Upping Our Game

Meeting report, Napier Toastmasters Club: 25 November 2019

You would think, with the year rapidly coming to a close, that there might be a lull in the Napier Toastmasters Club meeting lineup, but clearly not!  If anything, club members were upping their game and making the most of what is left of 2019.

Monday evening arrived, sunny and slightly warm.

Host Brenda took advantage of the seasonal weather to greet some members outside the door (in the sunshine) before making her way in where she ensured that all members and guests had name tags and were duly greeted.

Sergeant at Arms Graeme gathered the troops promptly and the assembly took their seats.

Toastmaster Jane commenced with apologies and engaged visiting Toastmaster Paula to read our Mission Statement.  And then, following the introduction of General Evaluator Jan and her crack team of Grammarian William (with "eliminating" as his word of the day) and Timekeepers Rein and Craig, it was all on with a flurry of speeches.

One of our newest Toastmasters, Nigel, (introduced and evaluated by Tony) gave his Icebreaker Speech discussing "My History of Addiction".  The audience was thoughtful and slightly uneasy as he regaled us with his first hand experience with addiction.  Capturing our attention (and then finally putting us out of our collective misery as he revealed his addiction of choice was fishing) Nigel gave a terrific first speech and left us looking forward to his further projects.

Next up was Carol (introduced and evaluated by Kelly) with her speech "Working on my 'V's" in which she shared with us a bit about languages and her struggle with pronouncing the letter "v" in words.  As someone who has experienced the challenge of "English vs NZ English vs US English" I could appreciate so much of what she was sharing and she regaled us with her vocal challenge in her usual self-effacing humour.

Finishing up our initial trio of talkers, Jane (introduced and evaluated by Peter B) took to the stage - go multi-tasking Jane! - with her speech "Don't Feel Sorry for Me" which dealt with communication styles and, in particular, her own unique blend of Initiating and Direct styles.  Utilising the full range of the speaking area, along with the whiteboard, Jane left us with no doubt as to where her communication strengths lay.

Joyleen then took the floor and ran us through a vigorous Table Topics session focusing on the question "Are you prepared?"  Peppering unsuspecting "volunteers" Karen B, Graeme, Brenda, Paula and Jen with various survival scenarios Joyleen most capably and confidently handled the task at hand.  Evaluators Kerry and James D scribbled furiously but were more than able to keep up with the pace resulting in encouraging feedback for all.

Following supper there was another duo of speakers kicking off with Peter M (introduced and evaluated by Steve) presenting "How Much Fun Will You Have?".  Peter made it clear that compound interest was the key to a successful and prosperous retirement and encouraged everyone to have a good think about how they are planning for their future, no matter how old they are.

Next up Ian (introduced and evaluated by Ros) explained to us the role of Toastmaster in "You are the Toastmaster of the Evening".  An informative and engaging presentation on one of the major roles in our club meeting.  I'm sure this was a great source of insight for our newer members and a terrific reminder for the more seasoned veterans who may not have held the role in a while.

The evening rounded out with a bevvy of beneficial evaluations (all in the third person, thank you very much, and chock full of helpful commendations and recommendations!) for each speaker - from prepared to Table Topics.

President Jane then held our regular business session which included VP Membership Karen's induction of Nigel and Joyleen, and announcements for year end events.  Watch your emails!

Grammarian William and Timekeeper Ren gave their reports with General Evaluator Jan wrapping up the evening in a fast-paced bow.  

Finally, Toastmaster Jane opened the floor for guests to make any comments and then called the meeting to a close at 8:58 (2 minutes early!).

Awards:

Best Speaker: Nigel

Best Evaluator: Ros

Best Contribution: guest Paula

Best Table Topics:  Jen