APRIL 2021 TOASTMASTER TO TOASTMASTER - Vol. I | Issue #10 - Toastmasters District 55
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TOASTMASTER TO TOASTMASTER
APRIL 2021
Vol. I | Issue #10
CHIEF NEWS GUY
In becoming a DTM, I chose two paths; dynamic leadership and engaging humor. Anyone who
knows me might think the latter was a slam dunk. On the contrary, it stretched me and made me
consider leveraging my storytelling skills and turning them into funny, laughable speeches.
Because I’m a little meshugganah (Yiddish for crazy), witty (objective), and have a great sense of
humor (subjective), I can turn any situation into a humorous one.
I believe everyone can be funny. We all know someone who says, “I am not funny; I simply don’t
know how to do it.” We also know these people, the ones who, seriously, are not funny.
However, Toastmasters offers us a way to break out of our comfort zone and practice our humor.
If you don’t believe you’re funny, look in the mirror. I guarantee if you make a funny face and
incorporate that into a speech, you’ve checked the “I’m funny” box. If you don’t believe you’re funny,
try incorporating a self-deprecating line or two into your speech. Nothing draws more laughter than
a speaker making fun of him or herself.
Here is a joke for you. Tell me if you think it’s funny or not. “Why did the monkey fall out of the tree?
Because it was dead.” Okay, maybe this isn’t the funniest joke in the world. Perhaps it didn’t make
you laugh. However, if I told you this joke was told by my daughter when she was three years old, I
bet you’d think it was funny, silly, or even cute. But, it would put a smile on your face.
Many of us wish we could emulate someone who is funny to their core. One of the funniest people I
know is our Laughing Matters and Master Speakers of Austin member, Amy Samet. She is witty,
sarcastic, cynical, and can take the most mundane things and make them gut-busting hilarious. If
you want to see funny in action, make a guest appearance at Laughing Matters (where laughing
really matters)!
Many of us shy away from humorous speeches as if we’re performing at open mic night. If you deliv-
ered your ice-breaker speech, I have every confidence in the world you can be funny. If you’re
interested in gaining some pointers on what you can do to be funny, drop Amy a line. I mean, drop
me a line if you’re so inclined.
Harlan Blumenthal, DL5, EH5
Chief News Guy
newsletter@tmd55.org
DD UPDATE
District Director,
Melody Moore, DTM
It was a dark and stormy night, not just because that’s a great
way to start a story, but also because our electricity had just gone
out in the middle of The Great Texas Winter of 2021. There hadn’t
even been a flicker. The whole house just went from On to Off in
an instant. I lit the candles from the emergency drawer, and the rest
of the family, now stripped of their internet connections, showed up in
the living room.
Nick, my 12-year-old grandson, huddled under a burrito-patterned blanket, whined, “Now
what are we going to do?”
“Know any jokes?” my husband answered. Nick said he did not, but my husband… well, he
comes from a long line of University of Texas alumni, and with that comes a plethora of
Aggie jokes passed down from generation to generation. And so it began.
I know that all you maroon-loving folks are already groaning, but to make matters worse,
Nick did not know what an Aggie is.
As it turns out, even outside of Aggieland, Nick did not know a lot of things that were
important to know to understand our favorite jokes. Our family tends to love the long
meandering tales that lead you to a groaner of a punchline. But Nick had never seen a
commercial for Trix cereal, so he was puzzled by the idea that kicks are for Trids. He had
never seen the original Smokey the Bear ads, so he had no context for my favorite joke
about Hugh, who prevents florist friars. My husband patiently explained every joke and told
several that were more age- and generation-appropriate for Nick.
We were so busy laughing and giggling by candlelight that we were taken by surprise when
the power came back on 3 hours later. As Nick sprinted back to his game console, he loudly
proclaimed, “This was really fun!” And it had been. Humor had provided a distraction from
the storm, and it gave us a great family evening together. Snovid-21 took our electricity, but
it couldn’t steal our laughter.
Laughter relieves stress and brings people together. Making people laugh isn’t something
that comes easy to everyone, but humor is a skill that we can learn, so when I recently
picked out a new path in Pathways, I chose Engaging Humor. You don’t have to become
a stand-up comic to add a new tool to your Public Speaking toolbox, and although I don’t
expect the power to go out again anytime soon, you never know when you might need a
good joke.
Laughter Really is the Best Medicine: Find Your Humor Style I am one of those people who almost never have trouble sitting down to write an article for this news magazine. Yes, I said almost never. Writing about humor was tough this time because looking back over the past year, I haven’t laughed that much, and that is not a normal state of being for me. I can tell you, and some of you know this already, I have a “sick” sense of humor. So, when Bruce Garrett sends me Covid jokes, I laugh out loud. But that was in the privacy of my own home. The best laughs for me are the big belly laughs you have with close friends who really get you. I haven’t gotten to have too many of those lately, but that just means I appreciate them when I do have them. One of the things I did to get this article written was to interview some funny people I know before an Area Contest. (They were all a captive audience, so why not.) Wendii Lord told me about a rabbit joke that Jason Wold told at a contest that she is STILL laughing about (the joke, not the contest). Jim Lowery told me about a speech involving hunt- ing in Montana that Craig Sprout did with such finesse that Jim laughed out loud when the “Boom” went off from the imaginary shotgun. Jim was laughing at himself for being startled by something even though he knew it was coming. Something Doug Kelly shared intrigued me. “I take humor very seriously,” was his response. B & P has a humorist role; some clubs call it the joke master. The jokester’s goal is to add some- thing funny to the meeting. When he is the humorist, Doug said he spends a good deal of time finding the right joke or funny story and practicing his delivery. That idea put me in “teacher mode.” It’s hard to teach what you don’t know, so I googled “finding your humor style, and I took a quiz to find my style. “You have a mostly affiliative sense of humor. Everyone’s sense of humor is a mix of all four styles, but yours leans most heavily toward affiliative, meaning you’re good at cracking jokes and trading banter to build connections with other people.” “Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles Questionnaire,” Journal of Research in Personality” (“Quiz: What’s Your Sense of Humor? -- Science of Us”) When I am teaching, I typically tell people to lead with their strengths. Let’s face it. We could all use more humor right now. Find out your style and develop it. You could take the quiz I took, or you could be bold and choose the Engaging Humor path and take that assessment. Learning Your Style Know Your Sense of Humor. The choice is yours. We could certainly use more jokesters right now.
ANOTHER CLUB VIDEO CONTEST
Your club is invited to participate in a video contest. The purpose of this contest is to recognize your
club’s success by activities or processes that increased club membership and/or club member
interest/retention. The goal is to present ideas in a fun and creative way that other clubs may find
valuable.
Rules:
Videos must be submitted to d55prm@tmd55.org by Midnight on April 25, 2021.
The video must be a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 4 minutes.
You are encouraged to have as many of your club members in the video as possible. Your video
must clearly represent at least one club activity or process. You must have the approval of every
individual appearing in the video.
Late entries will not be accepted. Videos will also be posted by the District 55 Public Relations
Manager on the District 55 Members Private Facebook Group page.
These videos will only be available for members on the District 55 Facebook page. They will not be
available to the general public.
There will be five to seven judges. A judge cannot be a member of a club that has submitted
a video. The District Director, Director of Program Quality Development, Club Growth Director,
Division Directors, and Area Directors will not be eligible to serve as a judge.
Once judging is complete, the winners will be announced on the District 55 Members Private
Facebook Group page.
CONGRATS TO THE MARCH
The first-place winner will receive a prize
CLUB WINNER: AQUA VITAE
valued at $150.
TOASTMASTERS (Prize valued
The second-place winner will receive a prize at $150). 2ND PLACE WINNER:
valued at $75 MEDTRONIC SA TOASTMASTERS
(Prize valued at $75).
Judge’s Criteria
(25) Video Development – Structure, Organization, Support Material
(25) Effectiveness and Value – Achievement of Purpose, Supports club membership and interest
(25) Creativity – Original Ideas, Use of the medium, involvement of multiple club members
(10) Overall physical appearance and body language of the speaker(s)
(10) Overall voice flexibility and volume of speaker(s)
(5) Correctness – Grammar, Pronunciation, Word Selection
How to Tap Into the Science of Creating Humor by Nicole Akers We know laughter is good medicine. Some people are naturally funny; others say it’s a skill. When times are trying, it’s easier if when you can laugh. Laughter can diffuse an otherwise challenging environment. Some of us are born funny. Others have to work harder at it. Make fun of yourself This is a sure-fire way to command an audience. Self-deprecation is the best form of flattery as it points out your shortcomings or quirks, making others laugh. Ex: Remember the time when I… Imitate others Study people for idiosyncrasies. What do you notice that stands out as different? Does the person humorously pronounce a word? Are certain mannerisms, soapboxes, or pet phrases used often? Ex: One of my Grandmothers used to say “Wal-mark” for Wal-Mart and “Oroil” for oil. We still tell loving jokes with her versions of the words as we honor her memory. Revisit current events Current events can be good fodder for humor. Ex: Bernie Sanders mittens, teleconference, or interview misspeaks can offer hours of laughter. Current events can have a short shelf-life, so make a meme of an iconic image for longer-lasting laughs. Use odd pairings Black and white, or red, white, and blue, are expected to go together, but if you substitute something out of the ordinary, you have a chance to make people laugh. Ex: Red, white, and barf, for instance. When the audience expects one thing but receives another, they tend to find the occasion humorous. Poke fun at someone else You can make fun of anyone, especially family. Real-life presents plenty of opportunities for comedy if you’re open to seeing them and using them. Be careful not to offend someone unintentionally. Exaggerate funny Use ordinary experiences and exaggerate them until they become funny. Ex: Pretend you’re on hold for an obscenely long period of time. Imagine what can happen while you wait. Exaggerate the experience and create your own kind of funny. Tell a story Anyone can open a joke book and read. The best laughs come from a combination of authentic and made-up stories. Use a variety of fantasy and real-life events to create a humorous story. Use props Don’t forget the simple effect of a hat, clown nose, or something colorful to enhance humor if you’re delivering a live presentation. Acknowledge failure Not every joke is met with laughter. You know this, as does your audience. Failure happens to all of us on occasion. Sometimes the crowd or the delivery doesn’t tickle the funny bone. Pull the plug on material that doesn’t get the desired response. Acknowledge that it didn’t work and move on. Don’t steal other people’s jokes. Use techniques for a time and practice until you’re authentically funny. Funny is a skill you can create. Give it a try.
INTERVIEW: EVALUATION CONTEST I sat down with West Austin II club Evaluation contest winner, Eddie Montemayor to learn more about what it’s like to be a first-time contestant, how he prepared, and what advice he would give those who evaluate as well as those who might consider entering next year’s contests. Here is an excerpt of the conversation. The full video can be found on our YouTube channel, located here. What was it like, competing in the Area 52 Evaluation Contest? A thrill, another opportunity for me to improve my communication ability...another way for me to be challenged...I had some nerves but did prevail and now represent Area 52 in the upcoming Division I contest. Why did you decide to enter the Evaluation Contest vs. International? I feel like I could improve my evaluation skills. I feel like to give a good 5-7 minute speech it’s good to listen to the speech and provide critical feedback to help the speaker. Let’s start with the secondary contest, see how well I do, and go from there. You evaluated based upon the method, Content, Delivery, and Impact. Why? In [my] Toastmasters Club, West Austin II, we have folks who used that method in the past. I tried that method and one day it all clicked. As far as all the aspects of the speech that ought to be addressed. How do you prepare your evaluation given you only have five minutes? I took my five minutes and...filled out a single page of a notepad. I only allow myself five minutes because taking longer means trying to [cram] too much information together, given you only have 3:30 to provide feedback to the speaker. How do you keep your evaluation within the 3:30 time limit? I think there is where those five minutes of prep time come in handy. If I spend more than five minutes I will lose something and the speaker will not benefit. I also keep an eye on the timer by pinning them to my screen. Did you decide to enter the contest based on professional or personal reasons? A combination of both. I’m an attorney so I appear in court. I think it’s important to self- evaluation your own skills...personally, it has given me the self-confidence...three years ago if you had told me I would prevail in a speech contest I would’ve told you “get outta here. You don’t know what you’re talking about”. At the same time, I’m humbled by those in my club. They challenge me to be better and I appreciate that.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT
MILESTONES
Charter Years Area Club Name
1 04/01/20 1 F 24 Medically Speaking, Corpus Christi
04/01/20 1 I 54 BoostTalk Experian, Austin
04/12/19 2 J 61 Manor, Manor
04/26/19 2 G 31 City of Del Rio, Del Rio
04/17/18 3 I 52 Capital Ridge Orators, Austin
04/27/18 3 I 54 HDR Austin Toastmaster’s, Austin
04/29/18 3 K 73 Life’s A Speech, Austin
04/01/17 4 J 61 UFCU, Austin
04/01/17 4 L 82 At Ease, Georgetown
04/01/16 5 G 32 Medtronic SA, San Antonio
04/06/16 5 J 65 TDLR, Austin
04/01/13 8 L 85 Schwab Talks, Austin
8 04/21/13 8 L 81 Kileen, Killeen
04/26/12 9 K 72 Zandalari Tribe, Austin
04/19/10 11 K 75 Launch Pad, Austin
04/28/09 12 I 55 Wimberley, Wimberley
04/01/97 24 G 31 Fredricksburg, Fredricksburg
04/01/93 28 I 53 TXDOT, Austin
59 04/01/62 59 K 75 Balcones, Austin
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW DTMS
Division Area Date Member Club Name
J 62 01/12/2021 Kelly George TSAE Toastmasters
OTHER IMPORTANT ITEMS OF NOTE
Zoom Updates
Those who are members of the District 55 Facebook Group often see posts related
to the most current version of Zoom for both Windows and Mac. Please take time to
ensure you are running the latest version of the client software. Some Toastmasters
use their company Zoom account and may be limited to a specific version, but most
all corporations and individuals need to be on version 5.x or later. As of this publication,
v5.6x for Mac and v5.6x for Windows are the most current versions. If you have
questions about upgrading please feel free to contact me at newsletter@tmd55.org
Division Contest Officials:
Please note all scripts have been updated to include Virtual directions. Be sure to review
the Virtual Contest Guidelines as your first step to planning your online contest.
Also, per Protocol 9.0, no member who is running for an elected office can officiate at
any contest.
UPDATE: Per Toastmasters International, anyone wishing to officiate at any contest
as a Zoom Master (host, co-host) IS allowable and you will not be disqualified from
contention if running for an elected office position.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT
FIND A DYNAMIC SPEAKER FOR YOUR EVENT
Whether it is a lecture, keynote address, facilitated business meeting, or a presentation, the
District 55 Toastmasters Speakers Bureau can help you find a dynamic speaker for your up-
coming event.
We have speakers who can present on the benefits of
• Toastmasters
• Provide a Keynote presentation on a specific topic
• Session leaders
• Masters of Ceremony
• Breakout session facilitators
• Motivational or inspirational presentationsWHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT
PATHWAYS CLUB CHAMPION AWARD
Congratulations to Dell Master Speakers, Club #5615 for achieving the distinct honor of
Pathways Club Champion Award.WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT
HELP WANTED
Fellow Toastmasters, this is a new and ongoing part of our monthly publication that is ex-
tremely valuable and important in order for us to maintain a high level of process and pro-
cedure within the district. Several positions are open or will become open in the coming
months. Please take a look at the list and contact the individual requesting assistance.
Position Responsibilities Start Date Contact
Webmaster Trainees Work on the TMD55 Immediately - June Current Webmaster:
site to help update 30, 2021, with the Vishal Aslot
content and maintain intent of becoming
website hygiene Web Master July 1,
2021 - June 30, 2022
Toastmaster to Toast- Help manage the Immediately - June Current Chief News
master Monthly Pub- monthly publica- 30, 2021, to appren- Guy:
lication, Chief News tion by collecting tice, with the intent Harlan Blumenthal
Editor Trainee and editing articles, on becoming Chief
working closely with News Guy/Gal July 1,
the Trio, and working 2021 - June 30, 2022
with Adobe InDesign
(could be another
tool) to put the publi-
cation together
Toastmaster to Toast- Create articles each July 1, 2021 - June 30, Current Chief News
master Monthly Pub- month based on the 2022 Guy:
lication Head writer theme, as well as the *Can join now but not Harlan Blumenthal
and contributor opportunity to inter- mandatory*
view and freelance.
Monthly Publication Create articles each July 1, 2021 - June 30, Current Chief News
writer and contributor month based on the 2022 Guy:
theme, as well as the *Can join now but not Harlan Blumenthal
opportunity to inter- mandatory*
view and freelance.
If you would like to post a position please contact me and I will work with the Trio to ensure it
gets posted. The deadline for posting any position is the 25th of each month,CALENDAR SNAPSHOT APRIL 2021 MAY 2021 Thursday, April 1 Saturday, May 1 • D55 Monthly Publication Distribution • D55 Monthly Publication Distribution Saturday, April 10 • 9:30 am DC Meeting • 9:00 am DEC Meeting Tuesday May 11 Tuesday, April 13 • 7:00 pm Speech Writing Made Easy • 7:00 pm TM 101 Effective Evaluations • 8:30 pm Speech Writing Coaching Class • 8:30 pm Evaluation Practice and with Bart Loeser Coaching session with Bart Loeser Tuesday, April 13 • 7:00 pm TM 101 Effective Evaluations DIVISION CONTESTS Friday, May 21 - Sunday May 23 MONDAY, APRIL 12 • DISTRICT 55 CONFERENCE • 6:00 pm Division J SATURDAY, APRIL 17 • 8:30 am Division F • 1:00 pm Division G SATURDAY, APRIL 24 • 8:30 am Division H • 1:00 pm Division L
DISTRICT 55 CONFERENCE NEWS
TOASTMASTER TO TOASTMASTER
DISTRICT 55 MONTHLY PUBLICATION
Public Relations Manager, Rick Collins, DTM
Social Media Strategist, Lilly Smith
Social Media Coordinator, Christine Moore, CC
Webmaster, Vishal Aslot, DTM
Publishing Team:
Harlan Blumenthal, DTM
Nicole Akers, PM1
Contact: newsletter@tmd55.org
2020-2021 TRIO
District Director, Melody Moore, DTM
Program Quality Director, Kathy Moore, DTM
Club Growth Director, Livya Mitchell, DTM
Contact: d55dd@tmd55.org
WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE
Toastmaster to Toastmaster, official publication of District 55
Toastmasters in Austin Texas, USA, is published monthly since July 2020, to promote goals and ideas of District 55
Toastmasters. Responsibility of Toastmaster to Toastmaster is not assumed for the opinions expressed by any of its
authors.You can also read
