Adventure!

MaryBeth is presented with her Table Topic dilemma on what side of her prompt she will choose, based on Caitlin's scrolling cell phone. It and other speaking experiences of the meeting were quite an adventure.  Toastmaster Judy Groff gave introductions and transitions related to her adventure theme.  Joke Master Melinda Lowrance gave her humor from a visit to the Holy Land.

Jeanne’s speech, "The Perfect Storm," described the event of her brother’s celebration with his partner at a fancy restaurant and the calamities, including the meal catching on fire. Don Emon evaluated Jeanne’s speech.  He praised her confidence, her appearance, her gestures.  He suggested doing several vignettes instead of one in depth, to keep the audience’s attention from wandering.

Randy gave his icebreaker speech about becoming a chef via architecture and Lincoln logs and how his father supported his final career path.  Joseph praised how Randy kept the thread of cooking throughout his speech.  He liked the stories that Randy told.   He suggested a grow of slowing down his rate of speaking and using grander gestures.

Susann (not pictured as she was the picture-taker) spoke about leadership styles and how they apply to us, how to use a style depending on the situation, and shared her own leadership style with the group.  Don Glovan said that Susann’s speech was well put together and praised her eye contact, and having  the lines appearing on screen  one at a time in the powerpoint presentation.  His grows were to move around more and rely less on note cards.  He liked the picture of Don Groff in the presentation to “bring the club in.”

Table topics are always an adventure in what to say.  Betty, with her gestures about to be unloosened, contemplates how to show her inner beauty.  Danielle is not quite sure on how much of noodling a catfish she wants to reveal.  

Vicky is certain not to talk about just any bunk.  Melinda, already warmed up as joke master,  really unwinds when it comes to comparing a cone with a popsicle.

Table Topics Master Caitlin asked “would you rather this or that” questions.

Vicki mentioned that she would prefer the top to bottom bunk.

Danielle chose fishing over hunting and talked about noodling for catfish.

Melinda chose an ice cream cone over a popsicle, opting for sherbet.

Mary Beth chose both topics, stopping time to savor her 14^-month-old child and flying to different countries before she could afford it at age 67.

Betty pondered being rich and ugly or poor and beautiful.  She opted for the former, so she could share her riches and cited that who we are inside is more important than our outer looks.

The eyes and ears team gave their reports: Word of the Day-  Taradiddle was presented by Hoyt Griffith and then he had to leave and had members keep track of their individual use raise hands at the end of the meeting if they'd used it; Grammarian,  Karla Reese; Ah Counter, Carole Kitchen; Timer,  Don Groff.

Stan gave the evaluation of the meeting.  He reminded members to spell names on the agenda correctly.  He praised how the technical difficulties were handled.  He noted how the evaluators used the word I and cited their personal opinions rather than telling the speakers “You should do this…”.  He praised how well Joseph’s did his own masterful icebreaker as an evaluator.  Stan noted how the table topics speakers pivoted and gestured.

Members Present: Judy Groff, Don Emon, Melinda Lowrance, Caitlin Owen, Carole Kitchen, Joseph Girmann,  Stan Coss, Hoyt Griffith. Don Groff, Betty McAllister, Susann Swan, Danielle Messer. Randy Dunn, Karen Alexander, Vicki Balson, Don Glovan, Betty McAllister, Mary Beth Dallman

Guests: Deanne Emon