Attitude of Gratitude

Betty McCallister was Toastmaster and suited well the role of espousing all the reasons to be GRATEFUL (which was Wendy Whittaker's word for the day).  Joke master Carole Kitchen captured  a child's disappointment at not seeing all the clowns at the office her dad had spoken of.

Our first speaker, Susann Swan, had just returned from the N.C. Jazz Festival and spoke on "All That Jazz."  She set the mood well before the meeting even started with jazz music playing in the background.  She said she had spent 17 hours over the three days of last weekend absorbing the whole jazz party scene.  She used the analogy that being at the fest with a ringside seat was similar to having food cooked before you at the table of a Japanese restaurant.  She was on the visionary communication pathway using descriptive language.  Jeanne Resen was Susann's evaluator.

Sally Jones spoke on "Ions and Izidizers" for a radio audience in selling the idea of an ionizer.  She had us all take a deep breath; she then said we had inhaled 70,000 particles.  And what were those particles attached to, she mused.  On an airplane or at the movies or in any crowd Sally said the ionizer around her neck would be desirable.  "It cleans your airspace," Sally concluded.  Hoyt Griffith was her evaluator.

Karen Alexander gave table topics in support of the theme.  These were responded to by Judy, Danielle, Grant, and Ray.  Karen also mentioned using a jar of gratitude items just as Betty had done.

The audience was also grateful for the Eyes and Ears team.  Caitlin Owens, as grammarian, marveled at the "plethora" of "impactful" words and even had Googled to find the correction for someone's phrasing.  Don #1, as ah-counter, and Don #2, as timer, gave precise accountings of fillers and seconds.

President Susann Swan opened and closed the meeting and expressed gratitude to all the toastmasters of the week that VPE Karen Alexander had drafted into service for the next two months.

Members attending were the following: Karen Alexander, Stan Coss,  Don Glovan, Hoyt Griffith, Don Groff, Judy Groff, Sally Jones, Carole Kitchen, Melinda Lowrance, Betty McCallister, Danielle Messer, Caitlin Owens, Jeanne Resen,  Susann Swan,Wendy Whitaker.