Toastmaster Seniors of Ankara

http://www.toastmasters.org

Today was an extraordinary day for us, for senior Toastmaster members of Ankara. We had our first monthly business lunch in Goksu Restaurant in Ankara city center, after a long period of interruption.

I was an active member of toastmasters group in Ankara. We were a group of highly qualified, highly educated professionals at middle age between university degree to senior managers at about retirement threshold, even after. I received my CTM degree in Toastmasters after completing my 10 programmed public speeches. What is CTM?, so go to above ref. web page again,

Toastmasters group is a group of highly intellectual men and women, from all parts of the world, from all disciplines, business person, academicians, who are in need of perfecting their public speaking capabilities, There are three Toastmasters clubs in Turkey. Ankara group meets in Turkish American Association, Cinnah caddesi every Tuesday at 1900 hours. Almost half of the members are expatriates. Izmir and Adana Toastmasters are closed to public attendance since they are formed by American personnel in Turkey.

In many international business cities you can find Toastmasters clubs. These are not necessary in posh clubs, sometimes in reasonable pubs in London, although there are Toastmaster meetings in exclusive clubs in The City, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Moscow and in the US Senate. In Washington DC, you will find many TM clubs. I have attended one Toastmasters in a reasonable pub in Hammersmith in London twice. I also attended two different Toastmasters club meetings in Virginia.

In Japan, Hongkong, Singapore, it is too difficult to join one of those Toastmaster groups. They are too exclusive, very expensive, very distinct. If you want to find TM clubs in the world, then go to "Yahoo" or "Google", type "Toastmasters" and surf in many individual TM clubs in the world.

These clubs are generally open to public, unless otherwise it is clearly stated. Guests are not supposed to speak unless they really wish to stand up and speak. For members they should speak impromptu in table topics and programmed in the second half.

Toastmasters club is the place where you spend two hours with your friends, to improve your public speaking capability, to share your life experiences.

I hope to continue our monthly business lunches in future.

Your comments are always welcome !!!

COMMENTS:

Dear DIRRESKENELLI;
Years from now then, this was the "longest" computer- letter(e-mail), ever I read on the screen without "a breathe" !
Your way of writing, use of english, optimum lenght of the stories were your "success" at first "sight"...
One more thing: If you'll had the opportunity to make a "book" from those lovely tiny stories; I will be encouraged to make a "book of poems"; which I wrote until today :-)))

Best wishes, with all feelings of friendship.......

Esref Ilhami YEGEN, Ankara



Hi Haluk
A toastmasters club. What a good idea, to encourage the reticent individual to get on their feet and entertain others with their own brand of wit and wisdom.

Public speaking is not really so difficult if you are well prepared. The easiest form is the eulogy read from the lectern at the front of a church, or the best man's speech at a wedding. In those instances you have a captured audience.

With the eulogy there is always respectful silence while you read (always carry and read from notes in this instance) your
reminiscences of the late departed.

The best man at the wedding reception is expected to inject a little humour into the occasion and here again it is wise to have notes to hand, for there is nothing worse than misjudging the timing of the punch line. The pregnant pause before the birth will prevent a verbal miscarriage.

The bane of most `first time' speakers is the heckler but to the seasoned orator, a heckler is welcome, as he/she often opens a new line of discussion, which the speaker can hold on to and throw back with such force as to cause the rest of the audience to treat the heckler with derision and reinforce the speaker's argument.

A toastmaster is, by definition, not a public speaker but a person who introduces speakers.

My paternal grandparents were in service in a magnificent hall in London;The Apothecaries Hall. Grandmother was the head housekeeper, a stern matronly women, held in awe by maids and lower orders `downstairs'. She was responsible for maintaining order among the staff and organising banquets for royalty and personages of the higher echelons of society. My grandfather was the head butler and one of his duties was that of toastmaster.

Sadly I was too young to even peep through the doors of the banqueting hall but my parents told me how he would stand erect, straight as a ramrod in his resplendent livery (he was an ex- guardsman) and introduce a dignitary such as an Archbishop by announcing, in stentorian tones (if the Prince of Wales was in attendance, as was often the case): "Your Royal highness, My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen pray silence for the Most Reverend and Right Honourable the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury" etc, etc but those were the days of opulence and respect, mostly gone and forgotten. Whether for the good or bad is a matter of individual opinion.

Getting back to speaking in public: One of our illustrious members recently embarked on reading to a gathering. A poet. NO she's a poetess and I'm a sexist and don't care, for I place my opposite sex on a pedestal of devotion in the sanctity of respect. We enjoyed her occasional poems up to the day she was persuaded to read in public.

I believe she was a trifle reluctant to take to the podium but thankfully overcame her nerves and since that time the bud has blossomed for the enjoyment of all and long may this flora continue to grace our literary flower arrangements.

To conclude: My Lord (yes, we have one at t2w)ladies and gentlemen, pray silence for our good friend Haluk, who has shown us another interesting medium for displaying our communication skills. As always

Wings, UK