August 16, 2017 minutes

The August 16th meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was led by Toastmaster Carin with the theme Total Solar Eclipse.  The 19 members and 3 guests in attendance learned that this Monday’s eclipse will be the first of its kind in 99 years, and that Atlanta will be able to witness 97.3% of the eclipse’s totality.
General Evaluator Andrea presided over a team which included Jasmine as Grammarian, Beverly as Ah-Counter, Devin as Timer and Theresa as Ballot Counter.  Jasmine’s Word of the Day was “paladin” which means a determined advocate or defender of a noble cause.

Lori, the first of the evening’s four prepared speakers, presented her 10th CC speech “Will You Choose Happiness?”  Lori shared the story of her son Jason’s birth and the discovery of the heart defect he lives with.  During Lori’s journey, she has encountered others who have taught her to embrace her power, have confidence in her decision making abilities and to choose her mindset carefully.  Best Evaluator Tiffini complimented Lori’s powerful tale and vulnerability. 
Greg completed his 9th CC project entitled “Wisdom”.  “We assume success is a linear path but instead it’s about who can take a punch to the face and keep going,” said Greg.  Greg’s Evaluator was George.  George complimented Greg’s selection of topic and encouraged him to continue speaking on subjects of which he has significant knowledge.

Kristina’s 4th CC speech, “I Closed My Eyes and I Exhaled” told an evocative tale of heartache and the courage required to overcome it through facing one’s feelings.  She ended with a powerful call to action, encouraging the audience to work through the difficult times life brings our way.  Liana served as Kristina’s Evaluator.  She complimented her emotional vulnerability and how relatable the tale was.  She noted that the story was easy to understand and to follow.

Marcus presented his 7th CC speech “Talkin’ ‘Bout My Micro-Generation”.  Marcus is part of the population of those born between 1977 and 1983 who are known as Xennials.  He describes his life as being a combination of an “analog childhood and a digital adulthood”.  Marcus shared some of the cultural touchpoints of this time as well as some of the struggles the group faces.  Jim, Marcus’s Evaluator complimented his use of humor and his natural talent for entertaining the audience.  He encouraged Marcus to embrace his own unique style and not shy away from occasionally taking a less prepared approach.    

Christian was the Table Topics Master for the evening and asked participants questions that related to the evening’s theme.  Winner Theresa explained how we can avoid blindness on eclipse day, Jasmine pondered what life would have been like during the eclipse of 1979, and Rob talked about his goal to visit New York City at some point in the future.

Grammarian Jasmine complimented Lori’s use of “myriad of tubes and wires”, Marcus’s “funky fresh bomb diggity” and “Xynniels”, Tiffini’s “evaluating point” and George’s “syllogism”.  No uses of the Word of the Day were noted.  Timer Devin reported the following times: Lori 8:39, Greg 5:07, Kristina 9:08, Marcus 7:44, Tiffini 3:02, George 3:03, Jim 3:24, Theresa :49, Jasmine 1:18, and Rob :35. General Evaluator Andrea recognized the contributions of several club members including Tiffini’s ability to call out unique and powerful strengths in her evaluations, Carin for keeping the meeting on schedule, and Jim for being consistently willing to serve his club and its membership.

​There will be an post-meeting Officer’s Meeting next week, August 23.  Any member who would like to attend is welcomed and encouraged to bring their feedback and suggestions.