Noris Toastmasters

The Toastmasters year 2024-2025 begins and with that we invite you to practice your communication skills, no matter whether you are an experienced speaker or a newcomer who wants to practice in a safe environment.

Join us the coming Wednesday, July 10th, at Nachbarschafthaus Gostenhof for a meeting full of prepared speeches, impromptu speeches and constructive feedback.

Can't make it in person? Join via Zoom 💻 Just send a message to [email protected] to get all the information on how to participate.

Directions: https://lnkd.in/exfdgW-J

Last Saturday our Noris officers attended the celebration luncheon in honor of Toastmasters International President 2023-2024 Morag Mathieson 🥂 A long-time friend of Noris, we were delighted to share this moment with her, commemorating also the 10-year anniversary of Toastmasters International District 95 and the 100 years of Toastmasters International 🎉

Despite the heat wave in Germany, friends from near attended in person, while those from afar dialed in via Zoom thanks to the hybrid tech support provided by Steve Miller. Along with heartfelt speeches by Margaret Devaney Jankowsky and Axel Krauth , Noris was well represented. 🙌

Special thanks go to Stefan Gruss and the District 95 trio for organizing this memorable event. 👏

On Wednesday we had the last meeting of the current Toastmasters year 2023/2024 🙌 Margaret Jankowsky, the outgoing club president and Toastmaster of the evening, guided us through the meeting with a heart full of . Micha made his debut as Table Topics Master 🙌, where he challenged us with his simple but thoughtful questions. Lastly, Steve shared a story on the importance of . 💕

On the prepared speeches, we had one more double coincidence, as both speakers delivered their 2nd Pathways project: to write a speech with purpose. 📝 Axel shared with us an example on hostile architecture, while Ronald gave us an update on our club finances. 💸

The evaluation team was led by Gaby as General Evaluator, supported by Robert and Sebastjan as speech evaluators 📝, Jan as Ah counter, Yasin as Grammarian, and returning guest Lukas as Timer ⏱

For the discharge of the outgoing officers and the inauguration of the incoming ones, we were honored by having the international president of Toastmasters International, Morag Mathieson, conduct the ceremony. ⭐

Cheers for a successful year behind and an auspicious year ahead! 🎉

The Toastmasters year 2023-2024 is coming to an end and at Noris we want to finish it with a BANG!

Join us next Wednesday June 26th at the Nachbarschafthaus Gostenhof for a meeting full of prepared speeches, impromptu speaking and constructive feedback. We will also have the Club Officers installation ceremony conducted by a special guest 🙌

Can't make it in person? Join us via Zoom 💻 Just send a message to [email protected] to receive all the information to attend.

Last Wednesday we had a special visitor, with past member Lukas taking on the Toastmaster of the evening role. 🙌 Then Axel tested our thinking skills as Table topics master ❓ Lastly, Jan shared a story about how his grandparents survived summers in India (without air conditioning!). 😰

On the prepared speeches, we had another double coincidence, as both speakers delivered their 2nd Pathways project: to write a speech with purpose. 📝 Sebastjan spoke about the love for his hobbies, while Yasin shared with us the importance of impressions, no matter if it is the 1st or the 127th one! 😉

The evaluation team was led by Robert as General Evaluator 👏, supported by Margaret as speech evaluator 📝, Mia as Ah counter, Micha as Grammarian, and Steve as Timer ⏱

Join us for our next meeting on June 26th, when we will also have the new officers installation ceremony!

Ralph Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters believed, "We learn best in moments of enjoyment." We couldn't agree more! At Noris we Love to socialize after our meetings 😃

What are you waiting for? Join us on June 12th and be part of the fun 😉

When you have lived in multiple countries and spent more than half of your life abroad, what place do you call home? 🤔 That is a question Steve ponders himself, which made him choose "Homecoming" as the topic for our last meeting. 🏡 As Toastmaster of the evening, he made us feel nostalgic for days gone by, while also delighting on the fun memories.

On the Table topics, Robert made his debut as moderator 🎉 With questions taking us back to our home and school times, he made the participants dig into their memories and reminisce of lives before Nuremberg and Noris.

On the prepared speeches, both speakers delivered a speech from the "Introduction to Mentoring" project. ✍ Michael shared how Toastmasters mentors in the USA and in Erlangen encouraged him to keep developing his skills no matter his level. While Alex spoke about how he stood on the shoulders of a giant, when paired with a mentor from the corporation his company merged into. 👩‍💻

The evaluation team was led by Micha on his debut as General Evaluator 👏, supported by Gaby and Axel as speech evaluators 📝, Marc as Ah counter, Sebastjan as Grammarian 🙌, and Yasin as Timer for the first time ⏱

Are you curious for more? Join us for our next meeting on June 12th!

We usually get hungty and thirsty after a Noris meeting 😋 What a better way to finish our day than to grab a snack 🌮 or a drink 🍻 while carrying on with the fun!

And you're reading this just in time because we meet tonight at 19:00! Join us at the Nachbarschaftshaus 🏢 or online 💻

What do you do when it's your turn to choose a topic for the meeting and no idea comes to your mind? 🤔 You take the lack of inspiration and turn it into the theme itself! 💡 That is what Gaby did last Wednesday as our Toastmaster of the evening, who also conducted the meeting live from the Nachbarschaftshaus Gostenhof. Throughout her moderation she shared multiple ways in which we can call the muses and get inspired.

The questions from our Table topics master Margaret tied right into the topic. ❓ Asking us from our daily routines to people we admire and inspire us, her insights on the participants answers made it an enjoyable section of the meeting. 👏

On the prepared speeches, Yasin delivered his ice breaker speech, where he spoke about the importance of using critical thinking when reading statistics in our daily lives. ❗ Congrats Yasin! 🎉 For the 2nd speech, our guest speaker Irina dialed in from Moscow to share with us her story of the first time she traveled to London, which turned out to be a trip of a lifetime. ✈ She even left us on a cliffhanger!

The evaluation team was led by Axel as General Evaluator ✍ , supported by Steve and Barbara as speech evaluators 📝, Jan as Ah counter, Margaret doubling roles as Grammarian 🙌, and Micha as Timer ⏱

Are you curious for more? Join us for our next meeting on May 22nd!

We know spring is here when the cherry blossoms flourish into full bloom 🤩 Michael, our Toastmaster of the evening, delighted us with a fragant topic for our meeting. Did know you that Pretzfeld is the heart of the Franconian cherry area? 🌸

Gaby followed suit during her role as Table topics master.❓ Her questions were full of trivia, even if she put some of the participants on a tight spot. 🤔

On the prepared speeches, Micha delivered his ice breaker speech, where he shared with us his love for traveling, going places and coming back again ⛰ Congrats Micha! 🎉 As the 2nd speaker, Barbara turned the US elections entertaining by transporting them to the Toastmasters level and engaging the audience in the room. 😂 What a good laugh we had!

The evaluation team was led by the experienced Margaret as General Evaluator 👏, supported by Axel and Ronald as speech evaluators 📝, Alex as Ah counter, Robert on his first time as Grammarian 🙌, and Steve as Timer ⏱

After lots of learning and speaking during a Noris meeting, we get hungry and thirsty 😋 What a better way to finish our day than to grab a snack 🌮 or a drink 🍻 while carrying on with the fun!

And you're reading this just in time because we meet again tomorrow! Join us at the Nachbarschaftshaus 🏢 or online 💻

Have you ever idolized a movie star from the past? 🤩 Axel, our Toastmaster of the evening, certainly looked up to Lilian Harvey. With his moderation filled with trivia, we learned about an actress from the silent and the first talkie movies era. 🎥

Michael followed suit during his role as Table topics master.❓ His questions about role models and famous people we admire gave us an insight into the minds of the participants.

As main speaker for the meeting, Robert delivered his ice breaker speech, where he shared with us the 3 lessons he learned from taking 598 tennis classes 🎾 Congrats Robert! 🎉

The evaluation team was led by Sebastian on his debut as General Evaluator 👏, supported by Steve as speech evaluator 📝, Gaby as Ah counter, Micha as Grammarian 🙌, and Barbara as Timer ⏱

Mexico, Scotland, the Black Forest, Leipzig and Nuremberg: from far and near guests and members joined our last meeting before the Easter holidays. Our Toastmaster of the evening, Barbara, chose an appropriate meeting theme relating to the season and enlightened us with a myriad of trivia about the Easter bunny. 🐰

Margaret asked us thoughtful questions as Table topics master: from wearing our Sunday best to what is our favorite season of the year. 🌸 On the prepared speeches, Steve shared with us his experience taking leadership roles at Toastmasters during the last 7 years, while encouraging us to step up for our club. 💪 As the second speaker, David McCrae, MSc practiced his contest speech where he shared how our differences are what enrich us the most. 💕 It is worth to point out that he visited us all the way from Scotland to receive some tough love from a German club. We wish you the best of success in your next contest! 🍀

The evaluation team was led by Michael 📝 supported by Gaby as speech evaluator, Robert on his first stint as Ah counter 👏 , our newest member Michael as Grammarian 🙌, and Micha as Timer ⏱ A special mention goes to Lukas, who stepped in as Tech support 💻

Last Wednesday our Toastmaster of the evening, Steve, gave us a masterclass on conducting a meeting and set the bar high for Noris. 🎙

Opening the session to the tune of ABBA, Steve dove right into the theme of "Let there be music". 🎶 He was full of trivia about the favorite songs of several members - from Lou Bega to the Fliederlied. 🎵 He even organized a surprise entertainer: past guest Denise performed a song of her own creation. 🎸

On the table topics, Robert's questions kept us on our toes. It was an outstanding performance for his debut in the role! 👏 As the prepared speaker of the evening, Michael presented the Distinguised Club Program and how rockin' good Noris is doing this year. It was an astonishing presentation worthy of our club coach! 🤘

Gaby led the evaluation team 📝 supported by Axel as speech evaluator, Mia as Ah counter, Ronald as Grammarian, and Micha as Timer 🙌

Curious for more? Check out the meeting's playlist:
https://lnkd.in/e6ZDWYGG

Congratulations Ronald Gräfe for representing Noris at the D4 area contest yesterday in Schwabach! 👏 We feel extremely proud of you.

Thanks Marc Schuck and the whole team for the fantastic organization! 🙌

Dear friends, you are all heartily invited to today's meeting! You're in for a treat, as Mia will debut as Toastmaster of the evening! 🎉 As meeting theme she chose to "take a leap this leap year". And of course we're rooting for her 🙌

We will be delighted to see you at the Nachbarschaftshaus Gostenhof 🏢 or online via Zoom 💻 Send us a message to get the link.

We meet today! We have a full agenda with 2 speakers and table topics!

February 14th is also a fantastic opportunity to celebrate all the friendships we have made through Noris and Toastmasters International 🙌

We will be delighted to see you at the Nachbarschaftshaus Gostenhof 🏢 or online via Zoom 💻 Send us a message to get the link.

PS. We cannot assure you that the evening will not be sweet 😍

If you thought cemeteries are no laughing matter, think twice! 🤣 Last Wednesday, our Toastmaster of the evening, Axel, entertained us with lots of trivia about famous graves and curious epitaphs.

Mia, on her first time as Table topics master 👏 gave the meeting a jolt with her thoughtful questions about life and what we want to accomplish for 2024. On the prepared speeches, Gaby spoke about all the online platforms where Noris is present 💻 and how members can contribute to expand the club's reach (hint: comment on this post!). The second speaker, Ronald, presented his ice breaker from the Engaging humor path, where he shared personal anecdotes on trying to keep a healthy lifestyle. 🚴‍♂️

Barbara led the evaluation team 📝 supported by Margaret and Alex as speech evaluators, Nürnberg Rhetoriker guest Leo as Ah counter, Michael as timer as Margaret doubling up as grammarian too.

To close the night: some well deserved tacos 🌮 Will you join us next week?

Have you ever been curious to attend a Toastmasters meeting but a long term schedule is difficult to plan? Will you deliver a wedding toast in the summer? Or maybe you have a specific upcoming presentation at work?

Then our Nail your speech! online workshop is for YOU.

This workshop is a condensed version of the first level in the Toastmasters educational program. In 6 weekly sessions you will learn to draft your main speech idea, give structure to your speech, and practice effective presentation delivery through your body language and vocal variety.

The workshop is designed for small-group work, allowing personalized attention and feedback from the instructors. The sessions will take place online via Zoom during all Thursdays in February 2024 and the 1st Thursday of March 2024. Cost is €90, which includes educational material.

For information and registration please write to Margaret Jankowsky:
[email protected]

Last week we celebrated our Noris Toastmasters Christmas meeting 🎄

The evening started with a warm welcome from our club President, Margaret, who also served as Toastmaster of the meeting. Effusively greeting both members and guests, she set up the festive atmosphere for the rest of the night ✨

Entertainment was brought by the table topics reindeer, Gabriela, who with her funny impromptu questions had us laughing and scratching our heads likewise. The participants had to explain what is Christmas to an alien, as well as design new clothes and a new mode of transportation for Santa 🎅 One of the guests even sung her favorite Christmas song! 🎶

The prepared speech of the evening was presented by Sebastjan, who broke the ice at Noris. Congratulations! 👏 He shared how a request to officiate a wedding (!) prompted him to improve his public speaking skills and ended up at our club. Steve was in charge to evaluate the whole meeting, 📝 supported by Ronald, Axel, Barbara and Mia, as speaker evaluator, ah counter, timer and grammarian, respectively.

As the evening wrapped up, the goodies appeared: mince pies, cookies and Glühwein! 😋 Socializing with our members and guests after the meeting is one of Noris specialties 💕 Join us in 2024 and experience it yourself!

Have you heard about the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday? 🤔 This consumerist holiday from the USA has slowly made its way to Europe for several years now 💸 During our last meeting, Barbara, our Toastmaster of the evening, took it upon her to teach us about the origins of this peculiar day.

Axel's questions as Table topics master followed the theme of the meeting while testing our ability to think on our feet. Lukas delighted us with his speech from Level 3 of the Engaging Humor path 🤣

Michael was in charge to evaluate the whole meeting, 📝 supported by Mia, Sebastian, Micha and Jan, as speaker evaluator, ah counter, timer and grammarian, respectively. Special recognition goes to Mia who gave her very first evaluation 👏

To close the night: some well deserved tacos 🌮

Do you hear or do you listen?👂 Listening to understand, or active listening, is a skill we practice at Toastmasters, and it was the topic Alex as Toastmaster of the evening chose for our last meeting.

Barbara's questions❓as Table topics master followed the theme, asking us about our favorite sounds and our tips to practice active listening. As the main speaker of the night, Axel presented a project to complete his Level 5 of the Visionary Communication path. 🙌 He had to listen carefully as he moderated a panel about Excellence, with Barbara and Margaret as the panelists. 🗣️

Gaby was in charge to evaluate the whole meeting, 📝 supported by Michael, Micha, Mia and Margaret, as speaker evaluator, ah counter, timer and grammarian, respectively. We feel proud of our newer members taking active roles! 👏

To close the night: some well deserved dinner and drinks at Schanzenbräu 🍻

What an eerie meeting we had last week! 👻 Our regular members morphed into evil creatures of the night 🦇 while the Ghoulmaster Steve challenged us to interpret scary short stories, 📖 Gothic Gaby kepts us sharp on time, and the ghost of Barbara mentioned in her feedback that we all earned a treat, hooray! 🍬 Have a spooky Halloween tonight!

Barbara is our club's traveling toastmaster 🏞 At a recent hiking trip, she just started walking, easily taking the way ahead. "But wait" said her husband, "there is a sign with several paths. Which one to take?" 🤷‍♂️ Thus she introduced the meeting's theme.

Margaret, the table topics master, weaved in the topic in her questions, eliciting our opinions on how we make decisions, whether we are decisive or not, or how quick (or not) we reach our decisions. 🤔

The main act of the evening was Speech and Q&A project, where Steve and Margaret proposed to the club to host a Speechcraft at the beginning of 2024. ✍ Stay tuned for the follow up!

Axel wrapped up the meeting as General Evaluator, 📝 where he commended Sebastjan for performing the Timer role for the very first time. 👏 The reward, tacos for dinner! 😋

When you stood at a crossroads in your life, how did you decide which way to take? Tell us in the comments 👇

to our 2nd meeting in August, when we hosted a workshop on how to answer Table Topics presented by the fantastic Lisa Marie Gelhaus 🙌

Have you ever been asked a question and not known what to answer? How to organize your ideas and not look silly in the process? 😅 During every Noris meeting we practice answering impromptu questions in a section known as Table Topics 🎤

Traveling (online!) all the way from Bologna, Italy, Lisa Marie engaged us with her interactive jams while providing loads of applicable tips on answering Table Topics 💡 Her experience as public speaking coach shone through the Q&A session, when she patiently answered all of our doubts.

All in all, another memorable evening ❤️ Fun and learning, that's what we're here for!