Author: zuriberg

Another first for Zuriberg Toastmasters! A Novice speech competition. Six competitors brought out their best speeches and gave their best in a first of its kind club competition!

Six members, who had not yet reached Level 2, participated. Aaron Huánuco-Ramos, Alessandro Palese, Emilio Lella, Yesenia Cardozo, Joran Mambir, and Selin Guvenc all presented excellent speeches and gave the judges much to think about.

In the end, Selin was placed first, with Joran and Yesenia placing second and third.

Contest Chair, Anna Franzen, introduced them during the competition, and interviewed them while the ballots were being counted. Chief Judge, Richard Bruckner, organised the timers and ballot counters and oversaw the judging process.

Over the next few weeks, the club will slowly wind down towards the Christmas break. Which is a perfect time to start writing contest speeches for the upcoming International Speech Contest to be held on 14 January 2025. The contest will be held separately from the Evaluation and Table Topics contests to allow members to fully concentrate on the International Speech. We’d like to see as many members as possible participating.

Please let us know whether you intend participating by completing this form.

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Select contests you plan on participating in *

• International Speech Contest
• Evaluation Contest
• Table Topics Contest
• Online Speech Contest

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Join us for a unique evening as we explore the theme “Cavernous,” delving into the depths of communication, introspection, and hidden potential. This meeting invites you to journey into the unknown and discover the hidden treasures of effective speaking.

Date: 12th November 2024
Time: 6:45 PM
Location: Zum Königsstuhl

What to Expect:

• Depth-Filled Speeches: Our speakers will tackle profound topics, exploring the depths of thought and expression.
• Table Topics with a Twist: Participate in spontaneous speaking challenges inspired by the mystery and intrigue of cavernous spaces.
• Insightful Evaluations: Receive feedback that helps you explore and expand the hidden corners of your speaking style.

Featured Quote: “The deeper you go, the greater the treasures you’ll uncover.”

Bring your curiosity and prepare to explore the boundless possibilities of effective communication. Let’s uncover what lies beneath the surface in this “Cavernous” journey.

Past Tuesday evening 22, October 2024 Zuriberg Toastmasters Club or in this instance I shall rather say the President of Zuriberg, Harry Loots – himself a member of Toastmasters for 40 years in different clubs all over the world – organized a surprise evening at Zunfthaus Zimmerleuten to celebrate the 100 year legacy of Toastmasters! As was to be expected, it was a thorough Toastmaster inspired evening – with the agenda for the evening a total surprise until the meeting was officially opened by Harry. First action was for everybody to draw a lot with an assignment as a speaker or an evaluator. Once this was out of the way Harry proceeded by referring to the first official Toastmaster evening, pointing out that people gathered at the first meeting also not knowing what to expect!

The Background

Proceeding, Harry treated the audience to a great introduction to the history of Toastmasters. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the beginning of Toastmasters is exclusively linked to the person of Ralph Chestnut Smedley, born in Waverly, Illinois, a city twenty miles southwest of Springfield. An educator and administrator of YMCAs he started the first speaking club in 1903 but It took several attempts of Ralph Smedley to establish Toastmasters as a staple in the curriculum of young men (N.B. Toastmasters did only admit men until 1973 when the organization opened up for women to be admitted). But the idea and concept of Toastmaster really only caught on 20 years later, after Ralph Smedley had moved to California in 1924 to take a job at the YMCA in Santa Ana.

The concept

The concept of the speeches past Tuesday night was simple but genius: The hundred years between 1924 and 2024 were divided up in 10 Periods, each spanning 10 years. The allotted speakers got each a sheet with some bullet points relating to significant world events and significant Toastmaster happenings during each of these 10 periods. The task for the speakers was to knit together an impromptu speech of two to three minutes, incorporating what the speaker thought meaningful from a Toastmaster perspective during the relative period. There was essentially only the time during dinner available to prepare for the speech!

The speeches

• First speaker for the period between 1924 – 1933 was Ana-Maria, mentioning that Daimler and Benz joined forces during this period in what was later to become Mercedes-Benz motor company and that 1932 – the name Toastmasters International was officially  adopted and incorporated. Alice was her evaluator;
• Second speaker for the period between 1934 – 1943 was Anton, in particular referring to the bleak times building up to the second world war and the fact that Toastmasters could celebrate its first 10-year jubilee on October 22. 1934. Anton was evaluated by Elias;
• Third speaker for the period of 1944 – 1953 was Karina, making a link between the wartimes, the first time use of the atomic bomb and the heightened need for communication. Her evaluator was Vadim; pointing out the conclusion, Karina drew that people were finding hope through Toastmasters;
• Fourth speaker for the period of 1954 – 1963 was Michelle, not hesitating to make a touching, very personal speech and explaining that even though she is not so much sold on American culture she is very thankful for the ‘window to the world’ that Toastmaster has given her, referencing her growing up during this period in Ticino where life still was rather humble and outside contact more or less limited. Her evaluator was Joran, praising her opening and her very personal interpretation;
• Fifth speaker for the period of 1964 – 1973 was Pietro, referencing the incarceration of Nelson Mandela, the Nobel Price for Martin Luther King and the Prag spring – relating these changing times to the resilience of Toastmaster despite the demise of its founder Ralph Smedley in 1965. Pietro’s evaluator was Raffael, praising in particular how Pietro was able to catch people’s attention and the extended historical context he was providing;
• Sixth speaker for the period of 1974 – 1983 was Vanessa, emphasizing the role of women in Toastmasters. 1973 Toastmaster membership opened to women; 1977 first female World Champion in public speaking. Her evaluator was Samira, applauding Vanessa’s succinct summary with the notion: “imagine us before 1973 we would have only been half the room (no women);
• Seventh speaker for the period of 1984 – 1993 was Kevin, making first of all a reference to George Orwell’s dystopian fiction “1984”, 60^th anniversary of Toastmaster International and the beginning of Harry Loot’s’ long Toastmaster career – culminating in the 40 years celebration of this day of October 22^ned 2024! His evaluator was Yesenia;
• Eighth speaker for the period of 1994 – 2003 was Ben, who was reminded about his own life during this period – Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa’s first black President, first public train through the Channel Tunnel and Amazon.com is founded; “Telling stories, living stories is connecting”! Ben was brilliantly evaluated by Tatjana;
• Ninths speaker for the period of 2004 – 2013 was Emilio, linking personal milestones in his life (e.g. end of military service) with the significant growth of Toastmaster Internation and world events. Roland was his evaluator;
• Tenth speaker for the period 2014 – 2023 was Anna, summarizing the period with the phrase: “Toastmasters truly entered the digital age”! Anna was kindly and appropriately evaluated by Harry! 

The final word

All there is to say at the end: “Thank you Harry, for inspiring, organizing and moderating a truly memorable evening with great contributions and evaluations in the original Toastmasters spirit: ‘THE CREATION OF CONFIDENT VOICES’

Roland Straub

Vice-President Mentoring
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Dear Zuribergers,

Before the official end of the week, I wanted to share a brief recap of our meeting last Tuesday. We listened to three very interesting and very different speeches.

The speeches

Monica kicked off the evening with an intellectual speech about how decisions are made at work. She gave us a thoughtful introduction to the Cynefin Framework, which describes the different ways organisations make decisions – from ordered and simple systems, to complicated and chaotic ones. This framework helps explain how some big, multinational corporations make nonsensical decisions. Monica is available to discuss the topic anytime 🙂

Richard followed with a tale about Sedna, the Inuit Goddess of the Sea. We have not had a speech structured in the format of a fairytale for quite some time at Zuriberg, and I was hooked. It reminded me of the many different kinds of speeches that one can give at Toastmasters, and I look forward to hearing more in the storytelling format.

Pietro, our final speaker, had a unique take on the “Understanding Your Communication Style” project, using very personal examples of how important it is to understand the communication style of other people to make sure our message is heard. It was effective. Congratulations on winning the Best Speaker award! It was well-earned.

Table topics, evaluations & the rest

Vanessa prepared blissful table topic questions (in line with our theme of the evening), and mercilessly picked members to answer, myself included. Congratulations Michelle on winning Best Table Topics!

Thank you Thomas for hosting our evening, and everyone who participated and attended last Tuesday. Congratulations Selin for winning Best Evaluator!

As usual – a few announcements

100 years of toastmasters

This coming Tuesday we will be celebrating Toastmasters’ 100th Anniversary at ZIMMERLEUTEN! Please don’t forget to sign up on EasySpeak. It will be a fun evening with many opportunities to participate. Please feel free to bring guests. The price is the same as usual, you will be able to pay in cash, by Twint or on our Website (we will share the link tomorrow).

Awards Dinner

On November 26th, we will have our Awards Dinner. Please let me or Roland know if you would like to give a toast! To give you an idea of what you might expect, Elias, who gave a brilliant toast last year, shared his thoughts:

Last year, I had the honor of giving a toast for one of our incredible members – a member whose dedication and contributions had a profound impact on our club. As I spoke, I reflected on the countless ways this person had shown dedication, kindness, and support to our community and it was a true honor to celebrate her in that way. A toast is more than just raising a glass – it’s a moment to share your hearfelt appreciation, celebrate someone’s impact, and express gratitude in front of others. Moments like these remind us of the power of giving back.

That’s why I want to encourage all of you to take the opportunity to give a toast. It doesn’t have to be formal or elaborate – what matters is the recognition and gratitude you’re expressing. A simple toast can build a deeper sense of connection, remind us of our shared goals, and celebrate the people who make our communities stronger.

See you all on Tuesday at Zimmerleuten!
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Anna Franzen

Dear fellow Toastmasters,

Thank you all for a very warm meeting last Tuesday, led by very well-dressed Gabriel Espadas as our Toastmaster of the Evening 🙂 We were very pleased to be able to officially welcome Stefan Müller to the club as our newest member.

Some congratulations are in order: to Roland for winning best speech, Roberta for best evaluator and Samira for best table topics! Also special mention to Vadim, who completed his level two on Tuesday in preparation for the International Speech Competition, and to Vanessa, for successfully building her speech around the theme of the evening, “anchoring”. Fereshdeh also did a great job as Table Topics Master, for keeping people on their toes and coming up with very interesting questions that explored many different aspects of the theme of the day.

We have a lot of events coming up in the next few weeks

1) On October 22nd we will be celebrating Toastmasters 100th Anniversary in Zimmerleuten. You are very welcome to bring guests – this is an excellent opportunity to show them what Toastmasters is all about.

2) On November 19th we will hold our very own Novice Competition. Everyone who has not yet completed Level 2 is encouraged to participate. Please reach out to me if you’d like to compete!

3) On November 26th, Toastmaster Club Zuriberg is once more celebrating its Annual Award Dinner! Please read the message below from our former Club President, Roland Straub, who will be hosting the evening:

Based on the great experience past year, the Committee decided to continue the enticing experience of an Award Dinner in the format we successfully introduced last year. One of the main reasons for continuing this tradition is to provide more speakers the opportunity to come on stage and practice the specific and challenging speech format of a Toast – this is after all what most of you will be asked to do at least once in your lifetime – be it in a family setting or any other social or work-related setting. 

I chose a most unusual Toast as the ‘Leitmotiv’ for the upcoming Award Dinner 2024! Not so much because of its content (which I do like though) but to provide an example how divers, unexpected and relatable Toasts can and should be.

What to expect? 

On the evening of November 26th 2024 four (4) members have the opportunity to give a Toast to a fellow Toastmaster of their choosing. You may ask: ‘What should such a toast entail and why should I make the effort to do so’?

The answer is quite frankly is, a Toast can be about any aspect of a fellow toastmaster (or of the Club as a whole) that has left you with a real sentiment and a lasting impression! 

It is an occasion to congratulate a fellow member in public for a personal quality, a special contribution or just for the fact of contributing positively to the community of Toastmaster Club Zuriberg. Toasts can be humorous, somber, congratulatory or even – in a polite and entertaining way – positively critical. Without aspiring to lexical accuracy I’d define a ‘Toast’ as a call to a gathering of people to raise their glasses and drink together in honor of a person or a thing. The words spoken in such a moment are significant because the heightened attention will make them stick longer and clearer in the audience’s memory.

How will the event be organized and how can I participate? 

If you’re tempted and interested to give a Toast that evening please get in touch with Anna Franzen through WhatsApp or at afranzen11@gmail.com on a first come first serve bases. In order to create the necessary anticipatory atmosphere only the speakers and the VPE shall know who the recipients of this 4 toasts will be. 

What is required? 

The only important detail is: The speakers will have to ensure that their respective recipients will actually attend that evening. 

To make it an eligible project the toasts for this evening must be for a minimum of 3-5 minutes but you may also choose a speech of 5-7 minutes. Contenders please get in contact with Anna Franzen to individually select and decide on the project fitting their respective Pathways path! 

How will I benefit?

Giving a toast that evening presents an excellent opportunity to hone your public speaking skills and at the same time honor a fellow member of Zuriberg Toastmaster Club. Thanks to a positive and meaningful evaluation you’ll enjoy an additional benefit: you will be betterprepared for the next occasion you’re expected to give a toast – be this at a family, social or a business event. 

The winning speaker will become the holder for one year of the Challenge Trophy for the Best Zuriberg Toast of the Year!

TME, Roland Straub
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This week’s Toastmasters meeting, led by Pietro as Toastmaster for the first time, focused on the weighty theme of the Underground Railroad. Under his steady guidance, the meeting progressed smoothly, showing his digilent preparation and setting the stage for an insightful and challenging session.

Vanessa, serving as General Evaluator, led her team with precision. Alice acted as Grammarian, encouraging mindful use of language throughout the meeting, with the word of the day “bewildered” drawing much use and attention. Joanna kept participants in check as the Ah & Vote Counter, and Tatjana ensured that everyone adhered to their speaking times as Timer.

The speeches were the highlight of the evening.

Thomas delivered an impressive impromptu speech titled “Money or Jail,” stepping in at the last minute and showing remarkable poise under pressure. His ability to organize his thoughts and convince the audience to timely pay their fines on such short notice was truly inspiring.

Next, Zsolt took a creative spin on a Table Topic posed by Vadim at a previous meeting with his speech “An Essay to Vadim.” He explored the complex question of “justice vs. forgiveness” through the lens of game theory, providing thought-provoking insights that left the audience with much to reflect on.

Yesenia followed with a lively recount of a kayaking trip gone awry in her speech “Kayaking Lessons.” What was meant to be a romantic outing quickly turned into a source of tension, but her lighthearted approach highlighted the importance of communication and conflict resolution in relationships.

Evaluations and Table Topics

The evaluators—Richard, Elias, and Joran—all provided insightful feedback that helped the speakers hone their skills. Each brought a unique perspective, offering constructive advice and praise in equal measure, further contributing to the overall learning experience.

The Table Topics session, led by Sabina, presented thought-provoking and uncomfortable questions based on the meeting-theme-inspiring book “The underground railroad”. Despite the challenging nature of the topics, participants engaged bravely and offered compelling responses.

Winners and final thoughts

As the meeting drew to a close, the well-deserved awards were handed out: Zsolt won Best Speaker for his intellectual exploration of justice and forgiveness, Roland was named Best Table Topics for his quick thinking and flawless delivery, and Richard earned Best Evaluator for his sharp and helpful feedback.

In conclusion, this meeting was a powerful reminder of the importance of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Whether delivering an impromptu speech, tackling challenging Table Topics, or offering constructive evaluations, every participant demonstrated the core values of Toastmasters: growth, courage, and the pursuit of excellence.

Richard Bruckner
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