Meeting 772 – 2^nd April 2007 was chaired by Christine Alcott.

The theme of the evening was Easter – and the word of the evening was “Resurrection” – given by our Grammarian of the evening – Michael Stevenson.

Our Toastmaster for the evening was Jan Blyde. There were three speakers for the evening which included an Ice Breaker.

Beth Jobin was first up – with the Ice Breaker. The title of her speech was – “Our Identity – Our Name.” Beth’s speech was warmly evaluated by Alun Chisholm. Kevin Brown was next up – with his number 2 speech “Leaping Into the Unknown” He was evaluated by first time evaluator – Simon Morley. The third and final speaker was – Michael Stevenson – doing his #3. The title of his Speech was “Health and Safety.” Manissha Allabadi gave a warm evaluation of Michael’s speech.

David Aiken was the Table Topics Master – and his topics followed the Easter theme for the evening.

Andrew Day was the Master Evaluator for the evening.

Meeting 773 – 16^th April was chaired by Jan Blyde. The theme of the evening was Red White and Blue.

Our Toastmaster for the evening was Alun Chisholm.. There were three speakers for the evening which included an Ice Breaker.

Carolyn Luey was first up – with her Ice Breaker. The title of her speech was – “What a Difference a Dog Makes.” Christine Alcott warmly evaluated Carolyn’s speech . The second speaker for the evening was – Michael Stevenson. The title of his speech was “52 years Down the Mine.” The evaluator of Michael’s speech was David McArthur. The final speaker was David Parker – doing his number 8. The title of his speech was “How to be an Insurance Broker.” Jan Blyde gave a warm evaluation of David’s speech.

Our Table Topics Master was Alun Chisholm – and his topics lent toward the theme of – red / white / blue with a twist being flags of those colours.

The officer reports were given and David Aiken our Master Evaluator evaluated the meeting as a whole.

The certificates of the evening were handed out.
Best Prepared Speech – David Parker
Best Table Topics – Helen Lambert (a guest)
Best Evaluator – Jan Blyde.

Educational

SURVIVAL GUIDE TO TABLE TOPICS

1 When you first hear the topic, smile. This will help you feel good and look confident.

2 Immediately decide if you strongly like or dislike the topic. Go in that direction, your emotion will fuel your thoughts.

Don’t sit on the fence - watching someone sit on a fence is boring, but watching them jump into the corral and wrestle with a bull is very entertaining.

3 Begin by stating, “There are 3 things which come to mind about this topic” – even if you can’t think of three things when you start. As you speak you will be searching for these three key ideas. This helps give your response apparent structure. If you run out of time to list all three, announce that you will explain more another time.

4 Try the pro/con method. State the pros then state the cons. This may be confusing to the audience about where you stand on the topic. To clarify your position, support one side more than the other. You could even make light of the opposite side but be careful. Sarcasm turns people off and can turn them against you.

5 When your mind goes blank and you don’t know what to say next, smile, look at the audience and then pause. They will review your last words and reflect on how profound they were. The brief pause is powerful, and it gives you time to plan your next words.>

6 If the pause and smile don’t get you going, repeat the topic or your last point in a different way. You could even repeat it more than once. This is like revving your engine. Your thoughts collect, and then suddenly your mouth engages again.

7 Look for a lesson in the word, relate it to a book you’ve read, a TV show, a movie, the daily news, a community project, your work or your hobby.

8 Bring your family into the topic. It is the universal way to relate to people. When you talk about your family, be sure to use their names. It creates a stronger emotional picture for the audience.

9 Use the topic as a pathway to your main message. Politicians do this all the time. Make the transition smooth and the audience will go with you.

10 Use humour. When the audience laughs with you, they relax and so do you.

BONUS TIP: Speak slowly – it gives you more time to think

The Mission of the Club

The mission of a Toastmasters club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

Club Executive

President:

The President is the CEO of the Club who is responsible for the general supervision and operation of the club. He/she oversees a plan to achieve Distinguished Club Program goals and ensure the Club is a Distinguished Club. The President encourages communication & leadership development through the promotion of CTM, ATM, CL, AL and DTM roles; and also ensures the Club has an ongoing membership program.

Vice President Education:

Often known as VP Ed is responsible for planning successful Club meetings in order that each member has the opportunity to achieve their educational goals. Also, the VP Ed plans club meetings, and completes rosters at least three meetings ahead. He/she obtains commitment from members as to when they will complete their CTM’s etc. Member’s progress is also tracked and mentors are assigned to new members.

He /she must ensure the following educationals are done yearly:

• Evaluate to Motivate

• Moments of Truth

• Finding New Members for your Club

• Mentoring.

Vice President Membership :Run ongoing membership building programs. Promote Club and Toastmasters International membership building programs. Follows up on and keeps track of guests, new members joining, and members not attending meetings.

Secretary:

Maintains accurate membership roster and gives it to the treasurer to submit with the dues; mails Club officer list to World Head Quarters within 10 days after the elections; handles general Club correspondence, keeps club files, minutes and correspondence.

Treasurer:

Organises with the bank new signature card and organises dues from members and sends dues to World Headquarters. Works with Vice President Membership to contact members who have not paid their dues; submits new member applications and dues to the Form 400 Officer within 48 hours of receiving them, pays bills as due; keeps records of all financial transactions.

Sergeant at Arms:

Ensures that the room is booked for each scheduled meeting, maintains Club equipment in good working order and checks it after every meeting. Ensures the room is set up 15 minutes before each meeting begins with lectern in place, banners displayed, and name badges are available. Ensures the club has enough Tea and Coffee and on the night remembers the biscuits and milk. Near the end of the meeting collects any ballots and tallies the votes and forwards to the Master Evaluator.

Immediate Past President

Often known as IPP – provides guidance and serves as a resource to Club Officers and members. The IPP chairs the nominating committee, assists in the Preparation of the Club Success Plan and promotes the Club’s efforts to become a Distinguished Club.

Our Club Elections are coming up – at the First Meeting in May. This will be Pakuranga’s Annual Business Meeting. For further information – Please see Alun Chisholm.