Thursday, July 21, 2016

July 19, 2016 - Theme: Purpose


"Our purpose is to educate as well as to entertain." - Curtis Mayfield


Welcome to our third meeting in July! Randy was the Toastmaster of the day, and it was his first time in the Toastmaster role. His GAT(e) team was comprised of the Grammarian, Amritha (Pretentious); Ah-Counter, Jessica; and Timer, Jean.



Jim was the first speaker of the day, speaking from the Advanced Communicator manual - Storytelling: Bringing History to Life. The title of his talk was “A Founding Father of the US Comes Alive” which he completed within 9 minutes. Jim took us back in time, playing the role of Benjamin Franklin. In the live interview, “Mr. Franklin” told us about his life, his experiences in Britain, and all of his inventions. For his creative, fun, and entertaining story, Jim was awarded Best Speaker! 


Evaluating Jim’s speech was Grace. She highlighted the best parts of Jim’s speech, including is larger than life presence, his effectiveness in transitioning roles, and his delicate use of props. It was hard to think of anything critical to say about this speech!


 


Barb was the second speaker of the day, speaking from the Competent Communicator manual - Get to the Point. The title of her talk was “Fridays at the Pentagon” which she completed within 7 minutes. Barb explained how her views of the Pentagon were unfavorable – until she attended a tour. She painted a patriotic scene: a grateful crowd clapping for a parade of wounded heroes. Little did she know that was just another Friday at the Pentagon. She moved everyone in the room with her story

Nancy evaluated Barb’s speech. She pointed out many of Barb’s strengths, including her vocal variety and her achievements in truly “getting to the point.” Nancy’s one suggestion was to have body movements be more smooth and natural.


 


The third speaker of the day was Julie, speaking from the Competent Communicator manual - Get to the Point. Her speech was over 7 minutes long. Julie provided us with a view of her two conflicting selves. There is one that is bold, sparky, and unique. The other is fearful of judgment and has a desire to conform. She identified with Richard Branson, Jackson Pollock, and other free spirits who were successful because of their creativity. She encouraged us to let our inner light shine, for it is indeed a gift to the world. 

Evaluating Julie’s speech was Robert. He complimented Julie’s comfortable use of PowerPoint presentations and her natural movements and abilities on stage. He noted that more cohesiveness throughout would make it a stronger speech. For his humorous evaluation, Robert was awarded the Best Evaluator!



 


Warren led the Table Topics Session, in which he blindfolded the participants and asked them to sell an unknown item to the audience, which was to be pulled randomly out of a bag. Hilarity ensued. The speakers were Nancy, Amritha, Jessica, and Grace. Jessica took home the Best Table Topics speaker award!


    


There were 14 Members in attendance at our July 19th meeting, including Amritha, Barb, Grace, Jean, Jessica, Jim, Julie, Nancy, Randy, Robert and Warren, as well as two guests: Mike and Annie. 

Next Tuesday is our Awards meeting and open house! As always, we will be meeting at 11:45am at 19119 North Creek Parkway in Bothell, WA. All are welcome to come and bring guests. We will be celebrating our accomplishments over the past year and enjoying a potluck-style lunch together. Hope you can join us!


Respectfully Submitted,
Jessica DiPietro, Secretary
Public Speaking Northwest #9406

3 comments:

  1. You captured the highlights and many of the details from our great speakers, Jessica. Warren's table topics with the mask were creative and so funny. What a fun way to learn public speaking!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jean! We had so much fun. I appreciate your feedback!

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    2. Thank you, Jean! We had so much fun. I appreciate your feedback!

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