Newsletter

September
2010
Russell’s Ramblings
Crazy for Contests
I am crazy for contests. In fact, I am so crazy
for contests that my first speech was not an
icebreaker, it was a humorous speech contest
speech on the trials of being left-handed. Contests
are a natural for me because I am very competitive
by nature.
So what if you lack a single competitive bone in
your body – are contests for you?
My answer is unequivocally (a good word of the
day for the future) yes. I hope that everyone in our
club will experience the excitement of a contest.
The Chinese character for crisis is itself composed
of the characters for danger and opportunity. That
is exactly my opinion of contests and why I love
them for you and for me.
Contests are a danger. You could fail miserably.
My most abject (another WOD) fail came during
a contest speech. It was the International contest
of March 2009. I had written the most fantastic
speech. It was so fantastic that I tried to memorize
the whole thing. Never do that!
I got about a third of the way through and my
fear swept that beautiful, memorized cascade
of oration clear out of my head. I stood there
blank and mute for a few seconds that seemed
to last forever. When I finally opened my mouth,
I stammered incoherently for a few interminable
seconds more.
I carried on only to find that I was half finished
when the red card appeared. I took a deep
breath, said, “Well, I guess I’m disqualified,” and
continued. It took more than two minutes to finish
Mark Your
Get ready for a busy month!
R
Calendars
September 9th: Open House September 16th: Humorous
that 9 minute, 47 second disaster. By the way, Speech Contest
Theme - New Beginnings.
I gave the same speech two days later in the
Purpose: Opportunity for each member
contest for the other club I belonged to then and Speech Contest: 6:30-7:45pm
won that contest. to bring a friend and expose them to
After Party (at Tom’s) - 8:00pm-9:00pm
Contests are also an opportunity. They give you the Portland Progressives.
a chance to try something new. They are also Meet & Greet - 6pm
a great opportunity to feel some pressure. After Presentations: 6:30-7:45pm
giving a speech in a contest, the nastiest, most After Party (at Tom’s) - 8:00pm-9:00pm
September 30th:
challenging table topics question will seem easy Deadline for Dues
by comparison. Contests give you confidence
once you have endured one. That confidence will
carry over to your other speaking both in the club September 23rd: Table Topics Be sure to get your dues
turned in before this date!
and in the world. Contest
Contests give you a chance to be judged so that If you’re interested in volunteering or
you can see how you are growing as a Toastmaster. Speech Contest: 6:30-7:45pm
participating in one of the contests,
I know of very few Toastmasters who wouldn’t After Party (at Tom’s) - 8:00pm-9:00pm
please contact Mary Reinard ASAP.
like to be better speakers tomorrow than they are
today. Even if you don’t win the contest, you will
be better for trying. Contests carry with them a
considerable fear factor beforehand and a great
sense of satisfaction afterward. Meet Our Newest Member.....
Even being a new Toastmaster is not the barrier Welcome Jeanne Boorn!
some people imagine it to be. No matter how
new you are to Toastmasters, you are on an even
footing with everyone else. I have seen some 1. What made you interested in joining 4. Name one of your guilty pleasures - Devon
three- and four-month Toastmasters winning the Toastmasters? I went to a Natural Medicine Double Cream - “I’m still allergic to cow products”
three contests (club, area, and division) necessary seminar and the speaker suggested that we
to get to the district contest. join toastmasters to increase our confidence at 5. Where is your favorite place to travel? I
speaking engagements. don’t know - I haven’t had a vacation since Bush
The most important reason for speaking in a was in office
contest is that you might like it once you try it. For 2. Why did you pick the Portland Progressive
that reason, and that reason alone, I challenge group over another group? It is close to where 6. What makes you laugh? Twisted humor and
everyone in the club to speak in a contest some I live. Also, the like the kwirky mix of people in the right now the book “Brightsided”
time during the next two years. group.
7. What made you become interested in Health
3. Name two of your pet peeves - The “think and Wellness as a profession? Having worked
positive thoughts” movement and the “be positive” in the arts for years - My own journey to health
movement. brought me into this as a profession and I love it.
 KARAOKE PARTY
On August 27th, the Portland Progressives partied
like rock stars at Chopsticks 2, for their first ever Karaoke Party.
It was certainly a fun evening; so we’ll definitely do it again. For
those of you who missed the event, here were a few highlights:

~Despite never wanting to sing again in public, Jim “Morrison”

Robison sang Riders on the Storm with Heather Zeitzwolfe as
his backup dancer. Not only is he a great public speaker but a
good sport.

~Our guest, Vaughn Zeitzwolfe brought down the house with his
rendition of Ring of Fire. Surprisingly, he was able to invoke the
spirit of Johnny Cash without wearing all black.

~Christine Seed sang Consider Yourself from the musical Oliver.

She managed to get the entire audience to sing along. She
definitely chose a great song to get the crowd going.

~Although his initial choice was Mary Had a Little Lamb, Ben
Brady eventually settled on U2’s Where the Streets Have No
Name. He gave a heartfelt performance that would make Bono
proud.

~Our district governor, Cathey Armillas joined in the fun. She

rapped to Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back, while Heather Zeitzwolfe
shook her booty in the background.

~Girl Power ruled the stage when the dynamic trio of Christine
Seed, Marla Rosenberger and (former Progressive member)
Ellen Ino belted out I am Woman.

~Other performances included solos from Russell Pike and Kevin Karaoke pictures by Vaughn Zeitzwolfe
Seed.
Club Books & Pamphlets
by Ben Brady (Sergeant of Arms)

The club has a small books and
pamphlets collection about various topics
around toastmasters and are stored in
the room that we meet in. If there is a
member of the club that wants to borrow
please let me know. There will be a sheet
that you can place your name, when you
check the item out and what item you
checked out. Here is a list of what is in
the club library.
Red - The Better Speaker Series
Take the Terror out of a Talk
Beginning your speech
Preparation and Practice
Selecting Your Topic
Green – High Performance Leadership

Guidance Committee Handbook

Black - The leadership excellence series
Red – The better speaker series
Green – High performance leadership
Blue – The successful club series Blue – The Successful Club Series

Evaluate to Motivate
Black – The Leadership Excellence Creating the Best Club Climate
series Meeting Roles and Responsibilities
Finding New Members for Your Club
Goal Setting and Planning The Toastmasters Educational Program
Delegate to Empower Moments of truth
Building a Team Roles of members
Motivating People Member Achievement Program
The Visionary Leader
Values and Leadership
Developing a Mission
Characteristics of Effective Leadership
– (Participant)
Characteristics of Effective Leaders –
(Coordinator’s Guide)
Master you meeting