As newly minted President for the 2009-2010 year, I look forward to leading a dynamic and friendliest group of people - Art of Speaking Club. My goal this year is to continue to grow both speaking and leader-ship skills in the true Toast-masters tradition. With the economic decline, more em-phasis is being placed by employers on "soft" skills - when all technical skills are equal, who has better com-munication skills. As such, I would seek to increase awareness of Toastmasters and the importance of the

skills learned for both per-sonal and professional growth. Many of us tend to look towards other more skillful and experienced Toastmasters as role mod-els, which may be true, however my emphasis will be placed on constantly im-proving thyself. As Matthew Kelly so eloquently states, "Be the Best Version of Yourself". I look forward to another great year in serving our membership base. Best wishes, Fred Eng president@artofspeakingclub.org

President’s Note

AoS officers for 2009-2010 President: Fred Eng, CC VP, Education: Nancie Garcia

VP, Membership: Kailas Simha

VP, Public Relations: Kumar Kolaganti,

ACB, ALB Treasurer: Vanaja Sivakumar

Secretary: Laxmi Samantara

Sergeant-At-Arms: Hollis Donaldson Past-President: Hitender Mittal CC, ALB

Art of Speaking Toastmasters Club

Aug 2009 Volume 7, Issue 1

Speak to Win!

Do you know?

Art of Speaking club

is officially a Presi-

dent’s Distinguished

club for 2008-2009

The club won ALL

three membership

building awards -

'Smedley,' 'Talk up

Toastmasters,' and

'Beat the Clock' for

2008-09

Two of our club mem-

bers are Area Gover-

nors for 2009-10

(Hitender Mittal and

Khajana Gowda)

Inside this issue:

Area Governor Note 2

Tribute to District 83 4

Tips & Tricks 4

Meeting Minutes 7

Members Picture 7

Editor Talk

You might say a Toastmasters club is no different than any other organization. Therefore, a club newsletter wouldn't be much different either - more shop talk that focuses on the organizational rules and happenings. You would, however, be remiss to not take notice of one important differ-

ence - The driving motivation behind the entire endeavor. The "Misson statement of a Toastmas-ters club" actually sums it up quite well. Look for it on page 3 of this newsletter or page 3 of your CC manual. Following on that thought, this newsletter is the collective voice of all the club mem-

bers. It is an additional tool to hone your communications skills. Use it in conjunction with your manual speeches, and use it well.

It is my pleasure to bring you this first issue of our club newsletter for the current year. The in-cluded articles are both informative and enjoyable. I hope you will like reading through them as

much as I did putting them together. Feel free to share it with your friends and neighbors; just leave out your dog - he has plenty other things to feast on. Lastly, this is just the beginning (no pun intended!), so don't forget to send articles reflecting your creative ideas and Toastmasters

wisdom for the next issue. Editorially yours,

Kumar Kolaganti Www.artofspeakingclub.org

officers@artofspeakingclub.org

Fellow Toastmasters, What an incredible year we

have had at Art of Speaking ! From a membership base of

20, we grew to a towering 41 members. That is an increase

of more than one hundred percent. Ignoring member attrition, the club added 37

members - an amazing achievement.

Having been at the center of it all, I must say it was one exhilarating ride. "Treat

Guests like Royalty" is the timeless Toastmasters man-tra. And we followed it to

the letter - well, e-mail ac-tually. Each inquiry from a prospect was viewed as a

potential opportunity to bring forth the benefits of Toastmasters - one prospect,

one Guest, one Member at a time.

The club conducted a Logo contest which was a resound-

ing success. Kumar's creative talents bore fruit when one of his entries was voted the

winner by club members. We got not just a logo, but a brand new identity - and AoS

started its quest to establish itself as a brand; a shining star; a feather in the cap of

District 83. There was no looking back after that. The club hosted quality meetings,

members participated and won accolades in speech con-tests, and conducted presen-

tations from the Advanced Series manuals. As the year drew to a close, AoS went on

to join the ranks of one of the most successful clubs in

the District, winning the Club Triple Crown for 2008-09 - an honor bestowed to 5

clubs out of a total of 140 in the District. It also earned recognition from TI as Presi-

dent's Distinguished Club, besides numerous other

membership-building and educational milestones for individual members.

And this is just the begin-ning. The best days of AoS lie

ahead. We have successfully shattered the membership barrier. This frees the club

from the shackles of main-taining the magical '20' head-count, which consumes a lot

of energy and resources for a typical club. It can actually mean the difference be-

tween a struggling and suc-cessful club. It also lets us focus on building lasting val-

ue for each club member. In short, it allows us to do all

the things we set out to do in the first place.

With the club leadership in the able hands of Fred Eng, I am confident that AoS will

continue the winning tradi-tion and scale newer heights this year. My best wishes to

all the current club officers and the entire AoS member-ship.

Toastmasters is a service organization, with a philoso-

phy rooted in building the Communication and Leader-ship skills of its constituent

members. My expanded role as Area Governor this year allows me the opportunity to

serve members of all the

clubs in Area 43. I expect to promote inter-club interac-tion for sharing best practic-

es and achieving excellence as we work through this year. Please do not hesitate to

contact me if you have any questions, suggestions or

comments. With Warm Regards,

Hitender Mittal, CC, ALB

Past President, Art of Speaking, 08-09,

Area 43 Governor, 2009-10

District 83, Division D, Area 43

E-mail: gov.area43@gmail.com

From the Desk of Area 43 Governor and Past President, Art of Speaking

Page 2

Speak to Win!

Speak to Win!

AoS Seventh Chartering Anniversary Celebrations

Page 3

June 27, 2009:

“The Mission of a Toastmasters Club: The

mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a

mutually supportive and positive learning

environment in which every member has the

opportunity to develop communication and

leadership skills, which in turn foster self

confidence and personal growth “

How could anyone have doubted The new District 83 that sprouted, Was driven to be 'Distinguished'

It was a mission well accomplished,

For leaders are born to lead

They live by a different creed, And we had 'Three' no less Someone say 'Amen' and God bless,

Paul Scharf, Brian Lin, and Tom Somers Veteran Toastmasters not newcomers,

Our own 'Three Amigos' Never gave up, or said adios,

Rolled their sleeves & setup all the roles Looked farther ahead & set lofty goals, One CC, One member, at a time

Armed with a clock & 'ah-um' the mime, Continued nonstop what they had begun

Carving out history built on solid tradition, Help came from clubs near and far Turning District 83 into a Toastmasters Star,

There was, of course, the 'rocking' Division B As also, the 'Art of Speaking' club of yours tru-

ly, All kept making steady progress

Marching along 'The Road to Success,'

Finally, there was no road to follow A simple & sublime truth to swallow,

For it was piloted by a giant, not some dwarf, Give it up for the one and only - Paul D. Scharf.

by Hitender Mittal. He read this during the 'Hail and Farewell' on August 8, 2009

Tribute to District 83

Page 4

Volume 7, Issue 1

“We are a group of

people brought

together to do things

we could not do

alone”

- Johnny Uy, DTM

Some Thoughts for Those Seeking CC

The following are some thoughts that those seeking their CC's might consider:

Do your Ice Breaker as soon as possi-

ble - don't put it off

Decide on what speaking schedule you

would like to follow (say, a speech every 3 weeks) and then work with

the Educational V.P. to schedule your speaking times to fit. You can always change it if it just doesn't work.

On completing a speech assignment,

take some time to digest the evalua-tion. Decide what you want to try to do better in your next speech.

Start preparing the next speech within

the week following the previous speech was given. Practice the speech, but do not attempt to memo-

rize it. Do real practices (i.e stand up in a room and deliver the speech with vocal variety and gestures).

Consider the notion of going for the

Competent Leader program. Toast-masters recommend it, and going for it in connection with the CC program

seems to work pretty well.

Attend all meetings possible. In some

ways the meetings that you have no "speech" to give provides the most

learning for each of us, and especially newcomers. Listening to speakers with a great variety of expe-

rience and know how is so education-al, as is listening to speakers who are in the struggling stages of learning

how to do it right. And, of course the evaluations of others are also benefi-ciary.

Regardless of your ability, volunteer

to do a Table Topic, and do your best - you will be applauded, and it's only a minute or so.

Tips & Tricks

New Members since July 2009

Prasanna Jayapalan

Vikram Polavarapu

Sami Seerangan

Welcome Aboard

Open House

Art of Speaking club will be host-

ing an „Open House‟ in the last week of Septem-

ber.

Stay tuned for fur-ther details.

The idea is BYOB - Bring Your Own

Buddy

District 83 Distinguished in its Inaugural

Year

Speak to Win!

Myth 5: You have to attend every meeting every week. Reality 5: You can attend as many meetings as you want. There is no minimum requirement. As a courte-sy to the other members and to get all the good from the organization as possible, you should participate in meetings regularly either as a speaker or in one of the other functions but you choose how often you can attend. Just being there as an audience for the other speakers is vital! Myth 6: Each speech is criticized. Reality 6: Toastmasters is adamantly against criti-cism. Our keyword is "evaluation" and we concentrate on helping each person understand what they are do-ing RIGHT and suggest alternatives for future presen-tations. This is not to make you change but to help you build your speaking toolkit. The more tools you are experienced with the more options you have in various communication situations. Myth 7: Toastmasters is very time consuming. Reality 7: The amount of time you give to Toastmas-ters depends on you and your needs. Giving presenta-tions does require preparation, but you can use topics associated with work or home so content preparation is minimal. You can also space your presentations to meet your schedule. Other program functions such as evaluator and timer require no preparation. Table topics and Toastmaster require some very limited preparation, or none at all, if you think fast on your feet! You attend as many meetings as you can. There are no "musts." Myth 8: I want to, but I don't have the time. Reality 8: If you want to and need to, you can find the time. It's just four hours a month. All members are busy people with limited time but most find the weekend hour of Toastmasters a positive way to spend time. Finding time is a matter of need and commitment. Toastmasters is the only organization devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality, and our club is here to help you develop your Communication and Leadership skills with training and coaching that enables and empowers you to build self-confidence, improve self-discipline, and gain an enhanced self-image.

Contact officers@artofspeakingclub.org for member-ship information.

(Article Courtesy: UT Toastmasters)

People put off professional development for many reasons. If you have avoided joining Art of Speak-ing Toastmasters for any of the following reasons, please reconsider - Toastmasters may not be what you think!

Myth 1: I don't need Toastmasters because I have been giving presentations for years. Reality 1: ...and you are probably using the same techniques you started with years ago. For experi-enced speakers, Toastmasters is a way to expand and modernize your presentation style. You will get honest feedback about your style and good suggestions for alternative techniques. Myth 2: I don't need Toastmasters because I don't give speeches. Reality 2: What about when your boss asks for a status report on your project? What about when you talk to someone on the phone to ask a ques-tion or give information? What about when you present an idea at a staff meeting? The more you consider your business and personal conversations as "presentations", the more care you will give that conversation and the more professional it will be. Art of Speaking Toastmasters will help you develop that professional edge.

Myth 3: I'm not smart enough. I'll be embar-rassed. I can't think of anything to talk about. Reality 3: Everyone is smart enough. Everyone has things that interest them and which they can share. You won't be any more embarrassed than you are about other things when with friends. Have you got a hobby? What is your job like? Do you have kids, a spouse, other family? Have you ever fixed something? Where did you go on your last vacation? You have a lot to say!

Myth 4: The other members are already good speakers. I'd be nervous. Reality 4: While the current Art of Speak-ing Toastmaster membership does have good speakers, everyone starts at the same place. Even the most experienced speakers are nerv-ous. Toastmasters won't be able to eliminate that. What we can do, however, is help you discover a way to use that adrenaline to your advantage. Many of the senior members contin-ue to attend and give presentations because even though they have improved their speaking skills, there is always something new to learn from each other.

Toast Masters - Myth Vs Reality

Page 5

Speak to Win!

The Top Reasons for doing a “Manual” speech are:

Self Improvement:

1. The manual systematically works through different elements of speech making and after being exposed to a myriad of fa-cets, your speeches will shine like a well faceted jewel.

2. Improve your speaking ability—identify an area that needs improvement; and choose a Manual Project that emphasizes that area.

3. Manual speeches provide the speaker the necessary guidance to improve our speaking skills.

4. Having a goal helps narrow your focus and increase the disci-pline needed to improve your speaking.

5. Helps you to have thorough knowledge of a topic through practice delivery and research of your topic.

Evaluation:

1. A manual speech provides a criterion from which to develop the speech and gives your evaluator something more structured to work with during the evaluation. Hence they can give a more focused and concise evaluation based on the speech ob-jective.

2. Experienced speakers provide an opportunity for new mem-bers to practice and develop evaluation skills by evaluating the experienced speaker adhering to the objectives of the speech manual.

3. Evaluations are the corner stone of an individual‟s growth. It‟s unfair to your evaluator not to provide a list of objectives for them to base their evaluation.

Club:

1. As a members of Toastmasters, we have agreed to follow its rules and manual speeches to be a “must do” in Toastmasters.

2. Commitment to each other in the Club and it benefits both the Club and Individual.

(Article Courtesy—Fourcaster Volume 69, No. 2)

Part of the Mission of Toastmasters International is: “Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listen-ing, and thinking—vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster hu-man understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.”

Upon joining a Toastmasters Club, each new member receives a variety of manuals and resources on speak-ing. Toastmasters need to learn by studying the manu-als, practicing and working with the other Club Mem-bers.

The “Communication and Leadership”, known as the “Basic Manual”, is the first tool the new member re-ceives. Each manual is developed with projects that build upon each of the preceding projects. Each of the projects presents information on how to complete that project, objectives to be accomplished, and an evalua-tion form. The ten projects in the “Basic Manual” are: 1- The Ice Breaker; 2- Organize Your Speech; 3- Get to the Point; 4- How to Say It; 5- Your Body Speaks; 6- Vo-cal Variety; 7- Research Your Topic; 8- Get Comfortable with Visual Aids; 9- Persuade with Power; and 10- In-spire Your Audience. These speaking skills are the basic of all public speaking.

The Advanced Manuals are all designed on the same principle as the “Basic Manual” with one difference: They all contain five projects instead of ten. There are currently fifteen different Advanced Manuals, each stressing a different area of speaking.

Why do manual speeches?

Page 6

Guests are always welcome!

Feel free to stop by and sit in on any one of our meetings. You may visit as a guest as many times as you like, and there is absolutely no cost to visit - no reservations or prior arrangements are required! We pride ourselves in being a friendly, supportive, welcoming group. So come join us and see what it's all about!

Speak to Win!

his understanding. Stephanie added drama to her speech by slamming

down a dictionary which was received quite well. Kumar Kolaganti evaluated the speech.

Khajan Gowda gave an Advanced Series speech from the Interpretive

Reading manual. He used a speech from John F. Kennedy on potential nuclear war with the Soviet Union. It was a stirring rendition of a very

famous speech given by a very powerful orator. As Khajan read, you

could picture JFK giving the same speech. Overall, he did a fine job. Fred Eng evaluated the speech.

The Table Topics segment was hosted by Dirk French. The topics were

based on questions that might be discussed on a date. The subject provided many thought provoking topics, some very humorous in

bringing forth the impromptu speaking skills of our club. There were 17 speakers in all which was great since it allowed a lot of members

and guests to participate.

TK Verma then led the General Evaluation section. Timer and Ah-Counter/Grammarian reports were provided for each speaker. The

individual evaluations that followed were insightful, providing strong points as well as constructive ideas on how to improve future speech-

es. TK himself evaluated the overall meeting and led the session with

great command, sprinkling in his wry sense of humor.

Stephanie Tsao was awarded the Best Speaker.

As part of the closing remarks, Fred Eng, the club president, reminded everyone about the upcoming Club Contest at the next meeting on

August 22. He also mentioned that the scheduling of speeches for future meeting dates will be on hold at SandyEast.com until the con-

test details are worked out.

Next, Dirk French, the Club Contest Chairperson, reviewed the Table Topics and Tall Tales Contests and also signed up Contestants as well

as members interested in volunteering for administrative support during the contest. He promised an interesting contest meeting.

Finally, Kumar Kolaganti provided a brief overview of the upcoming

membership drive. He reviewed the function of an Open House as an

opportunity to provide information to prospective members and gen-erate interest in growing the club.

Fred Eng, the club President, called the meeting to order with

a total of 29 anxious and excited Toastmasters and Guests in attendance. Officers were introduced and the meeting turned

over to Toastmaster of the Day, Nancie Garcia. Nancie re-viewed the meeting format, and had Sami (Timer) and Hetal

(Ah Counter/Grammarian) explain their respective meeting roles.

Hollis Donaldson provided the Word of the Day: "Adroit" - meaning dexterous, deft or skillful.

"She played the piano adriotly which showed her familiarity and expertise with the instrument."

Gopi Penugonda provided the Thought of the Day: "It is not

enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well."

The meeting included four prepared speeches:

The first speaker was Sami, who gave his CC #2 speech titled "Let's Celebrate 10th Anniversary". Sami's main theme was that

9 out of 10 new businesses do not celebrate the tenth anniver-sary. He outlined steps that should be taken - Choosing the

right field, Specifying an Objective, and Performing a Market-

place Analysis. He followed his outline very well, elaborating on each step and providing clear, concise tips. Hollis Don-

aldson evaluated Sami.

Gopi was the next speaker, also presenting his CC #2 speech titled "How to Overcome Disappointment". He likened disap-

pointment to a cancer, that can wreck havoc on one's life. He provided tips to overcome disappointment, such as Relaxing

and giving yourself time to heal; Sharing your disappointment; Listing strengths and weaknesses, and working to systematical-

ly remove them and build self confidence. All in all, a very inspiring speech. Nelakanti Rao evaluated the speech.

Stephanie Tsao gave her CC #5 speech titled "Don't We Love

Our Bosses". Bringing forth ideas from a book, "Career War-fare," Stephanie provided several examples of bosses that

follow seemingly innocuous rules with little rationale behind

them. One example was the "Know It All" manager who vehe-mently demanded taking down signs of "Synergy" saying it was

spelled incorrectly, although it was he who needed to correct

Minutes for Club Meeting on Aug 8, 2009

For inquiries, please contact Kumar Kolaganti (VP Public Relations) at vppr@artofspeakingclub.org