May 10th 2016 Theme – Backwards Meeting

 “I always wear my hat backwards. That way, people can see my face.” ~~ Rickey Fowler

Welcome to the second meeting in May.

          Jean was the toastmaster of the day.

The GAT(e) team comprised of: Grammarian – Nancy (scintillating), Ah-Counter – Pratap and Timer – Chizuko.

Today, we had a backwards meeting. The GATE team announced the results first. 

Our evaluators - Robert, Anisha and Pauline evaluated our speakers - Kathy, Hadaya and Amritha respectively even before they listened to their speeches! It was truly funny to hear the creative evaluations and feedback given to our speakers!

Last but not the least came the speaker's turn to present themselves.

Kathy was the first speaker of the day. She completed Project #10 from the CC Manual – Inspire Your Audience which she completed within 10 minutes.

Through her speech, Kathy shared with us few ways through which we can always feel energized, positive and move through life with great enthusiasm. Here are her suggestions –

1.  Believe in Yourselves – When we believe in ourselves, our self-esteem is greatly uplifted and we are already on the way to our goals.

2.  Turn the situation around – In tough situations, taking one step at a time and a can do attitude we can go a long way ahead.

3.  Stretching – Just like stretching muscles improves its tenacity and makes it more flexible, stretching our thoughts allows us to think beyond what we see and eventually makes it easy to attain them.

4.  Learn something esp. related to other people – She points out that social interaction is crucial for a balanced life.

5.  Laugh more – Humor lightens everything in life up, so smile more, laugh more and make funny jokes.

6.  Celebrate life – Celebrating the good moments and successes allows us to flow through life more happily. She suggests to cherish the little happy moments that we all have and keep memories of them.

Amritha was our second speaker. She spoke from The Successful Club Series – Going Beyond Our club. Title of her talk “Are You Ready to Explore?” which she completed within 15 mins.

By sharing her experience of witnessing the Toastmaster Division E contest in Spring 2015, while she was still a new member, Amritha showed the audience what a Toastmasters contest was all about. Contrary to her belief that she had just joined a club to overcome her fear of speaking in public, after that particular experience she realized she had stepped into an ocean of opportunities. And she was all ready to dig in and explore.

She went on to share the hierarchy of TMs that she discovered after actively taking part in activities within and outside the club. With the help of a power point presentation, she showed the audience how the areas, divisions and districts are formed. All the districts together contribute to the Toastmasters International.

She acknowledged the role that the club members have played in encouraging her to explore new possibilities outside our club. The first district 2 conference that she attended was another eye opener. With education sessions, inspiring talks and contests all filled with wisdom, humor and life changing messages – she mentions that district conferences are a wonderful place to connect and learn. She encourages members to step outside the comfort zone of our club, stretch themselves a little bit and explore the world of Toastmasters.

Hadaya was our third speaker. He completed Project# 3 from CC Manual – Get to the Point. Title of his talk “Father and His Role” which he completed within 7 mins.

Through his speech, Hadaya spoke about the different roles a father takes in the life of his child.

1.  A man become a father officially when he has his child. He has to provide for the basic necessities, comforts etc.

2.  Father as a Friend – When a child is in between the ages of 5-10, father become his child’s friend. By teaching good habits and manners, playing with his child; a good father becomes a role model to his growing child.

3.  Father as a Teacher – When his child is in the pre-teen years (10 to 15), the father allows his child to learn by experience. By communicating the crucial lessons of life needed for success, father now becomes his child’s teacher.

4.  Father as a Leader – When his child is in between 15 to 20 years of age, child becomes independent making his/her own decisions. Father at this point is a leader to his child.

5.  Father as a Role Model – By this time, his child has grown into a successful and responsible adult. Father is now a role model for his/her son.

We had 2 guests (Randy B. and Nicole F.) and

13 members in attendance.

Member attendees were: Amritha, Anisha, Chizuko, Hadaya, Jan, Jean, Jim, Julie, Kathy, Lynne, Nancy, Pauline, and Robert.

Respectfully Submitted,

Amritha Imandi, Secretary

Public Speaking Northwest #9406.