Public Relations – Toastmasters District 83

Tinton Falls Table Topics Dinner

“You’re up.”

The experience of hearing those two words after your first name marks a favorite occasion at meetings for Toastmasters – the opportunity to participate in a round of Table Topics.

On Thursday, October 5th Talk of Monmouth Advanced Toastmasters Club is hosting a Table Topics dinner meeting at MJ’s Pizza Bar and Grill in Tinton Falls, NJ from 6 to 8 PM. Calling all Toastmasters; you are invited!

As any Toastmaster will report, the multicolored-butterflies of nerves and enthusiasm that one feels fluttering in his / her stomach in anticipation of an impromptu speech gives Table Topics an air of excitement. Members frequently cite Table Topics as a favorite aspect of meetings. The problem is, with typical meeting Table Topics limited to five to ten speakers, not everyone is guaranteed to participate on any given night. Talk of Monmouth’s Table Topics dinners are different. If you attend, the likelihood that you will speak is very high! The two hour meeting will feature no prepared speeches; the time will be given exclusively to Table Topics. On similar occasions in the past all attendees have participated as speakers and we plan to repeat that trend this time around. We hope you will join in the Toastmasters fun and fellowship of this unique meeting!

Talk of Monmouth Advanced Toastmasters Club meets at 7:30 PM on the second Thursday of each month in the courtroom of the Tinton Falls Municipal Center.

Old Bridge Day Provides Fertile Ground for Membership Drive

On September 9th, dozens of vendors and volunteer groups set up shop at Old Bridge Plaza, luring hundreds of town residents to learn about their offerings. It was the perfect place for the membership team from Old Bridge Toastmasters to get the word out about our fantastic club and the outstanding educational opportunities we offer our members.

The combination of our smiles, candy, and colorful display attracted folks to our pavilion. Prospective members were invited to our September 27th Open House, where they met our members, enjoyed some dessert, and participate in our meeting. Even before that event, a new member was so impressed by what she heard at Old Bridge Day she joined our club right away.

Special thanks go out to VPPR Sunanda Thali, CC VPM Jeff Newman, Sergeant-at-Arms Anna La Macchio, Treasurer Victor Martins, John Miraglia,and Frank Gatto for making this such a successful event for our club.

What I Learned from Apex Toastmasters, NC

Its not easy to have consistently practice a discipline, but some clubs are great at this mantra. While I was on vacation in Apex, North Carolina, I dropped into Apex Toastmasters. From the moment I stepped in to the room, I felt the energy of positivity and achievement. I can’t explain the energy in words, but I can surely share the observations that stuck in my mind after the meeting.

* Greet everyone like its the first time – No, not just the new members. Everyone greeted each other like they saw each other for the first time. Its safe to say that all members were emulating the role of a VPPR.

* Be on time – I am the first culprit as I didn’t practice this fully and completely to this very day in my club as a past club president. We were at least 5 seconds late. Apex Toastmasters started on time. When I say on time, I meant 7.15 pm sharp. The sergeant-at-arms did a marvelous job by saying… 3 minutes more, 2 minutes more, 1 minute more…lets take our seats.”

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Why You Should Participate in Contests

Print out this flyer and hand it out at your next meeting!

When your Vice President of Education asks whether you want to participate in the club contest this August, resist the impulse to turn away. Instead, say “yes.” You’ll thank yourself for doing it! I’ll tell you why you should participate in your club’s Table Topics and Tall Tales contests.

Table Topics is tailor made for busy people. No speech preparation necessary. You are asked a question and you answer it in 1 to 2 minutes. Simple, right? The question is designed to be open ended, so every answer is the correct answer because it is just your opinion. The response needs to be at least one minute in length and no more than 2 minutes 30 seconds. You can speak for a minute or use all your time. Every member in good standing is eligible to participate, whether they have 2 months experience as a Toastmaster or 2 years. By the way, “good standing” means the member has paid his or her dues. So what’s the catch?

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Mike Carlo Speaks at Networking Group

Last Thursday, a group of Toastmasters gathered to support Mike Carlo at the 4th Thursday Networking group. The following videos feature Mike’s speech on public speaking.

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A Year of New Beginnings

The year ahead of us will be filled with new beginnings. We are off to a grand start. We are expanding our public relations efforts through the introduction of District 83’s Blog along with increasing our usage of Facebook and Twitter. We will continue to expand our promotion of Toastmasters on trains and buses throughout the year.

Training, contests, and conferences are important training opportunities for each of our members. In the area of Training, we will be offering 4 sessions around 4 Ps: Plan, Prepare, Practice and Perform. Each will touch upon important elements of becoming better communicators and leaders. We are offering training to members who want to be Chief Judges and Judges for contests. For our Club Officers, there will be two training sessions, one now and one in the winter. We offer an incentive to our clubs when 7 officers are trained in both sessions.

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Meet the District Officers: Allison Lips

Name: Allison Lips

Position: Public Relations Manager

Club(s): Freehold Phrasers and Talk of Monmouth

Other positions: President of Freehold Phrasers and former Vice President of Public Relations for Freehold Phrasers

How long have you been in Toastmasters? 1½ years

What are your plans for the district/area/division?

I plan to continue the excellent job Su Brooks did managing the District 83 Facebook and Twitter pages. I also would like to expand District 83’s online presence. Currently, we have the blog and are looking for Toastmasters who would like to help with a podcast and a vlog.

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