Follow link to our new GPS website!

Visit us now at:

www.guelphpublicspeakers.com

SRTM changes it's name!

We are embarking on an exciting time within our toastmasters club...we are getting a new name! Stone Road Toastmasters Club arrived at its original name due to the first location of club meetings when it chartered. However, as all of our regular members and recent guests know, we no longer meet anywhere near Stone Road now! SRTM has been meeting at the Community Health Centre located in downtown Guelph for some time now and our name was due for an update to keep us current and not to confuse our guests completely.  

The club's members participated in a process that took several months to decide upon a new name for our club, and when it was all said and done, a decision was made. Moving forward, our club has decided to call itself: 

Guelph Public Speakers (or GPS for short) 

The club executive would like to thank all of our members for their participation in the process. Please bear with us in this time of transition and stay tuned for our new website!! 

Michelle Munroe

Club President 2011/2012

Club Testimonials

I had researched Toastmasters online and was able to listen to some Toastmaster Padcosts which I found inspiring. I was drawn here to improve my public speaking skills and look forward to improving critical thinking "on the spot" speech skills.

I came out to TMs because I hard I could improve my speaking skills. I also thought I could increase my skills in facilitating meetings since that is a skills that could help me at work.

I enjoy learning about other people's lives and connecting. This club is incredibly inclusive. I am challenged by others in a good way. This is a great distraction and a positive environment no matter what's going on in my work and pesonal life. This club is an entertaining and humourous environment.

I learn how to evaluate in a positive and helpful way. I learn about leadership as well as public speaking.

I love SRTM because I see memebers get better and better over the months. At SRTM, I have an opportunity to try new things in a safe, supportive environment.

I like that we understand each other. I listen and learn from other people. I like being together, mixing and miggling. Toastmasters helps me to feel more comfortable with everything. It helps people improve their lifestyle. It's very supportive.

SRTM has a friendly environment...a supportive atmosphere. The feedback is proactive. I like SRTM for the professional growth oportunities. I enjoy hearing interesting topics and speeches. I am improving my speaking and leadership skills. I learn a variety of skills like charing a meeting and facilitating. It's at a convenient location and time.

I love SRTM becuase it is a safe environment to overcome a challenge I've faced my whole life. It has made a significant impact in my life both professional and personally. I wouldn't have made this progress without TM as quickly, by far. I love the personal stories. I have learned so much by just being present. Some very surprising things. It has reduced my anxiety tremendously. It is still there, but, my butterflies are not in formation. I love networking with a diverse group of people.

Toastmasters was one of my greatest supports in ealing with health challenges. TMs gives me focus. TMs lets me achieve gold stars. TMs gives me personal growth in a safe place. I am learning about my potential. I enjoy meeting people with similar goals.

What I enjoy about TMs?

• It's a safe place. No judgment. Sharing with strangers is a first. making new friends. Laughing at each other. Friendly and supportive.
• Friendhip. Improving my communication. Meeting new people. Coaching Toastmasters. Going to contests. Going to conferences. Improving myself.
• Brian our area governor wrote: Supportive atmosphere where you can safely learn. Great people! Excellent speeches on interesting topics. Becoming a better speaker. Becoming a better leader. Getting outside your comfort zone. Becoming a more rounded person.
• Professional growth. Challenges. Perspective of others. Networking and social. Education.

Friendship, education, personal growth, security (we can fail safely), humour, structure and organizational skills

• personal development, learning from members, safe place to fail, face fears, friendly surroundings, opportunities to develop leadership and communication skills
• opportunity to speak, opportunity to listen to structured speeches and evaluations, networking, friendship opportunities, overcoming fear of speaking, improving speaking fluency

Area 62 Contest

Thursday March 22nd

New Life Church
400 Victoria Road North
Guelph

Contest starts 7pm

All are welcome!

SRTM Club Contest

Congratulations to all of our contestants, and especially to Alan Cook, winner of both the speech and the evaluation contest!

CLUB CONTEST - February 27th, 2012

Tomorrow evening Stone Road Toastmasters is holding a Club Contest with details as follows:

Event: International Speech and Evaluation Club Contest

Date: Monday, February 27/12

Time: 7 p.m. (sharp) - 9 p.m.

Location: Guelph Community Health Centre

**Please note: Our room location has changed for the evening. We will be hosting our contest in the Children's Room on the main level (not the usual Basement Meeting Room).

Cost: Free

Who can attend: SRTM members and any interested guests are welcome.

(for guests new to Toastmasters, this is a special event and not how our typical meetings are run)

This is one of two contest opportunities Toastmasters provides our members that can take them beyond the club level. Winners of this contest move to the Guelph Area Contest to be held on March 22/12 (details to follow). It should prove to be an enjoyable and inspiring evening for all!

Michelle Munroe

SRTM Club President 2011-2012

November Member Inductions

Area 62 Contest

Humorous Speech Contest:

1st Blake Kurisko

Stone Road Toastmasters

2nd Steve Noonan

Royal City Toastmasters

3rd Isabel Bellamy

Co-Operators Club

Table Topics Contest:

1st Walter Ritchi

Agvantage

2nd Kristy Erickson

Town and Gown

3rd Mark Gemmill

Royal City Toastmasters

Humorous Speech & Table Topics Club Contest

Humorous Speech

1. Blake Kurisko

2. Linda Neff

3. Michael Brenchley

Table Topics

1. Marion Ridel

2. Adnan Cheema

3. Linda Neff

Congratulations everyone!

SRTM Member Profile

From my experiences with Toastmasters over the last three years, I have found it exciting to watch fellow members progress through the program. In becoming a Toastmaster, each member has the unique opportunity to practice and obtain feedback with skills that are challenging for most people - leadership and communication. I have noticed a definite change in my confidence, assertion, and ability to build relationships on both a professional and personal level since becoming a member . Each member of our club has a similar story. This post will highlight how one of our members is putting her leadership and communication skills to work in our community.

Wendy McDonnell has been a valued member of our club for just over two years. In this time, she has also been working steadily on a unique project - developing a weekly radio show - Family Matters - for our local community and campus radio station CFRU 93.3 FM. The show airs live every Sunday morning from 8 to 9 Eastern. This show explores the joys and challenges of family life through interviews with a variety of guests. Wendy says she took up this challenge because people continuously recommended that she record her voice because they liked hearing the sound of it. She also manages a personal coaching practice, Compassionate Solutions (www.compassionatesolutions.ca), where she was already engaged in the work of helping families overcome relationship and communication challenges.

Developing her radio show took a year of planning and another year of training. Wendy acknowledges Toastmasters' role in helping her be successful with this project. Specifically, Toastmasters is helping her develop her impromptu speaking skills, preparing topics for the show, and organizing herself when speaking. Interestingly, the most challenging aspect of community radio is not the talking. It is the multi-tasking! Wendy is both the host as well as managing all the technical aspects of live radio and editing - quite the challenge indeed! We would like to thank Wendy for allowing us to share her story with you. It is an inspiring story of where our voices can take us.

Michelle Munroe, VP Public Relations

Club Speechathon

On May 9^th, 2011, we held our first Club ‘Speechathon’. It was a great success. This night we had four prepared speeches, compared to the usual two or three. They ranged from an beginner’s speech by Kathryn Ssedoga, which featured some stand-up comedy and a moving poem, to an Advanced Communicator’s ‘dramatic speech’ by Alan Cook, C.C., about some of his adventures in India. New member, Kerri, gave a well-structured speech on the joys of mountain-biking, and Blake Kurisko, focusing on body-language, gave a lawyer’s interpretation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, who, far from living happily ever after, it seems, were suing the heroine for $1.5m in damages!

Our Toastmaster for the evening, Isabel Hershaw, D.T.M., led us smoothly through this unusual meeting, which also featured voting for the best speaker (Blake) and the best evaluator (Michelle). Further novelty came in that we had two rounds of Table Topics, led by Terri Millar C.C. on the theme of ‘Your Super-Self.’ This got four of our six guests speaking for the first time at the club, one of whom jointly won a prize for her efforts.

Finally, this meeting saw the culmination of our membership drive. Rebecca Anstett, A.C.G., A.L.B., was by far the most hospitable of our members! All the guests and those who had brought them, qualified for the prize draw of a season’s free membership. This was won by Ricaldo Ward, who was with us as a guest for the second time. Congratulations to him, and to all those who took part in making this meeting such a success.

Alan Cook, C.C.

Spring Membership Drive and Speech-a-Thon

There was an announcement made at a recent club meeting about two events planned for our members and guests this spring. The first announcement is that there will be a special event run on May 9th, 2011. The club will be hosting it's first ever Speech-a-Thon! Instead of our usual meeting, as many members as possible are challenged to write and deliver a speech. More details are to follow, but expect a fun-filled night listening to well-crafted stories and information, enthusiasm, and helpful speech evaluations in the Toastmasters spirit of positive self-growth.

The second of these announcements is that a membership campaign is now in progress and will run until May 9, 2011. Campaign organizers Shawn Weldon, VP Education, and Wendy McDonnell, club member, have put forth a challenge to both members and guests and here is how it will work:

• If a SRTM member brings a guest, they receive two points, and their guest, one point.
• If that guest joins before the end of the campaign, they both get another point.
• At our Speech-a-Thon, all points will be converted into tickets and there will be a draw for a free six-month membership to Stone Road Toastmasters!! Guests will need to be in attendance to win, members will not.

Over the next month make an extra effort to talk up Toastmasters by encouraging friends, family, neighbours, co-workers...any one you can think of to visit our meetings - the challenge is on!

Michelle Munroe, VP Public Relations

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

In the spirit of the holiday season, our club hosted a special meeting this week which celebrated the end of our club's 7th year. The evening was kindly chaired and organized by Wendy and we thank her for her efforts. The night included a fun-filled gift exchange (involving picking a surprise "Whammy"...a.k.a. the dreaded gift can of tuna which changed hands four times before finding its home), holiday carols with live guitar and violin, and great snacks at our break. We would like to thank Blake for his company's sponsoring of the night (Miller Thompson LLP).

It has been an exciting year for our club - we welcomed in a new executive and many new members, the easy-speak system was introduced to better organize our meetings, and our members continued to grow in their speaking and leadership skills and also, most importantly, in wonderful friendships!

The Stone Road Toastmasters executive wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season. Our next meeting is scheduled for January 10th, 2011. See you in the New Year!

ALTRUISM AT TOASTMASTERS

‘Altruism’: that was our word of the week on November 8th, 2010. It means ‘giving yourself up for the benefit of others’. On that day, I was able to use the word after a shy visitor to the club had received the ‘Table Topics’ award. In my comments as the ‘toastmaster’ or chairman of the meeting, I said that this young lady had given us an example of altruism in action. By risking herself, by reluctantly standing up and giving a one minute speech, covered in blushes and confusion, she had given herself up for the benefit of the club. Isn’t that what we do when we gather together on Monday nights? We offer ourselves, our strengths and our weaknesses, not only that we might improve our skills, but so that others might learn, grow, and find the courage to face a new challenge in their lives.

Alan Cook C.C.

AREA 62 CONTEST

On Friday, October 15th, 2010 the Area 62 Contest was held at 10 Carden Street in downtown Guelph. The venue was intimate and the evening’s energy was palpable. Five contestants representing most of the six Guelph Toastmasters clubs were vying for the opportunity to advance to the next level of competition, the Division W Contest. City of Guelph Mayor, Karen Farbridge, was the guest dignitary providing opening remarks to kick off the event. Stone Road Toastmasters very own Linda Neff represented our club in both the Humourous Speech and Table Topics contests. She gave two wonderful performances, making both her club and her children in the audience very proud! The contest winners were: Glen Oxford (Humourous Speech) and Neil Lachapelle (Table Topics).

The night was a success and the efforts from our VP Education and Area Contest Organizer, Shawn Weldon, are commended. He secured many sponsors (NV Lounge, Miller-Thomson Barristers & Solicitors, Williams Coffee Pub, Starbucks Coffee, Atmosphere Café, Borealis Grille & Bar, and Purba Vision), which made for great food and many door prizes!

The Division W Contest will be held on Friday, October 29th, 2010 at the University of Waterloo. Contest begins at 7:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm. Cost is $5.00. Details to follow shortly.

CLUB CONTEST WINNERS

On October 4th, the Stone Road Toastmasters Club held it's annual Humourous Speech and Tabletopics Contest. The night was certainly a success and we would like to thank our organizing committee - Alan Cook, Wendy McDonnell and Michelle Munroe, as well as all of the members who volunteered for the various contest roles. Our members and guests had the pleasure of listening to four talented contestants - Marion Reidel, Blake Kurisko, Linda Neff, and Kelly Kirkland. They were competing for the opportunity to advance onto the next level of competition, the Area Contest. All contestants are congratulated for their participation - you made us proud!! We are pleased to announce the night's winners: Marion Reidel (Table Topics) and Linda Neff (Humourous Speech). Our club wishes you both the best of luck. Shown left: Linda Neff, right: Alan Cook and Marion Reidel.

The Area Contest is taking place on Friday, October 15th, 2010 in downtown Guelph at 10 Carden Street. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the event starts at 7:00pm sharp. Our club is hosting this event, and we encourage all members to come out to support our organizers and competing members.

FALL SPEECH CONTEST DETAILS

Stone Road Toastmasters will being hosting the annual Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest on Monday, October 4th, 2010 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at our usual meeting location. Volunteers are still needed to help with various roles and members of all experience levels are welcome to join in the fun as a contestant. Contest winners at the club level will then move on to the Area Contest taking place on Friday, October 15th (details to follow closer to the date). Here is the address to the Club Contest Rule book for both contestants and contest volunteers.

http://www.toastmasters.org/rulebook

Note for our regular members, don't forget that our membership renewals are due by September 30th. Help keep our club in good standing and our membership strong!

WORD ON THE STREET

Word On The Street is a festival celebrating literacy and the spoken word. It is a family friendly event held at Victoria Park, in Kitchener, on Sunday, Sept. 26 from 11am to 5pm. For details Google "Word On The Street, Kitchener" and the website lists the event specifics.

CONGRATULATIONS MICHELLE!

Our very own Vice President of Public Relations is getting married this weekend. The Stoneroad Toastmasters offer up best wishes to Michelle Munroe who will be anxiety free and ready to stand up and speak her mind. Our thoughts are with you Michelle!

Congratulations from your Toasty Pals.

PANIC AND ANXIETY

Stoneroad Toastmaster Michelle Munroe offered a three part educational session on Panic and Anxiety. The fear of Public Speaking is at the top of the list of things that cause anxiety. Michelle explained that the three components of anxiety are:
1. Anxious Thoughts; beliefs or assumptions, predictions and interpretations that we make about a situation. "If I stand up and speak I will be laughed at."
2. Physical Body Sensations: A racing heart rate, shortness of breath, sweat, blurred visions are all symptoms of being anxious.
3. Anxious Behaviours: Strategies that people use to avoid stressful situations. Avoidance, distraction, rationalization and so forth.
Anxiety is simply a fear of what will happen. The brain triggers physical symptoms, therefore the brain can be used to overcome the problem.