Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Publice Speaking Northwest Again Honors the Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Toastmasters teaches communication skills."The art of acceptance is the art of making someone who has just done you a small favor wish that he might have done you a greater one." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Party Table!

Whether accepting a small favor, or even a small gift, well-developed communication skills help to raise that acceptance to the level of art. 

Our January 15 meeting was a Post-Holiday White Elephant Party. Going completely in Table Topics format, upon opening our White Elephant gifts, we each used our two minutes (and communication skills) to explain why this was our best gift ever.

Jean and Jerry
Our President, Jean, opened the meeting with Jerry. Mihaela, Cindy, Jamie, Pierce, Barbara, Juliet, Kathy, Lynne, Joanne, and three guests: Robert, Elaine, and Eugene in attendance.





Toastmaster Jerry
Jerry, our Toastmaster, reviewed the White Elephant rules, then played holiday tunes as he circulated among us with a basket of numbers which created our gift-choosing order.


Eugene and Jerry


While we selected our numbers from Jerry, we also filled our plates at the holiday-themed food table. It's just not a party without adequate snacks.
Refreshments!
   


It was pot-luck today with everyone contributing to the bounty.



Assorted party shots follow:   


Does Pierce want the gift Juliet is choosing?


 
Pierce likes his own gift best.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Barb's Teddy Bear Pyramid
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jamie begins his talk while unwrapping.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Elaine's stylish shades
 
 
 
 
 
 
Robert stole his gift.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lucky Eugene went first and last.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cindy
 
 
Cindy proves that a good time was had by all.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our Photographer of the Day:
 
Mihaela
 
She worried that her "best gift ever" might be stolen, but she did not have to turn it over and got to take home the game ball.
 
 
 
 
 
 
News You Can Use:

Our club inspirational and evaluation contests will be held on February 26th.

If you'd like to join us for polishing your presentations, developing leadership skills, and making friends, we welcome you.

We meet every Tuesday from noon to 1:00 PM. You'll find us at the Seattle Times Building in Bothell, Washington ~ 19200 120th Avenue NE. Feel free to bring your lunch.
To find out more contact: Jean Tracy, JeanTracy@KidsDiscuss.com, 425.745.0022.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne, Secretary/Treasurer















Public Speaking Northwest Honors the Words of Anne Morrow Lindberg


Toastmasters teaches communication skills. "Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after." Anne Morrow Lindberg

Jean, our President, opened the meeting with Kyle, Jamie, Mihaela, Abe, Casey, Lynne, Ken, Kate, Elaine, Barb, Joanne, two guests: Deepanjali and Pashmeena, and Area Governor, Tammy Preuss in attendance.


Barb, Jean, Lynne, Area Governor Tammy Preuss, Ken, and Joanne

After a brief ceremony where Tammy inducted officers into their new positions, Jean turned the meeting over to the day's Toastmaster, Kyle. His theme today was "endeavor" and all that entails. Kyle's first turn at Toastmaster was a successful endeavor, indeed. 

Toastmaster Kyle
Jamie
Three-quarters of the GATE Team today were: Jamie as Grammarian, Joanne as Ah-Counter, and Mihaela as Timer.
 
Mihaela & Joanne

 
Jamie selected "exacerbate" as the Word of the Day. All who spoke needed to use exacerbate at least once in order to avoid paying a twenty-five cent fine. Jamie also listened for correct grammar usage. Joanne listened for ahs, ums, and similar fillers, charging five cents per occurrence; she also doubled as photographer. Mihaela kept her eye on the clock and worked the lights in order to keep speakers on time. The GATE Team endeavors to listen actively and attentively to the oral communications of its fellow Toastmaster members. 




Abe
Abe made his second speech today, sharing with us how he takes inspiration from the life and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a positive role model we might all endeavor to emulate.


Kate
Kate's fourth speech, complete with acronym, also gave the audience a fine example of a proactive approach to use in our interactions with others when filling the role of advocate.



Barb
Barb evaluated Abe's speech, praising his outline of five topic headings, which he posted for us, and his transitions between them.


Jean
Jean expressed enjoyment of Kate's gestures and the emphasis they brought to the points of her talk.

Although the officer induction ceremony used time that might have allowed for a General Evaluator, the fourth member of the GATE Team quartet, Casey, as Topics Master, had time to call on two members for Table Topics.


Casey
Lynne
Abe






Casey, what was that book you were using?


Abe and Lynne answered some fun questions from that mystery volume.


Ken and Kyle
Ken endeavored to encourage new and prospective members to earn their Ice Breaker certificates by diving right in and moving that first speech into the "done" column.







Abe and Jean
In a fitting punctuation mark to Ken's announcement, Abe then received his Ice Breaker certificate.







Our Blue Ribbon Winners:

Best Speaker ~ Kate
Best Evaluator ~ Barb
Best Table Topics ~ Lynne

Our Photographer of the Day


Joanne











News You Can Use:

Our club inspirational and evaluation contests will be held on February 26.


If you'd like to join us for polishing your presentations, developing leadership skills, and making friends, we welcome you.

We meet every Tuesday from noon to 1:00 PM. You'll find us at the Seattle Times Building in Bothell, Washington ~ 19200 120th Avenue NE. Feel free to bring your lunch.
To find out more contact: Jean Tracy, JeanTracy@KidsDiscuss.com, 425.745.0022.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne, Secretary/Treasurer
 
   
                                         


Friday, January 11, 2013

Public Speaking Northwest Honors the Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Toastmasters teaches leadership skills. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our meeting today included 2 speakers who overcame challenges. 

Jean
Our president, Jean, presided over the meeting with Lynne, John, Jamie, Mihaela, Kate, Juliet, Jerry, Kyle, Abe, Ana, Joanne, Barb, and Ken in attendance.




Lynne
Lynne opened the meeting with a smile and our mission statement.





Juliet
Our Grammarian, Juliet, gave "Habitual" as the word of the day. We had to use when speaking or pay a quarter.









Kyle
Kyle told us how his toast in Colombia at his best friend's wedding went. Kyle gave the toast in Spanish.







 

Jerry
Jerry was our timer.









John
John






John, our first speaker, shared his four point method on how he lost 200 pounds since last year at this time. So inspirational!









Jamie
 Jamie evaluated John's presentation with praise for his organization, visual props, and delivery.

Abe




Abe, our second speaker, gave his ice breaker show how he is building a house using the bricks people have thrown at you. Amazing speech!











Barb
Barb evaluated Abe's talk with enthusiasm about his handling of the emotional nature of his speech, his gestures, eye contact, and his delivery without notes.


Ana







Ana, Table Topics Master, presented a pinwheel of topics. Joanne told about one of her bad habits and made us laugh. 
Joanne choosing a Table Topic from Ana














Our Blue Ribbon Winners:

Best Speaker ~ John
Best Evaluator ~ Barb
Best Table Topics ~ Joanne

Our Photographer of the Day:
Mihaela


News You Can Use:



1. Our Open House White Elephant Gift Exchange will be on January 15th. Members are asked to bring a wrapped gift worth $5 or less. Each member will explain, in table topic format, why the gift they chose is just what they wanted. Jerry will create a team for decorating the room and bringing tasty snacks.
 
2. Our club inspirational and evaluation contests will be held on February 26th.

 If you'd like to join us for polishing your presentations, developing leadership skills, and making friends, we welcome you.

 We meet every Tuesday from noon to 1:00 PM. You'll find us at the Seattle Times Building in Bothell, Washington ~ 19200 120th Avenue NE. Feel free to bring your lunch.
To find out more contact: Jean Tracy, JeanTracy@KidsDiscuss.com, 425.745.0022.

Respectfully submitted,

Joanne, Secretary