Public Speaking Northwest follows the words of Jean de la Bruyere

"There are certain things in which mediocrity is not to be endured, such as poetry, music, painting, and public speaking." Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696 French satiric moralist)

At Public Speaking Northwest and other Toastmasters clubs, members develop into first rate public speakers. With three guests at today's session, we wanted their meeting experience to be first rate, as well.

Jean opened the meeting with with Barb, Jan, Elaine, Kathy, Kimberly, Ken, Joanne, Pierce, Abe, Eugene, Pat, Juliet, and three guests: Eneida, Sravanthi, and Todd.

Eneida (right)

Sravanthi

Todd

As we've noted before, Toastmasters support each other and pinch hit when needed. After introducing Barb as our Toastmaster for the day, Jean then stepped into the role of Grammarian, and Ken did the same as Ah-Counter; unforeseen circumstances waylaid the members who'd originally planned to fill those roles. Jean even had a Word of the Day -- POSITIVITY -- in her pocket. Juliet, as timer, completed Barb's GATE team.

Barb ~ Toastmaster

Jean ~ Grammarian

Ken ~ Ah

Juliet ~ Timer

SPEAKERS & EVALUATORS

Pat

With his guest and fiancee, Eneida, looking on, Pat presented his second project from the CC manual, Organize Your Speech. He opened with the grim statistics we face in planning our financial futures, then provided further details about those stats. Finally, Pat closed on an encouraging note. The way we think about money plays a role how we manage it. Well said and well organized, Pat!






Jan praised Pat's talk for its organization which supported his smooth presentation and

Jan

stated that she took such a personal interest in his topic she nearly forgot to evaluate.
She appreciated Pat's attention-grabbing close about the way we "think" about money.

Ken

In addition to filling in as Ah-Counter, Ken also gave an  impromptu speech as a fill in second speaker. He opened his talk by asking audience members for their definitions of the word impromptu, then segued into our Toastmasters club mission, again asking the audience to provide quotes from the mission statement. To help us determine if we were merely involved in our club or actually committed to providing a mutually supportive and positive learning environment, Ken shared the "ham & egg" analogy where the chicken is merely involved but the pig committed.




Nicely utilizing the Word of the Day, Abe appreciated Ken's positivity. Abe praised Ken's

Abe

questions to the audience which grab our attention and draw us into the talk. In perhaps highest of praise, Abe stated that this speech would have inspired him to join Toastmasters if he'd first heard it as a guest. 






TABLE TOPICS

Elaine

Always fun and surprising, and Elaine's first gig as Topics Master did not disappoint. Offering True or False flash cards, she selected first Abe, and then our guest, Todd. Each participant shared the statement on his card, then decided if it was true or false and supported his decision in the allotted time. Both guys went with false; in each case, upon turning over the card, the opposite answer was revealed. Elaine inspired another wacky and crowd-pleasing Table Topics with much laughter from the members.


OUR BLUE RIBBON WINNERS

Best Speaker ~ Pat

Best Evaluator ~ Abe

Best Table Topics ~ Abe


GUEST FEEDBACK

Whenever guests attend, before adjourning, Jean always asks for their impressions. The positivity of each comment was inspirational and we hope these guests join us permanently

Sravanthi

in the near future. Sravanthi summarized the meeting perfectly when she said it was "an hour well spent."









PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE DAY ~ Pierce's first camera duty

Pierce

 

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Coming April 9, don't miss our highly anticipated Book Auction and Open House. This will include good eats so plan to bring guests with whom we can share the bounty. Every attendee, member or guest, should bring a new or gently used book for the auction. Using Table Topics format, we'll present our donated books and fan the flames of desire among the bidders. Ken will be our auctioneer extraordinaire.

Renewal dues collection continues for the membership period: April 1 - September 30.  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 Carnevale, Secretary/Treasurer

Joanne