Fabulous First time Chair

What a fabulous meeting on 17 March! Jinny did a superb job in her first time as Toastmaster of the Night, I think it was a real adrenalin rush for her. Congratulations Jinny. It was great to see 5 guests back for another session.

Mike as timekeeper outlined how the timing works at the start of the meeting, and how the Ah Counter role is performed. Mike reported Katina was the most restrained in using um’s and ah’s.

Vicki as Grammarian presented the word of the day – abstinence or abstain – and outlined its common usages. She was also looking forward to hearing unusual words and phrases during the meeting. Vicki reported that nearly everyone used the word at least once. She pointed out some wonderful phrases used by speakers which she enjoyed.

Rach as Table Topics Mistress presented her theme and invited guests to think on the spot, and respond to the question. She encouraged speakers to be brave and creative. Topics included having no social media for a month, celebratory food, hardest habit to give up, other people’s generosity, fairy godmother wishes, near death experiences, personal challenges, showing resilience and being generous to someone else.

Priyanka evaluated table topics and said that the talent in the room was real and no-one “abstained” from giving it a go. She said she was impressed with how speakers understood the topic and how courageous everyone was. She also noticed that some speakers used the “rule of 3” with examples. She advised new speakers to take a moment to think of a response to the topic with a clear introduction, body and conclusion. Priyanka also recommended speakers use body language and vocal variety to add life to their speeches.

Best table topics speaker was Kamilla.

Speech 1 – by Ash who was practising his humorous contest speech. Evaluator Ron used his time to provide feedback against the judge’s criteria. And he gave Ash 82/100.

We farewell Jocelyn, a long-time Toastmaster who has decided to move on to new adventures, and we wish her well.

Sandie took on the role of memory master and got to send the chocolate Favourites flying.

If you are interested in finding out how Toastmasters works, then give us a call or email us on spinnaker@toastmasters.org.nz. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 7 April, and we’d love to welcome you to our club.