The 183rd Regular Meeting: October 21, 2023

Super-mini Workshop

This meeting started with the "Here's My Trick" presentation, which really looked like a workshop though it only lasted around three minutes or so.

The presenter, Anne, talked about her tips on delivery, which she learned at an English Rakugo workshop. She prepared some sentences for the attendees to practice and demonstrated how to deliver effectively using good posture, hand gestures, and vocal variety. Following her instructions, the participants tried those tips mimicking her as shown in the photo below.

For your information, "Here's My Trick" is not a standard Toastmasters program. It is our unique program that started this program year, where members share their own tips on public speaking. If you're interested, visit one of our meetings and see it for yourself! You can sign up from our website here.

Tenten

Special Meeting: September 30, 2023

 Toastmastersの活動でメンバーはいろんな役割をしますが、どんな役割を担当しても自身のスピーチ上達につながるんですよ。今回のSpecial meetingではSpeech上達につながるTipsが沢山ありました。

最初に今年度から始まった企画でメンバーが互いにTipsを紹介しあうコーナー“Here‘s My Trick”は、英語教師Momoさんからの発音に関するTips｡英語教師ならではの直筆紙アイテムを使ったプレゼンで､生徒になった気分になりました｡効果的なスピーチをするために、正しい強勢・音節で発音することはとても重要なことですよね｡　特に日本人が陥りやすい発音の間違いについて、例を交えた説明は理解しやすかった。一度で全部覚えきれなかったので、動画をもう一度みて学習しようと思ってます。（千里トーストマスターズクラブは毎回の例会を録画しているので会員はスピーチを見返して再度確認ことができるんです。）

Prepared Speech セッションから2点紹介します。9月に新メンバーとして加入したMollyが初めてと思えない落ち着いたスピーチを披露してくれました。過去、現在、そして未来の描写がとてもスムーズで話に吸いこまれました｡今後のスピーチがとても楽しみです。

2点目はTentenのKeynoteスタイルのスピーチ。Get There Faster と題したスピーチは、Toastmastersで得られる様々な機会を活用してより効果的なスピーカーになるための方法を中心としたものでした。Toastmastersには例会中に担当するRoleやクラブ運営に関わるRoleがあります｡どのRoleを取り上げても､自身のスピーチを向上させる機会が含まれているんですよね｡例えばスピーチの時間を計測すしてスピーカーにどれくらいの時間が経過しているかを知らせるるタイマーというRoleがあります｡このRoleもシンプルにスピーチの終了時間を計測するのみならず､スピーカーが持ち時間の内どれくらいオープニングに使ったか等を分析しながら担当すると､自身のスピーチの際に役立ちます｡その他のRoleもファシリテーションスキルや即興スピーチスキルなどが習得できる機会を含んでいるということを解説してくれました。

次回は10月21日に本拠地 千里中央のコラボにてハイブリット例会を予定しています。次回も楽しくて学びの多いイベントになること間違いなし。興味をお持ちいただけましたら、ホームページのContact Usフォームからご連絡ください！

Any role in the Toastmasters club leads to improved speech skills. In this Special meeting, members shared many tips that contribute to speech improvement.

First, in the "Here's My Trick" session, English teacher Momo gave a presentation on pronunciation using unique items. It was very informative, especially when she provided examples of common pronunciation mistakes that Japanese people often make. I hope to become more aware of placing the correct stress in order to aim for effective speeches. I couldn't remember everything at once, so I would like to watch the video again for further learning. At Senri Toastmasters, we record every meeting, allowing members to review their speeches.

I'll share two things from the Prepared Speech session. Molly, a new member who joined in September, delivered a speech in a  relaxed manner. It didn't seem like her first. Her descriptions of the past, present, and future were very smooth and captivating. I look forward to her future speeches.

The second is about Tenten's keynote-style speech. Titled "Get There Faster," his speech was centered around ways to make use of different opportunities in Toastmasters to help us become better speakers. Every role provides an opportunity to improve one's own speech. For example, there is a role called the Timer, whose primary responsibility is to measure the speech time and show colored signals to let the speakers know how much time has passed. Tenten told us that we can also be proactive and analyze how much of the speaker's allotted time was used for the opening, body, and conclusion. This perspective can be helpful for our own speech. He also explained how we can utilize opportunities other roles provide to improve our facilitation and impromptu speaking skills.

Our next meeting is scheduled to be a hybrid one at Collabo in Senri Chuo on October 21. If you are interested, please contact us through the Contact Us form on our website.

Members Join Debate Festival

 In Toastmasters, the club meeting is at the center of our learning. Yet, that is not the only opportunity for us to learn. There are other possibilities, too. Some examples include speech contests at the area, division, district, and international levels. There are district-sponsored educational events as well. On top of that, some clubs organize their own events inviting members of other clubs.

One such case was the Debate Festival organized by Speak-up Toastmasters Club on September 24. The club is an "advanced" club that features debating as part of its program. (The category "advanced" means clubs under that category only accept membership applications from existing or former Toastmasters.) The Debate Festival was conducted using a "Parliamentary Debate" format, a kind of impromptu debate where the topic is announced on the spot and the debaters only have 15 minutes to prepare.

Our debaters, Momo, Tamiko, and Yocchan, were not familiar with debate in this format but decided to join the event. They held numerous practice sessions to be better prepared and a lot of members volunteered to join these practice sessions taking the role of their opponents. Among them was Molly, who had only recently joined the club and was quite familiar with parliamentary debating. She volunteered to observe the practice session and provide comments to the debaters. Her comments were detailed and insightful indeed.

With the debaters' efforts and support from other members, they performed well and placed second in the Festival. Congratulations!! This serves as a perfect example of Senri's Teamwork spirit.

The 182nd Regular Meeting: September 16, 2023

Club President Rene infused the meeting with a dose of humor as she playfully wielded the gavel upon the lectern, declaring, “Let’s kick off this meeting with a bang!” Her lighthearted opening set the tone for an enjoyable, enlightening, and uplifting gathering.

With this spirited start, the meeting soared with Kamayan sharing invaluable tips on “Vocal Tone.” We pondered the impact of tone on our presentations, realizing that it’s not just the content but also the tone of our voices that truly matter. Kamayan urged us to fine-tune our vocal delivery for various situations, reminding us that casual conversations, informal gatherings, and public speeches each require their unique tonal nuances – like the musical notes Do, Mi, So. The takeaway was clear: Elevating our charisma and credibility lies in mastering our tone and volume. It was a valuable hack worth embracing!

Serving as Toastmaster of the Day, the facilitator of the education portion of the meeting, Momoko led the meeting with sincerity and boundless enthusiasm, impressing us with her ability to speak from the heart, effortlessly delivering introductions without relying on notes. Her natural approach set the stage for a memorable meeting.

The highlight of the meeting was undoubtedly the Induction Ceremony, where we welcomed our newest member, Molly, into the Senri Toastmasters family. As members, we pledged to support Molly on her journey of self-development, providing positive feedback and helpful evaluations to ensure her membership is a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Kazu introduced the “Word of the Day” –“proactive,” sharing a personal anecdote about his proactive decision to seek a health check-up due to severe stomach pains. It reminded us of the importance of taking charge of our health.

Regrettably, the Best Speaker Award remained unclaimed due to several speakers exceeding their allotted time – a struggle we’ve all faced. Despite this, all prepared speeches were exceptional, touching on diverse topics such as “Something Absorbed In,” “Your Body Speaks,”“Rugby,” and “Synesthesia.”   Mune and Marilyn complemented their speeches with colorful and well-designed PowerPoint slides that enhanced their messages. Tenten offered invaluable insights into effective body language, illustrating his points with a persuasive example of how he conquered his own mistakes. Lastly, the return of Kiyono to our in-person venue after over a year was a heartwarming experience, and her speech left a lasting impact.

The much-anticipated Evaluation Session followed, with Kamayan, Rene, Tamiko, and Tenten providing thoughtful feedback tailored to each speaker’s experience level. This session also served as an opportunity for us to hone our skills as confident evaluators – a reminder that practice is the key to improvement. 

Hiko led an entertaining and educational Table Topics (impromptu speech) Session, delving into the theme of “Crisis Management.” Kazu claimed the title of Best Table Topics Speaker by brilliantly responding to the question, “What’s the first thing you’d do in the unexpected event of an earthquake?” His spontaneous answer, “shoes,” struck a chord with many of us.

The meticulous timing and record-keeping were handled by Yoshiko, while Mitsuru explained the voting rules with clarity and engaging eye contact. Masami, a newly inducted member, excelled as the Ah-Counter, skillfully tallying all the filler words and delivering a friendly and humble report at the meeting’s close.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to Zoom Master Mariko and her team, who flawlessly managed the online operations, making hybrid meetings possible through their proactive efforts.

Lastly,  let’s cheer on our three debaters – Yoshiko, Momo, and Tamiko – as they prepare to participate in the Speak-Up Toastmasters Club-sponsored  Debate Festival on September 24th. Their courage and commitment to honing their skills deserve our support and applause. 

Eye contact: The 181st Regular Meeting

The topic for "Here's My Trick" was Eye Contact. (To know what "Here's My Trick, this article may help.)

One of the experienced members, Marilyn, talked about how eye contact is important to make our speeches effective. She told us we might want to look into the listeners' eyes long enough to communicate their ideas and know how they are reacting to our message. She also mentioned that our eye contact should not be too long because that will make the listener uncomfortable.

She was not comfortable with eye contact at the beginning, though. She says eye contact is one of the first tricks she learned in Toastmasters. When she delivered her first speech, the Ice Breaker speech, she received feedback from one of the members, saying, "You were constantly gazing at the wall at the back of the room." She followed his advice and now she can use eye contact to engage the audience and see how they are reacting to her speech so that she is able to adjust the content of her speech to suit the audience.

Later in the meeting, General Evaluator Tenten provided feedback to the entire meeting on eye contact. He pointed out that some members were not keeping eye contact during their speeches. Some online attendees were looking away from the camera. Some in-person speakers were looking down on their manuscripts.

This can be said of the functionary role-takers as well. Every moment of our meeting is an opportunity to practice public speaking. When a role-taker explains his or her role, it is a public speaking moment. When a Toastmaster of the Day, the master of ceremonies, or a General Evaluator introduces speakers and evaluators, these are public speaking moments. We might want to use these opportunities to hone our public speaking skills. One thing we can do is to pay attention to what we learned at this meeting, eye contact.

Want to get comfortable with eye contact? Visit us at one of our meetings! 

My Experience in the Senri Toastmasters Club

It has been exactly one year since I joined the regular meeting of the Senri Toastmasters Club as a guest for the first time. I will write about what I have learned and what surprised me in this club by reflecting on this year. My experience of joining a club with zero knowledge may be helpful for those who are considering joining this club or are interested but unsure about what this club is all about.

As I had been interested in public speaking and improving my English speaking skills, Toastmasters had captured my attention for a long time. However, it took me five years to gather the courage to visit a club. I remember I was very nervous on the day of my first visit. Upon arriving at the venue, the club members were busy setting up the room, but they kindly took the time to engage in a conversation with me. This short conversation not only brought me a sense of relief but also made me feel genuinely welcome. Once the meeting started, it proceeded at a rapid pace and ended before I could fully figure out everything that happened. However, I was so impressed by the members' positive atmosphere and remarkable command of English that wanted to become a member of this club. After my second visit (The Senri Toastmasters Club allows up to three visits.), I decided to join the club.

Before I joined the Senri Toastmasters Club, I held the impression that Toastmasters was a place where we practice speeches earnestly like a "Speech Dojo." Later on, it turned out to be different. Surprisingly, not everyone gives speeches at every meeting. There are various roles to fulfill besides giving speeches, and there are so many things to learn through taking those roles. One such role is that of the Evaluator, responsible for assessing the strength and areas for improvement in speeches. In my case, taking this role makes me more nervous than giving my speech. To evaluate someone else's speech, careful listening and thoughtful consideration of good points and areas for further improvement are needed. It is a difficult role, but I have recently realized that it is a very good opportunity to learn about speeches and actually, I gained a lot of knowledge and awareness from this role. The Evaluators also have an opportunity to be evaluated on their evaluation speech by the General Evaluator. I find this aspect of the club's system to be excellent because regardless of the role we undertake, we can receive feedback. I think these aspects are the appealing features of this club

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Perhaps you may be wondering, after reading this far, if you join our club you will be required to take on so many different roles. There is nothing to worry about. New members will not take on roles immediately upon joining. The members in charge of education and other experienced members will gently push you to try new roles at the right time. Moreover, for a while after joining, new members are assigned experienced mentors, and if you have any questions or concerns, you can ask them any time and will be assured that they will always be there to provide you with genuine support.

Toastmasters is not a place where a teacher teaches you something, but it is a place where you can learn from each other through taking on various roles. Perhaps it is not so much "a club to learn speech" as "a club to learn various things through speech." These various things are not only English speech or presentation skills, but also leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, which are very useful in the real world. Why don't you join the Senri Toastmasters Club and enjoy valuable experiences through public speaking? If you have been interested but hesitant, as I once was, I encourage you to attend our club meeting as a guest. You will be welcomed by friendly and supportive members!