This year’s Princeton Toastmasters club’s motto is “One For All, All For One!” On April 19th members in attendance saw that these are not merely words on our agenda.  Our dedicated members believe in this philosophy with their whole hearts, and we saw their devotion first hand as they participated in the special Walk Down Memory Lane meeting where we celebrated the rich and storied history of our beloved club.

We heard speeches from members who have been with our club for 20 or more years! The length of their tenure speaks volumes about what a wonderful place Princeton Toastmasters is.  These members have chosen to stay, grow, and thrive with the club, and in return have given back to the place and people that have meant so much to them.

The Word of the Day was ‘per·spi·ca·cious,’ meaning having a ready insight into and understanding of things. The meeting was full of perspicacious presentations accentuating the value Princeton Toastmasters has provided throughout the years.

Jack Levitt, DTM, giving his If These Walls Could Talk speech, where Jack used the colors on his stripped shirt to brilliantly describe different stories in colorful terms.

George Scherer, ATM, giving his Toastmaster Is A Safe Place speech, where George spoke about the supportive nature of the club.

Elliot Dennis, DTM, PDDG, giving his Life at Princeton Toastmasters Is Like Ocean Cruise, But Sometimes It Is Like The Titanic, where Elliot spoke about some of the most memorable speeches and situations at Princeton Toastmasters over the past years.

Mike Suber giving his Unforgettable Moments speech, where Mike highlighted how one can address delicate issues in a professional and respectable manner.

Lauren Tait, CL – President, presenting to Thaine Shetter, DTM, the Gladys “Jackie” Beggs Toastmaster of the Year Award for Princeton Toastmasters. This is an annual award given to recognize a club member who exemplifies the Toastmasters Vision and Mission. Thaine’s name has been added to the Gladys “Jackie” Beggs plaque along with the names of previous year’s award recipients.

I could feel the warmth of everyone as they clapped after my introduction.  I went home that night and absorbed my experience at the meeting. I knew that I wanted to become a part of this wonderful club.  Weeks later, I returned and decided to join the club and the rest is history. Let me tell you, I have never stopped speaking in front of a group.  I have always enjoyed speaking but was very nervous.  Princeton Toastmasters gave me that courage to get up and speak.  I would often speak and I used a lot of filler words, such as “so,” ”you know,” “like,” “um,” and other filler words.  I do not use these words in my speeches now and have been told by many in the audiences of their amazement of me not using one filler word in my speeches.  I have to thank Princeton Toastmasters for this great lesson.

Princeton Toastmasters members are dedicated to bringing out the best in each and every person that walks through the doors of our meetings.  Thank you to all of my fellow Toastmasters for listening to all of my speeches, for keeping me encouraged, and simply for just being you.  I invite anyone interested in honing your speaking skills to visit our club.  You, too, will walk away feeling inspired and ready to move to the next level in your life as a communicator. 

Thank you Princeton Toastmasters!

Doretha Burrell, CC
Believe in yourself!

Dee Burrell, center, with other guest speakers in Zurich, Switzerland for Roche’s 2012 Global Summit in March.

The April 5th meeting will be held at Miele because the regular meeting hall will not be available due to Holy Thursday. The time of the meeting at Miele remains the same: 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM. 

Please follow this link for directions to Miele: http://www.mieleusa.com/usa/design-centers/map.asp?id=1&ww=1000&wh=1000

Model Meeting – April 19th

The April 19th meeting will be a Model Meeting celebrating the heritage of Princeton Toastmasters with speeches by members that have been with the club for 20 years or more! A Model Meeting is one where the participants flawlessly demonstrate the proper way to perform meeting roles and presentations. This is a meeting that is not to be missed!

Please spread the word to all former Princeton Toastmasters members so they can attend as well.  Also, if you have any pictures or memorabilia you would like to share and display at this meeting, please send them to Lauren Tait at laurentait.ptm@gmail.com.

Division F Spring Contest – April 21st

The Division F Spring Contest will take place on Saturday, April 21st, 2012, from 10:30AM to 12:30PM at the Horsham Township Library, 435 Babylon Road, Horsham, PA 19044.

District 38 Spring Conference – May 18th and 19th

The Spring District 38 Conference, which will host among many other events, the District 38 International Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests, is scheduled on May 18th and 19th.  The conference will be held at the Wyndham Hotel in Mount Laurel, NJ. For conference registration, hotel reservations, and more information on the conference, please see the following link: http://www.tmdistrict38.org/Conference/Spring12/index.html.

Special congratulations to Area 29F champion, Janice Swierczek, who won both contests (wow!) and best wishes in the upcoming Division F competition on April 21th.

 The results for the Area 29F Contests are as follows:

International Speech Contest:

1st Place: Janice Swierczek, LWD

2nd Place: Todd Greenwood, Princeton

Speech Evaluations:

1st Place: Janice Swierczek, LWD

2nd Place: Ingo Schmuecking, Princeton

3rd Place: Phil Hagerty, RWJF

Please join Todd and Ingo as they move up to compete at the Area 29F Spring Contests.

When: Monday, March 26^th

Location: Educational Testing Service (ETS), 660 Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ, Conant Hall, Lounge A.

Time: 6:00 PM

Admission fee: $7 per person (includes a light dinner).

If you plan to join or have further questions, please contact Jean Shipos at jshipos@ets.org.

The contests were splendidly orchestrated and hosted by Contest Chair, Deepak Nayak and Chief Judge, Nancy Sun and supported by the Princeton Toastmasters Club contest team who all contributed to the stellar event. Among the contestants were experienced toastmasters, past club presidents and past contest winners. Among the guests were District 38 Governor, Stephen Fraundorfer, DTM, and Area 29 Governor, Jean Shipos, DTM. A special thanks to Tom Gill, ACB, ALB, President of Blue Bell Toastmasters, for giving the model speech.

After intense competitions, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Princeton Toastmasters Club 2012 International Speech and Evaluations Contests:

Evaluation Contest:

1st – Ingo Schmuecking

2nd – Jack Levitt

3rd – George Scherer

International Speech Contest:

1st – Todd Greenwood

2nd – Abhoy Sircar

3rd – Ingo Schmuecking

Congratulations to Ingo and Todd!!!

Please join Ingo and Todd as they move up to compete at the Area 29F International Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests on Monday, March 26^th at 6:00 PM, at Educational Testing Service (ETS), 660 Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ, Conant Hall, Lounge A. (Please note that there is a $7 per person cover charge for a light dinner.)

Season’s Greetings from Princeton Toastmasters

NOTE: The meeting will not be held at the usual meeting place in Vandeventer Streets in Princeton, NJ. The location of the event will be announced shortly.