How Toastmasters has helped me and can help you! ? The Blog of ...

I first got involved in Toastmasters from 1989 to 1991 and joined Mosman Toastmasters in Sydney. I worked through the first speech manual of ten speeches??(now called the Competent Communicator manual) ?and competed in a humorour speech contest. Then I dropped out because our first daughter was born and I didn?t have time to prepare speeches.

I joined Chatswood Early Risers in 2004 because I was working in Chatswood at the time and a friend suggested a morning club. I love the weekly format of one hour meetings as there are more opportunities for practice. So what skills have I learnt in Toastmasters?

I made a list of skills I have gained. You can gain these skills as well by joing a Toastmasters club and participating in the meetings. The first step is to find a club then visit.

Prepared speaking. Presenting prepared 5- 7 minute speeches on a variety of speeches usually without notes. I have used a variety of visual aids to enhance my message.

Impromptu speaking for about minute on a variety of topics given by the Table Topic Master. This skill involves recalling information, and creating a structured response.

Acted as Toastmaster (Master of Ceremonies) for the speakers at a meeting. This involves collecting information from the speakers ? biographical and introductory material for the speech. This is a useful skill for being an MC at a business meeting, conference, wedding, or private party.

Conducted meeting as the Chairman, ensuring that the meeting runs smooothly and to time.

Laughmaster is a role where I tell a joke or humorous story, adding some drama and vocal variety to the presentation. It is quite a challenge to tell a joke that isn?t rude or offensive!

Presented Toasts of 2 to 3 minutes. There is a magic formula to giving a toast and once I had given a couple of toasts, it is easy to do in other situations.

Evaluator. Evaluating another speaker and giving constructive feedback is what I really enjoy. I have to pay attention to all aspects of the speaker ? language, body language andvocal variety then summarise my recommendations in a 3 minute vebal presentation.

Mentoring new members. The greatest satisfaction of all is to help new members overcome their fears and to guide them develop their own communication style. Experienced speakers have helped me in the past and I like to pass on my experience and observations of other speakers.

Leadership skills. Serving as Club President in 2009-2010 allowed me to develop leadership skills, team building and creative thinking. I had been in supervisory roles in the past, but dealing with a group of volunteers is a different challenge. When people volunteer for something like Toastmasters I have observed different levels of enthusiasm and commitment. Building a common purpose and enthusiasm to achieve shared goals

Where have I applied these skills?

Over the last ten years my work has been in software support, software testing, technical writing and training development. However, my skills were brought into play when I presented testing methodologies to the software engineers.

I have done occasional classroom training, often to students with English as a second language. Feedback has been positive particular my clarity of speech and ease of comprehension.

I recorded voiceovers for E-Learning courses. This required two particular skills learnt in Toastmasters ? writing for the ?ear? and voice production. Text to be spoken is different to text that for reading such as this article. I did attend a Podcasting workshop and a Voice production course, both independent of Toastmasters.

Over the last two years I have presented to my industry peers at a meet-up group of technical writers in North Sydney. I was invited to speak at their annual conference in 2010 and again in 2011.

One of the toughest speeches was writing a eulogy and delivering it at my brother?s funeral. Despite the grief, I managed to write a speech from the heart and deliver at the service without an emotional breakdown.

The future

I still need to improve my vocal variety and use of gestures. Vocal exercises and more practice at meetings!

I am keen to explore the format of Ignite talks?where the speaker uses a Powerpoint deck of 20 slides with each slide automatically advancing every 15 seconds. This means the speech takes 5 minutes ?which is long enough to get your point across. ?I plan to give an Ignite talk when I next present a speech requiring visual aids.

Summary

The best thing I have gained from Toastmasters is making many wonderful friendships with the people in our club. Our members are from a diversity of professions, countries, ages, and life experience. I learn so much from their speeches and contributions to our club.

Public speaking and leadership skills are essential for our personal and professional lives. Toastmasters is a an effective and fun way to develop these skills.

Advertisement

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Source: http://charuzu.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/how-toastmasters-has-helped-me-and-can-help-you/

landon collins national signing day 2012 dorial green beckham mike kelly amzn kristen bell kellie pickler

Video: Should sugar be regulated?

>>> in health news tonight, prominent researchers are slamming sugar saying it's time this country treated foods with added sugar the same way we treat things like alcohol and tobacco and regulate them. nbc news chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman here with us tonight. this is a provocative topic.

>> reporter: it is a very provocative topic. not just talking about the glass of orange juice or occasional cupcake that is a treat. scientists are sounding the alarm. that is the amount of sugar in our diets that's literally killing us. stephanie mccabe tries her best to limit the amount of sugar her children eat, but knows the occasional treat is part of childhood.

>> my kids eat well for dinner and lunch and get a good breakfast and they play.

>> reporter: our sugar consumption crept up on all of us. the amount of sugar we eat tripled. today the average american consumes 22 teaspoons a day, triple what we need. 75 pounds of sugar a year for every man, woman and child in the united states . now an article sparked a magazinesal debate. is sugar toxic and should it be taxed and regulated like alcohol and tobacco.

>> sugar promotes the same phenomena in the brain addictive substances do.

>> reporter: he believes sugar is to blame for high blood pressure , diabetes, dementia and even cancer. not everyone agrees. the sugar association takes issue calling the article irresponsible, saying we are confident the american people are perfectly capable of choosing what foods to eat.

>> we need more personal responsibility and giving people the honest truth as opposed to this sort of exaggerated truth like calling sugar toxic does not actually get us to a healthier society.

>> reporter: personal responsibility can be a challenge when sugar is in almost everything we eat. it's not just soda and juice, but packaged foods, ketchup, even canned vegetables, which is exactly why sugar is in the crosshairs today. if you think you can substitute those sugary foods with diet drinks and diet sugars, there is now sobering proof they are sweeter than that old-fashioned sugar . they are refiguring the brain and that makes the human body crave sugar even more. we tricked ourself out of the sugar we knew when we were kids. everything is too sweet. it's a big fight.

>> doc, thanks very much for

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46244757/

cobra starship blue whale melissa joan hart sylvia plath def leppard tim wakefield tim wakefield

Very good Trusted Way to obtain Craft Materials | Articles Bright

If you are a skilled performer making a living via producing designs you will want a beneficial reputable supplier for all you art work supplies as well as components. If you live just starter on this planet associated with artwork, you continue to must be certain of good quality in addition to robustness of this art supplies anyone invest hard-earned cash in. Artwork is definitely an gratifying activity, and naturally people want to make use of and make the best of the craft items they have got bought. You will find top quality art work materials as well as materials coming from utrecht coupon code.

We have seen an increase not long ago in individuals increasingly considering be resourceful along with expressing on their own through making artwork. The types of materials obtainable additionally create superb and unique gifts too; using each youthful in addition to elderly ages taking interest in it can make acquiring unique and also inventive products to your imaginative relatives a wonderful choice. Interest systems in addition to hobby pieces are also available from nearly all reliable fine art suppliers and make wonderful gifts as well as true starting systems for newbies who wish to research.

Artwork resources like a time period isn?t going to solely refer to the most apparent components including paints, brushes, canvasses and so forth. Art can be a great and extremely in-depth creative matter. Via sketching as well as illustrating to dam producing or cloth portray you can always find the correct materials that will help along as part of your creative desire. Providers can provide a new assorted variety and such as every little thing you will see less costly possibilities in addition to more pricey kinds. For anyone who is a novice then it is best to require tips through the use of utrecht coupon to the perfect components to get started on experimenting with.

You don?t want to rush inside and acquire the priciest model before you have perhaps decided until this activity is designed for you. You additionally don?t wish to probably bargain about high quality and get the cheapest components probable, with regard to they couldn?t be of a standard you might have predicted. Fat paints along with gas colors make the perfect case in point. Some cheaper provides who are not coming from an expert craft dealer is probably not in the consistency you expected or the tonal choice of colorings offered could be very mundane along with unreliable. Together with goods like offers you should truly choose a reliable company that delivers painting goods regarding performers in just about all ranges. Using these printed items you may normally come across paintbrushes as well that happen to be tailored for freshest, intermediates in addition to pros. To as assist to produce your style and also assist you maintain a comfy portray approach.

Artwork supplies are abundant and also wide ranging. Sticking with a good specialized supplier using utrecht coupon code will probably typically ensure which you buy supplies for your requirements buying a consultant signifies you do not always be dissatisfied with the quality of the goods.

Using utrecht coupons for more info visit utrecht code

Source: http://articlesbright.com/home-family/very-good-trusted-way-to-obtain-craft-materials

jill biden al mvp ama awards 2011 ama awards 2011 uekman uekman music awards

How sun gets its spots: New theory offered

Scientists may be one step closer to unraveling the mystery of sunspots ? the dark and magnetic blemishes on the surface of our nearest star.

These sunspots are thought to occur when increased magnetic activity inhibits the flow of heat onto a patch of the sun, causing it to darken. But the ultimate source of that boost of magnetism has remained unclear.

Now researchers say the formation of hydrogen molecules may decrease the pressure on certain areas of the sun's surface, allowing runaway magnetic fields to form and intensify.

"We think that molecular hydrogen plays an important role in the formation and evolution of sunspots," said Sarah Jaeggli, a solar scientist who conducted the research while studying at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, in a statement.

The sun is mostly made of hydrogen ? the element makes up 90 percent of the sun's mass, while helium contributes about 10 percent, and only 0.13 percent is everything else. Because the sun is so extremely hot (an average of 9,944 degrees Fahrenheit, or 5,500 degrees Celsius) this hydrogen is generally in the form of single ionized atoms ? that is, only the hydrogen nucleus ? floating around in gaseous form.

However, inside sunspots the surface of the sun can cool enough to allow two hydrogen atoms to bond together to form hydrogen molecules.

When two atoms combine into one molecule, the pressure it exerts is about half the pressure of the two particles it used to be. And when the pressure decreases like this, the magnetic fields can further intensify.

"The formation of a large fraction of molecules may have important effects on the thermodynamic properties of the solar atmosphere and the physics of sunspots," Jaeggli said.

To test this theory, Jaeggli and her colleagues Haosheng Lin of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Han Uitenbroek of the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, N.M., observed the sun with the Dunn Solar Telescope at Sunspot, N.M.

While scientists cannot directly observe hydrogen molecules on the sun, they searched for a stand-in, the molecule hydroxyl, which contains one hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom. Because this molecule breaks up at a lower temperature than molecular hydrogen, the team knew that where hydroxyl is found, hydrogen molecules can also exist.

"We found evidence that significant quantities of hydrogen molecules form in sunspots that are able to maintain magnetic fields stronger than 2,500 Gauss," Jaeggli said. For comparison, Earth's magnetic field is about one-half Gauss.

The researchers plan to compare their observations to computer simulations. They also hope to gather more observations as the sun ramps up in its 11-year cycle toward a maximum of magnetic activity in 2013, which should provide many more examples of sunspots to behold.

You can follow Space.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz. Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46225519/ns/technology_and_science-space/

phillies phillies philadelphia phillies sand dollar sand dollar just dance 3 just dance 3

Video: Will Romney face problems in Nevada?

>>> and despite mitt romney 's 14-point win over newt gingrich , romney could have some issues as he's heading into nevada . his problems could be seen with some of the more conservative . take a look at some of the numbers out there. in florida , 33% describe themselves as very conservative . about the same, 36% describe themselves as somewhat conservative . but take a look at the numbers when you break it down. of the very conservative voters we saw last night, 41% support newt gingrich . that's an 11-point advantage for gingrich . also our exit poll information gave us another hint where mitt romney might need to improve. 41% of voters said romney 's position are not conservative enough. 38% said they want to see someone else get in the race for the nomination. and get this, that includes 32% of mitt romney 's own voters. and joining me now to talk more about it, steve dayson who is also an endorser of newt gingrich . steve, thank you so much for joining me. greatly appreciate it.

>> thank you, tamron. appreciate you having me back.

>> i've got to to you about this number. 38% want to see someone else run. they went in, they voted, they came out and spoke with our exit poll people and said they want someone else in this race. you're a conservative . help me understand, who are you looking for in maybe not you because you like newt. who are these people looking for in.

>> well, i this i what they're looking for is someone that doesn't have to resort to scorched earth tactics to win but can actually run on a conservative record and can communicate it in a way that actually rallies the nation to conservative values and issues and also has the resources to show that they can put a professional organization on the ground. and i think that will everything i just mentioned, there's a few candidates that represent a couple of the facets of the composite that the people want, the ideal composite, but since that ideal composite is not there, you have some of the buyer's remorse indicated in your exit polling .

>> let me talk to you about newt. obviously he took a pounding yesterday. he did not do well with women especially. he didn't do great with men either. but he really got beat up from women voters i might say, just toe so speak here. what does he need to do in nevada ?

>> i think what newt's got to get back to, he's got to get back on offense. i think there was too much talk about how much he's being hammered, all the negative ads very reminiscent of the last time he surged as the front-runner position. he at his best when he is playing offense. you know, newt is sort of the charles barclay of political candidates. barclay once said i ain't on this league to play defense. newt is best with the ball in his hands dribbling towards the basket. when he's trying to get back on defense, that's not his best. he's got to get back on offense and get back on offense in those southern states where romney is going to have a lot of trouble winning delegates.

>> did you see any indication of that happening with his speech last night? he didn't call mitt romney and congratulate him. in his speech, he talked about all these grand things he would do following his inauguration. is he playing that offense that you say he needs to play?

>> i think that's a good first step. i think newt is at his best. here's one some things we've learned about the three main republican candidates in this race. rick santorum is at business heft attacking romney . romney at his best attacking gingrich , gingrich attacking mediaen at issues. when those three candidates are doing those things, they're at their best. rick santorum was really good in the two debates especially in the second. romney was really good if florida going after newt gingrich hard. some of it was out of bounds but hey, you know, we're big boys . put on your big boy britches and take it. newt is at his best when he gave speeches like he gave last night.

>> as i understand, at least what i've read, newt is not out with any ads yet in nevada . what does that say?

>> i think what it says is you're dealing with a state that has only 2 delegates that are proportional allocation. where their nomination is going to be decided, the republican party is a southern party . if you do the delegate math, i count at least 600 southern delegates that i don't believe arithmetic mitt romney can or will win. the path to him getting 1144 delegates before the convention i don't think is a coronation. i don't think that's the case at all. if i'm newt, i'm going to go from texas to west virginia and build a fence around the south where they have huge delegate states and i'm going to try to stop mitt romney there beginning on super tuesday.

>> bottom of our screen it says gingrich 46 or bust. many have noted when he says 46, that's not accurate. he's not on the ballot in missouri and virginia. does that is also hurt him a little bit? as you pointed out, you know, you've got to play, i don't like saying the big boy , but you've got to play to win , whatever you are.

>> sure. i think virginia hurts more because it's his home state. missouri has kind of a convoluted system. rick santorum is not on the ballot therein an he's campaigned there. i'm not sure we know what's going to happen yet in missouri . the key for newt is texas to west virginia . if you look at the delegate counts in these states, here's one example. mitt romney won 50 delegates last night in florida . north carolina has 55. alabama has 50 delegates. those are winner take all states. so what newt gingrich has got to do is get mitt romney down in the south , the real south , not the more metropolitan diverse south . if you look at the exit polling last night.

>> you're talking south as in south carolina , that kind of south .

>> yes, that kind of south . here's something that your viewers should keep in mind looking through a general election . one-fourth of romney 's vote of last night came from palm beach , broward and miami-dade counties. i think every msnbc viewer understand a republican in a general election is not going to win those three counties over barack obama . if i'm newt gingrich , i want to take on mitt romney in places like the northern panhandle in florida which is states like louisiana, texas , mississippi, alabama, georgia,et al.

>> he needs to hire you

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46224530/

banana republic apple store academy barnes and noble nook 12 days of christmas a christmas carol arkansas football player dies

Apple updates Airport stations and Time Capsule, brings bug fixes and iCloud support

It looks as if the Final Cut Pro X update wasn't the only software refresh Cupertino folks had in store for us. In this particular case, it's the company's networking and backup goods -- also known as Airport Express, Extreme and Time Capsule -- that are on the receiving end of the virtual enhancements. The 802.11n stations are getting a fix that solves "an issue with wireless performance," while the capsule is seeing some much needed iCloud support. Additional Apple cloud integration doesn't stop there, as you'll also be able to remotely access your Airport disk. Though, it's worth mentioning that in order to take full advantage you'll have to update your Airport Utility to the latest version (6.0). That means you'll also need Lion, so those of you keepin' your OS X old school with Snow Leopard will be out of luck on using some of the new features. Looking to up your wireless game? Hit up the source link for the full details.

Apple updates Airport stations and Time Capsule, brings bug fixes and iCloud support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Apple  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/OXaziRLWiwM/

mumia uss arizona memorial uss arizona memorial d day fun. words with friends words with friends

Pentagon prepares for new military talks with Iraq (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Obama administration is preparing to begin talks with Iraq on defining a long-term defense relationship that may include expanded U.S. training help, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's chief policy aide.

Michele Flournoy, who is leaving her Pentagon post on Friday to return to private life, said in an interview with a small group of reporters that the administration is open to Iraqi suggestions about the scope and depth of defense ties.

"One of the things we're looking forward to doing is sitting down with the Iraqis in the coming month or two to start thinking about how they want to work with" the U.S. military to develop a program of exercises, training and other forms of security cooperation, Flournoy said.

The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Iraq in December after nearly nine years of war. Both sides had considered keeping at least several thousand U.S. troops there to provide comprehensive field training for Iraqi security forces, but they failed to strike a deal before the expiration of a 2008 agreement that required all American troops to leave.

As a result, training is limited to a group of American service members and contractors in Baghdad who will help Iraqis learn to operate newly acquired weapons systems. They are part of the Office of Security Cooperation, based in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and headed by Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen.

Additional and more comprehensive training is a major issue because Iraq's army and police are mainly equipped and trained to counter an internal insurgency, rather than deter and defend against external threats. Iraq, for example, currently cannot defend its own air sovereignty. It is buying ? but has not yet received ? U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

In a new report on conditions in Iraq, a U.S. government watchdog agency said the Iraqi army is giving so much attention to fighting the insurgents that it has had too little time to train for conventional combat.

"The Iraqi army, while capable of conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, possesses limited ability to defend the nation against foreign threats," said the report submitted to Congress Monday by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen, Jr.

In an introductory note, Bowen wrote that while Iraq's young democracy is buoyed by increasing oil production, it "remains imperiled by roiling ethno-sectarian tensions and their consequent security threats."

Iraq has seen an upswing in violence since the last U.S. troop left, but senior U.S. officials have remained in touch in hopes of nudging the Iraqis toward a political accommodation that can avert a slide into civil war.

Vice President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Saturday with Osama Nujaifi, speaker of the Council of Representatives. And Biden spoke on Friday with a key opposition figure, Ayad Allawi, a former interim prime minister and a secular Shiite leader of the Iraqiya political bloc. Allawi has said Iraq needs to replace its prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, or hold new elections to prevent the country from fracturing along sectarian lines.

In a positive sign, Iraq's Sunni leaders announced on Sunday that they will end their boycott of parliament. That may have paved the way for the political leadership to hold a national conference led by President Jalal Talabani to seek reconciliation and to end a sectarian political crisis.

George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, said Sunday that Panetta remains optimistic about the outlook in Iraq despite worsening violence.

"The secretary believes that the Iraqi people have a genuine opportunity to create a future of greater security for themselves, and that senseless acts of violence will not deter them from pursuing that goal," Little said. "The United States remains committed to a strong security relationship with Iraq."

U.S. officials have said they aim to establish broad defense ties to Iraq, similar to American relationships with other nations in the Gulf, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

Flournoy, 51, is stepping down from her position as undersecretary of defense for policy on Friday after three years in the job. She is the first woman to hold that post. Her chief deputy, Jim Miller, has been picked to succeed her.

In the interview last week, Flournoy reiterated that she is leaving government to focus more on her family. She and her husband, W. Scott Gould, have three children aged 14, 12 and nine.

She came to the Pentagon in February 2009 from the Center for a New American Security, where she was the think tank's first president. She had served in the Pentagon in the 1990s as a strategist.

Flournoy said in an Associated Press interview in December when she announced her decision to quit that she intends to play an informal role this year in supporting President Barack Obama's re-election effort. She was a member of his transition team after the November 2008 election.

___

Robert Burns can be reached on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/robertburnsAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120130/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_iraq

club paradise earthquakes today twilight breaking dawn trailer shaker jackie evancho wild flag wild flag