Swamp TALK

Okefenokee Toastmasters Club #8269, District 14, Area 11B

Volume 3 Issue 5 November 2011

Chartered in 1991, Sponsor: John Penland

Mission: The mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every individual member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth. Meetings: We meet every Wednesday morning at 7:00am at Quality Inn, 1725 Memorial Drive, Waycross. Click here for map. Membership: Open to anyone 18 years old and over.
Toastmasters by the Numbers
2040the typical number of members in a Toastmasters club. 60the typical number of minutes a Toastmasters club meeting lasts. 10the number of speech projects in the Competent Communicator manual. 1991the year our Toastmasters club was chartered. 249the number of Toastmasters Clubs in Georgia. 13,000the number of Toastmasters Clubs in the world. 4,000,000+ the number of persons around the world who have benefitted from membership in Toastmasters. Quote of the Month ...Having Toastmasters on my resume gave me a competitive advantage against other candidates applying for the job. One employer asked me, "What is Toastmasters I see you have [it] listed here?" I said I am always looking to improve my communication skills and TM has allowed me to do just that. I was hired and later told the interviewers were impressed that I was striving for improvement. Dajour Ashwood on Georgia District 14 Facebook page.

Congratulations!
Congrats to new member, Deborah Pearce, who was presented with the Philips-Bruce award, for outstanding Committee Chair, at the Kiwanis Club of Waycross Awards Banquet on October 6th. Her acceptance speech was a Table Topics moment as the award was totally unexpected. Good job! Also, congrats to John Conger, President-Elect of the Kiwanis Club.

Upcoming Events May 4-5, 2012: Spring Conference, The Leaders Network, Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center, Atlanta, Ga. August 15-18, 2012: Start planning for next years International Convention. It will be in Orlando, Florida

GRAMMARIANS CORNER

Passed and past, whats the difference? They sound alike. They both have the same root, the Latin noun, passus which means step or pace. Passed is used mostly as a verb: He passed by here. It can be a euphemism meaning die: He passed peacefully Past can be used as an adjective meaning gone by in time: past sins. It can be a noun: Its in the past. Past can be used as a preposition meaning by: He drove past my house. Passed can never be used as a preposition.

How to Recruit New Members

1. Bring your boss. 2. Make your employees join. 3. Use word of mouth. 4. Promote and rave about TM constantly. 5. Give talks to other organizations. 6. Hold joint meetings with nonToastmasters Clubs. 7. Participate in community events. 8. Have a booth at malls, fairs, festivals. 9. Hold a Speak-a-Thon with many speakers. 10. Make meetings more interactive.
Read more: http://www.d4tm.org/Documents/116_Recruit.pdf

New members, Lyn Glenn to the left and Debbi Pearce to her right, were inducted into the Okefenokee Toastmasters Club on November 9, 2011 by club President, Bud Montero. Lyn delivered her first speech after the induction ceremony. Interestingly, her speeches will be videotaped and submitted to her on-line speech class for course credit. In her first speech on November 2nd, Debbi introduced herself as a small business owner, a volunteer, and a former classroom teacher. Both ladies spoke on the value of family and education.
Rise Up and Lead! The world is crying out for leaders and everyone has a responsibility to rise up to the call and lead; in your club, at work, at home, your place of worship and more. Kene Iloenyosi, District Governor, DTM.

Connect with Us
Follow Okefenokee Toastmasters on Twitter: http://twitter.com/oketoast Browse Georgia Toastmasters website: http://www.gatoastmasters.org Tune in to Toastmasters International podcasts:

http://www.toastmasters.org/podcast Quality Meetings = Quality Clubs

Words of the Month At every Toastmasters meeting, the Grammarian selects a word that will increase members vocabulary and notes how many times the word or its derivative is used in the meetings. Replete (adj.): abundantly supplied. Alacrity (noun): zeal, eagerness. Mesmerize (verb): fascinate, spellbind. Pleonasm (noun): a redundant word or expression.

Club Presidents Role

When you are the President:

Ensure the meeting starts and ends on time Make sure guests are warmly and enthusiastically welcomed and introduced Allow time before and after the meeting to speak with guests Discuss the Distinguished Club Program (DCP) and the clubs progress and achievements in it Recognize member achievements in Toastmasters and in their personal lives Report on the Moments of Truth the club is achieving.

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. Edited by Janice Williams