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Toastmasters Intl

Magpie Toastmasters

District 72 (New Zealand), Club 7030

What is Toastmasters International?

Toastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to making effective oral communication a worldwide reality.
Through its member clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking - vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership potential, foster human understanding, and contribute the betterment of mankind.
It is basic to this mission that Toastmasters International continually expand its worldwide network of clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity to benefit from its programs.

What is Magpie?

Magpie Toastmasters in Hastings, New Zealand, is club #7030 in Toastmasters International, and has been encouraging people in this way for over nine years. Central to Toastmasters International is the Communication and Leadership program, a workbook of ten speeches which, if completed successfully, leads members to the first Toastmasters International qualification, that of Competent Toastmaster, and it towards this that most of our members are working. We meet from 5:30pm to 7pm on alternate Tuesdays, during which time we can expect two or three speeches from the Communication and Leadership manual, as well as a "Table Topics" session, in which members give short impromptu speeches on a theme chosen by a member. Refreshments are served before the meeting (and sometimes afterwards too!)

One of the most important things is that all speeches should be the original work of the speaker, though of course the speaker may draw on other resources, and it is to this end that I, as President of the Magpie Club, have put together a collection of links to material which I have used in my speeches. Some of them will be useful to you, some of them will not: it is a personal collection of links to web pages related to interests which I turned into speeches, for good or ill.

  1. The Ice Breaker
    This is the first speech given by any Toastmaster, to introduce them to the club and start speaking in front of an audience.
  2. Be In Earnest
    Just before this speech, I received a copy of the Toastmaster magazine which said we shouldn't shy away from controversial subjects, so I spoke in favour of the legalisation of marijuana.
  3. Organize Your Speech
    You'll find elsewhere about my interest in Mersenne Primes, an esoteric subject to be sure, but one I could get excited about, even if it was completely bizarre to most of the audience.
  4. Show What You Mean
    I told a story about a visit to the zoo with my son. I like to bring personal stories into my speeches - doesn't everybody?
  5. Vocal Variety
    What could be better for a vocal variety speech than a decription of people who go running and shouting, with drinking and shouting afterwards? It gave me a chance to tell another personal story, too.
  6. Work With Words
    Some people call me pedantic, though I do know at least three people more pedantic than I! I lament the impending loss of the adverb, and wanted my fellow Toastmasters to know about it too.
  7. Apply Your Skills
    As long expected, I spoke more about my time in Vanuatu. This time I touched on the special place that mats have in Melanesian custom, and aksed the audience whether there was anything in our culture that held an equivalent value.
  8. Make It Persuasive
    At a Speechcraft course hosted by Twin Cities, I was asked to present a talk on gestures. I studied carefully what I should talk about, and I think most of the people present gained an insight into the use of gestures in public speaking.
  9. Speak With Knowledge
    I decided that I would talk about the Dogon people of West Africa, reputed to have traditions connected with the star Sirius. Is it fact or fiction? I invite my audience to consider the evidence.
  10. Inspire Your Audience
    Apart from the major changes it would mean to me, a move to Auckland meant that I would not be able to continue with Magpie Club. This final speech was a call to inspire Magpie members to increase their commitment to the club, to be enthusiastic about inviting new members, and to support the forthcoming Speechcraft course
For further information about Magpie Toastmasters, or about any of the other clubs in Hawkes Bay, please mail me or the address associated with that club.
The following clubs meet in Hawkes Bay
As not all these clubs meet every week, please mail for details.

New Zealand (District 72) Pages

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by Ian.

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