Starting on high notes: latest ice breakers

CONFIDENCE BUILDERS GAINED QUITE A FEW MEMBERS LATELY.

All of them completed ice-breakers, a standard first speech for Toastmasters, within a few weeks of joining. Among them were Shirley's action-packed performance, Sana's sincere story and Omran's interesting career move. Not only did they entertain, they taught everyone valuable lessons.

SHIRLEY SHATTERED ICE. LITERALLY.

In three strokes, the 85-year old resident of Brookdale Senior Living, where meetings are held every Tuesday night, cracked a sheet of ice with a hammer. A memorable intro indeed!

Fearful at first that she might be too old to participate in Toastmasters, Shirley was assured by fellow members that as long as she had a winning spirit, she can participate and perhaps even thrive.

Thrive she has been by giving energetic speeches and assuming responsibilities like being a Timer. By example, Shirley teaches younger members that no one is too old to learn new skills.

SANA'S ICE-BREAKER OCCURRED IN WEEK-ONE.

A bold move for the soft-spoken Software Engineer; yet more audacious character exuded through content, in which she revealed the strong foundation her family--and especially an older brother--built in formative years--that guides her now as she frameworks a similar structure for her children.

Thank you Sana for reminding everyone that leadership skills are first-attained--not from work or school or extracurricular activities--but from home.

OMRAN HELD HIS GROUND, DESPITE FEELING NERVOUS.

In neatly-pressed button-up and dark-rimmed glasses, Omran looked more like a Wall Street Banker than a tech professional; yet the very excitement of Information Technology motivated his move out west, after obtaining a Mechanical Engineering degree and contending his Father's advice to pursue a traditional career.

Because of Omran's passion for his job, audience members who are contemplating career changes or advancements reconnected with principle-based motives.

LONG OR SHORT...

a member's journey in Toastmasters is filled with high's and low's; but starting on a high truly elevates his experience.

Congrats to new members on delivering their ice-breakers and starting on such high notes!

Idea generation

Explore books related to generating new ideas The Psychology Book , DK This is a book that isn't a cover novel but a reference if you are looking for something interesting to talk about in terms of human behavior. Referring to this book is a great way to read up psychology studies in a brief fashion. It starts at the beginning to philosophical times before scientific approaches emerged. Towards the end, it goes into fields of psychology that are relatively new such as optimistic psychology, social psychology, and logotherapy. 50 Psychology Classics , Tom Butler - Bowden This book covers the top 50 most influential studies in psychology, which is what is discussed in your typical psych 101 courses. Not meant to be a cover to cover read but as a reference for ideas, or genuine interest. Studies learned in this book and "the psychology book" can be applied in real life context. Overall this is a useful guide. 48 Laws Of Power , Robert Greene Hard to read...

3 Unorthodox ways to calm your nerves before a speech

You are about to give t he speech of a lifetime , in front of an audience of 300 . Well, more like 13, but it feels like 300, and it's only an ice-breaker; yet heavy perspiration and heart-pounding suddenly occurs. For pride and integrity, you won't cower from fear; but if you vomit, do pride and integrity matter anyway. Under pressure, you forget that even professionals, including political figures and CEO's, suffer breakdowns before performing. Your heavy perspiration and heart-pounding, therefore, are not specific to newbies. Within our club's supportive community, members seasoned and novice use an arsenal of weapons to combat nervousness before speaking. Today, they share three of the most unorthodox yet effective methods with you.

The Four Communication Styles

Everyone has a signature style of communicating. The most effective communicators tailor their style to fit their audience! Director : Directors are hard-charging, want information in quick, bottom line bullet points, are action-oriented leaders, focused on results. The director’s style of communicating is assertive and task-oriented. The Director’s style is to assume that quick action and decisiveness yield the best results. Directors frame the world as a competitive place of action and decisiveness. Expresser : Expressers focus on leading through their creative ideas. They want a fuller exploration of different options and ideas. The expresser's style of communicating is assertive and people-oriented. Their operating assumption is that people should feel free to voice their opinions, think outside of the box, and articulate what they feel. They truly enjoy entertaining. Expressers focus on the world as an intricate place where people are acknowledged for their lifetime ...

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