June 21, 2017 minutes

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!”