How can anyone forget this evening!

22^nd July 2019

Toastmaster Jan opened the meeting with enthusiasm and a bright smile.

James being the host and welcomed everyone warmly. The meeting began on time at 6.30 pm.  We had a good number of guests (again!). Starting with the mission statement read by Brenda and the General Evaluator Carol, introducing the team:

-    Grammarian: Ros very innovatively explained the word for the day – ‘Boondoggle’.  A riveting report of the ‘catchy phrases’ and use of the word was given at the end of the meeting. Good job Ros!

-     Timekeeper: Lauren gave a good record of the time for the speeches and made sure all the proceedings went well in time. Good job Lauren!

Alwyn, our Table Topics Master, creatively prepared the Table Topics – ‘revolutionised use of an ordinary item’. The topic stimulated hilarious uses of day-to-day items.

Troy: Hose pipe - Spoke about sending “…it” to upper space through a hose pipe.

James K: Weaponised cup – A cup with swiss knives and forks attached to it.

Peter B: Headsets – Shock-producing headsets to bring teenagers back to the real world.

Aden: Lamp - Our first-time guest without a shadow of doubt spoke brilliantly well about his lamp.

Jane:  Blanket – Not-so-eco-friendly Dolphin skin blanket.

Jan: Vacu-floor – A floor that gets rid of dog excrement and dust by engulfing all of it into itself.

Patrick: Transportational hat – That replicates the clones of one person into many.

Steve: Reducing machine: A machine that can help you carry your suitcase in your pocket.

The session was evaluated by Kelly and Ashley. Both collaborated well with their evaluations. They used the CRC (Commend, Recommend, Commend) structure well to evaluate owing to the fact that every speaker speaks only for a minute and a half. Great motivation and humour throughout the session made this a fun event.

Educational session was conducted by Peter B and Graeme in an amusing role-play (costumes included!) on of course – Humorous Speech Competition. Graeme provided a hand-written list of – ‘Graeme’s Tippy’s’ with pointers for preparation and presentation. Great job you two!

Business session was presented by Jane and Brenda. Important dates for club activities were discussed. 29th July: Annual Awards dinner Night, 26th Aug: Humorous and Table Topics Competition, 2nd Sep: Speak-a-thon. Highlights of the Club Officer training Meeting were presented.

 Karen introduced James D for his speech – ‘My favourite toys and how they influenced me’. James took us down memory lane through his childhood toys at every stage of his growing years. Toys like the shape sorter, his first bicycle that expanded his world, Torro, a Slug gun that made him imagine that he had life and death in his hands, and finally the Nintendo. A reflective speech with a strong personal connection. Superb and an action-packed evaluation by Karen!

Ian evaluated Patrick for his speech – ‘Money, Money, Money’. Patrick presented strategies of diversity over long term to save money, with catchy phrases such as ‘compounding interest is your friend.’ Patrick managed very well to provide much information on this topic. A resourceful speech with a fantastic evaluation by Ian.

Brenda was evaluated by Daniel for her presentation about the Napier Aquarium Expansion. She researched her topic very well. Began with – ‘In 1956, a local fishing club needed a place to keep their favourite fish’. From providing statistics to the present-day scenario, Brenda seamlessly answered questions by the audiences. A well-presented topic was evaluated ably.

Kerry presented a speech on – ‘Digital Dementia’ evaluated by Steve. “Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten what she said!” A very interesting opening to her speech where she asked the audience to memorise her grocery list by making a mental note of it.  Kerry put up facts on how reliant we are on technology and how it affects our brain, cognition and social behaviour.  She challenged us to put our devices away and try to remember... but I can’t remember what she asked us to remember! Steve provided a thorough and motivating evaluation.

The fun-filled evening wrapped up with award presentations and comments by the guests.

Awards for the evening:

Best Speaker: Kerry

Best Evaluator:  Karen

Best Table Topic: Peter B

Best Contribution on the Night: Alwyn

 Peter B and Karen taking home an award. 

Lets hope there was room on the fridge!