Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Table Topics Master Tips

Table Topics Master Tips

Never been Table Topics Master? 

Maybe you were TTM once or twice but are worried about doing it again? 

Here are some ideas to help you move past those worries, sign up for TTM and have fun in the role!


http://www.toastmasters.org/Members/SpotlightArticles/TopicsmasterTips.aspx


Monday, January 28, 2013

Minutes



Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
January 24, 2013

Our meeting at Colorado Community Church began with Margaret Seyer leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.  She then introduced our Toastmaster for the evening, Will Osagiede.

The theme was “Revive the Passion” and the Word of the Day was “Dissimulate” verb –conceal or disguise one’s thoughts, feelings, or character: ex. Now that you are a Toastmaster, you no longer need to dissimulate your speaking skills .

Inspirator Kelli Malcom told us when we are challenged to remember the words from Henry Ford, an airplane always takes off against the wind.

First speaker Concetta Palmieri gave a speech, “Wedding Bell Blues” had some great ideas to relieve the stress from well-meaning people who ask “When are you getting married?”  The answer was “someday”.  When the date is finally set and the planning gets to be too much, take a trip to Las Vegas.  Stand outside one of those cheesy wedding chapels, take a picture of yourselves standing outside, thumbs up, big smiles and email it to your family.  The most important part is not taking the wedding planning so seriously.  Excellent speech and excellent advice, thanks Concetta!

Our second speaker, Darryle Brown, provided us with more information on the interview process in “Rock the Interview (Part 7)”.  He explained the importance of researching the prospective employer.  We need to know our resumes inside and out, have a job description for our current position, and look at past jobs for skills that are transferable to the job we’re seeking.  A very informative speech and a great job by Darryle!

Third speaker, Pete Hazlet, gave a speech titled “Don’t Drink the Bottled Water”.  He explained the high cost of bottled water as well as explaining that bottled water is not safer than tap water.  In many cases it is straight from the tap, and the bottles add to our garbage.  

Table Topics Master Cybele Antonow informed us that how we move on stage affects how we do when we’re speaking.  Participants included Felicia Arambula, Kelli Malcom, and Tom Marrs. Felicia showed us and told us about her paragliding experience , Kelli, responding to a Tony Robbins statement “You have to be able to dance with fear” by showing how she dances with a guitar when she’s onstage.  T.D. Jakes said greatness is contagious and Tom Marrs gave an example of mediocrity, showing how it could spread.  Great job by all three!

General Evaluator Ed Pens introduced the evaluators, as well as evaluating the meeting and the evaluators.

Felicia Arambula evaluated Concetta’s speech, noting that she greeted us as well as greeting the guests by using their names.   Concetta had a great title and focused on not using her notes.  The delivery was very conversational and she has polite authoritativeness.  Great job, Felicia!

Kumu Kandaswamy, in her evaluation of Darryle, told him that he brings in great research to his speech.  He includes his experiences and had some great handouts.   Great job, Kumu!

Third evaluator, Connie Akins, explained the role of evaluator to the guests.  She congratulated Pete on his great opening, research, use of quotes, and the solutions.  He also tied the opening and closing together.

All three evaluators also offered ideas for the speakers’ next speeches.

Timekeeper Tom Marrs reported that Concetta’s and Pete’s speeches were on time, as well as all Table Topics participants.  Even though the evaluators went over we still voted on them.

Margaret Seyer was our “Ah” Counter for the evening.  She did a great job keeping track of all the ahs and ums.

Grammarian Joy Davidson reported some great lines people used.  She also did a great job keeping track of who used the word of the day.  

Quizmaster Sherry Thomas tested our listening skills as he asked us questions about what people said in their speeches, table topics, and evaluations.

General Evaluator Ed Pens  reported that the meeting started a little late, but moved along very nicely.

Awards went to
Best Evaluator: Connie Akins
Best Table Topics: Felicia Arambula
Best Speaker: Concetta Palmieri


Present at meeting:
Darryle Brown, Margaret Seyer, Pete Hazlet, Kelli Malcom, , Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Tom Marrs, Cybele Antonow, Felicia Arambula, Joy Davidson, Concetta Palmieri, Sherry Thomas, and Kumu Kandaswamy.

Guests: Margaret Seyer Sr , Jonna Castle, Lucy Brown, and Xiao ( pronounced show, rhymes with “how”) Laing

Next meeting January 31, 2013

Announcements:
  • Cybele is hosting a Party on Sunday Feb. 10th, 2013 at 3pm.  It will include: Table Topics, Improv, Highlights from the Superbowl, and the opportunity to watch last year's Toastmaster International contestants to see and hear what a winning speech looks and sounds like. Come ready to have Loads of fun, eat, drink and be merry with your fellow Toasties!  Chili, cornbread, and Iced tea provided. Check your email for address and list of items needed
  • Toastmasters International and Table Topics contest February 28th. 
  • No meeting on Valentine's Day, February 14th

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Minutes


Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
January 17, 2013

Our meeting at Colorado Community Church began with Margaret Seyer leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.  She then introduced our Toastmaster for the evening, Ed Pens.


The theme was “Being True to Oneself” and the Word of the Day was “Noddist” noun – one who goes along with the people around him or her without agreeing to what they do or say.  One who gives a nod to what is going on around him.


Inspirator Pete Hazlet read a quote from Robert Cushing urging people not to “stand back, thinking of the cold and danger, but to jump in and scramble through the best as we can.”


First speaker Cybele Antonow’s speech, “How to Budget for a Vacation” was filled with great information and tips on planning a vacation and paying for it as well.  She also told us that 25% of Americans don’t take vacations.  Cybele also told us that vacations are heart healthy because they lower stress levels.  Cybele’s speech was from the Speaking to Inform manual, it was speech #2.  Great job, Cybele!


Our second speaker, Kathy Fortune, provided us with a very stirring rendition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech.  It was 50 years ago that Dr King delivered this speech in Washington D.C.  .  Kathy gave speech #4 from the Interpretive Reading Manual.   Thanks Kathy for reminding us of his dream for all of us.


Table Topics Master Kelli Malcom proved she is just as good with the questions as she is with the answers.  She provided some great questions and opportunities for Maura Thompson, guest Heather Gonzales, and Sherry Thomas.


General Evaluator Darryle Brown introduced the evaluators, as well as evaluating the meeting.  


Kumu Kandaswamy covered key elements in Cybele’s speech. She told Cybele that she gave us a lot of information, including a lot of statistics and shared her personal experiences with us.


Concetta Palmieri told Kathy that her rendition of Dr King’s speech.  She told Kathy that it was a very powerful speech, it grabbed at her heartstrings and never let go.  She also thanked Kathy for sharing her personal experiences growing up in the south with us as well.  


Joy Davidson was our “Ah” Counter for the evening.  She did a great job keeping track of all the ahs and ums.


Grammarian Maura Thompson reported some great lines people used.  She also did a great job keeping track of who used the word of the day.  


Quizmaster Will Osagiede tested our listening skills as he asked us questions about what people said in their speeches.


Timer Margaret Seyer said that the evaluators and Table Topics participants were in time.  There were technical issues with the stopwatch and it was decided that the speakers were in time.


Ed Pens handed out the awards before turning things over to our president.
Best Evaluator: Concetta Palmieri
Best Table Topics: Sherry Thomas
Best Speaker: Cybele Antonow


Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Margaret Seyer, Pete Hazlet, Kelli Malcom, Kathy Fortune, Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Tom Marrs, Cybele Antonow, Maura Thompson, Concetta Palmieri, Sherry Thomas, and Kumu Kandaswamy.


Guests: Heather Gonzales, Margaret Seyer Sr .

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  • Toastmasters International and Table Topics contest February 28th. Lots of roles to be filled!!


  • No meeting February 14th.

  • Toastmasters Leadership Institute Fort Collins
When: Sat, January8 am – 12:30 pm
Where:  Fort Collins Timberline Church 2908 S. Timberline Rd, Fort Collins, CO Fort Collins, CO (map)
Contact: Paula Cowen, DivE1213@D26Leaders.org

  • Toastmasters Leadership Institute Highlands Ranch Mid Week
When: Tue, January 29, 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Where:  Eastridge Rec. Center, 9568 University Blvd, Highlands Ranch CO, Littleton, CO 80130 (map)
Contact: Joe Fleenor, joehandymanjoe@yahoo.com  Cell 720-351-3871

  • Super Bowl Party Sunday February 3rd @ Cybele’s house. Details to come.


  • Our new VP of Membership is Kathy Fortune


  • Name tags for those without  will be at 2/31 meeting


  • Please “recommend” Facebook page to your friends.


  • Remember to use the Simply Speaking website as your portal to Easy Speak, Blog, Facebook Page, District 26, Toastmasters International,  District 26 Newsletter.

Next meeting January 24, 2013




Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
01/10/2013

At 7:00 p.m. our meeting started at Colorado Community Church in Aurora.
Margaret Seyer filled in as Sargeant-at-Arms and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.  


President Cybele Antonow explained the use of the laminated evaluation forms.  They are to be used as guidelines for written and spoken evaluations.


Toastmaster Gigi De Gala served as Inspirator by telling us to let this year be the year without fear.


Concetta Palmieri was the first speaker and presented speech #2 from the Competent Communicator Manual.  Her speech titled “I Did it My Way” told us how she quit smoking.  She started a job as a teacher and was concerned about the image she’d project to the students in her class.  Great job with the smoking cessation and the speech.


Speaker #2, Darryle Brown, presented “Rock the Interview” Part 6.  He told us to practice to get a normal, comfortable tone of voice.  Pitch, rate of speaking, and quality – flow of the voice – are important.


In a very moving speech our third speaker for the evening, Sherry Thomas presented her storytelling speech titled “Invisible”.  She told us how she felt invisible as a child and later as an adult.  It was when she found Toastmasters that she found she has a voice, and she is no longer invisible.


Table Topics Master Joy Davidson let participants choose from several pictures and a phone conversation to present their table topics answers.  The participants, all who did great, were Kelli Malcom, Deborah Frauenfelder, David Bounds, and Cybele Antonow.


Timer Felicia Arambula told us that Darryle and Concetta were in time, as well as all  Table Topics Participants.


Evaluator #1, Pete Hazlet evaluated Concetta’s speech, congratulating her for kicking the smoking habit and how she did it.  She also had some great statistics – 38% of the people make no New Year’s resolutions.   He also told her she has a great stage presence and speaks like a veteran.  He also offered some suggestions for improvement.


Evaluator #2, Tom Marrs told Darryle that his speech contained a lot of great information about preparing the voice for the interview.  He told Darryle that he is a terrific speaker and he looks forward to Darryle’s next speech on interviewing.


Evaluator #3, Will Osagiede brought up the objectives in Sherry’s speech, telling her she gave a wonderful speech, feeling invisible as a child, continuing into adulthood.  He also gave her some suggestions for making her speech better.


General Evaluator David Bounds told us the meeting started on time.  He said the inspiration was less than a minute, which doesn’t happen often.  He also said the evaluators did a great job and offered suggestions for improvement.


Ah Counter Diane Nuss kept a close track of the uhs and ahs, as well as the double clutches. Thanks for a great job well done by Diane.


Grammarian Cybele Antonow kept track of all the great lines in the speeches, table topics, and evaluations.  Thanks for a great job, Cybele.


Quizmaster Margaret Seyer showed us why we need great listening skills with her questions.  Thanks for the excellent job, Margaret.

Awards went to the following people :
Best Evaluator:  Will Osagiede
Best Table Topics:  Kelli Malcom
Best Speaker:  Concetta


Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Margaret Seyer, Pete Hazlet, Kelli Malcom, Will Osagiede, Deborah Frauenfelder, Diane Nuss, Sherry Thomas, Cybele Antonow ,Concetta Palmieri, Alan Swartz, Felicia Arambula, Joy Davidson, David Bounds, Tom Marrs, and Gigi De Gala .


Guests:  Margaret Seyer Sr .


Toastmasters International and Table Topics contest February 28… who will take up the challenge?

Next meeting January 17, 2013















_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group

Sunday, January 20, 2013

NOTICE: 

The February 14th Meeting will not be held due to Valentines Day.
See you February 21st!!


_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group


SAVE THE DATE! 

International Speech and Table Topics Contest February 28th

Volunteers needed for all roles. 
Contact Concetta or Kelli 



_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group

Sunday, January 13, 2013



Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
1/3/2013

The first meeting of2013 for Simply Speaking began with the pledge of allegiance led by Margaret Seyer filling in as Sergeant-at-Arms. She then introduced Toastmaster Darryle Brown. 

The theme was “2013: Your Year to Thrill” and the word of the day was “Resilient", the definition is: able to bounce back.

Alan Swartz filled in as Inspirator, telling us how to make changes in your life.  He told us you never really know your character until you take a risk.  Let’s take a risk in 2013!

Kelli Malcom kicked off the first speech of the year with her first speech, “To Thine Own Self be True”.   This was her father’s motto.  She told us, in her icebreaker, that her father worked for IBM and she got to see the world.  She learned a lot by meeting people from other countries.  She came to Colorado to study law and fell in love with the great outdoors and the blue sky that seems to go forever in Colorado.  She played guitar on the Pearl Street Mall before returning to college to complete her studies, which fulfills a promise she made to her father. Congratulations, Kelli!

Will Osagiede continued in the Educational Series with Speech #3 from that manual.  His speech was “Evaluate to Motivate”.  In his speech he told us that we are all coaches as evaluators.  We play an important role in identifying the strengths and opportunities of the speakers we evaluate.  This helps us all benefit by hearing from better speakers, plus our evaluations of a speaker allows us to develop our skills as speakers, too.

Will had a longer speech so there were only two speakers tonight.

The Table Topics master was Pete Hazlet.  Participants included David Bounds, Diane Nuss, and Sherry Thomas.  All three participants provided us with some great answers to the questions.

Margaret Seyer was the general evaluator, introducing the evaluators and providing them with feedback on their evaluations of the speakers.  She also evaluated the meeting which started on time and moved along very smoothly.   She thanked all the participants and congratulated Kelli on her icebreaker.

The evaluator for Kelli’s speech was Concetta Palmieri.  She told Kelli that she gave a great speech.  Concetta complimented her for not using notes, having great skills as a speaker.  She took us from childhood to present day with a very comfortable delivery and sang to us.  She also offered Kelli suggestions for improvement.

No evaluator was needed for Will’s speech since his was from the Educational Series.

Joy Davidson, in her role as timer, told us that Kelli was the only speaker in time.  All Table Topics speakers were in time.  Concetta went over in her evaluation.

Deborah Frauenfelder was our “Ah” counter.  She thanked us as a club for not having a lot of filler words.

Grammarian David Bounds caught some great lines by our speakers.  He also told us that people voted “like” and “you know” as the most overused phrases in 2012.

Quizmaster Cybele Antonow kept our listening skills sharp by asking questions about speeches and table topics answers..

Awards went to :
Best Evaluator:  Concetta Palmieri
Best Table Topics:  David Bounds
Best Speaker: Kelli Malcom

Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Margaret Seyer, Pete Hazlet, Kelli Malcom, Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Deborah Frauenfelder, Diane Nuss, Sherry Thomas, Cybele Antonow ,Concetta Palmieri, Alan Swartz, Kreg Lyles, Joy Davidson,  .

Guests: Margaret Seyer Sr  and Florian Ezui.

Next meeting January 10, 2013
_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
12/20/2012

The final meeting of 2012 for Simply Speaking began with the pledge of allegiance led by Diane Nuss filling in for Joe Long.

Diane Nuss was also out Toastmaster for the evening.
The theme was “Celebrate the New Year” and the word of the day was “Replete”, an adjective meaning  to amply or fully equipped, full , sated, complete, stuffed, supplied”.

Gigi De Gala was our Inspirator asking us to celebrate Christmas first.  She read from a poem reminding us that there are “many things that come to mind” that we want, but we should treasure all the good times, the people in our lives.

Deborah Frauenfelder was the first speaker.  Her speech titled “Customer Service” focused on the importance of listening and relating to people, skills we can learn and master through Toastmasters.  She played the role of a customer service representative taking phone calls, as well as the caller during her speech, giving us great examples and lots of humor.  Expect more from her on this subject in 2013.

Darryle Brown was the second speaker with a speech titled “The Champion’s Journey” took us on a ride through a speaker’s journey starting with joining Toastmasters and going all the way to winning a speech contest.  She surrounded herself with people who could help her; she set a goal and remained focused.  The important part of the journey is how you make it and Sherry Londo-Thomas is the champion of Darryle’s speech.

Margaret Seyer concluded the speeches with her educational speech from The Successful Club Series.  Her speech, “Finding New Members for Your Club” stressed the importance of greeting guests and making them feel welcome, inviting people to the meeting, and explaining what we at our meetings to our guests.  There were other points she covered as well, with lots of humor and a little of her personal history with Toastmasters.

The Table Topics master was Felicia Arambula.  Participants included Ed Pens, Margaret Seyer, Kelli Malcom, and Gigi De Gala.

Will Osagiede was the general evaluator, introducing the evaluators and providing them with feedback on their evaluations of the speakers.  He also evaluated the meeting.  The meeting started on time and there were no new guests.   Toastmaster Diane was very enthusiastic and kept the meeting moving smoothly.  She was also able to fill a couple last minute roles.

Pete Hazlet’s evaluation of Deborah Frauenfelder complimented her use of props, which included a Santa has and a large Christmas pen.  She also did well playing the roles of caller and the customer service representative.

Ed Pens provided the evaluation for Darryle Brown.  Darryle had great stage presence and a great presentation.  Darryle used the element of surprise in describing Sherry’s journey to a speech championship, naming her at the end of the speech rather than at the beginning.

There was no need for a third evaluator since Margaret’s speech was from the Educational series.  Margaret needs one more speech from the Educational series to earn her ALB!

Joel Weismann, in his first time at Timer, reported that all speakers, table topics participants, and evaluators were in time.

Grammarian Sherry Thomas told us that three people used the word of the day.  Sherry Thomas was also our Quizmaster for the evening, testing our listening skills.

Awards went to :
Best Evaluator:  Ed Pens
Best Table Topics:  A tie between Kelli Malcom and Ed Pens
Best Speaker: Darryle Brown.

Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Margaret Seyer, Pete Hazlet, Kelli Malcom, Kathy Fortune,  Joel Weissman, Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Deborah Frauenfelder, Diane Nuss, Felicia Arambula, Sherry Thomas, and Gigi De Gala.

Guests: Margaret Seyer Sr .
Next meeting January 3, 2013

_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
12/13/2012

Sergeant-at-Arms Joe Long got the meeting started with a call to order and the pledge of allegiance.  He then introduced our Toastmaster for the evening, Leo Chen, serving in the role for the first time.

The theme was “No matter how long the winter” and the word of the day was “Auspicious”, an adjective meaning “showing or suggesting that future success is likely”.

Cybele Antonow was our Inspirator, telling us the secret for peace and success is to let go of resentment and feeling offended, to stop judging.

Speeches were started off by Will Osagiede.  Using the Speaking to Inform manual he told us how to give an effective evaluation.  Using the sandwich approach we should identify content, delivery, and impact.  He also told us that it is important to offer feedback to help the speaker grow.

Ed Pens was the second speaker and entertained us with his speech “Manifest Destiny 3.0”.  Even though he didn't win in the presidential election and garnered fewer votes than Rosanne Barr, he has plans to improve our political system.  He would extend manifest destiny to include Canada, Mexico and Central America.  We’ll start with a car rally into Canada first.  “They won’t suspect a thing” to quote Ed.

Kathy Fortune filled in the third speaker spot with “Overcoming the Fear”.  A woman who has done over 60 speeches in her life, she told us that the butterflies we feel before a speech are normal.  Just take a moment, relax, take a deep breath, and do your best.

Concetta Palmieri was a last minute stand in as Table Topics Master.  She had some great question for the participants.  Rick Burton, Alan Swartz, Lee Johnson, and Felicia Arambula all provided some great answers to the questions.

Timer Kreg Lyles reported that Ed Pens was the only speaker in time, but all table topics participants were in time.

General Evaluator Darryle Brown introduced the evaluators and offered evaluations of them and the meeting.  The meeting started a little late and we were a little behind on the time, but it was a great meeting overall.  He also thanked Concetta and Kathy on filling in at the last minute.

Joel Weissman evaluated Will’s speech mentioning that it was ironic to be evaluating a speech on evaluations.  Will used the projector to his advantage, providing good examples of Henry Ford and McDonalds as models of evaluating situations and improving on them.

Darryle told Joel that his experience as a teacher served him well in his evaluation and he was well organized.

Tom Marrs evaluated Ed and said he loved Ed’s idea for manifest destiny, but he should do Manifest Destiny 3.2 and annex South America, too.  Ed was congratulated for overall creativity and enough content to almost be credible.
Darryle told Tom his evaluation bridged his evaluation well  to work with Ed’s speech.  He gave a “how to” with recommendations.

Third evaluator Pete Hazlet told Kathy that she gave a great speech with only three hours to prepare.  Originally planned to be used with PowerPoint, she used handouts to her advantage.  It was a very lively speech, engaging and encouraging, reminding us that nervousness before a speech is normal.
Darryle told Pete that his evaluation his evaluation was engaging and encouraging.

.Ah counter Connie Akins used the bell to mark the ah’s, um’s and filler words.  She asked everyone present their preference for the bell only or the Ah count.  The bell only was preferred over the report.

Grammarian Maura Thompson kept track of some great lines from the speakers, including table topics participants and evaluators.  The word of the day as used several times.

Awards went to :
Best Evaluator: Joel Weissman
Best Table Topics: Alan Swartz
Best Speaker: Ed Pens

Immediate Past President Tom Marrs was awarded his Advanced Communicator Bronze.  

Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Alan Swartz, Connie Akins, Margaret Seyer, Maura Thompson , Pete Hazlet, Tom Marrs,  Kathy Fortune,  Joel Weissman, Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Deborah Frauenfelder, Joe Long, Kreg Lyles, Lee Johnson, Diane Nuss, Felicia Arambula, Cybele Antonow, Rick Burton, Leo Chen and Concetta Palmieri.

Guests: Margaret Seyer Sr.

Next meeting December 20, 2012 with Diane Nuss as toastmaster


_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
11/29/2012

Fresh from a Thanksgiving break Joy Davidson served as our Toastmaster.  The theme was “Lead Yourself” , John Maxwell said that when leading people the hardest to lead is himself.  The word of the day was “Envisage”, meaning to view or regard in a certain way; to have a mental picture of especially in advance of realization.

Margaret Seyer led us in the pledge of allegiance and reminded us to turn off our electrical appendages, also known as cell phones.

Inspirator Sherry Thomas gave us some great words from Albert Einstein, who said “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”   She added” so next time someone tries to kill you dreams, consider the source.”

First speaker was Concetta Palmieri, who presented her first speech – her icebreaker.  She told us about growing up in Germany, the daughter during her father’s military career with great skill and enthusiasm, a future champion in the making.  It gave her an insight into living in two cultures, especially when it came to Christmas.  In Germany presents are delivered by the Christ child instead of Santa.  Her sister was concerned and their mom explained that it depended on the passports, the kids with German passports received their gifts by the Christ Child and the kids with the American passports received them from Santa.  Her mom would be good at Table Topics.


Second Speaker Alan Swartz presented his speech “Red Flags”.  He tied together some famous men who did some really stupid things.  Michael Vick got into dog fighting, Mel Gibson, Tiger Woods, Ted Haggard all had extra-marital affairs.  They all ignored red flags that should have warned them they were headed for a fall.  Alan tied this to Toastmasters that just like these men who knew better, ignoring the red flags can have disastrous results.  He went over some of the red flags that could be ignored and destroy a club.  Alan provided a plethora of information and advice we can use to look for the red flags and take care of our club, or any other club we might also be a part of.

Tom Marrs was the 3nd speaker and spoke about Dr Ralph Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters, which began as a class at the YMCA.  He believed that adult education outside a classroom and that the meeting is a laboratory experiment.  He felt that the speaker needs to let the audience know what you want them to do.  We also should use the skills we learn inside the club outside the club also.
Margaret Seyer filled in as Table Topics master, calling on guest Kelli Malcom and Toastmasters Connie Akins, and Kreg Lyles.

General Evaluator was Darryle Brown, who introduced and evaluated the evaluators, Will Osagiede, Cybele Antonow, and Rick Burton.

Will evaluated Concetta, calling her a gem in the rough. She used the word of the day.  He saw, heard, and felt what she said, and how she connected with the audience and spoke to all of us.  He also gave her ideas on improving as she progresses.

Cybele told Alan that he had some well cited examples of celebrities who screwed up.  The meat of the message was very specific details to spot and correct red flags in our clubs.  She also offered Tom suggestions for improvement.

Rick, in his first time as an evaluator, acknowledged Tom’s experience as a speaker.  He also commended Tom on his command of the stage.  He moved around the stage with purpose, moving from one side to the other, looking at the audience.  Rick also offered suggestions to Tom for improvement.

In Darryle’s evaluation of Will he noted how well Will has grown over time.  He also told Cybele that she did an outstanding job as always and encouraged her to get ready for another Evaluation Contest.  Darryle complimented Rick for being observant in his evaluation of Tom by recognizing Tom’s accomplishments.  He told Rick that evaluating an experienced speaker is tough, but he did it well.  Darryle also offered the evaluators tips for improvement in is sandwich approach.

Darryle went on to say that overall the meeting was very professional, it started on time and progressed very well.  He also encouraged us to use the bell for the double clutches, ahs, and ums to help speakers improve.

Timer David Bounds told us that of the speakers, Concetta and Alan were in time,. Also all Table Topics participants and evaluators were in time.

Ah Counter Deborah Frauenfelder kept track of all the Ahs and other filler words and pauses.  There weren’t many, great job by all the speakers!

Grammarian Pete Hazlet reported that the word of the day was used by 9 people.  There were some great phrases and word usage by members, too.

Joy had the pleasure of handing out the awards.  The awards went to:
Best Evaluator: Will Osagiede
Best Table Topics: Kelli Malcom
Best Speaker: Concetta Palmieri

Will also presented Joy Davidson with her Advanced Leadership Bronze (ALB) and Maura Thompson with her Competent Communicator (CC).

Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Alan Swartz, Connie Akins, Margaret Seyer, Maura Thompson,Sherry Thomas, Pete Hazlet, Tom Marrs, David Bounds, Kathy Fortune,  Joel Weissman, Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Kreg Lyles, Deborah Frauenfelder, Joy Davidson, Cybele Antonow, Rick Burton, and Concetta Palmieri.

Guests: Margaret Seyer Sr and Kelli Malcom.

Next meeting December 6, 2012
_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
11/15/2012

We all had our Thanksgiving feasts on our minds we started our meeting, and "Thanksgiving" was the theme, "Feast" was the word of the day.

Sergeant-at-Arms Joe Long led us in the pledge of allegiance before turning the meeting over to Toastmaster Margaret Seyer.

Okay, it’s a cheap play on words, but Will Osagiede as our Inspirator reminded us that Thanksgiving is about gratitude, no matter what you’re going through.  Showing gratitude is like a reset button for us.

Leo Chen was our first speaker talking about shyness in a speech aptly named “The Silent Minority”.  Shyness was not recognized as a disease until 1975.  There are three causes of shyness, of which 15% to 20% of the population suffers from.  The three main causes are genetics, parents, and culture.  It was a great speech with an abundance of information.

With a speech titled “If I Was the School Superintendent”, Joel Weissman told us what he would do if he was the Denver Public School Superintendent.  He informed us that of the Special Education students only 50% graduate, many students are not prepared for college, and that not everyone should go to college.  He would require only one semester of Geometry, Algebra would not be a requirement (YAY!). There would be only four semesters of science, and there would be a two semester class on communication.   Literature and Composition would be replaced by a two semester Toastmasters Junior Program.

Third speaker Rick Burton told us about the “The Chicago Plan” in his speech with the same title.  The Chicago Plan was conceived as a result of the Great Depression and is being looked at again by the International Monetary Fund in response to the recent economic catastrophe.  It would ban banks from creating their own money; the U.S. government would borrow money interest free.   Since the government is in charge of currency it would pay no interest on its own money, thus eliminating a lot of debt, a great speech with a ton of information.

Table Topics Master Darryle Brown had a feast of questions for participants Will Osagiede, Deborah Frauenfelder, and guest Kelly Malcom.

General Evaluator Cybele Antonow introduced the evaluators and evaluated them and the meeting.
The meeting started on time and the evaluators did a great job.

Maura Thompson offered an evaluation on Leo pointing out he started his evaluation with a question, asking how many people consider themselves shy, a very fitting opening for Toastmasters. In addition to this he gave three reasons for shyness.  Maura mentioned that someone told her that Toastmasters is a group of extroverts, and she told him that’s not really true because she discovered she is shy, too.

Kreg Lyles offered his evaluation of Joel, mentioning that he offered a feast of information, it was well organized, researched, and came from years of experience as a teacher in the Denver Public School system.

Joy Davidson evaluated Rick’s speech, congratulating him on tackling a difficult subject.  He had a great opening and closing, with a lot of information in between.  She told him that there is a lot of information in his speech, enough for a series of speeches.  

Cybele evalutaed the evaluators staring with Maura‘s evaluation mentioning Leo's great opening and information.  Kreg use the word of the day, saying that Joel had a feast of information.  He also commented on Joel’s objectives.  Joy’s evaluation had a great opening and she jumped right in with her evaluation.  The meeting also started on time and Margaret was doing a great job as Toastmaster.  We also and a great feast of table topics.

Timer Sherry Thomas kept track of time for everyone.  Leo was in time with his speech.  Kreg and Joy were in time for evaluations.  All Table Topics participants were in time.

Ah Counter Concetta Palmieri kept track of the ahs, ums, and double clutches.  She told us there weren't a lot of them.

Grammarian Alan Swartz noted some great lines.  Will offered "emotional reset button of gratitude", Leo used "fear of the invisible" and "shy gene", and Rick said "money is made by law".

Quizmaster Diane Nuss tested our listening skills, which are very important for evaluations and absorbing information from the speakers.

Awards were handed out by Margaret.  They include:
Table Topics: Guest Kelly Malcom
Evaluator: Joy Davidson
Speaker: Leo Chen

Present at the meeting:
Darryle Brown, Alan Swartz, Connie Akins, Margaret Seyer, Maura Thompson, Diane Nuss, Leo Chen, Sherry Thomas, Pete Hazlet, Tom Marrs, Joe Long, Leo (Liang) Chen, Joel Weissman, Will Osagiede, Ed Pens, Kreg Lyles, Deborah Frauenfelder, Joy Davidson, Cybele Antonow, Rick Burton, and Concetta Palmieri.

Guests: Margaret Seyer Sr  Jonna, and Kelly Malcom.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Next meeting November 29


_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group


Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
11/8/2012

With "Presidential" as our theme and "Effulgent" as the word of the day. Effulgent is a noun meaning shining brightly; radiant, emanating  joy or goodness.

The meeting got under way with Margaret Seyer leading us in the pledge of allegiance and reminding us to turn off our phones.

Toastmaster Kreg Lyles started by introducing Inspirator was Maura Thompson who told us about being inspired by Dale Jenkel before her performance in a speech contest.  She challenged us to inspire others by asking “Who have you inspired?”

Joe Long completed speech #3 by telling us he is tired of being motivated.  Now that he’s out of college and part of the working world it seems he needs to be motivated to do things, like work.  He does have a point there!

Darryle Brown continued his “Rock the Interview” series by telling us that the first impression is the most important part of the interview.  We need to check our appearance, dress appropriately, and smile.  He also mentioned the importance of a good firm handshake when meeting the interviewer(s).

Joy Davidson gave us her last educational speech to earn her Advanced Leadership Bronze.  She used John Maxwell’s book on leadership.  He defines leadership as influence.  Without it’s like being on a hike by yourself.

Will Osagiede was our Table Topics Master.  Participants included Concetta Palmieri, Diane Nuss, and Sherry Londo-Thomas.

 Margaret Seyer was our General Evaluator.  She said the meeting started on time and ran smoothly.  She also introduced the evaluators, Joel Weisman and Kathy Fortune.  She also provided evaluations of them and acknowledged first timers Toastmaster Kreg Lyles and Timer Rick Burton.

Joel told Joe that he had a very interesting speech, being tired of being motivated.  He has a great way of connecting to the audience.  He’s very calm, able to laugh at himself and he has great timing.

Kathy’s evaluation of Darryle took note of having one idea for a series of speeches.  She said he nailed it because he did not minimize anything.  He gave good advice on appearances, eye contact, check you  nails, and if you don’t know then ask somebody.

Timer Rick Burton said all speakers and table topics participants were in time.

Our Ah counter for the evening was Diane Nuss caught all the ah’s and ums, including three by her while she was giving her report.

Grammarian Cybele Antonow was the only one who used the word of the day – effulgent.
The Quizmaster was Gigi De Gala.

Kreg Lyles handed out the awards before turning the meeting over to President Cybele.
Awards:
Table Topics: Concetta Palmieri
Evaluator: Joel Weissman
Speaker: Joe Long

Before closing the meeting Concetta Palmieri and Rick Burton were officially voted in and inducted.  Welcome aboard, guys!!

Members present:  Ed Pens, Maura Thompson, Joel Weissman, Pete Hazlet, Diane Nuss, Joe Long, Anne Tacznosky, Kumu Kumdaswamy, Cybele Antonow, Gigi De Gala, Connie Akins, Joy Davidson, Kreg Lyles, Concetta Palmieri,   Rick Burton, David Bounds, Darryle Brown, Will Osagiede, Sherry Londo-Thomas, Margaret Seyer, and Kathy Fortune.

Guests: Margaret Seyer and Johnna.
_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group


Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
11/1/2012

It was a meeting filled with several milestones Thursday night.  Joel Weissman stepped in as Toastmaster for the first time and Joe Long took over as Sergeant-at-Arms.

The theme was “Staying the Course” and the word of the day was “Resilience” – the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, toughness.

The meeting got under way with Margaret Seyer leading us in the pledge of allegiance and reminding us to turn off our phones.

Pete Hazlet delivered the inspiration for the evening, a quote from James Arthur Baldwin.

Speeches got under way with Maura Thompson delivering her 10th speech, qualifying her for her Competent Communicate award.  She very cleverly tied this speech to her icebreaker, telling us a little about herself, still too competitive, unconventional, a leader, and about her restored confidence.  She provided an update, telling us she accomplished this because of Simply Speaking.  Congratulations, Maura!

Connie Akins delivered her speech titled “Many Hands Make Light Work”, from Success/Leadership projects.  Her speech focused on teamwork and she brought in audience participation, a great example of teamwork.  Connie informed us that we are all leaders, developing our own skills, reminding us that Toastmasters is where leaders are made.  With audience participation several tenets of leadership were listed, as well as some of the challenges leaders face.  It was a great speech with lots of information, thanks Connie!

With Connie's speech being 15 minutes we only had two tonight.

Cybele Antonow led table topics and had some great questions for the participants.  Great responses from our  participants included Joy Davidson, who told us her favorite role is the speaker.  Leo Chen prefers the communication track to help him develop leadership skills and Darryle Brown told us that in 2014 he is up on the stage at the International Speech Contest.

Kathy Fortune was our timer for the evening.  She reported that everyone was in time.

General Evaluator Will Osagiede evaluated the meeting, which had started on time, was exciting, and stayed on course.  He also introduced Kumu Kandaswamy, the evaluator for Maura’s speech.  He also mentioned that this was Joel’s first time as the Toastmaster.

Kumu told Maura that it was a fascinating speech.  She especially liked how Maura tied her first speech and her tenth speech together.

Will congratulated Kumu on a great evaluation and said she speaks from the heart.

Ah Counter Darryle Brown who did and who didn't have any filler words or “ah’s”, etc and Grammarian

Diane Nuss told us the word of the day was used only twice.

Quizmaster Leo Chen tested our listening skills by asking what people said in their speeches and in table topics.

Joel handed out the following awards:
Table Topics: Leo Chen
Evaluator: Kumu Kandaswamy
Speaker: Maura Thompson

President Cybele Antonow closed the meeting and reminded us to bring something for the basket for the humorous speech contest.

_______________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group


Simply Speaking Minutes
Colorado Community Church
10/18/2012

It was another great night at Simply Speaking with Darryle Brown as our toastmaster.  
Sergeant-at-Arms Joe Long led us in the pledge of allegiance.  He also reminded us to turn off our cell phones.

Toastmaster Darryle Brown introduced Inspirator Anne Tacznosky who urged us to have enough courage for gratitude.  She told us that gratitude is doubled by wonder.

First speaker Gigi De Gala told us about first aid for mental health.  We all think of physical safety but never mental safety.  The first week of October is Mental Illness Awareness week.  Gigi intertwined her personal life relating her sons’ fight with depression.  Most people with mental illness will not seek help because of stigma, prejudice, or misunderstanding.  To learn more about mental illness and first aid for mental health contact Aurora Mental Health Center.

Connie Akins entertained us with her speech “The Leap of Insanity”.  By practicing he speech for the humorous contests she told us about her & her daughter, Estelle, as they prepared to fly from DIA and Connie went for refreshments.  On the way back she noticed a piece of paper dropped by a young man she described as “grand caramel macchiato”.  Her hands were full, but she had to get the boarding pass to what she referred to as a Khalua cupcake.  The only logical thing she could do was shout “Sir, you dropped your boarding pass.  She then made her way back to her gate to get on the plane & the man she helped was right behind her.

Joy Davidson presented a speech from the Better Leadership Series entitled “Developing a Mission.  She explained the difference between a mission statement, which explains how an organization will achieve its mission and a vision statement, a mental picture pointing the way.  She went into great detail explaining how enthusiasm is to an organization.  She also brought Darryle Brown up to underscore the importance of someone who is there to help others achieve their goals & help them grow.

Because of the length of the speeches there were no table topics questions at this meeting.
First time general evaluator

Rick Burton was General Evaluator and introduced the evaluators and offered evaluations of them and the meeting. He mentioned that first time evaluator Joe Long hit on Gigi’s passion in her speech, how she spoke from the heart.  Will used the perfect sandwich technique, & Joy brought Darryle up on the stage.  The meeting also started on time.

Joe Long, in his first time as an evaluator complimented Gigi on her mastery of public speaking.  Even though she read parts of the speech he said it really didn't feel like he was being read to.

Will Osagiede told Connie that she connected with the audience and amazed us by wearing a straight jacket.  She used a lot of visual imagery in describing the man she saw.  He said she gave us a purpose to get out of our comfort zones & he looks forward to her bringing home the championship.

Rick offered an evaluation for Joy, complimenting her on using an audience member by bringing Darryle up.  She presented well & offered a lot of information.  She had some great visuals & gave a great speech.

Ah Counter Diane Nuss didn't get to count very many.  She did, however, hear a few double clutches & filler words.

Grammarian David Bounds said the word of the day was used by only four people & he liked Anne’s line that gratitude is doubled by wonder.

The awards were presented to:
Best Evaluator:  Joe Long (did I mention this was his first time?)
Best Speaker:  Connie Akins, as she prepares to bring home the trophy!

Next meeting is October 18, same time, same place. Thank you all for being there!
 If you haven’t been in a while please come back & see what you've been missing.

Members present:
David Bounds, Pete Hazlet, Sherry Londo-Thomas, Diane Nuss, Cybele Antonow, Kathy Fortune, Anne Tacznowsky, Maura Thompson, Gigi De Gala, Rick Burton, Margaret Seyer, Joe Long, Joel Weismann, Darryle Brown, Concetta Palmieri, Will Osagiede, Leo Chen, Joy Davidson, Kreg Lyles, & Connie Akins.

Guest included Margaret Seyer Sr, Russ Wagner, & Willy Seymore.

___\____________________________________________________
Simply Speaking Bloggers: Remember to let your group know you created a blog post.

Simply Speaking Google Group