November 2009

The Torch
Best of the autumn season to you, fellow Toastmasters. I
trust that Halloween has brought its fair share of candy
apples and other sweet treats, and maybe even a few tricks.
Now with the season of costumes behind us, we can look
forward to the great feasts of Thanksgiving and Christmas
time where we must battle to remain within our own
waistbands.

This newsletter is the second edition of 2009 and is still

experiencing a few growing pains yet is coming along nicely.
Inside, find articles about the recent division contest and
Toasmasters 85th birthday, pictures from the Bedstone
Toastmasters year end BBQ courtesy of Karl Schlenkrich, a
glossary of interesting words and their definitions, a message
from our club President and more…

If you are wondering what to do with your newsletter once

you are done with it, just remember to “pass the torch.”
Leave it at the bus stop or at the coffee shop, give it to a
friend, or post it on a bulletin board, and get the word about
our club out there!! df

Bedstone Olympic Toastmasters meet each Wednesday September

through June at 730pm.

Club Meetings are at Huntington Hills Community Center

Top floor meeting room

520 – 78th avenue NW

Calgary, Alberta Canada

President’s Message We are only

three months into the
toastmaster year and have
started off with a bang. We have
had lots of guest and some new
members. New members are
vital to keeping our club vibrant.

New members challenge the

more experienced members by providing opportunities for
mentoring and improved evaluations. New members may have
lots of questions about our club and our practices. Some of
the resources you can use are:

1) Mentors. Your mentor is a great resource. You can also ask

any other member of the club. We would be happy to provide
you with assistance on your speeches or guidance about any
role.

2) Roles of the Meeting:

http://www.bedstoneolympics.com/files/ClubRoles.pdf

3) Evaluation Methods
http://www.bedstoneolympics.com/files/EvaluationMethods.pdf

4) Business Meeting procedures. To assist in running effective

meetings, the book ‘Robert’s Rules of Order’ is a valuable
resource. Also check out these links online;
Motions:
http://www.bedstoneolympics.com/files/HandlingaMainMotion.pdf
Rules: http://www.bedstoneolympics.com/files/TypesofMotions.pdf

5) Table Topics: http://www.athenians.co.uk/content/table-topics-

tips-athenians-education-workshop-26-august-2008 or
http://www.londoncorinthians.co.uk/appiesboard/viewtopic.php?t=11

These suggestions are just some of the resources available,

but I found I learned the most by observation. Regular
attendance helps solidify what you have learned and will give
you a chance to put what you learned into practice.

Club President, Bonnie Sham

Division C Contest Results

Contest Date: October 23, 2009
Location: Cedarbrae Community Centre
Table Topics Toastmaster: Doris Henn –
Area-03 Governor
Humorous Speech Toastmaster: Iris Talbot –
Area-05 Governor

Table Topics Winners:

• 1st Place: Russ Dantu from Wit Pleasure, Area-05
• 2nd Place: Esperanza Montalvo from Miracles, Area-50
• 3rd Place: Gayle Johnson from Vibrant Speakers, Area-49
Humorous Speech Winners:
• 1st Place: David Haines from Wit Pleasure, Area-05
• 2nd Place: Ian Wollbaum from Vibrant Speakers, Area-49
• 3rd Place: Gordon Bristow from Fifth Avenue Place, Area-03

If you are interested,

you can see more
pictures and read about
the contest at the
following link:

http://calgarytoastmaste
rs.wordpress.com/2009/
Sandra Grills receives a Rookie of the Year Award
from 2008 Bedstone Olympic Toastmasters

Karl Schlenkrich and

Bac Quan

Member Joan Wery and her

husband receive recognition
for hosting the lovely BBQ.
 Charles Mohammed working
the BBQ

Some friends enjoying conversation and

good food. From left, Bac Quan, Joan
Miller, Wendy Mewhort, and Liliana
Arias.
As the
VP of
public relations, I get all kinds of goodies in my email inbox.
This press release is from Suzanne Frey 949 858 8255
sfrey@toastmasters.org. Suzanne is the editor of Toastmaster
magazine

Toastmasters International turns 85

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, CALIF., Oct. 22, 2009 – Eighty-five

years ago today, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley held the first official
Toastmasters meeting in the basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana, Calif.
Not even Dr. Smedley could have envisioned the history he was
making on that day. The organization that started as a small group of
people dedicated to teaching after-dinner speeches to young men has
evolved into a worldwide leader in communication and leadership
development. Since that first meeting in 1924, more than 4 million
people have benefited from the Toastmasters experience.

“Toastmasters’ long-term success and growth is a tribute to Dr.

Smedley’s vision,” says Toastmasters International President Gary A.
Schmidt. “He understood that communication isn’t optional and
leadership isn’t always innate, but both can be learned through doing.”
Today, Toastmasters’ 250,000-plus active members participate in over
12,500 clubs spanning 106 countries. From Dubai to New Zealand,
Saskatchewan to Connecticut, each day thousands of Toastmasters
participate in meetings to learn and practice valuable communication
and leadership skills in a supportive environment.

Michael Avedissian of Reading, Pennsylvania, is one of the

organization’s longest-term members. He moved from Germany to the
United States in 1954 and joined Toastmasters the following year. He
credits the Reading Toastmasters Club with saving his engineering
career and his new life in America by helping him learn and practice
English. “Toastmasters gave me the ability to deliver the reports and
presentations that were required for my career.”

Many organizations stall or even crumble during difficult economic

times. Toastmasters has withstood the test of time and has even
grown 5% annually since 2005 because it offers practical skills that are
critical for success in today’s competitive environment.

Ann Maxfield of Austin, Minn., recently was able to begin a new career
as an e-learning coordinator at Hormel Foods. With her Toastmasters
training, she aced the interviews. “People in management know about
Toastmasters and look to it as valuable training for the skills and
experiences they require in employees,” she says.

The Toastmasters program also helps political and business leaders

prepare for the demands of their positions. Hawaii Governor Linda
Lingle is one of many with political aspirations who found help in
 Toastmasters. “It is the best and least expensive personal
improvement class you can go to,” says Lingle.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL!!!

Credit must go to the Toastmasters International website for

the following excerpt about some of the things your club
dues get for you.

The Many Benefits of Paid Membership

• Educational Development. All new members receive the Competent

Communication and Leadership manuals. The backbone of the
Toastmasters program, these practical manuals have brought many
nervous speakers into their own as confident, competent speakers and
leaders. Plus, members receive three guidebooks: Your Speaking Voice,
Gestures: Your Body Speaks and Effective Evaluation. These booklets
guide speakers in developing the skills they need to communicate
gracefully and feel at home in their Toastmasters meetings.
•
• Leadership Experience. For those who wish to pursue leadership training,
opportunities abound at the club level and beyond. Leadership positions
offer members great training at the area, division and district levels...and
even higher. In Toastmasters, options are often limited to your dreams and
your willingness to work hard in pursuit of them.
•
• Support the Club. It’s always a good feeling to know that you’re supporting
your club. After all, these are the people who supported you when you first
stood at the lectern with your knees knocking. By keeping up your dues,
you’re helping your club to maintain its status (or work toward the goal) of
being a Distinguished Club. It’s important to note that Distinguished Clubs
offer the best possible learning environments for their members. Trisha
Bridenstine, president of Rancho Speech Masters in Rancho Santa
Margarita, California, agrees. “Working toward being a Distinguished Club
not only stimulates personal growth and pride but bonds the club by
providing a common goal,” she says. “This distinction is also a magnet for
new membership, inspiring the club with new ideas, experiences and
creative opportunity.”
•
• The Toastmaster Magazine. Toastmasters around the world look forward,
each month, to the arrival of the Toastmaster magazine. Speaking tips,
techniques, stories and a sense of community...they all come together in
its pages. Included in your membership is a subscription to this helpful and
informative magazine.
•
• Member Pricing on Toastmasters Products. Diana Ewing, president of
UniMasters club in Lake Forest, California, enjoys the discounts at
Toastmasters.org/shop. “The TI store is an added benefit for both
individuals and clubs because it offers members access to – and preferred
pricing for – a host of wonderful educational and training materials,” notes
Ewing. “Also available are ribbons, pins, certificates and many other items
that we use to recognize member achievements and encourage people to
strive for even greater success.”

Expand your vocabulary and enjoy these

interesting words and their definitions!!

abecedarian
(ey'-bee-see-dair'-ee-un) adj. 1a: of or
relating to the alphabet. b: alphabetically
arranged. 2: rudimentary.
brobdignagian
(brob-dig-nag'-ee-un) adj. (often
capitalized) of colossal proportions or
extraordinary height; gigantic. n. a giant.
[From Brobdignag, a country of giants, in the book Gulliver's Travels.]
jitney
(jit'-nee) n. 1: a nickel. 2: a bus, especially one that carries passengers over
a regular route according to a flexible schedule [second meaning from the
5¢ fare of such a bus, originally.]
oscitate
(oss'-it-tate) v. to yawn or gape from drowsiness. [from Latin oscitare "to
open (like a mouth.)"]
paronomasia
(pair-on-oh-maiz'-ee-uh) n. the use of a word in different senses or the use
of words similar in sound to achieve a specific effect, as humor or a dual
meaning; pun. [from Latin from Greek paronomazein "to call with a slight
change of name," from para- "closely resembling" + onoma "name."]
turophile
(toor'-oh-file, tyoor'-oh-file) n. a connoisseur of cheese; a cheese fancier.
[from Greek tyros "cheese" + philos "loving."]
tyro
(tie'-roh) n. a beginner in learning, a novice. [from Latin tiro "young
soldier, tyro".]

New members at Bedstone Olympic Toastmasters as of November

2009

Scott Su Mickey Horvath

Hongfei Hu Bac Quan
Darcey Ansell Judy Olson

Welcome to the club. Congratulations and good luck with

your endeavors in Toastmasters!!