Meeting Minutes for November 26, 2007

Greetings Fellow Toastmasters,

The meeting of November 26 was called to order at 8:00 P.M. by Club
President Anna D. with Malcolm C. presiding as Toastmaster, Sue B. as Word
Master, Joanne E. as Table Topics Master, and Arlene S. as General
Evaluator. We were also honored with a visit from Area 57 Governor, Kilrak
Chung, who presented Doris C. with a CL Manual, and volunteered to serve as
Timer for our meeting. Joanne prepared an interesting mix of challenging
questions for Table Topics, starting with a question concerning smoking and
health that I (Woody) replied to. Doris was next up, with a reply to a
question about the impact of technology and if it makes our lives better or
worse. Jim was in excellent form with his reply to a question about
unpleasant noise in New York City, and Arlene spoke about counting calories
and the new challenge this factor presents to the best chefs. Sue praised
Jim for being "Mr. Can Do" in her reply to the question posed to her. I
think all of us would agree that Jim has been an outstanding leader on many
occasions, but especially the last few days when, on short notice, he
coordinated getting a meeting space in Building 546, and then did the setup
himself. Anna (a guest) commented on developing healthful habits and the
fact that doing so could add years to your life, and Don offered his take on
New York City as a healthy place to live.

After the voting for Best Table Topics Speaker, which Arlene won, Rena took
the podium as the first scheduled speaker. She completed Speech Project #6
(Vocal Variety). Her stellar presentation was full of fascinating content
related to the devastating impact a tropical cyclone can have on a community
and the lives of the people affected. She explained the different names for
the same weather event (hurricane, typhoon) in different regions of the
planet, and referred to the current debate concerning global warming and
climate change as she addressed the question of what can be done better. She
was evaluated by Doris. Kim spoke last, completing Speech Project #4 (How To
Say It) with a speech titled: "Home Renovation and the Four Agreements."
Besides great organization, the content was interesting and her expressive
gestures and vocal variety held the attention of the audience throughout.
She was voted Best Speaker, and Don's superb evaluation took Best Evaluator
honors. Anna D. presented a speech titled: " What is Leadership and How To
Get It." Her assignment was from the Advanced Communication Leadership
Series, Speaking To Inform, Speech Project #5. I (Woody) was her evaluator.
The project consisted of (1) The Advanced Concept, and (2) Planning and
Implementation. After briefly describing the concept of leadership, Anna
drew from the ideas of world-class authors and experts, including a
reference to Tolstoy's masterpiece, "War and Peace," and a paraphrase from
Dwight D. Eisenhower on the subject that earned a chuckle: "Leadership is
getting people to do what you want them to do when they want to do it."

After a few comments from Area 57 Governor Kilrak Chung, and a brief
business meeting and officers report, the meeting was adjourned at around
9:40 P.M.. Unless this notice is revised, the
next regular meeting is scheduled for December 10, 2007 at 8:00 P.M.
Building 546 Main Street, 12th Floor Meeting Room near the elevator.

Submitted Respectfully,
Woody Deas, Secretary

Meeting Minutes for November 12, 2007

Fellow Toastmasters,

Club President Anna D. called the meeting of November 12, 2007 to order at
8:00 P.M. with Elena presiding as Toastmaster, and Linda as Word Master.
Branko volunteered to be Timer. Linda selected the word "integrity" as the
Word for the Day, and provided us with the definition and usage examples.
After a summary of Toastmaster procedures and the rules, Elena turned the
meeting over to Anna D., who, as part of her work in the Leadership Series
Advanced Project #7 (Developing Facilitation Skills), took on dual roles as
Table Topics Master and General Evaluator. After a few remarks about the
Toastmasters Conference she attended this past weekend, Anna opened the
Table Topics session with a question about miracles that Linda responded to.
Sue spoke next about shopping as an adventure, Anna (a guest) spoke
eloquently about love, forgiveness, and noted that compassion involves much
more than love. Rena commented on a recent challenge (The New York City
Marathon she completed in 3hrs 57min) and a new challenge; Diana spoke about
a letter from a teacher; Melissa commented about work as a therapist, and
Elena talked about the book business and a recent challenge.

Three scheduled speakers were on the agenda with Joanna speaking first. She
completed her Icebreaker ("Second Generation"), a speech rich with metaphors
and presented with such passion and quality that she won Best Speaker
honors. Melissa did her evaluation. Branko completed Speech Project #9
(Persuade With Power), an interesting speech with contemporary relevance
titled: "Is It Possible To Change The Environmentalists Litany?" Rena was
his evaluator. I presented my first speech in the Advanced Communication
Series, Storytelling Project #1 (The Folk Tale)."Stone Soup" was the title.
It is a centuries-old folk tale that exists in many versions, but I selected
a version related to me through an article written by the award-winning
author, Barbara Kingsolver. Folk singer, Pete Seeger, based his album "Some
Friends To Feed: Story of Stone Soup" on the same tale. Sue was my
evaluator. After an officers report, the meeting was adjourned for a bit of
after-the-meeting socializing and refreshments.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for November 26, 2007 8:00 P.M.
Westview Community Room.

Meeting Minutes for October 22, 2007

Greetings Fellow Toastmasters,

The meeting of October 22, 2007 was called to order at 8:00 P.M. by Club
President Anna D. with Marlene Flom presiding as Toastmaster and Joanne E.
as Word Master. She chose the word "disingenuous" as the Word for the Day.
As part of her work in the Advanced Series, Anna D. also served as both
Table Topics Master and General Evaluator. Malcolm agreed to serve as Ah
Counter, and Branko served as Timer. Jim, Arlene, Grace, Michelle, Joanne,
Joe, and Doris all responded to a variety of questions posed during the
Table Topics session, and all speakers completed the task within
Toastmasters International recommended time guidelines. All of the
participants were good, but Arlene's quote from an Ogden Nash poem - "God in
his wisdom made the fly, and then forgot to tell us why - was especially
memorable. Joe spoke of vicarious experience and of living on Mars 100
years from now, and Doris spoke eloquently, using the word for the day in
the process. When the ballots were counted, however, Michelle walked away
with Best Table Topics Speaker honors. The quality of her comments about a
chair, her great presence, and her vocal variety won audience favor. The
four guests present - Maria, Dana, Judy, and Diana - participated in the
voting, and they were also invited to introduce themselves. Elena was the
first scheduled speaker on the agenda. She completed "Shaky Memory" - Speech
Project #5 (Your Body Speaks). Good vocal variety and expressive body
language made her commentary about the Loma Prieta Earthquake in California
very interesting indeed. Kim was her evaluator. Don spoke next and completed
Speech Project #7 (Research Your Topic). The topic: "War Between China and
Vietnam," allowed him to use Google Map features and other visual aids in
his very effective presentation. Arlene was his evaluator. Linda completed
her Icebreaker, "Grandmother at 62." I was impressed by how well she
connected with the audience with good body language, warm eye contact, and
excellent vocal variety. Malcolm and Doris both spoke as Evaluators of her
presentation. Melissa completed Speech Project #5 (Your Body Speaks)
titled:"Useful Tips From An Expert." As her evaluator, I was most impressed
by her strong opening and closing statements, her overall expressiveness,
her purposeful and animated body language, and her strategic use of humor in
a very well organized presentation about the care of an infant, where she
outlined and explained five techniques. When the ballots were counted, Linda
was voted Best Speaker, and Woody (me) was voted Best Evaluator for the
evening. After a brief business session led by Kim, the meeting was
adjourned shortly before 10:00 P.M.
The next regular meeting is November 12, 2007 8:00 P.M. Westview Community
Room