Preston Persuaders

In this week's meeting, Patrick inspired us all to tap into our enormous potential and get stronger! As Toastmaster of the day, he shared his personal story of joining the club exactly two years ago to go beyond his writing voice to find and strengthen his speaking voice. He was grateful to all the members of the club for helping him do just that and we are so grateful to have him as a part of the Preston Persuaders family!

Ann got the meeting started with her first speech for our club, her "Ice Breaker". We learned how her love for roller skating brought great things into her life, including a supportive family, a career, and her husband Jeff. We were all wowed by her skills as a competitive roller skater, and the many public speaking skills she already possesses. Great job, Ann!

Our next speaker, also doing his first speech at Preston Persuaders, was Don. Don took us along the serendipitous journey from having a broken neck to being with us at Preston Persuaders. Don entertained us all as he shared how telemarketing was one of the only job options available to him when he was recovering from his broken neck. That led to him working in airline reservations, and then to a job that utilized his background in reservations and journalism. We're so glad that his journey led him to Texas and Preston Persuaders!

Stephanie was a pro using a powerpoint presentation to help tell the story of creating her own butterfly garden. By only having images in her powerpoint, we were able to focus on the words she was saying as they were reinforced by the images. Amongst many tips, we learned about using pipevine as a food source for the caterpillars. Learn more about butterfly gardening in Texas.

Doug used us as guinea pigs for an inspirational speech he will soon be giving about dragon boat racing. His local dragon boat team has worked together to surge (word of the day) ahead of their past records and begin winning competitions. The attendees at Doug’s official speech have a lot to look forward to!

One of our six guests mentioned how you just can’t get the full picture of Toastmasters by reading about it online, you really have to attend a meeting. We love having guests and they are always welcome at our meetings!

See everyone next Monday!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Don
Best Evaluator - Brian
Best of Big 3 - Patrick
Best Table Topics - Eileen
5-Star Helper - Dean
Sparkplug - Don

Tonight's theme was "Interesting and Weird Holidays in November," led by Toastmaster of the Day, Jyo. We learned about World Kindness Day (Nov 13), Men Make Dinner Day (Nov 6th), and many other weird holidays during our joyous (word of the day) meeting!

Autumn began the prepared speeches portion of our meeting with her first ever Toastmasters speech! We learned about her fascinating career in scenic design for many popular TV shows and movies, including my favorite movie, You've Got Mail. Now she works as an industrial designer, has hilarious stories about her time in New York and her dating profiles, and gave us all a glimpse into her life with her two dogs. We all love having you in the club and look forward to more of your speeches!!!

Our second speaker, Eileen, shared three tips to help control your mind so you feel more peaceful. Her tips were to be in the present moment, be grateful, and live in truth. She shared how yoga has helped make it easier for her to follow these practices and improve her life.

Shiny was our third speaker, and she shared a humorous and touching story of "Lazy Town". She shared how she realized she was not communicating as much as she'd like to because of insecurities about her English. With her friends in Toastmasters and renewed determination, she has completed two speeches in the past two months and had fun competing in the most recent speech competition! Way to go, Shiny!!! 

Tonight was a night of celebration, with Mickey earning his Competent Leader award and Danielle joining as a new member! We had a meeting full of fun and laughs and learning! Join us next week for another great night at Preston Persuaders!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Shiny
Best Evaluator - Allison
Best of Big 3 - Jyo
Best Table Topics - Mark
5-Star Helper - Ann
Sparkplug - Shiny

 

This week's meeting started off great with our invocator, Wen, retelling the story of the Time Machine and its lesson to cherish what we have now. This tied into the theme “The Wisdom of the Story", chosen by our Toastmaster of the Day and storyteller extraordinaire, Shiny. 

Durai, our first prepared speaker, persuaded with power as he shared the benefits of drinking more water. It is the only non-caloric beverage that is native to our body and crucial for optimal health. His tips included having a glass of warm water every two hours to make sure you stay hydrated, drinking water 30 minutes prior to a meal to support digestion, and drinking extra water the day after you consume alcohol. Here are 13 Easy Ways To Drink More Water Every Day. 

Patrick was our second speaker, and he spun a story of his youth for our enjoyment. We met his childhood friends Knuckles, Scrounge, Stinky, and Butt Lips. We learned that even with the best laid plans, crime doesn’t pay - at least not for Patrick and his compatriots. After recently being released from being grounded for 50 years by his police-officer mother, Patrick has never felt freer. :)

Mickey put the “toast” in Toastmasters as he practiced his best-man speech for his best friend Joe’s upcoming wedding. Mickey’s toast was funny and meaningful as he retold stories of growing up with Joe. They’re going to love it, Mickey!

Our evaluators, Susan, Mike, and guest Toastmaster Jeff, were prodigious (Word of the Day) in their evaluations of the prepared speeches.

Max, our Table Topics Master, quizzed participants on current events. General Evaluator Mark reminded the group that if they don’t know the answer to a question asked in Table Topics they can either redirect their answer to something they are more familiar with (as demonstrated by Eileen) or just have fun totally making something up (as demonstrated by Sofia). Of course, if you know the answer, just go with that (as demonstrated by our guest Mays). The most important thing with table topics is that you just practice your impromptu speaking, even if you don’t fully understand the topic or question. Have fun with it!

What question was asked more than any other in our meeting? “What is that smell?” You just had to be there to get the reference. :) We had 7 guest join us this week, and many of our new members were fulfilling new roles for the first time. It's always a great Monday at Preston Persuaders, so join us next week for another fun opportunity to practice your speaking and leadership skills.

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Patrick
Best Evaluator - Susan
Best of Big 3 - Shiny
Best Table Topics - Sofia
5-Star Helper - Don
Sparkplug - Max

It was another fantastic meeting of Preston Persuaders with a spooky twist! This week's theme was Halloween, led by the Toastmaster of the Day, Dean. Did you know that the word Halloween is a contraction of "All Hallows' Evening"? You can read more about the history and meaning of Halloween here. 

Our first speaker, Susan, gave a speech about living with passion and courage. She received praise from her evaluator for engaging her audience and her use of visual aids to support her speech.

In Lisa's speech, we learned tips for speaking with assertiveness. She did an informative and entertaining role-playing scenario with Patrick. Patrick played a clerk at a hotel that had cancelled Lisa's reservation. Lisa was confronting him while teaching us all about being assertive in a way that is respectful to everyone involved. One of her tips is to begin statements with "I" instead of "you". For example, instead of saying, "You're wrong," say, "I disagree."

Shiny enchanted us (word of the day) as Table Topics Master, and we all got involved with creating a fun Halloween story together. Our General Evaluator, Janak, reminded us to check that our cell phones are on silent before the meeting.

We are so excited to welcome Amar as a new member!!!! Big congratulations to first-time role-keepers Eileen, Autumn, and Don! It can be a little nerve-wracking to jump into a role, but you all did a stellar job! We also welcomed Danielle as a returning guest and look forward to seeing her again next week!

Thank you all for making this Halloween meeting spooktacular! Your presence makes a difference! Join us next week for another great opportunity to practice being a superstar speaker at Preston Persuaders!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Lisa
Best Evaluator -Ed
Best of Big 3 - Shiny
Best Table Topics - Mark
5-Star Helper - Don (new member!)
Sparkplug - Don (new member!)

We had another great meeting led by our Toastmaster of the Day, Wen! The theme was "Rebirth", and we learned about different religious and world views about reincarnation, the spirit (word of the day), and what happens when we die. 

We began the prepared speeches with an Icebreaker Speech from Eileen about the challenges and triumphs of her decision to relocate from Canada to Texas. The Icebreaker Speech is the first speech project in the Toastmasters manual, and the goal is to speak about yourself in front of the group to assess your current strengths and things to work on for future speeches. Way to go, Eileen!

Sofia practiced using visual aids with her speech about the importance of exercise in the reduction of stress and anxiety. Doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise five times per week, and Sofia's exercise of choice is Zumba! For more information, check out this article from the American Heart Association, Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life.

Preston Persuaders is like a family, and we love celebrating the milestones in each other's lives. Tonight we celebrated with Max, who did a speech about his 51st wedding anniversary! In his speech, Max shared that during his recent bout with malaria, he thought that if he were reincarnated, his only wish would be to live another lifetime with his wonderful wife. Happy anniversary Max!!!

We welcomed back Mike and Larry, enjoyed the company of 8 guests, and inducted 3 new members - Don, Ann, and Jonas. Welcome to Preston Persuaders! We are so excited to have you with us! Join us next week for another great meeting!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Eileen
Best Evaluator -Jyo
Best of Big 3 - Mickey
Best Table Topics - Mike
5-Star Helper - Patrick
Sparkplug - Max

"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor." Mark started the meeting with this quote by Elon Musk, one of Mark's favorite modern-day big dreamers.

Lisa, our Toastmaster of the Day, took the “Big Dreams” theme further with anecdotes from big dreamers like Steve Jobs. One of her tips was to keep your big dreams concise, so it is easy to recall them and remind yourself continually about what it is you want to focus on.

Patrick intrepidly (WOTD) ventured into the Professional Speaker advanced manual with his first 15-20 minute speech. We learned that we only experience FEAR when we Forget Every Available Resource. His ABC’s of Killing Fears was packed with entertaining stories and practical tips. A is for Taking Action, B is for Breathing, and C is for Changing Your Thinking.

Jeff from a Fort Worth Toastmasters club joined us as a guest speaker last night. He was practicing his humorous speech for an upcoming division contest. He had everyone in stitches as he shared the escapades of his pet chinchilla.  

Our Table Topics Master, Durai, General Evaluator, Jyo, and all of our helpers carried out their roles with aplomb! Brian lead our new member initiation for Autumn, who is excited about getting started on her Toastmasters journey.

Wow! 10 guests joined us at last night’s meeting. We also had one new member join and at least two guests planning on joining next week. This is in addition to our six guests from last week! Where are all these guests coming from? Preston Persuaders’ Meetup.com Page! Visit our page and join to see all the action happening there. You can even say “I’m Going” to each of the upcoming meetings to help increase the visibility of our group!

Get speaking tips and updates throughout the week on our facebook page! "Like" the Preston Persuaders’ Facebook Page to stay in the loop.

Be sure to join us next week for Eileen’s Icebreaker Speech! 

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Patrick
Best Evaluator - Mickey
Best of Big 3 - Jyo
Best Table Topics Speaker - Don (guest)
5-Star Helper - Wen
Sparkplug - Jeff (guest)

 

Have you ever done a speech, presentation or any other important event and felt like you bombed? That was the theme for this week's meeting, led by Toastmaster of the Day, Hugh. Hugh reminded us that every experience can be a learning experience. Even if you feel like you bombed, ask yourself, "What went well? What can I learn?" Many years ago, Hugh bombed during an important work presentation, but that experience led him to join Toastmasters! 

Our speakers didn't bomb this evening! Durai did a speech about Dr. Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats using visual aids. The Six Thinking Hats is a systematic way of discovering all sides of a situation in order to solve a problem or make a decision. Durai put on different colored hats as he demonstrated the process using an important decision in his life: whether to move his family from India to the US or not. I'm happy to report that Durai is planning to be reunited with his family in the near future.

Patrick told us the story of the many trials Theodore Roosevelt overcame throughout his life. His speech ended with these inspiring words from Roosevelt's "Citizenship in a Republic" speech: "It is not the critic who counts...The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly..." Patrick said that when we speak at Toastmasters, we are putting ourselves into the arena. There are a million reasons why we could not speak or not come to a meeting, but it's when we are present despite those reasons, striving for greatness, that we are the bold, daring souls that Roosevelt refers to.

In Jyo's speech, we learned three primary reasons why great companies succeed. She said they focus on the most important things: 1) Making small innovations continually, striving to create the best experience for their consumers; 2) Setting high expectations for their products, workers, and customers; and 3) They keep examining and simplifying their process. Jyo invited us to consider how those points relate to our club. Are we serving or members to the best of our ability? Do we hold high expectations for each other? Do we keep examining and simplifying our processes? It's time to renew your dues, and if you have suggestions for the club to help it better meet your needs, please write to the officers as soon as possible. We welcome your contribution! This is your club, and it is what you make it to be. We want you and everyone else to get the most out of every interaction and every meeting.

Hugh finished the meeting with a reminder that even the best can have an off day. If you've bombed, know that you can rise like the Phoenix (Word of the Day!), learn from your experience, and be even better next time.

We're looking forward to seeing you and all the friends you invite to our next meeting!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Patrick
Best Evaluator - Mickey
Best Table Topics - Eileen
Best of Big 3 - Hugh
Sparkplug - Patrick
5-Star Helper - Melanie

We had a room full of STARS at our Sept. 8th Meeting! With the many actors (WOTD) playing their roles, we pulled off yet another wonderful Preston Persuaders production!

Toastmaster of the Day Durai took us on a journey through the history of movies. He reminded us all to “get busy living or get busy dying” (a favorite quote of his from the movie Shawshank Redemption).

Mickey stepped up to the bat with an inspiring pocket speech! Mickey shared the speech he gives each morning to the man in the mirror. His morning ritual came from his reading the book As a Man Thinketh. Mickey IS, amongst many other things, a phenomenal speaker, getting better and better with every speech!

We invited back many members that have been away for varying lengths of time, including Patrick, Munzer, Jyo, Shiny, Doug, Susan, Ed, Jeff, and Sarah. It was SO WONDERFUL to have you all at the meeting! And we look forward to welcoming back our other members that have been on break!

Because we had extra time for table topics, our Table Topics Master Mark experimented with a new format. We had six table topics speakers that each had an impromptu 1-2 minute evaluation. It worked out great and everyone appreciated the helpful feedback and encouragement.

Our 5-star helper for the evening Posture Monitor Allison told us about what was drilled into her back when she was in band at school - Up, Back, Down! This was a great reminder to us all for what to do with our shoulders to achieve excellent posture with our heads held high.

We were happy to have Eileen, Tim, and Munzer as our guests and look forward to having them back! Join us next week for our club contest, beginning at 7pm!

 

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker - Mickey
Best Evaluator - Sarah
Best Table Topics - Eileen
Best of Big 3 - Mark
Sparkplug - Dean
5-Star Helper - Allison

"Make success a habit." That was the message Toastmaster Chris shared with us at Monday's meeting. The theme was "Self-Motivation," and it was inspired by the book, The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg. Chris told the story of when he first became a children's soccer coach. It felt like a chore at first and didn't get easier until it became a habit, part of his weekly routine. Then, it became something he looked forward to. Anything new can feel challenging or take extra effort until it becomes a habit, even attending weekly (awesome) meetings of Toastmasters.

Bahman was our first speaker, and he encouraged us to be aware of our credit score and take steps to make it better. One of his tips? Don't open new lines of credit or make large purchases just before getting a loan. You can read more in his book, Credit Score: Tips and Tricks.

Susan's speech was about doing all that you can. Her 4 suggestions for this were

1. Man the Plan - Get clear on what your plan is.
2. Squawk the Talk - Tell others what your plan is so they can hold you accountable.
3. Clock the Walk - Take time to follow your plan and to enjoy life.
4. Love the Dove - Spread peace and encouragement along the way.

Our third speaker, Brian, kept us laughing throughout his speech about his attempts to upgrade his DVD player. He follows the "buy and hold" philosophy, hanging onto outdated electronics as long as they still work. When verring from his usual tactics and going to buy a new BlueRay player, his hours of "analysis paralysis" were wasted when he realized he couldn't plug his new BlueRay player into his outdated television. Better luck next time, Brian!

Thank you to our Area Governor, Dell, and his assistant, Tanya, for visiting our club this week! We loved having Marie and Kaylee visit us as well!

Start prepping for the club contest September 15th! You can contact Mickey to sign up for the Evaluation or Humorous Speech Contests. Let this contest actuate (word of the day) you to improve your speaking skills!

Remember to make success a habit by joining us for the next Preston Persuaders meeting!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker: Bahman
Best Evaluator: Durai
Best of the Big 3: Chris
Best Table Topics Speaker: Mickey
5-Star Helper: Stephanie
Sparkplug: Brian

What are you grateful for? Gratitude was the theme of this Monday's meeting, led by Sarah. She began the meeting with several inspirational quotes, thoughtful personal stories, and the message that expressing gratitude helps improve our overall sense of well-being. 

Our first speaker, Melanie, reminded us to release daily worries by focusing on reality. Instead of getting sidetracked by imagining a horrible outcome, focus on the reality of each situation to stay peaceful and experience more joy.

Allison did an advanced manual speech with the objective of praising someone. She shared her love for her husband and the positive qualities he brings to his new business, Blair Automotive. He is honest, dependable, and a shining light in an industry that's not known for its integrity.

Our third speaker, Hugh, gave us a sneak peek into the history of "Motorcycle Hooliganism." He shared how WWII led to the creation of riding a motorcycle as a passtime for many retired pilots. We're looking forward to hearing his follow-up speeches for more information! In the meantime, you can follow this link for more motorcycle history.

With the theme of gratitude, this meeting re-cap wouldn't be complete without finding out what some of our members are most thankful for:

Durai - "I'm thankful for my life, my parents, my school teachers, and people who are supportive."

Stephanie - "My new grandbaby. He's SO cute!"

Chris - "I'm thankful for all the beautiful people in the world who are committed to each other."

Bahman - "I'm thankful for my health. Good health is so important."

Susan - "I'm thankful for my life and my love."

Mickey - "I'm thankful for having Preston Persuaders every Monday. It's always entertaining and keeps me out of trouble!"

Thank you to all who attended and made this meeting uplifting and fun! Your commitment (Word of the Day) to improving your speaking and leadership skills makes a difference in all our lives! Join us next Monday for another great meeting of Preston Persuaders!

Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker: Melanie
Best Evaluator: Mark
Best of the Big 3: Sarah
Best Table Topics Speaker: Daniel
5-Star Helper: Doug
Sparkplug: Dean