Public Speaking Northwest honors the words of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln

With a Presidents Day theme, February's two favorite Presidents were the men of the hour at today's meeting. Lynne, our Toastmaster, shared several of their memorable and inspiring quotes.

"It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company." George Washington

George need not have worried about bad company if he had been a member of Toastmasters. He would have known the pleasure of being part of a diverse group of interesting individuals, who yet share the common goals of enhancing their public speaking and leadership skills.

"Be sure to put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." Abraham Lincoln

Another of Mr. Lincoln's timelessly pertinent remarks. All 20 of today's attendees knew their feet were firmly placed in the correct location. Three speakers stood firm, one for the first time, and shared their speeches . . . and a bit of themselves.

President Jean

Our own President, Jean, opened the meeting with Lynne, Ken, Kyle, Deepanjali, Jan, Pashmeena, Joanne, Pat, Casey, Juliet, Elaine, Barb, Abe, Tracy, Cindy, Jamie, Pierce, and two guests: Eric & Yulia in attendance. She reminded everyone of the Internet address of this blog and appealed to us to read and comment.




Before introducing today's Toastmaster, Jean gave the Treasurer, Joanne, a moment to announce that we've entered the dues collection period for the upcoming Toastmasters half-year. District 2 has some attractive dues incentive prize drawings for which we look forward to qualifying.

Toastmaster Lynne

The day's Toastmaster, Lynne, advanced her presidential theme and then  introduced her GAT(no E) team.


Grammarian ~ Pashmeena/Word of the Day: CHIME
Ah Counter ~ Deepanjali
Timer ~ Jean

With three speakers followed by three speech evaluators, the general Evaluator position went on hiatus today.



Pashmeena chimed!










 




Ah . . . Deepanjali

Work that timer, Jean!





















 



Jamie

Jamie spoke first with an interesting piece about jealousy and how we choose only certain aspect(s) of a person on which to focus our envy without coveting everything about that person. Such feelings of envy, and the negative actions they can inspire, reach back to the earliest biblical stories. Well said, Jamie!

Barb

Jamie's 6th speech fulfilled the Vocal Variety project in our Competent Communication manual; Barb's evaluation applauded the manner in which his volume and pitch, as well as breathing and pauses, enhanced our interest and enjoyment in his talk.

Umpire Abe

Second speaker, Abe, presenting his 5th speech, the CC manual project focusing on body language, wore his softball umpire uniform and demonstrated how the non-verbal gestures that an ump uses to support his play calls add emphasis and show the audience the result of the play even without having heard the verbal call. Also, Abe always wears his umpire's cap in the correct manner which non-verbally bestows credibility.

Kyle

Kyle, in his very first evaluation, praised Abe's speech for the entertaining manner in which he presented the body language project. He thanked Abe for making it easy for him to give his first evaluation. Indeed, Kyle appeared as comfortable as a seasoned evaluator.

Elaine melted the ice.

Elaine, as third speaker, gave her first speech, The Ice Breaker. She opened with her brief social media bio and transitioned into an expansion of those details which allowed the audience a deeper understanding of who she is. In only about six minutes, Elaine's Ice Breaker really spread the warmth.

Jan

Jan evaluated Elaine's speech with praise for her enthusiasm and ability to present details of her multi-faceted life in a way that inspired the listeners to feel as if they really know her.







OUR BLUE RIBBON WINNERS:

Best Speaker ~ Elaine

Best Evaluator ~ Kyle


PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE DAY:

Juliet

Thanks to Juliet for volunteering for this task. She then deserves extra credit for grace under pressure. The camera given to her acted up today and the memory card reached its maximum. In spite of near equipment failure, she coaxed many fine photos out of that wayward camera. Kudos, Juliet!





NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Our club inspirational and evaluation contests will be held next Tuesday, February 26.

Dues collection is under way for the upcoming membership period: April 1 - September 30, and we want to qualify for the District 2 incentive prize drawings. Please see your Treasurer, Joanne, with either cash or checks payable to Public Speaking Northwest. Many thanks!

Please help all outstanding loaner CC and CL manuals find their way home. Bring them with you next week, or contact Joanne for alternate arrangements. Much gratitude!


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 believes the words of Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." Abraham Lincoln

Honest Abe knew of which he spoke. Nearly two centuries later, members are motivated to join Toastmasters by their own resolutions to succeed.

"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love." Albert Einstein

Today's meeting, on President Lincoln's birthday, had a love and romance theme in honor of Valentine's Day.

Jean

Jean, our President, opened the meeting with Lynne, Elaine, Mihaela, Cindy, John, Barb, Ken, Eugene, Joanne, Jan, Pierce, Jamie, Kyle, Pashmeena, Depanjali, and three guests: Ryan, Pat, and Karen present.





After Jean turned the meeting over to Jamie, the day's Toastmaster, he read The Valentine's Day Ten Commandments to launch his selected theme of love and romance.

Jamie

The first commandment reads . . .

I am thy Main Squeeze; thou shalt have no other squeeze before me.

The remaining nine were equally funny and a delightful opening act before Jamie introduced his GATE team:

Jean has good timing.



Elaine: Toughest Ah-counter ever!

Grammarian . . . . . . . . .Joanne/Word: MELLIFLUOUS 
Ah Counter . . . . . . . . . .Elaine                   
Timer . . .  . . . . . . . . . . .Jean

Evaluator (General) . . . Ken

 

GATE Team members use listening skills to keep us on task, alert us to correct grammar usage, help us reduce dependence on fillers (ah & um), track our speech times, and provide complete meeting feedback.

 

Ken: 5-star Evaluator General

 

Joanne's word stumped a few.

 

 







Mihaela with tablet

Mihaela, as first speaker, gave a timely talk on how technology is changing not only our communications, but the way we walk, as well. She also shared with us a few of the less easily recognized texting acronyms.

 

 

 

 

Jan

 

 

Jan evaluated Mihaela's speech with praise for her organized coverage of such a current topic, her use of mobile devices as visual aids, and her request for audience participation in guessing the meanings of those more obscure texting acronyms.



    

 

Kyle with skillet

Kyle gave today's second speech; his topic, coffee, was a crowd pleaser. Kyle shared with us coffee culture, history, and even enlightened us on the roasting process, complete with sound effects. He also showed his own at-home roasting gear and demonstrated his technique.

Barb

Barb evaluated Kyle's coffee talk, with kudos for his confidence in his topic, his visual aids, his ability to imitate roasting sounds, and the way he demystified the roasting process. Indeed, Kyle's comparison of coffee beans to popcorn, along with his white-board illustration, gave us all an upgrade to our coffee knowledge.



For Table Topics, Jamie distributed candy Valentine hearts with messages. Volunteers spoke on whatever their heart inspired in them. Abe, Pierce, and Karen participated. Karen, a guest at her first ever Toastmasters meeting, was especially courageous in taking the plunge. Way to go, Karen!

Another of our guests, Pat, joined us at the end of the meeting; we'll be seeing (and hearing from) Pat a lot in the future. What a guy! Welcome, Pat!

Several of us remained after the traditional one-hour meeting time in order to see and hear the talks of two recent members, Deepanjali and Pashmeena. They are work colleagues making a professional presentation later this week. Jean facilitated a round-robin style, in which we critiqued their practice presentations on designing the user experience. Great job, ladies and cheers for the big day!

Deepanjali



Pashmeena & Deepanjali



Pashmeena

Our Blue Ribbon Winners:

Best Speaker ~ Kyle

Best Evaluator ~ Barb

Best Table Topics ~ Pierce



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

 

 

 

 

 

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