T-Toasters of Vinings held their Evaluation and Humorous Speech contests on July 19th and July 26th respectively.  

The Evaluation Contest Chair, Mary-Catherine, led a team including Lori as Contestmaster, Carin as Contest Sergeant at Arms, Josue and Rob as Timers, Lakeisha as Ballot Counter and Jim as Chief Judge.  
Guest Speaker Taylor Duncan gave a speech entitled "Alternative Baseball", sharing with the crowd some of the amazing things he has accomplished with his organization whose mission is to take on ambitious challenges and break social and physical barriers.  

Evaluation Contest contestants included: Lee Pratt, Liana Brackett, Kristina Williams, Marcus James, Christian Bossert, third place contestant Matt Berenson, second place contestant Tiffini Bell and contest winner Suzanne Sheelyy-Walker.  Congratulations Suzanne!  

Humorous Speech Contest Chair Andrea led a team including Matt as Contest Master, Lori as Contest Sergeant at Arms, Christian and Carin as Timers, Lakeisha and Tiffini as Ballot Counters and Jim as Chief Judge.

Contestants included: Liana Brackett who spoke about her love for pranks, George Terziev who spoke about his messy desk, second place contestant Greg Palmer who spoke about the challenges of hair loss and contest winner Marcus James who spoke about the ups and downs of life as a thin guy.  Congratulations Marcus!

Suzanne and Marcus will represent T-Toasters at the  Fall Area D41 Contest

6:30 PM Tuesday
August 22, 2016
Cathedral of Christ the King
2699 Peachtree Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

Please come out and support our winners!  

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.   

The June 21 meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was run by first-time Toastmaste4r Marcus with a theme centering around African-American Music Appreciation Month.  Marcus pointed out the wide array of musical genres contributed to and created by African-American artists.  Among others, the following genres would not have been enjoyed by the world without the contributions of African-Americans: Blues, Funk, Soul, Zydago, Hip-Hop, and Reggae.  Marcus also made mention of his favorite group, The Roots.

Lori served as General Evaluator and led a team that included Josue as Grammarian, Beverly as Ah-Counter, Devin as Timer, and Lakeisha as Ballot Counter.  Josue’s Word of the Day was “Ineffable” meaning too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.

First to speak was Theresa with her emotionally moving speech “A Seed Sprouts At Five Points”.  One day, young mother Theresa took her children on a field trip to Five Points, complete with a ride on the subway.  Momentarily distracted by a fellow passenger, Theresa and two of her children were separated from her daughter, much to her dismay.  Drawing upon her mother’s teaching and her positive attitude, the little girl “reaped what she sowed”.  Her mother did as well.  Greg evaluated Theresa’s speech.  He praised her strong opening, word choice, body language and ability to rouse the emotions of the crowd. 

The second speaker of the evening was Courtney with her third CC speech “Man In the Mirror”.  Drawing upon the lyrics of the late Michael Jackson, Courtney challenged the crowd with the questions “What do you see when you look in the mirror?”  and “How can we make a change if we see someone who is broken down?”  Courtney focused on encouraging the crowd to engage in positive self-talk reminding us that the relationship we have with ourselves is the most important one.  Matt served as Courtney’s Evaluator.  He said that there were three things he especially liked about the speech: the song, the mirror and the message.  Matt loved the vulnerability Courtney showed by opening with a song, and felt she did well at driving her message home.

Liana gave her second CC speech entitled “View From the Top”.  Continuing with a movie theme, Liana practiced a speech she intends to deliver to a group of women trying to break into broadcasting.  The speech was structured around three main ideas- Liana’s personal journey, encouraging words and practical advice.  Liana said that despite her plan for her life not working out as she’d envisioned, she learned that by changing her attitude and focusing on gratitude, she was able to excel.  Hank evaluated Liana and said, others “can’t sleep when you’re speaking!”  He enjoyed listening to her speak, her good energy and her use of a movie as a reference point.   

Carin, the final speaker for the evening, gave her 8th CC speech “Don’t Get Burned”.  Drawing upon personal experience with malignant melanoma, Carin warned the crowd of the dangers of unprotected sun worshipping and gave practical tips for staying safe.  George evaluated Carin and remarked on the relevancy of her topic, her voice and pacing, her deliberate choice of words, gestures and body language as well as her confidence.

Jim served as Table Topics Master and asked participants about how music, especially African-American music, has affected them personally.  Lee discussed a recent musical experience she had on a bus in Cuba,  Lakeisha shared her love for Gospel and Jasmine told us about an experience with Hip-Hop and her general love of music.
 
The 16 members and 3 guests very much enjoyed the evening.  We welcomed our newest member Lakeisha into the fold and enjoyed hearing from guests Phoebe, Nyria and Jasmine who felt that the evaluations and feedback provided were helpful and complimented the high-calibre performences. 

President Jim Cyganek gave his thoughts on the meeting, encouraging members to remember to stand when presenting information.  Jim also reminded us that both the Humorous Speech and Evaluation contests are right around the corner.  Please remember to sign up to bring potluck-style refreshments for both events by commenting on the blog. 

​In his signature style, Marcus closed out the meeting with flair with the words “Love, peace and soul!”
 

The June 14th meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was expertly led by first-time Toastmaster Tiffini Bell.  Tiffini chose an interactive “Firsts” theme, and encouraged members to participate in discussing some famous firsts including: the first President to be impeached (Andrew Johnson), first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution (Delaware) and the first Toastmaster meeting (October 22, 1924).

The meeting started promptly at 6:00 and was brought to order by newly-minted Sergeant-at-Arms Josue Cruz.  In attendance were 15 members and 6 guests.  Matt served as General Evaluator and led a team including Ah-Counter Greg, Grammarian George, Timer Theresa, and Ballot Counter Suzanne.
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The first speaker of the evening was Josue with his 4th CC speech entitled “Become a Better Driver”.  Josue gave concrete tips about how to control their vehicles including learning about weight distribution and  how to polish up your knowledge of your vehicle’s length.  Jim served as Josue’s Evaluator.  He enjoyed Josue’s topic choice and commented on his knowledge and passion for the subject of cars, as well as the fact that he did not need notes.

The evening’s second speaker and Best Speaker winner was Liana with her Icebreaker speech entitled “Risky Business”.  Liana didn’t leave her home state of California until she left for college in Arizona, the first of many risks she would take in her life.  She left Arizona State to study Atmospheric Science at U.C. Davis.  As 1 of only 6 students in her program, she overcame academic challenges and eventually went on to work for the National Weather Service and then a local TV station before landing her current position at The Weather Channel.  Liana’s Evaluator was Scott, who won Best Evaluator.  He complimented her confidence and poise as well as her transparency and storytelling ability.

Third up at the lectern was Chad with “Candidate Experience”, a speech about how those who hire can improve the often stressful ordeal of interviewing.  Chad gave several concrete suggestions and discussing some of the selling points of his current employer.  Lori evaluated Chad and enjoyed his organized approach, confidence and passion for hiring as well as his inclusion of further resources that interested audience members could tap into.

The Table Topics Master of the evening was Kristina.  Kristina asked participants about some of their firsts.  First up was Keeley who spoke about her first date.  Hank talked about his first trip out of the country.  Guest Jasmine discussed her first major purchase, and Ms. Bell, Tiffini’s mother and the evening’s winner, discussed her first week of college.

Guests Jasmine, Christian, Theresa, Lakeisha, Keely, and Tiffani shared their impressions of the meeting.  They enjoyed the specific, positive feedback speakers received to further improve their performances, discussed how T-Toasters has already ameliorated their vocabulary and speech in regular life and their general enjoyment of the club experience.  

​The June 7th meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings was led by Toastmaster Andrea Lewis with an interactive “Would You Rather….?” theme which allowed us all to have fun with our fears surrounding public speaking- something feared more than death by many.  In attendance were 19 members and 3 guests.  

General Evaluator Suzanne led a team including Rob as Timer, Jim as Grammarian, Courtney as Ah-Counter and Matt as Ballot Counter.  

As the first of four speakers for the evening, Theresa led us off with a story with a twist.  Her speech detailed the adventures of Patricia the Peregrine Falcon who wins all of her races and her battle against Sabrina the Sloth, who had a few tricks of her own up her sleeve.  First time Evaluator George complimented Theresa’s simple, clear ideas.  Of Theresa, George said, “You pranced, you sang, you used onomatopoeia!”  He particularly enjoyed her use of alliteration with “slayed the silly sloth”.

Greg Palmer was up next with his talk about Game Theory, "the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers.”  Greg touched on John Nash, founder of the theory, as well as the Prisoner’s Dilemma.  Tiffini evaluated Greg’s speech.  She loved that despite her math phobia, she was able to understand Greg’s speech because he broke a complex theory down to manageable chunks.  She also complimented his ever-present sense of humor as well as his gestures.

Lori, the evening’s winner, was up next with her speech about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.  Using a handout, the audience was able to jot down which side of each of the 4 dichotomies they most related to.  Introversion vs. Extroversion, Sensing vs. Intuition, Thinking vs Feeling, and Perceiving vs.Judging were discussed.  
Best Evaluator Gregg Hinthorn commented on Lori’s organization, audience engagement and poise.

Chad was the fourth speaker.  He gave an inspired toast for his friends’ upcoming wedding.  The crowd got to have a glimpse into the adventures he has shared with Stephanie and Lindsey over the years, including carefully planned events and Yappy Hours. Alyssa, Chad’s Evaluator, commented on Chad’s warm and genuine stories and was sure the wedding guests will enjoy Chad’s toast as much as T-Toasters did.  

First time Table Topics Master Josue built off of Andrea’s Would You Rather theme.  Best Table Topics Speaker Matt was asked if he could clone himself or make a pet talk.  He started off with “No one would want to clone me!” and talked about a Spanish speaking parrot, and the nature of dogs vs. cats.  Marcus was asked if he’d rather find himself in Jurassic Park of the Hunger Games.  “Everyone else is going down! declared Hunger Games contender Marcus, before he exited with Katniss’s signature hand signal.  Justin was if he would rather see into the future or read others minds.  Justin, would choose the latter, and he referenced one of his role models Charles Xavier in his response.   Kristina would prefer to control water vs fire, being the beach lover that she is.  She’d regulate the temperature so she was always comfy.
Grammarian Jim noted 7 uses of his word of the day, gratitude.  He also enjoyed Theresa’s “See my 3 claws?”, Greg’s “My mom is crazy by the way!”, Lori’s “geeking out”, Matt’s Spanish speaking parrot, Marcus’s “I just win” and George’s “Yeah” as a conclusion.  

General Evaluator Suzanne suggested filling the front seats first so that late-comers can easily enter and reminded us of the importance of clapping until a speaker returns to his/her seat.

Our guests, Lakeisha, Melba and Janet shared their thoughts about the meeting commenting on their personal improvement regarding the use of filler words as well as using Toastmasters as a way of stepping out of their comfort zones.

Remember: Lori is looking for contributors to the website’s blog.  If you’d like to write a post regarding anything current and/or future members might enjoy, please get in touch with her and remember to check off one of your CL tasks with your efforts!  Jim reminded us that our upcoming contests are rapidly approaching.  See Mary-Catherine, Andrea or Jim for more information on participating.  

Also, please join us in welcoming Josue as our new Sargent-at-Arms and Greg Palmer as our new Treasurer!   

Mitzi, first time Toastmaster, led the May 24th meeting of T-Toasters of Vinings with a very interactive theme of The Mandela Effect- the theory that there may be alternate universes because so many people have alternate memories of events and would swear their versions were correct.  Examples Mitzi gave included Fruit/Froot Loops, Oscar Mayer/Meyer, Darth Vader saying, “Luke, I am your father/No, I am your father” and the Monopoly man having/not having a monocle.  In attendance were 23 members and 2 guests, including our 4 newest T-Toasters David and Liana Brackett, Devin Antoson and George Terciev.  Welcome to the family everyone!  We are so happy to have you!

Andrea served as General Evaluator, and expertly led an all-star team including Ray as Grammarian, Beverly as Ah-Counter, Suzanne as Timer and Lee as Ballot Counter.
 
First to speak was Marcus with his 5th CC project entitled “Kill the Roach”.  Marcus used the squashing of a roach as a powerful metaphor about overcoming fear.  Mary Catherine served as Marcus’s Evaluator and complimented his body language and gestures.  She particularly liked his use of the phrases “kill shot” and “force of a thousand suns”. 

Tiffini gave her second CC speech “It’s Not a Girls’ School” about her time at Agnes Scott.  Josue served as Tiffini’s Evaluator and said, “You had a great adventure.  Your passion really showed.”  He appreciated her sequential organizational approach, and said, he “definitely won’t make the mistake of calling it a girls’ school!”

Jim was the evening’s third speaker.  He gave his third speech from the advanced manual Speaking To Perform, and entitled his work “Better Evaluations”.  Chad evaluated Jim and commended his introduction wherein he raised his hand to get the audience’s attention.  Chad also noted Jim’s good use of gestures, relevant and succinct pace, vocal quality and his ability to create positive feelings in the audience through his use of humor.

Carin, the evening’s winner, was the fourth speaker.  Her project, “Kick the Can”, was her 7th from the CC manual.  Carin spoke about kicking her diet soda habit, citing the numerous negative health effects consumption has on the body.  Greg, her Evaluator, commented on Carin’s “cool, calm and collected” approach and her natural sense of humor while discussing a serious topic.

Courtney served as Table Topics Master for the first time and did a fantastic job of posing questions to the crowd.  Liana, first time Table Topics Speaker, and the evening’s winner, spoke about what she would tell her twenty-year-old self.  She would slow down, not plan, and just breathe.  George spoke second and said that if he could fill a 12x12 box for a child with anything in the world he would choose a puppy, citing their compassion and ability to create trust.  First timer Devin said the best meal he ever had in his life was during an epic canoe trip and he sang the praises of reconstituted food when one has gone without much else over the previous days.

Grammarian Ray, the evening’s Best Evaluator, chose “malleable” as his Word of the Day and commended Suzanne, Jim, Mary-Catherine and Greg for using it once each, as well as congratulating Courtney for her triple usage.  He enjoyed Marcus’s usage of “plain as day”, “It’s an alien thing,” his mention of Thor raising Mjölnir and “triple tapped”.  He liked Tiffini’s use of “special place,” “not a gir’s school, it’s a women’s college” and triple usage of “vast”.  Also mentioned were Jim’s “I’m not worthy!”, Carin’s “dark ages of the 90’s,” and “they are a poison,” Liana’s “not too far from twenty,” and “it’s how I’m wired,” Chad’s “sink our teeth into”.  Ray also recommended dropping the usage of “actually” in our speech, saying it makes us less trustworthy.

Andrea complimented the group on filling all of the roles in advance, and asked that we keep up the good work.  She also reminded us that “Instruction does much, but encouragement does more.” 
Our guests, Tonya and Lakesha commented that they had a great time and found the meeting informative.

President Jim Cyganek reminded us that Toastmasters is similar to a business setting, and we should all be mindful of both our language and decorum. 

​Remember to sign up for both roles and food contributions for our upcoming contests.  More information on roles can be found by contacting Mary-Catherine or Andrea.  The food sign-up list is on the t-toasters.com blog. While you’re there, be sure to congratulate our new members by commenting on the welcome post.