Christmas Legends – An Abbreviated History

Have you ever wondered where Christmas legends come from?  How did Santa Clause come to be and how did he become a part of our holiday tradition?  Who came up with the idea of decorating a Christmas tree, Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, etc.?  Here are some answers that will hopefully satisfy our curiosities: 

1. For starters, Santa Claus aka Kris Kringle or Saint Nicholas became a household name around the mid-15^th century.  He was a monk and well known for being compassionate and generous.   Travelling the country, he gave away his inheritance to those hungry and in need.  The most popular story he was known for involved him providing the dowry for 3 young women.  Their family was so poor they could barely put food on the table.  If a family could not afford dowry, in those days, a girls’ fate was grim. “Prostitution and slavery” were common outcomes. Saint Nicholas, as legend goes, knew of the girls’ potential fate and tossed 3 bags of gold down their chimney into their stockings that were hanging over the fireplace to dry.  Oh, happy day for that family! 

Here are a couple of other tidbits of information on Saint Nick:  “The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas. The tradition of dressing up as Santa began around 1890, when the Salvation Army had unemployed men in costume collect donations to help pay for Christmas meals for the poor.

2. 2. Gift giving to children is said to have started with the legend of Babushka. Babushka was an elderly, Russian woman, who was visited by the 3 wise men, on their way to see the baby Jesus. They stopped to ask her for directions, as the star of Bethlehem was hidden behind the clouds.  She was also invited to go with them to worship baby Jesus and to bring him gifts. She declined, stating that she would wait until morning, when it was warmer.  When morning came, she could take it no more and continued for the rest of her days trying to find the Christ child. She never found him, but for every child she encountered, she gave a gift and a treat and has a special fondness towards babies.  
3. Decorating Christmas trees, “the German monk and famous religious reformer,” Martin Luther, is credited with this tradition.  Having gone for a walk at night, he saw stars shining brightly through a fir tree’s branches and was inspired to bring the tree home and adorn it with candles. He told his family that “it reminded him of Jesus, who left the stars of heaven to come to earth at Christmas.” Others liked Martin Luther’s Christmas tree decorating idea from the 16^th Century.  It has been adopted and modified, ever since.   

The Christmas colors of red and green are significant.  Red symbolizes “the blood of Jesus shed during his crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life, and in particular the evergreen tree, which does not lose its leaves in the winter.”

4. Another tradition with Mexican origins, the poinsettia was a gift to the baby Jesus.  When it was first picked by Maria, a poor, Mexican girl and her brother, Pablo, the poinsettia was actually a weed.  They picked it off the side of the road, as it was all they could afford.  Other children made fun of their gift, but an angel encouraged them to carry the weeds to the manger.  Once they were placed, a transformation occurred.  Beautiful red leaves appeared, and a poinsettia was formed.  

5. Saint Francis of Assissi, during the 11^th century, is said to have popularized the Nativity scene display.      

The origin of today’s Christmas caroling traces its roots to the 14^thCentury, thanks to the priests from the St. Francis order. During the 17^th & 18^th Centuries, though, a person could have been charged with witchcraft, imprisoned, and possibly put to death, during the Puritan rule, as caroling was considered a pagan practice.   

6. The “Christmas Star” was a “new star seen in the sky,” one evening by shepherds. This “star was so radiant that its bright rays spread light as bright as day on the gray hills of Bethlehem.” Seeing “this strange, bright star,” the shepherds “were frightened of the unusual shine”.  An angel appeared and said to them, “Do not be afraid; the star has come to bring you good tidings of great joy and to show you the place, where a little baby is born—a little babe whose name is Jesus and who will give peace and joy to the whole world.” From there, the angel disappeared, and the shepherds went to see the baby Jesus. The Christmas Star was their guide. 

During the 19^th Century , the Christmas Star probably first appeared as a decoration, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made the custom of decorating the tree fashionable. Until that point, the U.S. citizens could not display a Christmas tree, as it was considered a pagan practice.

7. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer came about in 1939 and was created by Bob May, copywriter at Montgomery Ward.  At the time of his writing, his wife was suffering from cancer and was being treated at the hospital.  It is said that the inspiration for the story came from his 4-year old, daughter, who was sobbing and asked him why mom could never come home.  Bob, who could not afford a Christmas gift for his daughter, poured all of his energies and frustrations into this book that we now know as “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer”.  His book sold nearly 6 million copies by 1946.  The song was written by his brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, and Gene Autry sang the original that sold over 2 million copies in 1949.  In 1964, Burl Ives narrated the TV story that has become a Christmas tradition for many of us.  The story has been translated into over 25 different languages.

This concludes our information session on Christmas legends and traditions.  “Merry Christmas to all and to all” a G’Day!

 

Skip the Perfume Factory!

It was an autumn day in October, about twenty years ago.  I was travelling amongst other students in Paris, France.  We were on a 2-day trip, and it was my 3^rd big trip, across the big pond, that semester.  I’d been to London, Dublin in Ireland, and now Paris.  This trip was going to be extra special because I had spent my entire high school career studying French, waiting for this very day to actually get to speak French in its home country.
 

In my early college years, I had dreams of becoming a foreign interpreter, travelling to foreign lands, and speaking multiple languages.  It seemed that I finally would be getting my first taste of what this life might be like.  At the very least, I could go to Paris and take in all of those lessons learned in French class.  I could see the sites, taste the food, speak the language – live, sleep, eat, think, dream, breathe in French for a couple of days.

The first little adventure was on a cruise ship. We had crossed the English Channel from Dover in the UK to Calais, France.  None of the students knew French so I assisted some with ordering hot chocolate and coffee.  I used very basic French and successfully ordered their drinks.  That made me feel pretty good. 

The next adventure was at the hotel.  Anytime you left the hotel, you had to leave and retrieve your key from the Front Desk Attendant.  At one point, I left the hotel and returned to get my key.  I gave the attendant my room number.  He couldn’t understand me.  I said room 253 in what I thought was very clear French.  Evidently, this wasn’t the case.  I repeated myself and even showed the numbers using my fingers.  He got mad and asked me to write it.  I did, although I was disappointed.  I was trying very hard to communicate with him in French, but it just wasn’t working out.

Another time, I went to a patisserie or bakery to buy some French bread, which according to my French lessons, the French eat about 3 times a day and carry with them everywhere.  I asked the seller for some “du pain grand”, which I thought I was asking for a loaf of French bread.  He was very confused.  I repeated it to no avail and even tried gesturing.  Then, he understood.  I asked him what it was called.  He said, “baguette”.  For the life of me, I did not remember the word “baguette” in my studies.

Later, I wanted to experience the Bon Marché, which is a very renowned, department store in Paris.  I figured if I was in the fashion capital of the world that I was going to see what clothing they had to offer.  I asked one of the attendants to see a bra.  Once again, she hadn’t a clue what I was saying.  It was frustrating.  I didn’t understand what was missing in the translation of “les bras”.  She went and got an interpreter, who asked me in perfect English what I wanted.  I told her and then asked her what it was called.  She said “soutien gorge”.  I was completely puzzled by that word and looked it up later and discovered that the English translation was “under the throat”.  I guess my French teacher had never brought that word up.  It must have been considered too risque for 12^th graders...

All of my trip was not spent confusing the French, I actually did manage to get decent directions at the train station. No interpreter was required.  I visited many sites that I had only read about and had not seen in person.  The Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysée, Arc du Triomphe, le sacré coeur, (a famous cathedral), Pére la Chaise cimitére, where Oscar Wilde & Jim Morrison are buried, were a few of these.  The city at night was amazing and very appropriately called the “City of Lights” or “Ile de la cité”.

The main reason I got to see so many of these sites is because I chose to skip out on the guided, group tour of the perfume factory.  The teacher in charge was not too pleased with me, and I was lectured for going off on my own.  Quite honestly, though, I have no regrets.  I saw most of the things *Paris* that I had studied and learned about over the years and even went with a friend to a bar, where we talked with a local about the infamous Moulin Rouge and other aspects of Parisian culture. 

Oftentimes, I have found in my life, that the best lessons learned are ones uncovered, when you go off of the beaten path.  If I had the choice to do it all over again, as far as taking the group tour of the perfume factory or experiencing all of Paris’s gems and soaking in every detail, in a heartbeat I’d say, “Skip the Perfume factory!  Live life to the fullest, and remember,  a second chance may never again come along!"

This is the video version of "Up and At Em".  I wrote the original blog, with the intent of using it in a speech competition for my Toastmasters club:  http://youtu.be/enFgAmLnNio

 

“Up and At Em!”

“Wake up, Sleepy Head! It’s time to rise and shine!”...Wouldn’t it be just amazing, if those words actually worked?  I don’t know how many times I have said these exact words to my daughter, until I am blue in the face, and they just don’t work!  I’ve tried the soft approach.  I’ve tried the completely obnoxious, drill-sargent approach, and the only one who ever seems to get worked up over any of this is *moi*.

I’ve taken some suggestions from family and well-meaning people about dumping a glass of ice cold water on her head.  Actually, I never stooped to that because I knew who would be cleaning up that mess, but a nice squirt gun is pretty harmless.  So, I used this method for a while, and obviously, my daughter wasn’t too fond of it.  She woke up in bad spirits, and that really wasn’t a good start off to either of our days.  Back to the drawing board.

I’ve never been one for being a morning person, but my daughter loves a great, home-cooked breakfast.  There have been times my husband’s gotten up early to do this. He certainly doesn’t make a habit of it, especially not during the week, but when he does, he’ll mention “eggs and bacon”.  Then, watch her come flying out of bed.  Honestly, I’ve tried to encourage her to get up early and make her own breakfast...like that’s going to happen.

We’ve had this getting-up-for-school problem for over 10 years, and I’ve honestly tried all of the normal methods of getting her up.  There’s the alarm clock with the snooze.  Do you know who gets the snooze?  I get the snooze.  I let the alarm go off for 40 minutes, and she never wakes.  Sooo frustrating!  There’s always the calling out approach, “Amber, get up!... Amber, get up!!!”  That doesn’t work!  There’s gentle nudging.  Nope.  I’ve resorted to vigorous, rocking-the-boat, side-to-side motions.  That just makes her mad, and she’ll be up for a while.  As soon as I leave the room though, zzzzzzz. 

Sometimes, I’ll get these bouts of inspiration and try to do things a little different, to see if I might have a better outcome.  I’ve put on a live concert for her: (singing)“Wake up, little Amber! Wake up!... Wake up, little Amber! Wake up!”-- Do you think she appreciated that?  No!!  That’s ok.  It was more for my enjoyment, anyway.  I figure if I have to go through all of the trouble of getting her out of bed, I might as well try and get some enjoyment out of it.

My next tactic of trying to wake her was a little unusual.  I was looking at her bed and surveying the amount of space left around her legs, to determine if it was safe.  Then, I proceeded to climb onto the bed and jumped on it like it was a trampoline.  Boy, did that make her mad!

Out of the different feats that I’ve tried with her, there is one in particular that is tempting, but I avoid like the plague... Little brother!  If there is one thing that will get my daughter up, quicker than anything, it would be my sweet, little, mischievous rascal.  Sure, he’ll get her up alright.  He may not be alive, when she catches him, but she’ll be up.  It’s not exactly the end result that I’m looking for.

Recently, I conducted a survey amongst my Facebook friends about possible ideas of how to get my dead-to-the-world child up in the morning and have come up with some interesting responses.  Did you know that smartphones have an app for an airhorn?  I downloaded it on my phone, but it was disappointingly not very loud.  I did find a decent police siren app though.  I have yet to try it.  Also glass marbles in the freezer are another interesting way to wake a kid up.  From what I’ve been told, a child can’t easily roll away from them because they move with the body. Pretty clever, huh?

I am sure there are a lot more ways to wake kids up in the morning, and the list will keep growing, until the end of days.  With new technologies and clever, innovative ideas from desperate parents, a sleeping child will have no defense. On that note though, probably, a good, old-fashioned splash of water or an ice cube will continue being a struggling parent’s #1 resource.

My Mid Life Crisis

This is my follow-up to "Give You the World", which I had written about my daughter and her Aspergers. Now that she's 18, there are a few more challenges to deal with. http://youtu.be/qeoPbJRW9dg

Give You the World, Part II... Still Trying...

Good evening! Thank you all for coming! It's good to be in such great company and surrounded by such good food and have such outstanding wait service. What I mainly would like to talk to you about tonight though is mid-life crisis and in particular... my mid-life crisis.

We all have in our heads what we think a mid-life crisis is. Many of you are possibly looking at me and wondering if I've decided to make some rash decision in my life that I might regret. Did I find a younger man that I'm going to run off with? (Not to my knowledge.) Am I going to leave work tomorrow and buy a brand new, red convertible BMW? (If only money wasn't an object.) Will I quit my day-time job to join a commune somewhere and shuck all of life's responsibilities? That's an interesting possibility, but no. I have not completely lost my senses yet! The crisis that I am dealing with is my daughter just turned 18.

When a parent's child turns 18, it can mean different things to different people. It can bring up empty nest syndrome in some parents, while others may be excited about the new found freedom that can come with their young adult's emancipation. Others may agonize because they know their child is not quite mature enough for the outside world and are anticipating them getting into financial, legal or relationship troubles. Some of these parents may choose to have their children live with them a bit longer or this decision may be thrust upon them because their adult children may have nowhere else to go, no money for a place to stay or they may have brought an infant into the world, in which they are unable to care for. Being a parent of a young adult can bring up all sorts of possibilities and life changes that you never could have imagined nor wanted to, when you first gazed upon your prepubescent child.

The number 18 brings up a whole realm of possibilities because this is when, by law, you no longer can protect your child. If they wrack up debt, it's their fault. Commit a crime, their fault. This is not to say that this is a bad thing. Certainly, we can't be expected to protect our children forever. Still, obviously, it can create a great deal of anxiety in parents and can lead to a mid-life crisis or perhaps mid-life panic attack is the more appropriate verbiage.

As most of you know, my daughter has been diagnosed with Aspergers, which at the present time, is considered an emotional disability. She is limited in what she can do, and unlike a lof of girls her age, has not completed driver's training. She isn't studying for her SAT or ACT, worrying about who she is taking to prom or touring prospective college campuses. She won't receive her high school diploma because she is unable to complete required classes. Her future is much different from that of the average high school senior. She will require a lot of assistance to get on her feet and to a greater degree of self-sufficiency, which is the primary goal that most of us parents strive for with our children.

There are agencies out there that I will lean on, during my midlife crisis, and for them, I am extremely grateful. The primary ones that come to mind are Citilink, Voc Rehab, Social Security, BDDS, and Easter Seals Arc. These agencies will make it possible for her to be trained and placed in a job and have coaching, transportation, health insurance, some income, and counsel, if needed. They can provide her with more help and resources that I have been unable to help her with over the years because of the lack of time, money, and expertise. The school, doctors, and counselors have helped over the years, but there is only so much they can do. Now that she is 18, she is an adult and is viewed independently from her parents, which makes her eligible for services that she couldn't receive before because her parents' income worked against her, and services are actually pretty expensive for the average income. Since I am now her legal guardian, though, I can act on her behalf and get her the help she so desperately needed, all these years.

So, the rules have changed. Now, she can receive in-home training from BDDS staff, in day-to-day matters, such as balancing a check book, taking her medicine, when appropriate, getting ready for work, making meals, and other things that many of us take for granted. The person working with her will be a caregiver. She may live in a group home, with a roommate or by herself, depending on what is available and her individual needs. She may remain at home, depending on what services are available. This remains to be seen.

The goal of these services is to work with the disabled individual and to get them, where they are as independent as possible and, hopefully, won't need the services permanently. For some people, they can gain a degree of independence through the training, and for others, this is not possible.

Voc Rehab will provide job placement, a job coach, and on-the-job training, as needed. Citilink is the city bus system that provides transportation, in case my daughter is unable to drive or doesn't have a ride. Social Security provides disability income and also the Medicaid Waiver, which is required, to pay for BDDS services. Lastly, Easter Seals Arc is a catch all. They provide job training and placement, advocacy, advice to parents on anything Autism-based, and have been a tremendous support and resources to me, over the past several years.

Recently, I met with one of my daughter's friends. She knew her from the 2nd grade. I am very pleased with the young lady that she has grown into. Back then, I wasn't sure what would come of her and knowing what I know about my daughter's condition today, sometimes, the future seems really grim. This young lady, though, does drive a car, uses a cell phone quite well, and does work, thanks to Voc Rehab finding her a job. The job is at McDonalds, which is excellent for someone with her condition. To be honest, if my daughter could be that self-sufficient, I would be very happy. Soon, her friend will be able to find a place to live, away from mom and dad with the help of BDDS, and become even more self sufficient.

So my talk today is to acknowledge the social services that are out there that can make a difference in people's lives, make life much more bearable for caregivers, and make it possible for young adults with disabilities to actually leave the nest. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the services provided by Citilink, Social Security, BDDS, Voc Rehab, and Easter Seals Arc. With your services, my daughter and others like her have the opportunity to experience becoming more self sufficient, and I shall with these agency's assistance make it through my mid-life crisis.

“Toastmaster Training for VP-PROs: Discussion group”

Welcome to Public Relations Officer Training! My name is Kristal, and I’ll hopefully be helping you to understand your role as officer better. Also we can discuss with one another what we’ve learned so far in our roles and exchange some ideas.

1.       The first lesson in PR is to market yourself. As PROs, we need to project a positive and professional image of our respective groups. We are the face of our clubs, for better or worse. So make an unforgettable, positive first impression. Remember our tagline, “Where leaders are made”, and embody that philosophy.

Market your product, with our product being Toastmasters International (TMI). Have promotional materials on hand, including fliers and brochures. Business cards are essential. They should have your contact info, including name, title, phone number, email, website, meeting place, day and time.

Talk up TMs. Have an elevator speech ready for that unsuspecting moment, when you have the opportunity to attract a guest or new member to your club. Be able to say something in about 60 seconds, telling people what TMs is, what the benefits are, & how they too can benefit from being a member. Have a personal testimonial ready, as to how it has helped you.

2.       Be your Brand manager. You are in charge of promoting and protecting the TMs brand & need to ensure that the TM logo and taglines are used appropriately. Color and size specifications, as designated by TMI, must be adhered to, when used in your publications. Also, it is a copyright infringement for any unauthorized person or organization to use our logo or tagline without express permission from TMI.

3.       Apart from being a Brand Manager, you are your club’s link to the outside world. You are responsible for getting your meeting location & times published to various community calendars on the internet, in the newspaper, and other local publications. Also fliers can be posted in public areas; permissions from management should be obtained first.  Good places to post information would be in employee break rooms, bulletin boards, libraries, colleges, coffee houses. Networking events are also a great way to get the word out about your club. You can make some great connections and tell people more about how our organization can be a great benefit to them. For info on networking locations, you can visit Grantham Consulting’s site, www.gconsult.us, and look under “services” and then “networking”. There are a lot of other ways to promote your group that are mentioned in your handout. (**What are some ways you’ve promoted your club?**)

4.       If your club doesn’t already have one, set up a Facebook and/or Twitter fan page.  To save time, you can link these two accounts.  That way, you only have to make one post.  Social networking is a great tool to publicly get the word out about your club, attract new fans, tell people about upcoming events, provide them with interesting tidbits on improving one’s speaking skills, & much more. To make your fan pages more interesting, you should post pictures & videos of your members, acknowledge their achievements, and appeal to a broad audience.  Be sure and label pictures of your members.  That way, their friends can be engaged and share in with the fun.  Better yet, encourage members to share links of interest and encourage their friends to join your fan page.  The more interest, the better your chances are at recruiting potential new members and getting the word out about your club. (**How many of you have fan pages? Do you think it helps?**)

5.       Another responsibility of the VPPR is that of Webmaster.  If your club does not have a website, don’t panic!  TMI has an application, especially for those of us, who have little to no experience with creating websites, called FreeToastHost.org.  This should help simplify the process.  On your website, you will want it to be similar to a newsletter.  It should list upcoming events, contests, membership drives, member accomplishments, club news, pictures, location details, etc. Also, make sure your club is linked to the district website (www.toastmastersd11.org) and that TMI has included your URL in the “Find a Club” list. Your website needs to have a title, description, keywords, and tags that reference TMs, speaking, communications, etc. that way your website can easily be found in an internet search. (**Has anyone here used the FreeToastHost site? What did you think?**)

6.       You will also want to familiarize yourself with press releases.  When approaching the media, whether it’s for radio, TV or newspaper, you’ll want to submit your requests either by email or online form. Familiarize yourself with local print and online publications, broadcast networks, shows, and programs. Be able to recognize the names of journalists, media representatives, and the topics they cover.

When writing a press release, you should be able to explain who your target audience is for any planned events and why your ideal will appeal to the representative. If turned down, thank them for the opportunity and be sure to ask them to be considered for future stories related to communications, public speaking, and leadership. For more tips on writing a press release, there is information in your handout. (**Has anyone done a press release? What was that like?**)

7.       Your club may also want to have a club newsletter or blog. For a newsletter, it is suggested that it is done either monthly or quarterly, depending on a club’s preferences.

** Does anyone have any questions about anything we’ve discussed, so far or about anything from your Club Leader’s manual? **

1.       If not, then let’s go over some of our responsibilities. What are we responsible for? We need to make sure that we have enough promotional materials on hand for any upcoming events and for members to distribute to their workplace or other places in the community.

·         Results from our PR campaigns need to be announced, press releases shared, and upcoming events need to be broadcast. Be familiar with upcoming dates for all PR events, which can be found on pp. 18-21 in your Club Leadership Handbook.

·         Also we need to enlist the help of our members to help out with PR campaigns. They can earn credit for doing this in their CL (Competent Leader) manual.

·         Be sure and attend district training, conferences, other TM events, and Executive Committee meetings.

·         Join TM-moderated social networking groups on FB, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

·         **Speaking of TM-moderated social networking groups, has anyone had any positive/negative experiences that they might like to mention? Did you find them useful?

2.       Some of our other responsibilities include:

·         Finding a substitute, if unable to attend a meeting

·         Gathering info from members for monthly/quarterly newsletter and/or website

·         Greeting members & guests

·         Prepare successor for office

3.       Beyond this, just realize that we need to be leaders, which will give us some challenges from time to time

·         Need to set & attain goals for the club through promotion activities

·         Delegate as needed

·         Monitor progress

·         Coach team members, if necessary, which brings us to…

o   How do we motivate our teams? **Anyone?**

§  This can be a challenge & we need deep understanding of what motivates members

§  5 principals that can help us succeed

·         UNDERSTAND what motivates by learning about members

·         FOCUS on how to benefit them

·         MAKE EXPECTATIONS CLEAR – Set milestones for achieving goals

·         RECOGNIZE work; say thank you!

·         BE A LEADER – be enthusiastic about work to be done; support members in all tasks

·         Next, how should we delegate?

1.       Decide what needs delegated; **What are some things we might delegate?**

2.       Who can handle the task; who is available & capable?

3.       Assign responsibility – explain what needs done, give opportunity to decide if can handle

4.       Establish accountability – set deadlines & follow up

·         What are some roadblocks to delegating? **Anyone?**

                                                               i.      Fear of relinquishing control

                                                             ii.      Concern over others not performing up to standard

                                                            iii.      Not wanting to share credit

                                                           iv.      Fear of asking others for help

                                                             v.      Fear that someone else will do better & usurp your authority

·         Sometimes, when we delegate, a member doesn’t always meet our expectations. It becomes apparent that something needs to change. The person needs to improve what they are doing or someone else should be assigned to the task.

                                                               i.      **How would we handle something like this?**

1.       Agree problem exists

2.       Discuss solutions

3.       Agree on action to take & timeline

4.       Follow up

All in all, PR for our group is our responsibility.  We are our group’s primary PRO, but to be truly effective, we need to enlist our members’ help in promoting our club. There is great strength in numbers, and a whole lot of tasks can be completed with minimal effort & in a minimal amount of time, if dispersed among willing and able participants.

“Asperger’s Support Meeting”: Monday, November 14th from 7 PM-9 PM

Good evening!  My name is Kristal Heffley, and I am the proud mom of Amber Palmer, who is here with me tonight.  We have gone to the Asperger Support meetings off and on for a few years now and find them to be very beneficial and would encourage anyone wanting to learn more about Aspergers or needing support to come to these meetings.  What brought us to these meetings?  Her doctor had a flier about the group, and I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about Aspergers and to be around other parents, who have problems in common with our family.  Does anyone have a special story of why they’re here that they would like to share?

The reason I am here before you tonight is because I had asked Kara if she would mind if I mentioned to you about a group that I’m in, Toastmasters, because I think it could be beneficial to people with Aspergers and even their parents.  Both Kara and Sue thought it would be a good idea to talk about, so here I am.

So, does anyone know what Toastmasters is?  -- Toastmasters is a group that started in 1924 and was founded by Ralph Smedley.  Ralph was the director of the YMCA in Santa Ana, California and started the first TMs in the basement of his facility, after recognizing that many patrons needed help in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings.  The idea caught on, and pretty soon, other states started adopting TM programs.  In about 10 years in 1935, TMs went international, when the first TM organization was established in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada.  Today, TMs can be found worldwide in 116 countries with over 13,000 clubs and 270,000 plus members.

I belong to a group called Johnny Appleseed TMs, which meets across from the Coliseum on Parnell Ave on Friday mornings at 7:30 at the BBB, which is where I work.  I’ve been a member for over 5 years and was recently elected to President in my club, so that’s part of why I’m here. I’m here to promote it, but I wouldn’t be doing it, if I didn’t think it would be beneficial.  We welcome anyone to our meetings, and have a very nice, fun loving, and informal group.  There are also other clubs around Ft Wayne that meet at different times and locations to meet people’s individual needs.  A listing of the clubs and times can be found online, simply by googling “Fort Wayne Toastmasters”. This is my biz card, for anyone who might like to learn more about our meetings or if you know of someone, who could benefit.

Toastmasters was designed to help people overcome their fear of speaking in front of audiences.  The way we do that is by practicing in front of a small, informal group on a regular basis.  We take turns giving talks, ranging anywhere from 60 seconds, which is called a “Table Topic”, to about 5 - 7 minutes for a prepared speech.  Those of us, who don’t have assigned speaking parts are doing other things such as timing a speech, evaluating the speakers, introducing the speakers and evaluators, among other assigned roles.  Each week, we come together to help each other improve our speaking skills.  It’s just like a physical work out.  If you keep at it, you get better over time.   

Personally, the reason I joined Toastmasters is because a friend suggested it to me to build my confidence up so I would be comfortable giving talks as President of this organization I belonged to.  While I did not accept that role, Toastmasters did help build my confidence, and I kept going and have made a lot of improvement in my presentation skills over the years.

The reason I think Toastmasters would be helpful to young adults on the Autism spectrum is because I have witnessed positive changes in so many different people, just for being a part of this program.  I have seen people, who didn’t speak native English, improve their speaking and become more articulate.  Individuals with speaking impediments have improved their talking and confidence level, simply by being a part of a support group that is patient and willing to work with them to overcome difficulties.  Individuals, who are socially awkward, can learn better skills from evaluators, by having a mentor, and by observing the good example of others.  (*See http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCategories/WhyJoin/SuccessStories/MeetLisaBishop2.aspx.)

Also, I know Travis or John has brought up interviewing in here and how difficult that can be.  One thing we do in TMs gives extremely good practice for interview questions.  It is called the “Table Topic” session, where a person will ask you a question, and you have to answer it in 60 seconds or less.  You are taught to answer a question by answering it with an introduction, body, and conclusion, just like you would when writing a paragraph.  If you master answering questions this way, it can help prepare you for interview questions that might normally intimidate you.  It helps you be able to master the art of giving spontaneous answers.  Would anyone like to volunteer to try a Table Topic question?  I have (candy) for anyone who’d like to volunteer. :-)

On a personal note, I want to tell you how the group has helped me.  I have been in the group for about 5 years.  One of the first things I noticed at work was my emails to my bosses and coworkers dramatically improved.  I wrote more effective, coherent messages, and could make my point quickly and efficiently, which bosses like.  I started taking on leadership roles in the organization.  At one point, I was coordinating book fairs and blood drives, training managers on new systems processes, and heading the Emergency Action Team, which involved teaching employees on emergency procedures.  It opened up a lot of doors for me, and with every new opportunity that has come along, I admit I still feel fear, but it doesn’t stop me in my tracks, like it might have at one time. 

I tend to think of fear in terms of diving into a pool.  Initially, it’s kind of scary.  The water might be cold.  You really just don’t know what to expect, and that cold water might be painful.  Over time, though, after having jumped into that water enough times, you start to realize that the experience isn’t all that bad.  In fact, you might start enjoying it after a while and even start viewing it as a challenge and even exciting.  I can attest to it that from my experience, I honestly do look forward to new speaking challenges.  It helps me to learn and grow as a person.

Another door that TMs has opened up for me is I am better able to talk about my daughter’s Aspergers, which is so important, when talking to family, friends, neighbors, teachers, community resources, etc.  I have written a couple of speeches about my experiences with Aspergers and entered one of them in a competition last year and won 2^nd place at the Area level.  Because I was involved in that, my audience that I was educating about Aspergers increased that much more, every time I gave that speech.  And what is it exactly that we try to promote here?  Education.  The more people that understand and know about Aspergers, the better we can all get along.  My primary purpose in writing that speech was to educate others about my journey of being an Aspie mom.  Of course, as you all know, that journey continues on for the rest of your life and is actually rather difficult to cut down to a 7 ½ minute talk. 

Also, one of my friends encouraged me to start a blog, based on that speech, and I did.  That was an interesting experience in itself and further got the word out that way too.  I heard from people I’d never heard from before.  Then, I experimented with recording videos and posting them to youtube, which I did as part of my speech rehearsal.  So for me I have had quite the educational journey with TMs, and I just think it can be beneficial to a lot of people in so many ways, especially if you are able to communicate better and can teach others what we so desperately need them to understand.   

I guess at this point I just wondered if anyone had any questions about anything I’ve talked about.  If not, I’ll share with you a light-hearted video I made about some of the funnier experiences I have had with being Amber’s mom.  http://youtu.be/NZxJX-2GW_Q