Icebreaker

Introduction: The Ice Breaker marks the beginning of your new Toastmasters path. It is your opportunity to introduce yourself to your group and share something about yourself. You may choose to share anything from the reason you chose this particular path to something personal about your life.

The Ice Breaker speech is 4 to 6 minutes in length and it is the first one that all Toastmasters present to their clubs. It is also the speech Toastmasters deliver when they embark on a new path.

You will learn to distinguish the basic elements of speech structure and learn about rehearsal techniques that will help you balance preparation and spontaneity.

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to introduce yourself to the club and learn the basic structure of a public speech.

Structure: The four elements of a good story are:

1. Interesting topic.
2. Opening.
3. Body.
4. Conclusion.

Overview: Write and deliver a speech about any topic to introduce yourself to your club. Your speech may be humorous, informational, or any other style that appeals to you.

Practice: There are many ways to practice. Choose a technique that works for you or develop one of your own.

• Rehearse with Friends or Family.
• Record Yourself.
• Use a Mirror.
• Practice Sections.
• Time Yourself.

Relax, Breathe, Enjoy, and Overcome Anxiety.

How to overcome crutch words

1. Embrace the pause. They create suspense, slow down fast talkers, demonstrate confidence, draw audience attention and give speakers the time they need to communicate with precision. With practice, you will soon be pausing instead of using crutch words, and there’s no penalty for pausing. 
2. Slow down. But when speakers slow down, they have much more time to plan out the precise phrases they want to use and will not need nonsensical fillers to connect random and pre-baked thoughts.
3. Know your point. Prepare your points in advance and know them well. If you start talking before you know what you want to say, you’re bound to say something pointless.
4. Practice your speech. Practicing mitigates that anxiety by making the speaker more familiar with the material. A comfortable and confident speaker has more control, enabling her to embrace pauses and deftly avoid the “ums” and “ahs.” Practice may not always make perfect, but it can give you the confidence to make good public-speaking decisions.

Ah counter speech

Greetings General Evaluator, fellow Toastmasters, and guests. The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note words and sounds that are used as a "crutch" or "pause filler" by anyone who speaks. During the meeting, I will listen for overused words, including and, well, but, so, and you know. I will also listen for filler sounds, including ah, um, and er. And when a speaker repeats a word or phrase, such as "I, I" or "This, this, this means." At the end of the meeting, I will report the number of times that each speaker used these expressions.

Thank you, General Evaluator. Go back to you.

The ah counter

The purpose of the Ah-Counter is to note any overused words or filler sounds used as a crutch by anyone who speaks during the meeting. Words may be inappropriate interjections, such as and, well, but, so and you know. Sounds may be ah, um or er. As Ah-Counter you:

• Request a copy of the Ah-Counter’s log from your sergeant at arms. If a log is not available, be prepared to take notes.
• When introduced during the club meeting, explain the role of the Ah-Counter.
• In the Ah-Counter’s log, record overlong pauses, overused words and filler sounds relied upon too often by all speakers. Examples include: and, but, so, you know, ah, um.
• During the evaluation portion of the meeting, report your observations when called upon.

Fisión

fisión

Del lat. fissio, fissiōnis.

f. Escisión, rotura.

Sin.:

• división, desintegración.

Otra palabra que posee la misma raíz latina.

fisura

Del lat. fissio, fissiōnis.

f. Grieta, ranura.

No confundir con la palabra fusión, que es su antónimo.

Fisión y fusión

Ejemplo de uso:

La fisión de un átomo de uranio libera energía yproduce átomos de elementos más ligeros.

Grammarian speech

Gracias estimada Evaluadora General. Estimado toastmaster, compañeros e invitados.

Como Evaluador Gramatical, es mi responsabilidad prestar atención a todos los oradores, escuchando atentamente su discurso. Tomaré nota de cualquier uso inapropiado de las palabras o el lenguaje, así como de cualquier cita, frase o pensamiento sobresaliente.

Como Evaluador Gramatical, también es mi deber presentar la palabra del día. Para la sesión de hoy, la palabra es ______ que significa ______. Un ejemplo del uso de la palabra es: ______. Animamos a nuestros oradores a utilizar la palabra del día en sus intervenciones.

Presentaré el informe del Evaluador Gramatical cuando se me solicite durante la sesión. Muchas gracias.

Regreso contigo, estimada Evaluadora General.

The grammarian

Propósito: Retroalimentar sobre las fallas en la gramática y los vicios del lenguaje.

Funciones: Escucha atentamente durante la sesión y anota las frases que se han dicho de manera incorrecta y hace propuestas de mejora para cada frase.

1. Selecciona una palabra o frase de la sesión.
2. Describe que tipo de figuras retóricas se utilizaron y de que manera podrían mejorarse.
3. Indica las mejores frases que los oradores utilizaron.
4. Anuncia quién empleó correcta o incorrectamente la palabra del día (o un derivado de ella).

Errores:

1. Vulgarismo. Alterar letras, sílabas y palabras. Abuja, pader.
2. Pleonasmo. Redundancia o repetición. Es una nueva innovación. El fuego ardiente.
3. Solecismo. Error en la construcción gramatical.
4. Pobreza de vocabulario. Utliizar varias veces la misma palabra.
5. Perífrasis. Rodeo de palabras. Decir mucho para expresar poco.
6. No corcondancia. Vicio que altera la relación correspondiente entre el género y el número. Un coche nueva.
7. Metátesis. Cambio de lugar de un sonido en un vocablo. Por tempore, pro tempore.
8. Metaplasmo. Agregar o quitar un sonido que es propio de una palabra. Nadien, pa'l sur.
9. Impropiedad. Cambiar el significado de las palabras. Fingir por fungir.
10. Dequeísmo. Abuso con las palabras "de que". Le dije de que viniera.
11. Cacofonía. Combinación o unión de sonidos inarmónicos. La agua, eficazmente y rápidamente.
12. Barbarismo. Pronunciar o escribir mal las palabras. Estuata por estatua.
13. Apócope. Acortar informalmente una palabra. Secun, bici.
14. Anfibología. Expresión que puede tener más de una interpretación o comprensión. Una vez le disparé a un elefante, en pijama. Doble sentido.
15. Anacoluto. Es un cambio repentino en la construcción de la frase. Mi compañera, sus padres son de Murcia. Yo, se me ocurren ideas fabulosas.
16. Extranjerismo. Palabra o expresión de un idioma extranjero. Marketing, hobby.
17. Modismos. Un modismo es una expresión figurativa cuyo significado no puede interpretarse únicamente por la conjunción de sus palabras. Por los pelos.
18. Imprecisión del lenguaje. Eso que pasó fue como... ya sabes… raro. La situación fue confusa y sorpresiva.
19. Falta de conectores. Primero abordaré el problema. Luego, ofreceré soluciones.

Pathways

The current education system Pathways consists of eleven differing paths suited to their needs and requirements, based around Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, Management, Strategic Leadership, and Confidence. Each path consists of 14 projects. Content consists of online and print materials, it being the first time in the organization’s history to provide modern technology in its programme. Content is available in English, and as of 2023, translations are available in 10 languages.

Toastmasters

Toastmasters International (TI) is a US-headquartered nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping people develop communication, public speaking, and leadership skills.

On 24 March 1905, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, a 1903 graduate from Illinois Wesleyan University, who was also the educational director for Bloomington YMCA in Illinois, started a club in a dinner meeting, to train young boys and men in speech, to face an audience, and to express their thoughts. He envisioned it as a weekly social club, with training programs for short speeches, debates, and work in chairmanship. The members took turn to speak in 5 to 6 minutes while the elder men served as speech evaluators. George Sutton, General Secretary of YMCA, named the club "a Toastmasters Club". Smedley later noticed a significant improvement in his members' speeches and leadership abilities. When YMCA transferred Smedley to another city named Freeport in Illinois, he decided to expand his club to the new city.

The organization grew out of a single club founded by Smedley on October 22, 1924, at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, United States. It originated as a set of classes with the aim of improving the communication skills of the young men under his charge. Toastmasters International was incorporated under Californian law on December 19, 1932. The first international chapter was established in Vancouver, Canada, in 1932. The organization began admitting women in 1973. Toastmasters International has more than 300,000 members in more than 14,000 clubs spanning 150 countries.

Evaluation criteria for a speech

This criteria lists the specific goals and expectations for the speech. Please review each level to help you complete the evaluation.

Clarity. Spoken language is clear and is easily understood.

5 – Is an exemplary public speaker who is always understood 
4 – Excels at communicating using the spoken word 
3 – Spoken language is clear and is easily understood 
2 – Spoken language is somewhat unclear or challenging to understand 
1 – Spoken language is unclear or not easily understood 

Vocal Variety. Uses tone, speed, and volume as tools.

5 – Uses the tools of tone, speed, and volume to perfection 
4 – Excels at using tone, speed, and volume as tools 
3 – Uses tone, speed, and volume as tools 
2 – Use of tone, speed, and volume requires further practice 
1 – Ineffective use of tone, speed, and volume 

Eye Contact. Effectively uses eye contact to engage audience.

5 – Uses eye contact to convey emotion and elicit response 
4 – Uses eye contact to gauge audience reaction and response 
3 – Effectively uses eye contact to engage audience 
2 – Eye contact with audience needs improvement 
1 – Makes little or no eye contact with audience 

Gestures. Uses physical gestures effectively.

5 – Fully integrates physical gestures with content to deliver an exemplary speech 
4 – Uses physical gestures as a tool to enhance speech 
3 – Uses physical gestures effectively 
2 – Uses somewhat distracting or limited gestures 
1 – Uses very distracting gestures or no gestures Audience 

Awareness. Demonstrates awareness of audience engagement and needs.

5 – Engages audience completely and anticipates audience needs 
4 – Is fully aware of audience engagement/needs and responds effectively 
3 – Demonstrates awareness of audience engagement and needs 
2 – Audience engagement or awareness of audience requires further practice 
1 – Makes little or no attempt to engage audience or meet audience needs 

Comfort Level. Appears comfortable with the audience.

5 – Appears completely self-assured with the audience 
4 – Appears fully at ease with the audience 
3 – Appears comfortable with the audience 
2 – Appears uncomfortable with the audience 
1 – Appears highly uncomfortable with the audience 

Interest. Engages audience with interesting, well-constructed content.

5 – Fully engages audience with exemplary, well constructed content 
4 – Engages audience with highly compelling, well constructed content 
3 – Engages audience with interesting, well constructed content 
2 – Content is interesting but not well-constructed or is well-constructed but not interesting 
1 – Content is neither interesting nor well-constructed 

Topic. Shares some aspect of his or her leadership style and the impact of that style on self or others.

5 – Delivers an exemplary speech about the topic and its impact
4 – Delivers an excellent speech about the topic and its impact
3 – Shares some aspect of the topic and its impact
2 – Mentions some aspect of the topic and its impact, but does not fully address 
1 – Delivers a speech on a topic other than some aspect of the topic proposed