Swamp TALK

Okefenokee Toastmasters Club #8269,District 14 East, Division G, Area 74

Volume 5 Issue 12

December 2013

Chartered in 1991

New Mission: We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth. Lunch Hour Meetings: We meet at South Georgia State College, Waycross Campus on Wednesdays 12:00pm Membership: Open to anyone 18 years old and over.
Tweets @Oketoast @ArveeRobinson Speaking Tip: Write a purpose statement before you speak. Ask yourself: what am I giving my audience and what do I want them to do with it? @Storyteller Consider your hand gestures in storytelling to be like brushes on the canvas of your listeners' minds. @ArveeRobinson Public Speaking Tip: Be sure everyone in the audience can hear you or it will cost you! @Toastmasters You can't lead with titles, rules, or just words. You lead with trust, compassion & listening." - Sheldon Yellen

Officers for Okefenokee Toastmasters 2013-2014 President: Janice Williams VP Education: Kathy Odam VP Membership: Larry Kearson VP of Public Relations: Jeff Carr Treasurer: Bud Montero Secretary: Laura Fullard Sergeant of Arms: Rodney Hooks Upcoming Events
Table Topics and Speech Area Contest: February 2014, Wiregrass Tech, Valdosta, Ga. (Date and venue to be confirmed).

Georgia Toastmasters Spring Conference: April 25 26, 2014, Macon, Ga. Toastmasters International Conference: August 20-23, 2014 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Quote of the Month When a woman does raise her voice in a venue typically dominated by men, her action will be seen as unusual. Depending on how she uses other communication skills, this element of novelty may cause people to pay closer attention to her, giving her an edge. Likewise, men who master the art of intimate conversation have an advantage when it comes to dating, family connections and other interpersonal relations. Caren Neile. Toastmaster:
Magazine for Communicators and Leaders, November 2013, page 9.

GRAMMARIANS CORNER One role of the Grammarian at a Toastmasters meeting is to introduce the Word of the Day and keep track of the use of the word during the meeting. Here are some words used at club meetings recently: Veracious: speaking or representing the truth Relinquish: give up, renounce, hand over Rumpty: old, ramshackle, badly built

Make Better Word Choices Improve Your Presentation by Patricia Fripp 1. Where your words are vague, replace them with words that are more specific and relevant to your point. 2. Remove redundant words and phrases. 3. Present information in the correct order. When, where, who, what happened provides your audience with a logical progression that is easy to follow. 4. Add foreshadowing. In movies and literature, to foreshadow means to give clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the story.Incorporate foreshadowing into your presentation to further engage your audience. e.g. In this exciting, action-packed, highlyinteractive seminar, you will learn and experience audience involvement techniques.

Above: New Member Margaret West (left) was recently inducted into our Toastmasters club by President, Janice Williams. Below: Blast from the past! First-time visitor to our club on January 2, 2013, Hillary Do, a Texas resident. Also visiting that day was Linda Zechmann, now a reinstated club member.

Read complete article

http://www.fripp.com/blog/make-better-word-choicesimprove-your-presentation

Connect with Us Like us on Facebook. Follow Okefenokee Toastmasters on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/oketoast

Check out Okefenokee Toastmasters Club website:

http://okefenokee.toastmastersclubs.o rg

Why pay thousands of dollars for a seminar or class when you can join a Toastmasters club for a fraction of the cost and have fun in the process? CHARTER MEMBERS: John Penland (Sponsor), Andrew Slocum, Joe Gant, Harry D. Dixon, Jr., Carolyn Morton (Akins), Phil Wysong, C.J. Broome, Paul OCain, James C. Bunch, W.F. Stephens, Jeanette Stipe, Tom Strickland, Fred Barber, John Karew, Reuben Flanders, E. Nash Williams, Jerri Davis, Doris Germano, Andy Spivey, Audrey West, and Margaret Park. Compiled and edited by Janice Williams. Club member induction picture courtesy of Larry Kearson.