We were treated to heartwarming stories, invaluable feedback, tasty dishes, and wonderful company on December 8, 2019.
Tasty dishes
When we decided to do Fireside Stories II back in July, I knew that it would be one of a kind. So did you, I guess, because our holiday showcase was sold out within a few hours after the invitation was sent out and the waitlist was getting longer each day.
The room was set up by Padma Ilangovan, Tina and Jiro Tomiyama (Jiro is a big behind-the-scene support person!). The tasty dishes were organized by Debbie Kenneybrew, Catherine Magruder, Anna Ziss-Patton and Caroline Kennedy. Mallery McMurtrey added a personal touch to our guest packet. The beautiful program was created by Tina and I designed the calendar.
2020 Calendars
Everything was perfect…except for the weather. It had been going downhill since Friday. What, SoCal? Are you saying that we’ll have rain on our special day? But the weather was on our side, too. On Sunday, we had some drizzle here and there, but by the time we started our showcase, rays of light started shining through the clouds. Beautiful colored leaves welcomed our guests. Yep, it was time to start our showcase!
Once again, StoryMasters exceeded my expectation. Oh, it was such a delightful afternoon, wasn’t it? (I’m truly sorry if you missed it!)
Our Toastmaster, Mallery McMurtrey, who stepped up at the last minute when the original Toastmaster couldn’t make it, led our showcase masterfully.
Five heart-warming stories were presented: Escape from Irish Ridge by Margaret Mitchell: Her Aunt Margaret’s story kept us in suspense. I couldn’t wait to hear what would happen next! At Mom’s Kitchen Table by Lin Van Gelder: Lin beautifully illustrated her mom’s story with tender—and hilarious —anecdotes and warmed our hearts. Friday Night Lights by Michael S. Jones: Michael kept us engaged with his story about miraculous help for car trouble on a busy street. We all could resonate to the pain and hope with similar miracles. That Would Be Silly by Antoinette Byron: Did Antoinette tell a true story or a fictional one? Ummm, I wonder which parts were true… Regardless, her story put smiles on our faces! Your Mother Is Not My Daughter by Miyo Yamauchi: It was my honor to share my grandma story at our special event. The truth may never be known, but our curiosity was certainly piqued!
Jacki Williams-Jones conducted our constructive evaluation segment with Janine Burke, Kathy Falco, Tina Tomiyama, Jorge Sciupac and Aprille Isham. I always learn something new and useful from the feedback. Today was no exception! Oh, it was so good!
And of course, our meeting would not have been successful without our other key functionaries:
Timer: Angelica Duran
Word Master: Debbie (“Togetherness”) Kenneybrew
Videographer: Judith Ferber
Logistics/SAA: Padmarajan Ilangovan
Cleanup: Everybody – you know who you are!
Thank you all for your continuous support and love for StoryMasters and the storytelling community!
Save the date for our next meeting, January 12, 2020. Until then, happy holidays and New Year, everybody!
StoryMasters Initiation Business Meeting on April 10, 2011
Fun Facts about StoryMasters
Club’s Original Idea: Tina Tomiyama
Club’s Co-Sponsors: Tina Tomiyama and Hiba Hamdan
Club Name: Originally “Storytelling Club”, changed to “StoryMasters”, per Philip Wiest’s idea
Initiation Business Meeting: Sunday, April 10, 2011
Club Charter-Membership: 25 members joined between April 10th and April 21st
First Official Club Meeting: Sunday, May 8, 2011
Club Chartering Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2011
That’s right. StoryMasters is a proud eight years old now! To make our celebratory moment even more special, some of the charter members who have been with us physically or spiritually shared some stories and wisdom with us.
Searching for a Home ~ Tina Tomiyama
StoryMasters started out in a Chinese restaurant in Culver City with a rarely-used banquet room. But the restaurant gained popularity and sometimes we got there only to find out that the banquet room was in use.
We tried other restaurants and community centers. Ouch! Expensive. We were running out of options.
“Why don’t we meet in someone’s home?” asked Jeni Stewart. “We could take turns, like a book club.”
I wasn’t sure if folks would want to meet in my home. It’s 90 years old, after all, tucked back into the hills of View Park, really hard to find. But there’s plenty of street parking and we wouldn’t have to rent a meeting place.
“We can try it for a few months,” I said.
That was six years ago. Now, when guests come to meetings, they say things like,
“Oh, this is a perfect place for a storytelling club! Paintings, a fireplace, comfortable cushions and natural light . . .”
And we say,
“Help yourself to some coffee or tea! Would you rather sit at the big table or do you prefer the couch?”
We don’t need to search any more. I’m so happy — District 1’s only advanced storytelling club meets right here in my living room.
The Story of StoryMasters ~ Hiba Hamdan
It took me few seconds to answer Tina Tomiyama’s e-mail. “What a great idea, Tina!” I said. “Let me know how I can help.”
Now, when my dear friend and mentor Tina says “Jump,” I’d say “How high?” Tina always makes you jump to your success. That time, in 2011, I jumped and didn’t even ask! I knew that her idea of creating a Storytelling-oriented club would be a huge success. Tina and I became the club’s Co-Sponsors.
It only took 11 days, in April 2011, for us to gather signed applications from 25 members, which usually takes months.
On Tuesday, May 10, 2011, our Lt. Governor Marketing at the time, David Kitchen, e-mailed us: “It’s official”! In only 1 month, StoryMasters became a Chartered club.
What was the secret for this huge and speedy success? It’s just “Storytelling”!
People love to know about other people and hear their stories. In fact, our hearts and brains have been hard-wired on storytelling since we were children, and since our ancestors lived in caves. A well-told story grabs our attention, fascinates us, and moves us.
Stories help us clarify and communicate our vision, values, and successes. They’re more believable than statistics. In fact, good stories have an emotional content that enables listeners to connect with the teller, while making meaning based on their own experiences. Stories don’t just tell us about a situation or an individual; they show us.
In business, Leaders have found storytelling to be a highly effective management tool.
In movies and TV, it’s all about storytelling! I’ve had the chance to experience this since 2017, when I started to work, part time, as Media Programmer for TV Santa Barbara. When previewing the shows before I schedule them on our channels, I see how hosts and guests use storytelling techniques to better communicate their message. In media training, the first technique that TV producers and directors learn is to create a storyboard for their shows.
The power of storytelling was the reason why so many members, including myself, joined our StoryMasters club so quickly in 2011.
Today, eight years later, our past and new club members continue to learn or teach the best techniques for crafting compelling stories, and continue to share their brilliant stories that entertain us, teach us, and sure inspire us.
Happy Eighth Birthday, Dear StoryMasters!
Love of Storytelling ~ Anna Ziss-Patton
My earliest, best memories of my father are of his stories. Every night before I went to sleep, he would read to me from old, hardcover books that featured classic, detailed illustrations. No watered down, picture book stories, he chose original Grimm’s and Hans Christian Anderson stories—scary and thrilling and oh so spellbinding! He read dramatically, voicing characters, and speeding up the tempo as the tale surged forward to its climax.
It was stories that bound us together and it was how he showed his love. It was our special time together. And his stories taught me about the world. My father gave me a great gift—a love of fine storytelling.
What human being ever hasn’t loved a good story? So, when Tina Tomiyama told me she was starting StoryMasters, how could I not become a charter member? There is nothing more magical and intimate than listening to advanced Toastmasters tell their personal stories, masterfully told, captivating the audience, transporting us to their world. I was IN!
From a back room in a peculiar, old Chinese restaurant to our current home—the cozy, inviting Tomiyama living room, each meeting draws me in with skillful speakers and well-told tales. One Sunday a month, I sit transfixed as I listen to stories. Thank you, StoryMasters, for sharing so many wondrous tales. Thank you for taking me on voyages to places I couldn’t imagine and teaching lessons I’d never known. Thank you for your inspiration month after month. I hope to join the ranks of the true storytelling Masters—the StoryMasters!
Living the Dream ~ Walt Grassl
They say never let the facts get in the way of a good story. But what if the facts make it a good story?
On Wed, Mar 20, shortly before 10 PM, I received an email from Miyo, asking me to contribute to this newsletter. Where was I? At a writers workshop conducted by “We Make Movies.” Coincidence? I think not.
The workshop provides a venue for fresh pages to be read by professional actors — to encourage the writers and explore the material. It was my first visit, and I participated as an actor. I was hanging out with other Storytellers.
Storytelling and I have not always been friends. I started my life as an engineer. I was facts and data focused, not story focused. I first woke up to the power of story many years ago, when I was preparing a customer presentation with my program manager Mike Fleenor. He asked me, “What is the story of the presentation?” I looked at him like he had three eyes. He explained that there should be a theme: things are good, things are normal, or the train is coming off the tracks, and we need help.
Years after that, in Toastmasters, I learned to make a point and tell a story.
StoryMasters helped me learn how to do that better. I always enjoyed the excellent storytellers in the StoryMasters family.
Today, I spend more of my time telling stories through other people’s words as an actor. I even got the male lead in a short film called “I’m Telling Ya” (trailer is on YouTube). My acting journey is still in its infancy, but I am still living the dream.
I am so grateful that Miyo reached out to me. I fondly remember my time in StoryMasters and can only imagine how things have grown.
I hope all of you are living your dreams.
Listening to Stories ~ Lin Van Gelder
“This is the sorcery of literature. We are healed by our stories.” ~ Terry Tempest Williams
When Hiba Hamdan, DTM, approached me about joining a brand-new club that was forming, I knew it would be something special. Hiba’s help and her personal story had been crucial to my early Toastmasters experience, as she mentored our company club at Boeing and taught us to be Toastmasters. I was honored when she invited me to join StoryMasters as one of the founding members.
Yes, we had some growing pains at first, especially with finding the right location. I might call them logistics challenges. Tina’s lovely home turned out to be a perfect place for us.
In several speeches I’ve heard recently, people have said how they found their own voice and finally learned to express their own truth. We all have a deep desire for someone to hear us, for our stories to matter. It is life-changing for those who, at long last, find their voices.
At StoryMasters, we give acknowledgement to those people. We do the most important thing we can do: we listen. We are present. We give loving feedback that assures each speaker that they, indeed, were heard.
When I say to myself, “I am” — what words follow? Do I affirm my power, my success, my beauty? Do I say, I am wealthy beyond measure? Do I have gratitude for health, relationships, family, opportunity, and do I still dream?
Perhaps life itself has no meaning – we give it meaning by how we live and the stories we tell. I grow as a human being from hearing yours, and I hope you learn from mine as well.
Telling Stories at Work ~ Jon Caplan
A.P. Møller-Maersk, commonly known as Maersk, is the world’s largest shipping company. On June 27, 2017 company computers started rebooting spontaneously. Nobody knew what was happening but within minutes the problem spread around the world – taking out more than 50,000 computers – and shutting down the company. Nearly a fifth of the world’s shipping capacity, spread out over 800 ships and 76 ports, was unmanageable.
It wouldn’t become clear until later what was going on. Russia had unleashed a cyberattack against Ukraine by spreading malware called NotPetya. Maersk was not the intended target. But there was a single machine in a single office in Ukraine that had a financial application installed that the Russians had used to spread the attack.
That was all it took to wipe out the entire company’s operations. It took weeks and $400 million to repair the damage.
I work in cyber security. It is a complex field and one where you are working against active adversaries. There is much you need to know and much you need to do to protect against those adversaries. So how do we remember what is important and where the dangers are and what we need to do? We tell each other stories, like the one above. I left out the details that contain valuable lessons for those in the field. But the point is that by hearing stories, we get to see what others saw and feel what they felt, and in the end,we learn what they learned. And we get to do it the easy way.
Every field has lessons to pass along and there is no better way to pass them along than through stories.
My Road to StoryMasters ~ Margaret L. Mitchell
It was almost inevitable that I would one day join StoryMasters—an extraordinary club of advanced Toastmasters committed to developing their skills in the ancient art of storytelling.
I started down the road to StoryMasters when I was a child growing up during the mid-1940s and 50s.
Surrounded by books at home and with easy access to the local public library, I developed a love of words, language, and stories from the books I read. I also grew to love oral storytelling. Some of my fondest early memories include gathering with family and friends in our kitchen or living room, where my mother told stories about her life and experiences. She knew precisely which stories, vocalizations and gestures would make us laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. While I greatly admired her storytelling skills, I never thought they were skills I could learn.
Many years would pass before I joined my first Toastmasters club in 1999. After conquering my fear of speaking, I began to understand that by using stories, I could make my speeches more interesting and memorable. As my communication skills improved overall, my interest in storytelling increased as well. I attended several storytelling workshops outside my club. Then I attended a day-long storytelling festival, where storytellers from various genres performed.
The storytelling festival was a transformative experience for me. Nearly all the storytellers were good; but Barbara H. Clark, a local professional storyteller, gave the peak performance of the day. After sitting mesmerized by the skills of this remarkable woman, I realized I was much more interested in becoming a storyteller who made points, than a speaker who interspersed her points with stories. But where and how could I begin giving shape to this dream?
Just weeks after I attended the festival, Tina Tomiyama contacted me to see if I wanted to join a new storytelling club. Was I interested? No, I was ecstatic! I wasted no time in giving her my check and application and becoming a charter member of StoryMasters.
Joining StoryMasters is one of the best decisions I’ve made during my Toastmasters journey. What I appreciate most about this club is the ongoing opportunity to learn from gifted storytellers, as well as newer members who are still seeking their voice and style. With six speaking spots available at every meeting, I have ample opportunities to speak and receive valuable feedback. I also appreciate that speakers are videotaped, which allows us to critique our performances later.
I can’t imagine ever leaving StoryMasters. It aligns perfectly with my self-development goals. I love its members. The club’s warm, casual atmosphere and maintenance of high standards suit me well.
Could a burgeoning storyteller possibly ask for anything more?
Thank you for reading our stories! We hope that you enjoyed them as much as we did.
Please join us to hear some good stories on the second Sunday. Our next meeting is June 9, 2019 from 3PM to 5PM at Tomiyama residence, 3720 Monteith Dr, LA 90043.
RSVP: Tina Tomiyama at tomiyama2@mac.com
If you want to learn the essential elements of storytelling and how to use stories for maximum audience impact, check out the StoryMasters Summer Workshop!
On Wednesday March 6, the meeting room at the Compton Library had the look and feel of a party: blue table clothes on the tables, festive balloons, the delectable aroma of food, hugs, kisses, and chatter as members and guests of Compton Elite Communicators mingled before the
meeting began. Compton Elite Communicators—affectionately known as CEC—was celebrating its 20th Anniversary as a Toastmasters club!
There was so much excitement in the air, I felt I could reach out and touch it. I heard one of the guests say, “I was still in my pajamas when I looked at my calendar and saw that this was your Anniversary. I just threw on my clothes and hurried over because I always enjoy your events.”
Lunch was delicious! Food Chair Laura Brown and her team laid out an appetizing spread of chicken tacos with all the trimmings, refried beans, rice, fiesta salad, fruit salad, cupcakes, and Vickie Love’s stuck-her-foot-in-it, mouth-watering peach cobbler and sour cream pudding cake.
There was so much food, we happily invited the library staff in to help us eat it all.
L-R, Back Row: Michael Milton, Laura Brown, Ahmad McDowell, Vickie Love, Janell Williams, Alonzo (Lonzo) Williams, Ron Dowell, Natalie Torres-Haddad, Janet Kemp, Barbara Blankenship, Karen Persip, David Kitchen, ImUnique (Lisa) Spearman. Seated: Gay Morris, Margaret Mitchell, Martha Pickett-Patterson, Edgar Allen Kemp.
Martha Pickett-Patterson, DTM
Martha Pickett-Patterson was a superb Toastmaster. She opened the program by reading a resolution from the City of Compton
congratulating the club on celebrating its 20th Anniversary. A gracious host from beginning to end, her poise and humor kept the
meeting flowing smoothly.
David Kitchen, DTM, PDG
David Kitchen, author, trainer and Past District Governor, gave the keynote address. He spoke on the theme, Transforming Ourselves
and the World—One Speech at a time. With humor and dynamism, he inspired us to live our best lives by having big dreams and
goals, taking action, and helping others meet their dreams and goals. His words struck just the right note and brought laughter and
nods of assent from an engaged audience.
Natalie Torres-Haddad, ATMB
Club member Natalie Torres-Haddad, a teacher, author and professional speaker, spoke movingly about how much she valued the opportunity to practice her speeches at club meetings and get valuable feedback. She credited CEC for helping her prepare for speaking engagements outside the club, including a TEDx talk and, most recently, a keynote address at the University of Berkeley.
Alonzo (Lonzo) Williams, ACG
Club member Alonzo Williams, hip hop historian, author, and professional speaker, revealed how free he felt since making the decision to hang up his hat as a nightclub owner. After 40 years in the business, he looks forward to building his speaking career and continuing his work with youth through his nonprofit organization.
His next big gig will be standing on the stage as a panelist with Cornell West.
In addition to the speakers, others who contributed to the success of the program included: Edgar Allen Kemp, Sergeant At Arms; Martha
Pickett-Patterson, Toastmaster; Vickie Love, Timer; Michael Milton, Wordmaster; Karen Persip; Setup/Cleanup; and ImUnique (Lisa) Spearman, Videographer/Photographer.
I was happy to see Gay Morris, a past Club President; Barbara Blankenship, who mentored the club during our infancy 20 years ago; Janell Williams, Area F6 Director; and Janet Kemp, Division F Director. All these fine ladies have supported the club in countless ways, some for many years.
During impromptu remarks, Ron Dowell pointed out that Compton Elite Communicators has long been a shining jewel in the City of Compton. At our Anniversary Celebration, we sparkled brilliantly!
Aren’t some of the best parties those times when we get together with family or close friends for fun, food and frivolity? The CEC Anniversary Celebration had that kind of feel. It was a wonderful party! The icing on the cake came at the end, when we added a new member — Division F Director Janet Kemp!
Compton Elite Communicators meets from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th
Wednesdays of the month at the Compton Library, 240 W. Compton Blvd., Compton 90220.
Occasionally, our regular meeting time is pre-empted by other library events. Please check with us before you visit.
On Sunday, February 10, it rained all day. Would the wet weather put a damper on the StoryMasters Open House? I hoped for the best as I drove to the venue.
As It turned out, some 32 members and invited guests braved the rain to hear five storytellers present compelling stories from the Advanced Storytelling manual. The event was aptly named For Love of Stories 2.0.
When guests entered the lobby of Jiro and Tina Tomiyama’s lovely home, they were warmly greeted and directed to the dining room, where a lavish spread of sweet and savory gustatory pleasures awaited.
The main event took place in the living room, where a warm fire beckoned from the fireplace. Chairs were set out theater style. On each chair, a beautifully designed program had been placed, along with a coaster (to serve as a memento of the occasion) and a chocolate heart wrapped in red foil. Oh my!
Sergeant At Arms Aprille Isham summoned us to the living room. President Padmarajan Ilangovan made welcoming remarks and introduced the Toastmaster, Miyo, Yamauchi. Then almost like magic, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun appeared. I sat back in my chair and prepared to enjoy.
Debbie Kenneybrew opened the program with a spine-tingling folk tale, Blues Brother Bobby, about her encounter with some colorful characters, including a ghost. She enhanced her performance by playing a mean harmonica and told the story so skillfully that some audience members even wondered if it was a true story.
Antoinette Byron’s personal story, All that Glitters Isn’t Gold, artfully wove together the threads of love, her relationship with her mother, and a treasured silver tea pot. Her gifts as a writer and storyteller led me—and other audience members, I’m sure—to a sweetly satisfying conclusion.
Catherine Magruder’s story, Unspoken Words, recounted a memorable Thanksgiving dinner and how she carefully formulated the words to respond to an argument she anticipated with her powerful aunt. This entertaining and skillfully told tale drove home the moral that “unspoken words need to be spoken so there will not be a void.”
Aprille Isham revisited her childhood to tell a delightful, touching story titled Hunt for the Golden Easter Egg. Her well-honed storytelling skills placed me right there in each scene she described, and right there feeling her heartbreak as a nine-year-old girl.
Tina Tomiyama brought history to life with Silent Music, a story about Ludwig van Beethoven. In this well told story, we were transported to 19th century Germany and the struggles this musician and composer faced as he rose to greatness. The story’s conclusion, where Tina hummed bars from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in D Minor, was a powerful conclusion to a wonderful concert of stories.
Other stars in the Open House lineup included: Miyo Yamauchi, Toastmaster, who conducted the meeting graciously and professionally; and Uche Akotaobi, General Evaluator, who brought his unique style and wit to the role and judged the meeting to be a template for how an Open House should be conducted.
Providing essential support were the Evaluators, Pieter Severynen, Claudette Payne, Kathy Falco, Anna Ziss-Patton and Janine Burke; Timer, Elizabeth Smith; Wordmaster/Grammarian, Margaret Mitchell; and Photographer, JaMarr John Johnson.
Club President Padmarajan Ilangovan opened and closed the meeting with his usual aplomb.
The most welcome part of any Open House is to gain a new member. StoryMasters is happy to welcome our newest member, Anne Guillebeaux!
StoryMasters is an advanced club where members learn how to use the ancient art of storytelling to make their presentations more memorable and powerful. Each meeting features 5-6 stories, followed by individual and round-robin evaluations.
Please check out our latest newsletter and visit us! We meet every second Sunday @ 3-5pm at the Tomiyama residence, 3720 Monteith Drive, View Park 90043.
Congratulations to Fox Talkz Toastmasters club for having the most votes for the April – May period of the “Speak About Public Speaking Challenge”. Check out the video with club member Shirah Jacobs at https://youtu.be/C4eZUgHOiLk
Fox Talkz was founded in 2000 and has been a President’s Distinguished Club for 9 years in a row. Fox Talkz Toastmasters has many amazing members including
Tony Jacobsen, the author of “Disable Your Disability”, life coach and motivational speaker http://www.tonyjacobsen.com/
Burt Epstein one of the longest continuous member currently in Toastmasters who joined in 1954 (64 years) and has been a member ever since https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLMde31dDCc
The club is located on the Twentieth Century Fox Studios Lot in Century City. The members invite you to join them every Friday morning at 8:00 AM to find out for yourself why, “Fox Talkz Rockz!” For more on Fox Talks go to https://foxtalkztoastmasters.com/.
Century City Toastmasters announces their 60th anniversary with a private event to be held at the Culver Hotel, March 4, 2018. Century City Toastmasters is one of over 2,000 clubs in the United States, and one of 16,400+ clubs worldwide in Toastmasters International. Founded in 1924, by Ralph C. Smedley, Toastmasters now has more than 352,000 members in 141 countries. Century City Toastmasters was charted January 1, 1958, as the 2,681st club, and currently has about 50 members.
Emerson was “spot on” when he famously stated that in order to become a great speaker you have to be a bad speaker first. Becoming a good speaker takes an understanding of the skills that change a weak presenter into a self-confident communicator and leader.
Since 1958, Century City Toastmasters (CCTM) has helped hundreds of members over the years, overcome their fear of public speaking, become powerful presenters and effective leaders. The club’s high energy, early-morning meetings have proven to be ideal for entrepreneurs, early birds and those who work nearby. CCTM is one of the top clubs in Toastmasters’ Southern California’s “District 1” containing about 175 clubs, spanning from Long Beach to Hollywood, and Santa Monica to Inglewood. Century City Toastmasters has achieved the top President’s Distinguished Award for at least the past 16 years.
The club is open to new members, who want to become better speakers or leaders. Weekly meetings, led by members in various functional roles, provide opportunities for prepared speeches, as well as impromptu speaking. Each prepared speech is followed with a personal oral evaluation, and written feedback from every attendee. New members can expect a warm and supportive environment, with positive and productive people who are on a path of self-improvement.
“Our members share a common goal…self-improvement and building confidence by engaging in a positive public speaking experience. Century City Toastmasters is the incubator for nurturing public speaking growth.” says Anthony Phills, VP of PR and Marketing.
For more information about Century City Toastmasters, visit centurycitytoastmasters.org, or email centurycitytoastmasters@gmail.com. For more information about Toastmasters International, visit toastmasters.org
Photo by Aurora Meneghello – Design by Anthony Phills
Have you turned your Toastmasters club into a graveyard for your speeches?
Think about the average lifespan of a speech.
You may spend a lot of time coming up with an idea, planning your content and structure, and rehearsing your material.
Then the day comes when you deliver your speech in front of your club. The audience applauds your achievement. Your evaluator takes careful notes and gives you verbal and written feedback to help you improve your presentation.
Then what happens?
That’s it. It’s time to forget about this speech and move on to the next one.
This is the tragedy of Toastmasters: we put so much time and effort into preparing a speech, only to leave it to die as soon as we’ve presented it to our club.
What if, instead of abandoning your speech, you used the club’s evaluations to make it better?
What if that speech could find its way into a book so you could share it with family, friends, and anyone else you believed could benefit from your content?
The “Rough Writers” Toastmasters club showed this was possible when we launched our book, Speeches to Books: True Stories from the Rough Writers Club.
The Arduous Path to Publication
When we formed our club, most of our members agreed that we could use the Toastmasters program to help increase, improve, and promote our writing. A few of us had written books before, but most of us had only dreamt of becoming published authors.
A year or so after we chartered, we decided to stop dreaming and start working on a book together.
We faced an uphill battle from the beginning. Some people questioned whether a specialty club like ours could even survive, let alone become published.
First, we had to find volunteers to contribute content. After some convincing, nine club members agreed to participate.
Each of us delivered a speech based on our personal experience with a life-changing moment. The feedback we gathered from other members helped us refine our content into written stories.
We collected the stories and our club Editor improved them.
Following this was a long period of confusion while we tried to figure out which copies had been edited and which hadn’t.
Eventually, we got all the final revisions together, contacted a printing service, and were suddenly confronted with a whole new set of questions:
Who’s going to write the introduction, the foreword, and the acknowledgements?
What should we use for cover art?
How many ISBN numbers should we order?
These and other unknowns led to more debate and delays.
Finally, we made our final decisions and placed our order.
A few days later, we were staring inside an open box. For many of us, being able to pull a copy of the book out of that box and hold it in our hands was when it all became real:
We did it! We had just become published authors; some of us for the first time!
Keeping Our Speeches Alive
Now, instead of our speeches dying in our club; they live on bookshelves and coffee tables or travel in cars, bags, and envelopes on their way to new homes.
For the authors, these books will be a constant reminder of the stories we told, the work we put into them, and the support we received along the way.
For our readers, these books will serve as inspiration; not just because of the words inside but because of what they represent: a symbol of what can be accomplished when a group of people work together towards a common goal.
If you’d like to learn more about our process, pick up a copy of our book, or join us on our next project; please contact Brad Jorgensen at gnomedeplume@gmail.com.
Dr. Ngozi Chukwu, Director of the EPB Program, was searching for a way to enrich the communication skills of her pre-medical students and had heard good things about Toastmasters. Moreover, her former program assistant, Taynay Cameron, had previously participated in a Youth Leadership Program. In the spring of 2017, Taynay connected Dr. Chukwu with several Toastmasters, including the eminent Margaret Mitchell, veteran of four Speechcrafts; District 1’s 2016-2017 Speechcraft Chair Janet Cormier; and Karen Persip, who had chaired a Speechcraft at St Francis Medical Center.
Natalie Torres-Haddad works with two scholars on their Icebreaker
The planners met over the spring and summer to tailor the best possible experience for the 15 scholars for their Fall 2017 semester in the EPB Program. As Chair, Margaret enlisted her mentee Natalie Torres-Haddad as Co-Chair and signed up more than a dozen enthusiastic Toastmasters from seven clubs in District 1 to help.
With 15 scholar-participants, it was clear that not every scholar could give a prepared speech at every one of the 8 Speechcraft sessions. Margaret and Dr. Chukwu carefully worked out a syllabus to maximize the communication training that was possible. At each two-hour session, Speechcraft team members offer educational and demonstration speeches addressing one of the first eight projects in the Competent Communicator manual. Meanwhile, half the scholars give a prepared speech at each meeting while the other half practices Table Topics™. And not just any Table Topics™ — these topics are carefully aligned with the scholars’ curriculum.
The Speechcraft team includes Co-Chairs Margaret Mitchell and Natalie Torres-Haddad, Advisors Karen Persip, Martha Pickett-Patterson, Jessica Allen and Tina Tomiyama, and additional team members Daniel Andrade, Laura Brown, Richard Carbajal, Janet Cormier, Mello Desire, Shron and Alvin Hall, Diane Markham, Lydia Martinez, and Alonzo Williams.
Sponsoring and represented clubs are Compton Elite Communicators, Century City Toastmasters, C.I.T.I.E.S. Club, Ethical Elite, Mission Control, Praisemasters, and StoryMasters.
Did the stars align? How is the relationship coming along?
“I don’t know when I’ve been so impressed!” whispered Karen Persip as we listened to an hour of enthralling Icebreaker speeches. “These students are incredible!”
“Speechcraft really works in a college setting,” said Margaret Mitchell. “It dovetails with a semester or trimester system and provides a fine introduction to the Toastmasters program.”
Will CDU continue to include a Speechcraft in the EPB program in future? “I would love to incorporate Speechcraft into the program every year,” said Dr. Chukwu, smiling warmly, “In fact, the reviews thus far have been so positive, we have already begun to discuss ways of introducing it to the faculty and staff.”
Enjoy these 6 pictures of the first session, and stay tuned for the wrap-up in December.
Advisors Tina Tomiyama, Karen Persip, Martha Pickett-Patterson and Laura Brown.
Scholars discuss Icebreaker topics while Dr Chukwu (standing in doorway) takes pictures
Scholars stand and introduce themselves to the Speechcraft team
Deborah Hill, VP of Public Relations ~ City of Long Beach Toastmasters
On September 7th, City of Long Beach Toastmasters held its charter ceremony at the Long Beach Main Library. In attendance were many of the District One dignitaries including District Director Julie Broady, DTM, Program Quality Director, Evelyn Woodridge, DTM, Immediate Past District Director Jessica Allen, DTM, Division E Director Richard Carbajal, DTM and Area E1 Director Melissa Ruiz, ACB, ALB. The congratulatory address was given by the Mayor of the City of Long Beach, Dr. Robert Garcia.
Rhonda Love had the opportunity to honor Cookie Johnson, wife of NBA legend Magic Johnson at the book signing for Cookie’s new book, “Believing In Magic”. It was that day that Rhonda decided she wanted to brush up and improve on her public speaking skills. In search of a nearby club, Rhonda contacted Toastmasters International and was connected to the then Club Growth Director Evelyn Woolridge. Given the ability to outreach to several local businesses and employees in the area, Evelyn immediately suggested that Rhonda start a club, and suggested she visit the Long Beach Aquarium Club to see how a great club is run.
At the time Rhonda was unaware there was great interest in Toastmaster the area, many who were familiar with Toastmasters but had never attended a meeting before, as well as past, and current Toastmasters members. With the support of the Long Beach Library, a demo meeting was held and many attended. The employees and members of the community came, the club obtained officers, and the City of Long Beach Toastmasters was chartered on June 9, 2017. City of Long Beach Toastmasters has since grown to over 25 members and continues to meet every Thursday at the Long Beach main library from 12 to 1 p.m. As the current President Rhonda Love welcomes everyone to come by and meet the club. Click here to connect with Rhonda and the club.
Shar McBee is an active member of Fox Talkz Toastmasters, mentoring many members including our current president Lisa Olivis. And for good reason: Shar turned her volunteer leadership experience into a successful career as a keynote speaker.
Before her very first keynote at an international convention, Shar practiced each piece of the speech in separate 5 – 7 minute Toastmaster speeches. Her first book, To Lead is to Serve, helped her get speaking engagements, and the speeches helped her sell books. President George W. Bush called the book “profound.”
Currently, Shar is launching a new workshop, “Leadership & Yoga” and, again, she’s practicing the workshop material in small pieces at Toastmasters. Kudos Shar! We are proud to have you as a member of Fox Talkz.
