Category Archives: Posts

22 Apr

See You Online – BASF Toastmasters in May 2020

Dear fellow Toastmasters and Guests

due to current restrictions we will hold our next meetings online. This May we will welcome you on these dates

Meetings will open on 17:45 and last until ca. 19:30 including a small break. Using the mentioned links to easySPEAK you can already enroll for your favorite role. Invitations for each meetings will be sent out separately in advance.  Working towards an education award by June 2020, please let us know so that necessary arrangement could be made to facilitate your projects.

We hope to see all of you online in theses uncertain times!

Yours Club Officers, BASF Toastmasters

31 Mar

BASF Toastmasters organises online meeting

Contribute to a smooth and enjoyable evening – take part actively and grab a role on EasySpeak https://tmclub.eu/view_meeting.php?c=803&show=next

Dear BASF Toastmasters and Guests

You are cordially invited to join our online Toastmasters meeting, details as follow.

  • 06 April 2020, Time: 18:00 to 20:00
  • When it’s time, please join the meeting from here:
    • https://us04web.zoom.us/j/5084197105
    • or use the Meeting-ID: 508 419 7105
    • Note: Due to increased demand, dial-in by phone audio conferencing capabilities is temporarily removed from our free Basic Zoom account.

Please do join us at 18:00 to test the connection and solve technical problems until the meeting starts. We would like you to you to use the camera of your device!

We recommend that you install Zoom on your device: https://zoom.us/download

Alternatively you may  participate by Zoom Web Client https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/214629443-Zoom-Web-Client — please be aware of the technical requirements of your web browser.  

How does the meeting go?

  • How does the meeting go?
  • We will kick-start the meeting with self-introduction and “Question of the Day”.
  • After this warm up session, we are ready for the prepared speeches. Prepared speeches usually take about 7 minutes each, where the speaker is to pay special attention to certain public speaking elements.
  • At the end of the day, the prepared speeches and the meeting itself will be evaluated. The evaluation is an important element, as it not only encourages our speakers for their effort, but also helps us to be better evaluators. After all, Toastmasters is all about learning together and supporting each other!

Yours sincerely
Club Officers


Tim Beckmann / pixelio.de, Image-ID 685112

25 Mar

Coronavirus – how we plan to go on

Dear fellow Toastmasters and Guests

We will collectively play our parts in the fight against COVID-19. As such, all usual Monday face-to-face meetings will be cancelled until further notice. While the face-to-face interaction will be sorely missed, we are excited about the opportunities that virtual meetings present.

As decided on yesterday’s Club Officers meeting, we will explore the possibility to conduct our meetings online. We will also get in touch with other Toastmasters clubs for potential collaboration.

For members working towards an education award (CC, CL, AL, DTM) by June 2020, please contact our Vice President Education so that necessary arrangement could be made to facilitate your projects.

With the cancellation of the meeting on 23 March and 13 April (Easter break), our next meeting will be on 27 April at the soonest, subject to technical feasibility. You shall receive more updates from us nearer the time.

In the meantime, please visit Toastmasters International for online resources on public speaking. Please feel free to reach out if you have any inputs regarding virtual meetings.

Yours Club Officers of BASF Toastmasters

16 Mar

Coronavirus implications

Dear fellow Toastmasters,
the current worldwide situation regarding coronavirus affects our regular club meetings. We decided to cancel all face-to-face meetings at BASF Toastmasters until middle of April 2020. We hope to re-establish our regular meetings as soon as possible but obviously cannot fix a date yet.
If / how online meetings can be held to offer an alternative will be decided soon.
Members and guests on our invitation list will be kept updated. If you have further questions, please contact us!
For information about Toastmasters activities on Division level please visit https://tmclub.eu/portal.php?page=1&c=248
For information about Toastmasters activities on District level please visit https://toastmasters-95.org/

Rainer Sturm / pixelio.de, Image-ID 668609

16 Mar

Cancelled: Spring into Action 2020!

The ongoing meeting restrictions due to coronavirus force us to cancel our spring 2020 special. We decided to postpone this concept to fall 2020 and hope to welcome you then for these face-to-face meetings!

In April and May 2020, we will host a series of special meetings that will boost your communication skills. For an extra portion of fun and learnig, join our activities that are creatively different from our well-known Toastmasters sessions.

27 April – Table TopicsÂź Gala
A whole evening filled with impromptu speeches? Yes, please! Three Table TopicsÂź Masters will prepare fun, creative and entertaining questions to test and sharpen your spontaneous speaking skills.

04 May – Characteristics of Effective Leaders (workshop)
In this workshop, we will look at the definition of leadership, discover our present leadership skills, see how our skills are perceived by others and learn how we can become better leaders.

11 May – Backwards meeting
With the agenda upside-down, all events have a new order. Yes, this means functionary reports kick-start the meeting. Speech evaluations go before the prepared speeches. Table Topics answers are given before their questions. It is a fun and rewarding exercise in impromptu skills and creativity. For example, make the speaker sing in the middle of his or her speech, have the lights go out in the middle of the Toastmaster’s introduction, or encourage guests to laugh like hyenas during the meeting. Imagine the possibilities!

18 May – The Art of Debating
Two debating teams will battle it out to convince the audience to support their view. Participate actively and train your argumentation skills in a constructive way.

25 May – Sound Great with Mic (meeting at / with John Deere Toastmasters, Mannheim)*
Whether you are speaking at an event, making a recording or being interviewed, talking into a mic is not exactly like talking without one. You will receive practical tips on how to use it, have the chance to present with a mic and get useful feedback on your skills.
*Location and time of this meeting will be different!

Meetings of BASF Toastmasters start at 17:45, J660 / R136
www.basf-toastmasters.com/contact
meetup.com/Toastmasters-LU

07 May

13 May 2019: The Art of Debating

In April and May 2019 we will host a series of special meetings that will boost your communication skills. For an extra portion of fun and learning join our activities that are creatively different from our well-known Toastmasters sessions.

Two debating teams will battle it out to convince the audience to support their view. Participate actively and train your argumentation skills in a constructive way.

The debate

  • To add more fun and spontaneity, topic of debate will be announced by TME/ debate host after the round table. Speakers then have 15 minutes to prepare, while the audience goes for a break/ listen to briefing.
  • Speakers will be briefed in detail (long) before the day of debate on the goals, formats, rules, guidelines etc.
  • For debater roles, priority will be given to members. Second-in-line are active guests.
  • During the 15 mins preparation, all materials are allowed (internet, newspaper, books etc.).
  • Debate starts with the host giving background info on the topic and introducing the speaker. Debate closes with the host summarising the points raised by speaker and asking the audience to vote for winning team and best speaker (please prepare some medals or certificates).
  • 4 minutes per speaker; In the 2nd and 3rd minute, speaker must accept at least one Point of Information POI
  • POI: Members from opposite team can ask a short question, question must be asked in max. 15 seconds (to seek clarification instead of being disruptive). Max. 2 POIs are allowed throughout duration of a speech, to ensure a good flow of speech.
  • Speakers’ roles:
    • Speaker 1, proposition: Intro, definitions, scope of debate, arguments 1,2

    • Speaker 1, opposition: Counter arguments/ rebuttals, new arguments 1,2

    • Speaker 2, pro: Counter arguments, new arguments 3,4…
    • Speaker 2, opp: Counter arguments, new arguments 3,4

    • Speaker 3, pro: Counter arguments, wrap up (no new arguments)
    • Speaker 3, opp: Counter arguments, wrap up (no new arguments)

http://basf-toastmasters.com/spring-into-action/
http://tmclub.eu/viewagenda_mobile.php?c=803&show=next

Getting to our meeting location is easy — our room is just a few steps behind BASF gate 5. Please let us know if you want to join:
http://basf-toastmasters.com/contact/
https://tmclub.eu/profile.php?mode=email&u=59657

10 Apr

Spring into action!

In April and May 2019 we will host a series of special meetings that will boost your communication skills. For an extra portion of fun and learning join our activities that are creatively different from our well-known Toastmasters sessions.

29 April Backwards meeting
With an agenda upside-down all events have a new order. Yes, this means functionary reports start the meeting. Speech evaluators go before prepared speeches. Table Topics answers are given before their questions. It’s a fun and rewarding exercise in impromptu skills and creativity. For example make the club president sing in the middle of his or her speech, have the lights go out in the middle of the Toastmaster’s introduction, or encourage guests to laugh like hyenas during the meeting. Imagine the possibilities!
06 May How to conduct productive meetings (workshop)
Meetings are a vital communication tool. They produce understanding, eliminate confusion, generate ideas, stimulate action, clarify goals and objectives, define roles and responsibilities, solve problems, and disseminate information. In many of today‘s organizations, decisions are made in meetings, not by individuals.
13 May The art of debating
Two debating teams will battle it out to convince the audience to support their view. Participate actively and train your argumentation skills in a constructive way.
27 May Speakerthon
With the club constantly growing in size we dedicate an evening comprising solely on prepared speeches. This gives more people the chance to present a speech and the audience can enjoy a variety of topics and speech types.

Meetings start at 17:45, BASF site, J660 / R136
Invitations will be sent out individually by our VP Education. You can also check the agendas on EasySpeak or our website. We look forward to welcoming you and spending a wonderful, entertaining and productive evening together. Should you have any inquiries, please feel free to contact us.

25 Mar

Save the date: “How to conduct productive meetings”

Meetings are a vital communication tool. They produce understanding, eliminate confusion, generate ideas, stimulate action, clarify goals and objectives, define roles and responsibilities, solve problems, and disseminate information. In many of today‘s organizations, decisions are made in meetings, not by individuals.

How you benefit
On the way to achieve ACG status I will coordinate this workshop where you . . .

  • learn the basic steps to ensure a productive meeting
  • hear about the details to make a meeting efficient
  • exercise leadership techniques in conducting a meeting.

Save the date
You are invited to participate in this special event at BASF Toastmasters!
Mon 6 May 2019, 17:50 – 19:40, J660 (BASF site)
Invitations will be sent out by e-mail in April 2019.

Please let me know if you have further questions — contact through http://basf-toastmasters.com/contact/

27 Nov

Season’s greetings 2018/2019

Dear fellow Toastmasters and friends,
Whatever is beautiful. Whatever is meaningful. Whatever brings you happiness. May it be yours this holiday season and throughout the year 2019.
It would be a great pleasure to see you at our meeting on 10 December where we will have our legendary White Elephant Gift Exchange, speech presentations of our club members and other activities to train public speaking skills. We also in invite you to join in for a glas of hot wine and seasonal food on Ludwigshafen’s winter market! 2019 will be perfect to improve your skills of leadership and rhetoric — visit our meetings on January 14th and 28th!