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