About the Theme This edition of the Aitken Spence Toastmasters Club Newsletter is dedicated to the power that words can have: to inspire, to motivate, to convince, to sell, to market, to educate, to convey, to entertain, to heal and to communicate effectively. At the same time, words have the power to break, to destroy, to humiliate, to hurt. Choose your words wisely at all times because words have to power to create change. Whether that change is a positive or negative is your decision. Choose to make a decision to use words and create value. In this edition, we will look at the achievements of the Club since our last Newsletter and also provide some guidelines on how words can change the way your speech is heard. Advance wishes to all our members for a prosperous and happy Sinhala and Hindu New Year! The Editorial Team Pg 3 Pg 3 Word Bank Word Bank Pg 14 Pg 14 March March NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER Membership Membership Aitken Spence Toastmasters Club Aitken Spence Toastmasters Club Inform Member No. 2321352 Member No. 2321352 2014 2014 Lead Try Motivate Issue #5 Issue #5 Practice E n c o u r a g e Articulate Convince E n u n c i a t e Looking at Language Looking at Language P g 6 P g 6 P g 4 P g 4 C o n f i d e n c e Area's Best Area's Best Communicate Zest Inspire Amuse Pg 9 Pg 9 Zeal Determination Perseverance Observe Learn Success Lucid Oxymoron How Time Flies... How Time Flies... Pg 2 Pg 2 Together We Can... Together We Can... Together We Will! Together We Will! The Notice The Notice Board Board Pg 10 Pg 10 Listen
directness, lack of restraint, straightforwardness, plain-spokenness, plain dealing, plainness, calling
a spade a spade, unreservedness, bluffness, bluntness, outspokenness; informaltelling it like it is
"he spoke with a degree of candour unusual in political life"
Antonyms: guardedness, evasiveness, insincerity
Origin:
Late Middle English (in the Latin sense): from Latin candor ‘whiteness’. The current sense dates
from the mid 18th cent.; the development of the senses paralleled that of candid.
Most Recent Word of the Day
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“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” ― George Orwell
Looking at Language: Looking at Language: The Power of WordsThe Power of Words
Celebrating our most wonderful inventionExtract from Toastmasters International, August 2007
Written by Elizabeth Martin, ACS
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I love words. I always have. Any word – long, short, funny, serious, obscure or cliché – words are the fabric around which we humans weave ourselves.
Without words, I wouldn’t have a job, rap artists wouldn’t have any way to curse, and politicians would be demoted to mimes in the park.
Words are perhaps our most wondrous invention – beyond that of fire, even – for without words, what would we have called the blaze?
Humans love words, even at the beginning of our lives. Anyone who has kids remembers how fascinated they are when they discover words. That first expression of comprehension is priceless – their eyes widen, and you can see the light bulb shining.
After that, it’s a wordfest, as they point to everything moving or nailed down, wanting to know the word for it. I remember when my first daughter discovered the word ‘hippopotamus’ – she was three. We listened to so many variations of that word I was beginning to hate the Discovery Channel.
But soon she found another one – ‘hypochondriac’ – and went off again.
She learned new words daily, and is still making up her own at age 22. Now she has a new baby to find new words with.
How about the grade-school kid who learns a new spelling word and comes home and uses it constantly? I can’t count how many definitions my youngest girl tried to get for ‘tributary’ when she learned it – everything was a tributary of something. It was funny, but as I laughed, I realized she was defining the word by what it wasn’t, implanting it in her brain forever.
I take my words very seriously. When I write – whether it be a speech, a book review, magazine article or novel – I choose each word very carefully, looking for just the right meaning. I have found that synonyms aren’t always interchangeable, and sometimes you really need that $3 word to get your meaning across.
“Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say infinitely when you
mean very; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about
something really infinite.” ― C.S. Lewis
“Toastmasters is all about words – using wordsto convince, amuse, impress and inspire”
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When I talk about my grandfather, I could say he was a cranky man. And that says it, maybe. But if I say he was a cantankerous old grump, there’s a clear picture in your mind of an old man who hated just about everything.
Besides meaning, there are some words that just sound better when you say them out loud. I think that’s what attracted my daughter to “hippopotamus.” It sounds neat to say.
Then there are those words that look good in print, but try as we might we cannot pronounce them. I still have problems with linoleum, chrysanthemum and aluminum. I mangle them no matter how slowly I say the words.
We all have words that cause the tongue to trip and land in a pratfall. These are such common problems that all kinds of
names have been given to them: Spoonerisms (a transposition of sounds – Sea shells she sells on the sea shore) and malaprops (ludicrous misuse of a word – “pineapple of politeness” instead of “pinnacle”) are two examples.
And words have power. If you doubt that, then answer this: Why does name calling among children cause such concern? If “sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” is true, then why are we so concerned about political correctness?
When I talk about my grandfather, I could say he was a cranky man. And that says it, maybe. But if I say he was a cantankerous old grump, there’s a clear picture in your mind of an old man who hated just about everything.
Besides meaning, there are some words that just sound better when you say them out loud. I think that’s what attracted my daughter to “hippopotamus.” It sounds neat to say.
Then there are those words that look good in print, but try as we might we cannot pronounce them. I still have problems with linoleum, chrysanthemum and aluminum. I mangle them no matter how slowly I say the words.
We all have words that cause the tongue to trip and land in a pratfall. These are such common problems that all kinds of names have been given to them: Spoonerisms (a transposition of sounds – Sea shells she sells on the sea shore) and malaprops (ludicrous misuse of a word – “pineapple of politeness” instead of “pinnacle”) are two examples.
That’s why the Word of the Day is so popular – it expands our vocabulary and shares that power with everyone who can learn.
Ask what has been the most far-reaching invention of mankind, and you’ll get a number of answers. I will say it’s the printing press, because this invention made words – power – available to everyone, not just the elite. Words come out of the desire to understand, which leads to reading, which leads to literacy, which leads to questioning.
Toastmasters is all about words – using words to convince, amuse, impress and inspire. So the next time you craft a speech, pay particular attention to the words – the way they sound, what they mean, the connotations they convey. Use the power of words to improve your speech, to make your message more vital and appealing.
About the Author: Elizabeth Martin, ACS, is a member of Fairbanks North Star Borough Club and a professional writer. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska.
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And words have power. If you doubt that, then answer this: Why does name calling among children cause such concern? If “sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” is true, then why are we so concerned about political correctness?
If names were truly powerless to cause harm, then ethnic jokes would not be taboo.
And the power of words can be used for both good and evil. People who know words can twist them, combining them with other words to make things sound good, often without really saying anything. Politicians are very good at this. Manipulators use words to trick people into believing whatever they want them to believe, and this lies at the heart of the influence that cults hold over their members.
What we call something defines that something, which is why names and labels can be so harmful. If too many people define you as worthless, you become that definition, because words have power.
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Area's Best!Aitken Spence Toastmasters Emerge Victorious at Area Level
The club competition for Toastmasters
International Speech and Impromptu
Speech Competition was held this
February. It was encouraging to witness the
participation of several new members,
some for the very first time. TM Dinal
Edirisinghe was crowned champion at both
contests followed by TM Mahen Panagoda
who emerged 1st Runner up.
TM Imtiyaz Marikkar was the Chief Judge at
the competition. The Chief Judge made a
special remark at the closing of the
competition highlighting the quality of the
speakers which made it a very difficult to
select a winner.
TM Dinal Edirisinghe and TM Mahen
Panagoda represented Aitken Spence at
Lyceum International school.
This too was a tough battle. However at
the end Aitken Spence Toastmasters
emerged victories with TM Mahen
Panagoda emerging as the winner and
TM Dinal Edirisinghe being 1st runner
upin both contests.
TM Mahen and TM Dinal are set to take
the stage at the Division C contest which
is scheduled to be held at the Grand
Monarch Hall on the 6th of April 2014.
We wish them the best of luck and
here's hoping TM Mahen and TM
Dinal give other contestants from
Division C a tough battle on the 6th!
“Any word you have to hunt for in a thesaurus is the wrong word. There are
no exceptions to this rule.” ― Stephen King
The Notice BoardThe Notice Board
The Hunt for GoldAitken Spence Toastmaster’s insatiable lust for Gold set
us on a Hunt for Gold at the very beginning of our term.
This time the prize is Golden Gavel PLUS.
As this Toastmastering term draws to a close, the Golden
Gavel is once again in our sight. The plan we had set at
the beginning of our terms has been “so far- so good”. All
members are dedicated towards reaching excellence. We
have conquered goal after goal without compromising on
quality. The quality of our educational program has
undoubtedly grown in leaps and bounds.
As we enter into the last lap of this tenure we are
confident that Aitken Spence Toastmasters will not only
walk away with the Golden Gavel, but also with Golden
Gavel PLUS! This was the star we reached for and this is
what we will achieve!
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The New Year Resolutions Meeting
Aitken Spence Toastmasters ushered in the New Year
2014 in true Sri Lankan “Kevum + Kiribath” style! It was
the first Educational Session for the New Year and
special effort was made to bring in the Spirit of the
season and celebrate the start of a brand New Year. It
was indeed a delicious meeting with plenty of food for
the stomach as well as the mind.
The theme “Resolutions” ran throughout the meeting
kick started by a power packed Round Robin session.
The New Year Resolutions for our club was to achieve
the Golden Gavel PLUS award, Win all levels of TMI
speech awards, win all awards for membership and
increase our overall membership whilst enhancing the
experience of our educational program. Indeed it was a
tall order! Therefore it is with pride we can say that 3
months down the line we have stood strong to those
Resolutions.
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Dawn of a New Era in Dawn of a New Era in ToastmastersToastmasters
History will be made this year as Toastmasters International revitalizes its Educational Program. The below article is an extract from the TMI website and it provides a brief overview of what is to be expected as we step into a new Era of Toastmastering. As the world changes, Toastmasters International is changing with it. That means offering more and better opportunities to grow and learn. Toward that end, the organization has exciting news to share: After much thought, research and analysis, Toastmasters is revitalizing its education program.
The first step of this journey began with the Board of Directors’ 2010 Strategic Plan, a blueprint for the future. The Board called for a
renewed focus on leadership and a modernized communication program. Since then, time has been spent researching and analyzing the existing program by conducting surveys with current and former members. In addition, Board committees focused on identifying the skills, competencies and attributes learned through the education program, and helped to guide a project plan for the updated program.
The program will debut in the 2nd half of 2014. This project, one of the organization’s most significant in recent memory, will have a profound impact on the lives of countless people. The enhanced program will offer:● Tailored learning to help
members meet personal and professional goals
● Communication and leadership skills relevant to real-world experiences in a globally evolving marketplace
● A clearer path for achieving education Awards
Is the foundation of Toastmasters changing? No. The traditional core of our education system will stay firmly in place.
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Achievement and recognition remain at the heart of the process. taking the learning
experience to the next level.
Technology will become a powerful tool. The revitalized program will marshal and
refine online resources to boost self-directed learning.
You will be able to harness technology to improve your speeches and meeting roles.
You will be able to access educational materials through mobile web applications on
your smart phones and tablets. Video will become a key learning tool. Expanded
digital content will be available, along with opportunities to reach around the globe
and learn along with members in other lands. With such far-reaching technologies at
your fingertips, you can expand your horizons on many levels.
Toastmasters International aims to leverage the power of this global organization
like never before. There is still much work to be done to ensure that the revitalized
program meets the goals and objectives of all members and remains true to the
foundation of the organization.
Program developers are working closely with two groups of member volunteers:
Learning Masters and Ambassadors. These members provide feedback and help
communicate the benefits of the enhanced program.
For further information please visit the below site:
“Toastmasters, every time you communicate, you have the power to touch, change the life of someone. The power given to, only us, by the creator. Thanks for being that one wonderful individual. Wishing you another Year of Paradise in communication and leadership.”- DTM Kumaran Pethi
The message of from our District Governor of District 82 for the New Year 2014 is an inspiration to all budding Toastmasters and non-Toastmasters alike. It was aptly titled ”Another Day in Paradise”. In his Message, DTM Kumaran Pethi gives a hearty farewell to 2013 and welcomes us all into the uncertain yet exciting 2014. He invites us to sit back and look at the opportunities and walls in front of us. The opportunities are ours for the taking and walls are meant to be torn down. The question he asks us is simple:
Q. Are you the person who tears away the wall in the lives of people or are you the one waiting for the wall to be torn?
The below answer may also sound simple.. but is it realy?
A. Either way when opportunity knocks, open the door, when the wall tears, you will someone to care for.
The New Year message of D82 reminds us of our true calling in Toastmasters. It is not just about improving our speaking skills and getting over our fear of public speaking. We have been given the opportunity to lead. We have been given the opportunity to touch lives. With the skills we gain from Toastmasters we can make a difference in the lives of those who need a voice.
Below is an extract of DTM Kumaran’s closing remarks. It makes us all feel proud to be Toastmasters.
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“A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.” ― W.H. Auden
