T'was the week after the flood

Monday, 9 November was to be our regular club meeting.  That was before 23.62cm of rain fell on the local landscape and travel became treacherous.  A decision was thus made to postpone our meeting and reschedule it for the following week.  As our standard venue was unavailable on this night our club had the opportunity to relocate to a different meeting room (where another Toastmasters club regularly meets) and enjoy a fresh environment for the evening.

And so, we found ourselves, a merry band of flood refugees, gathering to hear three speeches as well as a highly informative educational, at The Co-Hub in Taradale.

Toastmaster Craig kicked off the evening with a warm welcome and a little history on our venue.  A quick introduction by General Evaluator Jan and Grammarian Steve to their respective roles and it was off to Table Topics!

Table Topicsmaster Paulo took us on an international and cultural exploration of interview practices, sharing some of his experience in Brazil with his hiring manager’s unique questioning technique and challenging each speaker to rise to the occasion and nail that unexpected interview question.  He carefully explained his premise for Table Topics, gave the question and then – with a gleam in his eye – called on his chosen speaker.  It was a fun exercise and Paulo led us with confidence belying the fact this was his first time in this particular role.  Well done Paulo!

Table Topics were subsequently evaluated by the dynamic duo of Peter and Karen.  Each provided individual speakers with positive feedback and a helpful recommendation (always a challenge when the speakers are coming fast and furious) but it is so appreciated.

Next up we were treated to two Ice Breaker speeches.

First was Aaron, introduced and capably evaluated by Ros.  Aaron shared “A little bit about me” and regaled the audience with a brief humorous history of his youth – growing up in northern Australia (amidst crocodiles, spiders the size of your head, and very very large snakes) – to his progressive move southward to Sydney and finally to Napier where he and his wife currently reside.  Ros’ evaluation provided Aaron a lot of encouragement as well as two helpful recommendations, and I’m sure Aaron was able to take away points to work on for his next speech.

Second was Will, introduced and evaluated by Graeme.  Will also gave the club members a peak into his history, sharing about “Three interviews that changed my life”.  Will, also an expat in our country, explained about his journey in the wine making industry and three specific interviews that not only impacted him but taught him a lot about engaging at a human level in a very scientific industry.  It was clear Will has a passion for his chosen field and I am sure it will appear again in future speeches.  Good job Will!  Graeme’s evaluation was incredibly supportive and encouraging and I encourage Will to plumb the depths of knowledge Graeme has generously offered to share.

Our third speaker of the evening, Jack, presented his second speech at Level 1.  His challenge in this post-Covid era of border closures and travel restrictions?  How to travel cheaply!  He started out by having us close our eyes and image our dream destination.  (Personally, I didn’t want to open my eyes as I happily imagined visiting my family and friends back in the States.)  But alas, we then had to refocus ourselves on the present – but Jack made it well worth it, sharing his top three tips for traveling on a tight budget.  Jack is an engaging and funny speaker, and I look forward to hearing more of his work.  Jack was evaluated by Tony who provided a thoughtful review of the speech, and offered three clear, specific recommendations that Jack should easily be able to incorporate and work on in the future.  Terrific job, both of you!

I will note that all our evaluators this evening maintained the use of the third person (kudos!) and provided carefully considered encouragement as well as recommendations.

For all members who took to the floor, be challenged to watch those “uhms” and “ahs”.  When in doubt, pause!

Finally, our members were provided with a thoroughly upbeat and motivating educational regarding our upcoming Evaluation Competition by veteran Toastmaster Ian.  Ian was thorough in his presentation, providing a helpful handout and allowing time for questions from the audience.  Even though we went a bit past time, it was well worth the extra few minutes to hear Ian’s wisdom on this subject.

The meeting was rounded up with a report from GE Jan, Timekeeper Joyleen and Grammarian Steve.

Toastmaster Craig then closed out the meeting with offering time for guest comments, and then reminding the Club of our Evaluation Competition next week – venue to be confirmed via email, so watch your inboxes!

Awards:

Best Speaker – Aaron

Best Table Topics – Karen

Best Evaluator – Tony

Best Contribution - Ian