November 29,2017 Minutes

The November 29 meeting of T-Toasters of VInings was led by Toastamaster Christian with a theme of Holidays.  Christian shared several tidbits about various holidays and holiday traditions with the crowd including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah and Kwaanza.  In attendance were 14 members and 2 young guests- Zachary and Maya. 
 
General Evaluator Matt led a team which included George as Grammarian, Lori as Ah-Counter, Jim as Timer and Chad as Ballot Counter.  George’s Word of the Day was “wastrel” meaning “one who is wasteful”. 
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As the first of two prepared speakers, Greg gave an advanced level speech from the Storytelling Manual entitled “Dream Big”.  Greg’s speech covered a variety of topics including his teenage crush on Jennifer Aniston, his experience owning the coolest t-shirt in the universe and the dreams he had for himself as a Toastmaster.  Lee served as Greg’s evaluator.
 
Next up at the lectern was Beverly with an advanced speech from the Better Speaker series entitled “Organizing Your Speech”.  Beverly provided the audience with handouts and touched on several pointers including starting with a great opening, including interesting facts, using stories and props and trying techinquest like demonstrations with volunteers.  Marcus served as Beverly’s evaluator.
 
 
The Table Topics Master for the evening was Josue who asked the crowd to imagine they were at a holiday party and that they were approached by guests who asked a variety of questions.  The first participant was Suzanne who was approached by a psychic and was allowed to ask for the details of any one future event she’d like to know about.  Suzanne showed a bit of her true nature by admitting she’d rather learn about the psychic’s experiences than to know about her own future.  Next up was Chad who was asked if he’d rather develop beliefs or gain knowledge.  Chad shared the tale of a work trip with a colleague and her nervousness about public speaking.  Mark was the third participant.  Josue asked him, “When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?”  Mark wanted to b e a professional baseball player.  The final participant was George.  He was asked, “If you didn’t have to worry about money, what would you do with your life?”  George said if he had a job he loved, he’d probably continue working.
 
Timer Jim reported the following stats: Greg 3:38, Beverly 13:23, Lee 2:56, Marcus 3:26, Suzanne 1:06, Chad 2:19, Mark 1:33, and George 1:33

General Evaluator Matt reminded us to not ask for corrections, especially when acting as Toastmaster as it causes us to potentially give up control of the timing if people do add their thoughts.  Matt commended Christian on his ability to keep up with all of the moving parts of the meeting.  Finally, he also reminded us to clap until speakers take their seats.
There was no vote for Best Speaker as we only had two prepared speakers.  Marcus was named Best Evaluator and Suzanne won the ribbon for Best Table Topics. 
 
President Jim took the lectern to share some announcements: 
-Our holiday party will be at the Lake Laurel clubhouse on 12/13 at 6:00.  Please remember to sign up for the potluck and to bring a toy for Toys for Tots. 
-Club members received a survey and are asked to participate in our efforts to continue to improve our experience at T-Toasters
-TLI will be held on Saturday, January 6 at the Loudermilk Center (Georgia State).  Contact Greg Palmer for tickets if you’re interested in attending.  T-Toasters will cover the cost!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/district-44-toastmasters-mid-year-club-officer-training-at-toastmasters-leadership-institute-tickets-39924321721