A small but mighty band of Toastmasters (plus one guest) gathered in Greenmeadows to enjoy an energetic and action-packed meeting.
After sorting through the many apologies and changes in the programme, Toastmaster Joyleen took the reins and ably led us throughout the evening.General Evaluator Jan introduced her team of Timekeeper Song and Grammarian Craig, who each gave an explanation of their roles for the benefit of our guest. Craig then gave us the word of the evening: euphoria.Greg then came to the floor to introduce our one and only speaker of the evening - Ian.Ian, a seasoned Toastmaster veteran of many campaigns, proceeded to give his final speech of Level 5 in his Visionary Communication Pathway entitled “Bovine Flatulence”. He explained the current observations of scientists regarding changes in the earth’s temperature and ultimately brought it down to pointing the finger at some poor cow in a paddock. It was a thoughtfully prepared, humorous and very detailed 18-22 minute keynote speech, and now Ian is only one presentation away from bringing his Pathway to an end. Well done Ian!Table Topics Master Denise then led the group through a variety of fun and engaging topics which everyone easily spoke to. From sharing holiday plans and memories to explaining what items we cherish or new things we are learning, each topic was a terrific opportunity to practice our impromptu speaking skills. Thanks Denise!Following supper break Greg again returned to the floor to evaluate Ian’s speech, confidently expressing his views while speaking in the 3rd person and giving a recommendation or two - a challenge for anyone evaluating an experienced Toastmaster. Greg demonstrated excellent listening skills and presented his evaluation clearly and succinctly. Good job Greg!Ros then had her turn at evaluating all seven (!) of the Table Topics participants, and she did a fantastic job. Not only did she briefly remind us of the topic each person spoke to, but she also managed to come up with a recommendation for six out of the seven. As Toastmasters grow mostly through speaking experience and constructive feedback, being able to provide recommendations on how to improve - if only from a 2 minute mini-speech - gives the speaker and all others listening excellent food for fodder. Excellent marathon running Ros!Then came a short and snappy business session with President Ros making a few announcements, handing over the VPE Ian to present a Level 4 certificate to Craig, and finally to Craig to present some now-engraved trophies to Ros from her recent round of competition victories.Finally GE Jan and her team presented their reports and findings, with meeting awards as follows:Best Speaker - IanBest Evaluator - RosBest Table Topic - Graeme (who spoke to the topic!)Best Contribution - GregThank you all for all your participation and energy - we meet again on 28 November.
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