Public Speaking Northwest Honors the Word of Confucius!

Public Speaking Northwest honors the words of Confucius, “When a gentleman has spoken, a team of four horses cannot overtake his words.”

Today two gentlewomen spoke and the same applies to them. They presented with passion and wisdom. Keep reading to find out who they were.

Barb welcomed John, Ana, Prema, Mihaela, Pierce, Jamie, Juliet, Yanhong, Lynne, Emery, Jean, and guests, Jessica (Ana’s daughter) Cindy (Jamie’s wife) and Roger from Early Opinions Toastmaster Club.

Barb announced that our club is 3^rd in our huge district for receiving educational awards. These awards are the milestones each member achieved to better their speaking and leading skills. Our dynamic club is filled members who improve themselves and support each other's improvement too.

We Had Our Open House Toastmaster Party!

Emery, our toastmaster, passed out an agenda with this question, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” (Author Unknown) It made us think and encouraged us to move forward without fear.

We all piled our party plates with tasty snacks and sat down to enjoy Emery’s program.

Our first speaker, Yanhong, gave her 5^th presentation. She entitled her talk, “The Great Wall of China.” She told us China is a beautiful country with 1.7 billion people. We learned that 20 dynasties built the Great Wall over a period of 2,000 years.  It is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

Yanhong shared a quote, “Whoever has not climbed the Great Wall cannot be deemed a true man.”

We learned that the Great Wall was mostly built on mountains and its purpose was for military use and protection. It is 5,500 miles long.  She shared that one man could prevent 10,000 enemies. Today millions come to see this beautiful world wonder.

Yanhong is from the Northern province of China. She advised us to avoid one day tours because we’d end up shopping. Rather she hoped we would go to China and really climb the Great Wall to become true men and women.

Since this was Yanhong’s 5^th presentation, she received a well-deserved “Nickel Certificate Award.”  Congratulations Yanhong!

Barb evaluated Yanhong’s speech. She stressed Yanhong’s good organization. She praised Yanhong for speaking slowly and clearly. Barb noted that Yanhong stood free of the lectern and noted her use technology.

Our second speaker, Prema, gave her presentation entitled, “Reflection of My Time As a Toastmaster.”  She opened her talk with the question, “Why are you here?” Then she offered 3 reasons why she is a toastmaster:

1. Communicate purposely, confidently, and effectively.

2. Learn to receive and give encouraging feedback

3. Learn from our club members.

Prema told us when she first came to toastmasters; she was terrified with the thought of writing a speech. The thought of presenting a talk also overwhelmed her. But she faced her fears and joined anyway.

Prema said toastmasters gave her a more rounded view of people. For example, she mentioned the talk Barb gave about the Pentagon and how it inspired her to want to visit it. She said she learns about our members from their presentations. This helps her with her children’s homework too. Instead of looking at the mark on their papers she looks at the paper as a whole.

Prema mentioned a gathering where members were giving their opinions. Her friend, who is articulate one-on-one, couldn’t put her thoughts together. Before toastmasters Prema said she’d have had the same experience. But due to toastmasters she was able to talk clearly and confidently and speak from her heart. To her surprise, everyone clapped.

Prema concluded with the question she started with, “Why are YOU here?”

Pierce evaluated Prema’s talk. He praised her speech structure and her pauses. He liked her information and told her she definitely avoided taking us on unnecessary “bunny trails.” Pierce noted Prema’s effective use of beginning and ending with the same question.

Jean presented Table Topics. The members were to use gestures without words and act out 3 different actions each. Playing chess, riding a rollercoaster, and walking through deep snow were some of the challenges.

Great news!

Cindy joined our club today. Welcome Cindy!

The Blue Ribbon Winners were:

 Best Speaker: Tie between Prema and Yanhong

Best Evaluator: Tie between Pierce and Barb

Best Table Topics: Cindy, our newest member

Congratulations to all!

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: Emery Jordan at: gejordan9@comcast.net (206) 235-1356

Respectfully Submitted,

Jean Tracy, DTM ~ Secretary