Another great meeting which was chaired by our experienced Toastmaster, Craig. With the introduction of our 4 guests, the word of the evening (ambivalent) was provided by grammarian Steve.
Craig introduced our Table Topics Master, Roz, who provided a great variation to the topic by utilising well known acronyms, and challenging us to re-purpose the letters into another saying e.g. AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave) could in fact be About Werewolves Over Lunch. With a list like FYI, ASAP, LOL, DIY, IMO, OTT and ETA our toastmasters and two of our guests took up the challenge, with at least some of the made up acronyms being worthy replacements. Well done Roz, another first.
Roll on
our first speaker; Jan, introduced by Denise, who provided the objectives and
then the unusual title ‘Confessions of a Stationery Nerd’. As we have come to
expect from Jan, another polished presentation, which took some of the older
Toastmasters back down memory lane – yes, to the humble fountain pen. With a collection on display, we learnt the variances
from the nib, through to the ink storage and cartridges, as well as other intricacies
of this device – simply fascinating.
The
Business session conducted by President Roz, mainly discussed the upcoming
elections of officers. Yes, YOU can gain even more
from Toastmasters by being on the Executive.
Could look good on your CV – who knows.
With each Officer briefly outlining what is required of that role,
there may be an avalanche of nominations next meeting or am I simply being a
little ambivalent!
Roll on
speaker 2, Tony, who was introduced by Greg. The title Shanghai 2015, and with
the pictures of the trip, fulfilled the objectives of utilising powerpoint and getting
to use the newly installed projector/screen at the hall (did Greg have anything
to do with that!). While it was a round trip from Shanghai to Beijing to Xi’an
and back to Shanghai, Tony literally took us on a journey enhanced by his captured images, expansive gestures and wonderful word pictures.
Evaluations
were once again of a high standard, and all three evaluators Steve (TT), Roz
and Greg were rightly congratulated. Some
helpful hints were provided by GE Ian (like providing a little more background
information of the speakers) and not too much soft padding our recommendations.
In the summation,
Steve lost count of the use of ambivalent, so it was a great choice. Steve also
recounted some lovely phrases throughout the evening. Song also provided a concise Timekeepers report. We
wish her well in returning back to China for 10 or so weeks.
Another
great evening, with all members having a role. The chairing was capably handled
by Craig, with some nice touches in between items regarding the month of
May. The agenda was well set out and
printed in colour.
Drum
roll for the awards
Next meeting Monday, 22 May, 2023
No comments:
Post a Comment