Meeting Minutes for 3-26-07

Fellow Toastmasters,
The meeting of March 26, 2007 was called to order at 8:00 PM with Melissa Buerbaumer presiding as Toastmaster, Kim Taylor as Table Topics Master, and Club President Arlene Stock as General Evaluator. Anna Falth served as Timer. Word Master and Ah Counter was Damon LaScot, who challenged us to incorporate the word- ameliorate - in our presentations. The word means to make bearable or better, and most of us were thoughtful enough to use it. Melissa then turned the meeting over to Kim, who started off the Table Topics session with a question for Elena that reminded all of us that Spring was at hand, despite the chilly temperature outside. I (Woody) was next to speak, followed by Jill, and Marlene. Arlene reminisced about a favorite teacher and how a first impression can sometimes be inaccurate, and Anna A. ended the Table Topics session by responding to a question about how she would use an infomercial to sell Toastmasters. In the final tally, Jill's Horse Tale, with the strong closing comment - He was rode hard and put away - won
her Best Table Topics Speaker honors. The four scheduled speakers on the agenda were Rene, who used visual aids and offered vivid recollections of her home country in Speech #3 titled - Land of Fires. She noted some famous landmarks and the accomplishments of several significant contributors to the broader world culture, and the speech was presented with enthusiasm and great vocal variety. Branko presented Speech #4 titled - The World Needs Peacekeepers. His talks are always colorful and delivered with passion, and he uses wonderful hand gestures and has an excellent command of the English language. Simi, who has also been noted for using great body language, is one of the more polished speakers in our club. He completed Speech Project #7 in an informative speech titled - Global Road Crisis. Anna D. completed Speech Project #1 from the Advanced Manual in a speech titled - Surviving An Evaluation. Quite often, it is difficult for club members to select one speaker as performing better than another on a given day, and the dilemma is not ameliorated by a simple tally of paper ballots, which, on this occasion, resulted in a tie between Anna D. and Branko for Best Speaker honors. Marlene evaluated Branko, and Janet evaluated Simi, but the vote for best Best Evaluator was much less perplexing, and Jill walked away with that honor, her second win on this day. Melissa showed great organizational skill in conducting a smooth meeting, her first time serving as Toastmaster, and Anna A. was just as impressive in her evaluation of Rena, her first time in that role. Arlene offered a few helpful pointers in her role as General Evaluator, before turning the meeting over to Doris for a brief business session. The meeting was adjourned at 9:45. Simi, who is soon to be married and will be relocating in the near future, was given a warm send-off after the meeting by club members, with Malcolm leading the cheers.
The next regular meeting is on April 9, 2007 at Rivercross Community Room.

Submitted Respectfully,
Woody Deas, Secretary

W.R.Deas.