The Silly Season

Angela chaired most of the meeting but had to take off early, handing over to Ian to wrap up.

Table Topics by Kathy was looking for a story around the topic of celebrations. Here’s my notes:

Dave – New Year – Dave went to the pub with his mates then went to the river to cool off. A golden summer’s day that went on and on, and then he had to go back to work.

Dirk – Waitangi Day – Not being from NZ this was a new holiday to enjoy, along with drinking beers and having friends over.

Angela – Chinese New Year – Nothing to say about this holiday, never ever celebrated it. But enjoys Diwali Festivals – dances, food stalls, and Indian culture.

Nico – Diwali – Changed to Chinese Lantern Festival in Christchurch at Hagley Park, memorable because she went with siblings and took a stunning photo of her brother lit up all in red which is now framed.

Dale – QEII Memorial Day – Never met the queen but has seen her several times, the first time when she was 9 years old.

Jacqui – Halloween – Jacqui saw the Zombie rehabilitation centre in Tawa, and the queue waiting to get their lollies.

Paul – Thanksgiving – Told story of how his son wouldn’t eat a dropped ice cream (don’t blame him either!)

Speaker 1 was Ian, introduced by Jacqui. Ian was doing a speech from the Level 2 Presentation Mastery Pathway, titled Two years of Toastmasters. Ian claims he is a lot more confident than he was two years ago when he first joined, and jumps at the opportunity to ply his newfound craft at work. Now he recommends Toastmasters to others. Then he had to give a conference speech that was a bit out of the normal, challenging, and memorable. Toastmasters provides you with confidence, ability to handle tricky situations, and how to be yourself. Evaluator Jacqui thought that Ian delivered a brilliant speech which showcased his Toastmasters skills.

Speaker 3 was Darrell who gave us an icebreaker called “Why am I here, why are you?”. Evaluator Dale said that this was the first time she had heard Darrell’s history in public speaking, and she was impressed. To challenge himself for his next speech, Darrell should keep up the jokes and anecdotes because she finds them fascinating. She always loves listening to Darrell and he never fails to intrigue her with his wit and humour.

Best speaker – Ian
Best table topics – Angela

If you would like to be involved in a Spinnaker meeting, just contact us. We’ve got one more meeting this year, on 15 November, before we break for Christmas. Start your New Year’s Resolution early!