June 2008 South Main Monthly

South Main Monthly Mont Vol. 3 No. 6

South Main Speakers, District 56, Club 8609

June 2008

The mission of the Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self self-confidence confidence and personal growth.

In This Issue

• President's Corner • Anniversaries & Milestones

President’s Corner

Grace Hu, Bob Hu, Jian Wang, Vivek Rajan

• New Member Spotlight • Words of Wisdom

Bon Voyage to Another Great Year! By Vivian Li, CC If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. –Lawrence J. Peter

• New officers welcome • Features “The Consistent Toastmaster” by Grace Hu “Desires, Happiness & Spirituality” by Francis Athappilly “4th Annual Spring Picnic Celebrations” by Vivian Li

• Ask the Master Using a theme to drive your point home

The South Main Monthly is a monthly publication of the South Main Speakers Toastmasters club. We meet every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. in 10305 South Main Street (Houston Chinese Church), Room 411. For more information, please visit our website at: http://groups.msn.com/southmainspeakers If you have any comments, contributions, or suggestions concerning this or future issues, please send them to [email protected]. Thank you for reading! -Vivek Rajan, Editor

The South Main Speakers ers voyage will soon end for another year, but in July she sets sail for a new voyage with a new captain (incoming president Jian Wang), and his fabulous crew to help steer the ship. But before we close out this fantastic 2007-2008 2007 year, I wanted to do three things. Thank you first to this year’s team of officers. Special kudos go to Jian, Vivek, and Mary for going above and beyond their duties to make sure this club shines. From the excellent education sessions to the inaugural Grand Slam and our outstanding outst membership growth of over 50%, we without doubt had a great year. On behalf of the club, I would like to wish hardcore veteran Toastmasters Renay and Jeanne a fond farewell and best wishes as they depart in August to Portland. Though you two will certainly c be a welcome addition to any TM club over there, don’t forget about your favorite Toastmasters club! I am sad to say that I’ll be leaving soon too to study in China. Lastly, but of course not the least, I would like to thank each and every one of you for making South Main so incredibly wonderful. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. The club is essentially just volunteers who all add to the club’s flavor—Grace’s flavor distinctive laugh, Annie’s motherly persistence, Renay’s creativity (who could have guessed how much fun the periodical table can be!), Bob’s wit, Jeanne’s finesse, Erika’s goofiness, Vivek’s calmness, Mary’s smile, etc. As the South Main ship picks up new passengers, its flavor will become richer and better! Mmmm….

Anniversaries & Milestones

New Member Spotlight Last month we have had two new members join our club! Please give a warm welcome to our newest members – Jerry Li and Priscilla Fernandes. Fernandes And a brief introduction of Priscilla in her own words:

Grace Hu and Bob Hu, the co-founders of South Main Speakers, celebrates their 12th anniversary with South Main Speakers this month! Congratulations to Jian Wang on earning his Advanced Communicator Bronze award this month!

Congratulations to Vivek Rajan on earning his Competent Leader award last month!

Words of Wisdom Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

“I was born in Kuwait and grew up both there and in my home country, India. My interest in Biology brought me to the US in 2001 to pursue a doctoral degree in Genetics. I have lived both in Galveston and Portland, Oregon while here in the US. On completion etion of my degree I moved to Houston towards the end of 2006 to join a post-doctoral post training program at Baylor College of Medicine. I work in a clinical diagnostic laboratory that offers gene testing for various disorders. My job has been exciting, rewarding ding and has exposed me to a lot of new areas but most of all has made me appreciative of life in general, of being healthy in mind and body without a debilitating genetic disease. In my leisure time I enjoy being in the company of my friends, shopping and trying various restaurants in the city. Houston reminds me a lot of my home city Mumbai that is hot, humid and busy. I am glad to have joined Toastmasters and look forward to participating in the group.”

Welcome New Officers for Fall 2008

President Jian Wang

VP-Education Francis Athappilly

VP-Membership Membership Erika Parrish

VP-PR Vivek Rajan

Secretary Mary Deng

Treasurer Priscilla Fernandes

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The Consistent Toastmaster

Desires, Happiness & Spirituality

By Grace Hu, ACB, ALB

By Francis K. Athappilly

I received an email from Vivek two nights ago to ask sk me to write an article of what I said in the Table Topics speech last Sunday. This was a creative idea of Vivian to get more articles for the Newsletter. This is the first time that I am writing a speech after I have given it. It is like a Backward Meeting.

Most of us are familiar with different kinds of pets. Based on my experience, I believe that more people are happier with cows, cats or dogs, rather than with fishes, turtles or insects. It is possible to form some kind nd of meaningful relationships with cows, cats or dogs, which is not possible with insects, fishes or turtles. The lower forms of life seemed to care only for the food that we provide, and cannot think beyond that. They do not care much about the provider, the pet's owner. But, the higher forms of life recognize their provider and reciprocate affection, which draws us closer to them.

I can’t remember the exact question that Brenda, the Table Topics Master, asked me. It was something like “what was your stellar accomplishment last year in Toastmasters?” What came to my mind at that time was not what new title I got or what award ard that I got. All I thought about was what I did to benefit me and others in the club by attending the club meeting consistently. I have been the member of the South Main Speakers since it was chartered 12 years ago. Although I have not moved up very fast in the education system, but I am proud to say that I have attended the club meeting consistently. Just by participating in different roles in most of the meetings for 12 years, I have benefited tremendously both in my career and personal life. I be believe that I have also helped many new members by being supportive and providing a positive environment for them.

Recently, Vivek spoke about desire and happiness. This made me think. Today, we enjoy a standard of living that would have been unimaginable for even the greatest emperors of past ages. But, are we happier than people of past generations? Probably not. Think about the poor and the illiterate people in the third world. They do not have much of what we have. Are we happier than them? Probably not. I have seen them smile and laugh more often than myself. I wonder what will make us happy. We often expect that satiation of desires will make us happy, only to be disillusioned over and over again. What will make us really happy?

Everyone joins the Toastmasters Club for one common purpose. That is self selfimprovement. I believe that if you can achieve self-improvement that hat is the biggest accomplishment that you have done for yourself. Therefore, the benefit resulted from attending the club meeting consistently was my stellar accomplishment for not just last year, but also for the past 12 years.

This leads me to the topic, desires, desires happiness and spirituality. Any human being is imperfect with many deficiencies or needs. The craving or yearning to fill in those deficiencies is at the root of our desires. In other words, desire is our urge to fill in those th deficiencies. Our carnal desires often get satisfied with material things. Food often satisfies hunger and drink quenches thirst.

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But meeting the physical needs alone does not provide lasting happiness. Human beings crave for relationships. We form various kinds of relationships. The first of these is perhaps the baby, who in the beginning was concerned only about the milk and care that its mother provided, bonding with its mother to form a filial relationship. The baby recognizes someone beyond itself and in that process manifests itself as a person changing from 'it' to 'he' or 'she'. This is the beginning of spirituality. Spirituality is all about relationships. We often find more lasting happiness in relationships. Lasting happiness may be found in lasting relationships. As we grow, we search for meaning and purpose in life. Most of us desire to have a deep relationship with someone else. Often, we end up espousing someone else in the hope of everlasting bliss and eternal happiness. Unfortunately, even the best of human beings cannot satisfy other human beings completely by themselves. As mentioned earlier, each of us have many deficiencies or needs and together we have more needs. Our search for lasting happiness and peace take us to the bigger and the more powerful. Some espouse something for which they are willing to sacrifice anything. This could be anything, such as material things, power, fame, ideology, etc. It can be money, profession, health, pacifism, terrorism, science, black magic, etc. For some, who turn inward, it could even be themselves. But almost everyone, knowingly or otherwise, makes something or somebody their God, in whose altar they are willing to sacrifice anything. I have come to conclude that it is wise to make one's god the provider and creator of everything.

To me God is the infinite source of all goodness. This God is always giving and forgiving, accepting us without conditions. He wants us to enjoy a filial relationship with Him. He wants us to call Him 'Our Father'. When we accept him, we also accept other human beings, who are His children. When we do this and align our will with that of God's will, we can have lasting peace and happiness. The purpose of this life is to make the permanent and fundamental choice: either choose eternal peace that comes from aligning one's will with that of the Almighty – a choice of love based on faith that gives hope. Or choose anything else. Our life here on earth is our chance to compare the Creator with His creation and choose one or the other. Throughout this life, we are free to change and morph into whatever we like. Theoretically, we can change our selection as often as we choose, as long as we live. That choice is made permanent at the moment of one's death. Thus, one's entire life is the opportunity to make this permanent choice. One's permanent choice of the creator as God leads to everlasting union with the supreme, ever-living author of life. This choice of love based on faith leads to the alignment of one's will with that of the creator. This removes all fear and produces to tranquility and peace. This relationship or union with the Supreme Being is eternal bliss or everlasting happiness. A cat or dog recognizing and submitting to its master and having a meaningful relationship with him reminds me of this union. I believe that this is what Jesus Christ meant when he said that Kingdom of God is within you. It is like being immersed in the Supreme Being to receive all that is good and becoming channels of grace – "the spring of life-giving water" -- to those around us. I believe that this alignment of our will with that of the Supreme Being is

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the essence of the principle of Adwaida or Non-duality duality that the Hindu sage Swami Vivekananda spoke about. According to that, you are NOT separate eparate from God or you and God are one. When you are immersed in the Supreme Being, you become one with Him. It is like the baby that once only loved the milk and care, bonding or transforming itself to become that person that reaches out and loves his or her mother, the provider.

4th Annual Spring Picnic Celebrations

Since the inaugural spring picnic in 2004, the annual spring picnic has become a blast for us to celebrate the Toastmasters year end and elect the new officers. Good food was had, excellent ellent speeches heard, and fun charades played! Enjoy these pictures from the picnic on June 1.

Ask the Master Dear Master, I took your advice, and I now write my speeches, but I still have trouble getting my audience to remember what I say in my speech! Could you please suggest some ideas on how I could drive my point home? — ToBe Remembered

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Dear ToBe Remembered, Writing speeches consists of a lot more than finding a few inspirational quotes and possibly a funny story or two. The key to writing good speeches lies in using a theme. If you always refer back to this theme, the audience will respond positively and remember your words. This does not mean that inspirational quotes are not important. However, they should be integrated into your speech in a way that makes sense. Choosing a Theme The first task that a public speaker needs to focus on before they do any actual writing is the message they are trying to convey. My inspiration for this idea came from the speeches of John F. Kennedy. In his inaugural speech, he chose to focus on freedom. He addressed many different topics, but always came back to this idea of liberty. When asked to be the guest speaker at a National Honor Society induction recently, I decided to focus on how an individual's daily decisions add up to reveal that person's true character. We cannot cheat in the small things and expect these blemishes to never surface. When the real tests in life occur, our character will not be able to withstand the pressure because we have not chosen the harder path all along. Why did I choose this as my theme? My audience consisted of Juniors and Seniors at the top of their respective classes. They had to meet stringent requirements in the areas of scholarship, community service, leadership, and character in order to be accepted into the organization. I wanted to leave them with one idea that might make them think twice. Think of the ONE thought with which you want to leave your audience. Why only one idea? Mainly because if you reinforce a

single point instead of focusing on entirely different ideas, your audience will have a greater tendency to remember it. A speech does not lend itself to having many themes. Stick with one really good theme, and use each point you make, your theme reinforcers, to bring that idea home. If you would like some ideas for possible themes, look at the world around you. What are people concerned about? If you are speaking about the state of education, find one central idea like personal responsibility that you feel strongly about. Then return to that idea with each point you make. Write your individual points to reinforce your idea. Utilizing Theme Reinforcers Theme reinforcers are simply the points that a speechwriter uses throughout his or her speech to 'reinforce' the central idea they are trying to get across. In Winston Churchill's famous commencement address to Westminster College in 1946, we find him emphasizing over and over again the need for cooperation against tyranny and war. His speech covered serious problems with which the post-war world was faced, including what he termed as the 'iron curtain' that had descended across the European continent. Many say that this speech was the beginning of the 'cold war'. What we can learn from his address is the importance of continually reiterating one idea. The effect that this speech had on the world is almost incalculable. Of course, this does not mean that throughout the speech the same words are repeated over and over. The hardest part of writing any speech is to approach the main theme from many different angles. Wrapping it All Together

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Once you've picked your theme and chosen the points you want to emphasize, putting the speech together is fairly simple. You can organize it first in outline form, remembering to return at the end of each point to the theme you are trying to get across. Numbering your points sometimes helps the audience remember where you are and how far you have left to travel before the climax of your speech. This climax is the most important part. It should be the last paragraph, and leave everyone with something to think about. One great way to bring your ideas home is to find a quote which aptly embodies your theme. Speechwriting is all about knowing your audience and addressing their concerns. Leave your audience with something about which to think. Include humor and inspirational quotes. But make sure that each of these are integrated into the whole. Study the great speeches of the past to find inspiration. The joy that you will feel when you have given a speech that has inspired people is amazing and worth the effort. Good luck!

Wouldn’t it be GREAT ...if you could just take a pill, and no longer be terrified to speak in front of groups?

Come to South Main Speakers Toastmasters Club, we supply them!* It costs nothing to visit our club, and there is no obligation to join

Visitors are ALWAYS welcome! We meet every Sunday, 1:30-3 p.m. 10305 South Main Street @ I-610 For information visit http://groups.msn.com/SouthMainSpeakers * Disclaimer: Quantities are limited. First come, first serve.

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