Capital City Toastmasters

The theme was hats and that was that! Kudos to Maria, Carol, Stuart, Louis, Brenda, and everyone else who wore a hat.  Extra points to Cynthia who showed up in Palestinian headgear. 

During Table Topics we learned that Brendan has a giant head, we learned that Lora’s husband has had a Cat-in-the-Hat- like impact on her life, we learned that Maureen has no need for an impressive hat as long as she has her Toastmasters skills in tow, we learned that Louis needs a hard hat with a soft sponge on top for work on Tiny House, and Albert stands in awe of people who can pull rabbits out of their hats or use other diversionary tactics to dazzle us.

Brenda told a great story about getting tricked into taking motorcycle-riding lessons.  While the speech was a lot of fun, and full of spills and thrills, there was a wonderful message underneath.  Try something new and don’t be afraid.  There were will be obstacles. For sure.  But there will also be laughter, and you will grow, and get wonderful memories as well.  Brenda’s got skills!   And Brian gave her props in his very enthusiastic and spot-on evaluation.   

Robert’s got it all going on when it comes to travel!  His presentation covered all things travel-related including insider tips on planning, saving money, little-known out-of-the-way vacation destinations, cool websites, and more.  Robert is the “Go To” guy if you want to Go To anywhere in the world.  He’s been around.  As Heather, his evaluator, pointed out, Robert has a wealth of knowledge which should have been presented with a wealth of confidence, given all he knows, and perhaps a few more wonderful anecdotes about traveling to engage his audience. It was agreed after the meeting that if Robert had done nothing more than say the word ”Agriturismo” ten times  with finesse and conviction, he would be holding a ribbon in his hand right now.

Congratulations to our Ribbon Winners:

• Best Speaker: No Ribbon awarded, both speakers went overtime
• Best Table Topic: Maureen
• Best Evaluator: Heather
• Most Enthusiasm: Brenda
• Best Humor: Stuart who might be the Funniest General Evaluator of all time

See you next week!

Toastmaster Robert Horan picked a theme that was at once high-tech and nostalgic.  Our agenda was the coolest: an image of an old fashioned typewriter, taking up most of the page, with all the roles succinctly stated in a narrow strip on the right.  The theme?  Pet Peeves about Modern Technology. And don’t we all have them. 

Li’s word of the day was “Savvy,” as in techno-savvy

Brian’s Table Topics gave Amy, Cynthia, Corky, Taline, and Albert a chance to rant about cell phones, iPhones, Facebook, teenagers, texting, and tweeting. Carol Conner was not in the house, so Cynthia channeled Carol and danced and sang, and as we all know, this is the surest way to walk off with the ribbon.

Is it a purse?  Is it a calendar?  Is it a feedbag?  No, it was the visual aid for Brenda’s second speech, a flip-chart on a string, featuring photos of flies.  I have been a Toastmaster for twelve years now and I have never seen anything quite like it.  Each fly represented an aspect of communication, and  Brenda discussed each one as an analogy.  Sort of.  Kind of.  Maybe.  Corky, as Brenda’s evaluator, confessed he couldn’t completely figure it out and prefers to be spoon-fed.  Again, we applaud Brenda for jumping in as a new member, signing up for speeches, trying new things, and confounding Corky.

Heather did it again!  An endearing, touching, informative, thought-provoking speech, thoroughly infused with humor.  This speech was about her realization that her daily thoughts were like annoying bugs buzzing in her brain, taking up her time, and preventing her from living her life fully.  Her casserole of random thoughts was crazy funny and her demonstration of trying to breathe according to the new instructions learned at meditation class while driving the car were priceless. Maria evaluated Heather with praise and suggestions for the future.

And it all wrapped up quite nicely with Stuart’s chuckle: When people meet online and fall in love they become “Tweet-hearts”  

Congratulations to our Ribbon Winners:

• Best Speaker: Heather
• Best Table Topic: Cynthia
• Best Evaluator: Corky
• Most Enthusiasm: Cynthia
• Best Humor: Heather

The Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest was announced for Wednesday Spetember 8. 

I’m in!

See you next week!

June 30th was a great day to be a member of Capital City Toastmasters.  It was a meeting full of celebrations and milestones.

It was the end of Rey’s term as president, and her last meeting with us before her move to Washington.  The tears started right away when our Invocator Patrick led us in “You are my sunshine.”  Our theme was Thank You, because Rey has done so very much for our club.  We were blessed to have you as our president.

Corky, our Toastmaster, demonstrated his skill by all at once honoring the sentimental tone of the meeting, keeping it moving at a lively pace, and welcoming guests to make them feel immediately at home.

During Table Topics, Eric did a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Rey, recounting all the ways Rey got on his nerves: her hatred for animals, her history of puppy-kicking, and her draining downbeat attitude.  Taline tried bravely not to cry while describing the ways Rey has been supportive and generous to Taline and Taline’s whole family.  No surprise there, as we have seen that Rey is a loyal friend and advocate to all. Maureen raved about Rey’s ability to bring the positive energy, and the wonderful way she has set the tone for our club, like a … wait for it …Rey of Sunshine.

Wendy did a serious speech today, and quite a thought-provoking one at that. We were asked to ponder the fates of criminals and schizophrenic children – how much sympathy is in order, and what role are we expected to take to be of assistance?  Evaluator Lora applauded Wendy for leaving her comfort zone by confronting a difficult topic, and for responding gracefully to the technical difficulties in the video presentation portion of her speech.

Carlos completed his tenth speech, earning the Competent Communicator certification, giving our club 10 out of 10 goals for the President’s Distinguished Club award.  In our second uncharacteristically serious speech of the day,  Carlos talked about the atrocities of animal cruelty, including seal clubbing, dog fighting, and the oil spill’s tragic impact on wildlife.  Especially fascinating was the section on Michael Vick, who now speaks to kids about how wrong animal cruelty is.  Evaluator Robin pointed out the unintentionally funny aspects of Carlos’ Power Point Presentation, and lightened up the mood in the room, while making some insightful points about maintaining consistency in the tone of a speech.

Stuart did a humorous, witty, self-effacing speech about weddings, taking one last opportunity to poke fun at the ever-good-natured Rey.  Brian did an exemplary evaluation, shining a spotlight on Stuart’s easy charming demeanor, his comfort in front of the group, and the fine job he did on presenting a well-organized speech.  It’s always a challenge for an evaluator to find ways Stuart can improve: Brian suggested that Stuart experiment with moving around more and tapping into his more tender emotions for future speeches.

New officers were installed, and that was that.  We love you Rey!!!
Congratulations to our ribbon winners!

• Best Table Topic: Eric
• Best Speaker: Stuart
• Best Evaluator: Brian
• Most Enthusiastic: Rey
• Best Use of Humor: Robin

Looking forward to seeing you all next Wednesday to kick off a new Toastmasters year with our new President Corky!

The theme was sailing….Erin was Toastmaster…Heather recited a beautiful poem…Jim kept us on time…Corky saved the day as Grammarian…Carol had some good questions…Lora told us about sailing from Japan to Guam…Li shared she can’t stand celebrities…Brendan showed up and won a ribbon…Russell confessed he had mistresses…Robin showed us what real style is all about….Albert went way over time but gave a way sweet tribute to Erin….Zhara was poised and witty…Brian gave Russell some solid advice…Amy praised Robin…Rey commended Albert….Erin invited everyone to visit Portland…Rey sang…we all sang…Rey cried.  It was Erin’s last meeting as an official Capital City Toastmaster.  It was filled with solid performances and just the right amount of sweetness and sarcasm – I already miss you all.

Best Table Topic – Brendan

Best Speaker – Russell

Best Evaluator – Brian

Most Enthusiastic – Erin

Best Use of Humor – Albert

In her hip, edgy boots, Amy stomped Wednesday’s shoe themed meeting into the ground as our soulful Toastmaster.

Corky was Table Topics Master tossing questions at Wendy, Becky, Robin, and Albert.  Wendy told us about a time her tongue got her in trouble.  Well, really it was the stubborn tongue piercing that took pliers to wrench it free from her mouth before a Takwendo competition.  Becky shared with us how she planned to fill in the lost spirit and enthusiasm of the “soul sisters” (Rey and Erin) once they move to the Northwest.  It appears platform shoes and spirits serve as the foundation for Becky’s plan.  Robin had us chuckling as he talked about a few times where he was quite a heel.  Sometimes Robin can get a bit intense in jam sessions particularly when he is trying to take his rake playing to a whole new level.  Finally, Albert talked about his interesting shoe store experience in which the shoe salesman had him try on some exotics….exotic shoes.

Brad and Stuart were the day’s speakers.

Brad gave his seventh speech from the Competent Communication Manual.  It was titled “Wedding Speech A”.  He delivered his wedding speech for his friend, Brad, and Brad’s soon to be wife, Kristen.  It was a hilarious and heart warming speech.  We learned quite a bit about Brad 1 and Brad 2 including one of the more revealing moments in their friendship where they ran naked through the streets of Burlington, VT.  Fortunately, Kristen is also adventurous and is a great match for Brad’s friend, Brad.

Stuart delivered a speech from The Successful Club Series manual titled “Creating the Best Club Climate”.  It was a wonderfully informative speech about what we can do to make sure Capital City Toastmasters remains a comfortable, inviting, encouraging environment in which people can overcome their fears of public speaking and can always continue to improve upon their public speaking skills.  Some of the twelve items Stuart noted as ways to improve our club climate include: 1) volunteer for committees and officer positions; 2) be supportive of others; 3) mentor others; 4) give excellent evaluations; 5) recognize others’ achievements; and 6) foster camaraderie.  All things we do at Capital City, but we can always find ways to do more of them or to do them better.

Ribbon Winners:

Best Table Topic – Wendy

Best Speaker – Brad

Most Enthusiastic – Amy

Best Evaluator – Brian

Best Humor – Brad

Corky served as Toastmaster for a meeting set to celebrate taxes and the end of tax season!  As Corky reminded us, if you’re upset with the amount of taxes you’re paying this year, be grateful you simply have an income.

Louis was Table Topics Master sharing some anecdotes about his personal efforts to avoid paying income taxes.  He prodded Russell, Carol, and Albert with questions regarding their views on taxes.  Russell shared with us his opinion that more tax money should be designated to help improve public education as well as offer adults affordable opportunities for professional development.  Carol entertained us with her story of being audited by the IRS!  As she put it, “Why are you picking on me?  I don’t have any money, people!”  The IRS seemed not to care; they audited Carol anyway.  Our emperor, Albert, told us his thoughts on what would be the best tax system – get rid of income taxes and have a national sales tax.  A proposal that even won support from Corky.

Darron, Robert, and Erin were the day’s speakers.

Darron gave his second speech from the Competent Communication Manual.  He titled it “John’s Wedding Speech”.  He shared with us the best-man speech he wrote for his best friend’s John’s upcoming wedding.  It was an entertaining, humorous speech about these two quiet, soft spoken bachelors, devoted wingmen to each other and their quest to each find the perfect woman to marry – a challenging quest to undertake in the bars of Austin.  Both found the woman of their dreams in slightly different ways, but supporting each other along the way.  It was a sweet, funny, and sincere speech – no doubt, it will be hit at the wedding reception!  We are looking forward to speech number three!

In his fifth speech, Robert discussed his recent adventures in “Speed Networking”.  As part of Robert’s new business adventure, he decided to go to an e-women’s networking conference to meet potential clients.  He was the only man among about 70 women.  Robert received a crash course lesson in reading and understanding the body gestures and facial expressions of quick thinking, businesswomen at work – everything from “the shoulder shrug” to the “moving on look”.  It was an experience that seemed to have a positive influence on Robert as he plans to go back for more with subsequent conferences.  An entertaining speech and we are hoping Robert will do more impersonations of women in the future!

Erin gave her tenth speech; it was titled “Nine Months”.  It was a farewell speech with the element of inspiration.  She opened the speech with a poem by Edgar Lee Masters titled George Gray – the same poem she opened her icebreaker speech with nine months ago.  Erin recounted what she learned from various fellow toastmasters.  Her stories and lessons evoked laughter and smiles from many – and of course, tears as well.  In one month, Erin will move to Portland, Oregon for her career.  She will miss us all.  Her speech reminded us to make the most of our surroundings:  Give each other love and support; don’t shrink from it or run from it. Embrace sorrow because to know it is to know happiness.  Most of all, answer the calls of ambition; strive to achieve more than you think you can and you will be stunned by where you end up, and the people you get to meet along the way.  Take to the seas my friends – I hope to see you out there.

Ribbon Winners:

Best Table Topic – Albert

Best Speaker – Darron

Most Enthusiastic – Erin

Best Evaluator – Patrick

Best Humor – Robert

Do you cross your fingers?  Throw salt over your shoulder?  Avoid black cats?  Walk around ladders rather than under them?  Are you wary on Friday the 13^th?  If so, you may be just a bit superstitious and you would’ve fit right in at our meeting on Wednesday.  Rey served as Toastmaster with the meeting theme set as “Superstitions”.

Lora was Table Topics Master tossing questions at Leeanne, Carlos, and Stuart.  We heard about a recent bizarre dream Leeanne had – within the dream, Amy ended up sleeping in a coffin.  Carlos told us about his family’s tradition of always being at least a couple hours late to most planned events.  Stuart shared with us some of the teasing he endured as a child due to his name…pour, Stew.

The day’s speakers were Joey, Erin and Taline.

Joey’s speech was titled “The City of Enchantment”; it was his third speech from the Competent Communication (CC) Manual.  We learned about Joey’s hometown, Lake Jackson – The City of Enchantment, in his eyes.  A city with catchy street names: “This Way”, “That Way” and “Winding Way”.  A city’s whose residents have found ways to make the most of its “Gumbo” ground creating the actual Lake Jackson from a swamp and turning it into a premiere training ground for scuba diving amongst wreckage.  A one of a kind hometown!

Erin gave her eighth speech from the CC Manual.  She expanded our minds and pushed our abilities to new levels by teaching everyone how to juggle.  Erin chose two fellow toastmasters, Lora and Stuart, to try learning how to juggle in “Three Easy Steps”.  Both Lora and Stuart made strong progress with Erin’s instruction.  Everyone got to take home a handout to practice on their own.  Rumor is there will be some follow-up “pop-quizzes” in the future to check on everyone’s progress.

Taline gave her second speech from the Specialty Speeches Manual; it was titled “Jeff Wilson”.  It was a touching speech about a close friend of hers, Jeff, whose life was cut tragically short by a driver that lost control of a vehicle.  Jeff was the kind of guy that made the most of life.  He knew life was precious and sought to fit in as much of the things he loved as he could – his friends, music, concerts.  He shared this wisdom with others with one of his last blogs reading “Grab ‘Let it Be’, preferably on vinyl, sit back and listen.”

Ribbon Winners:

Best Table Topic – Stuart

Best Speaker – Erin

Most Enthusiastic – Erin

Best Evaluator – Albert

Best Humor – Stuart