Feb 16th 2016 - Club Contest

"All language is a popularity contest." ~~ Erin McKean

Welcome to the third meeting in February – our club contest day.

Jean was our toastmaster of the day.

Kathy was the target speaker for the evaluation contestants – Warren and Robert.

Kathy gave her speech entitled “Air Travel Fun” which she completed within 5 mins. Through her funny animated talk, she listed 4 scenarios that she has observed while travelling by air. First among them, are those passengers, who besides all the announcements made in the security area of the airport are not serious about trashing their liquids etc. and end up wasting fellow passengers’ time.

Then, there are the germophobes – who are so extra cautious and super sensitive to everything around them, they don’t realize they are getting into other people’s territory with their wipes and sanitizers.

Another common occurrence is missing baggage. On one such occasion, the authorities from the airlines called Kathy again and again acknowledging that they got her stolen luggage report. In her opinion, if they spend that time on finding where the luggage is, it would fasten the process.

Last but not least is the shopping part. She shared her experience of shopping in a European country. She hilariously compared American airport shops with European shops selling a whole different kind of products.

Warren – our first evaluation contestant was impressedby Kathy’s dramatized, active and visually appealing delivery of her speech. With excellent facial expressions covering the entire length of the room, Warren thought Kathy communicated effectively with a sense of feeling. He recognized that due to her fast body movements which the speech demanded, it was harder to maintain eye contact. As a suggestion, he offered her to talk a little louder towards the end of her sentences.

Robert – our second evaluation contestant appreciated Kathy’s facial expression, hand gestures and effective description. Her voice modulation effectively described the situation and conveyed her message well. He was impressed with her personal stories weaved with great humor and incredible energy. As a suggestion, he offered her to walk more left to right of the stage rather than in a U shape.

The speech contestants were Amritha and Naser.

Amritha’s speech was entitled “Towards Brighter Skies”

which she completed within 7 mins. Through her speech, she went back to her childhood – sketching a picture through her words of how shy, reserved and nervous she was. Growing up as a teenager, fear had grasped her as a result of which she did not dare to take part in many activities and limited herself.

Years later, after she flew to seattle – she was compelled by circumstances to say good-bye to the fear filled thoughts, find courage within her and face the situations that were presented in front of her with confidence and hope.

She shared with the audience how after failing to successfully lead a class of first graders through an art project, she was ashamed of herself and went out in search of ways to overcome her speaking fear. She joined toastmasters soon and is today full of passion and confidence while she shares her messages.

Naser – who was our second speech contestant – finished his speech entitled “Weatherman” in 7 minutes.

Through his hilarious speech, Naser shared with us how he earned the nickname “Weatherman”. In the year 2005, Naser’s decision to quit his job in India due to dissatisfaction led his superiors to offer him a job in US.

Before his travel, he gets trained to be familiarized with US culture. In the training, he was informed never to have a conversation with Americans about family, religion, and politics – he was left wondering what was left to start a conversation. That is when he was told it is always ok to talk about the weather. Sure enough, all the conversations that he had with colleagues were related to weather and thus began his journey towards earning the nickname "Weatherman". 

Ultimately, he went to his first toastmasters club in Bellevue. There he met toastmasters who spoke about family, relationships and much more. He fell in love with the energy, passion and enthusiasm of these men and women and decided to become a member. Since that day, he has actively participated in toastmasters.

Warren and Naser were the winners in their respective sections.

Members who attended the meeting numbered to 15 along with 2 guests – James C. and Sarah C . Sarah is our newest member who joined us last Tuesday. Welcome to our club Sarah!!!

Members who attended were: Amritha, Anisha, Barb, Dan, Jean, Jim, Jing Z., Julie, Jung, Kathy, Lynne, Nancy L., Naser, Robert and Warren. 

Our active membership total currently is at 32.

Respectfully Submitted,

Amritha Imandi, Secretary

Public Speaking Northwest #9406