October 2009 • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3
Articulation is: the act of giving utterance or expression; the act or manner of articulating sounds; an articulated utterance or sound
Breaking Rules? Fun Trumps Fear AND a First Video!
by Ilene Hass
Every year at Club 541, clever, courageous, and quick thinking Toastmasters compete in a calendar-worthy event: Philadelphia's First Table Topics and Humorous Speech contests.
On September 17, 2009, a riveted audience, including our new Area Governor Cathy Adams, observed our Table Topics contestants contend with a curious question presented by Madam Table Topics Master, Denise Rykard: "If you obey all the rules, you miss half the fun. Is this a good or bad philosophy to live by?"
The intrepid three, contestants Larry Goldberg, John Fitzpatrick, and Bea Joyner, threw caution to the wind, and used major literary and popular cultural references (Ferris Bueller, W. H. Auden, Robert Frost, and Mae West) to back up their arguments, whereas Herb Rheinstrom took a more pragmatic tact, warning that one may not always "get away with" breaking rules.
Following a break for refreshments, we were entertained by the prepared humorous speeches of contestants Jack Laurilliard, Herb Rheinstrom, Susan Neely and Rudy Olliviere. What a treat!
Herb's uncanny impersonation of "Tevya" from "Fiddler on the Roof" using a simple sheet of paper as a white beard remains etched in my mind! Jack contemplated the unusual names of drinks from the menu of a favorite watering hole. Susan explored the concept of "taking off" in a tale of a book that literally lived up to its title. Then, Rudy regaled the audience with a presentation that focused on his excellent ear for inappropriate language.
 OK, so what would you do when it's time to tape the Humorous Speech contest, and you realize that the media card in your video camera is completely full? And what would you do with 13 minutes of video, poorly shot and barely audible of the Table Topics contest, when you are personally responsible for all of the aforesaid issues? Well, like any toastmaster opportunity, you "get in the game" with what you do have. So with no further ado, I present: A First Video: Breaking Rules is Fun to Do. My sincerest apologies to our humorous speech contestants for lacking the memory to record their presentations.
October 3 — Area 24 Contest: Support Our Club!
The winners of our Table Topics and Humorous Speech Competitions will advance to the Area level competition. Support John Fitzpatrick and Rudy Olliviere by cheering them on at the Area 24 competition, to be held Saturday, October 3, 2009, from 10:00AM - Noon at Ryder Transportation. Ryder Transportation is located in Northeast Philadelphia: 9751 Blue Grass Road, Philadelphia, PA 19114.
November 13 & 14 — Toastmaster’s District 38
Fall Conference
SAVE THE DATES! Don't miss the upcoming Fall Conference to be held in Wilkes Barre, PA, Friday and Saturday November 13 and 14, 2009. The conference will be held at the Woodlands Resort and Conference Center and includes: (optional) accommodations, meals, education sessions and contests.
 Earlybird pricing is available through October 15, and special discount pricing applies to first-time conference attendees. For detailed information and online registration, visit Toastmasters District 38 website conference page.
More about our Club
We meet the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month at 7:00 PM SHARP at Philadelphia Protestant Home, 6500 Tabor Road, Philadelphia, PA, 19111. Meetings run until 9:00 PM, with a break for light refreshments. Visit the Philadelphia's First Toastmasters website for additional information. |
Upcoming MeetingsOur next meetings are: Thursday, October 1 Thursday, October 15 Put your best face forward: see our Club's business dress code for proper meeting attire. Member NewsWelcome to our newest member: Jack Laurilliard, (rhymes with Billiard) a former club member who rejoined our club in September 2009. Congratulations to Evelt Vertil, who delivered his tenth speech September 3, to became a Competent Communicator (CC) after being a Toastmaster for only 8 months.  Kudos, accolades and ebullient clapping for our Toastmasters who distinuished themselves at our September 3 meeting and September 17 club contest: September 3, 2009 Bests:Table Topics: John Fitzpatrick Speaker: Evelt Vertil (#10) Evaluator: Herb Rheinstrom and Larry Goldberg (TIE) September 17, 2009 Club Contest Winners:Table Topics: John Fitzpatrick 2nd Place: Bea Joyner Humorous Speech: Rudy Olliviere 2nd Place: Herb Rheinstrom  by Linda Gottschalk
of Speak Easy Toastmasters in
Chapel Hill, NC Eye Contact Drills Designed to Improve Speech ExcellenceOur eye contact exercise involved both audience and table topics speakers. Basically, I instructed the topic to be open (suggested speakers focus on something relatively easy like what I did this week or what I plan to do this weekend) and for audience members to put their hands in the air when the speaker began speaking. Then as the speaker made eye contact, the audience member would focus on counting to three and lowering their hand, while the speaker would focus on keeping eye contact for the length of "one thought" before moving on. I stressed that the goal was NOT to get every hand to go down in the 1-2 minute time allotment, but merely to feel what three seconds or one full thought of eye contact feels like. Also I know that a good practice is to put yellow sticky notes with little faces on the wall all around the room when practicing; this reminds you of the audience and to make eye contact when you are practicing by yourself. OpportunitiesNewsletter Contributors WantedSubmissions to our club newsletter are very much welcome. Please submit articles, photos, news, etc. by email to our VP of PR.
Brave Toastmasters Wanted
Interested in having your speech videotaped? Willing to help generate publicity for our club by having your video posted online? Receive comments and see how others evaluate your speech. Please email your request at least 2 weeks in advance of your scheduled speech to our VP of PR.
Club OfficersJuly 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010
President: Denise Rykard-Dorsey
VP Education: Kathleen McAnaneyVP Membership: Michael AndersonVP Public Relations: Ilene HassTreasurer: John Fitzpatrick Secretary: Lyratah Barrett Sergeant-at-arms: Rudy Olivierre
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