Something a little bit special

Well for those of you unable to come to Napier's Monday night meeting you missed something quite special. Sure I know people always say that but wait until you read this report - read more.

Steve was in good form throughout the night - better than that he remembered everything a Toastmaster of the evening is supposed to do and he did it with enthusiasm! What is more he made a point of knowing who the guests were rather than rely on someone else to introduce them for him. So much better when one stays in control.

Both our grammarian and timekeeper introduced their roles clearly and concisely setting just the right tone. Well done Kerry and Daniel.

Our table topics master was Paul. He made sure no one was going to complain about their table topic by asking those taking part to select from what seemed like a fistful of topics. Experience really showed - thanks Paul.

James, Daniel, Peter, Karen and Campbell impressed and did themselves proud. Great topics, great answers. It was obvious those taking part were setting high standards and that trend continued throughout the whole evening.

Campbell - "Is it better to give or to take?"

Daniel - "Training a pet rat"

Our first speaker Craig was introduced by Layeeq. The title was "It has been a long time". Thank you Layeeq for helping set the scene. Apparently this was the 13th time Craig had presented an ice breaker. However this time it was different from the other twelve in that he had to consider the new Pathways approach and the whole proceedings went along very smoothly. We are very fortunate having someone like Craig. His experience is second to none and he has so much to offer.

Craig - Doing his ice breaker (once once once... again!)

Layeeqs evaluation was very thorough and I would commend him on giving such worthwhile observations. Craig would have gained a lot from what he said. Well done Layeeq.

Second speaker was Brenda presenting an After Dinner Speech with an intriguing title "Jaffa no more" introduced by Ashley. His excitement was contagious as was Brenda. This was one of those speeches that captures and holds attention from beginning to end and Brenda did not disappoint. The finish was something I'm not going to forget for a long, long time.

Brenda - Just another fantastic Aucklander no more!

Ashley gave a very good evaluation with both praise and recommendation. Thanks Ashley.

Third speaker was Sarah introduced by Jane. "A Refreshing new Addiction". Another Ice Breaker from Pathways. Jane's ability in setting the scene is always of a high standard and this was no exception. Sarah never disappoints and this aspect came through very strongly. A very well told storyline accompanied by a touch of intrigue what more could one want? Did she sell the product? Time will tell. Thanks Sarah.

Sarah - Talking about AirBnB

Jane's evaluation showed good balance with more emphasis on praise and less with regard to recommendation. Like the encouragement you give to speakers.

Our bard reading tonight was exceptional. Not only was it because of the subject but also the actual reading itself. It was apparent that Daniel really enjoys Dr Suess? and his vocals matched the words perfectly. Well done you!

I would commend Kerry on her role as grammarian. Not only thorough but also learned something as well. Thank you.

Thanks also to Daniel for an excellent timekeepers report.

Best Speaker award: Brenda
Best Evaluator: Ashley
Best Table Topics: Karen
Best Contribution: Graeme

Told you those not able to attend missed something special didn't I? Never mind maybe next time?