A Fond Farewell to 5 Members

It is always hard to say goodbye to members, especially ones that have touched our hearts so many times and who have worked hard for our club.

Sergey is going out of country for at least 6 months for work. He hopes to come back when he returns to Calgary. Lee, Laurie and Carole have other commitments and are unable to continue. Marc has a new job on the south side and will join a Toastmasters club closer to his new place of business.

Laurie's humorous stories have entertained members since 2008. She has been encouraging and quietly supportive to many members.

Carole is a charter member of CTI - a title she will keep no matter where her journey takes her. She has been an energizer in CTI having served as club officer, as an Area Governor and competed in speech contests. Carole has entertained us many times with stories about her travels and her many interests, including volunteer work with Grandmothers to Grandmothers.

Marc, a member since 2004, has served as club officer in several positions, has competed in speech contests, presented educational sessions, mentored a number of new members and delighted us with his inspiring stories. His smile, enthusiasm and encouragement to CTI members has filled us with energy and helped many of us to achieve our goals.

To all of you - we will miss you. We wish you all the best in your life journeys.

Val Rocks!

Our Val came second in the Division J International Speech contest last night. She delivered her speech with energy, passion and humour and had the audience right there in Thailand with her. Afterwards, audience members could be heard saying "Delete". Congratulations Val!

Bob Gibennus of Westhills was awarded the Division J President of the Year for his outstanding achievements as Club President in 2009-2010.

The results of the Division J contests are:

International Speech
1. Chuck Rose -
2. Val Erickson - CTI Techtalkers
3. Karen Matthews - To the Point

Evaluation
1. Chuck Rose -
2. Marty Avery -
3. Trudy Ko - Speakmasters

President Regan's address to the nation after the Challenger tragedy

"They slipped the surly bonds of earth, to touch the face of God." Very moving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEjXjfxoNXM

To Kill a Mockingbird - Atticus Finch's speech to the jury

A famous speech from the classic movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8TgqenWW0I

Tip of the Week

Picture this. You have done a great job of telling the setup part of your joke or humorous story. You have the audience in your hands; they are listening intently. Then as you finish the set up part, you blurt out the punch line without taking a breath, and move on to the next part of your speech. You wonder why there was so little laughter.

Tip: don't rush the punch line! Common mistakes are: saying the punch line really fast, saying it in such a low voice that no one can hear it or stepping on the laughter by moving too quickly to the next sentence in your speech.

Next time try this. Just before the punch line, pause. Let the audience anticipate. Then deliver the punch line clearly, emphasizing the most important words. When the audience laughs, don't step on it. Wait until the crest of the laughter begins to flatten before going on to the next sentence of your speech. Or if you are the humorist, enjoy the laughter and wait until it begins to wane before sitting down. Challenge yourself to take on the role of humorist at the next meeting. Have fun!

Area J41 Contest Results

CTI rocks! Rosario, Area J41 Governor, organized a very well-run contest and Linda did an outstanding job as Evaluation Contest Toastmaster for her very first time. Other CTI members volunteering were Mary Jane (timer), Helen and Darlene (ballot counters), Chris D.H.(judge). Frank, Geetha, Lynne, Jean-Francois and his wife were all enthusiastic audience members. When you consider the miserable weather, CTI did very well indeed.

The most exciting part was of course, the contests. Val represented our club well in both the evaluation contest and the international speech contest. The results were:

Area International Speech Contest

1st - Val  from CTI Techtalkers

2nd - Harry from Speaker's Edge (and Literally Speaking)

Area Evaluation Contest:

1st - Trudy from Speakmasters

2nd- Anuj from Speaker's Edge

In the photo: Area Governor Rosario, Val, Contest Toastmaster Bill

Val will now go on to compete in the Division J International Speech Contest on Friday, April 15. Let's go and cheer her on!

Congratulations, Val!