**31 May 2001**

# ![](media/image1.png) The Edge ![](media/image1.png)

**BNL Toastmasters, Club 8069, District 46**

**Meetings are held the 1^st^ and 3^rd^ Tuesday at 5:30 PM and the 4^th^
Tuesday at 12:05**

**Biology Building 463, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY
11973**

<http://www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/toastmstrs/default.htm>

## [Upcoming Events]{.underline}

Tues, May 22 Noon Meeting Theme: Final Exams

Tues, June 5 5:30 Meeting Theme: Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

### Officers

### 2000-2001 

**President:**

Ronnie Evans

**VP Education:**

Nancy Manning

**VP Membership:**

Frank MacKay

**VP Public Relations:**

Nand Narain

**Secretary:**

Amy Halsted

**Treasurer:**

Claire Heil

**Sergeant at Arms:**

Beth Lin

**Newsletter Editors:**

Amy Halsted

### Beth Lin

Nancy Manning

### 

### The mission of a 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-confidence and personal growth.

**May 15 Charter Anniversary**

WOW! What a great celebration and what a great club! Our May 15 meeting
was a joyous and well-organized celebration of the BNL Toastmasters
10^th^ anniversary. We were honored by the presence of a number of
officers and dignitaries from the local clubs and the district: Rose
Martino-Gerhard, Neal Gerhard, Rick Holtmeier, Peg Adams, Shelia
Spencer, Nick LoBue, Don Clarke, and William Gomez. We even had two
visitors, Bill Dunn and Margaret Schlossky, at the meeting who may join
our club. Ronnie was the presiding officer and Margaret Foster, our
founder, was Toastmaster of the Day. Margaret had prepared an attractive
and detailed agenda for this meeting, which had all the elements of a
regular meeting and a whole lot more.

After a social half hour, and a chance to sample the buffet provided by
Amy Halsted, the meeting got underway. Ronnie began by welcoming all
guests and members and then presented the thought for the day, to the
effect that we are often more frightened by our strengths and talents
than our weaknesses. Margaret then took the podium and described how she
got the club started ten years ago. An eye catching poster of Cary Grant
and Ingrid Bergman distributed around BNL drew a group of new
Toastmasters together and the club was born. Margaret invited Jane
Koropsak and Mona Rowe of BNL\'s Community Involvement, Government and
Public Affairs Department to say a few words. Jane spoke about the
challenges she faces in responding to external inquiries, and Mona
described a reporter who used an underhanded method to get the quote he
wanted. Kay Dellimore of BNL\'s Human Resources Department had sent her
written congratulations to the club, and Ronnie read her letter aloud
for members and guests.

Ronnie asked District Governor Rose Martino-Gerhard to address the
group. Rose described her own introduction to Toastmasters and how her
initial scepticism gave way to deep enthusiasm. Peg Adams was
Jokemaster. Most people present knew the experience of sitting in class
listening to a professor, and that what (s)he says is not always what
(s)he means. Peg had a list of these phrases and their hidden meanings.
Next Margaret asked Beth Lin, one of the three charter members at the
meeting, to present Table Topics. Beth\'s questions were related to the
Toastmasters experience and how we have been enriched and changed by it.

After a break for more conversation, another trip to the dinner buffet
and a piece of birthday cake, the speech portion of the meeting began.
Cathy Schwartz went first with \"How I Overcame the Fear of Cold Calling
for New Business.\" Cathy described how she conquered her resistance to
making these essential and often productive calls by breaking down the
factors involved and taking countermeasures. Her steps to success in
cold calling are: be thoroughly prepared; know your script and be ready
to respond to objections; speak from a position of integrity;and
remember that the exchange is of mutual benefit. If you are disappointed
in the end, Cathy said, be detached , don\'t take it personally, and
remember all the other opportunities the phone book holds.

Margaret Conover was next with \"Down with Uptalk,\" a masterful
execution of the Vocal Variety project in the basic manual. First, she

**Page 1A**

**15 May Charter Celebration Meeting,**

**Continued**

asked us to imagine that we were an audience of teenage girls hearing a
talk about effective verbal communication. She went on to exercise
terrific vocal variety in her demonstrations of some of the pitfalls and
foibles that young women are prone to in their verbal communication: a
voice too highly pitched, too breathy, with too much variation in pitch
or not enough, or a falling of volume at the end of a phrase or
sentence, or \"sentence swallowing\" as she called it. The last example
was \"uptalk\" wherein each sentence ends with a rising pitch, as if the
speaker were questioning her own words. All of these can act to reduce a
young woman\'s authority and conviction as well as the confidence others
will have in her. Margaret\'s examples were expertly delivered and very
funny too.

The last speaker was Nancy Manning, with \"Unraveling the Mystery of
Life.\" This talk, about the decoding of the human genome, was
especially appropriate given our BNL location. Nancy gave some
background and history of the genome project, and the parallel public
and private efforts that converged last year when the decoding was
completed. She had some fascinating facts to offer. Each cell in the
human body contains a full set of DNA, which if it were stretched out in
a line would be six feet long. The genome project revealed that only a
small portion of that six feet is the genetic information that makes us
look and/or act as we do. The rest is the genetic equivalent of an
archive of junk mail, but has clues and artificacts that may help
clarify human evolution and migration. We learned that some very simple
organisms have many more genes in their DNA than do humans. Decoding the
genome will permit individually customized drug therapies and early
diagnosis, treatment and correction of disorders and diseases. With her
overhead slides and explanations, Nancy successfully conveyed the
enormity and great significance of the project.

Margaret Foster gave the podium to General Evaluator Ronnie Evans. Bill
Gomez gave the timer\'s report and Susan Carlsen gave the Ah Counter\'s
report. Susan\'s report was itself sprinkled with ahs and ums, to her
own chagrin and our amusement.

The evaluations were a special treat at this meeting\--each one being a
mini-talk on speech craft as well as an expert critique. Evaluating
Cathy, Peg Adams suggested that she could have made the talk more
concrete and less theoretical by bringing along samples of the products
she sells or relating stories or anecdotes about the cold calling she\'s
done. Shelia Spencer evaluated Margaret Conover. Building on some of the
points Margaret had made, Shelia demonstrated that the source of the
breath (from the diaphragm, ideally, or the chest, throat or head)
contributes greatly to the emotional content and interpretation of the
words a speaker produces. Experience in singing can be helpful in
effective public speaking too, she said. She also pointed up the dual
value of a momentary pause: to draw breath and to draw the audience\'s
attention. Rick Holtmeier, in his evaluation of Nancy, suggested that
the initial ten seconds of a speech are crucial, and the first sentence
should grab the audience\'s attention. He also had some good points
about the use of an overhead projector. Projector location and room
configuration are sometimes less than ideal but may be improved.
Pointing to the slide on the projector, with a pen placed on the slide
itself, is more effective than pointing at the screen. Keeping the
transparency high on the screen helps those in the back of the room to
see the whole projected image, he said.

The final portion of the meeting consisted of a series of awards and
certificates presented to BNL Toastmasters members. Amy and Pat Astre
received their CTM pins, Nancy and Beth received their Competent Leader
pins and Ronnie received her DTM. Each member present received a
certificate of appreciation from the club, listing the attributes and
strengths other members saw in him or her. Margaret F. gave Ronnie and
Beth, the two other charter members, two of the original mugs that
members received when the club was formed. Ronnie gave gifts to Beth,
Nancy, Margaret and Amy, in appreciation of their work organizing the
meeting. After some happy photographs, a lot of smiling and shaking of
hands, Ronnie closed the meeting.

In response to several requests, here is the recipe for the middle
eastern style salad from the buffet:

**Tabouli Salad with Chick Peas and Feta**

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup medium grain bulgur wheat, also known as tabouli or tabbouleh\*

1/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 can chick peas, drained

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Green part of 4 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup Kalamata or oil cured olives, pitted

2 or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped

A few hours in advance, or the night before, put the bulgur in a large
bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir occasionally until most of
the water is absorbed. Add the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix
well, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Add the rest of
the ingredients and mix well. This recipe is delicious, easy, quick,
inexpensive, colorful, exotic and nutritious. It is also sturdy, travels
well to parties, and is a good main dish for vegetarians. Double the
recipe for a party size amount.

\*Available at health food stores. Shiloh Farms is a good brand. Don\'t
get the \"Near East\" product. It\'s a mix that has other ingredients.

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# ![](media/image2.png){width="1.75in" height="1.1458333333333333in"}![](media/image2.png){width="1.75in" height="1.1458333333333333in"} ***Edge, Page 2 May 31, 2001***

BNL Toastmasters Club Web site:

[www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/toastmstrs/default.htm](http://www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/toastmstrs/default.htm)

BNL Toastmasters Regular Meeting Schedule

+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Date**         | **June 5**      | **June 19**     | **June 26** |
|                  |                 |                 |             |
|                  |                 |                 | **NOON**    |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Theme**        | Who Wants to be | Trip Around the | The         |
|                  | a Millionaire?  | World-          | Internet    |
|                  |                 | **Speechcraft** |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **TMOD**         | Amy             | Beth            |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Joke**         |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Word**         |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Timer**        | Nancy           | Kim             |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Ah counter**   |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Grammarian**   |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Table Topics** |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Speech #1**    | Nand            | Kim             | Kim         |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#2**           | Leyla           |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#3**           | Margaret F.     |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#4**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#5**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#6**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **General        |                 |                 |             |
| Eval.**          |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Evaluator #1** |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#2**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#3**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#4**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#5**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **#6**           |                 |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Quiz Master**  | Beth            |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+
| **Absent**       | Margaret C.     |                 |             |
+------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+

**Speechcrafters Workshops** are being planned by Beth Lin to offer the
Toastmaster\'s experience to summer students working at BNL. The four
meetings will be June 12, June 19, July 10, and July 17. Note that two
of these, June 19 and July 17, are also regular BNL Toastmasters
Meetings. Please offer your help to Beth as she will need us to give
presentations, mentor students, and serve in other roles.

**How to Conduct Successful Meetings**

Nand Narain is presenting a special workshop on How to Conduct
Successful Meetings at the June 5 meeting. This will be a 40 minute
presentation from the Success/Leadership series.

Members\' Progress Report

  --------------------- ------------------ ------------------------------
  **Member**            **Speeches         **Achievements**
                        completed**        

  Pat A.                5                  CTM

  Susan C.              5                  

  Margaret C.           5                  

  Ronnie E.             1                  DTM

  Margaret F.                              DTM

  Amy H.                10                 CTM

  Beth L.               2                  ATM-G + 5 CTMs

  Patty L.              5                  

  Nancy M.              5                  CL, ATM-B

  Nand N.               4                  ATM-S

  Kimberly P.           8                  

  Leyla P.                                 

  Cathy S.              3                  
  --------------------- ------------------ ------------------------------