We had our first chapter meeting for the year on 21 January 2010. We started with Linda, the acting Sergeant at Arms getting us to do a round of introductions and answering the question; ‘What brought you here this evening’. For most, it was the promise of an entertaining meeting and fulfilling their responsibility as appointment holders. Our Treasurer had an additional reason – to collect money! One of our guests came along because he wanted to join us.
Our guests this month were our area governor Ann Vijay and Leticia, both from Dover Toastmasters Club and Eric from Braddell. With ten members attending, there were thirteen in all. For those who couldn’t make it, we missed you, try again next month.
Toastmaster for the Evening (TME), Alan took over and introduced the day’s program. He welcomed Savitri to give the opening address. Savitri spoke about how she was putting into practice the listening skills that she had learnt during the meetings while doing evaluations. Toastmasters has a lot of lessons to offer. She urged everyone to learn and implement these lessons, to connect with others and lead a fuller life.
We had two newcomers doing their first speech – the ice breaker; Bryan and Patrick. Bryan’s speech was titled ‘Lost and Found – Me’. He spoke about how he was able to find himself and take the leap of faith into public speaking. Next came Patrick with ‘My Passion; My Life’. We discovered he has a passion for cooking and dogs. Thomas explained his intriguing title; ‘Little Green Men’ as those that guide you as to when it is the right time to ‘go’ at the traffic signals. His theory was that we can find these little green men in others who guide us and also within us when we are guiding ourselves.
Mida was doing her fifth project titled ‘5 Things you should “not” do on a date’! She and Thomas were very resourceful; they introduced their speeches with a short poem that they had crafted themselves! The last speaker for the day was our guest Leticia who spoke about ‘Priorities’ – about setting goals and keeping our focus to achieve them.
It was time for refreshments and networking. Coffee specially brewed by Linda, Fresh OJ by Savitri and buns and sandwiches brought by Rosie. Thanks to all.
In the second session we had the evaluations. Patricia, Suanny, Rosie, Eric and Savitri, evaluated speeches by Bryan, Patrick, Thomas, Mida and Leticia. They gave encouraging and valuable feedback and provided examples of what could have been done better. Toastmasters and specially our club, provides a safe, supportive and fun environment for learning.
After the evaluations, we had the Table Topics coordinated by Vinata. She had slips of paper with the names of celebrities written on them and another set listing various occupations. The task was to pick a slip from each set, match them and promote the celebrity in their ‘new’ career. So we had Sarah Palin as a Yoga Teacher, Oprah Winfrey as a Chef, Glen Ong as a chauffer, Tiger Woods as a Personal Trainer ……. As can be expected, the results were hilarious!
Table Topics session is where our creativity can be displayed and this is true not only for the speakers but also for the Table Topics Master. Well done Vinata! Our U3 Area Governor Ann gave us a General Evaluation. She commended us for conducting the meeting well and gave us tips to take it one notch higher. Leticia did a diligent job of counting the pause fillers and Linda kept time. Alan as TME kept us informed, organized and entertained. Thanks to all.
The award winners this month were Bryan as Best Speaker, Eric as Best Evaluator and Rosie as Best Table Topics Speaker.
Announcements were made about the Club Officer’s Training on 30th Jan at Whampoa CC and Evaluation Training at Dover Toastmasters Club by Stuart;
Date: Wed 27 Jan
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue:Dover CC, Conference Room, Blk 1 Dover Road, #01-300
The meeting was adjourned.
Next meeting: 25 February.
~ Savitri ~ |
