Bye, Bye 2011

Hi, Mudslingers!

Thanks to all who came out yesterday to close out the New Year! It was a special time and really fun just hanging out. Thanks to all who made it such a success.

A special congratulations to all who won the Cheesy Christmas Collectibles and the gift cards for the incentive drive. Sashi won a $25 gift card to Chili’s and Patrick won a $25 gift card to AMC movie theaters.

It was great seeing everyone have such a good time and hearing laughter is always uplifting.  For those of you who could not attend, you were missed.

Here is the announcement of the new officers:

President: Art Leuterman

Vice President of Education (after two run-offs and a close tie-breaker): Stacy Franks

Vice President of Membership: Kathy Leu

Vice President of Public Relations: Carolina Little

Secretary/Treasurer: Meghan Riley

Sergeant at Arms: James Stark

Congratulations to the new officers!  Very exciting to see new blood in the regime.

Here is the following calendar of events for the Mudslingers:

Dec. 22^nd, 29^th, and January 5^th- No TI Mudslingers Meetings

January 5^th-Officers’ Meeting at time of regular TI meeting

January 12^th-First TI  Mudslingers Meeting of 2012

January17th-Incentive dinner at TBA

We had a good year this year. I have no doubt we will get even better next year! Every member get your New Year’s Toastmasters resolutions ready. We are going to make it happen in 2012!

Happy Holidays and Have a Wonderful New Year,

Carolina

p.s.- get a head start on the New Year and sign up for roles today for the first meeting of 2012. 

Mudslinger Spotlight: Kathy Leu, ACB, CL

Toastmaster Kathy Leu, ACB, CL

When you are involved in a club such as Toastmasters where individual involvement is key for every meeting to be successful, you are happy to have a strong member like Kathy Leu.  Kathy Leu is the kind of coworker and club member who makes a strong interpersonal connection with every one she meets. Her magnetic personality combined with a very calm, laid-back demeanor almost belies her natural ability to lead and support when needed.  She is the kind of strong member that carries a club, rallies its members, and can be counted on to rise to the occasion. For these reasons, I chose Kathy Leu to be my first featured member for the Monthly Mudslinger Spotlight. 

 Please help me welcome Kathy Leu to the Spotlight… (Applause).

Carolina:  Hi, Kathy. Thanks for sitting down with me today. First things first, how did you hear about Toastmasters?

Kathy: I had seen the signs that promoted Toastmasters. At first, I decided that I could not make it because of the days.  I always had something that was going on and thought I should not join a club when I could not attend most of its meetings. Then, when I moved up to Supply Chain (M-I SWACO Department), my coworker, Monty, who was already a member dragged me to the meetings any way (chuckles). Ok, he did not really drag me, but I went with him. I attended a few meetings and sat in. Then, I decided to join.

Carolina: So you had never been in Toastmasters before?

Kathy: No. Never.

Carolina: That surprises me, because you have been such a strong member from the get-go. I thought you must have been involved with it before.

Kathy: (chuckles).

Carolina: So what do you enjoy most about being in Toastmasters?

Kathy: Just getting to know about people.  Meeting other people outside my own department. In my job, I do not have the opportunity to move around much to meet other employees. In Toastmasters, I have been able to meet many people from other departments that I would not have otherwise been able to meet.

Carolina: I agree with you. That is still one of my favorite things about Toastmasters, too. We learn so much about the members through their speeches whether they want us to or not.

Kathy: YES, I know! Like learning about Sara (Brunner) and how she struggled here after moving to America, being thrown into a second language and starting a new life. And hearing Nathan (Rife) sing in his speech.  I was so impressed.

Carolina: (laughing loudly) I know. Who knew Nathan could sing?

Kathy: Also, I was timing his speech and I was so into it that I lost track of timing him. 

Carolina:  Yes, I remember you saying that at the meeting. Very funny. How do you think Toastmasters has helped you recently?

Kathy: It helps me form my thoughts better. It really has helped me in my volunteer position with the Boy Scouts and presenting the benefits of scouting to new parents and helping them become familiar with the program.  I want to persuade the parents that we can all do this together (scouting). It does not have to be so overwhelming. We can all take a piece of the pie, and it will be a lot easier instead of one person doing it all.

Carolina: Why would you recommend Toastmasters to your coworkers and friends?

Kathy: Simply to gain more confidence.  Whether it is speaking to someone one-on-one or just being able to express a thought. It is easier in your head, but actually, speaking out loud is a lot harder, especially keeping your grammar and tenses in line with your train of thoughts.  I have a lot of great speeches in my head (laughs). 

  

Carolina:  Okay, now we are to the part where we get to know Kathy Leu. What are a few things left on your BUCKET LIST?

Kathy: (laughs) I don’t have a BUCKET LIST. In fact, the first time I ever heard of it was in the movie (The Bucket List), but I personally don’t have one.  

Carolina: Do you at least have one non-official thing you would like to do?

Kathy: There is a running joke I have with my husband. One year while he was in college, he toured Europe after a big breakup with a girlfriend.  He went with a buddy and they road trains, lived in Hostels, and backpacked through Europe. He was able to see Europe and I’m like when will you take me to see the Eiffel Tower? When do I get to see the Eiffel Tower? Of course, we have been married for over 35 years and I still haven’t been to France. I tell him, when are you going to take me? You promised. Of course, I am going on a cruise for our anniversary.

Carolina: Yay! Ok, next question: what is your favorite movie?

Kathy: Oh, Sound of Movie would be one.  My Fair Lady would be another. Now you get to see what types of movies I like. Another, not well known, is The Flower Drum Song. I can identify with this movie. It is sort of like West Side Story, but the Chinese- coming- to- America. I can see my grandmother, my mom, and myself in it. It’s my story.  It came out the same year as West Side Story, but was overshadowed by it.

Carolina: Well, you know, Natalie Wood and all…. (Laughter).

Kathy: oh, yeah, and The Joy Luck Club.

Carolina: I LOVE The Joy Luck Club.

Kathy: Again that movie I can identify with. It is very true, the cultural clashes of generations. Very much like The Flower Drum Song.

Carolina: What is your perfect getaway?

Kathy: Anywhere I can relax and cross-stitch, not the pattern cross-stitch, but COUNTED cross-stitch.

Carolina: In a few sentences, give me a mini-autobiography of yourself.

Kathy:  I am a first-generation American. My parents are from China. I couldn’t speak English. When I went to elementary school, I failed first grade! They actually failed me. In Junior High, I went to summer school to get back to my original graduation date (before I failed first grade).  I was born in San Francisco born in the Chinese Hospital. That is the actual name of the hospital. It is in the middle of China Town. That is always a cool thing to say. A lot is expected of the first born, which I am. I never got to participate in a lot of school events. I always had to go home and help out at the family grocery store. The plan was to go to school, graduate college, and continue to help out with the family business. My fist date was an arranged date by my mother and the guy’s mother (not her husband) to go to the prom. I met my husband (Leeland) during my last year of high school at a city-wide picnic for Chinese in Houston. Back then in Houston, the Chinese community was small. We all knew each other. We met again in college at University of Houston. Our circle of friends overlapped, so we got to meet each other, see each other, so we were friends first. I am a wedding coordinator. I have done 35 weddings.  I have three sons. I am officially old because I am a grandmother.  I have a grandson and a granddaughter from my oldest son. My second son is working after graduation. My third son is in his last year and a half of college.  So that is my life in a nut shell.

Carolina: So you are still involved in Boy Scouts even though your sons are out of it?

Kathy: Oh, yes. We are still involved because we have a connection with people. Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and become Eagle Scouts – the highest rank in Scouting! We know there are parents out there who share the same value system as we do and want the same things for their kids, so we keep helping out for that reason and because we are still having fun.

(End of Interview)

Kathy has come a long way from the little girl who did not speak English and failed first grade.  She has earned her Competent Leader certification though Toastmasters International and recently her Advanced Communicator Bronze.  She successful served as Vice President of Education for the club in 2010 and early 2011, a position that is both challenging and demanding.  I often go to her for advice and guidance.  Kathy is a very strong supporter of Toastmasters. She is a PR machine in her own right. She also is a mentor to all of us. Her absence is felt at meetings when she cannot attend (which is rare), so you can imagine what our club would be like without her.  Luckily, we will not have to know what that is like if Kathy has anything to do with it. By the way, her favorite color is purple. After seeing the write up of this article, she requested that her answers be in her favorite color purple. 

HalloWEen Mudslingers Event

Hi, Mudslingers!

What a great time we had this past Monday hosting the company to Halloween fun with hot dogs, costumes, and camaraderie. It was great to pick up the tradition from past years of throwing  a Halloween shin dig including good times, good food, and good people. We even got to showcase our club.

It was awesome to see how we all pulled together to pull off the event. It had a rocky start, with no electricity to heat up the dogs and other what-nots, but we managed  to get  started in the nick of time. A lot of Toastmasters leadership training shone through from planning and implementation to organizing and delegation with public relations and time management thrown in.  As busy as we all are, we made time to successfully throw an event and kept smiling through it all! That is what we are all about.

I would like to give  special shout outs to:

• Sara Brunner who headed up the decorations committee  and made sure to decorate even though she was sick and working on a priority project that day! True grit. 
• I would also like to specially thank Stacy Franks who came in on her day off to help. Now, that is dedication. 
• Thanks to Kathy Leu  from getting away from her pressing end of the month work to set up and serve the food and drink station. She was quick to help head up the hospitality committee when asked knowing that would be a crazy time for her. We had a good time shopping for the food!
•  Thanks to Patrick Tyczynski and Martina Chambliss for being awesome and buying much needed extras for the event in their limited spare time. 
•  A HUGE thanks to Art Leuterman for all his help setting up and breaking down. 
• James Stark and Nathan Rife were instrumental in helping Sara start decorating early for the event. This was a big undertaking considering how hard it is to get away from work.
• Stella Zepeda, Autumn Lewis, Rosemary Mayo, Tamesha Wells, and Carol Lowry  significantly helped out with last minute details in order to help our club have a successful event. They are not even members but wanted to help out any way. Thanks so much, ladies! 
• Facilities was reliable and responsive in helping us out in a pinch and making sure we had plenty of tables and chairs for our guests and setups.
• Eric Ngo you rocked the camera! Thanks for taking on the task when asked last minute :-)
• A big thanks to all who helped bring in coolers and slow cookers for the event; Min Liu, Stacy Franks, LaShaunda Johnson, Stacy Franks, and Sara Brunner. 
• Thanks to our sponsors who contributed generous gift certificates to award as prizes: Tracy with Double Daves, Karen with Houston Adventure Boot Camp, and Antonio with Corporate Retreat  Car Spa.

Thanks to everyone for helping in whatever way they could from attending to passing on by word of mouth to pitching in some elbow grease at the event or taking down signs afterwards. We had a wonderful time and I  look forward to next year's main event.

Rocktober

Hi, Mudslingers,

We  had another good meeting yesterday with a full agenda and roster. A HUGE thanks to all those who stepped in last minute to fill roles and did so with a big smile.

I would like to give a shout-out to the new members who did a great job filling in for their “first-time” roles:

Meghan Riley delivered a very thorough report as ah counter, grammarian, and WOD . She was no-holds- barred in her evaluation, even with the guest speaker. Way to go!

Tor Palmgren was very calm, laid-back, and precise with his time keeping. He is always the gentleman even with  a stopwatch in his hands.

Eric Ngo gave a very solid first evaluation of Nathan Rife's speech, So You Chose Not to Listen To Me. Eric remembered to select things to share with the speaker to improve upon, as well as, what was good.

James Stark made us all laugh. As humorist, he really helped to start the meeting off on the right note.  Not many first-timers fall to the ground to prove a point.

Not to be outdone, the seasoned-members shone yesterday, too. Our brilliant and elegant, Sara Hinkley, delivered a strong evaluation of our guest speakers’,  Lt Governor of Education and Training, Andre Romeo, inspiring speech, The Prescription. Sarah  proved  once again that she belongs among the best. Sashi Mettath,CC, also had the honor of evaluating our star of the day, Kathy Leu, who earned her Advanced Communicator Bronze with the speech, Life Can Be Funny. Sashi echoed our sentiments as a club on just how much we appreciate and have enjoyed Kathy as a speaker.

And how wonderful was it to see our very special guest, Glenda, yesterday? She is a Mudslinger Alum who brings smiles to everyone’s faces when she walks into a room.  She is iridescent - our WOD. 

We had almost half of our membership absent yesterday and we missed them, BUT the encouraging part was that the show still went on AND goals were reached.  Not many clubs can accomplish that. We have been on a roll!

Yesterday, we as a club earned a newly-branded banner! But as a Distinguished Club looking to go Select and even Presidential this year, that is just the first of many accomplishments our group will see come to pass.

Congratulations, Mudslingers! You ROCK!!! NOW, let’s keep it going.  Please remember to sign up for roles today for next week’s meeting.

Happy Weekend!

Keep The Date:

Monday, October 31, 2011 - Toastmasters International Mudslingers Halloween Event

Change It Up!

Happy Monday, Mudslingers!

Last Thursday we had another full meeting filled with a lot of good stuff. The word of the day was languid and the theme of the meeting was CHANGE.  Certainly, our club has not been languid in our attempts to move forward in the midst of change. Here are some examples: 

 1) James Stark, our new member, made his debut as the Table Topics Master this past Thursday and did a great job! The topics were really creative and  interesting which made for a very entertaining Table Topics session. In the end, there can only be one Table Topics winner  and the trophy traveled to Eric Ngo’s office.

2) Nathan Rife,  Sara Brunner, and Eric Ngo were recognized for delivering their 8^th (9^th in manual), 1rst (Ice Breaker), and 2nd speeches respectively. 

Eric Ngo (left), Nathan Rife (center), and Sara Brunner (right)

3) While Doug Graves presented the Distinguished Club ribbon sent from Toastmasters International recognizing the Mudslingers’ accomplishments over the past year.

Past President, Doug Graves, and Past Vice President of Education, Kathy Leu

4) The new members have also brought in new energy that have helped to add zest to our meetings and they have really taken the bull by its horns and have jumped right in.   

I would also like to thanks every member for stepping up and making the meetings successful, not only by volunteering for roles, but by being an engaging audience.   I would also like to thank everyone for being on top of their CL and CC manuals.  It is great to see goals being met.

Don’t forget to sign up for roles today. We have a guest speaker this week and two members delivering speeches. Therefore, we  may not be able to do Table Topics, but will have them in our back pocket just in case. The theme is ROCKTOBER. Let ‘s have fun with it!

See you, Thursday!

Quick On Your Feet

Photo provided courtesy of VietnamFreeLancer.Info

Table Topics™ can be fun. For most of us, they are even more fun when others are taking them on.  Usually, there is an awkward silence that follows the Table Topics Master (TTM) when he or she asks for someone to come up to the front for a topic. Then, there are the members who are willing to bail the TTM out and go up to the front. We all appreciate those members! 

But, if we only listen and enjoy as spectators and not participants, then we are not reaping the full benefits of conducting Table Topics in our meetings.  The Table Topics segment was designed to keep us in practice for thinking and speaking quickly on our feet. According to Toastmasters International, 

That’s why the “Table Topics” portion of the Toastmasters club meeting was developed. Table Topics provides you with the opportunity to practice impromptu speaking. By answering brief Table Topics questions, you learn how to present your thoughts clearly and convincingly, with no more than a few seconds of preparation. You also learn to listen constructively, and to think flexibly.

 We can even think of Table Topics as exercise for the mind. The more repetitions we do, the stronger we become at delivering them.  By achieving this goal, we also gain more confidence which helps us when we are put on the spot or know we may be asked to field questions during a meeting or presentation. 

However we push ourselves into participating in Table Topics, we are moving ourselves in the right direction. By taking on Table Topics, we are well on our way to becoming better thinkers, listeners, communicators, and Toastmasters. As Toastmasters we know that no one in the audience is waiting to throw a tomato at us, at least not in the meeting. We also know that we are wishing success for each other, especially at impromptu speaking. More importantly, we have all been there. Yes, at one time or another, we have all been asked something out of the blue or had to wing it. 

At the next Table Topics segment in our meeting, let’s go ahead and take the plunge.  Let's raise our hands and go to the front and prove to ourselves and to the world (cue Chariots of Fire to play in the background) that we can do it!  We can answer the topic:

What was your strangest date ever?

And everyone would love to hear it.

Plus, rumor has it; there is a pretty nifty award we can win for being the best. 

From Toastmasters International Site: Completing Your CC

Completing Your CC

A Practical Guide to Getting it Done

For many new Toastmasters, the first compelling goal of the educational program is the Competent Communicator award. It’s clearly defined in the Competent Communication manual that’s included in the New Member Kit, and it’s a requirement for most of the advanced awards that Toastmasters offers. But what’s the best way to earn your CC? How can you harness your initial enthusiasm and complete those ten speech projects with a minimum of hassle and procrastination?

Schedule It
One very important step is to give yourself a set of deadlines—one for the completion of the entire manual, and one for each of the 10 projects. Without deadlines, tasks of this scope usually move to the bottom of the priority list, where they have a tendency to stay for a long time.

Strict deadlines aren’t for everyone. As Douglas Adams, author of theHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, puts it: “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing noise they make as they fly by.” But the important lesson here is to decide how much time you want to give yourself to complete the manual, and monitor your progress as you go.

Break it Down Feel like you’re too busy to work on your speech projects? It may help to think of each project as a series of small, discrete tasks, and devote whatever time you have to completing those tasks whenever you can. You don’t have to complete all of the preparation for a speech in one sitting; often, five or ten minutes are enough to make significant progress on an upcoming speech.

• Taking a break at work? Jot down a few ideas and then send them to your home email address.
• Practice your speech in the car on the way to work.
• As soon as you finish a speech, immediately begin writing down ideas for the next one.

Ask for Help 
Ask your mentor for advice. Seek out other club members who have completed several Toastmasters awards, and find out how they got the job done. Also, the club’s vice president education will be particularly interested in helping you complete your educational goals. Other club officers also have a stake in your success, so be sure to ask them for help if you need it, too.

Have Fun!
Membership in Toastmasters reaps many rewards, not the least of which is the pure enjoyment of sharing your ideas, making connections and improving your speaking skills. So remember to have a good time planning and delivering your speeches, and before you know it you’ll have that CC award you’ve been dreaming about, and be well on your way to the next goal.

Team Mudslingers Rolling On!

What another great meeting we had yesterday! We had another great turn out and all of us showed up ready to participate and cheer on our club members as they continue to chip away at their goals. We really lived up to our ongoing theme of Teamwork and learned a new word of the day, parergon. Parergon is the work that is undertaken in addition to one's principal work. It was a hard word to remember yesterday, but an easy word to apply to our lives especially as Toastmasters!

What is not easy to forget is seeing guests at our meeting and we had 5 yesterday!  I hope the guests know how much we appreciate new faces in the crowd.

A few of our guests! 

And we could never forget the many accomplishments of our members.  Up for recognition yesterday were our President, Beth Prasek, and Sashi Metthath for achieving their Competent Communicator certifications; Stephen Rabke earned his 1st and 2nd speech ribbons AND his 100% Toastmaster badge; V.P of P.R, Nathan Rife, earned his 4th and 5th speech ribbons; and Eric Ngo, a very new member, earned his Ice Breaker speech ribbon! Congratulations!  We are all very proud of you.

Stephen Rabke, President Prasek, Sashi Mettath, Eric Ngo, and VP of PR  Nathan  Rife
(from left to right)

Other noteworthy appearances were that of Mario Bouguetta who doubled up on first-time roles as humorist and Table Topics presenter (uh, wow!),  Secretary Treasuere Matina Chambliss delivered a great evaluation of Nathan Rife's speech, and Sergeant of Arms Patrick Tycznski delivered a solid performance as Ah Counter/Grammarian.  As always a very special thanks to all who conduct roles. It really helps makes the meetings more successful and enjoyable.

Have a great weekend, Toastmasters! You deserve it.

SAVE THE DATES:

Nov. 17th – nominations will be held for Jan-July 2012 officers

Dec. 1rst- election will be held for Jan-July 2012 officers

Dec 8^th- Incentive Deadline

Dec 15^th-TI Mudslingers Holiday Party

Dec 17^th-Present and Past officers dinner with Incentive Members

It's All About Teamwork

We had a great meeting yesterday with a great turn out. We got to see Sashi Mettath achieve his CC and Eric Ngo conduct his first role! 

Sashi Mettath, CC, 9/8/2011
Speech was to inspire people to appreciate the little things in life.Hope this is one of them, Sashi! 

 The theme of the meeting was teamwork and the WOD was camaraderie. There was a lot of both going on yesterday and it really was a nice time.

I would like to especially thank all those who conducted roles and delivered speeches yesterday.  When all the roles are filled, it really adds enthusiasm and energy to our meetings.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  You are beautiful!

Yesterday, Art presented the newly revised 100% Toastmaster chart.  Please help him update the chart by sending him your roles with dates that are not recorded.  I have attached the chart with this email. Art worked over three hours to reconcile roles with members from past agendas and the Ah counter book. Quite the feat and accomplishment. Thanks, Art.

SAVE THE DATES:

Nov. 17th – nominations will be held for Jan-July 2012 officers

Dec. 1rst- election will be held for Jan-July 2012 officers

Dec 8^th- Incentive Deadline

Dec 15^th-TI Mudslingers Holiday Party

Dec 17^th-Present and Past officers dinner with Incentive Members

Striving Forward Strong and True!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hi, Mudslingers,

We had such a great meeting yesterday with a great turnout.  In fact, I used the theme of our meeting for this post's title.  Our word of the day was participant and we sure did have a lot of participants in house yesterday. What a way to initiate our new meeting place in the Knowledge Center.  I would like to send a special thank you to our guests who helped make our meeting super special yesterday! It was really great to see you.

Tamesha Wells (Left), James Stark (R)

I would also like to recognize Mr. Nathan Rife, my mentoree, on completing his 3rd speech and earning his 3rd speech ribbon!  Nathan also was a very energetic Toastmaster at our meeting yesterday and was very entertaining.

We  had our group pictures taken yesterday! I thought every one looked pretty dapper and had some pearly whiteness going.

Our Newest Members!
(left to right) Eric Ngo, Sara Brunner, Mario Bouguetta, Min Liu, Tor Palmgren

TI M-I SWACO Mudslingers 2011
Striving forward strong and true! (borrow from my class motto)

 I would also like to  introduce our club MudCam. It will be available at every meeting to record speeches  upon request for learning, educational, and sometimes, entertaining purposes (chuckle).

The MudCam

Thanks to all our participants who made our meeting a success yesterday!  Please be sure to sign up for roles next week to keep the spirit alive. Don't forget to get credit for your roles for your Competent Leader books. Be sure to record the date and have a member evaluate your performance.

Have a great, relaxing, and safe weekend! See you next Thursday, Mudslingers and guests.

New Officer Announcement

Hello Mudslingers,

Additional officers were voted into your Mudslingers Executive Committee last Thursday.

Art Leuterman as VP Membership

Nathan Rife as VP Public Relations

Patrick Tyczynski as Sergeant of Arms

Please congratulate them.

Please sign up for roles for this Thursday’s meeting, or indicate if you will not be there, so the assigning of empty roles will be easier. Hopefully we will have a full roster today.

Thanks to everyone, especially the new officers, for your contributions and support of our Toastmasters club.

Best regards,

Bethicia

President of M-I SWACO Mudslingers

Applaud for Applause

picture courtsy of  CMT

To the seasoned member, hearing applause at a Toastmasters meeting is nothing unusual. To new members and guests, it can be, well a little strange at times.  After all, applause is expected for speakers and award recipients, but for average people just walking to a podium for a minute or two in a meeting ? Isn't that a little too much?

Well, maybe you will change your opinion when you consider why we clap for the little things as well as the big things.

Reason # 1: We applaud to encourage people to keep on doing what they are doing which is becoming better speakers and role-takers. Admit it. Having people cheer you on keeps you motivated and makes you feel good.

Reason # 2: We applaud to demonstrate our "thank you" to the people  who volunteer to speak to us or conduct  roles that help our meetings be successful and enjoyable. Nothing is as disappointing as attending any type of meeting where no one participates or has anything interesting they want to share. We want the participants to know we appreciate their efforts.

Reason # 3: We hate awkward silence. Yes, we applaud to help us transition us over from one portion of the meeting to the other in a lively way. Why not?  We get a chance to invigorate ourselves through motion while one person leaves the front of the room to make room for the other to take over the meeting.

Reason #4: We applaud to keep the positive energy flowing. Come to a meeting and you will feel it in the room!

Now that you know why we applaud so much in our Toastmasters meetings, you may still find it a little crazy that we clap so much for the first few meetings.  BUT after awhile, don't be surprised when you find yourself clapping a long and liking it. It is contagious.

Heck, you may even find yourself smiling more.

submitted by Carolina Little

Keeping the Commitment: A promise to yourself

This is  an excerpt taken from the Toastmaster International Successful Club Series script. This is a summary of what the presentation will be over tomorrow.

Being a Toastmaster isn't just a matter of paying dues every six months. It takes time, commitment and effort to recieve the benefits that made you sign up in the first place. These benefits might include-but are not limited to- improved public speaking skills, leadership development and the camaraderie that exists within the Toastmasters setting. But whatever you are looking for in Toastmasters club, you'll have a far better chance of finding it if you are aware of and practice the principles which make up "A Toastmasters Promise."

This promise is not just to your fellow club members or to the organization of Toastmasters International; it is a promise to yourself.  Given the turnover rate of other promises-such as New Year's Resolutions, for example- it's probable that you won't always be letter-perfect in fulfilling each aspect. But it is a code to aspire to, and the more consistent you are in following its precepts, the more you will benefit from the Toastmasters experience.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow to revisit A Toastmasters Promise. Tomorrow's meeting will be held in our new regularly scheduled meeting location, the Knowledge Center at noon. 

Carolina R. Little
Vice President of Education

And Away We Go!

Thanks to all you Mudslingers and guests who attended yesterday's meeting and Lunch and Learn sponsored by the Completion Technology group. It seems all had a good time! It was really nice to see fresh faces in the crowd. Guests always inspire new energy in our group.

A special thanks to Guido Rivas, V.P. of HR, Kenny Helmer, Director of Career Development and Training, and Matt Morey, our Area Governor for attending our special meeting and offering us their support and encouragement.

The theme for yesterday's meeting was appreciation. The word of the day was grateful. And I  am full of appreciation for our club and what it offers and very grateful to all  of our members for keeping our club moving forward and a joy to belong to.

Have a great weekend and remember to sign up for roles for next week's meetings!

Thursday, August 18th, Agenda

Hi, Mudslingers! Here is a schedule for tomorrow's Lunch and Learn and Meeting in the Knowledge Center located near Dock B of the Research and Engineering Building. Hope to see you at the Lunch and Learn, Meeting, or both!

Date: Thursday, August 18 Location: Knowledge Center Library


Schedule of Events


Event 1: Lunch and Learn
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.


Break: 12:00 p.m. to 12:10 p.m.


Event 2: Toastmaster International Meeting
Time : 12:10 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Please remember to bring your Competent Leader books with you if you would like to get credit for your role. If you forget, remember to bring it to the next meeting for a signature. If you do not have an evaluator for your role, I will evaluate you as well as sign for you.

Can hardly wait to see you there!

Educational Moment: August 4, 2011 Presentation

For those of you who could not attend this past Thursday's meeting, here is a video of the educational presentation.

This is also a great example of  using video recordings to improve presentations. From this video of my presentation, I can see that I slouch too much and I had a lot of run on sentences. I can also see that the camera did indeed add on 10 pounds!  Ugh.

The presentation was 23 minutes in length, so you may want to watch it in increments. Also, it is slow to watch at work, so I highly recommend watching in the comfort of your own home when you have nothing else better to do.

Have a great weekend, Mudslingers!

                                                   Part 1 of 2

                                              Part 2 of 2

Please feel free to add comments over my presentation and questions over the educational goals.

Meeting Cancelled Today

Our meeting is cancelled today! But, do not fret, we will be assuming the same agenda next week at the same time.

Have a great weekend!

Toastmaster Tidbit #1

Millions of people have benefited from Toastmasters training. Surprisingly, women were first allowed to join Toastmasters in 1973! 

They're Here

 Hi, Mudslingers, our new Table Topics trophies just came in!

One of the two newly donated Table Topics Trophies 

Thanks to Bill Foxenberg, Director of Completion Technology, for donating these trophies to the M-I Swaco Mudslingers. 

Donations like these help our club recognize its members for their individual accomplishments. Let us know if your management would like to help us by donating materials to the Mudslingers. We will recognize them on our site! 

Tomorrow is the Third Thursday of the Month...

Photo courtesy of Thimble blog site. 

And that means, it's time for our Mudslingers Social Meeting.  Time to bring your lunch and kick back with your fellow Toastmasters.  I will briefly discuss what we learned at the officer training in The Woodlands last Saturday and club business. Then, we can mix and mingle.

Location: Corporate Center Conference Room 403
Time: Noon
The Hostess with the Mostess (in this case goodies): Carolina Little, V.P. of Education

Can hardly wait to see you all!

BTW, the spread will be slightly smaller than the photo above.  O.K. really smaller than the picture above.  It will still be good. :-)

Hi, Mudslingers! District 56 News about winning free stuff.

District 56 has announced some cool and expensive things to win for the club by meeting goals! Read here to find out how we can win a banner, officer badges, and a podium!

District 56 Contest

A First Time for Everything

New Officers

Martina Chambliss (R), Carolina Little (C), and Beth Prasek (L)

Secretary Treasurer, V.P. of Education, and President 

                                            

    

This past Saturday, my fellow officers and I attended the District 56 Division L Toastmaster Leadership Institute (TLI) Training in The Woodlands. While our club is not in Division L (we are actually in Division M Area 34) , we were made to feel welcomed and became very involved in the officer training.

From our training, we learned a lot about our roles and how to help our club grow and stay fresh. While we were there, we realized that our club falls in line with most clubs and like every club, the officers need to step up to help make their clubs successful.  From many of the ideas that were generated, one for public relations stood out; put your club out there on every free and accessible media available. Immediately, my thoughts turned to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Blogger, sites I use almost daily. Of course, what an effective way to not only promote our club but to keep it fresh and help keep our members updated in a fun and user-friendly way. Many of us are already familiar with Facebook and YouTube. Why not get our club in on the action?

Welcome to the new face of M-I SWACO Mudslingers. Now, instead of getting deluged with Nobody emails, you can keep in the loop with our new blog, Twitter feed, YouTube videos, and Facebook status updates. These sites will be able to be accessed every "changing of the guard" for the V.P. of Public Relations or V.P. of Education to maintain. They are very user-friendly and access can be changed easily without affecting the site name or domain. Also, guest bloggers will be encouraged for our Blogger site. In other words, members who want to contribute will be able to do so and the President may want to give his or her addresses using the jazzed up forum. Members are also encouraged to participate in YouTube presentations, including posting any speech requested. Our FreeToastHost site will still be maintained and updated, but information will not be channeled through it unless it has to do with updating the roster, agenda, and making meeting changes, including last minute notices.

As the V.P. of Education, I hope to post simple and easy to follow educational moments, club business updates, including upcoming contests, events, member accomplishments, welcome new members, highlight existing members, and Toastmaster Tidbits on our Blogger site regularly. As Toastmasters, we know there is a first time for everything. A first time to conquer a fear.  A first time to speak in front of our peers. A first time to conduct a role. A first time to update our club with the times.

So here we are, my fellow Mudslingers Toastmasters.  Hello, social media! To start us off, here is an interesting trailer for the upcoming documentary film about TI public speaking, Speak.