FS Toastmasters

Here are all the contestants from the International and Table Topics Speech Contests.  L to R: Ray Daley, Molly Garnett, Judy Groff and Karen Alexander (the two International Speech contestants), Caitlin Owens, Carole Kitchen, and Don Groff. Consider how you would respond to this TT prompt:  "Every four years,  there's a leap year, the presidential election, and the Summer Olympics.  How would you compare or contrast two of these three events happening this year?"  Two of the five TT contestants chose to not mention the presidential event. In light of the presidential omission of shaking hands with the Speaker of the House two days before, Contest Master Stan Coss spoke of there being maybe a greater courtesy in using the fist bump over the handshake to relinquish control of the speaking area.  It was, after all, the peak of the flu and virus season. The contest was well attended by all the support team members in timing, counting, and judging....

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....

Friday's meeting brought into focus an issue at ALL Toastmaster clubs.  What do you do if scheduled speakers cancel or if no or limited speakers even sign up for a particular week?  The answer is "The Back Pocket Speech!"  This was the theme of today's meeting. Toastmaster Karla Reese introduced the idea of "All Things Winter."  Josh Gravley presented his joke about hunting.  Then Jeanne Resen prompted three responders to table topics. Then it was Back Pocket Speech time.  A description of the back pocket speech can be found no where on the otherwise articulate, well-informed Toastmaster’s International site.  No where on Toastmasters.org will a search produce anything!  Many online dictionaries will have an explanation such as this one:  "In one's back pocket: Available to use as a resource for one's advantage whenever needed; in reserve." Clubs internationally need this resource.  Not all veteran members have a 5-7 minute spe...

Jeanne Resen gave an "Anatomy of a Show" with eight different roles of those in theatre.  Seven of these are behind the scenes: the playwright; the producer; the director; the set and sound and light designers; the stage manager.  Of course there's the actor as well who lives out the role of someone else.  Jeanne gave lots of insights as she has filled all the roles multiple times and currently is heading up a play in Brevard.  Her antagonists, of sorts with this speech, were three interrupters or disruptors that were planted in the audience.  One objective for her project was to handle this disruption smoothly, and she did.  Susann Swan was her evaluator. Karen Alexander was the Toastmaster, and she gave highlights about Dr. Martin Luther King and other effects of Dreams.  Josh Gravley was Word Master with "surfeit," meaning excess or overabundance. Judy Groff acted out her part as the most persistent disruptor.  FSTM is honored ...

Actually, Danielle Messer is responding to a prompt on her favorite winter Olympic sport, skiing, which she described with falling on her posterior, picking up speed, and being deposited in the woods.  But she might just as well have been describing a bout between Clemson and LSU. The meeting's Toastmaster was Caitlin Owens, who gave some interesting observations on the winter theme.  Judy Groff as GE complimented Caitlin in her role.  Judy also evaluated the six responders to table topics by Karen Alexander. Stan Coss speech was on "A-walkin'."  It was about his departing with a portion of one of his organs under the watchful care of a Pardee Hospital surgeon.  It was the simple act of walking that allowed his quick recovery.  Melinda Lowrance was his evaluator. In table topics, Betty McCallister spoke of feeling like a foreigner sometimes despited being a Henderson County native.  Jeanne spoke with satisfaction about her son's ma...

Veteran Toastmaster Betty McCallister was the "fill-in" TM for this first meeting of the year with a fully lined up, printed out agenda with only the Toastmaster position to be decided.  Don Glovan gave the joke for the day. Karen Alexander gave a sampling of an International Speech, the variety that is to be part of the February 7th speech contest.  She gave an inspiring speech on "Attitude is Everything."  She gave examples of how a smile can make a great difference.  Her attitude check included a number of great ideas transferable to Toastmasters, such as thinking only "I got to do it" versus "I get to do it." Stan Coss was Karen's evaluator.  Table Topics Master Wendy Whitaker gave various prompts that included reflections on the past year The Eyes and Ears Team consisted of the following:  Word Master (Resolution), Caitlin Owens; Grammarian, Molly Garnett; Timer, Hoyt Griffith; Ah Counter, Carole Kitchen, who gave the start...

Table topics were comfortably, effectively run at four tables for the thirteen in attendance that included two guests.  It was a great time to become better acquainted in the delivery of one to two minute responses to the prompts that were randomly drawn from the center of each table.  Each response was timed and then reacted to with grows and glows. Mary Beth Dallman and Carole Kitchen told of graduating from leadership training at Pardee earlier in the week.  They joined Caitlin Owens in each giving a speech before a gathering of over 30 people. They were in a select group of only five people giving speeches of about four minutes each.  It was a great use of the skill they'd been learning in Toastmasters.  Josh Gravley, at Mary Beth's table,  had returned from a week before showcasing his speaking skills as well with a visit to Winston Salem representing our club in the Humorous Speech Contest.  The next contest at our club is a quick...