Toastmasters Cheer the Twins to Victory!

Members of Marsh Winds and H20 Masters held a group outing at the August 28, 2009 Minnesota Twins game.  The event was not only a great opportunity for Toastmasters to get together and have fun outside of regular meetings, but also a promotional opportunity, in that the clubs were welcomed on the big screen.  Better yet, members of the clubs led the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th Inning Stretch!

The idea, when assuming the role of "Stretch Leader" is not to be a proficient singer (Have you ever watched a Chicago Cubs game, with the likes of Harry Carey, Bill Murray, Mike Ditka, and, recently, football legend Gale Sayers singing the baseball anthem?), but rather to be comfortable getting up in front of a crowd and letting go of your fear.  And who better to do that than a group of Toastmasters?

A fantastic time was had by all!  And the Twins beat the Texas Rangers 3-2!

Contest Results!

Marsh Winds' Humorous Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests were a success! 

The guest speaker for the Evaluation Contest was newly elected Toastmasters International Board of Directors member Theo Black!  It was truly an honor to be graced with a speech by Mr. Black!

Evaluations were presented by Betty Liedtke, Lee Handwerger and Lisa Jenks.  The winner, advancing to the Area 92 contest is Betty Liedtke.

Lee Handwerger and Lisa Jenks presented humorous speeches.  Lisa Jenks will represent the club at the Area 92 contest.

Please come to the Area 91 and 92 contests on September 15, 2009 to cheer on and support Betty and Lisa!

State Fair Volunteers Needed!

More volunteers are needed for the Toastmasters' booth at the Minnesota State Fair beginning next Thursday.  As of yesterday, only 56 of 94 available slots had been filled.  By volunteering, you get free admission, a chance to complete speech and leadership projects and to share your passion for Toastmasters.

Please consider volunteering!  Go to www.d6tm.org, under "Member Resources" to sign up!

If you are at the Fair on Saturday, August 28th between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm, stop by the Toastmasters' booth to visit me!

"Those Were the Days" August 20, 2009 Meeting Recap

Larry Everett served as TM with the theme "Those Were The Days", and Betty Liedtke served as the Table Topics Master, and did a wonderful job with selecting questions using the song lyrics "Those Were The Days" by Mary Hopkin as a source for questions.

One Speaker - Ravi Bakshi - Speech Title: Blowing in the Wind.  Ravi was a blimey speaker today, because with a title he chose, no one knew what he was going to talk about until he got into the speech.  No, he was not just shouting into the wind, he was describing some of the points about flying an airplane and "blowing in the wind".  Some members learned something new today about Ravi, and his pilot license from years ago -
Yes, those too were the days.

General Evaluator - Sergeant-at-Arms - Jennifer Ray
Grammarian - Tom Schmid with word of the day "blimey" - interj Brit & NZ slang an exclamation of surprise or annoyance.  But no one was annoyed today.
Ah Counter - Trichy Pasupathy
Timer - Shaun Jamison's daughters
General Evaluator - Pamela Sakayan, practicing her improvisational character speaking as a blimey Brit.  She really did a super job with the British accent. 

Toastmaster of the Day was awarded to Betty Liedtke for her wit with Table Topics.

Marsh Winds 2008-2009 Awards

Another successful Toastmasters year came to an end on June 30th.  Marsh Winds' year end party was held at the home of President Sandy Ryan.  The outgoing board members, Sandy Ryan, Dr. Michael Kennedy and Pamela Rediger were thanked for their service and new board members Dawn Anderson, Lee Handwerger, Deborah Dora, Carol Ulstad, Trichy Pasupathy, Jennifer Ray-Bertheussen, Mark Forsberg, Jean Keating and Marleen Geyen were welcomed into service.  Board members Crissy Roeglin, Larry Everett and Lisa Jenks will reprise their roles in 2009-2010.  

Larry Everett was awarded Marsh Winds' Toastmaster of the Year 2008-2009 for educational awards, Club service, dedication, and exceptional enthusiasm.

Tom Schmid was awarded Marsh Winds' Don Paulsen award for long-term and continued service and priceless contributions integral to Marsh Winds' success.

Thank you, Sandy, for hosting a wonderful celebration of Marsh Winds' gifts and success!

Toastmasters at the Twins!

Marsh Winds Toastmasters and H2O Masters will have a group outing to see the Minnesota Twins play the Texas Rangers on Friday, August 27th at 7:10 pm.  Members of our group will also lead the crowd in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on the big screen during the 7th Inning Stretch!

Watch for a posting of pictures and video following the game!

Fall "Adopt-A-Highway" Cleanup

Marsh Winds Toastmasters will again take to the road this fall.  No, we are not traveling.  We will clean up along our adopted roadway - Highway 61 between Minnetonka Boulevard and Ridgedale.  The scheduled cleanup day is Saturday, September 19th, with a backup date of September 26th in the event of inclement weather or lack of participation.  Please join us and give back to our community - and invite your friends and family to join us as well!  

We had a great time with the cleanup in May and hope more of you will be able to participate this fall!

Lunch at a local restaurant will follow the cleanup.  Please come for lunch even if you can't join us for the cleanup!

Seasons Meeting Recap

It was my honor to serve as Toastmaster with a theme of "seasons." Susan Budig helped us understand why she is bold and how we can be bold too. Lisa Jenks spoke on a trip to Europe and particular lessons from Dachau and corporate guilt for not standing up against evil. Combining the lessons of the two speeches, we need the confidence to examine what goes on around us and to call out evils large and small to prevent future Dachaus. Lisa was selected as Toastmaster of the day for her sincere and effective revisiting of a dark time in world history. Congratulations!

We have a great program. Thank you to all who made it possible. We will shortly welcome another new member.

Shaun

What Are Your ToastMasters Goals?

My goal is to complete my CC by the end of 2009 and to complete my CL by June 2010.

What are your goals?

Let us know so we can help you achieve your success. We can track your progress, celebrate your accomplishments, and help Marsh Winds be a President’s Distinguished Club.


Lee Handwerger
Co-VP of Education

August 6, 2009 Meeting Recap

Marleen Geyen ably stepped up to the lectern to call Marshwinds Toastmasters to order at 9:15 AM. Our presiding officer, Lisa Jenks, no less skilled and equally as lively, took helm and eagerly introduced the Toastmaster, Susan Budig. 

I, as Toastmaster, urged everyone to Step Up and take his or her calling seriously as a Toastmaster in our community.  I reflected on the fact that elephants step up as well, but under the tutelage of a trainer wielding a whip.

Lee Handwerger toasted us all with his speech, “Beer Saves the Day,” which it certainly did for some, but not exactly for us as the product itself was in short supply at our meeting. Very short supply. Pamela Sakayan delivered a performance piece titled, “A Few Minutes with Betty.”  The sound of laughter stepped up as we heard either our own accent accentuated or, as in my case, heard my aunties from Wadena, Minnesota magically vocalized at the head of our tables in the guise of Sakayan.  Finally, Lisa Jenks brought us back to solemnity with her award-winning (TMD) speech, “The Hardest Thing I Ever Did.”

Deborah Dora zinged us with a delightful round of Table Topics, asking zany questions of fantasy.  What would *you* do with a million dollars?

Marleen efficiently trundled us through the educational and affirming phase of evaluation requesting Larry Everett, last minute stand-in Ravi Bakshi, and Tom Schmid to evaluate the speeches.  Ruth Fernandez counted our stutters, Lee Handwerger two-stepped as he waxed eloquently on our language, and Pamela Sakayan put a surprised Betty to work as timer.

I remind all that the Saints will be stepping up to the plate in August and we are all encouraged to witness their performance.  More on that topic in a minute.

Respectfully submitted by Susan Budig