Our first meeting in November started with a rousing call to order by Sergeant at Arms Graeme. This was followed by Toastmaster Ian presenting apologies and having Nic read out our Club’s Mission Statement. We also had two guests join us, Joyce and Eleen, who were warmly introduced by VPM Ros.
Formalities aside, we dove into what was an engaging and filled programme.
First up, GE Jan introduced her team of Timer Michelle and Grammarian Song, who presented us with the word of the evening - procrastinate.
Then Table Topics Master Kiri gave us a brief education on New Zealand politicians and then challenged our impromptu speakers to various thought-provoking subjects to address.
Introduced by Patrick, our first prepared speech was by Greg who discussed and embellished on his impassioned plea for people to put the their toilet paper rolls in the proper setting of ‘over' in his presentation entitled “Over or Under”. This was a longer speech and his challenge was to address a variety of ‘disrupters’ who appeared in the audience, which he did very competently and professionally. His current employment has clearly honed his skills in this area.
Our second prepared speech of the evening was from Christian, who was introduced by Ros. Christian’s speech was entitled “To Give Thanks” and he regaled us with an adventure he had with a lost drone. Christian’s colourful imagery took us up into the dense forested hills and down into a dark gulley as he sought to retrieve his wayward drone. Well done Christian.
Andy then came to the floor to give his evaluation of the Table Topic speakers, which he did in the third person for each as he gave good recommendations as well as commendations to each speaker. Always a challenging role, Andy did a great job of demonstrating his listening and critical analysis skills.
Following supper both Patrick and Ros gave their respective evaluations before President Jan presided over a brief business session. The main highlight was recounting the recent Division R Conference Day and Division contest results.
TM Ian then presented a short educational on the International Speech - what it is, what can be achieved (a free trip to Anaheim, California, USA and a place in the World Championship of Speaking) but most importantly that everyone can participate, you simply must take that first step and enter the Club’s upcoming International Speech contest in February 2024. (And there is a nice long summer break between now and then to craft and practice your speech!)
GE Jan and her team returned to the floor at the end for their reports, which were thorough and concise. Song displayed her listening prowess with words and phrases that caught her attention and also reported how often her word of the evening had been used. First-time Timekeeper Michelle gave a clear and comprehensive report of the evening’s proceedings. Well done to both!
Awards were then presented and TM Ian brought the evening to a close by inviting the guests to share any thoughts they had on the night.
Thank you all for contributing to a well run meeting.
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