Dale chaired Spinnaker’s 17 February meeting, with 4 guests attending. It was a fun interesting meeting with lots of love and laughter.

Angela gave her International Speech as a test, and this was evaluated by Megan and Jinny as practice for the Area Evaluation Contest coming up shortly. Angela took copious notes and the two evaluators picked up on different aspects of Angela’s speech in their feedback. It’s always useful to get more than one evaluation on a speech to hear a variety of impressions and ideas for improvement. That’s what Toastmasters is all about!

Table Topics by Katina had a varied theme of Valentines and Emergencies. Valentines speakers had to decide between modern versus old-fashioned Valentines, with most opting for old-fashioned. Emergency speakers had to name the ONE thing they would most definitely put in their grab bag if they had to evacuate their home. We had hard drives, a scarf, golf clubs and precious photographs. I have found a small bottle of whiskey is a great addition to your emergency kit – you never know when you need it! Jinny was awarded the Best Table Topics speaker.

Table Topics Evaluator Dieter suggested the following tips:

• start with a question
• avoid filler words
• use pauses for effect
• use body language for emphasis
• ensure you use the full two minutes to best advantage to keep the story going.

One thing you need to be good at during the Memory Master’s segment is either catching or ducking the flying chocolates! Say no more!

Megan was awarded the Best Contribution of the meeting.

If you are interested in coming along to our Toastmasters meetings then contact us on spinnaker@toastmasters.org.nz to let us know. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 3 March at 7.30 pm.