Andrea did a masterful job of Toastmastering (and Feastmastering) sixteen members and one guest (Lee’s friend Gow). Andrea explained her selection of the night’s theme, “Fall”, was due to  the wondrous sights (leaves), smells, and tastes of this season, despite the heat wave we are currently experiencing. Andrea brought a cornucopia of goodies upon which the meeting attendees indulged (chili, chips, salad, and pies).

George, GE, introduced the Evaluation team with his typical flair. Marcus served as our Grammarian, with the WoD Cornucopia. MCG was drafted as the Ah Counter. Jasmine operated the timer lights, and Josue volunteered to serve as Ballot Counter.
 
Theresa was the first of four speakers. She delivered her “Ice Breaker” (this is round two for her) in which she described how she selected the man she would marry in the third grade, and after a number of years pursuing their lives in different directions, she eventually did it! She also explained that marriage, while wonderful, could be a battle of warring wills on occasion. She delightfully reminded us about her children, whom she had told us about in her previous speeches.
 
Christian Bossert was up next. He explained how important is to select a purpose, strategically select goals to attain that purpose, and to write all of this stuff down to hold yourself accountable. Yes - diet and exercise are important, but setting yourself up to achieve your goals in a sustainable fashion makes it much more likely that you will make permanent positive changes your lifestyle, leading to achieving long-term success.
 
Tracee, our third speaker, described how important it is for leaders to facilitate the growth of others. She experienced this first-hand in her life in the athletic arena. As a leader on a tennis team, she developed strategies that helped grow her teammates on an individual basis, using distinct methods tailored for each person. The result was better harmony within her team and outstanding team results.
 
Liana, the fourth speaker and the evening’s winner, described her experience as a TV weatherperson. Her job is to decipher the technical terms and observations collected by scientists and their instruments and share this opaque technical information clearly and quickly with her viewers. When dangerous weather conditions threaten, her ability to effectively and efficiently communicate the threat and action required may mean the difference between life and death for those in the path of nature’s fury. As she is doing this important job, her producer provides direction to her in her earpiece, regularly counting down in seconds to the next break or handoff. While it is not appreciated at Toastmasters, incomplete sentences are often used to emphasize the important facts that her viewers need to know. 

 
Jim asked Jasmine to describe her worst Halloween. She recounted an experience when she was at a fantastic haunted house when, suddenly, her calf muscles locked up into spasm. She was rendered immobile, which nearly knocked over the group of people she was with. Justin was our next TT speaker, who described his love of kickboxing and exercise. Marcus, the evening’s winner, was a reporter at the scene of a hayride and pumpkin truck collision that resulted in an entertaining food fight.
 
David assessed Theresa and Greg critiqued Christian. Lee, the evening’s best evaluator, explained to Tracee that you could be vulnerable with your words without being vulnerable with your body language. Chad appraised Liana’s speech.
 
George realized that he and Andrea had just recently served as a ToD and GE team. He challenged the membership, especially newer members, to tackle these roles. He also described how important it is to avoid taking yourself too seriously, using the target speaker at a recent contest he attended as an example of how not to behave.
 
Jim had the honor of awarding Advanced Communicator Gold pins to both Theresa and Lee while Josue finished counting the ballots. Andrea completed her program, encouraging all to enjoy the cornucopia of deliciousness that awaited everyone after the meeting.  Jasmine announced that Theresa is hosting a YouTube channel. Greg, our club Treasurer, reminded us that dues are due. Jim announced that Andrea has been selected as a Pathways Guide. 


After the meeting was adjourned, all who lingered enjoyed a feast of food and fellowship.  


Respectfully submitted,
Jim Cyganek

The September 6th meeting ofo T-Toasters of Vinings was masterfully led by Toastmaster of the Day Beverly.  In attendance were 13 members and 1 guest.  General Evaluator Jim led a team which included Tracee as Ah Counter, Jasmine as Timer and Natalia as Ballot Counter. The Word of the Day was “catachresis”.

Four prepared speakers presented for the crowd.  First up was Christian with his Ice-Breaker speech.  Christian had made a decision to work on some personal goals, and that is a large part of what brought him to T-Toasters.  Greg served as Christian’s Evaluator.  He complimented Christian’s comfort level and commented on his ability to speak without the aid of notes.

The second speaker of the night was Theresa with her Advanced project “Farewell to Africa”.  Theresa spoke words of praise about her daughter, Shawna.  Shawna is an incredibly loyal and generous person who has accomplished great things in her life.  At the end of Theresa’s speech, the audience was surprised to learn Shawna was actually in the room with us!  Devin was Theresa’s Evaluator, and was voted the night’s Best Evaluator.  He complimented her excellent storytelling and moving tale.

Marcus gave his eighth CC speech “Fantasy Football 101 with Professor MWJ”.  Marcus enjoys playing fantasy football and shared some of his championship level tips with the crowd.  Josue was Marcus’s Evaluator.  He noted Marcus’s use of strong visual aids and his mastery of the subject matter.

The Best Speaker of the evening was George with his second CC project “Ice Breaker: Take 2”.  George was born in Bulgaria and earned an Engineering degree from Duke.  He was also the 13th fastest swimmer in Georgia back in his younger days!  Lori was George’s Evaluator.  She commented on his signature humorous style, his organization and his poise in front of the crowd.
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Beverly did double duty as the evening’s Table Topics Master.  Each participant was asked to speak about his or her best or worst trip.  Jim, Devin and the evening’s winner, Natalia, all shared stories.  

The August 23 meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings centered around the theme “Hump Day”.  George served as Toastmaster to the 19 members and 1 guest in attendance.  Jim, our General Evaluator, led a team compromised of Greg as Grammarian, Beverly as Ah Counter, Josue as Timer and Liana as Ballot Counter.  Greg’s word of the day was “oblivious”, meaning “clueless, not aware of”. 

Three prepared speeches were given.  First to the lectern was Tracee with her Icebreaker speech “Why Did I Join Toastmasters?”  “Life is about change,” said Tracee.  A good athlete, star student and mom to two teens, Tracee has decided to take a few risks in her life in order to grow.  She hopes that her Toastmasters journey will help to that end.  Andrea was Tracee’s Evaluator, and the evening’s winner.  Andrea shared that this didn’t seem like a first speech for Tracee and complimentered her determination to grow.  She noted the speech was well organized, and that Tracee possessed both a calm and poised presence and vulnerability.

Jasmine gave her second CC speech entitled “Defining Culture in the Workplace”.  Jasmine used big companies and their policies as some positive examples of good workplace culture. Netflix, for example, provides employees with a full year of paid parental leave when they add a new family member.  “When you provide a great workplace, employees work harder and smarter,” said Jasmine.  “Culture is the social glue that helps everyone stick together,” she continued.  Christian served as Jasmine’s Evaluator.  He noted her calm, organized approach.  Christian also thought that Jasmine chose an interesting topic and appreciated her strong opening which got the entire audience participating.

The evening’s Best Speaker, Chad, gave a speech from an advanced manual entitled “One Size Does Not Fit All”.  As a recruiter, Chad has learned a lot about what it takes to produce a stellar resume, and he was kind enough to share some insider tips with the audience.  He gave several concrete examples of things to do as well as things to avoid, and accompanied his speech with handouts which illustrated great and not so great resumes.  First time Evaluator Devin shared his thoughts on Chad’s talk.  He noted Chad’s expertise on the subject, the structure and organization of his speech, and his confidence.

​Marcus served as the evening’s Table Topics Master and invited 6 participants to the lectern.  The evening’s winner, Mark, told the crowd about the most difficult part of the weeks, Lee told us her thoughts on 4 day weekends, guest Aaron told us what he dreads about his job, Tiffini shared that she’s lucky to be working at her dream job, Lori shared that her favorite day of the workweek is Wednesday, and Justin artfully dodged a question with a response about an upcoming fight.
Grammarian Greg noted that Tracee, Chad, Andrea, Devin and Jim all used the Word of the Day.  Timer Josue noted the following times: Tracee 4:21, Jasmine 5:28, Chad 7:28, Mark 1:08, Lee 1:05, Aaron :53, Tiffini :57, Lori :32, Justin 1:25, Andrea 2:49, Christian 2:26, and Devin 2:14.  General Evaluator Jim reminded us of the importance of working the Toastmaster Program. 

Reminders and Announcements: Dues are due!  Please pay our Treasurer Greg your $60 for the next six months no later than September 15. Greg can accept Paypal, cash or check. 
Congratulations to Suzanne and Marcus for their participation in our area contest!  Suzanne will be advancing to the Division D Evaluation Contest.
We held an officer/Post-Toasties meeting at Padriac’s after the meeting.  Thank you to all who attended.  Your officer team is always looking for your input and feedback to help keep T-Toasters of Vinings at its best.  Please share any thoughts you have with any member of the officer team.    

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.  

The August 8th meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was a lively event led by Toastmaster Andrea with the theme of “A Taste of New Orleans”.  Members and guests with several New Orleans-style dishes and were showered with Mardi-Gras beads for participation.

General Evaluator George did a stellar job leading a team that included Marcus as Grammarian, Christian as Ah-Counter, Jim as Timer and Josue as Ballot Counter.  In attendance at the meeting were 15 members and 5 guests.

Justin was the first of two prepared speakers for the evening.  He presented the final part of his panel discussion series “Justin’s Philosophy on Legacy”.  Justin assembled a panel that included Beverly, Matt, Lori and Kyle and led a discussion focusing around the legacies we wish to leave behind.  “When doing anything, think about the mark you leave and the people you leave an impression on,” said Justin.  He reminded us that he “came into this room with the dream of being a speaker” and was rewarded with encouragement.  Justin hopes to leave behind a university and a legacy of love.  Greg acted as Justin’s Evaluator.  He spoke of Justin’s sincere and transparent presence and congratulated him on leading a powerful discussion.

Theresa presented “How to be a Distinguished Club”.  She reviewed with the audience the requirements to become (or in our case, remain) a Toastmasters Distinguished Club.  T-Toasters is working towards their 14th year as a President’s Distinguished Club, the highest award given by Toastmasters International.  Theresa stressed the importance of holding high-quality meetings.  Education, Membership, Training and Administration are all essential elements to the Distinguished Club program.  Best Evaluator Chad shared his thoughts about Theresa’s presentation.  He noted her excellent use of visuals as well as her playful, spirited, entertaining style. 

Table Topics Master Jasmine asked participants about their New Orleans experiences.  Winner Liana spoke about her experience with the foods, Greg mumbled something about myths and getting himself in trouble .  Guest Krista described her ideal vacation.

​Near the end of the meeting we heard from our guests.  Kyle commented on how our group supports everyone in meeting their goals, Tracy complimented our encouraging atmosphere and is excited to experience her own progression as she starts attending regularly, and Krista said she enjoyed our incredible environment.  Linda Dyson, our new Division D Director for District 44 said, “I had a ball!”  Eduard Bauer, Area D41 Director said, “This is absolutely an awesome group!”  Eduard gave a heartfelt address and pledged his support to T-Toasters of Vinings as our club works towards our 14th time being a President’s Distinguished club.

The August 2nd meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was held in Building 1 as our regular meeting room was unavailable.  Despite this challenge, Sergeant at Arms Josue managed to start the meeting promptly at 6:00,  Kudos Josue!  Mitzi served as Toastmaster with a theme of Superstitions.  Mitzi's mom was very superstitious, and she and her siblings grew up thinking "everyone was going to die!"  Mitzi explained that superstitions exist because people sought an explanation for all of the things that happen in life.

Theresa served as General Evaluator and led a team including Greg as Grammarian, Jasmine as Ah-Counter, Jim as Timer, and Justin as Ballot Counter.  Greg's word of the day was "shenanigans", which was used by both Jasmine and Theresa.

Devin was the first speaker of the evening with his Icebreaker speech entitled "Life Thus Far".  Devin has had a long career in avionics and electronics.  He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and has learned to identify his strengths which include his analytical abilities, his adaptability, and his public speaking ability.  Devin's Evaluator, Christian, complimented him on his calm demeanor, and how easy it was to listen to him.  Congratulations on completing your first speech, Devin!

Best Speaker Winner Carin used her magic wand to inspire the audience with her tenth CC speech "It's Magic... Wait No It Isn't".  Balancing her serious message about taking responsibility for one's life with humor and humility, Carin shared some of the struggles she has experienced and the lessons she has learned about one's ability to change their circumstances.  Carin's Evaluator, Kristina, commented on the "emotional rollercoaster" of a speech Carin gave, and complimented her ability to take listeners on that journey with vulnerability and emotion.  

Beverly was our thired speaker with "Finding Success".  In her signature style, Beverly immediately grabbed the audience's attention with her visual aid, Mr. Procrastination who was hanging over her head.  Andrea, Beverly's Evaluator complimented her powerful call to action along with her talent for creating moving and entertaining speeches at a moment's notice.

Tiffini presented "What's the Skinny: How a Bill Becomes a Law".  Tiffini gave us a "high school civics" style refresher on this key element of our lawmaking process, detailing the steps with the addition of some interesting stories and entertaining examples.  Best Evaluator Suzanne said that Tiffini is a "born, natural speaker.  You take command as soon as you step up." 

Building upon the evening's theme, Table Topics Master George called upon MCG to tell us thee role her parents played in the development of her superstitious beliefs, Lori to tell whether or not she was afraid of the dark, Josue to share about a Hispanic superstition, and guest Yashika who spoke about her Southern superstitions.

General Evaluator Theresa reminded the 19 members and 2 guests in attendance of the Toastmaster's Mission as well as the importance of watching our meeting timing, and President Jim closed out the meeting with his thoughts.    

T-Toasters is proud to congratulate Andrea Lewis and Carin Bowman on completing their 10th Competent Communicator speeches!  
With this accomplishment, Andrea and Carin are now eligible for their Competent Communicator award.  We're so proud of you both!