Public Speaking Northwest Promotes Storytelling Presentations!

Public Speaking Northwest honors the words of Joan Didion, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”   

Emery, our Public Relations VP, shared his fabulous storytelling skills today!

Our President, Barb, welcomed Lynne, Emery, Jerry, Jan, Pierce, Jamie, Prema, John, Ana, Ken, Barb, Kyle, Yanhong,  Mahaela, Jean, and Jamie’s guest, David.

Ken, our Toastmaster for the Day, shared his theme “Pretty in Pink.” Of course, he wore a pink shirt. He posted the word of the day, “Bravado.” Most members used it when they spoke and are expected to use it during the week as part of our vocabulary building program.

 

 Emery, our first speaker, exposed his storytelling talent with, “Guess Who’s Coming to Lunch?”  He based it on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. We were mesmerized by his gestures, body language, and facial expressions as he flawlessly slipped into each character with his vocal variety, German accent, and mischievous smile.

We learned that Red (Little Red Riding Hood is just her moniker) brought Grandma-ma a tasty lunch of cranberry compote and peanut butter cucumber sandwiches with peasant bread. We also found out the Big Bad Wolf wore yellow Nikes.

Emery ended with the woodsman chopping off the wolf’s head while Red and Grandma-ma ate lunch instead of being lunch. This was Emery’s first speech from our  storytelling manual. We can hardly wait for his next 4 stories.

Jan, our first evaluator, praised Emery to the sky for his confidence, voice variation, and his vivid picture of throwing Grandma-ma into the closet. She ended by saying, “You’re a real good storyteller.”

Jean, our second speaker, gave a power point presentation entitled, “Friends Helping Friends Succeed.” Members were told that Public Speaking Northwest offers a second set of eyes for their presentations because everyone has a mentor. Mentees were encouraged to send their presentations to their mentors for suggestions before giving their talks. This service is available to all. Most organizations and editors charge but in Toastmasters it is perfectly FREE.

 

Everyone participated during the presentation as if they were mentors. With 8 outrageous headlines like Kids Make Nutritious Snacks and Miners Refuse to Work after Death, members were asked to rewrite the titles. Laughter filled the room as members thought about what the writers said and what they really meant. Our members offered excellent solutions too.

Prema, our second evaluator, liked how Jean used her talk to promote our mentoring program. She felt the outrageous titles provided great participation and fun.

 

Ana, our Table Topics Master, had Kate and Mahaela tell us one of their secrets by pulling a topic from her special container.

Kate, who joined our club last week, bravely rose to tell us about her love for Lily. Whenever she came home for a visit, Kate yearned to see Lily. Lily belonged to Kate’s dad. Lily was his dog.

Mahaela, had to speak about a disastrous boyfriend. It didn’t take her long to remember an insensitive boyfriend who wanted to take her on a boring train ride that would have lasted for many hours. She knew he wasn’t for her.

David, our guest, enjoyed the meeting and said he’d return next week. We look forward to seeing David again.

The Blue Ribbon Winners

Best Speaker – Emery

Best Evaluator – Prema

Best Table Topics – Kate

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