November 10th, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

Meeting Minutes

November 10th, 2026

Speech Competition

Bill Hinrichs, President, opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests.

Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms, led us through the Club Mission statement and Flag Salute.

Education Minute: Psychology of Conversation: How to Actually Master Small Talk
by Psych Signal YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYpA1-2kD8I

Nancy introduced our new member, Sarah Guo, and congratulated Maria Shneerson on completing level 2 of the Presentation Mastery Path.

Our Toastmaster was Nancy Carpenter, VP Education, with the theme “Speech Competition”.

Gate team:

No grammarian this week. 

Our Ah Counter was Jamie Ambrose

Our Timer was Maria Cubacha, VPM

Our General Evaluator was Deanna Schroeder, Treasurer

Contest:

Our first speaker was Theresa Haynes with the speech “Built for Joy”.

Our second speaker was TK Kasnick with the speech “Fiction”.

Our third speaker was Alex Konicke, with the speech “Make the Call”.

Our fourth speaker was Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR, with the speech “The girl behind the glasses”.

Our first-place winner was Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR, and our second-place winner was Alex Konicke!

Our Table Topics Master was Nancy Carpenter, VPE

Table Topics participants – Victor, Kerry

Members in attendance were Alex, Bill, Chirag, Deanna, Dhwani, Jamie, Jeff, Katie, Kerry, Kelly, Maria C, Maria S, Ram, Sarah, Theresa, TK

Guests: Victor Nevarez, Sean Growly

Motion to adjourn:Deanna, second: Alex

November 10th, 2026 Officers' Meeting Minutes - Pending Final Approval

Public Speaking Northwest

Officer’s Meeting Notes

November 10th, 2026

 Decisions made:

• Meeting Minutes for October 13th, 2026, have been approved.
• Holiday Party Budget: Approved increasing the party food and gift budget to $300.
• Online Party: Decided not to have an online party in December; members are encouraged to attend in person.
• Contest Announcements: Agreed to highlight only the top two winners when announcing speech contest results.
• Operational Expenses: Approved $400 to cover the Zoom renewal (approx. $190) and the room reservation fee (approx. $180)

 

Notes:

• Club Status: The club has returned to Distinguished Club status, and Victor is returning as a member.
• Area Contest: Bill is following up with Mary Redmond regarding the date so speakers can prepare.
• Membership: There are currently 22 paid members
• DPR Progress: The club needs 3 new members and one more Level 1 to earn a point;
• Officers’ election: Need to find a replacement for Kelly’s role as VPPR.
• Maria C. can stay in her current role of VPM, or can pass it to someone else if there is interest.
• Maria S. can stay in her current role of Secretary, or she can take the VPM role if someone else is willing to be a secretary.

 

Action Items

• Kelly: Write a description of the VPPR role, distinguishing mandatory tasks (e.g., Facebook posts) from optional ones (e.g., YouTube channel).
• Maria C. and Maria S: Provide parameters/requirements for your current role and send them to Nancy for integration into the officer roles document.
• Bill: Send a note announcing Kelly is stepping down from her role (while remaining a club member) and pitch the open roles to the members
• Deanna to handle the Zoom account renewal and room reservation renewal using the approved $400 budget, while looping in Jeff for continuity/knowledge transfer.

Motion to adjourn: Deanna, second: Kelly.

Agenda:

I Opening:

• Approve October 13th Meeting Minutes
• Adding new members: Distinguished again
• No word on Area Contest Bill; will contact Mary Redman

1. Ongoing/Old Business

• Discuss assignments/plans for Holiday Party Kelly

III. New Business:

• Officer Elections in December (work on our slate of officers)
• Bank Balance, paid member renewal status: Deanna

IV Officers' Reports: Any additional information?

1. Adjourn Motion to adjourn

Officers' reports compiled:

 

Bill Hinrichs, President

Reminder of dates to send our list of finalists

1/15/27 club level

2/28/27 area level

3/31/27 division level

The District 2 Conference will be on May 15,2026 Alaska

No one person in a club is irreplaceable, or so they say. Kelly is an exception to that mantra. You will be missed Kelly, so Amazing!! I am willing to assume some of the written correspondence duties, recognizing that my tech skills need HELP! To that end I am willing to assist if we can get another member to work with me. If your t shirt says I love Tech, we need You. That being said, if we can find someone else to take the whole role of VPPR that woud be better.

Recruiting time is here once again Please consider making a direct appeal to another club member. I will send out an appeal asking for volunteers, but it is not as effective as a member to member ask.

Kelly Falluca, VPPR

Hello Officers,

It is with a heavy heart that I share my decision to step down as VPPR at the end of my term in December.

It is time to give my business the attention it needs. Tuesdays are popular networking days, so I anticipate missing one or two club meetings each month beginning in January.

Stepping away from something I have poured so much time, energy, and heart into is not easy. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and will miss being part of the officer team.

I also believe in making room for new leaders who bring fresh ideas and perspectives.

I am not leaving the club. I will remain a proud member and attend meetings as often as possible.

Thank you for making this such a rewarding experience. It has truly been a labor of love.

VPPR Report

1. Proposed Holiday Party Budget Increase

Our approved budget is $150. With more members attending in person, we may need additional funds for catered food, drinks, a gift for Celina at Brightwater, decorations, and prize drawings.

Our holiday planning meeting is November 17, following our regular club meeting. Deanna, Bill, and Katie have graciously offered to handle the shopping. I will leave it to the team to recommend a budget increase if needed.

2. Online Holiday Party

With my focus on the in-person celebration before Thanksgiving, we have not scheduled an online party.

Since there is no meeting on December 29, our options are December 15th or 22nd.

• Do we want to host a separate celebration for members who attend exclusively online?
• If so, who would like to serve as Toastmaster?

3. Social Media and Website Statistics

• Facebook:555 followers | 4 following
• YouTube: 65 subscribers | 532 videos
• Google Search: 106 clicks to our website (June–November 2026)

Nancy Carpenter, VPE

Web Admin:

1. We are still getting used to the new FTH4.It has features we do not use and may be a little confusing for new members.

2. It may be that there is no longer an Opt In email. Instead, new members get an automatic Welcome email, which Maria expertly edited. I am waiting for a response from FTH4 on whether it still exists.

3. I will dearly miss Kelly, such a capable VPPR. My hero will be setting aside her VPPR cape. *sigh*

VPE:

Our DPR/Distinguished Performance Report is appended and attached. It does not include our new member Sarah.

To remain distinguished, we need 20 or more members on June 30th, 2027. To move up from Distinguished, we need 1 more Pathways level 1, 2 each level 2s, 3 new members, and have at least 4 officers trained in the next training period Dec/Jan. 

We will discuss our Nov 10th speech competition at the officer meeting.

Our meeting and speaking roles are well filled ahead of time. 

 Our Club Calendar is attached and appended. We must hold our elections before the end of December and submit our list to TI. 

Deanna Schroeder, Treasurer

1. Action item: Approve expenses. Additional amount for holiday party ($50? Or $75?). 2027 Brightwater room rental ($180 expected / approve up to $200). 2027 ZOOM account ($180 expected/approve up to $200)
2. Concur expense approved on 10/13/26. PSNW receipt of D2 Award $ ($92) - Didn’t happen as of 11/9/26 Concur returned it – I have been working on this $92 payment for 3 months now
3. The PSNW bank account balance is $1665.31 on 11/9/26.

Maria Cubacha, VPM

October stats: 

New Members Ram (he's back!), Jamie	2
Inquiries Erik, Antoinette, Sage, Joseph, Jamie	5
Mtg Visitors 5 unique visitors	7
Member removals	0

Sherri mentioned she had to step away for a few weeks but was looking to join when she returns. Sarah is our newest member for November.

Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms: 

No updates

Maria Shneerson, Secretary:

No updates

November 3rd, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

Meeting Minutes

November 3rd, 2026

A Month of Gratitude

Bill Hinrichs, President, opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests.

Announcements:

• Join us for the club competition on November 10th
• Bill Hinrichs presented certificates: Alex Konicke for completing level 3 of Presentation Mastery, and Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR, for completing Level 4 of Engaging Humor Pathway.

Deanna Schroeder, Treasurer, led us through the Club Mission statement and Flag Salute.

Our Toastmaster was Theresa Haynes, with the theme “A Month of Gratitude”.

Gate team:

Our grammarian was Katie Munoz with the WORD of the Day “Wonder” 

Our Ah Counter was Katie Munoz

Our Timer was Jamie Ambrose

Our General Evaluator was Kerry Accola

Our first speaker was Alex Konicke, with the speech “Make the Call”. Contest practice

Our Evaluator for Alex’s speech was Deanna Schroeder, Treasurer

Our second speaker was Maria Shneerson, with the speech “Maria, What Do You Think?”, level 2 of the Presentation Mastery Path.

Our Evaluator for Maria’s speech was Bill Hinrichs, President

Our Table Topics Master was Dominique the Delivery Diva, also known as Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR

Table Topics participants – Warren, Erik, Ben, Kerry and Deanna

Members in attendance were Alex, Bill, Deanna, Jamie, Katie, Kerry, Kelly, Maria S, and Theresa.

Guests: Warren, Ben Caffell, Erik Sanders

Motion to adjourn:Katie, second: Alex

October 27th, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

Meeting Minutes

October 27th, 2026

Something Wicked This Way Comes – Online Halloween Party

Bill Hinrichs, President, opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests.

Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms, led us through the Club Mission statement and Flag Salute.

Nancy Carpenter, VPE, gave the education minute:

Vanessa Van Edwards, communication expert, https://www.scienceofpeople.com/ and on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@Vvanedwards, her TED Talk You are contagious | Vanessa Van Edwards | TEDxLondon - YouTube

Our Toastmaster was Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR, with the theme “Something Wicked This Way Comes – Online Halloween Party”.

Gate team:

Our grammarian was Kerry Accola with the WORD of the Day “UNCANNY” 

• strange or mysterious, difficult to explain, often in an unsettling way

Our Ah Counter was Raxit Jani

Our Timer was Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms

Our General Evaluator was TK Kasnick

Our first speaker was Haynes, with the speech “Built for Joy”. Our Evaluator for Theresa ‘s speech was Maria Shneerson

Our second speaker was Alex Konicke with the speech “Make The Call”.

Our Evaluator for Alex ’s speech was Bill Hinrichs, President

Our Table Topics Master was Katie Munoz

Table Topics participants – Ram, Sarah, Maria S, Raxit

The prize for the best costume went to TK Kasnick (initially a tie between TK and Kerry), and Kerry Accola was the winner of the raffle game.

Members in attendance were Alex, Bill, Deanna, Jamie, Jeff, Katie, Kelly, Kerry, Maria S., Nancy, Ram, Raxit, Theresa, TK

Guests: Sarah Guo

Motion to adjourn:Turtle, second: Katie

October 20th, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

Meeting Minutes

October 20th, 2026

Bill Hinrichs, President, opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests.

Announcements:

• Join us for the club competition on November 10th
• Wear your Halloween costume for the next meeting, October 27^th!

Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms, led us through the Club Mission statement and Flag Salute.

Nancy Carpenter, VPE, gave the education minute:

February Toastmasters Magazine article: Speaking on the Spot. https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/magazine-issues/2025/feb/speaking-on-the-spot

Our Toastmaster was Katie Munoz, with the theme “How Do we Know?”.

Gate team:

Our grammarian was Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR, with the WORD of the Day “PANACHE” 

Our Ah Counter was Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms

Our Timer was Dhwani Maheshwari

Our General Evaluator was Nancy Carpenter, VPE

Our first speaker was Maria Cubacha, with the speech “Be the Better Bob”. Project: Service and Leadership from the Leadership Excellence Series

Our Evaluator for Maria’s speech was Kerry Accola

Our second speaker was TK Kasnick with the speech “Picking Wallpaper!”, Speech Contest Practice.

Our Evaluator for TK’s speech was Alex Konicke

Our Table Topics Master was Maria Shneerson, Secretary

Table Topics participants – Jeff, Jessica, Dhwani, Raxit

Members in attendance were Alex, Bill, Deanna, Dhwani, Jeff, Jesica, Kerry, Katie, Kelly, Maria C., Maria S., Nancy, Raxit, TK

Guests: Jamie Ambrose

Motion to adjourn:Kelly, second: Alex

October 13, 2026 Officers' Meeting Minutes

Public Speaking Northwest

Officer’s Meeting Notes

October 13th, 2026

 Decisions made:

• Meeting Minutes for September 8th, 2026, have been approved
• Costume competition at the Halloween party will be funded by our club. It fits the appropriate funds spending guidance.

• The club will not hold a separate evaluation contest; instead, interested members can be elected to represent the club at the area level.

Notes:

• Area Director's visit: The report will be posted on the website and attached to the minutes.
• Speech competition: Four speakers are confirmed for the November 10th club contest: Kelly, Alex, Theresa, and TK.
• Membership: The club currently has 18 active members, having lost 7 members (Lynn, Amy, Marcus, Sonal, Ravi, Ram, and Natalia).
• Distinguished status: The club is currently at Distinguished level but needs 2 more members to reach Presidents Distinguished by the end of June.
• District 2 International contest will be in Alaska on May 15–16, with a reported $500 stipend

Action Items

• Bill to send Maria Mary’s report to include in notes

• Send a follow-up message to the members regarding interest in the evaluation contest (Kelly or Bill)

Motion to adjourn: Nancy, second: Deanna.

Agenda:

I Opening:

• Approve September 8th, Meeting Minutes.
• Results of our Area 35 Director's visit Bill
• Kerry is back and has agreed to be my mentee
• Nancy is celebrating her 10th anniversary. Yea Nancy!

1. Ongoing/Old Business

• Allocate a second prize for best costume at Halloween meeting... Kelly
• Speech Competition. Club contest date Nov. 10 and let the members know. (e-mail). Confirm speakers Bill
• We are down to 18 members; need 2 to be Select Distinguished. Sherry is considering joining this month

 III. New Business:

• Evaluation competition. Schedule it at a future meeting or elect 2 to participate from our club in the area competition.
• Bank Balance, member renewal status: Deanna

IV Officers' Reports: Any additional information?

1. Adjourn

Officers' reports compiled:

Bill Hinrichs, President

I attended the District 2 Council meeting, Sept. 26, via zoom on my phone. Our Area 35 Director, Mary Redman, was there.

 Main Accomplishments: We approved the District 2 budget of $98,103 using new online voting software.

A budget of $10,000 was allocated to the District for Social Media. 

Each of the division 8 directors was given time to speak.

Our Division C Director is Tommy Brice, DTM.

We learned that besides the Intl. Speech competition there is an Evaluation competition which goes all the way to the Division. Katie Munoz expressed interest in the eval. competition at our last meeting. We can discuss this as NEW Business on our agenda. 

Our club can advance 2 speakers to the Area Contest. 

The following Deadlines for submitting winning contestant names to the Area and Division Directors are as follows:

1/15/27 club level

2/28/27 area level

3/31/27 division level

The District 2 Conference will be on May 15,2026

Our club is already a President's Distinguished Club thanks to our great leadership team and the commitment of our members. Our club's success was noted in the report of the Oct. 6 visit by our Area Director, Mary Redman, DTM.

We earned an overall Exceeds Expectations.

Finally, Kerry Accola is back and jumped right in with both feet. She was the General Evaluator at our In-person meeting. She has agreed to be my mentee, as Lynne is taking a break.

Kelly Falluca, VPPR

Things are fantastic in VPPR land!

Social Media

• Facebook: 554 followers; following 3 accounts
• YouTube: 63 subscribers and 521 videos
• Google Business Profile: 77 views

Club International Speech Contest — November 10

• District 2 confirmed that we can advance two contestants from our club to the next level of the International Speech Contest.
• District 2 is also holding an Evaluation Contest that concludes at the District Conference. Katie has expressed interest. According to the message from District 2 leadership, we can either hold a separate club contest or select two representatives by club vote.
• Based on our schedule, it appears that Bill has withdrawn from the contest, leaving four scheduled contestants: TK, Theresa, Alex, and me. Mentors, please check with your mentees about their interest and eligibility.
• I also read that District 2 will provide supplemental travel funding for the International Speech Contest representative attending the District Conference in Alaska in May. I have requested clarification about what that support includes. Is it a flat amount, or does it cover airfare?

Club Halloween Meeting — October 27

I am all set. Confirming that we will hold a prize drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card that we voted on previously and approved.

I am happy to donate a prize for the best costume unless the club has enough funds to sponsor both prizes. We can vote on funding one more drawing or I can donate.

We have had a good online turnout, and guests, so I suggest one game and a best-costume contest. What are your thoughts?

Sparkle & Shine, Friends!

Nancy Carpenter, VPE

Webmaster

1. I just figured out how to change the schedule month in the new FTH. 
2. Katie requested that I add a line for the meeting theme. It should be simple. I just need to sit down and do it.
3. Kelly is literally doing everything else. Thank you so very much, Kelly.

VPE

Our club calendar is attached. I just realized that I need to update it to reflect the new contest dates.

In September:

Kelly achieved level 5 and completed the Engaging Humor Path

TK completed level 3 in Persuasive Influence

Alex completed level 3 in Presentation Mastery

We are at the Distinguished Level in our DPR, with 5 points out of 10. 

To get more points:

One more level 1 in Pathways

Two more level 2 in Pathways

Two more members

Four additional members on top of that

Have at least 4 officers trained at the turn of the year 

Deanna Schroeder, Treasurer

1. 18 paid TI members for Oct ’26 -March ’27. 17 for PSNW (Jessica still working on sending ($12) Zelle payment
2. Concur expense report approved on 10/13/26. PSNW will receive D2 Award $ ($92) in the next few days.
3. Reminder of what club funds can be used for per TI / D2 guidelines:

YES: meeting materials, photocopies, food/drinks for club meetings, audiovisual equipment, Zoom for online/hybrid meetings, meeting space rental, promotion (ex: Meetup, Facebook ads), recognition items (ex: pins, badges, TI store items),speechcraft program kits

4. The PSNW bank account balance is $1649.94 on 8/10/26. The balance is higher than usual due to PSNW dues having just been received and inflow from Benevity. 

Maria Cubacha, VPM

Updated report; note Kerry did renew in TI. @Deanna to confirm if she paid club dues: 

New Members	0
Inquiries Deepa, Sarah, Irina	3
Mtg Visitors Sherri came twice!* 7 other unique visitors	9
Member removals Amy, Lynne, Marcus, Natalia, Sonal, Ram, Ravi	7

Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms: 

No updates

Maria Shneerson, Secretary:

No updates

Area Director Club Visit Report

Club Name: Public Speaking Northwest Club

Club Number: CB-00009406

Area: 35

Division: C

District: District 0002

Round Number: 1

Visit Conducted By: 02604630

Visit Conducted On: 10/06/2026

Report Start Date: 10/3/2026 4:48:26 PM

Summary

Score: Exceeds Expectation

Meeting Observation

Score: Great

How well did the club exemplify the qualities of First Impressions?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

Were elements of Membership Orientation present during the meeting?
Yes

How well did the club apply these qualities?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

How well did the club apply the qualities of Fellowship, Variety, and Communication?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

How well did the club apply the qualities of Program Planning and Meeting Organization?
Rating: Far Exceeds Expectations

How well did the club apply the qualities of Membership Strength?
Rating: Meets Expectations

How well did the club apply the qualities of Achievement Recognition?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

Club Experience

Score: Great

How well did the club adhere to its meeting agenda, including the start and end times specified for the meeting?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

Comments: Club officers and meeting Toastmaster should know how to pronounce all members' names.

Is the club's meeting information on "Find a Club" out-of-date?
No

Did you express the importance of having their meeting information up to date?
No

Overall, how would you rate this club meeting?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

Club Support

Score: Far Exceeds Expectations

How well has the club defined and adhered to the educational goals of its Club Success Plan?
Rating: Far Exceeds Expectations

Comments: Educational goals have been met early in the year.

How well has the club defined and adhered to the membership goals of its Club Success Plan?
Rating: Meets Expectations

How well has the club defined and adhered to the training goals of its Club Success Plan?
Rating: Exceeds Expectations

How well has the club defined and adhered to the administration goals of its Club Success Plan?
Rating: Meets Expectations

Are there any additional goals which have been set by the club?
No

What are the club’s top goals or milestones to achieve during the next six months, or before the next Area Director club visit?
hold club International Speech and Evaluation contests.

Does the club have any events planned?
Yes

Other Event
speech contest (11/10/2026 12:00:00 AM)

Are there any members interested in serving as future club officers or District leaders?
No

Please list any specific challenges or areas of additional support that the club needs from the District or Area Director which have not already been stated.
Club is doing well on all fronts.

October 13th, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

Meeting Minutes

October 13, 2026

Bill Hinrichs, President, opened the meeting and welcomed members and guests.

Announcements:

• Great feedback from Mary Redman, Area 35 Director.
• TK Kasnick completed Level 3 of the Persuasive Influence Path

Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms, led us through the Club Mission statement and Flag Salute.

Nancy Carpenter, VPE, gave the education minute:

How To Hook Your Audience in 30 Seconds
“You only have seconds to make a powerful first impression on the audience. And if you don’t hook them, you’ve lost them.” say world champion speakers.
https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/magazine-issues/2017/june2017/hook

Our Toastmaster was TK Kasnick, with the theme “Fall Back! If I Could Turn Back Time!”.

Gate team:

Our grammarian was Dhwani Maheshwari, with the Word of the Day “Rewind” 

Our Ah Counter was Katie Munoz

Our Timer was Deanna Schroeder, Treasurer,

General Evaluator: Kelly Fallucca, DTM, VPPR

Our first speaker was Raxit Jani, with the speech ““The Road Between Strangers” from the Persuasive Influence Path,

Our Evaluator for Raxit’s speech was Bill Hinrichs, President

Our second speaker was Maria Shneerson with the speech “From Russia with Bluntness” from the Presentation Mastery Path, Level 2

Our Evaluator for Maria’s speech was Nancy Carpenter, VPE

Our Table Topics Master was Jeff Makita, Sergeant at Arms

Table Topics participants – Bill, Jamie, Theresa, Alex, Katie

Members in attendance were Alex, Bill, Deanna, Dhwani, Jeff, Katie, Kelly, Maria C., Maria S., Nancy, Raxit, TK, Theresa

Guests: Jamie Ambrose

Motion to adjourn: Katie, second: TK.