Meeting Minutes for Sept. 24, 2007

Greetings Fellow Toastmasters,

This second meeting since the summer recess was a special meeting planned as
preparation for the upcoming Area Table Topics and Humorous Speech Contest,
so there were no planned speeches on the agenda, and the Table Topics
session featured two Table Topics Masters, Anna F. and Kim, who read
questions selected from a special deck of Toastmasters Table Topics cards.
Each person attending the meeting (except those guests who declined) was
given a number as they entered the room, and a duplicate of each number was
put into a grab bag. Doris, who served as Toastmaster for the evening,
outlined the format of the activities planned and explained the special
rules for the meeting, and then turned the meeting over to Anna F., who read
a question and selected a random number from the grab bag. The person
holding the matching number was then invited to reply to the question that
had just been read.

Elena was the first Table Topics speaker, followed by Malcolm, Kim, Woody
(me), Anna F. (she pulled her own number), and Doris. The six questions the
contestants were asked are summarized briefly as follows: What advice would
you offer to newly weds; What will be the next big fad; If you could make
and new law or eliminate an existing law, what would it be; What activity
would you choose to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records; What
part of the newspaper do you read first; and what is your favorite hobby.
Kim followed the same format as Anna F. and picked a sequence of six numbers
and called on Lucille (a guest), Anna D, John (another guest), Joanna (a
third guest), Arlene, and Sue. The questions she asked are summarized
briefly as follows: What great mystery would you solve, and why; Name
something you can accomplish in 10 seconds; What's the best birthday
celebration you've ever had; If you could start your own business, what
would it be; If you were to choose a national dish, what would it be; and
what is your most unusual fear.

All of the contestants responded satisfactorily to the questions they were
asked to reply to, and the three guests who were called on were good sports
and participated fully. This is the first meeting in recent memory that a
Table Topics Master used questions from a prepared Toastmasters
International product, and they were very challenging questions indeed.
Malcolm was timer and reported that all the contestants finished their
presentations within established time rules. Jill served as General
Evaluator and provided feedback on all aspects of the meeting while Arlene
and Anna D. counted the ballots. Doris held a brief business session and
formally welcomed the guests in the audience and invited them to briefly
introduce themselves, before moving on to announce the Table Topics winners.
Kim took first place, Elena was second, and Anna F. and Woody (me) tied for
third. So Kim will represent our club at the Area contest on Friday,
September 28, 2007. The Roosevelt Island Toastmasters Club is hosting the
Area Contest at the Rivercross Community Room. Activities are scheduled to
begin with a reception at 6:00 P.M. A big thank you goes out to Anna D., our
current President, for excellent planning and leadership these past few
weeks.

Submitted Respectfully,
Woody Deas, Secretary

Meeting Minutes for September 10, 2007

Greetings Fellow Toastmasters,

Doris called the meeting of September 10, 2007 to order at 8:00 P.M. after a
period of setup, welcoming, refreshments, and socializing that began an hour
earlier. Jim, a former club president, served as Toastmaster for the
evening, Marlene served as Table Topics Master, Jill served as General
Evaluator, and Anna F. served as Word Master, challenging all of us to use
the word - proclivity - in our presentations. "An inclination or
predisposition toward something, especially a strong inherent inclination
toward something objectional" – is how Merriam Webster defines the noun, and
Anna shared that definition with us, including the date of origin of the
word in 1591.

Marlene posed a variety of questions to the ten participants in the Table
Topics session. Doris was asked: "What's the best thing about your position
in your family" She is a middle sister. Branko was asked: "Who is the
smartest person you know? Jim told us about something he would like to learn
how to do, and Ada, a guest, shared her thoughts about how it feels when she
hears an unfamiliar noise in the night. Her reply in part, - scared, like
doing public speaking. Jill replied to a question about who she would choose
to trade places with, Anna F. commented on learning another language, and
Yilong, a guest and native of China, commented about her preference for
using email rather than regular mail to communicate with friends and family
back home. Janet spoke about a high school mentoring program, and John, a
guest who was asked a question about music, replied in personable terms
about his listening experiences and preferences. He, and several other
responders spoke admirably, but another guest, Linda, who accepted the
challenge to speak about her favorite place to be alone, took Best Table
Topics Speaker honors for the evening. The high point of the session came at
the very end when Marlene, in her poetic closing comments and parting
gestures, said to the audience: "You, and you, and you, were my theme."

The first scheduled speaker on the agenda was Elena, who presented a very
interesting Speech Project #4 (How To Say It) titled: "Disaster at Pompeii"
She opened her presentation with a provocative quote by a German poet about
the perplexing thought of being joyful and mournful at the same time. Her
talk was engaging, full of historical detail, appropriately paced, and she
maintained good eye contact with an audience that was seated in two
different sections of the RIVAA meeting space. She employed visual aids with
appropriate hand gestures, along with great vocal variety. Rena was Speaker
#2 with Speech Project #5 (Your Body Speaks): "My Journey To The Marathon."
Her opening remarks referred to November 4th as a special day for those who
participated in the New York City Marathon, a subject many of us in the
audience could certainly relate to. We were hooked, and she didn't
disappoint us. She provided us with good historical detail about the event,
noted that she trained for 4 months to prepare for the run, and she pointed
out that of the 98,000 people who applied, only 38,000 started the race. Not
only do we admire her competitive spirit, we were mesmerized by her
wonderful presentation. As Speaker #3, Branko completed Speech Project #8
(Getting Comfortable With Visual Aids) titled: "Why I Chose Toastmasters."
Speaking from the heart with strong organizational and presentation skills,
Branko introduced his topic. He got our attention and maintained our
interest by using prepared sheets with details relevant to what he was
speaking about at a particular point. He was well prepared, so his
presentation moved along at a comfortable pace without a hitch, or the "and
ahs" he was made aware of in an earlier evaluation. His mastery of English
is really commendable, and he was disciplined and exuded confidence before
this diverse audience. Anna D, our new President, was Speaker #4. She
presented Speech #4 (with a 2-3 Min Q & A session) from the Advanced Series
(Speaking to Inform) titled: "Facts About How Toastmasters Can Help You
Become A Better Leader." Janet Schoene did her evaluation and noted how she
maintained a comfortable pace, with good eye contact across a split
audience. Anna spoke in English, not her native tongue, and I was impressed
by her poise and confidence during the question and answer session as she
replied to a half dozen questions. Doris evaluated Elena, Malcolm evaluated
Rena, Sue evaluated Branko, and Jill provided an excellent general
evaluation of the meeting itself and the performance of the other
evaluators. Rena was voted Best Speaker and Janet won Best Evaluator honors.
After a report from the Word Master, the Ah Counter, the Timer, and a brief
business session, the meeting was adjourned shortly after 10:15 P.M.
The next regular meeting is on September 24, 2007 8:00 PM at Rivercross
Community Room.

Submitted Respectfully,
Woody Deas, Secretary