Public Speaking
Northwest Minutes – December 22, 2020
Mission
Statement & Flag Salute: Lynne promptly opened the meeting on time.
Our President: Nancy, with vigor and warmth stepped in for Barb.
Announcements: Our next meeting will be on January 5, 2021.
Our Meeting
Toastmaster: Mara’s theme
was “Holiday Party.”
Grammarian and Word of
the Day: Kate’s word
for us to use, in keeping with Mara’s theme, was “Festive.”
.
Ah Counter: Kate did the difficult task of listening well and
counting our filler words.
Timer: Lynn kept each speaker on time
with green, yellow, and red signs.
General Evaluator: Warren listened to the whole meeting to notice what
went well and how we could improve.
Our 1st
Speaker: Midori gave her
very first talk called the ‘ice-breaker.’ Her personal goal was to speak
clearly. She said she is, “very comfortable being uncomfortable speaking
English.” (She spoke so well.) Midori moved from Tokyo, Japan to the United
States several times due to her husband’s job.
“Learning a foreign
language is very difficult,” she said. She studied English many times throughout
her schooling even at the university level. She taught us a Japanese word at
the end of her speech. It was her name, Midori, which means “green.”
Our 2nd
Speaker: Nancy’s title, “Create an
Opening,” used the wise saying for talks and essays:
1. Tell them what you’re
going to tell them. (Introduction for the talk)
2. Then tell them.(Body
of the talk)
3. Tell them what you told
them. (Summary of the talk)
Nancy shared many
examples with different openings that ‘hook’ the audience, like:
1.
State something
important about the topic.
2.
Make a startling
statement.
3.
Arouse curiosity.
4.
Tell a story or
anecdote.
5.
Ask a question.
6.
Recite a quotation.
7.
Recognize a special
occasion.
8.
Give a demonstration.
9.
Use an historical event.
Like the VP of
Education, she is, Nancy is teaching us speaking skills from the Better
Speaking Series. She ended her talk by saying, “The opening of a talk is the
launch pad.” Nancy took off like a rocket and landed her talk perfectly.
Our Table Topics Master: Jean kept the theme by asking
members about their favorite holidays. She asked our guests to speak and they
all took the risk.
Sara loves attending her family’s Thanksgiving
dinner and eating delicious deviled eggs. Her family lives in the Midwest.
Kameh is from Iran and described her family’s
celebrations.
Simbu, from India, said they celebrate the new year
somewhat like we celebrate Thanksgiving.
Angel, from Puerto Rico, described going from door to
door singing and giving the young children presents. He is Lucelly’s
brother.
Jutta, our member, loves summer holidays because he
goes camping with his kids. While camping they go biking, play sports, and everyone
cooks together.
Our 1st Evaluator: Jim mentioned Midori’s name and liked
knowing it meant, ‘green.’ He complimented her on her:
· Gestures
· Excellent pacing which made her talk “very
clear.”
· Her magnetic smile.
· Her summary in which she mentioned living in the
Evergreen State which matches her name.
He suggested she
continue to practice pacing at the rate she did today because she was easily
understood.
Our 2nd
Evaluator: Robert enjoyed Nancy’s
“Tell them” advice. He found her anecdotes helpful and good. He complimented
her on the variety and amount of her openings. Robert suggested she
adjust her camera. Overall, Robert liked Nancy’s holiday halo
headdress and her hand gestures.
General Evaluator: Warren
had praise for everyone.
He liked Mara’s agenda and her preparation as toastmaster. He noted that
Lynne always starts the meeting on time.
Warren liked how Nancy welcomed guests and how Mara
explained the GATE team so our guests would understand. He appreciated that the
‘Chat’ feature was also discussed, and that Jean explained the purpose
of Table Topics and chose those who didn’t have a speaking role.
Our Members in
Attendance: Lynne, Lynn, Nancy, Kate, Jim, Glenn, Midori, Lucelly, Robert,
Jutta, Warren, Mara, Jean
Our Guests in
Attendance: Kameh, Simbu, Sara, Angel
Motion to Adjourn – Jim Second – Robert
Your Secretary,
Jean
PS. Lynn will be our new secretary in the New Year. We know
she will be a terrific officer and wish her the absolute best.
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