Punctuality

It may have been cold outside, but thanks to those members who always arrive early, there was nothing wrong with the temperature inside the hall.

The meeting opened on time [we expect nothing less] by the Toastmaster for the evening – Wayne.  He ably covered for the Table Topics presenter and Grammarian who had yet to arrive by outlining a change to the programme should it become necessary. Fortunately the two miscreants arrived barely a minute later and the meeting was able to proceed as per the programme.

Wayne welcomed our guest Rachel, invited Graeme to read the club mission statement with “help” from the audience, grammarian Netta presented her objectives for the meeting and the word of the night, appropriately - “punctual”.

The meetings events proceeded with Table Topics controlled by Amy. Her theme was “Reviewing a book” and persuading the audience they should buy it. Topics chosen at random by the “lucky participant”.

First up was Chris selling his review of “Inner workings of a Mastermind”. He appeared very knowledgeable explaining such mysteries as “why the sky is blue” by telling us it was not because someone threw a bucket of blue paint into the air and it stuck. He concluded by telling us he claimed to be an honest person who writes fiction.

Next Craig, speaking [from experience?] on the “Mystery Guide to raising Children”. Apparently, according to him, the title was a misnomer and the book had nothing to do with raising children, but instead his favourite subjects of   …. [censored by the editor, but not inappropriate in the context and the audience]. His final comment was to be never be put off a book by the title.

Craig

Our intrepid adventurer & sports fanatic Ian appropriately reviewed the book ‘Face Your Fears”. He gave us the thought that we face and have to overcome fears every day, weekly or monthly. Used personal experience to “sell” it to us.

Heard of a “Mystery Chair”? Wayne had some great ideas of just what it is and where around the house you might find it being used or misused.

Finally Netta confirmed that “Happiness is something if you give it away”. It reminded her of a song sung by kids at kindy. She left us with a message – “surround yourself with happy people. Make lots of friends and be happy”.

Our four great speakers were all ably introduced and given constructive, motivational evaluations after their presentations.

First up was Tracey presenting Assignment 3 which saw her “Getting to the Point” by encouraging us to breathe, not just to stay alive, but to breathe properly for a healthier life. She got us practicing proper breathing and left us with a handout to encourage further practice.

Second speaker was Nick, presenting his first speech to the club – his “Icebreaker”. We discovered Nick had a wonderful upbringing in Christchurch as the number one son of three boys. We discovered Nick has a great sense of humour, probably not always appreciated by his parents or brothers. We heard a “potted history” of how he got from Christchurch to Hawkes Bay for his first job. We suspect he has a lot more stories and humour to give us.

Our third speaker James used the Assignment 4 ‘How to say it” to introduce us to the book “Who Moved my Cheese”, what it was about and how it is helping motivate him to improve his life. Inspiring and no doubt encouraged everyone to read it for themselves if they want to make progress with their lives. Sounds like a book everyone should read.

Finally Paul, speaking to Assignment 10 “Inspire your audience” with the title “I had the time of my life”. A speech full of his observations and quotes such as ‘Time is free, but is priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back”. We were reminded a goal is not a goal unless you write it down and share it with others, otherwise you won’t achieve it. We all need help. He thanked his wife for setting his goals and helping him achieve them!

Our new President Chris reminded us about our dinner and prize giving next Monday night. Bookings needed to be made ‘yesterday”.

Chris

General Evaluator Chris gave feedback on the meeting to all those who had not already received it. Grammarian Netta reported on the use of her word “punctual” & other great word pictures she had picked up on. Our Timekeepers Peter and Colin who had helped keep proceedings to time throughout the meeting, reported on the individuals who had spoken during the meeting to remind us who had spoken over time and those who didn’t use all the time they had been allotted.

Winners on the night were:

• Ian for Best Table Topics
• Craig for the Best Evaluator
• James for the Best Speaker, and 
• Tracey for the Best Contribution.

A cold night outside, but we all came away warmed by a great meeting with our usual range of interesting and wonderful speeches encouraging us in some way to make the most of our lives.