also be a time to renew yourself, by resting, by doing things we usually don't have the time to do, or doing new things, or doing nothing, or reading. This can be regenerating and rejuvenating.

Renewal is also about renovation. It is a time when we can renovate and refresh our house, as I did, with new painting and new thatch roof and refurbishing and transforming rooms with little changes that bring more space, and make a part of the house more enjoyable.

It can be about repairing, restoring, rebuilding something old and turning it into something renewed like a piece of furniture, or some clothes.

Renewal can be about replacement of things and people. It can also be about getting rid of old things we haven't used for ages and leaving space for new ones. Renewal can be the occasion to revive old friendships, to re-establish old relationships.

In fact, if we look around us, our physical universe and nature, there is only one underlying reality present everywhere: change. As Einstein said, matter is not created, nor destroyed, only transformed.

Cells in our body are constantly renewed, in fact there is nothing about the universe that isn't changing right now. Life flows in an ever changing succession of transformations, an eternal recommencement.

I'd like to end this toast with a couple of questions you may ask yourself if you are interested in bringing renewal into your life.

What is it that I've been holding on to that I need to let go of?

What is no longer serving me in my life that I need to release?

I invite you to join me for a toast to RENEWAL

Interviewing Preetah Bolaky

Financial Toastmasters has had the pleasure of welcoming new members lately, and among them is Preetah Bolaky, a gorgeous young lady, full of dreams and aspirations...I have decided to interview her to get a piece of her mindset and to get to know her a little more...

1. Who is Preetah Bolaky, what makes Preetah such a loving person?
I would describe myself as a very ambitious hardworking and sincere girl. I am enthusiastic about taking new challenges in life. Friendly, caring, and joyful is what my friends would describe me as.

A good friend of mine always tells me that I am a loving person because I always compromise my own position for the good of those around me.

2. Why to have chosen a career at Deutsche Bank?
Deutsche Bank being a leading global provider of financial solutions was among the banks I wanted to start my career at that time being a degree holder of Banking and International Finance and I got the opportunity to form part of the Passion to Perform Team.

3. Tell us about your feelings and experience of your first Financial Toastmasters meeting and how your expectations have grown or changed after having attended subsequent toastmasters gatherings?
The first time I went for the meeting I did not know what Toastmaster meeting was really about until I stood up and talk about the table topics on the day itself. This was the time I realised that it is the club I want to join to build my self confidence and communication skills. After having attended subsequent toastmaster gatherings, I started being more confident and comfortable in front of an audience.

4. Barack Obama said in his acceptance speech as President of the US "America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century, what change will they see?"...Preetah, tell us, what change would You want to see in the next 10 years in Mauritius and what change would You want your children to see?
I will definitely not want the next ten years to look like the last ten.
Technology gives Mauritius, an island described as being "In the middle of nowhere on the way to everywhere". So I hope to see Mauritian Economy to continue to prosper and to manage the transition from a high growth textile exporter to a successful high technology service industry country. Personally, in ten years I just want Mauritius to be well known around the world.
I want my children to shift in the mindset from "the world belongs to man" to "humanity belongs to the earth".

5. Preetah, we know you are a football fan, in the context of the world cup, what team are you supporting and what are your guesses of the 2 teams playing the finals?
France was the team I was supporting. I think Germany and Netherlands will be playing the Final but everything can happen as with the World Cup 2010, Expect the Unexpected.

An Iron Fist In A Velvet Glove

On Wednesday 09 June 2010, the Executive Committee of the Financial Toastmasters Club unanimously decided to entrust the future of the club in the hands of Ms Ouma Cuniah. Ms Cuniah will take office as from 1st July for a one year term. She will be the third President of our club.

Ms Cuniah is a seasoned toastmaster, she is a competent communicator who has served the club in the past two years as treasurer and vice-president membership respectively. She was voted 2009/2010 Toastmaster of the year by fellow members.

The outgoing President says of her that she is passionate and committed to the highest standards. He added that she is the right person in the right place, an iron fist in a velvet glove.

Outside of Toastmasters, Ms Cuniah is the Chief Internal Auditor of a well-known listed company, she plays tennis and practises yoga. Her perfect English stems from the long hours she spends reading.

She is also known for the charming smile that she wears in all circumstances................. "Smile at life, life will smile back at you".

She shares her views below......................have a pleasant reading.

1. Who is Ouma Cuniah?

This simple question generates quite a very strange feeling actually… as I realise that I don’t actually know the answer to that! You can never be sure what image you are projecting, don’t you agree? You feel and act in a certain way but then the feedback that people give on you throws you off track sometimes. Well… since I can only speak for myself, I would say that I’m a very outspoken and honest person. My fundamental values would be sincerity, integrity and a passion for excellence.

2. Why did you join a toastmasters club, what were your objectives?

Two years back a friend of mine advised me to join or create a toastmasters club and that stuck in my mind and then one day, by sheer coincidence I learnt that Dario Adolphe belonged to one and this is how things got started. And I must confess that I didn’t have any clear or defined objectives as such. I just came to the club one day and I got such a warm welcome by everybody that I decided to stay on.


3. Have the objectives been met?

Since I came in with an open mind, what I have gained from the club far surpasses what I could have had as expectations. The Toastmasters experience has enhanced all aspects of my life – you definitely cross to the next level once you’ve faced an audience. You learn all the small synchronising details which make or break an event. You even become a humorist, despite yourself! And also, as a committee member, it has been a fantastic journey with a lot of exhilarating moments.

4. How do you fit toastmasters in your already packed schedule?

I like this one! It actually doesn’t fit in!!! I have to sacrifice on other activities each time I’m in a Toastmasters meeting.

5. How does it feel to be president of Financial Toastmasters?

It is the nicest and warmest feeling to form part of the dream team.

6. What’s your views on the club?

This club is going places! As the youngest club on the island, our track record is impressive. The only DTM on the island is our founder president, we bagged the Select Distinguished Club award at the end of our first year itself and we are well on track to obtain the highest award from the Toastmasters International this year, the President’s Distinguished Club.

We have unfailingly held our two monthly meetings for the past two years. We love to advertise the fact that at Financial Toastmasters we talk about anything and everything under the sun except financial matters! We have a fantastic mix of members – coming from different lines of profession, countries and age groups. So, it is a very buoyant club with lots of freshness, new ideas and energy.

7. What are your objectives for 2010/2011?

The past two years have been focused on setting up and strengthening the foundations of the club. This year, in consensus with the IPP and the committee members, we are going to apply a particular focus on the performance and track record of each and every member. Clear targets will be set, there will be ongoing monitoring with the help of the mentors and at the end of the year we want to see these set hurdles already crossed and goals attained.

Notwithstanding our internal objectives, we are also going to open up externally. We will maintain our commitment to promote our club externally and we also intend to encourage more members to participate as speakers or Emcees in real life situations.


8. What’s your views on level of attendance at meetings?

I have to confess that a lot of efforts is devoted in contacting and encouraging members to come and participate at the meetings. I understand that professional or personal obligations sometimes come in the way but our biggest source of strength is our members. As it is, our committee members volunteer a lot of their time and other resources in keeping this club together and making things happen and it would really mean a lot to them if our members could show their support by participating more in the club’s activities.

9. How do you plan to deal with this?

I believe that we have to go out and discuss with our members and learn more about their aspirations about the club and their own targets. This will help us to align our club’s activities to satisfy our members’ needs more efficiently.

10. Any message for the members?

It is a prestigious reference to be known as a Toastmaster. But this designation comes with a lot of responsibilities too. We have a duty to continuously maintain and improve our speaking and presentation skills and this can only be done with practice and more practice.




Best of luck to Madam President.


D.

Interview Of Our President

Ricardo Freyneau, is completing his one year term as President of our club and we wanted to find out how he has lived this experience. Ricardo is a Vice-President at Deutsche Bank. He is married with three children and resides in Pointe-aux-Cannoniers. Please read on to catch an insight about Ricardo.

Ricardo, you are completing your one-year presidency at the club. How did you live this experience?

The experience was earth shattering for me, you see I remember telling a member who invited me that I would only join the club if I could be involved in the committee... little did I know that it meant I would be president one year later. I believe that Financial Toastmasters club is a great club with many members who are extremely capable people. The club also has a few firsts - for example the only club in Mauritius to have produced a DTM. I am a firm believer in achieving high objectives and one of the goals that I set for myself was to achieve the President's Select distinguished club award, this looks within our grasp as we have two tasks to achieve.

Any lessons you have learnt?

I have learnt to value the opinions of others. My personality was one where I always wanted things done my way. Another weakness I had was never being transparent about goals and objectives and what brought me back to reality was when one of our toastmasters decided to approach me and very gently give me a piece of his find, he expressed his exasperation, he helped me remove that opaque veil around me to become more transparent both within the club and in my professional life. As President this year, I have learnt empathy.

You are a Vice-President at Deutsche bank. Tell us about the man behind this title.

Actually job titles are irrelevant and mean nothing much if you don't love what you do. I love leading a young, pro-active and high performing team at the bank. All of us focus on the business's interest, innovating and finding ways to do things more efficiently and effectively. A lot of what I have achieved is because of the hard work from my team. I am specially fond of technology and project management and thrive when under pressure from our very demanding management. Everyday is a learning experience and I make an effort to spend at least an hour a day reading as it helps me to keep mentally stimulated.

What are the fundamentals which help you to stay grounded?

Keeping my truth as my priority in my life, doing whatever I can for the good of those around me and putting myself to the service of others. Focusing on the big picture without wavering integrity.

What message would you like to send across to all our members?

We are an amazing club, an amazing group of people with diverse backgrounds and we are all unique and special in our very own way, this makes our club Financial Toasmasters a unique and special club. As we move ahead in the years to come let us build on the solid foundations left by our founding president to consolidate our club. Every member has something to give and every member has something to learn, let's be a club par excellence where there is that mutual interchange.

The Unsustainable Leader!

By James Benoit


There's no such thing as "sustainable" development or leadership.

Human progress and individual liberty have advanced on the backs of one unsustainable development after another: When we needed trees for heating and transportation, we chopped 'em down. Then we discovered oil, and we built internal combustion engines to use the oil so we could drive cars. So then, the trees grew back. Now we are fearing the time when the oil is all drilled from the ground. But likely we won't notice because our cars will be powered by something else. We used to wait days even weeks for mail to arrive, now we get it in a nano second. Earth's most valuable resource is us and our never ending ability to adapt. Most things we use today did not exist a century ago, even decades ago.

Nothing we have in this physical world is sustainable or meant to last forever. But yet here we are. Mankind is stronger, healthier, more informed than ever. We are a global success story. But it requires us to constantly rip up the status quo. That means you and me and all that aspire to lead must be indepensible, unsustainable and downright unreasonable at times!

And yet we continue to doubt our ability

To spontaneously self organize ourselves in a voluntary way
To solve our problems
To improve our lives

Instead we have such insecurity in ourselves that we build huge governments corporations, religions even all in a bid to "protect us" in the name of sustainability. Stability. A comfort zone. This then results in something said a long time ago by Ben Franklin at the founding of the American republic. He said "that those who give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety." I think he is right. In most parts of the world people are highly indebted and overtaxed and overregulated thereby giving up their essential liberty. But what has the last two years shown us? That when we really needed the safety we thought we had bought, that companies are laying people off, govts say they have no money to spend on our essential services. And still We think we need big government and big companies to do anything of importance. Sometimes, to do anything!

But think instead of another way

Think Google, Apple, Facebook and that whole Silicon Valley area. Think Bangalore. No centrally planned bossy boots government planner came up with that. Those businesses were set up my men of passion of great leadership and have brought more smiles and service to more people in the world than any government plan has. Yet we think that relentlessly handing over education, health care, price of rice or sugar, the post office and other services to the government or corporate monopolies is a good thing. Really, do you really want your next iPod designed by the Ministry to Telecommunications?

But how has it come this reliance? Sadly too many people accept a day's pay for a day's work. They clock in, do their work like good little boys and girls and clock out. Most businesses never tap the creativity or passion that people have.

Think of Passion

My experience of working around the world is just the opposite. The truly indispensable people are .ones who bring all that passion and energy to work, and deliver incredible experiences for their partners, customers and compatriots. I think many people are unsatisfied at work because they aren't willing to tap into their real energy and passion, and don't believe that that work would be rewarded and valued.

And that is where this massive period of industrial, technological and financial change all happening at once is I think a turning point in human history. We now live in a time when everything can be outsourced and made nearly anywhere else on the planet. If you do something that can be done by a machine, then really soon it's going to be done with a machine. If you do something that can be done for a quarter of the price by someone in Bangalore, then what are you doing that can't be done by those alternatives? Your current job, your current life is unsustainable.

Creating a network
Doing art,
Contributing emotional labor
Being culturally sensitive to the work that you do and the people you work with

Decision Time

This then is where you, the speakers, the leaders, the passionate ones in this room make the difference. You have decided already to do what is needed. I was really touched by a comment at our last TM meeting. One of the guests said she really likes TM since it was her first time to meet a CEO. That would be me. It’s not important that it was me per se but I hope she decides to stay in TM for she is going to continue to meet people, passionate, pioneering people in associations like TM that give her that network. That is how she will help develop her feeling of being indispensable.

The antidote to massive corporates and governments exercising unhealthy control over so many aspects of our lives is by becoming "indispensible". can become indispensable not because of their power or position, because their "emotional labor", But becoming indispensable is scary because it requires personal leadership.

Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead.

It's uncomfortable to stand up and speak in front of strangers.
It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail.
It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo.
It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle.

So when you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed. If you're not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it's almost certain you're not reaching your potential as a leader.

So, have you traded your passion, your liberty, your ability to be indispensible for a promise of temporary safety and security from a govt or company? You may be safe for now, but not for long I think.

Keep on investing in yourselves, in your networks like TM. As I said at the beginning, the smart bet is always on human ingenuity on human leadership. Earth's greatest resource is us. Not oil, not gold, not money, not a nice job, not a government handout.

GB Shaw, said that "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world . The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. All progress, therefore, depends upon the unreasonable man."

So go on.
Be unreasonable
Unsustainable and
Indispensable.
Be a leader.

OUR TOASTMASTERS MAKE US PROUD!

Sabrina Hanoomanjee
Our Fellow Toastmaster, Sabrina Hanoomanjee, excelled in the 2010 JCI National Debate Competition!

As its captain, Sabrina drove her team composed of three other members into the finals and onto the No 1 position on the podium. Representing the JCI Curepipe, they successfully defended the Best Loser System in our country in the 1st round and the Project, Maurice Ile Durable in the 2nd one. They kept their winning edge right till the end of the final round where they had to, and indeed did, convince the jury that Mauritius is ready for its ageing population.

Well done Sabrina!

Damien Veerapatren
Damien Veerapatren, also a Jaycee, tried his hand at the Public Speaking Competition organised by the JCI Beau Bassin in April 2010. All the participants had to talk on the topic “Let us be the change” and while delivering his speech in the semi-circular auditorium of the Municipality of Port-Louis, Damien aptly gave the example of Mahatma Gandhi who drove India through one of its biggest changes in modern history, from being a country under the British Raj to become an independent land.

Damien obtained the runner up position in this competition. At the time of the competition, Damien had only completed his Level 1 and Level 2 Toastmaster speeches. This is indeed an achievement for this budding Toastmaster!

Good going, Damien!

What is your favourite touch, sound, sight, smell and taste?

• Ricardo Freyneau

Touch: Human touch


Sound: Children's laughter


Sight: My wife and daughters when they are all dressed up and pretty


Smell: Freshly cut grass and white roses


Taste: Kiwi and white chocolate

• Patrick Ah Vane

Touch: Small things


Sound: Love songs


Sight: Landscape


Smell: Vanilla


Taste: Salty food

• Padmini Lareine

Touch: Holding hands with a dear person


Sound: Laughter from her family


Sight: The sun going down on the beach


Smell: Roses


Taste: Chocolate

A journey into our senses

Last Wednesday Anna Hausser, our TM of the evening walked us through our doorways of perception and into a fantastic exploration of our senses. And with our heightened senses, Luc Merven’s word of the day, sedulous stood out and engraved itself on our minds. Incidentally, Luc also had his first experience as the Ah Counter and Listener Post and my God, trust an accountant to be so precise and accurate in his count of pause fillers. From my own experience, not only was his report the most complete one I have ever listened to in a Toastmaster’s meeting but it was also such a valuable help to us who are fighting so hard to improve our presentation skills.
Our hearty congratulations go to our French ambassador, Sylvie Moonsamy, who delivered her last speech to become our latest Competent Communicator. Sylvie Moonsamy had chosen to comment on the Information Systems environment of our club, and intelligently used a Powerpoint Presentation to guide us through this technical subject.
Ricardo Freyneau touched all our hearts with a true episode of his life in Botswana. Damien Veerapatren gave us an insight into Churchill’s life and Shaffiq told us the SMART way to obtain the best results from your team - you should give them tasks which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound.
Our round of evaluations was smoothly and expertly handled by Karen Alexandre, Patrick Ah Vane, James Benoit and Padmini Lareine.
I, myself, as the Table Topics master, made our participants dive into the depths of their senses by making them close their eyes and comment on an object which they could explore only by the feel, smell and touch of it.
We were happy to welcome back Robin Appadoo among us as the Timer. Robin, due to his frequent professional trips abroad had not been able to participate actively last year but he is back this year with lots of enthusiasm and ready for a taste and experience of the life as a Financial Toastmaster.
Sabrina Hanoomanjee was our last speaker as the General Evaluator. That was her very first attempt in this role but those who know her well will not be surprised to hear that as usual, she gave us a crisp, articulate and poised performance.

CELEBRATING OUR INDEPENDENCE!

Have fun, get educated and pay respect to our Republic...

Last 10^th March 2010 was a special Toastmasters meeting, coinciding with our 42^nd Anniversary of our Independence and 18^th Anniversary of our Republic, Toastmaster of the Evening Ricardo Freyneau cruised us through the evening with some special items added to our agenda to reflect on this special event, such as the “Toast to the Republic” and our very own “National Anthem”.

Toastmaster Daniel Chan Chong introduced “empowerment” as the word of the day; just the right word to recall how Mauritius has strived and fought to be able to reach such heights today.

We also had 3 prepared speeches that evening, that of Patrick Ah-Vane (now a proud Competent Communicator!!), a level 10 speech entitled “Let’s save our planet”; followed by a speciality speech by Toastmaster Anna Hausser, which is a reading-out loud project entitled “The Telephone Call” and a Level 2 speech by Toastmaster Bipin Gooriah on a very debatable topic at the moment “Talk of the nation, death penalty”. One simple word to summarise it all: Fabulous…

Unlike our normal toasts in normal meetings, this time we had a Toast to the Republic, with a short sharing on the main Mauritian history events by Toastmaster Padmini Lareine, and Toastmaster Dario Adolphe for the toast. This was then followed by our National Anthem.

We also had cake to commemorate Independence. See picture below:

A night to remember, not only for our guests, but for our regular toastmasters. Long Live the Republic of Mauritius and Long Live Financial Toastmasters!

How do our comrades from elsewhere react to the Mauritian experience?

James Benoit from Canada:
To me Mauritius wears its independence like a warm, comfortable sweater that fits perfectly. Well done, Mauritius!

Pami Kular from UK:
The Mauritian experience is constantly a laugh and a cry... as I continue to discover its distinct nuances. I find the people very industrious on the one hand -with limited natural resources you all have made this country a success in various industries; yet the island-style mentality cannot escape the way we do things around here. In fact I was hoping for a bit more of the laid-back approach but its becoming as much of a challenge to know your neighbours in MRU as in Europe. Nonetheless I enjoy the ease with which one has easy access to a lot of activities from hiking, swimming, yoga down the road, 5 star dream weekend in the fantastic hotels, etc without the driving (we are catching up though) and parking stresses we face for the shortest trip in the UK. All in all it’s a great place because of the people that inhabit this jewel of an island.

Anna Hausser from Spain:
I came here eight years ago as an expatriate and two years ago I became a proud Mauritian citizen. Mauritius is a beautiful confetti, a world in miniature and small is beautiful. I love Mauritius!









Sylvie Moonsamy from France:
It’s been 20 years since I’ve been living in Mauritius. So I am a Mauritian and I react as one! But when I hear the first impressions of newcomers here, I realise that my initial reaction had been the same as theirs. I was confronted to a completely different work culture but over the years, I’ve developed a very zen approach towards the way of doing things here and have completely adjusted to the island’s way of life.







" History turning a blind eye bore him not witness History standing mute told not his full story He who had watered this land with his sweat And turned stone into green fields of gold The First Immigrant He, son of this land He was mine, he was yours, he was our very own "

This poem was written by Abhimanyu Unnuth and it reminds us that we, Mauritians, are descendants of people who came from far away lands... many of us came from places with names which have been lost in history and, let alone a face, not even a name can be assigned to these ancestors...

- Posted by: Ouma and Sabrina -

Mastering Table Topics

If you have ever had the experience of someone picking you up and pitching you into a lake or pool to learn how to swim, you know the feeling of desperately grasping for something to hold on to. For new members, Table Topics is that event where you’re thrown in the deep waters and expected to swim or sink. Fortunately, there are some techniques that you can use to make your one to two minutes of terrifying spontaneity enjoyable.

First, don’t be thrown by the complexity of the question. It really doesn’t make that much difference if the question is “Describe your favorite meal” or “How would you body surf down the dew on a blade of grass” – both can be equally challenging. The secret is that you don’t need to answer the question directly. Use the technique that politicians use: Shift or twist the question to an area that you do know something about. For example: “As for body surfing, the last time I was near the ocean was when I served aboard the US Navy support ship, the Minneapolis. Our mission was to re-supply the troops serving on the front lines. I’ll never forget how proud I was to be supporting the war effort and keeping our country free of terrorism. That’s why I endorse the spending plan that would ensure our forces have equipment that will protect them with the best technology possible. I don’t think I could body surf down a blade of grass, but I would gladly vote for the best equipment of our men and women in uniform.” So did that answer the question? For a politician, yes! He fielded a difficult question, got his message out, and sounded professional doing it. Make this part of your strategy for Table Topics – you don’t need to answer the question asked...directly. You can’t ignore the question completely. So notice above that the politician repeated the question and tied it in again at the end. This is the second tip and it serves three purposes:
It gives you a little extra time to think about where you can go with the question.
It serves as the transition to what you really are going to talk about. You can think of it as the springboard to your real answer.
Tying your answer back to the original question makes your response seem focused.

The third tip is from King Solomon, who said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” As a Toastmaster, nothing should catch you off guard, because every meeting has a theme. Spend five or 10 minutes of preparation to reflect on the theme and to recall a story or anecdote or a funny family event that somewhat fits the theme. Remember, you don’t need an exact answer to the question, just a smooth delivery. You’ll have about 90 seconds to tell the story. Skip most of the details and focus on the actions. Add a few gestures that fit your storyline. Practice your story a few times, even if just in your head, until you feel comfortable. You are not looking for perfection, just a familiar path to create and then follow when you’re standing up front. It’s meeting day and the theme is Nature’s Oddities. You’ve done your homework and thought about the time you witnessed wild pigs running through your family’s camping site. You’ve even rehearsed a couple of times to be able to demonstrate the panic you saw on your Mom’s face as the pigs ransacked the family’s cooler full of food.

You’re trying to avoid eye contact with the Topicsmaster, but she sees you and asks the question, “Explain why male pheasants have a ring around their neck.” This type of question would normally intimidate you into embarrassed silence, but you’re ready with your answer: Why do male pheasants have a ring around their neck? That’s a tough question. But when you consider Nature’s Oddities, it’s not the only tough question. For example, I was camping with my family at Big Bend park in Texas. We roasted marshmallows around the campfire and watched the fire burn down to embers. It was so peaceful with the glowing coals and the stars shining brightly overhead. Suddenly, we heard grunting noises near the camper. You should have seen the look on my Mom’s face! She was panicked! I scrambled for the flashlight and turned it on. Wild pigs were in the cooler helping themselves to our food. My brother threw rocks at them and they scattered off into the woods. They did a job on our food, but didn’t eat the pork sausage. Did they know it was Cousin Fred from Iowa? I don’t know why wild pigs didn’t like pork and I don’t know why male pheasants have a ring around their neck. Those are just some of Nature’s Oddities. Notice that the answer has a beginning, middle and end. It actually goes somewhere, as opposed to offering random thoughts on pheasant plumage. It’s a competitive Table Topics effort with just a few minutes of preparation. Once you have assimilated these techniques, here’s how to step up your game. Use everyday situations to practice telling short stories. Use your alone time to practice giving Table Topics answers. It may be a few moments while mowing the lawn, doing the laundry or driving to work. For me, it’s doing animal chores, like when I feed the sheep in the barn. On this one morning, a sitting duck sees me, stands up, quacks loudly and slowly waddles away. Here’s my opportunity to describe the moment as if it were a Table Topics question on, “How do you handle office politics?”: I know when I came upon the scene, some of you eyed me with suspicion. I find that amusing, as I have been supporting your cause for a long time. Some of you even rose up and sounded the alarm through e-mails, phone calls and in those “private meetings.” I’m here today to reaffirm my support for your cause. You can count on me to be here day after day after day. Don’t turn your back and walk out. Sit down. I think we can work together to resolve our minor issues and we will both benefit from our mutual understanding. Can a sitting duck help you to speak better spontaneously? Sure – if you practice telling a story! So will the tissue that you had in your pocket when you washed clothes or the person who cut in front of you on the freeway. Make use of everyday situations to practice telling a story. If you like how the story spins out the first time, practice it a few times refining the storyline. Leave out unnecessary details and put in action verbs. The action verbs allow you to add meaningful gestures. Your goal is to have the story flow through a beginning, middle and end and to last about 90 seconds. Now you’re on your way to mastering a contest-quality Table Topics answer. With a little practice, you can answer Table Topics questions like a pro!

Bob Lea, ACS, CL is a member of the Hutchinson II Toastmasters club in Hutchinson, Minnesota

Guys, make this blog live!!!!!

Hi guys,

Pay a visit to our blog at http://financialtoastmasters.blogspot.com/

Post comments on articles as they are published and encourage contributors.

Why not also become followers......pay a visit and you will understand what I am talking about.

We'll actually know how many of you do it, we'll count the number of followers.....




Lets make this blog live!!!!!

D.

Night of speeches December 2009

The first night of speeches for 2009-2010 was held last 9th December 2009. Our President and TME Ricardo Freyneau was spot on, as usual :-) and the speakers were amazing…once again…

The only speakers for the meeting were Patrick Ah-Vane, James Benoit, Bipin Gooriah and myself, each of us attempting various speech levels.

I myself talked about Information Security and how important it is to safeguard your personal information from malicious people wanting to take advantage of these for financial gain. Credit card security, online banking, viruses, almost anything that contains confidential data. All this does seem new and complicated but the bottomline message is that anything to do with the Internet, remember: “Precaution is better than cure”.

James on the other hand captivated us with his level 8 speech, “The Dragon Slayer in all of us”. For a moment, I thought I was living a remake of “Star Wars”, because his speech was accompanied by a triplet of swords which he drew one after the other, to the amusement of some, and to the surprise of others!!

Bipin was completely different, he was calm, friendly and took us along a pleasant journey throughout anecdotes of his life. For an ice-breaker speech, it was impressive, Bipin showed no fear whatsoever….that shows a good kickstart at toastmasters! Keep it up!

“No Stress” was the motto of Patrick – his level 9 speech gave us some insight on how to eliminate stress. To that Patrick, may I add: “no work, no stress!” :-)
Whilst the judges were deliberating, Anna tried to challenge us at table topics. I must admit that it was whole bunch of fun and laughter. A perfect way to end our meeting.

Finally the prizes went to: James Benoit for best speaker, myself for runner-up speaker, Luc for best evaluator and Shaffiq for runner-up Evaluator.
Way to go for the first night of speeches!

Sabrina

Music Therapy- Sabrina Hanoomanjee

Just imagine for a few seconds that you are strolling along the beach on a warm summer evening. You stop and pause and right there just for a moment, in the pitch blackness of the night you gaze up at the sky, and all you see are endless stars that run for as far as you can see. What a wonderful sight that is. Can you imagine that same sky without any stars? Life without music is similar to a night sky without stars. Dull and plain. Lifeless and dead. Just emptiness, nothing else…


Music, my dear friends has always been an important source of inspiration ever since the beginning of times. Our forefathers, the very first cavemen, they themselves created their own sounds and turned them into some sort of music. For them, this became divine and a symbol of the supernatural guiding their every action. Since then, music has in numerous occasions proved to be a therapy on its own and a source of healing. Life without music is indeed comparable to a clear night sky without stars.


You must be familiar with the names Mozart, Beethoven, Shubert and Strauss. Each of these famous composers depended on music for a living. Beethoven himself was deaf, so how did he listen to music? He did so by feeling the vibrations produced by music. Each single note that he played on his piano emitted a unique vibration and with the help of a stick which he pressed on the piano notes, he could actually feel those vibrations running from the piano keys upto his ear; and this is how he actually composed some of the most worshipped music of all times. One famous one you may have heard is “Fur Elise/ In french: La lettre a Elise”. He possessed a unique talent and a wonderful sense of rhythm and sound. Music helped Beethoven in much deeper ways than he could have imagined. It had healed his inability to listen by developing his sense of touch in extraordinary ways…Mozart was a musical genius, not only did he start composing when he was 5 years old, but his musical talent brought him to all the imperial courts in Europe where played music for the royalties. He composed his music in such a way that it expressed human emotion…something that was rarely found with classical composers at that time; because of this magical effect which his music had on people, he is considered to be one of greatest composers of all times. Anyone listening to Mozart would be able to relate to his music in their own way.



Over the years music has gradually weaved itself into the lives of individuals, communities and nations. Every country beats to the rhythm of its national anthem, a symbol of pride and respect. Every community has its own set of musical rituals and every religion has its own set of hymns for every occasion wherein each and every tune has a special meaning. Music is also what defines culture – some tribes in Africa are known to blend their bodies to the sound of drums in order to create repeated dancing steps, imploring the Gods to send them rain to water their crops.




Music Therapy is known to have positive effects on people and to every living thing on earth. Can you imagine going to a birthday party without singing “Happy Birthday”? Or attending a wedding without the traditional “Wedding March”? Or putting your child to sleep without singing a lullaby? Or celebrating christmas without singing “Jingle Bells”? Practically impossible to imagine. Music is, whether we want it or not, an essential part of our lives. Its effects are endless. Scientists and researchers all over the world acclaim the positive effects of music and are encouraging its use to heal people sufferring from all sorts of diseases. Wouldn’t you yourself after a hard day’s work, indulge yourself playing your favorite song at least a hundred times to help you relax and unwind.


Music over the last few decades has also become a flourishing business. From the beatles to the eagles, or from Michael Jackson to Eric Clapton, or whether you’ve been to Hotel California or seen Mamma Mia, if you’ve done the moonwalk on Billie Jean or even Dancing Queen, we have to admit that all these have influenced our lives in some way or the other. The success of any party or event depends a lot on the music, wouldn’t you agree? Life without music is indeed comparable to a night sky without stars.


So the next time you decide to listen to a piece of music, why don’t you pour yourself some black coffee, relax and take it easy, think of yesterday when all your troubles seemed so far away, and let the music heal your soul.
This is Music Therapy at its best…

Sabrina