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

Simply Speaking Minutes

Colorado Community Church

10/04/2012

It was another great meeting for Simply Speaking with Gigi De Gala as our Toastmaster for the evening.  

The theme was “Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us”.  She gave an example by saying that in her country saying you don’t like the president would get you thrown in jail.

The word of the day was “resonate, a verb” to relate harmoniously, strike a chord, or to receive a sympathetic response.


Sergeant-at-Arms Margaret Seyer led us in the pledge of allegiance before introducing Gigi, our Toastmaster for the evening.  She also reminded us to turn off our cell phones.

Our Inspirator for the evening was Dale Jenkel.  He reminded us to capture the moment.

Rick Burton gave us his icebreaker by telling us he is lucky to be alive.  He said his mom asked him if he had a death wish.  Two examples included the time he went into water that was too deep and he went for a run in 118 degree heat with his dog.

Second speaker Will Osagiede entertained us with his speech on political brokenness.  Using some great visuals and humor, he gave us a laugh at the two major parties.

Kathy Fortune gave a speech, “Don’t Make Assumptions” filled with humor about how easy it is to make assumptions about people In any given situation.  One example involved she and her husband tried to go skiing in Loveland and are upset when no one in town would tell them where the mountain was, they assumed it was because they are black. It turned out they were in Loveland, CO instead of Loveland ski resort.

Maura Thompson, as our table topics master asked what resonated with us in several categories.  Her questions were tailored to give us the opportunity to use the word of the day.  Participants were Diane Nuss, Felicia Arambula, Joy Davidson, Ed Pens, and Pete Hazlet.

General Evaluator Sherry Thomas introduced the evaluators as well as evaluating them and the meeting. She mentioned how well the accomplished evaluators summarized, praised, made suggestions and praised again.  The meeting started on time and we had a very charming toastmaster in Gigi De Gala.


Evaluator Cybele Antonow spoke about Rick’s confidence and he used no notes.  She said he showed his stubborn side and it probably kept him alive.

Deborah Frauenfelder evaulation complimented Will on his great visuals to provide an entertaining speech.


In evaluating Kathy’s speech Connie Akins complimented her on great delivery and humor.
Timer Anne Tacznosky informed us that all speakers, evaluators, and table topics participants were in time.  

Ah counter, Kreg Lyles, keeping track of the “ah’s” and other filler words said there were very few.


Grammarian Diane Nuss  said Maura had used the word of the day six times. Maura said she was "making up" for all the times she never uses WOD.  It had also been used by several others.

Quizmaster Leo Chen put our listening skills to the test. Keeping us on our toes, he asked questions about what was mentioned in speeches and table topics. 

Toastmaster Gigi handed out the awards and recognized our guests.  She then introduced Cybele to make a few announcements.

The awards were presented to:
Table Topics:  Diane Nuss and Joy Davidson (a tie!)
Best Evaluator:  Connie Akins
Best Speaker:  Rick Burton


Announcements:
Cybele reminded us that the Denver Division Speech and Evaluation Contest is Saturday October 13th at 8:00 am. Additional Information

Cybele also announced the 2012 Fall Conference will be Nov 9th & 10th Additional Information

Treasurer Felicia Arambula reminded us that dues are due.


Maura Thompson reminded us we can always get information about the upcoming events on our website http://www.simplyspeakingtoastmasters.org


Next meeting is October 11, same time, same place.  
If you haven’t been in a while please come back and see what you've been missing.


Members present:
Dale Jenkel, Pete Hazlet, Sherry Londo-Thomas, Diane Nuss, Cybele Antonow,  Felicia Arambula, Kathy Fortune, Anne Tacznowsky, Maura Thompson, Gigi De Gala, Rick Burton, Margaret Seyer, Deborah Frauenfelder, Ed Pens, Will Osagiede, Leo Chen, Joy Davidson, Kreg Lyles, and Connie Akins.


Guest: Margaret Seyer Sr, James & Delores Synoviec, Amleset Desta, Doug Williams, and Gene & Deborah Rogers.

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

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes

Colorado Community Church

09/27/2012

Sergeant-at-Arms Margaret Seyer led us in the pledge of allegiance before introducing Cybele, our Toastmaster for the evening.

It was another great meeting for Simply Speaking with Cybele Antonow as our Toastmaster for the evening.  


The theme was “Great Communication: The Key to Success”.  
The word of the day was “reciprocity” meaning mutual exchange.

Inspirator Pete Hazlet gave a short, but poignant inspiration from poet E. E. Cummings, “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter”.

Mauricio Cortes’s speech was titled “Slowing Down”.  He told us that in his younger years he was known as “The Extreme” because of all his risk taking activities, think rugby or mixed martial arts.  His efforts to slow down included golf, skeet shooting, and fly fishing.   He also introduced us to his new best friend, the cortisone shot.

Darryle Brown (who agreed to fill in that day) rocked us with “Rock the Interview Part 3: Win the Job/Promotion”.  Darryle was prepared, as he recommends for interviews, since he was called on at the last minute.  He urged us to practice for the interview to relieve jitters and make a great impression.  He said that what you do before the interview affects what happens during the interview.

Anne Tacznowsky, in her speech, told us about Greta, a woman with great compassion for others, wanting to change career paths.  She started doing data entry at the Denver Rescue Mission and eventually moved up into a position of leadership.  She surrounded herself with people who shared her vision.  Anne also reminded us that leadership is measured by results.

Leo Chen was our table topics master.  Using the method recommended in the manual he asked the question before calling someone up to speak.  In his debut effort as the Table Topics master he did a magnificent job with some great questions relating to where the participants were born.  Participants included Joel Weismann, Sherry Thomas, Danae Deal, and Ed Pens.

General Evaluator Alan Swartz introduced the evaluators as well as giving them an evaluation.  He gave them high marks for their evaluations.  The meeting started on time.  His evaluation of the meeting included a thank you for Cybele, who put together a great meeting and found a replacement speaker in Darryle at the last minute.   

Maura Thompson’s evaluation of Mauricio focused on his great humor. She recommended he pause during the laughter allowing the group to hear his next line.  She also mentioned his great use of the stage and natural gestures.

Felicia Arambula was the evaluator for Darryle.   She was impressed by his show of genuine concern for his audience.  He also offered a lot of good information and inspiring words for us.

Kathy Fortune commended Anne for her topic.  She told Anne she picked someone with great concern for others.  Her subject also had a great crescendo of development.  Anne also had a great line ‘Lead by example”.

Timer Dale Jenkel said that Mauricio’s and Anne’s speeches were in time.  All table topics participant s were also in time.

Diane Nuss was the ah counter, keeping track of the “ah’s”  and other filler words.  Two people had none.

Grammarian David Bounds kept track of our grammar.  He also captured some great lines in the speeches like Ed Pens’s description of “the heavy air of L. A., Anne’s “lead by example” , or “When your very fears are realized” and  “my new best friend, the cortisone shot”.

Quizmaster Danae Deal, (also filling in at the last minute) tested our listening skills.

Toastmaster Cybele Antonow handed out the awards and recognized our guests.  

The awards were presented to:
Table Topics:  Sherry Londo-Thomas
Best Evaluator:  Maura Thompson
Best Speaker:  Mauricio Cortes

Announcemets:
Area Humorous contest Tuesday October 2  7:00 p.m.
Dues are due


Next meeting is October 4, same time, same place.  If you haven’t been in a while please come back.

Members present:
Dale Jenkel, Darryle Brown, Pete Hazlet, Sherry Londo-Thomas, Diane Nuss, Cybele Antonow, Alan Swartz, Felicia Arambula, Kathy Fortune,  Danae Deal, Anne Tacznowsky, Joel Weismann,  Mauricio Cortes, Maura Thompson, and returning member Ed Pens.  Welcome back, Ed!

Guests: Maria & Gary Thomas, Jonna Castle, and Concetta Palmieri.

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

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes

Colorado Community Church

9/20/2012 Humorous Speech  and Evaluation Contest

A great test speaker and lots of humor were on tap for this very special contest.  We started on time with Sergeant-at-Arms Pete Hazlet calling the meeting to order and a reminder to turn off all cell phones.  He then led us in the pledge of allegiance.  


Chief judge Alan Swartz explained the roles and the timing of speeches.  He also explained how the meeting would progress and introduced Toastmaster Margaret Seyer.

Test Speaker Ousmane Ndoye of Absolutely Articulate gave a speech titled “Stand with No Excuses”.  He told about his life in Africa.  His parents divorced when he was young.  They were poor and he had to live in a compound with his father, who physically abused him.  He found himself on a beach one day kneeling, crying, and asking himself “Is this why I was born?’  He eventually move to the United States for a better life and remembering the words of his grandmother “no excuses”.  He compared them to viruses or mushrooms, spreading everywhere.  In a very riveting and inspiring speech he told us that if you don’t fight them they will destroy everything.

Sergeant-at-Arms Davorka Lipovscak escorted the evaluators from the room for the evaluation contest.   She brought each contestant in for their evaluations of Ousmane’s speech. 

Cybele Antonow was the first evaluator.  She found it heartwarming when he was on the beach crying “Is this why I was born?’  She also liked the analogy of excuses being like a virus that would destroy everything.  Using the sandwich approach, she also offered feedback on what he could do to improve his speech, as well as complimenting him on a great speech.

Evaluator Lee Johnson said Ousmane took us on an emotional journey.  He commented on Ousmane’s analogy comparing excuses to viruses or mushrooms growing here and there.  Lee also offered suggestions in his sandwich approach and commented on a great speech that offered up Abraham Lincoln and Dr Martin Luther King Jr as examples of people who did not use excuses.

Final evaluator Tom Marrs said he was inspired by the speech.  He said it seems like everyone is trying to come up with excuses for why they fail or why things go wrong.  He brought out the point that Ousmane made, saying that he talked back to his excuses and laughed at them.  He too used the sandwich approach in his evaluation by offering suggestions and congratulating Ousmane on a great speech.

The humorous speech contest got under way with Mauricio Cortes revealing his funny side.  In his speech, titled “Coming Out” he started talking about the macho things men like to do.  Men like to watch football, drink kegs of beer and have triple meat pizza from Domino’s.   He then explained that it was time to come out, to reveal something that he really enjoys.... scented candles.  He even brought a few for some of the men and said he has gotten bold enough to burn two different fragrances at the same time.

Just when you thought the sidesplitting laughter was over, Cybele Antonow told us about her time on Fear Factor Live.  She asked “did you ever sign up for something only to ask yourself ‘Why am I doing this”  The first challenge was to walk out on a plank 40 feet up.   She held onto a bar as the plank dropped out from under her, leaving her to hold on.  She had to outlast three other contestants.   This, and another challenge involving retrieving balls wore our president out (not that I could do any better !)! 

Maura Thompson told us about her dream. It starts with winning a table topics contest and being congratulated by President Obama. He would ask her "to be his Boo." (he and Mrs Obama having broke up) and say that he could not will the election with out her impromptu speaking skills.  She would agree,  he would win and her dream would come true as she became Maura Shannon Obama becoming the First Lady and bringing World Peace.

Rick Burton rounded out the comedy portion of the contest with his speech titled “Beauty Transformed”.  He started out with the statement “Beauty is only skin deep”, a line that has been around so long it’s become trite.   We need some new slogans, like “if life hands you a lemon, put it in your bra”. He went on to describe how he adopted the ugliest dog in the shelter but loves him greatly because ..beauty is only skin deep.

Awards went to the following people:

Evaluators:
3rd Place:  Lee Johnson
2nd Place: Cybele Antonow
1st Place: Tom Marrs

Humor:
3rd Place: Mauricio Cortes
2nd Place: Cybele Antonow
1st Place: Maura Thompson


Deborah Frauenfelder offered her congratulations to all who participated.  Cybele Antonow also thanked and acknowledged all who participated.  The D6 Area Contest is Tuesday October 2.

Members present:
Margaret Seyer, Pete Hazlet, Davorka Lipovscak, Zelimir Adamic, Mauricio Cortes, Leo Chen, Deborah Frauenfelder, Dale Jenkel, Cybele Antonow, Tom Marrs, Rick Burton,  Lee Johnson, Felicia Arambula, Alan Swartz, Connie Akins, Maura Thompson, Kathy Fortune, Sherry Thomas, Diane Nuss, & Danae Deal.

Guests included Margaret Seyer Sr, Betty Funderburk, Virginia Deal, Ousmane Ndoye, Curtis Eubanks &  district treasurer Joanna Knot.

Chairperson: Dale Jenkel
Chief Judge: Alan Swartz
Timers: Diane Nuss & Leo Chen
Toastmaster: Margaret Seyer
Sergeant-at-Arms: Davorka Lipovscak & Pete Hazlet
Judges: Curtis Eubanks, Joanna Knot, Felicia Arambula, Connie Akins,&  Deborah Frauenfelder,
Refreshments coordinators: Lee Johnson & Rick Burton
Ballot Counters: Sherry Londo-Thomas & Pete Hazlet (filling in)
Test Speaker: Ousmane Ndoye
_______________________________________________________

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

Simply Speaking Google Group

Simply Speaking Minutes

Colorado Community Church

09/13/2012

The theme for this meeting was “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success”.  

The word of the day was “synergy”: (noun) the interaction of elements that when combined produce a 
total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements.


Deborah Frauenfelder was our Sergeant-at-Arms and she led us in the pledge of allegiance before introducing Toastmaster Gigi De Gala.

Our Inspirator for the evening was Cybele Antonow who reminded us that we are all important and the roles we fill are important.  She left us with this quote from the movie “The Help” “you is kind, you is smart, you is important”’ Amen to that!

Tom Marrs was our first speaker of the evening urging us to be mediocre, most of the world is anyway.  With great speaking skills and a PowerPoint presentation to support him he proved his point and gave us a great speech on how to make an effective PowerPoint presentation.

Connie Akins brought back Jolene with some Pearls of Southern Wisdom.  Jolene assured us she is not an attention hog.  She also said she knew the meaning of “synergy” – sinning with energy!  You've got to hand it to southern women.

Darryle Brown, in speech number three for the evening, presented “Rock the Interview” part 2.  He reminded us that many times the interviewer is just as nervous as the interviewee.  We must see interviews as fact gathering meet and greet.  Be prepared to sell yourself & remember that success is not spontaneous.

Diane Nuss was our Table Topics master and we had some great answers, as well as first time jitters.  Participants included guest & former member Abigail Smucker, as well as guests Erica Beaudrey and Terry Hiden.

General Evaluator Deborah Frauenfelder introduced the evaluators and gave an evaluation of the meeting which started on time after someone mentioned the clock was a little fast.  She also offered her evaluation of the evaluators, noting their strengths as well as offering suggestions.

Kathy Fortune evaluated Tom’s technical speech.  She said she thought it would be like watching paint dry.  She was as surprised as we were that it so humorous.  In her evaluation she kidded him saying “the opposite of a motivational speech, how dare you!”  She also thanked him for making it fun to watch the paint dry.

Dale Jenkel gave kudos to Connie for her humorous speech and noted another one of her great lines “I was born sassy”.  He was greatly impressed with her confidence and at how at ease she was on the stage.

Felicia Arambula evaluated Darryle.   She mentioned that he has a strong voice, as well as a strong presence.  He offered a lot of details in his speech, helpful details such as the interview is an opportunity to see if you’re both a good fit.  She also said she aspires to be like Darryle, to be a rock star and tame those butterflies.

Timer Sherry Thomas said that all participants were in time.

Ah counter Rick Burton kept track of the “ah’s” & other filler words.

Grammarian Pete Hazlet kept track of grammar usage and great lines like “ the opposite of a motivational speech”  while Quizmaster Alan Swartz tested our listening skills.

The awards were presented to:

Table Topics:  guests Abigail Smucker & Erica Beaudrey (YES, a tie)

Best Evaluator:  Felicia Arambula

Best Speaker:  Connie Akins

Announcements:
President Cybele Antonow reminded us there is a humorous speech contest on 9/20, participants need to be there early.  She also reminded us to not speak during speeches, or interrupt speakers during their speeches unless they ask for audience participation.

Treasurer Felicia Arambula reminded us that dues are due.

Next meeting is September 20, Humorous Speech Contest

Members present:
Dale Jenkel, Joe Long,  Darryle Brown, Pete Hazlet, Sherry Londo-Thomas,  Deborah Frauenfelder, Diane Nuss, Gigi De Gala, Cybele Antonow, Alan Swartz, Connie Akins, Tom Marrs, Rick Burton, Felicia Arambula, Kathy Fortune,

Guests: Terry Hiden, Joy Davidson – soon to be a member, Abigail Smucker & her soon to be fiancé Michael David, Brandon Auger & Erica Beaudrey(engaged couple), Jennifer Peele, Rita Ward, & Lachance Pickett(daughter of former member Monica Brown)

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

Simply Speaking Google Group

Ready to pay your dues?

Hello Humorous people!

Our contest is tonight, but you can still pay your dues!  I will be there to collect dues before and after the contest. 

Here is the info:


What: Simply Speaking Toastmasters Membership Dues

When: By 9/30/12

How much: $48 - covers 6 months of membership - what a bargain!

How to pay: You have two options:
1) Bring a check in to the meeting on 9/20 or 9/27 - I will collect all checks.
2) Mail a check to: 19428 E. Crestridge Circle, Centennial, CO 80015

The due date is coming up soon!  Check your budget and pay soon!

~Felicia