Governor's Toastmasters Club #3031 http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/ en Copyright 2011 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:09:40 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss December 2011 TM Spotlight December 2011 TM Spotlight.pdf]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/11/december_2011_tm_spotlight.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/11/december_2011_tm_spotlight.html Newsletters Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:09:40 -0600 November 2011 TM Spotlight November TM Spotlight.pdf]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/11/november_2011_tm_spotlight.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/11/november_2011_tm_spotlight.html Newsletters Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:41:17 -0600 October 2011 TM Spotlight October 2011 TM Spotlight.pdf]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/09/october_2011_tm_spotlight.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/09/october_2011_tm_spotlight.html Newsletters Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:16:03 -0600 September 2011 Spotlight September 2011 TM Spotlight.pdf]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/09/september_2011_spotlight.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/09/september_2011_spotlight.html Newsletters Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:39:30 -0600 August 2011 Spotlight August 2011 TM Spotlight.pdf]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/07/august_2011_spotlight.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/07/august_2011_spotlight.html Newsletters Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:50:17 -0600 Better Speaker Series Last week our club began the "Better Speaker" series! We plan on presenting a speech in this series the first Thursday of each month through April. Linda Israel did a great job with the first speech..."Beginning Your Speech"! The order is as follows: July - Beginning Your Speech August - Concluding Your Speech September - Take the Terror Out of a Talk October - Impromptu Speaking November - Selecting Your Topic December - Know Your Audience January - Organizing Your Speech February - Creating an Introduction March - Preparation and Practice April - Using Body Language Join us as we strive to improve our skills every Thursday 11:55 - 1:00 @ Oklahoma Farm Bureau! (1st Floor Boardroom) http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/07/better_speaker_series.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/07/better_speaker_series.html Club News Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:24:43 -0600 July 2011 - Toastmaster Spotlight July 2011 - Toastmaster Spotlight.pdf]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/07/july_2011_-_toastmaster_spotli.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/07/july_2011_-_toastmaster_spotli.html Newsletters Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:21:39 -0600 Officer Contact List The Governor's Toastmasters have an awesome team of leaders. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send an email.

President: Alexis Thompson
Vice President-Education: Jeff Helber
Vice President-Membership: Meghan Padgett 
Vice President-Public Relations: Staci Armstrong 
Secretary: Leigh Singleton 
Treasurer Jeff Helber
Sergeant at Arms: Kaye Branson

]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/05/officer_contact_list.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/05/officer_contact_list.html Officer Contact List Wed, 04 May 2011 13:23:36 -0600 We want you! Hello everyone! We are very excited to announce that our club officers were elected for a six-month term. There is plenty more for us to accomplish, and we are looking forward to bringing in 2011 with many new members!

This is truly a wonderful Toastmasters club. All of our members have had their challenges, but we are all learning how to overcome them to be better communicators and leaders. Please contact any of our club officers for information on visiting our club. We are very welcoming and would love for you to visit. We are all passionate about this club because it has helped us in our lives and careers, and we know it can help you too!

President: Alexis Thompson
Vice President-Education:
Vice President-Membership: Meghan Padgett
Vice President-Public Relations: Staci Armstrong
Secretary: Leigh Singleton
Treasurer: Jeff Helber
Sergeant at Arms: Kaye Branson

]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/05/we_want_you.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2011/05/we_want_you.html Wed, 04 May 2011 04:34:08 -0600 Toastmasters links From the The Post-Star (Glenn Falls, N.Y.): FORT EDWARD -- When Rich Gordon found himself out of work last summer, he joined Washington County Toastmasters. Public speaking was never a source of anxiety for the Argyle resident, nor was he interested in giving better speeches. Gordon said he just wanted to improve his communication skills - something that would come in handy for job interviews. "Toastmasters helped me go in (to interviews) with the right information and be organized and speak to people without hesitating," he said. Gordon, who is now working as a property development specialist, said Toastmasters taught him how to put a public presentation together, organize his thoughts on the spot and avoid using filler words like "um" and "ah." "I think the group is great for anyone that really wants to improve their verbal skills and their comfort level in front of a small to large group," he said. Read more From the Yuma (Ariz.) Sun: Jessie Jones, a Yuma man, has been awarded Toastmaster International's highest achievement, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM). The award is the culmination of his three and half years of participation as a member of the Yuma Sunsetters Toastmasters club. Jessie is one of three active Toastmasters, out of approximately 115 members, to have completed the numerous speeches and leadership activities, including a High Performance Leadership Project. "He demonstrated proficiency not only as a public speaker, but as a leader as well," said Christopher Lee, vice president of public relations for Yuma Sunsetters Club No. 936781. Jones said his successful completion of the daunting process came through determination. "One can only successfully endure the process with a healthy dose of persistence -- do your speeches, work to improve your skills, do the best you can with what you are dealt in the process." Read more From the Arab News (An English-language newspaper in the Middle East): ALKHOBAR: Former Saudi Aramco President and CEO Abdallah S. Jum'ah shared his perspectives on leadership along with his own career story during a keynote speech before the Toastmasters Annual Division M Conference Thursday night in Alkhobar. Read more Isn't it fascinating how Toastmasters has helped people's lives all around the country and the world? Even in a volatile place like Saudi Arabia, there are people there who want to improve communication and leadership skills, and, like us, have come to Toastmasters to learn. How can Toastmasters help you? Please contact one of our club officers, and come visit a meeting! -- Jason Kersey, Vice President-Public Relations]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/04/toastmasters_links.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/04/toastmasters_links.html Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:30:21 -0600 Meeting recap (April 10, 2010) Weekly award winners (April 1, 2010) Best Speaker: Jason Kersey Best Table Topics: Adam Wilmoth Best Evaluator: Alexis Thompson]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/04/meeting_recap_april_10_2010.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/04/meeting_recap_april_10_2010.html Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:43:16 -0600 A personal story 4928_701779546097_9632030_40320324_6631889_n.jpg I've always considered myself a pretty confident person. That is, except for one area -- public speaking. I was never a particularly bad public speaker, but I wasn't a great one, either. And I certainly couldn't speak in front of people without being nervous. I took a speech class my freshman year of college, and that helped a little bit, but I never continued practicing the skill. And the nervousness got worse. I'll never forget the day that I realized I had a problem that needed to be addressed. I was sitting in a class my senior year of college at OU, and the professor did the "go around the class and introduce yourself" thing. That was always something I didn't like, and always something that made me nervous. But this particular day it felt worse. As the professor went around the room and got closer to me, my stomach hurt worse and worse. Then, when it was my turn, I felt like I sounded really stupid and nervous. I called my dad after that class and told him what had happened. He suggested Toastmasters. I had never heard of the club before, but I checked it out. I found the one that was the closest to where I lived (The Governor's Club) and visited. Everyone was so nice, and so encouraging. I knew this was a place I needed to be. Shortly after that, I joined and I haven't looked back. In a little less than a year in the Governor's Club, I have given six prepared speeches and spoken in some capacity in just about every meeting. Simply put -- there is no better way to learn public speaking skills. But it isn't just public speaking skills you'll learn through a Toastmasters membership. Leadership skills are also learned, through serving as a meeting's Toastmaster, General Evaluator or Evaluator. You can learn through being a club officer or through chairing events. I'm not all the way there yet. I still get that sick feeling in my stomach when I get started on a speech. But it's getting better. In addition to learning all those wonderful skills, I've developed some wonderful relationships and friendships along the way. The people in the Governor's Club are some of the absolute best people I've ever met, and I continue to learn from and be inspired by them every Thursday at noon. Please feel free to contact any of our club officers and ask us questions. We're here to help, and we'd love to have you come visit a meeting. Communication isn't optional in life, and even the world's greatest public speakers could benefit from what Toastmasters has to offer. -- Jason Kersey, Vice President-Public Relations ]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/03/ive_always_considered_myself_a.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/03/ive_always_considered_myself_a.html Member Profiles Wed, 31 Mar 2010 02:13:53 -0600 Member profile: Vice President-Education Alexis Thompson -1.gif Alexis Thompson's life has already changed dramatically because of Toastmasters. Just one year after she joined the Governor's Club, she received a promotion at work. "I received a promotion and now I have more responsibilities," Thompson said. "I've learned how to organize my work load to get more done in a day. I've also learned how to speak properly to others, because you never know who's evaluating you when you speak." Thompson previously served as Vice President-Public Relations. In her short time in this new role, which is often described as the most difficult club office, she has already assigned every member in the club a mentor. Mentors can be crucial in a member's development and advancement in Toastmasters, and many members didn't have one. Thompson has described her plans for her new role as follows: "My plans for the club are, first, to make sure every member has the opportunity to fulfill the goals, second, to keep the members motivated and encouraged to continue their Toastmaster journey, and third, to keep members on track with their manuals so that one day they may be a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)." -- Jason Kersey, Vice President-Public Relations ]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/01/member_profile_vice_president-.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/01/member_profile_vice_president-.html Member Profiles Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:25:12 -0600 Club officer training held today in OKC President Meghan Padgett, CTM, CL, meghan.padgett@okfb.com Vice President-Education Alexis Thompson, CTM, CL, alexis.thompson@okfb.com Vice President-Membership Jeff Helber, ATM-S, AL, jeff.helber@okfb.com Vice President-Public Relations Jason Kersey, jason.w.kersey@gmail.com Secretary Adam Wilmoth, adam.wilmoth@publicstrategies.com Treasurer Dianne Wigley, ATM-S, CL, wigley@sbcglobal.net Sergeant at Arms Deborah Cheatham, ATM-S, CL, deborah.cheatham@okfb.com -- Jason Kersey, Vice President-Public Relations]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/01/club_officer_training.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/01/club_officer_training.html Club News Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:37:01 -0600 Member profile: President Meghan Padgett Meghan.jpg

To say that Meghan Padgett's life has been changed by her involvement with the Governor's Toastmasters Club would be an enormous understatement.

Padgett, the new president of the Governor's Club, has been a member for about two years. In that time, her communication and leadership skills have increased dramatically.

"Toastmasters has given me confidence," Padgett said. "I had never willingly stepped up to be in a leadership role unless there was no one else to do it but I've started doing just that."

Padgett's growth because of Toastmasters has extended beyond just speaking. She and those she performs for are now able to enjoy her musical talents to their full capacity.

"I've been able to share my musical abilities in performing at my church," she said. "To be able to get up in front of at least 150 people and sing, or play my cello or guitar without turning red, feeling faint, or not even performing because I'm too scared is a huge deal. I've always been too scared but now I know there's nothing to be afraid of."

She knows, though, that as a result of these new skills she has a responsibility to help others realize their potential as well. Acknowledging that will surely help her during her presidency.

"I might have something to share that will help someone else," Padgett said. "I have to be willing to share.

"I plan to be the best President I can be and continue with the excellent leadership that has been in this position before me. I want our club to continue to be as successful as possible. We have done well in the past with the goals set forth by the District and I hope for the same during my time in this office."

Padgett wants help from the club members, because she knows that part of being a leader is reaching out to those that you lead.

"I want to ask for everyone's help and their ideas for anything they would like to see in the upcoming months," Padgett said. "I'm open to suggestions for improvements. I'd also like to know if there's anything that they really love about our club. Knowing what works, what doesn't, and making changes is how we will be able to grow as a club."

-- Jason Kersey, Vice President-Public Relations

]]> http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/01/member_profile_president_megha.html http://www.governorstoastmasters.com/2010/01/member_profile_president_megha.html Member Profiles Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:21:46 -0600