Here is a summary of the officer’s roles:
* President
As president, you are responsible for providing the supportive club environment members need to fulfill their self-development goals, making sure that members benefit from the Toastmasters educational program, and helping the club recruit new members and retain current ones.

* Vice President Education
As vice president education, you are responsible for providing and maintaining the positive environment and the programs through which members can learn and grow. If you do your job well, your club will have satisfied members and will continue to grow.

* Vice President Membership
As vice president membership, you are responsible for building membership and ensuring a strong membership base by satisfying the needs of all members. Your efforts contribute to the success of the club.

* Vice President Public Relations
As vice president public relations, you are responsible for coordinating an active public relations and publicity program. Your job is vital to the growth and success of the club; your efforts help to attract new members.

* Secretary
As secretary, you are responsible for keeping clear and accurate records of club business, including membership records and correspondence with Toastmasters International’s World Headquarters and others.

* Treasurer
As treasurer, you are responsible for keeping clear and accurate financial records of club business and for seeing that the club remains financially stable.

* Sergeant at Arms
As the sergeant at arms, you are responsible for maintaining club properties, arranging the meeting room and welcoming members and guests at each meeting.

Contribution by current VP of Public Relations

Your audience today has recently thawed out after being frozen for 200 years. This may explain the questionable odor They were native to North Carolina and speak English, but are not familiar with the ways of the modern world. Please explain the topic you are given in terms someone from 1811 might be able to understand.

For some perspective, people at that time did not have electricity, but did use steam powered locomotives, cotton gins, and a coffee pot.

- Explain to this group the following items/concepts they may encounter while assimilating to the year 2011.

- What is road rage?
- What is the internet?
- Who is Britney Spears?
- What is a hot dog?
- What is cable TV?
- Who are the Carolina Hurricanes?
- What is a Play Station?
- What is a low carb diet?
- What is a cell phone?
- What does it mean when the “Tarheels are overrated”?
- Why should you join toastmasters?
- What does a shrink do?
- What is McDonalds?
- What does one do w/ a toilet?
- Why should you not call a flight attendant a maid?

Sue does not classify herself as a “funny” person, but the Toastmaster’s community begged to differ as she placed 2nd place in the Humorous Speech Contest on Oct 20, 2010.  Congratulations to Sue in a job well done representing RDU Toastmasters once again!

The VP of Public Relations asked Sue to expand on her experiences:

Sue: I’ve been a Toastmaster for 5 years and always thought of myself as a person who shared information in my speaking. My attempts at humor often fell flat and didn’t get a good response from the audience.

I was working on my ACB in the Persuasive Speaking manual when I had to do a speech to entertain people. I saved this project for last since “I am not a funny or entertaining person”. When I gave this speech – people laughed!! I had achieved my goal of entertaining the audience but I also got encouragement from the club to give this speech in a contest.

Fast forward a few months and it’s time for our club  Humorous Speech contest. One of our most entertaining members had entered the contest but there were no other contestants. A couple days before the contest, I decided to enter and promote the spirit of the contest. I was pleased that it went so well but was surprised that I WON!!!

I went on to win the Area contest and competed at the Division level, which is an experience that every Toastmaster should strive for! Growth in speaking can only come from trying new things and practicing. The support of Toastmasters makes it easier.

Table Topics Idea
This week’s table topics idea simulates speaking in front of potentially large audiences and making an appropriate speech without much preparation.  Active members of Toastmasters clubs are likely to be in this scenario before they know it, and should start preparing today!  It’s also an opportunity to have some fun with it, and maybe not be so humble in accepting an award

Instructions

During this table topics session, the table topics master transforms the club meeting into an awards ceremony.  It’s up to that person to set the tone, and each participant will be called up as the winner of one of the following awards to give a brief acceptance speech. Topics are below and replace the text in angled brackets to be locale specific:

Coveted <toastmasters_club> “Excellence in Club Attendance” Award

“Radio Listener of the Year”, for your excellent selection of radio programming

Employee of the Month

Prestigious Presidential Award for your ideas on fixing the economy.

“TV Viewer of the Year”, for your excellent selection of television programs

<toastmasters_club> Award of culinary excellence for your cooking talent.

2^nd place finish in a beauty pageant

According to “THE TOASTMASTER” December 2006 Issue on page 14, “… beauty contest winners are asked to appear at public functions and speak, not wear their swimsuits”.

“<your_city> Person of the Week” for everything you do for the community.

“Safe Driver Award” for your excellence in operating a motor vehicle.

“Best Dressed <your_club> 2009” for the style you bring to each club meeting.

“American of the Year” for your big spending that stimulates the economy.

<your_club> “Least likely to say um, uh, so, or you know Award” for your excellent speaking abilities.

“Achievement Award” for most improved personal hygiene.

“Travel+Leisure’s Best Vacations Award” for your summer vacation choices.

“Realtor’s Choice Award” for picking an excellent location to live in <your_city>.

This table topics was was a lot of fun for RDU Toastmasters  and you get a lot of creative acceptance speeches.  One  memorable topic was Sue’s acceptance speech for winning second place in a beauty contest where she did a great impression.  If you try it, we would love to hear how it went.

Contribution by current VP of Public Relations

RDU Toastmasters has prepared its members to remain competitive in a challenging and uncertain job market.  To illustrate one example, I was called in for an interview out of 1000 candidates because the Human Resources Coordinator was also a member of Toastmasters; and decided to read the resume!  If you’re seeking employment, I encourage you to join a club during your job search to maintain your communication skills and network with existing members.  The VP of Public Relations conducted the interview below with a current member to find out how being a member of RDU Toastmasters helped land a new career with Cisco Systems.

How did Toastmaster prepare you for the job interview?

In general, I have grown more confident speaking in front of people and that showed through in the interviews. Also, the table topics rounds really do help thinking on your feet and sounding intelligent when formulating an answer.

Is your participation in Toastmasters listed on your resume, and were you asked about it during the hiring process?

Toastmasters is listed in my resume. I wasn’t asked about it directly, but I did bring it up as part of my self-improvement efforts as well as how I have learned to make presentations.

How will effective communication skills help you succeed in your new role?

I have to do presentations on technical topics to audiences not necessarily in my field, as well as conduct meetings sounding confident at all times. Most of the communication is done via phone, so I really need to work on my vocal variety and projecting my voice.

What advice do you have for others seeking employment in today’s market?

You really have to do your homework. Not just on the company, but on the people who will be interviewing you, and the general interviewing style of the company. Most of that information is available online. Practice answering behavioral type questions such as “how do you work with difficult people?” and be prepared to give examples. This is where the Toastmasters table topics really come in handy.

Contribution by current club President:

Our last meeting of July was bittersweet.

We had a joyous occasion as we inducted our new slate of officers for the 2010-2011 year.  The ceremony was conducted by Area Governor Matt Barclay who thanked the officers for volunteering to take this charge and called upon the whole club to support the officers in their new roles.

But it was also the last day in our club for Jeannie C. who has taken a new position in another part of Raleigh making it impossible for her to make our meetings anymore.  To say that Jeannie will be missed is an understatement.  From her icebreaker speech relating her journey from Taiwan to the United States to her last speech from the advanced manual on accepting her award as Advanced Communicator, Jeannie has raised the bar for all of us.

With her small frame and soft manner of speaking, Jeannie has brought so much power and emotion to our club through every one of her speeches.  Let’s face it, when you get a bunch of accountants and engineers together speeches can get a bit dry, but Jeannie made it OK to show emotion, bringing us to tears and laughter in many occasions.

Jeannie is the friendly face I look for in the audience, Jeannie is the person I try to imitate when bringing emotion to my speeches, Jeannie is the soft and eloquent reminder that speaking excellence is just within our grasp.

Farewell friend and come back visit when you can!

Congratulations to Jeannie Chen on earning her Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB)!  Jeannie has worked very hard in the past year to complete 10 additional advanced speeches which have been very informative and inspiring.  Jeannie is a good role model for us to follow in our quest to becoming better speakers.

An informal interview was conducted by the current VP of Public Relations to answer the following questions:

Interview Transcript:

Fellow RDU Toastmasters,

In light of my recent receipt of Advanced Communicator Bronze award, Sumit has asked me to write an article answering some questions such as what was the most challenging speech, or most memorable speech, or where do I feel I have most improved leading up to my award(s) , and what advice do I have for members of RDU-Toastmasters working towards similar recognition….

Photo by Norwichnuts

The two advanced communicator manuals I was working on were “Special Occasions Speech” and “Speaking to Inform”.  I don’t remember any particular speech that stood out as most challenging or memorable because each one was distinctively different from another and I had fun researching, practicing, and delivering each one.  (To give you a flavor of the speeches I did, I made a farewell toast, provided tribute to a missionary, gave an award, demonstrated how to make a simple sushi roll, researched on vitamins, learned about herd immunity, etc.)  I would say the most difficult thing was to start, whether it be a manual or a speech.  Also, although leading a busy life like everyone else in the club, commit to achieving a goal however improbable it may be.  I was inspired by one of our Area International Speech contestant who asked the question “Can’t, really?”   I believe that “can do” attitude is the biggest gain for me from Toastmasters this past year. I therefore encourage all of you strive to get an award each year, yes, you can, really!

Champions of RDU Toastmasters 2010

Kevin and Silvia were asked to briefly share their experiences from the contest:

Kevin:
The table topics contest was fun and the winner received a nice trophy. This was his second time competing for table topics on this level. He received a challenging question, “As a candidate, what is your position on healthcare”; and this topic alone has created a lot of discord around the country. Much like a skillful politician, Kevin applied his experience from participating in table topics regularly at club meetings; and delivered a compelling and informative talk encouraging people of varying beliefs to remain open minded.

Silvia:
Her dramatic speech was titled, “Good side of anger”.   She had to overcome adversity that included a sore throat causing her to lose her voice. Her 16 year old son was also in attendance to support his mother; and a brief conversation afterwards went something like this:

Silvia: “What did you think about my speech?”
Son: “Didnt like it”
Silvia: “Why not?”
Son: “It was like a bad 80s movie when the coach goes into the locker room and tells the kids they can really win the game against all odds and then they go out and win.”
Son: “I tuned you out like I always do”

Of course, this banter is reserved for family members; and this “bad 80s movie” landed Silvia 1st place in this year’s contest; and builds on her success last year!

The following clubs are in Area 61/62:

Club Name Club Location
RDU RTP, NC
Madd Chatters Durham, NC
PPD RTP Morrisville, NC
Perimeter Park Morrisville, NC
Softtalk Cary, NC
Deere Talk Cary, NC
Speak Up Speak Out RTP, NC
RailSpeak Cary, NC

Come support Kevin and Silvia in the next rounds of competition:

Events of:
4/22/2010
Division F Speech Contest
Start Time: 5:30 PM
Ending Time: 8:30 PM
Description: Cisco

Events of:
5/21/2010
Spring Conference
Start Time:
Ending Time:
Description: Clarion Hotel, Greensboro, NC.

Contributed by VP of Public Relations, 2009

Table Topics Idea
This week’s table topics idea focuses around valuable skills learned in Project 9 of the CC manual titled, “Persuade with Power”. The project lists several ways persuasion can accomplished including: inspiration, convincing, or calling the audience to action. And what better place is there to make a persuasive argument than in a court room with a jury of your peers to prove your innocence? Since members of Toastmasters clubs are typically outstanding citizens of the community, we may have little experience proving our own innocence, but that changes today.

Instructions
The room will transform from a meeting to a courtroom; and the audience will be the jury. The table topics master will accuse each participant of a crime; and they are to prove their own innocence. Topics are below and replace the text in angled brackets to be locale specific:

• You have been accused of reckless driving on <road_to_meeting_location>  around <time_of _meeting> today near <meeting_location> . Eye witnesses say the driver was <male_or_female> aged <be_careful_guessing_age> driving a car with questionable gas mileage.
• You have been accused of running an underground crime syndicate from your place of work. A spokesman from your company could not believe you had that kind of free time.
• Cameras have caught you on tape shop lifting several items from an area mall last weekend.
• You have been accused of sneaking into several movies at the theater without a ticket. The theater attendant described the suspect as having a poor taste in movies.
• You have been accused of preparing a lethal meal this past weekend to be used against a high ranking official of Toastmasters International. Court records show some questionable items on your grocery lists.
• Witnesses have identified you as the suspect disturbing the peace at Starbucks on <location_of_nearest_starbucks> . They described the suspect as being <male_or_female> , and a terrible singer.
• A distinguished member of has accused you of making violent threats against the table topics master for bringing this difficult table topics.
• You have been accused of saying filler words like um, uh, you know.
• You are being accused of stealing from the <your_club> treasury because of your excessive lifestyle, starting with your fancy shoes.

Summary

This table topics has been conducted twice at RDU Toastmasters; and it really brings out the creativity and personality of the club.  People have natural ability in the field of persuasion and it really came out during this table topics.  Everyone thinks they are innocent, and with the learned skill of persuasion, you can get the message across successfully in any environment  such as courtroom, office, or family.