January 20, 2011 - Theme: Jeopardy

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

On Thursday's Linguists of Listowel's meeting, we had another very enjoyable meeting. The theme for the night was "Jeopardy". We had 11 members and one guest (Karen Bott) in attendance. Brian Camacho called the meeting to order and gave his thoughts on what the theme of Jeopardy meant to him. I was the chairperson for the evening and opened the meeting by giving the definition of Jeopardy and talked about the game show Jeopardy which I used throughout the meeting.

Keith Stoltz held the role of Toast and Timer where he gave a timely toast to Canada. The Grammarian role was done by Heidi Menzi and she challenged everyone to use the word "Wabash" and it was used 5 times. Wabash means good man or an Indian word meaning did it well.

Our speaker Richard Boertien presented speech number 2 in the Advanced Communication and Leadership Program which was "Resources For Informing". He told a very entertaining speech called "I Call It Home Now". It was about his hometown of Listowel and it was very informative. The speech was evaluated by George Nichol and he gave great feedback. We also had an Educational Module where we learned what goes into creating an outstanding Club climate which was given by Audrey Orth.

Leo Brisebois did a good job as Table Topics Master and had us all ready to play some baseball. He started telling a story of a baseball game and we had to keep the story going to explain how the winning run was scored. The winner was George Nichol. Jane Stoltz was our Quizmaster and she challenged everyone's listening skills with some of the good phrases for the night. Sharon D'Arcey took on the role of general evaluator, where she went over with everyone what we did well and what we could improve on.

A Challenge from the President to the Linguists of Listowel - I will give a prize to the member who brings out the most guests for the month of February during our Open House month.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting.

Brent

Toastmaster Calendar Dates

Thurs Jan 27: Linguists of Listowel, Regular Meeting, Jokingly Speaking

Thurs Feb 3: Linguists of Listowel, Regular Meeting, Ground Hogs

Thurs Feb 10: Linguists of Listowel, Regular Meeting, Queens vs Kings

Sat. Jan 29: Officer Training, Phase 2, in Hanover, Details to Follow

Hanover at the Grace United Church. Starting with registration at 8:30 Presentations for all executive and would be executives until 10:45. 10:45 am to 11am will be a short coffee break and then a great session on Memory... How to Make It Better. This will be followed by a hot lunch (included in the training cost). Then two seperate presentations; one on Judging and one on Evaluations will be conducted. It will be over by 3:30. Cost is $10/person.

Club Contest Dates

Toastmasters of Hanover Monday January 31^st

Linguists of Listowel Thursday February 24^th

Talk Talkers Saturday February 26^th

Mount Forest Motivators Tuesday March 1^st

Area 66 Contest Wednesday March 9^th

Division W Contest Friday March 25th

January 13, 2011 - Theme: Junk Mail in January

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

At Linguists of Listowel, we had a great meeting filled with lots of laughs. The theme of for the night was "Junk Mail in January". We had 13 members in attendance and a guest (Heidi's friend - Elsie Havenga). Audrey Orth called the meeting to order with a very good introduction of the chair for the meeting. Leo Brisebois was our chair for the evening and he opened the meeting by telling us all about the different kinds of junk mail out there.

The joke of the day was done by George Nichol, who gave us a very funny joke that got the laughs started. Marie McCutcheon was our Toast and Timer, who gave a toast to Canada and how we have so many plentiful things even junk mail. The Grammarian role was done by Keith McCluskie. He picked the word "fidget" to challenge everyone to use during the meeting and it was used 11 times. He also counted the number of laughs during the meeting and we had a whopping 114 laughs. Next, George Stevers for his role of Literary Corner read a couple of poems called "Success" and "Life is Earnest".

Our speaker Heidi Menzi gave a speech out of the Storytelling manual. She told an entertaining personal story called "On the Way to School". The speech was evaluated by Keith Stoltz and he gave great feedback. We had an Educational Module where Jane Stoltz told us how to set goals and how to plan to reach those goals

Sharon D'Arcey did a very fun Table Topics with the theme of "Junk Mail in January". She had an envelope in front of us that had junk mail inside and we had to promote the junk mail. George Stevers took the award for his promoting of Toastmasters because he comes to Toastmasters for the free counseling. I took on the role of Quizmaster and challenged everyone's listening skills with some of the good phrases for the night. Richard Boertien took on the role of general evaluator, where he reviewed how the overall meeting went.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting.

Brent

Dates to remember:

January 20th - Jeopardy

January 6, 2011 - Theme: Sports Night

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

Happy New Year everyone! At Linguists of Listowel's first meeting of 2011, we had lots of laughs and a very sporty meeting with our theme of "Sports Night". We had 12 members in attendance and a guest (Richard Boertien's daughter - Deirdre). We had lots of members participating with the theme by dressing up in their favourite jerseys. Keith McCluskie called the meeting to order with a very enthusiastic introduction of the chairperson for the meeting that included his favourite sport which was the Canadian Tobogganing Team. That Montreal Canadians fan, Leo Brisebois was our chair for the evening and he opened the meeting by giving us the history of sport which was very informative.

The joke of the day was done by one of the Toronto Maple Leaf fans at the meeting, who was myself. I gave a joke involving the Montreal Canadians. Also, to show that I was a good sport I gave a joke about the Leafs. Keith McCluskie was our Toast and Timer, who gave a toast to Canada and our ability to play any sport. The Grammarian role was done by Jane Stoltz and she picked the word "cue" to challenge everyone to use during the meeting that was used an incredible 18 times. Next, Heidi Menzi for her role of Literary Corner gave us some history of the Olympics and sports.

Our first speaker was another Toronto Maple Leaf fan, Lucy D'Arcey. She had a very informative speech with great visual aids called "Information". Next Sharon D'Arcey gave a speech on the role of V.P. of Public Relations and all that is involved. Keith Stoltz gave an entertaining and informative speech called "What Kind of Leader are You?". The speeches were evaluated by Rich Boertien, Marie McCutcheon and Audrey Orth where they all gave great feedback to our speakers.

Jane Stoltz did a very fun Table Topics with the theme of "Sports Night". Everyone was partnered up and one person picked a sport out of the envelope and spoke about the positives of that sport. The second person had to debate why that sport wasn't the best sport. Everyone did a good job debating their sport and the winner of table topics was the boxing fan, Audrey Orth. I took on the role of general evaluator, where I reviewed what was good, what we could do better and what we did best.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting.

Brent

Dates to remember:

Jan. 13th - Junk Mail in January

January 20th – Jeopardy

December 2, 2010 - Accepting the Award ACB

On December 2, 2010, Leo Brisebois presented his final speech to achieve his ACB award (Advanced Communicator Bronze).

Club president, Brent Jemmett (Leaf's fan on the left) is shown congratulating Leo Brisebois (Hab's fan on the right) on his achievement and is presenting Leo with his award certificate.

December 16, 2010 Theme: Christmas is a Feeling

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

At our annual Linguists of Listowel's Christmas Potluck dinner/meeting, we enjoyed great food and had lots of laughs with our theme of "Christmas is a Feeling". We had 13 members in attendance and 3 guests. Keith Stoltz called the meeting to order with a great introduction of chair Richard Boertien. Rich opened the meeting by explaining to us how "Christmas is a Feeling" and told us the history of St. Nick.

The joke of the day was done by Keith McCluskie, who had us all laughing. Jane Stoltz was our Toast and Timer, who gave a toast to the spirit and feeling of Christmas in Canada. George Stevers gave the Grace.

After the great meal that we all enjoyed, we had some very special entertainment. Leo and Holly Brisebois showed us their dance moves by demonstrating the Cha Cha. The Grammarian role was done by myself and I picked the word "Yen" to challenge everyone to use. It was used 13 times. Next, Heidi Menzi for the role of Literary Corner shared some personal Christmas stories and memories.

Marie McCutcheon did the Table Topics/Gift Exchange. She had a couple of elves give out all the presents. Then through her instructions, we were passing the gifts back and forth till we finally ended up with a gift in front us. With that gift, we had to explain to everyone who had re-gifted the gift and had brought it to the meeting for the exchange. It was a lot of fun and filled with many laughs.

George Nichol tested all our listening skills with Quizmaster and Audrey Orth shared a very interesting story for the Inspirational Message.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope to see you all at our next meeting on Thursday January 7th.

Brent

Dates to remember:

Jan. 7th - Sports night

December 9, 2010 - Theme: Secrets of Speaking

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

At this past Linguists of Listowel's meeting, we had lots of laughs and a very informative meeting with our theme of "Secrets of Speaking". We had 13 members in attendance. Sharon Diehl called the meeting to order with a great introduction of chair for the meeting that included a quote from Dale Carnegie. Richard Boertien was our chair for the evening and he opened the meeting by giving us all some excellent tips on improving our speaking.

The joke of the day was done by Leo Brisebois, who gave us a very funny joke involving President Obama. Keith Stoltz was our Toast and Timer, who gave a toast to Canada and our opportunities to be able to speak in public. The Grammarian role was done by Keith McCluskie and he picked the very fun word "Humdinger" to challenge everyone to use during the meeting that was used a whopping 15 times. Next, Diane Bender explained her role for Literary Corner and read a story from Albert Cuthery called "Future Tells of Christmas Eve".

When our first speaker wasn't able to make it to the meeting, Wayne Stoltz stepped up and gave a very funny off the cuff speech about his Uncle Willy's adventure of trying make a salami sandwich late one night. Next George Nichol did his first speech out of the Special Occasion Manual where he gave a great wedding toast to his son and daughter in law which included personal stories and excellent humour. George's speech was evaluated by Leo Brisebois, where he gave great feedback.

I did Table Topics with the theme of "Secrets of Speaking", I gave everyone a chance to work on their toasting. Everyone gave an instant toast to whatever they picked out of the envelope. Some were serious toasts and some not so much. Everyone did a good job with it and the winner of table topics was Leo Brisebois. Marie McCutcheon took on the role of general evaluator, where she gave us all some help on how to evaluate a meeting and a speaker. She asked for some our newer members to come to the front and help evaluate the meeting.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting and our Christmas Potluck. Everyone is to bring something for the potluck, their plates and cutlery, a gift for the always fun gift exchange. This year we have decided to bring some food to support our local food bank. You can also bring a guest to our always enjoyable Christmas meeting.

Brent

Dates to remember:

Dec. 16th - Christmas Potluck - Christmas is a Feeling. Bring a guest, plates and cutlery, a gift for the exchange and some food for the food bank.

Jan. 7th - Sports night

December 2, 2010 - Theme: What's Your Best Ideas for Someone Who Has Everything

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

On Thursday night, we had very fun and enjoyable meeting with our theme of "What's Your Best Ideas for Someone Who Has Everything". Keith McCluskie called the meeting to order with an introduction of myself as chair and he told everyone what he would get me for Christmas. I opened the meeting by going over how hard it is to find that gift for some people and I was going to give them some ideas throughout the meeting.

Keith McCluskie was our Toast and Timer, who gave a timely toast to Canada. The Grammarian role was done by Richard Boertien and he picked the word "Expropriate" to challenge everyone to use during the meeting. Next, I presented Leo Brisebois with an award for getting his Advanced Communicator Bronze and he used it to do his Accepting Award speech.

Our first speaker was Diane Bender and she gave us a very informative and entertaining speech called "Where's the Cache". It was about Geocaching. Then Heidi Menzi did her speech out of the Interpretive Reading Manual where she read a poem from Archibald Lampman called "In November". The Speeches were evaluated by the round table format where everyone gave great feedback to our speakers. Leo Brisebois for Point of View spoke about the always increasing price of electricity and Richard Boertien had to Counter the Point.

Lorna Vanderploeg presented a very enjoyable Table Topics where she gave everyone an object that she had in her gift bag and we had to try to sell it to another toastmaster. Everyone did a good job with it and the winner of table topics was Keith McCluskie. Sharon Diehl filled the role as Quizmaster and challenged our listening skills. Keith Stoltz took on the role of general evaluator and he gave a review of a recent Education module that Marie McCutcheon did on Toastmaster etiquette. He went over some of the ways that we can improve our etiquette during the meeting. After the meeting, everyone enjoyed refreshments provided by Heidi Menzi.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting.

Brent

Dates to remember:

Dec. 9th - Secrets of Speaking

Dec. 16th - Christmas Potluck - Christmas is a Feeling

Jan. 7th - Sports night

November 23, 2010 - Theme: A Novel Profession

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

On Thursday night, we had yet another great meeting with our theme of "A Novel Profession". We had excellent attendance with 17 members and even a guest (Paul Stevers who is George's brother). Sharon Diehl called the meeting to order with a very good introduction of Keith McCluskie as chairperson. Keith opened the meeting by going over what his thoughts were on the theme for the meeting. He made the meeting very fun and had great introductions for everyone by describing what he thought their "Novel Profession" would be. He also explained everyone’s roles for our new members and our guest.

For Joke of the Day, I read a joke about Sherlock Holmes and Watson on a camping trip. Lucy D'Arcey was our Toast and Timer, who gave a timely toast to Canada and our freedom to be in any kind of profession. The Grammarian role was done by Keith Stoltz and he always picks a fun word to challenge everyone to use during the meeting. The word was "Bamboozle" which means to deceive or to get the better of someone by trickery or flattery.

Our first speaker was Leo Brisebois and he was completing his final speech for his Advanced Communicator Bronze. His speech was out of the Management Manual and was called "Controversial Issues at Breeze Comforts" then he had a question/answer period. Then Lorna Vanderploeg did her second speech in the CC Manual which was called "An Honourable Profession" where she described her profession as a Municipal Bylaw Officer and Animal Control Officer. The Speeches were evaluated by Diane Bender and Sharon D'Arcey, who gave great feedback to our speakers.

George Nichol did a very enjoyable Table Topics session where he had everyone pick a profession out of an envelope and describe their Novel Profession. Marilyn Miller filled the role as Quizmaster and Audrey Orth was our Laugh Counter and she recorded 94 laughs. Richard Boertien took on the role of general evaluator and he gave a review of how the meeting went and some grow points on how to improve our meeting. For Anything for the Good of Toastmasters, some of the members who attended the Fall Conference described what a great time they had at the conference. After the meeting, everyone enjoyed refreshments provided by Diane Bender.

Happy first year anniversary to Sharon Diehl, Richard Boertien and Sharon D’Arcey!

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting.

Brent

Dates to remember:

Dec. 2nd - Theme - What's Your Best Ideas for Someone Who Has Everything

Dec. 9th - Secrets of Speaking

Dec. 16th - Christmas Potluck - Christmas is a Feeling

November 18, 2010 - Theme: go, Go, GO!

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

On Thursday night, we had a very fun and enthusiastic meeting with our theme of "Enthusiasm, go Go, GO!" There were 11 members in attendance. Keith McCluskie called the meeting to order with a very enthusiastic introduction of myself as chair. I opened the meeting by going over what my first thoughts were when I saw the theme for the meeting and then I went over the history of the word enthusiasm.

For Joke of the Day, Richard Boertien gave us a very funny re-enactment of his visit to the gym. Wayne Stoltz was our Toast and Timer, who gave a timely toast to Canada and kept accurate time for the meeting. The Grammarian role was filled by George Nichol and he challenged everyone to use the word "Rigmarole" which means confused, foolish and an elaborate or complicated procedure. It was used 5 times.

Our first speaker for the evening was Lorna VanderPloeg and she was speaking for her first time with her Icebreaker speech called "All About Me". She did a great job telling us about a scary time in her life. George Stevers presented his 3rd speech from the CC Manual and gave us a very informative speech which was entitled "Genetically Engineered Food". Marilyn Miller delivered her 8th speech from the CC Manual on Getting Comfortable with Visual Aids which was called "Keys". The speeches were evaluated by Richard Boertien, Keith McCluskie and Audrey Orth, who all gave great feedback to our speakers. Jane Stoltz presented an Educational Session giving us some background on the "Meeting Roles and Responsibilities" of a Toastmaster Club.

Keith Stoltz filled the role of Table Topics and had everyone pick a picture out of the envelope. The picture that we picked was an early Christmas gift from Keith and we had to show how enthusiastic we were about getting the gift. The winner of Table Topics was our newest member, Lorna VanderPloeg. Sharon D'Arcey took on the role of General Evaluator for her first time and she gave a review of how the meeting went along with some grow points about how to improve our meeting. One idea that she had was for us to try was to write the word of the night on the chalk board. After the meeting, we enjoyed refreshments provided by Audrey Orth.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting with the theme of "A Novel Profession".

Brent

Dates to remember:

Dec. 2nd - Theme - What's Your Best Ideas for Someone Who Has Everything

Dec. 9th - Secrets of Speaking

Dec. 16th - Christmas Potluck - Christmas is a Feeling

November 11, 2010 - Sixth Speech Milestone

Sharon D'Arcey completed her sixth speech from the Competent Communicator manual and received her certificate of achievement from Brent Jemmett (President of the Linguists of Listowel).

November 11, 2010 - Theme: Remembrance, Take Time to Pause

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

On Thursday night, we had a great meeting with our theme of Remembrance, Take Time to Pause. There were 12 members in attendance and our newest member Lorna VanderPloeg brought a guest, her daughter (Natasha McCoy). I chaired the meeting and I opened the meeting by going over the history of Remembrance Day. I also read the poem "In Flanders Field" and I used many quotes throughout the meeting.

Keith McCluskie was our Toast and Timer, who gave a timely toast to Remembrance Day in Canada and kept us on time throughout the meeting. The Grammarian role was being done for her first time by Lorna VanderPloeg and she challenged everyone to use the word "Obviate" which means to prevent the occurrence, rid of or eliminate. The role of Literary Corner was filled by Lucy D'Arcey who read a very touching Remembrance Day poem.

Our first speaker was Marilyn Miller and she gave her thoughts on Remembrance Day with her speech called "What Would it Cost You!” It was a very informative and touching speech. Richard Boertien gave a very funny speech presentation which was called "Summer Holidays". He relived a childhood memory of having to play jump rope with his sister and next door neighbour. The Speeches were evaluated by Leo Brisebois and George Nichol.

We had another member recently reach a milestone; Sharon D'Arcey received her 6th speech certificate.

Marie McCutcheon was the Table Topics Master. She started a story then we had to continue on with the story. The winner of table topics was Lucy D'Arcey.

Audrey Orth as Quizmaster tested our listening skills with some phrases from the night. Jane Stoltz was the general evaluator and she gave a review of how the meeting went and some grow points on how to improve our meeting. Lucy D'Arcey for the Inspirational Thought had a very good story of a teacher telling her students that they owe a lot to those fought for our freedom. After the meeting, we enjoyed refreshments provided by Sharon D'Arcey.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting.

Brent

Dates to remember:

Nov. 18 - Enthusiasm, go, Go, GO!

Nov. 19-21 District Toastmaster Fall Conference in Niagara Falls

November 4, 2010 Speechcraft Coordinator Achievement

Richard Boertien took on the role and responsibility of Speechcraft Coordinator during the Fall 2010 Speechcraft session.

Left to Right: Richard Boertien (Sergeant at Arms) is presented with a certificate of achievement from Brent Jemmett (President of the Linguists of Listowel).

November 4, 2010 - Gold Pin Accomplishment

Right: Keith Stoltz (District 86 Area Governor) was awarded the gold pin to signify achieving his ACG (Advanced Communicator Gold) status.
Left: Brent Jemmett (President of the Linguists of Listowel) is shown congratulating Keith Stoltz on his accomplishment.

November 4, 2010 - Sixth Speech Milestone

Marilyn Miller had completed her 6th speech from the Competent Communicator manual and was awarded a certificate of accomplishment from Brent Jemmett (President of the Linguists of Listowel).

November 4, 2010 - Speechcraft Graduation Night

November 4th was the Speechcraft graduation evening for Diane and Doug.
The 6 week course was completed with both of them presenting 5 speech presentations each.

Shown left to right; Diane Schalk (Speechcrafter), Richard Boertien (Speechcraft Coordinator) and Doug Culbert (Speechcrafter).

October 4, 2010 - Theme: The Best Is Yet To Come.

Hello Fellow Linguists of Listowel and Friends,

On Thursday night, we had Graduation night for our Speechcrafters (Diane Schalk and Doug Culbert). There were 11 members in attendance and we even had a guest from the Haliburton Toastmaster Club (Jim Lawr). He is working in the area and decided to come out to one of our meetings. Our chairperson for the night was Richard Boertien and he opened the meeting by going over some of the benefits of joining Toastmasters.

Keith McCluskie got the laughs started with a very funny joke of the day. Our Toast and Timer was Sharon D'Arcey who gave a timely toast to Canada. The Grammarian role was filled by Marilyn Miller and she challenged everyone to use the word "Augment" which means to grow or to intensify. It was used 10 times. Our newest member, Lorna Vanderploeg filled the role of Literary Corner. She read a passage from one of her favorite books (Personal Power - "Wisdom from Around the World").

Next our speechcrafters Diane Schalk and Doug Culbert gave their final speeches and did a great job with evaluating of each other. Afterwards, Keith McCluskie discussed Toastmaster membership. Richard Boertien presented our Speechcrafters with their certificates for completing the workshop. I presented Richard with a certificate for all his hard work being the Speechcraft Coordinator. Also, other members were recognized for recent milestones. Marilyn Miller received her 6th speech certificate and Keith Stoltz with his Advanced Communicator Gold pin.

I filled the role of Table Topics and had everyone pick a fortune cookie. They had to tell the fortune, describe it and explain how the best is yet to come. The winner of table topics was our Speechcrafter Diane Schalk. Jane Stoltz, as Quizmaster, tested our listening skills with some phrases from the night. Brian Camacho was the general evaluator and he gave a review of how the meeting went and some grow points on how to improve our meeting. One grow point was that the speakers need to make sure they have prepared introductions and a glow point was the great job of the newsletter that was done by Sharon D'Arcey. After the meeting, we had some very tasty apple crisp and ice cream provided by Jane Stoltz.

Hope to see you all on Thursday for our next meeting with the theme of Remembrance. Don't forget to wear your poppy!

Brent

Dates to remember:

Nov. 11 - Remembrance

Nov. 18 - Enthusiasm, go, Go, GO!

Nov. 19-21 District Toastmaster Fall Conference in Niagara Falls

2010 - 2011 Linguists of Listowel Toastmaster Executives with Area Governor

Back Row (left to right): Keith Stoltz - District 86 Area Governor, Keith McCluskie - V. P. of Membership, George Nichol - Treasurer, Richard Boertien - Sergeant at Arms and Brent Jemmett - President.
Front Row (left to right): Jane Stoltz - V. P. of Education, Sharon D'Arcey - V. P. of Public Relations and Marilyn Miller - Secretary.

2010 - 2011 Linguists of Listowel Toastmaster Executives

Back Row (left to right): Jane Stoltz - V. P. of Education, Keith McCluskie - V. P. of Membership, George Nichol - Treasurer, Richard Boertien - Sergeant at Arms and Brent Jemmett - President.
Front Row (left to right); Sharon D'Arcey - V. P. of Public Relations and Marilyn Miller - Secretary.

October 29, 2010 - Division W Table Topics Contest

Congratulations to Jane Stoltz for placing second in the Division W Table Topics Contest held at the University of Waterloo, Arts Lecture Theatre!
Jane is the V.P. of Education at the Linguists of Listowel Toastmaster's club.

October 28, 2010, Meaning of Halloween

Trick or Treat!
Marilyn Miller was in the Halloween spirit for the evening as she is shown with a wide assortment of her Halloween decorations. Marilyn had lots of Halloween displays, historical information and personal stories to share with the group.
Marilyn was also the Table Topics Master for the evening and invited everyone to share their most memorable Halloween experience or memory of their favourite Halloween costume.