Blackford Finally Did It All!   To our once quiet, dyed -in- the- wool, bachelor, Larry Blackford,  who wasted no time, when he and his wife, Chiu-Wen celebrated their 1st Wedding Anniversary in August, and became the happy, proud parents of baby girl, Toastmaster. Autumn, who arrived on September 19th, weighing in at 6 lbs 15 oz; 19 3/4" long. Our loving and heartiest Congratulations to the proud and happy parents: Chiu-Wen and Larry! We'd love to meet your precious Autumn!

From early on in the evening it was clear that the fall season had come to Warner Center Toastmasters.  Several members of the club were at home celebrating the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur and with the exception of the prepared speakers, the members present maintained an easy-going air.  Even when the traditional meeting got a bit out of order, the monitors, Table Topic Master, and Toastmaster all reacted gracefully and steered the meeting back onto path with smiles and light laughter.   

The Table Topics session was representative of the mood: both reflective and inspired.  Table Topicmaster Joe Austin used the Fall holidays as a springboard for the evening’s Table Topic session.  In it, Tess Asiala, CTM recalled her Grandmother, a small town, and an airplane ride with the boys from the town.  Arnold Arch postulated that his life would be easier next year once certain strains were eliminated from his life.  Norm Dornfeld wondered aloud why terrible things happen; while Loan Carrison, ATM-B admitted that she never appreciated Vietnam.  Alan Reveles revealed that he would like to be the best horseman in the world and ride through the country of Mongolia. 

Erin O’Neill got the prepared speech portion of the evening off to a fantastic start with her Ice Breaker entitled “A Nice Habit is Hard to Break.”  Erin relayed that she’s “been nice since the day [she] was born.”  She also described how her nice demeanor gave people both an opportunity and an excuse to overlook her.  As a result, she said, she didn’t get the job, boy, or life that she truly wanted.  Her story affirmed the old adage that nice guys—or girls in this case—finish last in this world.  Erin also spoke about how she has struggled to lose the nice girl routine and had to deliberately try to be edgy.  As a result, she has tried things she would never have dared before and is starting to live the life that she had intended. 

One of the most moving speeches of the evening came from Scott Blough who was giving his second Toastmaster’s speech.  Scott’s story focused largely on his wife and how she had become both his hero and his soul mate.   Scott also realized that the more he idealizes his wife, the better he treats her.  Through the story of her father’s passing and Scott’s own career concerns, Scott was able to portray his wife in a truly touching manner.   It was the character that she showed during these trying events, Scott related, that his wife’s greatness is truly measured. 

The final speech of the evening was presented by Rita Van Dyke.  Entitled, "No Tights in This Closet," Rita spoke about the world of everyday heroes.  She asserted that heroes are not only found in "comic books, cartoons, and bad movie sequels."  Instead, she said, heroes are all around us.  "The superheroes I'm talking about," she related, "are probably holding down a job, raising a family, and trying to make the world a better place in whatever manner they can."  Rita believed that superheroes are the people who have a significant impact on our lives.  They can be our parents, our teachers, or our supervisors at work, anyone who makes a difference to us.  She also believes that we are all superheroes--even if we don't have a pair of tights hanging in our closets. 

Awards for October 13, 2005 Trophy Master: Monish Sharma
Don West Best Table Topics	Erin O'Neill Icebreaker	Rita Van Dyke Best Speech	Chick Saffell Best Evaluator

Fellow Toastmasters

As Halloween and other holidays approach with their round of social opportunities, I am reminded that it takes nothing more than a good costume to flirt with a new identity and assume the guise of an actor. How far is it, after all, to transition from speechmaker to stand up comedian to thespian? And what about speech preparation?

Just like a good screenplay, we all strive to create speeches that are interesting and entertaining. But creating a great screenplay isn’t easy. Thousands of scripts are collecting dust for every one that moves on to be produced. Fortunately, speechwriting isn’t nearly so arduous. If you write a speech, it’s going to be heard, thanks to Toastmasters.

What tips can we learn from the screenwriting pros to create speeches that entertain as well as the best movies? Here are a few:

The most basic tenet of drama is that of wants and obstacles. Frank Daniel once said that the essence of a great drama is “Somebody want something very badly and is having difficulty getting it.” This is the essence of a good story and will hold the audience’s attention.

Another point: The basis of audience participation is anticipation. Keep the audience in a state of uncertainty as to what you’re going to do or say next and this will focus their attention. Be fresh and unpredictable. Plant a question in the audience’s mind and then play the game of hope vs fear. Will the story of your main character end in success or failure? Strive to create drama and excitement in your speech.

Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne has said “It’s been my experience that an audience will forgive almost anything at the beginning of a picture, but if they’re not satisfied with the end, nothing that led up to it is going to help.” A satisfying ending is consequently more important than a strong beginning. Your speech will have stronger structure if you begin with the end in mind. You should know the direction you are going, but that doesn’t mean the audience has to know.

Our minds work on many levels, so stimulate more than just one part of your audience’s brain. Provide things to think about and things to feel. Fill your audience’s mind with word pictures, colors, sounds. Do it with words and with gestures that go beyond those in everyday use. Try to stretch the envelope beyond the frame of ordinary conversation.

I haven’t even talked about irony, planting and payoff, the division of the story into three acts, nor of protagonist and conflict. But in your next speech, don’t be afraid to be a performer, and thrust your ideas into the dramatic realm.

-John Graves, CTM

Are you thinking of visiting Warner Center Toastmasters?
  
The purpose of Toastmasters is to help you develop your public (and private) speaking skills, improve your self-confidence in business and personal situations, and to help you define yourself to your world more clearly. Why fumble around in the dark with your self-image? You can communicate more effectively than you ever dreamed possible!

If this sounds good to you, then come join us for a light buffet and some great speakers at the Warner Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. Among the most prestigious and popular Toastmasters meeting locations in greater Los Angeles, the Marriott provides a wide variety of superb meeting rooms for one of Los Angeles' finest Toastmasters organizations.  

Warner Center Toastmasters has been enhancing careers and enriching interpersonal communications for our members for more than two decades. Why leave great speaking skills to politicians and CEO's? You too can speak like a pro, and we'll show you how. 

It all comes together in a clearly defined and well-supported program of speeches and exercises that help you to sharpen your verbal skills, organize your words and gestures, and make you fast on your feet. Lose your fear of speaking in front of a large group, and you'll feel more relaxed speaking to anyone!

The Warner Marriott is located at 21850 Oxnard Street at the corner of Topanga. From Granada Hills to Calabasas, Santa Monica to Chatsworth, we have active members from all over the area.

We DO meet every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month without fail. Meeting begins at 630pm, gavel at 7pm. Meeting concludes approximately 9pm. Guest fee: five dollars.  This site is updated twice a month with forthcoming meeting details, so check back often.  For more information, please contact: