Words and environment impact your life. In this speech from the Toastmasters manual, The Entertaining Speaker, I outline a musical anthology of my life starting in childhood with weekly immersion in Soul Train, moving to age 11 and the purchase of Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder.

(All song links go to iTunes)

In 1979 it was Rapper’s Delight by Sugar Hill Gang then in the 90’s it was People’s Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm by A Tribe Called Quest.

In between was a lot of fun in the punk rock scene. Songs mentioned and sung in this speech: California Uberalles and Police Truck by The Dead Kennedys and New Dreams by Naked Raygun. I finished up with my theme song: Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers with Q-Tip on vocals.

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If you like music that pumps you up and makes you feel strong, get the free Songs to Galvanize Your Mind PDF.
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Use your mind to Create the Life You Want with my free hypnosis audio at icreatehabits.com

While planning for our year-end party, we had brainstorming meetings and came up with the idea of a Red Carpet theme so we could dress up like stars and have some fun. I recommended an awards-style twist on Table Topics.

Table Topics is the impromptu portion of a Toastmaster’s meeting where you call up a speaker and ask him or her to talk about a topic for 1-2 minutes.

How I set it up is that prior to the meeting, I contacted all the members and asked them to tell me two interesting bits of information about themselves that most of us probably wouldn’t know.

I took those bits of information and used them in two ways, one as the basis of a treasure hunt game. We passed out a sheet with some these bits of information written on it then people had to guess which bit of information went with which person. Some of the match-ups were pretty hard to guess.

The second way I used the information was to generate a Table Topics intro. I would introduce each guest by telling a little bit about what they were going to talk about, then they would come on stage and tell the story in their own words. Below are some pictures of the Table Topics speakers and what they spoke about.

Joan Ramirez tells us about the time when Jim Morrison of The Doors pulled her up on stage and planted a huge kiss on her lips! She had the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Susan Lowe tells the audience at Agape Toastmasters Red Carpet Awards celebration about the days when her children were regulars on Sesame Street.

Bruce Gordon entertains the audience at Agape Toastmasters Red Carpet Awards celebration as he showcases his live comedy act.

Diane Moseberry tells the audience at Agape Toastmasters Red Carpet Awards celebration how she used her speeches to educate her child regarding practical life skills.

After the interview-style Table Topics we handed out awards.

John McLaughlin shows off his “Best Film Editing” award at Agape Toastmasters Red Carpet Awards celebration. Club President Cynthia Lamb shows her enthusiasm and support.

Shirley Nason Mitchell is awarded “Best Original Screenplay” at Agape Toastmasters Red Carpet Awards celebration.

Before, during and after the Red Carpet awards, we had good food to eat thanks to Linda Lloyd.

For a complete photo gallery of this event, click here.

All photos in this blog are courtesy of Michael Zampelli.com

One of the highlights of the morning is to hand out awards. There were many fun awards like Best Actress and Most Likely to Succeed and then there is the Toastmaster of the Year award that is won by popular vote. I really hadn’t been thinking much about awards that day. I was in charge of the entertainment for the party so I was busy setting up my iPod and my microphone and making sure the program was as enjoyable as possible.

When club president and Toastmaster for the day Cynthia Lamb was describing the winner she talked about someone who was dedicated, always of service to the board and someone who participated in events outside the club, at the District level. I thought to myself, “oh my goodness, Cynthia is the winner, why is she awarding herself the award? Why didn’t someone else give Cynthia the award?” But then Cynthia announced the winner’s name, Sheri Zampelli. That’s me. I was honored, surprised and shocked. I was also excited.

Winning the award was symbolic for me because it was an outward validation of an inner feeling that’s been growing in the past 6 months. I have literally felt myself break free from my shell each time I speak at Agape Toastmasters but I wasn’t always sure that others could see what I was feeling. Now I know they can and this encourages me to continue the journey of facing my fears and breaking out of the box completely. Several members of the club pulled me aside and told me how much I’ve changed in the year they’ve known me. It felt good to have witnesses because in someways, nothing has changed about me and yet everything is different. The trophy to me is simply a reminder that that “something” is real and I plan to continue on this journey and embrace the next adventure.

It is so appropriate that Cynthia Lamb is the one who handed me this award. It was after listening to her speech where she recounted her family’s dysfunctional behavior with a humorous twist that I opened my eyes and my heart to a way I could share my message and help others while also maintaining my dignity and integrity. I asked Cynthia for help, guidance and support and she gave me that and more. Agape Toastmasters gave me wings and made me feel like a star and for that, they deserve the award.

For more about Agapge Toastmasters, visit their website.

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After I broke out of my shell with the help of Agape Toastmasters, I started The Sheri and Erin Show. The show is designed to help listeners break free from self-imposed limitations so they can live their lives with joy and authenticity. To find out more visit Blog Talk Radio or click on the player below:

“I encourage you to dress up. You can think Halloween or you can think of those items you love but don’t feel brave enough to wear in public. On that note, you could come in your pajamas. Let us see a side of you we might not usually see, get out of your comfort zone and have fun.

P.S. I’m going to wear things that force me to face a huge fear: looking foolish or “too wild” in front of others. Think Dennis Rodman, Madonna or some crazy funk star from the 70’s.”

The result was a creative and inspiring meeting. The fear dissipated with each speech.

Linda Lloyd (far left in polka dot PJ’s), faced her fear of leaving the house without being “made up”. Margaret Futerer (devil costume) talked about her childhood fear of the Devil. Charmaine Shaw (far right) told the dramatic story of her fear-stricken life as a young child in a violent area of Jamaica. Each day on the way home, Charmaine had to pass a cemetery. She grew up hearing stories about the ghosts that resided there. She was so terrified of the cemetery that she ran past it daily without allowing her eyes to even glance in that direction. She arrived home each day winded and tired.

One day, she finally faced her fear. She looked at the cemetery and guess what she saw?

Nothing.

That’s what fear is.

Nothing.

I am a recovering people pleaser and perfectionist. My most common fears have included:
Making a fool of myself
Being “too much”
Being “too loud”
Wearing the “wrong” thing
Looking “weird”
etc.

This day was an exhilarating opportunity to face all of those fears at once.

I was big, I was bold, I was loud and I was wearing all the “wrong things.” Guess what happened?

Nothing.
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One of my favorite moments of the meeting was when I confessed my fear of being “too loud”. I decided to face the fear immediately and let out a bellow. People weren’t ready for it but once they got over the shock, they laughed. Fear can be funny. Especially when you realize that no matter how real it seems, it’s nothing.

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For step-by-step guidance to overcome fear and self-sabotage, purchase From Sabotage to Success.

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Visit Agape Toastmasters on-line.

Today I delivered my tenth speech at Agape Toastmasters and completed the requirements for a Competent Communication award. The speech is titled, “Stand In Your New School Power and Dare to Make a Difference” (if you don’t see a video above, click here to watch it on YouTube). I joined Toastmasters just over a year ago because I’ve always enjoyed public speaking and wanted to improve my skills and break out of my comfort zone.

I’ve been speaking to groups of people for about 16 years. However, most of my speaking has been somewhat informal, (i.e. leading small, intimate groups), or it’s been structured but based on a cirruculm (i.e. instructing classes at Long Beach City College). Although teaching, leading and speaking have always been rewarding to me, I felt like I was holding back on presenting passionately and daring to create my own presentations.

In my past year or so at Agape Toastmasters I feel like I’ve really broken out of the mold I was in and this presentation in particular was one of the most exhilarating, honest and enjoyable pieces of work I’ve ever had the privledge of delivering to a live audience.

In my mind, this is the beginning of my speaking career and I hope to have the opportunity to deliver this presentation and others like it to groups of leaders in various locations. Specifically I would like to speak to teachers, therapists, social workers, ministers and organizations who provide service to the community. My hope is to get paid as a presenter and to have the opportunity to sell my book, From Sabotage to Success.

Over the past 16 years I’ve worked at numerous non-profit agencies and I’ve met many educated, dedicated and warm-hearted people who yearn to make a difference in the world yet seem to be confined and stifled, not to mention overwhelmed. My hope is that I can help these leaders feel strong and powerful so they can do the work they’ve always dreamed of. In so doing, I will be fulfilling a dream of my own: to use my skills to make a positive difference in the world for those who need it most.

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If you have a saboteur like Puleza who’s stealing your power, purchase my book From Sabotage to Success and learn how to take your power back.

If you would like to book me to speak at your next event, please contact me at sherizampelli [at] gmail.com.

Usually, you don't read off a card while delivering a speech in Toastmasters. But in this case, I read a quote from Dr. Ramesh Balasubramaniam, a hooping researcher in Canada and the audience was pretty impressed that I could hoop and read while wearing heels. Plus, the fact that I pulled the card from out of my blouse added a little humor to the whole thing. What fun!

When I first looked at the project, I was flooded with a sense of dread. I had flashbacks of the countless hours I spent in the basement of the library at Cal State Long Beach where I got my master’s degree.

Ever since I graduated, I’ve been slowly trying to recover from the creative trauma of constant analyzation and lately, I’ve gone so far as to make a commitment to have as much joy in my life as possible. This generally does not include spending countless hours in a windowless room filled with computers, books and metal bookshelves.

I had to put on my thinking cap to try and figure out how I could possibly attain joy while researching. I pondered, research? joy! research? joy! And then, a thought came to me, “I can research something that brings me joy…like Hula Hooping!”

Here are some hooping facts you might not know:

** Hoops were created out of grapevines and used for exercise in ancient Greece

** In 1958, the Whamo toy company sold more than 100 million Hula Hoop’s. The cost? $1.98

** At this very moment, Dr. Ramesh Balasubramaniam in Canada is actively researching the dynamics of hooping to try and better understand the mind/body connection

** Larger hoops are easier to keep up because of the principle known as conservation of angular momentum

** Heavier hoops are easier to keep up because of the law of inertia

If you think you can’t hoop, think again. It might be that you’ve been using the wrong kind of hoop. After my speech, two women who swore they have never been able to hoop were hoopin’ with ease within five minutes. It was a blast to see their faces light up.

Other things I discovered include hooping fitness classes and courses to become a certified hoop instructor. If I can raise the funds, I just might go for certification. In the meantime, I contacted the owner of Body Hoops and became an affiliate for selling hula hoops on-line. If you’d like to discover or rediscover the joys of hooping you can buy a hoop or a hooping DVD at bodyhoops.com and get $10 off! Simply go to bodyhoops.com and buy your stuff. Then, when you’re ready to check out, be sure to enter “sheri” in the form when it asks you for a coupon code. Most importantly, once you get your hoop, remember to have fun!

Agape Toastmasters is a unique Toastmasters club whose purpose is to “foster an unconditionally loving, mutually supportive and highly inspirational environment that will empower its members to become excellent communicators and leaders ready to serve our community and the world with joy, authenticity, wisdom and integrity.”

Through Michael Beckwith’s leadership Agape International Spiritual Center has become a trans-denominational movement and community of 9,000 local members and 1,000,000 friends worldwide. He is the author of many books including his most recent work “Spiritual Liberation: Fulfilling your Soul’s Potential” and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live multiple times.

“Beckwith’s vision and outstanding communication skills have contributed greatly to the expansion of consciousness on our planet” said club president Jesus Nebot. “He serves as a perfect role model to all our members and we are delighted to honor him with our first Outstanding Communicator Award”. In addition Beckwith will also receive a cash donation to support the humanitarian work of the Agape International Spiritual Center in the world.

During this annual meeting the Agape Toastmasters club will also recognize outstanding member of the year, Bruce Gordon for his great contribution to the club in many leadership positions.

This celebratory breakfast meeting is open to the general public at no charge and will be held on Saturday December 13, 2008 from 8:30-11:00 a.m. at Agape International Spiritual Center located at 5700 Buckingham Place Culver City, CA. For more information or to RSVP for the event contact Sheri Zampelli at 562-305-3434 or visit Agape Toastmasters on the web at http://agape.freetoasthost.info/