Tri-County Toastmasters #5682

Unfortunately, after 11 great years, due to dwindling membership the club decided to disband in January of 2010. Most of the members have transferred their memberships to other Area 1 & Area 10 clubs.

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The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on 12-17-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Les Apps was the evening’s Toastmaster. Todd Austin served as the Tabletopicmaster, who coordinated the impromptu speaking portion of the program. During tabletopics, each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute unrehearsed response to a unique question. A special dignitary, Area 1 Governor Joann York was also in attendance.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Dr. Todd Austin from Virden. Austin delivered an informative presentation entitled “Presenting the Results for the Tri-County Toastmasters Club Public Relations Program”. This was Austin’s final speech project from the High Performance Leadership Project manual. Austin’s talk was evaluated by Casey Tom, who was performing his first ever Toastmasters club speech evaluation.

Bill Fulstick from Virden represented the Tri-County Toastmasters club in the Area 1 Table Topics (impromptu speaking) Contest on 10-10-09 in Springfield, IL. During the Table Topics competition, each contestant including Fulstick, was to give a 1 to 2 minute unrehearsed response to the question “You have three wishes. What would you want?”

The Tri-County Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday October 15, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. The speakers will be Todd Austin and Bill Fulstick. The Tri-County club, along with many other Toastmasters Clubs throughout the world will be celebrating the fact that Toastmasters International is marking it’s historic 85th anniversary this month. Over 5 million people have benefitted from the Toastmasters program over the years. Toastmasters Clubs currently meet in 106 different countries. Toastmasters was originally founded by Dr. Ralph Smedley, a native of nearby Waverly, IL.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on 10-1-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Dr. Todd Austin from Virden was the evening’s Toastmaster (or master of ceremonies). Jim Blankenship served as the Tabletopicmaster, who coordinated the impromptu speaking portion of the program. During tabletopics, each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute unrehearsed response to a potpourri of questions.

The evening’s prepared speaker was special guest Margaret Walker. Margaret, a member of Springfield’s Capital City Toastmasters Club which meets at IDOT, gave a humorous speech called “Daddy Gave Me Permission to Date”. This is the speech that she will be giving during the Toastmasters Area 1 Humorous Speech Contest on 10-10-09 in Springfield. Another special guest, Toastmasters Area 1 Governor Joann York evaluated Walker’s humorous presentation.

Tri-County Toastmasters Club Vice-President Todd Austin welcomed a special guest dignitary at the 9-17-09 meeting, Toastmasters Area 1 Governor Joann York.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 9-17-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. A special guest in attendance was Toastmasters Area 1 Governor Joann York, who was conducting her official area visit to the Tri-County Club. It was also announced during business that Macoupin County will be hosting a special Toastmasters Division Humorous Speech contest on the morning of 10-24-09 at the Carlinville Best Western. This event will be free and open to the public.

Casey Tom served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Liz Mollett conducted the Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program). Each participant gave an impromptu response (from 1 to 2 minutes) to a different question.

The evening’s two prepared speaker were Jim Blankenship from New Berlin and Todd Austin. Both are working from Toastmasters Advanced Communications manuals. One of the projects from the Public Relations manual called the ‘Radio Talk Show’ requires a talk show host to have a talk show guest on his program. Show host Herd Knightly (played by Jim Blankenship) first introduced Dr. Todd Austin from Austin Family Chiropractic in Virden as his special guest. Austin, who has been helping his patient’s to quit smoking since 2006 by using auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture without needles) then gave advice to the listeners about how to best prepare one’s self to give up nicotine in a prepared 4-minute presentation. Knightly and Austin then wrapped up the broadcast with a 3-minute question and answer session. The special presentation was evaluated by Area Governor Joann York.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on 9-3-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Jim Blankenship was the evening’s Toastmaster (or master of ceremonies). Liz Mollett served as the Tabletopicmaster, who coordinated the impromptu speaking portion of the program. During tabletopics, each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute unrehearsed response to a different question.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Casey Tom. Tom, a CPA, was giving only his second speech as a member of Toastmasters. His speech was called “Manufacturing The American Dream” and was about the city of Detroit, MI. Casey, who grew up near the auto factories as a child gave examples of Detroit then and now in a very informative and entertaining presentation. Les Apps evaluated Casey’s speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club held their second meeting of August 2009 at the Virden Area Community Center on Thursday 8-20-09. Todd Austin served as the evening’s Toastmaster (or master of ceremonies). Bill Fulstick served as the Tabletopicmaster for only his second time as a club member, coordinating the impromptu speaking portion of the program. During tabletopics, each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different question.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Jim Blankenship of New Berlin. Blankenship performed project # 9 from the Basic Toastmasters Communication manual on giving a speech that employs persuasion. His presentation was entitled “The 2 Types of Financial Advisors”. Blankenship’s main point was that the 2 different types of financial advisors are held to two different standards: the fiduciary standard vs. the suitability standard. Todd Austin evaluated Blankenship’s speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club held their first meeting of August 2009 at the Virden Area Community Center. During club business, the officers reported on the recent Toastmasters Leadership Institute, which was held in Springfield. Both President Les Apps and Public Relations Officer Todd Austin attended the training. Apps also had the privilege of training the other Toastmasters Division C club presidents who attended the conference. The club also filled out a Club Success Plan for the July 2009 through June 2010 Toastmasters fiscal year at Thursday’s meeting.

Todd Austin served as the evening’s Toastmaster (or master of ceremonies). Austin also served as the Tabletopicmaster, coordinating the impromptu speaking portion of the program, during which each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different question chosen from a variety of subjects.

The evening’s prepared speaker was also Dr. Todd Austin from Virden. Austin, who has been a member of Bat Conservation International since 1990, performed a project from the Basic Toastmasters Communication manual on giving a speech that employs vocal variety. His presentation was entitled “A New Lease On Life – A Bat Rescue”. Austin gave a Powerpoint presentation about his role on July 10, 2009 in giving an orphaned 3-week old female Red Bat pup from Girard a new lease on life. Les Apps evaluated Austin’s speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 7-16-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps from Girard, Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, Bill Fulstick from Virden, Liz Mollett from Auburn and Casey Tom. One guest, Brenda Masters-Stout, a member of Hillsboro’s Montgomery County Toastmasters Club was also present.

During business the new slate of club officers for the 2009/2010 Toastmasters year were installed. Les Apps will continue to serve as club president.

Casey Tom served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Bill Fulstick conducted a ‘current events’ themed Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program). This was Fulstick’s first time serving in the role of Topicmaster. Each participant then gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to his or her question.

The evening’s two prepared speaker were Todd Austin and Les Apps. Both are working from the Advanced Communications manual which is entitled ‘Special Occasion Speeches’. Two of the five speeches in this manual are ‘Presenting an Award’ and ‘Accepting an Award’. Apps conjured up a humorous and fictitious award ceremony idea. Austin portrayed Navin R. Johnson II, the president of the Newtonian and Euclidian Research and Dance Society (or N.E.R.D.S.) during a 4-minute award presentation. Apps played Bertrum P. Farnsworth, who was presented the society’s prestigious annual ‘Golden Pocket Protector’ award for his research in incorporating Euclidian geometry into hip-hop dance moves. Apps then delivered a very entertaining 5-minute acceptance speech. Liz Mollett had the honor of evaluating both special presentations.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday at the Virden Area Community Center. Todd Austin from Virden served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Girard's Les Apps was the evening’s General Evaluator.

The new slate of club officers was also announced during the club's brief business meeting. Apps will continue to serve as club president through 6-30-2010

The evening’s prepared speaker was Virden's Bill Fulstick. Bill delivered his first ever speech as a member of Toastmasters, which is officially referred to as an ‘Ice Breaker’ speech. His 7-minute presentation was about his European vacation that he took in the late 1960’s. Todd Austin evaluated Fulstick’s speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 5-21-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Jim Blankenship served as the evening’s Toastmaster (or master of ceremonies). Blankenship from New Berlin also served as Tabletopicmaster, coordinating the impromptu speaking portion of the program, during which each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a particular question chosen from on a variety of topics.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Todd Austin. Austin, who has been a member of Bat Conservation International since 1990, performed a project from the Basic Toastmasters Communication manual on giving an organized speech. His presentation was entitled “The # 1 Threat to North American Bats”. Austin discussed White-nose Syndrome which started affecting hibernating bats in a single cave in New York state just over 3 years ago, but has since spread throughout at least nine states! Two endangered species found in Illinois, Indiana bats and Gray bats, could soon be facing extinction if scientists don’t find more answers soon regarding this mysterious syndrome. Les Apps evaluated Austin’s informative speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday June 4, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. Les Apps will be the prepared speaker. For more information about the affordable Toastmasters program please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

A handful of Area 1 Toastmaster members from five different clubs recently finished up a 4-session Speechcraft ‘Public Speaking 101’ workshop for the general public in Springfield. Todd Austin, the public relations officer of the Tri-County Toastmasters Club served as the coordinator for the workshop series.

All attendees who graduated the course fulfilled the following requirements: introduced another speaker three times, participated in an impromptu speaking exercise on four occasions, gave three prepared speeches and evaluated another participant’s speech once.

The fourth and final session was held on 4-23-09. At Speechcraft session # 4, Austin served as the evening’s master of ceremonies. New Berlin's Jim Blankenship, a member of both the Tri-County and the American General Clubs gave a motivational speech about “Why You Should Join Toastmasters”. Incoming Area 1 Governor Joann York from Springfield’s Noontime Club addressed participants about all of the Area 1 clubs that are open to the public. York also served as the General Evaluator. Kelly Anderson from Springfield’s American General Company Club led the impromptu speaking portion of the evening by serving as the Tabletopicmaster.

Other Area 1 Toastmaster members who helped out with the first 3 Speechcraft sessions were: Jackie Rakers from the Montgomery County Club, Division C Governor Margaret Walker from the Noontime Club, and Dan Filla from Springfield’s McBrian Lincoln-Douglas Club.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday May 7, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center located at 105 West Jackson Street. For more information about how the affordable Toastmasters program can help you to become either a better leader or communicator, or for information about attending a meeting or scheduling a Speechcraft program for your organization or community, please call (217) 965-3100 or e-mail draustin@royell.net.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 3-19-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps, Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, John Davidson, Bill Fulstick, Liz Mollett from Auburn, Casey Tom and Billy Watkins. One guest, Mick Bray was also present.

Todd Austin served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Jim Blankenship, a Certified Financial Planner from New Berlin, coordinated the impromptu speaking portion of the program, during which each participant gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to his or her question.

The evening’s first prepared speaker was Todd Austin. Austin delivered an inspirational speech entitled “Communication – The Key to Success”. This presentation was a revised version of the one Austin presented one week earlier to a non-Toastmasters audience as part of a Speechcraft ‘Public Speaking 101’ workshop. It fulfilled the tenth project from the Toastmasters basic communication manual. Liz Mollett evaluated Todd’s speech.

The final prepared speaker was John Davidson. Les Apps evaluated John’s speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday April 2, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. Billy Watkins from Morrisonville will be the prepared speaker. The club will be hosting an open house as a way of introducing the Toastmasters program to the general public. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending the ‘open house’ meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 3-5-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at the meeting were: Les Apps, Todd Austin, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, John Davidson, Bill Fulstick, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins.

Billy Watkins served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Les Apps served as the Topicmaster, who is in charge of the impromptu speaking portion of the meeting. Todd Austin was the evening’s General Evaluator.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Casey Tom. Tom delivered his first ever speech as a member of Toastmasters, which is officially referred to as an ‘Ice Breaker’ speech. His 4-minute presentation was about golf and public speaking. Jim Blankenship evaluated Austin’s speech.

Todd Austin, the public relations officer and a founding member of the Tri-County Toastmasters Club also embarked upon an exciting project since the last meeting. He is coordinating and conducting a Speechcraft program with the assistance of a handful of other Area 1 Toastmasters members in Springfield. The first session (out of four total), was held on 3-12-09. Six central Illinoisans received training on how to improve their communication skills from Austin, assistant coordinator Kelly Anderson from Springfield’s AIG (company) Club, and Jackie Rakers who is currently the president of the Montgomery County club which meets in Hillsboro.

At Speechcraft session # 1, Austin gave a presentation about “The Importance of Good Communication Skills” and Rakers delivered a very informative and entertaining PowerPoint about “Selecting A Speech Topic”. Anderson doubled as the Topicmaster and Speech Evaluator, while Rakers also served as the General Evaluator. By the time the Speechcraft concludes next month, all Speechcrafters will have introduced and evaluated other speakers, will have participated in an impromptu speaking exercise on four occasions and will have delivered a total of three prepared speeches.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club, will next meet on Thursday March 19, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center located at 105 West Jackson Street. For more information about how the affordable Toastmasters program can help you to become either a better leader or communicator, or for information about attending a meeting or scheduling a Speechcraft program for your organization or community, please call (217) 965-3100 or e-mail draustin@royell.net.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 2-19-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Veteran club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps, Todd Austin, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, John Davidson, Liz Mollett from Auburn, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins. Club President Les Apps later welcomed Bill Fulstick as the clubs newest member at Thursday’s meeting.

Jim Blankenship served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Casey Tom was in charge of the Tabletopics, which is also known as the impromptu speaking portion of the meeting.

Les Apps, current club president and past Area 1 Governor, conducted an officers training session during the meeting. All 5 club officers were in attendance and received semi-annual training.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Todd Austin. Austin completed a project from the Basic Toastmasters Communication Manual. The title of his informative speech was “From Rags To Riches To Rags And Almost Back Again”. It was about the history of the National Football League’s oldest franchise, the Arizona Cardinals. The presentation followed the team from its humble beginning as the ‘Morgan Athletic Club’ back in Chicago in 1899, to their Racine Cardinal days from 1901 to 1920 (they played at 61st and Racine Streets in Chicago). They became the Chicago Cardinals in 1920 and won NFL Championships in 1925 & 1947 before moving on to St. Louis and finally to Arizona where they recently came close to winning a Superbowl. Liz Mollett evaluated Austin’s speech.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club, will next meet on Thursday March 5, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center located at 105 West Jackson Street. For more information about how the affordable Toastmasters program can help you to become either a better leader or communicator, or for information about attending a meeting please call (217) 965-3100 or e-mail draustin@royell.net.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 2-5-09 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Todd Austin, Jim Blankenship, John Davidson, Liz Mollett, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins.

Liz Mollett served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. >Bill Watkins served as the Topicmaster, conducting the impromptu speaking portion of the program. Each participant then gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to his or her particular question.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Jim Blankenship. Blankenship owns a financial planning business in New Berlin, but is originally from Nokomis. His humorous presentation which was about “Acronyms” was the fifth and final project from the Toastmasters Advanced Manual on “Humorously Speaking”. After completing 10 projects in the Basic Manual, members have 14 different Advanced Manuals to choose from. Dr. Todd Austin from Virden was assigned to evaluate Blankenship’s talk.

The Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday February 19, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. Todd Austin is scheduled to be the prepared speaker at the next meeting. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending a club meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

Both Tri-County and Montgomery County Toastmasters club officers attended the Division C Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) at the IDOT building in Springfield on Saturday 2-14-09. Officers from approximately 15 Division C attended the training sessions. Division C, also known as the ‘Prairie Division’ is made up of a large area that includes 42 Illinois counties.

Dr. Todd Austin from Virden served as one of ten scheduled presenters at the TLI. Austin, the first President of the Tri-County Club and a former Area 1 Governor, has been a member of five Toastmasters clubs dating back to 1994, has been a founding member of two clubs (including Tri-County), and has served as Vice President of Public Relations in two different clubs for a total of 12 years (the past 10 with Tri-County).

Jim Blankenship, a financial planner from New Berlin, is a veteran officer with the Tri-County Club. He is also a founding and current member of the AIG (Company) Club in Springfield.
Also attending the TLI were Bill Guthrie, Ashley Lawrence, Brenda Masters-Stout, Kim Noyes & Jackie Rakers, who are all current officers of the new Montgomery County Club which meets in Hillsboro twice per month on Tuesday evenings.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday February 19, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. The Montgomery County club meets on the first and third Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. at the Red Rooster Inn in Hillsboro. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending a club meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

On Tuesday October 28, 2008, Dr. Todd Austin had the opportunity to teach more than 225 Virden Elementary School students about bats. Austin, a Virden Doctor of Chiropractic, has been an active member of Bat Conservation International (BCI) for eighteen years.

Austin also became a member of Toastmasters in 1994 and is currently an officer for Virden’s Tri-County Toastmasters Club. Toastmasters has taught him how to take his love, passion and
enthusiasm for the world’s only flying mammals and turn that into an exciting presentation that others can learn from. Austin, sometimes called ‘The Bat Doctor’, has been speaking to audiences of all ages about bats since 1996.

Austin enjoys speaking about how bats are beneficial to people and the environment. "Bats tend to be misunderstood by many of us because they are usually only awake at nighttime” explains Austin. “My mission as a BCI volunteer is to drum up some good public relations for bats. If I can get even a handful of kids excited about bats, and even just one of them decides to go into a field such as bat research or conservation, then I’ve done my duty as a BCI member.”

Dr. Austin educated Virden Kindergarteners and 1st graders with his Powerpoint slide presentation called “Halloween, Vampires and Other Bats”. Later that day, he educated Virden 4th graders with another of his Powerpoint slide presentations entitled “How To Become A
Bat Ambassador”. Austin has compiled a set of over 100 slides that he uses for his bat programs. Most of the photos are courtesy of BCI founder Dr. Merlin Tuttle, who is known as the ‘world’s
leading bat photographer’. Twenty of the slides are from Austin’s own personal work with bats over the years.

"The kids really loved the bat slide presentation." said Austin "The slide of the California leaf-nosed bat which Austin and the kids affectionately referred to as ‘Mr. Rabbit Ears’, and the photo of the Wrinkle-faced bat that resembles a dinosaur elicited the most laughter from the audience. The kids also thought the picture of the Little Brown bat being held in the palm of a human hand was simply adorable".

• Austin started out by dispelling some of the myths about bats, like the ones that bats are ugly and that all bats are blind.


• He also told about how vampire bats actually lick up (not suck) the blood from birds and farm animals in Mexico and South America.


• He then stressed many of the ways bats are good for our environment:
  
  
  
  • Kids were taught that a single Little Brown bat can eat 1,000 mosquitoes in just one hour.
  
  
  • They learned about how Big Brown bats help out farmers considerably by controlling the number of crop pests that damage corn crops.
  
  They also heard about how bats in other parts of the world are essential for the survival of the rainforests, because they help flowers and trees to grow.
  


• Austin emphasized the fact that bats are wild animals that should never be touched. The children were informed that if they ever encountered a bat on the ground, they should leave it alone. This is because it might be a sick bat which could cause them to get sick too.

"While I enjoy speaking to audiences of all ages," says Dr. Austin, "children are the future guardians of our planet. A little bit of education at an early age can go a long way toward changing preconceived negative attitudes about these remarkably fascinating and highly beneficial flying mammals."

Austin donated three books Bats Love The Night, Time For Kids: Bats and Bats: Creatures Of The Night to the school library. Virden’s ‘Bat Doctor’ also left bat rings for all the students as well as Bat Fact Cards for the 4th graders.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 10-16-08 at the Virden Area Community Center. The theme of the meeting was the upcoming “Halloween” holiday. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps from Girard, Todd Austin, Jim Blankenship, John Davidson, Liz Mollett, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins. One guest, Ava Austin, was also present.

Liz Mollett from Auburn served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Jim Blankenship from New Berlin served as the Topicmaster. Blankenship conducted the impromptu speaking portion of the program with all questions based on Halloween. Each participant then gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to his or her particular question.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, IL. His powerpoint
presentation which was entitled “Halloween, Vampires & Other Bats” is the one that he will deliver to approximately 80 first grade students later this month. Austin has been involved with bat conservation work, bat house research and bat rescue and has been a member of Bat Conservation International since 1990. His enthusiasm for bats has earned him the nickname
"The Bat Doctor". John Davidson evaluated Austin’s informative and entertaining presentation, during which Austin dispelled many myths about the world’s only flying mammals.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 10-2-08 at the Virden Area Community Center. The theme of the meeting was a combination of the ‘2008 Political Race’ and the recent ‘U.S. Government Financial Bailout’. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, Jim Blankenship, Liz Mollett from Auburn and Bill Watkins. One
guest, Alan Saeger, was also present.

Todd Austin served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Liz Mollett conducted a Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program) session with most questions based on the ’08 elections and the financial bailout. Each participant then gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to his particular question.

The evening’s first prepared speaker was Jim Blankenship. His speech was the fourth out of five projects in the Toastmasters Advanced Communication manual on ‘Humorously Speaking’. Blankenship, a Certified Financial Planner from New Berlin, delivered a talk called “Bank On This!” that informed the audience about the recent bailout while also using quite a bit of humor to get the message across.

The second prepared speech was given by Alan Saeger. His talk about the upcoming election was subtitled “A Lesson Against Media Bias”.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 9-18-08 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps from Girard, Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, Liz Mollett from Auburn, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins.

Jim Blankenship served as the meeting’s Toastmaster (master of ceremonies). Billy Watkins conducted a Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program) session with no fixed theme. Each participant then gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different question.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Liz Mollett. Her speech was the seventh project out of ten projects in the Toastmasters Basic Communication manual, which is about ‘researching your topic’. Mollett’s informative presentation entitled “Made In China” was about the Hangzhou Bridge and the state-of-the-art architecture and technology that went into building the structure. Les Apps evaluated her speech.

Springfield AIG Club members that attended the last Toastmasters joint meeting for officer training in Virden were (from left): Jim Blankenship who performed the training; Jacquiline Perkins -V.P. of Public Relations; Lois Fox – Treasurer; Sonja Terrell - V.P. of Education; Susan Smith – Secretary.

Tri-County Toastmaster Club officers trained at the last meeting were (from left): Secretary/Treasurer – Jim Blankenship; V.P. of Public Relations – Todd Austin; V.P. of Education & Membership – Liz Mollett.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club held a joint (officers training) meeting with Springfield’s AIG company club on Thursday 8-21-08 at the Virden Area Community Center.

Todd Austin from Virden served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Austin also conducted a ‘politics and sports’ themed Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program). Each participant, from both clubs, gave a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different question.

The evening’s prepared speaker, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, is a dual member who belongs to both clubs. Blankenship has served as an officer in the Tri-County Club for over 4 years now. He also served as the liason between District 8 of Toastmasters International and AIG of Springfield in 2007. Thanks to having Blankenship as a founding (or charter) member, the AIG club is now one of Area 1’s newest Toastmaster clubs. Blankenship gave a special officer training presentation entitled “Officers training & The Club Success Plan” during which he explained in detail all of the officer positions observed by Toastmasters clubs. Liz Mollett from Auburn evaluated his special presentation.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday September 18, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending a club meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

Les Apps (as Parker Chiropractic Seminars President Dr. Fabrizio Mancini), presented the ‘Chiropractor of the Year’ award to Dr. Todd Austin (left) at Thursday’s Tri-County Toastmasters meeting. It is an award that Austin received in January 2001 at a Parker Seminar in Las Vegas. Both Apps and Austin are working from an Advanced Toastmasters manual on ‘Special Occasion Speeches’.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 8-7-08 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps from Girard, Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, John Davidson, Liz Mollett from Auburn, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins.

During business, the club announced that they will hold a special joint club officers training session with 3 other clubs being invited to the next meeting on 8-21-08.

Billy Watkins served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Liz Mollett conducted a ‘wonders of the human body’ themed Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program). Each participant was to give a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different question.

The evening’s two prepared speaker were Les Apps and Todd Austin. Both are working from the Advanced Communications manual which is entitled ‘Special Occasion Speeches’. Two of the five speeches in this manual are ‘Presenting an Award’ and ‘Accepting an Award’. Apps portrayed Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, the President of the Parker Chiropractic Seminars as he presented the ‘Year 2000 GTO Chiropractor of the Year Award’ to Dr. Todd W. Austin in a 4-minute award presentation. Austin, a Virden Chiropractic Physician for the past 11 years, who actually received this award 8 ½ years ago at a seminar in Las Vegas, graciously accepted the award in a 6-minute presentation. Jim Blankenship and John Davidson were the speech evaluators.

The Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday August 21, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending a club meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

Todd Austin was the prepared speaker at the 6-5-08 Tri-County Toastmasters meeting. Austin delivered an informative speech called “Living Dangerously With High Fructose Corn Syrup”.

The Tri-County Toastmasters Club’s new slate of officers for the Toastmasters fiscal year beginning on 7-1-08 were elected at Thursday’s meeting. They are (from left): Les Apps – President; Todd Austin – VP of Public Relations; Billy Watkins – Sergeant at Arms; Jim Blankenship – Secretary / Treasurer. The other officer not pictured is Liz Mollett – VP of Education & Membership.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 6-5-08 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Les Apps from Girard, Dr. Todd Austin from Virden, Jim Blankenship, John Davidson, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins.

During business, the club elected officers FY 2008/2009. The new officers will be: President Les Apps, VP of Education & Membership Liz Mollett, VP of PR Todd Austin, Secretary & Treasurer Jim Blankenship and Sergeant at Arms Bill Watkins.

Billy Watkins served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. New Berlin's Jim Blankenship who also serves on the Sangamon County Fair Board conducted a ‘Sangamon County Fair’ themed Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program) in honor of the upcoming fair to be held in New Berlin later this month. Each participant was to give a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different fair-related question.

The evening’s prepared speaker was Todd Austin, a Virden Chiropractic Physician, who gave an informative talk about the evils of high fructose corn syrup… a genetically engineered non-food that the food industry giants insist on adding to almost all packaged or processed foods. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that HFCS is a major cause of obesity, diabetes and fatty liver in the U.S. The speech was a project from the basic Toastmasters Communication manual. Les Apps evaluated the speech.

The Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday June 19, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending a club meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.

John Davidson (left) and New Berlin's Jim Blankenship were the speakers at the last Tri-County Toastmasters meeting. Davidson delivered an inspirational speech, while Blankenship gave a persuasive speech about “Why To Join Toastmasters”.

The Tri-County Toastmasters club met on Thursday 5-15-08 at the Virden Area Community Center. Club members present at Thursday’s meeting were: Dr. Todd Austin, Jim Blankenship from New Berlin, John Davidson, Liz Mollett from Auburn, Casey Tom and Bill Watkins. One guest, Kathy Shepard who runs the Apple Creek Herb Farm in Waverly, was also present.

Todd Austin served as the meeting’s master of ceremonies. Casey Tom conducted a current events themed Tabletopics (the impromptu speaking portion of the program). Each participant had to give a 1 to 2 minute impromptu response to a different question.

The evening’s first prepared speaker was John Davidson who gave an inspirational speech entitled “Friends”. It was a project from the basic Toastmasters Communication manual. Liz Mollett evaluated his speech.

The meeting’s final prepared speaker was Jim Blankenship who delivered a persuasive speech called "Why To Join Toastmasters." It was a project from the advanced Toastmasters Communication manual on ‘Persuasive Speaking’. Todd Austin evaluated Jim’s speech.

The Toastmasters club will next meet on Thursday June 5, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at the Virden Area Community Center. For more information about the Toastmasters program, or about joining or attending a club meeting, please call (217) 965-3100 or send e-mail to draustin@royell.net.