As luck would have it, today’s Toastmasters theme was Superstition, and Toastmaster Michelle wore her lucky earrings to make sure that we had a good meeting. After much shuffling of schedules and roles and several valiant volunteers coming forward to fill spaces left by those unable to make it, we had a terrific lineup of speakers, table topics speakers, and evaluators.
(Note: Emergencies and illnesses come up and cannot be avoided, but all members should make sure to respond to the monthly scheduling email from the VP of Education regarding availability. Members should also check the Meeting Schedule early and often to find out if/when you’ve been assigned a speech or a role. If you anticipate not being able to attend, letting us know as soon as possible is helpful in avoiding last minute scheduling hassles. Thanks!)
David S. was first up, with his CC #8 speech, “Networking Tips: A Practical Guide.” He led us through a condensed version of a 45-minute speech he gave to his colleagues at work on the benefits of networking and how to gracefully enter and exit conversations with strangers at an event.
Next up was Paul H., giving his CC #2 speech, “You’re Not Alone,” in which he spoke intimately about the times in his life he’s needed and accepted help from others. He started off by singing a moving rendition of the song “Lean on Me,” and talked about how much the song itself and the meaning behind it has impacted him.
Kyle then gave his CC #10 speech, “How our identity prevents us from serenity,” in which he discussed how fear of success and fear of failure are both rooted in the aversion to change and the threat to ego and identity it entails. He emphasized how our own personal internal narratives, positive or negative, can stand in our way.
Finally, Aanya gave a timely talk, “Health Insurance 101,” for her CC #8 speech. She walked us through some of the choices many of us will have to make in the upcoming weeks and months as employers go through their open enrollment period. As a health insurance adjuster, she had inside information to convey, such as the importance of knowing your maximum out-of-pocket obligation for any policy since no matter how you go about paying your insurance, this maximum will remain the same.
We then moved into Table Topics. As Table Topics Master, I provided some prompts regarding superstitions for Jun Lei, Chuck, Amy, and Tom. Jun Lei walked away with the Best Table Topics ribbon for her impromptu response about unlucky numbers.
Junlei won Best Table Topics
Our evaluators this week were Valerie, Nicole S., Dave E, and Marti, with Peter giving the general evaluation. Marti took home the Best Evaluator ribbon for her feedback on Aanya’s speech.
Marti won Best Evaluator.
Our Grammarian was Paula, who gave us the word “kismet” for the meeting, and Brett kept us on schedule as Timer.
We had three guests: Holly, Vince, and Shane. Hope to see you all again.
Our President Peter closed the meeting with some announcements, including that David S. will be leaving us for a job in Shanghai and is unfortunately for us vacating his position as VP of Education. Any member who would be interested in the officer position should contact Peter. It’s a terrific opportunity, and I can say from firsthand experience we have a great crew of officers to work with to make it a terrific Toastmaster year for the club.
Additionally, our Humorous Speech contest will be held August 29 during our regular meeting hours and venue at Northwest Hospital cafeteria. Members who are interested in entering the contest are encouraged to do so by talking with Peter, who is organizing the event. As a competitor last year (and this year), I highly encourage interested members to sign up. It’s a great experience. For those who want to learn more, see the Toastmasters web site.
Finally, as is clear (or blurry) by the quality of the photos for this post, I am not the photographer that Scott C. is.
Our next meeting will be hosted by Toastmaster Jun Lei. It will be a speech-a-thon with five speeches and evaluators, but no Table Topics.
Look forward to seeing you all there!
I'm a writer, editor, sit-down comedian, and keeper of many hobbies.
