TOASTMASTER ICE-BREAKER SPEECH
OUTLINE
OPENING
1. GOOD MORNING FELLOW TOASTMASTERS
2. MY NAME IS KJN – SHAW GROUP – ELECTRICAL DRAFTER
MAIN BODY
1. BORN AND RAISED
2. SMALL FAMILY – OLDER BROTHER AND GRANDMOTHER
3. LEARN FROM GRANDMOTHER
4. MEDICAL EDUCATION – MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST
5. ANALYZING BODY FLUIDS, FECES, BLOOD TESTS
6. APPLY FOR IMMIGRATION TO USA
7. ARRIVED IN DENVER, COLORADO
8. MET FUTURE HUSBAND – ANDREW
9. CIVIL WEDDING – 29 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
10. BROADMOOR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
11. CAREER CHANGE – ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN CARTOGRAPHY
12. ECONOMIC CHANGES REFOCUSED MY GOALS
13. WORKED FOR CABLE AND TELECOM COMPANIES
14. IN ADDITION – STARTED FOUR DIFFERENT BUSINESSES
15. MARY KAY COSMETICS – MARKETING AND SELLING
16. TRADE BALANCE INTRNAL – LOOKING FOR COMMODITIES – BUYER/SELLER TO MAKE A DEAL
17. FIBER LOOP COMMUNICATIONS – DOING COAXIAL AND FIBER OPTIC CABLE DESIGN
18. PHOENIX LOSS CONTROL – RECOVER COST OF PROPERTY DAMAGES FOR COMCAST
19. I DID NOT MAKE MUCH MONEY FROM MY FOUR VENTURES BUT I LEARNED HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS AND PAY TAXES
20. JOINING THE SHAW GROUP – POWER ENERGY FIELD
21. MY AMBITION – TO BECOME AN ELECTRICAL DESIGNER
CLOSING
22. IN CONCLUSION – IMMIGRATING TO U S WAS THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED. I DO NOT REGRET IT. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL OPPORTUNITIES THIS COUNTRY OFFERS
23. THANK YOU
Showing posts with label Ice-Breakers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ice-Breakers. Show all posts
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Icebreaker - Nick Samoylov
While preparing this speech I made quite a few discoveries (thank you, toastmasters system!). The biggest one, I realized how lucky I am. Sure people told me this, and I felt lucky and was grateful for all the blessings, but I never actually tried to account how many of those blessings were provided. Just to name a few.
First of all - nothing terribly new here - my wife and our two daughters. With Luda we married many (I am not allowed to disclose how many) years. Most of this time we worked together – in the same company, on the same project, even sitting next to each other, as right now too in Jeppesen (Boeing Corporation). We are literally 24 by 7 for many years. We used to it and miss each other very quickly.
Our girls are delight of our hearts, realization of dreams we did not even dare to have, and justification of all our efforts. They graduated from college already. The older Kateryna graduated from Harvard (now is doing PHD in philosophy in Brown). The younger Maria graduated from Tufts (now works as an investment analyst in JPMorgan Bank in NY).
Another example of my luck, I studied English behind the iron curtain and knew I had no chance to use it. Normal people never crossed USSR borders, there were no foreigners around, and I had a clearance on the top of that (I worked for Star Wars project). My friends were puzzled: “Why?!” I could not explain. I just loved to learn a new language. Than - sure enough, my luck kicked in - the USSR collapsed, and suddenly I am among very few who can communicate with new world over the broken fence. Quite a few people said later: “Wow! How smart were you that studied English!” This first speech – in English - in front of English speaking audience is the fulfillment of my childhood dream.
The collapse of the USSR was lucky for me in several other ways. The scientific research lost funding, and we had to hit the market. First devastated and lost, I soon discovered joy and power of the free enterprise. I created two companies - all around computers – and not only kept afloat, but actually prospered by standards of those days. Since 1991 I am not afraid of anything… except myself.
The last example of my luck is related to our coming to the US. You know that many people try many different ways for many years to come here and cannot succeed. We tried it only once. Luda, my wife, pulled a Green Card Lottery ticket and got it right – just like that – in the critical moment when we desperately needed to re-unite the family (our daughters were schooling in England at the time; they were accomplished piano players and got scholarship in Royal College of Music, also in Claremont Fan Court school and Cheltenham Ladies College). At that time I worked for a German company. We tried to build a bridge between western money and Ukrainian brains. I traveled between Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and England, to visit kids, who were 10-14 and 12-16 years old. Luda also visited them, but we basically stuck in the Ukraine. The chance to live again as a family in a civilized country was just blessing.
There were several other discoveries… Manual recommends be more personal during the icebreaker. …One of my discoveries was my night cap – my private view of self. Everybody has one. Mine is Sylvester Stallone with Leonardo Da Vinci’s brains and Prince Charles’ manners. My secret initials are “LCS”. The icebreaker helped me to shed light on this monster. I have to work on the beast to bring it closer to reality.
Oh, yes, another thing … Did I mention I am a convicted felon currently charged with an identity theft from a Ukrainian guy? Just kidding.
First of all - nothing terribly new here - my wife and our two daughters. With Luda we married many (I am not allowed to disclose how many) years. Most of this time we worked together – in the same company, on the same project, even sitting next to each other, as right now too in Jeppesen (Boeing Corporation). We are literally 24 by 7 for many years. We used to it and miss each other very quickly.
Our girls are delight of our hearts, realization of dreams we did not even dare to have, and justification of all our efforts. They graduated from college already. The older Kateryna graduated from Harvard (now is doing PHD in philosophy in Brown). The younger Maria graduated from Tufts (now works as an investment analyst in JPMorgan Bank in NY).
Another example of my luck, I studied English behind the iron curtain and knew I had no chance to use it. Normal people never crossed USSR borders, there were no foreigners around, and I had a clearance on the top of that (I worked for Star Wars project). My friends were puzzled: “Why?!” I could not explain. I just loved to learn a new language. Than - sure enough, my luck kicked in - the USSR collapsed, and suddenly I am among very few who can communicate with new world over the broken fence. Quite a few people said later: “Wow! How smart were you that studied English!” This first speech – in English - in front of English speaking audience is the fulfillment of my childhood dream.
The collapse of the USSR was lucky for me in several other ways. The scientific research lost funding, and we had to hit the market. First devastated and lost, I soon discovered joy and power of the free enterprise. I created two companies - all around computers – and not only kept afloat, but actually prospered by standards of those days. Since 1991 I am not afraid of anything… except myself.
The last example of my luck is related to our coming to the US. You know that many people try many different ways for many years to come here and cannot succeed. We tried it only once. Luda, my wife, pulled a Green Card Lottery ticket and got it right – just like that – in the critical moment when we desperately needed to re-unite the family (our daughters were schooling in England at the time; they were accomplished piano players and got scholarship in Royal College of Music, also in Claremont Fan Court school and Cheltenham Ladies College). At that time I worked for a German company. We tried to build a bridge between western money and Ukrainian brains. I traveled between Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and England, to visit kids, who were 10-14 and 12-16 years old. Luda also visited them, but we basically stuck in the Ukraine. The chance to live again as a family in a civilized country was just blessing.
There were several other discoveries… Manual recommends be more personal during the icebreaker. …One of my discoveries was my night cap – my private view of self. Everybody has one. Mine is Sylvester Stallone with Leonardo Da Vinci’s brains and Prince Charles’ manners. My secret initials are “LCS”. The icebreaker helped me to shed light on this monster. I have to work on the beast to bring it closer to reality.
Oh, yes, another thing … Did I mention I am a convicted felon currently charged with an identity theft from a Ukrainian guy? Just kidding.
Friday, May 18, 2007
What's On My Bookshelf - An Ice-Breaker
What's On My Bookshelf?
Imagine you found yourself alone in a stranger's house, and you want to know about the people who live there. What would you look at?
My wife, Serena, would look at the pictures. She always notices the pictures. My son and daughter would look for toys, or substitutes. Myself, I would look at the available reading material. One can learn a lot about people by what they read. Here is what you would learn about me, if you were to peruse the books in our family room.
First, you will notice that we are not the tidiest people. Scattered on the floor are children’s books, The Poky Little Puppy, Good Night Moon, and others. There are children here, which is my excuse for the sloppiness. I am the dad of Charlie and Ainsley; both share their parent's enjoyment of books. Neither has learned to pick up. As long as the kids continue to exhibit an interest in reading however, we are willing to tolerate a few books lying around.
Neater, but not quite tidy, are two stacks of books occupying opposite ends of the couch. At one end of the couch, you will find a neat stack of books with titles suggesting matters of romance, child rearing, and education. The romance novel gives away the owner of this stack. It belongs to Serena, who is, a teacher, a dedicated mom, and a fabulous wife.
At the other end of the couch is my stack of books. On top, for pure pleasure there is a copy of, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby, a hilarious book about a soccer fanatic. This is a fitting book for me because I am a huge soccer fan. I am a sports fan in general, but Soccer holds the top spot since I started playing when I was six and stopped at 35. I have since filled the void by coaching, participating as a Director of a local youth club, and by becoming an even more rabid fan.
Next in line, is a book entitled, A Short History of Nearly Everything. A work of pop science, it combines several of my interests. I have always loved ideas for their own sake, and their influence on events in history. I spent my undergraduate years tailoring my studies to the “intellectual history” niche of historiography. Science fascinates me. As with my interest in intellectual history, I am fascinated with how the progression of science affects society. This book scratches all those intellectual itches.
The third book is, The Bootstrapper's Bible. I manage a small mortgage company that my father started in 1991. Accounting, marketing, technology, and personnel all compete for space on my schedule. Sometimes it is the best job in the world. Other times it is misery. It is always a lesson. That is best part.
The final book is untitled. It is my notebook. Flipping, through the pages we find: to do lists, lists of goals, grocery lists. We also find, memories and the remnants of story ideas. I live a simple but evolving life. Inside my notebook, plans for the future compete for space with admonishments to, “Fix the disposal.” Many of the plans will never see the light of day. Sometime they do. For instance, inside, there is a resolutions-list containing the line, “Join Toastmasters. Learn to speak.”
Taken all together, I think, these books paint an accurate picture of me. I am: a father, a husband, a reader, a sports fan, perhaps a bit of a geek, a professional, and a learner. It is not a complete picture. I know. I, myself, am still watching, and waiting, for much of the rest to fill-in.
My wife, Serena, would look at the pictures. She always notices the pictures. My son and daughter would look for toys, or substitutes. Myself, I would look at the available reading material. One can learn a lot about people by what they read. Here is what you would learn about me, if you were to peruse the books in our family room.
First, you will notice that we are not the tidiest people. Scattered on the floor are children’s books, The Poky Little Puppy, Good Night Moon, and others. There are children here, which is my excuse for the sloppiness. I am the dad of Charlie and Ainsley; both share their parent's enjoyment of books. Neither has learned to pick up. As long as the kids continue to exhibit an interest in reading however, we are willing to tolerate a few books lying around.
Neater, but not quite tidy, are two stacks of books occupying opposite ends of the couch. At one end of the couch, you will find a neat stack of books with titles suggesting matters of romance, child rearing, and education. The romance novel gives away the owner of this stack. It belongs to Serena, who is, a teacher, a dedicated mom, and a fabulous wife.
At the other end of the couch is my stack of books. On top, for pure pleasure there is a copy of, Fever Pitch by Nick Hornsby, a hilarious book about a soccer fanatic. This is a fitting book for me because I am a huge soccer fan. I am a sports fan in general, but Soccer holds the top spot since I started playing when I was six and stopped at 35. I have since filled the void by coaching, participating as a Director of a local youth club, and by becoming an even more rabid fan.
Next in line, is a book entitled, A Short History of Nearly Everything. A work of pop science, it combines several of my interests. I have always loved ideas for their own sake, and their influence on events in history. I spent my undergraduate years tailoring my studies to the “intellectual history” niche of historiography. Science fascinates me. As with my interest in intellectual history, I am fascinated with how the progression of science affects society. This book scratches all those intellectual itches.
The third book is, The Bootstrapper's Bible. I manage a small mortgage company that my father started in 1991. Accounting, marketing, technology, and personnel all compete for space on my schedule. Sometimes it is the best job in the world. Other times it is misery. It is always a lesson. That is best part.
The final book is untitled. It is my notebook. Flipping, through the pages we find: to do lists, lists of goals, grocery lists. We also find, memories and the remnants of story ideas. I live a simple but evolving life. Inside my notebook, plans for the future compete for space with admonishments to, “Fix the disposal.” Many of the plans will never see the light of day. Sometime they do. For instance, inside, there is a resolutions-list containing the line, “Join Toastmasters. Learn to speak.”
Taken all together, I think, these books paint an accurate picture of me. I am: a father, a husband, a reader, a sports fan, perhaps a bit of a geek, a professional, and a learner. It is not a complete picture. I know. I, myself, am still watching, and waiting, for much of the rest to fill-in.
~2005
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