The July 12, 2017 meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was led by first time Toastmaster George.  George chose a theme of 3D printing and drew on knowledge from his position at GE as well as information gathered through his senior thesis.  In attendance were 13 members and 1 guest, Kyle, who was referred to us by Suzanne. 

Marcus served as General Evaluator and kept us on track with the aid of his team: Lakeisha as Grammarian, MCG as Ah-Counter,  Lee as Timer and Hank as Ballot Counter.  Lakeisha introduced her Word of the Day, culmination, which means the highest point, or the thing you have been working or aiming towards.

Three speakers gave prepared speeches.  First up was Lori who presented her 9th CC speech “Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers”.  Lori’s aim was to show why homeschooling is a valid educational option for some families and to eliminate some popular misconceptions about it.  Andrea, Lori’s Evaluator, thought the speech was well-written and that the content was interesting and appropriate.

Beverly, the evening’s Best Speaker, showed us “How to Give a Great Speech”.  Showcasing her performance abilities, Beverly expertly illustrated the importance of going beyond the written word and incorporating gestures, vocal variety and entertainment value in our speeches.  She recommended watching a one person play for tips and stressed the importance of knowing your audience.  Josue served as Beverly’s Evaluator.  He appreciated her great start, her confidence and use of quotes.

Jasmine, the final speaker of the evening, gave her Icebreaker Speech.  Jasmine crafted a beautiful speech telling listeners that “Life is like art.” She grew up in Valdosta and moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in PR.   Jasmine gave us a glimpse into her past, present and future with her open and honest introductory speech.  Greg, her Evaluator, especially enjoyed Jasmine’s storytelling style.  He complimented her ability to hook the audience from the start as well as her use of gestures.
Table Topics Master Jim posed questions to four audience members.  First up was Christian who told us if he could 3D print any meal it would be a kale and spinach salad with tomatoes and grass-fed, organic beef.  Rob shared that if he could 3D print something the size of a 2X2X2 cube, he would print a rubber band.  He shared the story of a former colleague who wore one around his wrist as a reminder to remain humble despite success.  Guest Kyle, the evening’s winner, said that if he could 3D print a spouse with custom specifications, he would create his wife of just a month and a half.   He loves her understanding nature, appreciation of non-material things, and her love of food, travel and children.  Hank told us of the harrowing experience he faced during open-heart surgery. Had it not been for an eagle-eyed doctor, he wouldn’t have been there to tell the tale!

General Evaluator Marcus, the evening’s Best Evaluator, called for reports from his team.  Lakeisha noted over 10 members used the Word of the Day (wow!).  Marcus also reminded us of the importance of signing up for roles, especially during the summer months when attendance is low.

President Jim wrapped up the meeting with reminders about our upcoming contests.  Our next meeting will be centered around the Evaluation Contest, and the following around the Humorous Speech Contest.  It is imperative that participants confirm their roles in TurboBase or with the Contest Chairs or Contest Masters.  Please see Jim, Andrea, Mary Catherine or Lori if you need assistance.  Participant Profiles and Eligibility Forms can be found on the website near the bottom of this page: http://t-toasters.com/members-section.html .  Please fill out these forms before the meeting.  If possible, please email these ahead of time.  The contest will run far more smoothly if we have the required paperwork out of the way ahead of time!  Also, please remember to bring a dish to share if possible.  If you’d like to share in advance what you plan to bring, there’s a blog post here: http://t-toasters.com/blog/contest-food-signups .  You can leave a comment, or you can email Lori at lori@lorilphillips.com to be added to the list.  Please also be aware that the following meetings may run long as we have a lot of people signed up to participate!  (Woohoo! Great job T-Toasters!)

​Finally, please remember that TLI is this weekend.  If you’re interested in attending, please see any officer so we can cover your admission cost.

Special thanks to Andrea, Josue and Jim for filling in for me!
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The July 5th meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was brought to order by Sergeant-At-Arms Josue promptly at 6:00pm.  Greg Palmer served as Toastmaster with his theme of Ice Cream. Greg regaled us with numerous Ice Cream facts, such as favorite flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and butter pecan. We had 15 members in attendance and three guests: first-timer Moses, repeat guest Jasmine (who joined), and Mary Margaret, who visited with Lee.

Kristine served as General Evaluator and led a team which included Mary-Catherine as Grammarian, Lakeisha as Ah Counter, Jim as Timer, and Marcus as Ballot Counter. MC's Word of the Day was Amiable -- having or showing good-natured qualities 

First to speak, and the winner of Best Speaker, was Andrea with her 10th Competent Communicator (CC) speech (hooray!) "Giving Dignity -- Part 2". Andrea continued the theme of her speech last week. She provided examples of how to provide folks who are in need a hand up, as opposed to a hand out. David was Andrea's Evaluator. David applauded Andrea's passion for her topic and her clear call to action. David pointed out that she could benefit from using a bit more vocal variety to drive her points home.

Carin was our second speaker. In her 9th speech from the Competent Communicator Manual titled "Communication Failure", Carin opens up about her challenged relationship with AT&T. She explained "AT&T puts me in a rage faster than anything else." Carin shared a series of interactions with AT&T's customer service that had the audience in groans of sympathy and sighs of frustration. Matt evaluated Carin. Matt praised Carin for her confident and calm demeanor throughout her speech, as evidenced by her outstanding eye contact with the audience. Matt felt Carin might have enhanced her speech by demonstrating the anger and frustration she clearly experienced while navigating the treacherous path of AT&T's customer no-service call center. 

Our third prepared speaker of the evening was Alyssa. She delivered her 4th speech from the CC manual entitled "Traveling for Yourself". Alyssa and her husband love spending the holidays with their families. However, they found themselves in a quandary after telling their families, during last year's holiday travels, that they planned to start having babies this year. This statement was not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "We want to travel this year, too! What should we do? " was the question Alyssa posed to the audience. The audience decided that she should invite her family to join them for a destination vacation.

Josue was Table Topics Master asking a single question of all contestants of the night, "What is your favorite dessert or sweet treat?". Lee described her passion for frozen bananas prepared in a Vita-mix (as an substitute for Ice Cream). Marcus enjoys salty snacks and meat. Jasmine, our evening's Best Table Topic winner, explained her love of ice cream @ Honey Suckle. MCG described the joys of homemade Divinity and Butterscotch Brownies. Kristina's dad loved Haagen-Daaz ice cream. She loves fried ice cream @ Raw. Moses extolled the virtues of Strawberry cheesecake & Nutrageous candy bars. 

Kristina, led the evaluation team and performed admirably. 

Greg closed out his program describing how great bacon Ice cream, and that you should try it yourself before you render judgement.

President Jim reminded folks to sign up for available roles, for both upcoming meetings and our Evaluation Contest (7/19) and Humorous Speech Contest (7/26). Don't forget TLI (Toastmasters Leadership Institute -- Officer training) classes are coming up. These sessions are mandatory for Club officers and are available to any interested member (the club will pay the fee).  

The June 28 meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was brought to order by Sergeant-At-Arms Josue promptly at 6:00.  Mary-Catherine served as Toastmaster with a theme of Embarassing Moments, and she shared several of her own blunders to make everyone feel comfortable laughing at their own.  Between having pants rip, showing up at work with different shoes and bungled speeches, we all had plenty to talk about!  Mary Catherine reminded the 19 members and 5 guests to not take ourselves so seriously because nobody else does!

Lee served as General Evaluator and led a team which included Carin as Grammarian, Alyssa as Ah-Counter, Jim as Timer and George as Ballot Counter.  Carin’s Word of the Day was vociferous, meaning maraked by a vehement or insistent outcry. 

First to speak was Lori with her 8th CC speech “Pop, Penguins and Pierogi: Pittsburgh’s 3 Ps”.  As a native of the Steel City, Lori shared some of Pittsburgh’s sights as well as some of the unique quirks of the residents, such as their love for pierogi.  Using both a Power Point presentation and food, she gave the club a tour from the comfort of the 3rd floor conference room.  Greg was Lori’s Evaluator and commented on the speech’s timing and organization as well as the humorous elements.

The evening’s second speaker and winner was Andrea with “Giving Dignity, Part 1”, her 9th CC speech.  Andrea moved the audience with her tales of families in Zambia and Peru and the different experience they had when receiving help from others.  Andrea emphasized the difference between giving dignity and giving dependence.  Best Evaluator Marcus enjoyed Andrea’s call to action, humble approach and preparedness.  He encouraged us to beware of “toxic charity”.  Andrea will give part 2 of her talk at an upcoming meeting.

Courtney was the third speaker with her speech “DVR Mama”.  Courtney shared how much she enjoys her downtime in the evenings with some of her favorite shows  and some of the hurdles that she has to jump to get to it.  Liana was Courtney’s Evaluator.  She found Courtney’s speech “engaging, entertaining and confident”.  Liana also commented on how relatable the topic was, as well as Courtney’s repeated use of trios in her speech.

Theresa served as Table Topics Master and had the 6 participants pitch book ideas.  Suzanne pitched “Sleeping with the CEO”, Kristina told us why she made her main character an alcoholic, Christian told us his mystery story was different from the rest because it took place in outer space, Nyria told us about her romancwe with a twist, George painted a picture of a salacious Coconut Grove thriller and Beverly, the evening’s winner, spun the saga of a serial killer.

General Evaluator Lee gave several concrete suggestions for future meetings.  She asked us to consider having all guests stand up together to speak, reminded us of the beauty of the relationships club members form, and challenged each of us to bring at least two guests over time telling us to “share the secret”.

Our guests, Nyria, Monica, Jonathan, Christian, Jasmine and Kevin commented on the high caliber performances, the laughter, the great energy, encouraging atmosphere and active involvement of group members.

President Jim closed out the meeting by reminding us to get (and stay) involved in our upcoming contests and events.  TLI or Toastmasters Leadership Institute is coming up at the end of July.  If you’re interested in attending, please contact one of the officers. T-Toasters of Vinings will cover the cost of this training for any interested member.