Public Speaking Northwest #9406

Public Speaking Northwest

Meeting Minutes

3/10/2020

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Our meetings will be held online, using ZOOM, beginning next Tuesday, March 17, 2020, because of COVID-19 (the Coronavirus).

Nancy is the head of this project, and you will be receiving emails soon.  PLEASE help Nancy by responding quickly to her emails.  At this point, we plan to use ZOOM, an application similar to Skype. There may be some practice sessions with directions this week.

Present at the meeting were: Nancy, Jim, Jinxin, Warren, Nelson, Robert, Barb, Miho, and Giri.

No guests.

Our Toastmaster was Nancy with the theme “Kids’ Jokes”

Acting in role of President, Nancy also opened our meeting.

Our Gate Team was:

Grammarian – Nelson with the word “Bestow”

Ah-Um Counter – Nelson

Timer – Giri, who filled in at the last minute

General Evaluator – Jim, who filled in at the last minute.

Speaker #1 was Jinxin with “How Lucky I Am. ” This was her ice breaker and she told us about her history, growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution and after it ended when she was 16 years old.  There were many restrictions, for example a college entrance exam could only be taken on one day, at that one time, with no opportunity to take it if you missed that day and time, no opportunity to ever go to college ever if you didn’t score high enough or didn’t arrive on time.  Jinxin compared this to our SAT tests.  She gave several similar examples to communicate how she feels very lucky every day to be in this country. Very touching and memorable speech.

Speaker #2 was Miho with “What Keeps Us Happy and Healthy.” Eighty percent of millennials say that being wealthy and famous will make them happy and healthy. Then Miho reported the results of a study conducted by Harvard over a long time (80 years?).  The speech was very well researched, organized, and entertaining. The study found that at every stage of their lives and despite whether they were born in poverty or wealth, the only thing that actually made people happy and healthy was relationships. It was a very persuasive speech.

Our Evaluators were Giri and Barb.   

                                                                                                        

Our Table Topics Master was Warren, who asked us to tell an alternate version of several well-known fairy tales.  (Snow White, Cinderella, Princess on the Pea, Pinnochio, and Little Red Riding Hood.)  Nelson, Giri, Jim, Jinxin, Nancy, and Robert told us funny and elaborate stories.  Robert won Best Table Topics with his story about “Robin from the Hood.”

Winners

Best Speaker – Jinxin

Best Evaluator – Barb

Best Table Topics – Robert

Minutes respectfully submitted by Barbara Katz, PSNW Secretary.