By Rick Newton, CC, Club President

Published on Division A Newsletter, Volume I, Issue 6 January 2011

“Kids Say the Darndest Things” was a popular segment of Art Linkletter’s television shows in the 1960s. If you were fortunate to see an original broadcast or a re-run, you will have witnessed impromptu speaking at its best. These were children five to 10 years of age. And yes, you would have heard some of the darndest things. One thing for sure; the children on Linkletter’s show, without any formal speaking training, knew how to communicate their ideas and opinions, and expressed how they saw their world with confidence. The show was a hit for years. In many ways, Toastmasters clubs are similar to Art Linkletter’s shows, especially with our Table Topics, and we do sometimes “say the darndest things.”

Tip Top Toastmasters club meets every Sunday at Courtyard by Marriott, 6400 Overton Ridge Blvd. in Fort Worth, 2-3 pm. And we do a darn good job of meeting in a very competitive time slot: SUNDAYS. Our club has fifteen members with varied and accomplished backgrounds. We have a great group that is dedicated to being consistent and to bringing value to club meetings; a lot can be accomplished in one hour. Tip Top members are dedicated to improving their leadership and communicating skills. This is accomplished by each member participating in speaking and assignment roles; that participation is where each meeting takes on its own character, with positive feedback on members’ speaking performances. With fifteen members, that means there are fourteen advisors providing valuable feedback on how to become a better speaker. How many people can say, “I have fourteen advisors?” One final observation about Tip Top Toastmasters; it’s where members harness the magic of public speaking and leadership — and sometimes say the darndest things with confidence.