This is my 2nd time around and much different than first time. It was: what am I going to say? Now it is what am I not going to say. I have many thoughts Id like to pursue but I have to be selective. Well an ice breaker is a speech that you tell a little about yourself. I would like to narrow it down to some Toastmaster's experiences I have had.

Today I would like to reflect a little on how far along I've come from my first time in front of Toastmasters. Also today I want to share a couple of memorable speeches I've heard but can't forget and leave you with an analogy that I was able to put together as I integrated my past experiences.

I thought about this the other day and thought about the first real motivation I had to seriously consider joining Toastmasters. It occured during college. Prior to that time I had never been concerned with how well I delivered a message in front of other people because I had no previous occasions to speak. I'd always been shy so didn't exactly look for places to get in front of people. In college it changed, I knew I wanted to develop more outgoing ways. So I joined... .... a college fraternity. Lots of opportunities and friendly pressure to communicate in a variety of situations. I think I grew alot socially. In fact senior year I was elected fraternity president. This is where I discovered my need for Toastmaster's. It is a challenge to keep 50 - 60 guys on target in a 21/2 hour meeting. I realized I just was'nt nearly as effective I knew I could be, I really needed to be comfortable in front of people to communicate confidently. I had a lot of brothers that pulled me through it was a tough experience just being aware of my extreme weakness. So about 3 years out of college I first heard of Toastmasters I was hooked on the idea. I knew I wanted another chance to learn to lead and communicate effectively. It was every thing they promised and more. Remember I was going to tell you about where Id been. On my first few table topics I didnt do so well. They asked me to speak and can you believe it I was speechless. Boy was I embarrassed a few times. I got encouragement so I stuck it out. So of you that have heard me do table topics at least know that I have something to say finally. It was a process of learning that I did in the HOTHOUSE of speaking skills development, ie Toastmasters. I did get a chance to do the leadership thing again and it really did work out to my satisfaction. I became president of my local Professional organization I was greatly pleased to see how Toastmasters works!

Well now I come to my second half of my speech where I would like to tell you about two of the more memorable speeches I've heard and relate both of them to a valuable lesson about speaking that I will share with you through a related final illustration.

Just two speeches I can remember, I think after I describe them you will see why they were memorable though perhaps not even outstanding. You learn a bunch by listening to other Toastamasters. These 2 speeches I learned a lot from.

The first speech was a speech on Nikolai Tesla and perhaps the longest Ive heard in Toastmasters or will hear in my lifetime. Thats right its memorable because it was long. If my fellow Toastmaster had quit about 10 minutes earlier I would have thought it was a good speech. Fellow Toastmaster's if you want to be remembered for your speech don't do it this way. I do remember Tesla was a brilliant and intriguing idividual but not much else. In fact my wife and I still talk about it as one of the longest and most gruelling speeches we have ever heard. Our secret sign is the words "reminds me of a speech we once heard about Nickolai Tesla".

To set the stage for my other illustrative speech is think of California ... maybe the state most opposite Alabama in culture maybe. It is certainly a bellwether state.. If it is just happening it probably happened in California. Some of you might think of it as the land of fruits nuts and flakes.

Anyway I heard an icebreaker that I will never forget. By a visitor from the Treehouse Nudist Camp Toastmasters chapter. The introduction got my attention. I don't think the speech was that memorable but yet I can't get him out of my memory. I do remember he said he had a 17 degree curvature in his spine from scholiosis and that he liked to sky dive..... nude. I don't think he meant to be sensational but I imagined this guy in free fall, you know how they tell you to shake your fear by imagining your audience in their underwear it can help you take the preoccupation off yourself and free to concentrate on your speech. I wonder... Is there an application here also? Anyway as this guy was sharing his icebreaker he told about some of his friends and he were planning to go for the world record  mega jump all nude of course ... I knew at that point I would never for get the mental picture. Never checked Guiness Book yet but I wouldn't be surprised if the guy with the 17degree curvature and his friends made his goal.

Now my illustration. Imagine you are jumping out of a plane with your Toastmasters group and you are going for a jump together as you start your speech. You the speaker, the jump master, the head kahuma has the life/death responsibility to pull your cord first at the right time, because you as the leader are responsible for not losing everyone as you give your speech (remember the Tesla speech). You have to time it right and not wait to long. If your imagine your audience falling with you, you have a sense of urgency to pull that ripcord when the altimeter ( in this case watch says your out of time). If you need to imagine them without clothes so your not nervous go ahead.

Seconds are left ...... ready fellow Toastmasters......pull your ripcord.... now!

Madame Toastmaster....