01/25/2016 meeting "I have a dream …"

Hello Fellow Toastmasters, our meeting back from our holiday off last week was productive and appropriate since our theme was Martin Luther King Jr. 

Thank you to our Toastmasters who filled in for roles last night, this is a great opportunity to learn and practice our skills. 

Our Invocation by Byron was uplifting as he shared a story of inspiration from our own Toastmasters magazine. Migo filled in as our Joke Master and he was also our Toastmaster for the night, making sure our meeting stayed on track. 

Lucille was our Table Topic Master and she gave a very good introduction into our Table Topics, and gave us thoughtful questions on a topic that is often sensitive. All speakers are commended for going up and speaking their minds and sharing their views on this holiday and the importance of it. 

Our Table Topic Evaluator George focused his evaluations on critique and pointed out patterns of habits that some of the speakers had. Very useful pointers were given for all speakers. 

Thank you for the wonderful refreshments provided by Byron, Daniel and Migo last night. The snacks were truly enjoyed. 

We had one speaker for the night George, who gave us his sixth manual speech about the Roller Derby and what it takes to be a referee. He presented a very entertaining and well thought out speech. His evaluator Brian, had more praise than critique, but offered a few helpful suggestions for his next speech. 

The general evaluator, myself, gave a well-rounded review of the meeting then handed it over to our Toastmaster Migo to announce the winners of the night. We ended our productive meeting a few minutes early and are eager to reconvene once again next Monday night. 

Hope to see many of there. 

1/11/2016 meeting "Wisdom"

Hello Fellow Toastmasters, 

Our second meeting of the year found us with a small, but mighty crowd speaking about wisdom and inspiration.

A number of members stepped up to fill in roles, including some of our newer members; great job and way to take advantage of the opportunity.

Brian, as our Table Topic Master, asked us to share with the audience about movies or life events that inspire us and/or provide us with wisdom.  All speakers shared stories of inspiration and were very comfortable on stage. Our Table Topic Evaluator Dee provided advice for our speakers that was short and to the point. 

Refreshments last night were provided by Martin, thank you! We definitely indulged during the break.

Our Toastmaster Byron introduced our speakers for the night. Daniel gave us a manual speech about the hitting the ‘Jackpot’ and what he would do if he won the lottery. Lucille shared with us an impromptu speech about childhood rhymes and the meanings behind them. Garvin also gave us an impromptu speech on ‘The Cold, Hard Truth’ about making the most of our lives while we are still alive.

The speech evaluators, Daniela, Migo and Fabian, provided useful feedback to the speakers by emphasizing the things that worked well, and providing suggestions on things that needed improvement. Our General Evaluator Lucille did a wonderful job pointing out details about the meeting that normally go unnoticed. 

An announcement was made about the LACE training. If interested, email Daniela for more information. Overall, a great meeting last night, and hope to see many more fellow members next time.

1/4/2016 meeting "New Year, New Beginning"

Hello Fellow Toastmasters, our first meeting of 2016 was energetic and filled with wise words for the new year. 

Dee filled in for Invocation and reminded us that the holidays are centered around family and love. This was notably true since Dee invited her sister Carolyn from Wisconsin to be our guest tonight. 

Our Joke Master Byron started off by warning us that he is not a great joke-teller, but his 'carnival' joke had us laughing out loud and blushing!

Michael was our Toastmaster for the night and facilitated the meeting, making sure we stayed on track and on time. 

Our General Evaluator for the night, Daniel, did a very nice job at the beginning of the meeting explaining the roles of the 'helpers,' our timer and grammarian, to our members and our guest. He also gave a great recap at the end of the meeting of the speech evaluators' pointers. 

The Table Topic portion of the meeting was soon underway as the Topic Master, myself, Daniela, eased us into the first meeting with questions about new year resolutions, memories and plans. All Table Topic speakers shared personal stories about what their plans for the new year are, or what they found memorable about the last year. 

Byron was also our Table Topic Evaluator (thanks for filling in) and gave our speakers very succinct but useful pointers. After two weeks off, he gave us advise to get us back on track. Some pointers included: don't forget to greet your audience, avoid negative talk when speaking, and relating your speech to your Toastmaster's experience is always a good way to go :) 

Refreshments provided by Ernestina and Martin were great, thank you. The spicy guacamole humus was a hit!

After the break we had two prepared speeches and one impromptu speech. George shared with us his "Recipe for Change" as he vibrantly explained how a pair of bunny slippers helped shape his career. Fabian gave us an impromptu but valuable speech about keeping the magic of kindness alive not only throughout the holidays, but always. Last but certainly not least, Brian shared an animated introduction to skiing on a 'piste' slope, and the meaning behind the different signage. If you are a beginner, and you see double black diamonds, go the other way!!

The speeches were followed by three great evaluations by Dee, Garvin and Migo. All three evaluators boasted on the great points of the speakers and also gave constructive criticism and tips to improve their speeches. No only do the speakers learn from this, but so does everyone else listening. 

Great job tonight everyone; we had a very productive & entertaining first meeting of the year. See you next week!