Officer Meeting Minutes

PUBLIC SPEAKING NORTHWEST

February 1, 2022

 

Meeting started approximately 1:10 p.m.

 

Officers in Attendance: Lynn C., Barb, Nancy, Lynne D., Kate, Mara

 

Minutes from the January meeting were approved.

 

OFFICER REPORTS

 

Report from VPE Nancy: 

·      We only need one more point to become President’s Distinguished, and 2 points to complete all 10 goals (one Level 1 Award and one Level 2 Award.)  If we have twenty members on June 30, 2022 we will be President’s Distinguished.

·      Nancy will be our speech contest chair and Toastmaster on 2/15/22.

·      Contestants so far are Barb & Jim.

·      [Secretary comments: the holiday gift exchange was very innovative and meaningful, thanks to Mara.]

 

Report from VPM Kate:

·      We have 2 new members (Amy and Maria).  A former member, Jutta, has signed up again.

·       We currently have 20 paid members, but may lose Kelly (new job) and Nevin (med school).

 

Report from VPPR Mara:

·      Mara is continuing with social media.

·      Mara and Lynne have continued to work on finding a venue for in-person meetings. (See DISCUSSION: VENUE later in the minutes.)

 

Report from SSA Lynne:

·      We have a good supply of mentors for the new people

·      (See DISCUSSION: VENUE later in the minutes.)

 

Report from Secretary Barb: Nothing to report

 

Report from Treasurer Jinxin (received after the meeting): Our checking account balance is $1,190.28.  The “major” expense is the Zoom monthly charge.  New members have boosted our balance, thanks to Kate’s work.

 

DISCUSSION: VENUE

Lynne and Mara have explored many venues, but low-cost rooms, for example in churches, are not available yet because of the pandemic.

 

ISO is still interested in having us return, but they have no budget for it at this time.

 

Mara recently attended a weekly networking meeting that has one meeting each month in person, a “hybrid arrangement.”  Mara said that this is working very well for them and she and Lynne recommended it to our club.

 

They have also explored renting one room a month from Country Inn and Suites for our in-person meeting.  It would cost approximately $140 for the room each time.  Mara and Lynne will view the room and decide if it is suitable for us, and they will email their findings ASAP.

 

After discussion we decided:

 

1.    We have committed to having three in-person meetings, the first Tuesdays of April, May, and June, at the Country Inn and Suites if that room is suitable, or at another paid venue.

2.    We will pay for these three meetings out of our checking account, but we won’t be able to continue paying this much for a venue.

3.    The date for our first in-person meeting is April 5.

4.    The time for our officer meetings will have to change during these months. We may want to continue having officer meetings online.

5.    After the three-month trial period, we will decide whether or not to continue in-person meetings during the summer months when attendance is typically low.

6.    Some officers expressed the belief that venues may be opening up soon.

7.    We would like to start promoting the in-person meetings as soon as possible.

8.    At our next officer meeting, we can plan the agenda and attractions (guest speakers?) for the “Grand Re-Opening” meeting in April.

 

DISCUSSION:  SPEECH CONTEST

So far we have two contestants, Jim and Barb

We may not have Table Topics at the contest meeting, 2/15/22.  Instead we will have Round Robin evaluations for both speakers, and members can give feedback to the speakers in Chat.

 

The meeting adjourned at approximately 2:05 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz, Secretary

 

Meeting Minutes

February 1, 2022

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

 

Announcements 

We have a new member – Amy Wilson

 

Members in Attendance: Amy, Jessica, Jim, Kristin, Kate, Lynn C, Lynne D, Mara, Maria, Nancy, Nevin, Nguyet , Robert, Warren

 

Guest in Attendance: Meera Basnet

 

Our Sergeant at Arms, Lynne D, opened our meeting at 12:00 p.m.

 

Opening Comments by President Lynn C.

 

The meeting theme was: Groundhog Day

 

The word of the day was “Reiterate”

 

Our Toastmaster was Kate

 

Our Gate Team was:

Grammarian –Maria

Ah Counter – Maria

Timer – Jim

General Evaluator – Robert

 

Speaker #1 was Mara with her speech, “Let’s Play Money – Financial Literacy for Kids 18-22 minutes, Engaging Humor Pathway, Level 5. (Actual time was 16:15.)

 

Evaluator #1 was Warren.  He mentioned Mara’s many speaking strengths and suggested that she avoid empty sound space between slides, talk through the transition. (Actual time was 3:36.)

 

Table Topics Master was Lynne D

In response to her questions:

 

Jessica said that the moments she would like to re-live the births of each of her children.

Nancy said that she would like to trade places with Esther Hicks, a channeler, for one month.

Meera, when asked if she would like to meet a related child in the past or the future, said that she would like to meet her future grandchildren

Amy suggested that she likes to spend rainy days doing her hobbies: playing her violin, drawing, practicing her Spanish, playing guitar, playing with her cat.

Lynn C, when asked about what dead relative she would like to talk to, said that she would like to talk to her dead dog named “Tutu.”  

 

General Evaluator, was Robert.  He complimented Lynne D for always starting the meeting exactly on time, commented that the word of the day, reiterate, was perfect for the theme. Robert complimented Kate for explaining the structure of the meeting at the beginning of the meeting for guests and new members.  He thanked the Ah-Counter for good (ac)counting, and mentioned that the timer had provided great specificity.

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz, Secretary

 

Meeting Minutes

January 25, 2022

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

 

Announcements 

We will have our speech competition on 2/15/22 and the theme will be, “I Love Speaking.”

 

Members in Attendance: Barb, Kristin, Lynne D, Mara, Maria, Nancy, Nevin, Nguyet , Robert, Warren

 

Guest in Attendance: Amy Wilson

 

Our Sergeant at Arms, Lynne D, opened our meeting at 12:00 p.m.

 

Opening Comments by President Pro Temp, Nancy

 

The meeting theme was: Your Gift

 

The word of the day was “Expertise”

 

Our Toastmaster was Nancy

 

Our Gate Team was:

Grammarian –Lynne

Ah Counter – Lynne

Timer – Maria

General Evaluator – Warren

 

Speaker #1 was Kate with her speech, “The Toastmaster Journey: Pathways and Beyond,” 18-20 minutes, Presentation Mastery Pathway, Prepare to Speak Professionally.

 

Evaluator #1 was Barb

 

Table Topics Master was Mara

In response to her questions:

 

Kristin talked about giving a Pie of the Month subscription as a gift.

Robert mentioned whipped toppings

Amy, given a catalog of courses, talked about guitar lessons

Barb talked about taking out of town guests to Molbacks.

Nevin spoke about using TV and DVD’s to learn about anatomy

 

General Evaluator, was Warren

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz, Secretary

Meeting Minutes

January 18, 2022

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

 

Announcements 

1.    We have a new member: Maria Cubacha.  WELCOME!

2.    Our Area Chair, David Koch, requests volunteers to help with the Area Speech Contest for Areas 51, 53, and 55, scheduled for Saturday 3/12/22 at noon.

 

Members in Attendance: Barb, Jessica, Jim, Kristin, Jim, Lynne D, Mara, Maria, Nancy, Nguyet , Robert

 

Guests in Attendance: Meera Basnet, David Koch

 

Our Sergeant at Arms, Lynne D, opened our meeting at 12:00 p.m.

 

Opening Comments by President Pro Temp, Nancy

 

The meeting theme was: The Olympics!!

 

The word of the day was “ignite”

 

Our Toastmaster was Lynne D.

 

Our Gate Team was:

Grammarian – Mara

Ah Counter – Mara

Timer – David Koch

General Evaluator – Nancy

 

Speaker #1 was Jessica with her speech, “The Rule of Threes: What, Why and How,” 5-7 minutes, Team Collaboration Pathway, Level 2, Project 2.

 

Speaker #2 was Nguyet with her speech, “One Pull Up,” 5-7 minutes, Presentation Mastery Pathway, Evaluation and Feedback.

 

Evaluator #1 was Robert

 

Evaluator #2 was Mara

 

Table Topics Master was Jim

In response to his questions:

 

Nancy talked about her preference for Gymnastics Events

Lynne mentioned teaching 5^th graders a class on the subject of Listening

Maria said that she thinks what matters to an 80-year old person is sleep and playing Sudoku

Mara said that the desired trait that others possess is listening

Robert spoke about his view on fully embracing his mistakes

Nguyet talked about planning a trip to Mexico, eating tacos and exotic treats.

 

General Evaluator, was Nancy

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz, Secretary

 

Meeting Minutes

January 11, 2022

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

 

Announcements 

Be a contestant at our February speech contest. It’s a great learning experience!

 

Members in Attendance: Barb, Jessica, Jim, Kate, Kelly, Kristin, Jim, Lynn C., Lynne D, Mara, Nancy, Nevin, Nguyet , Robert

 

Guests in Attendance: Meera Basnet, Maria

 

Our Sergeant at Arms, Lynne D, opened our meeting at 12:00 p.m.

 

Opening Comments by our President, Lynn C.

 

The meeting theme was: Canva Tips and Tricks

 

The word of the day was “delineate”

 

Our Toastmaster was Mara who introduced us to Canva, a free graphics application and spent a little time demonstrating it to us.

 

Our Gate Team was:

Grammarian – Nevin

Ah Counter – Nevin

Timer – Nguyet

General Evaluator – Jim

 

Our Speaker was Nancy with her speech, “Charisma, A Learned Behavior,” 18-22 minutes, Presentation Mastery Pathway, Level 5, Preparing to Speak Professionally. Nancy taught us a lot about charisma: the three key elements (Presence, Power, and Warmth), the types of charisma (Focus Charisma, Visionary Charisma, Kindness Charisma, and Authority Charisma), and gave us exercises for learning charisma. She put “handouts” in the Chat, and was compelling with her verbal variety, facial expressions, and gestures.

 

Our Evaluator was Kristin who used the classic sandwich method to give a very thorough, warm, and helpful evaluation.

 

Our Table Topics Master was Robert who asked questions about technology. He asked Barb about how she uses technology to avoid emergencies.

 

Meerat talked about her first experiences with computers in the Philippines

 

Our General Evaluator, Jim, said he had enjoyed having many members present.  He praised Kristin’s evaluation and how well the toastmaster kept us on time despite a long speech. Jim also praised the work of the GATE team.

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:05 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz, Secretary

 

Officer Meeting Minutes

PUBLIC SPEAKING NORTHWEST

January 4, 2022

 

Meeting started approximately 1:05 p.m.

 

Officers in Attendance: Lynn C., Barb, Nancy, Lynne D., Kate, Mara

 

Minutes from the December meeting were approved.

 

Officer Reports

Report from VPE Nancy: 

·      We are doing well on our DCP points. If we have 20 members on June 30, 2022 we will likely be President’s Distinguished.

 

Report from VPM Kate:

·      We have had a few inquiries about the club this month and one was a guest today.

·       We currently have 16 paid members.

·      Kate suggested that we have a member or guest talk about the Speaker’s Bureau and other advanced opportunities in Toastmasters.

 

Report from VPPR Mara:

·      The winter solstice event was successful.

·      We should have a holiday gift exchange (White Elephant) later this month.

·      Mara is still concentrating on social media.

 

Report from Secretary Barb:

·      Barb has been working with Jinxin and Jim to sort out our problems with PayPal. At this time, it looks like the problem has been resolved, but they are waiting for confirmation from PayPal.

 

Report from SSA Lynne D:

·      Adding the step to the meeting agenda to cue the Zoom host to record is working well. Lynne expressed thanks.

·      Later this month Lynne and Mara will restart efforts to find a location for us to have on-site meetings.

 

New Business

 

Mara will reach out to the Bothell Chamber of Commerce to recruit new members. She will also ask Todd Cudaback to do the same with the Rotary Club.

 

Kate talked about an email she had received from a young man, a toastmaster, who asked to be a guest speaker at our meeting. We agreed that she would check him out before extending an invitation.

 

Mara and Kate discussed having an in-house Open House when we begin on-site meetings.

 

We also discussed having an Open House with a guest speaker in January or February.

 

We planned a White Elephant party on 1/25/22, with members showing white elephant gifts on Zoom. I don’t remember who will be the chair of the party, probably Mara. Someone suggested doing something with ribbons and bows. [I apologize. My notes were not as complete as they should be.]

 

February 15 will be our Speech Contest. Nancy will be the contest chair. The theme of the meeting will be “I Love Speaking.” Lynne D will be the Toastmaster.

 

Kate has to do a Keynote Speech for her current Pathway, so she will do that at our meeting, perhaps at an Open House meeting. The date has not yet been decided.

 

Mara will send an email to all members, asking for reviews on the “Google My Business” website that she created for us.

 

The meeting adjourned at approximately 1:55 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz, Secretary

 

Meeting Minutes

January 4, 2022

Public Speaking Northwest Toastmasters

 

Announcements 

We will have a club speech contest in February. Consider being a contestant.

 

Members in Attendance (in alphabetical order): Barb, Jim, Kate, Kelly, Kristin, Lynn C., Lynne D, Mara, Nancy, Nevin, Robert

 

Guests in Attendance: Meera Basnet

 

Our Sergeant at Arms, Lynne D, opened our meeting at 12:00 p.m.

 

Opening Comments by our President, Lynn C.

 

The meeting theme was: Nursery Rhymes

 

The word of the day was “adroit”

 

Our Toastmaster was Barb who talked about two Nursery Rhymes, “It’s raining it’s pouring,” and “A tisket a tasket.”

 

Our Gate Team was:

Grammarian – Lynne D

Ah Counter – Lynne D

Timer – Lynn C

General Evaluator – Kate

 

Our Speaker #1 was Nevin with his Ice Breaker speech, “Step Out of Your Comfort Zone,” 4-6 minutes, Leadership Development Pathway. Nevin reflected on his fear of public speaking and the several public speaking engagements that he has had recently. He concluded with remarking on the growth that he had experienced by stepping out of his comfort zone and encouraging us to do likewise.

 

Our Speaker #2 was Mara with her speech, “The NYC Tourist,” 5-7 minutes, Presentation Mastery Path, Level 1, Researching and Presenting.

 

Our Evaluator #1 was Robert who praised Nevin’s confidence and many slides.

 

Our Evaluator #2 was Jim, who expressed appreciation for Mara’s speech, commenting that her “research and presenting” speech was actually a travelogue, a novel and entertaining way to handle the assignment. Jim also said that he was working on ways to avoid sentences beginning with “And” and “So.” He pointed out how Mara started sentences with phrases that answered the questions what, where, when, and why as very good transitions.

 

Our Table Topics Master was Nancy who asked questions in tune with the theme of the meeting.

 

Kelly talked about the “Baa baa black sheep” in her family, her sister.

 

Kristin talked about a child.

 

Meera spoke about going around her house.

 

Our General Evaluator, Kate, said the she had enjoyed having many members present wearing party hats and that Table Topics had built on the theme of the meeting. Regarding the Evaluators, Kate praised Robert’s comments on Nevin’s slides and Jim’s sandwich method of evaluation. Kate also appreciated how both evaluators gave suggestions that were useful for all of us.

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Katz