Racquenteurs Newsletter
Racquenteurs Toastmasters Vancouver Public Speaking Club #9740, District #21 - British Columbia
Monday June 8th, 2009
Spunk was the theme for the evening on Monday night, and boy did Graham bring it. As Toastmaster, he started us off with a super introduction about the meaning and origin, as we all looked on with fascination.
Throughout the entire evening, Graham wowed us with his professionalism.
There was little time for the business meeting, so we jumped into a creative story telling table topics from Kathleen. Everyone had a bunch of fun as they dug deep to conjure up an extemporaneous tag team of “explain the conclusion”.
After a well deserved break, Cary showed us about the spirit of giving to our most precious, less fortunate of BC. She commanded our attention from the onset. Throughout her composed, heart-felt delivery, Cary reinforced her points with an excellent visual display via PowerPoint. Super Job Cary!
The next one up was the always spunky Rick. Following a deep breath, he was once again a possessed man. No notes, no lectern…no matter. Rick delivered and we are not talking mail folks. He came up roaring like a lion protecting his meal! In extra dramatic fashion, he told us about the three mega trends that will affect our lives in the near future. Thanks again Rick for your fun filled take on “the world according to Rick”.
The last speaker of the evening was Sean. He switched gears for this one. Instead of being his clever, yet humourous self, he made way for the serious Sean to surface. When did it come from?
Sean made an apologetic, yet sincere appeal to a hostile group of reporters concerning a company crisis. In the end, Sean put the crowd at ease through his diplomatic charm and elegance as he carefully tip toed around the minefield of intimidating reporters. Well done Sean!
Moving on to the top spots for the evening… Rick walked away as the best speak while Marc won best Table Topics. We had a tie for best evaluator, going to Rodney and Gord.
That is the way it went for Monday night at Racquenteurs.
See you next week for another thrilling evening at Racquenteurs Toastmasters as we end the session for the year with a good down home party! Monday April 27th, 2009
Racquenteurs started fast and furious as Dave roared to the front of a packed house to reveal the evening’s Theme… Cars.
In typical teacher fashion, Dave educated us on the history of cars, while keeping everyone shoulder-checking to see who would answer the next question throughout his exuberant introduction.
Dave switched gears with ease as he facilitated the meeting and handled the changes along the way. Toastmaster Dave certainly showed his mileage. Great Job!
During our business meeting, Gee, our newest member took the pledge as the next Racquenteur. Congratulations!
The newly formed executive was elected for 2009-2010 and I’m thrilled to say that we have another strong leadership team to carry us forward through the next year.
Following the break, Dave switched his motor in really high gear. He explained the communication and leadership tracks before we were treated to three different, yet equally impressive speeches.
First up was Kelly. Commanding, yet comfortably poised to deliver her best speech so far!
Firing on all pistons and sporting a large bowl of Skittles, the group was inspired by her presence. With a combination of stone solid focus and tender warmth, Kelly exposed the stark reality affecting the unemployed in BC. She ended her presentation on a sweet note by sharing her candy with the group. Spectacular speech Kelly! We all feel a little bit better.
Next up was the king of corn, Sean. With Samson-like strength, minus the long hair he disclosed the recent controversy around mixed martial arts and the UFC in Vancouver. Instead of corn, Sean's menu included a plethora of objective facts, backed by stunning visuals and sincere resolve. As his message drew to a close, spirited debate ensued. An interesting topic and lively discussion… Thanks Sean!
Anchoring the speech line up was Kathleen. We were immediately engaged by her clever opening, quick wit and playful verbiage. She touched us emotionally through her light-hearted insight concerning the relationship with her mother. Ending the speech with a number tender of photos gave us a deeper insight into her world, horses and her caring mother. It was a beautiful a speech Kathleen.
Following the evaluations, we discovered that Kelly earned a well deserved victory for best speaker while Denise secured her place in the record books by taking home top evaluator for the evening. Well done… and I am not talking steak!
Get ready for next week as it promises to be another exciting evening with your friendly neighbourhood to Toastmasters group…Racquenteurs!
April 20th, 2009 April 20th did not bring April showers to Racquenteurs Monday evening. Instead, Marc introduced us to a joyous evening of excitement, thrills and most importantly… friendship. As it turns out, the best ship to have is friendship, right MJ? We were treated to a super slide show of Marc’s Australian adventures with his long time friend. There was plenty of sun, surfing, sharks and the carefree thrills during his college days. It was an excellent way to launch the meeting. Throughout the meeting Marc managed the meeting and many changes with the elegance and grace of a reindeer in a Scottish forest. A good theme equals a good time at Racquenteurs! Suann took over on short notice for Rodney as the Table topics master. She stayed on task with the theme, while including toastmasters and guests to participate. Graham took over to evaluate the Table Topics. He didn’t disappoint as he revealed a number of useful insights as only a DTM would. After the break, Marc engaged us again as he powered through the requirements to achieve our communication and leadership goals. The first speaker of the evening was Denise. Without notes in hand or a lectern for comfort, she launched a verbal lightning storm of enthusiasm, charm & suspense. Thor would be jealous from above! Employing an orchestra of sounds and pitch, while demonstrating her gymnast-like dexterity enriched body gestures, Denise brought us with her on her journeys through Cambodia, Greece and other exotic lands. We salivated buckets at the chance of being there, while conscience of the potential nightmares to avoid as a traveler. Tremendous job Denise and congratulations to you for earning your Advanced Communicator Bronze award! Equally impressive, yet much different in style was Beth with her brilliantly organized, heart wrenching speech from Stephen Lewis. It was an emotional, captivating & powerful speech as seen through the eyes of humanitarian, delivered by a true humanitarian in Beth. Using several advanced speaking techniques, Beth had our hearts and minds in her grasp as she shared the devastating affects of Aids on the less fortunate. Her message was a piercing reminder that we as privileged inhabitants can help make a difference in our world. Amazing once again Beth! As the meeting drew to a close, there really could be no winner for best speaker. However, Gord snatched the top prize for Table topics of the night. Sean earned best evaluator. Be sure to join us next week for another original Racquenteurs experience as we feature a new line up of speakers. We will be voting in the new executive for 2009-2010 & still looking at nominations for Sergeant at Arms. See you next week for another thrilling evening at Racquenteurs Toastmasters!
Monday April 6th, 2009 The international speech contest has come to Racquenteurs and left in a flash. Graham and Michelle did a fantastic job with their speeches and deserve a big congratulation for their fine effort. This evening we had a busy time indeed! MJ started us off as the toastmaster with the incredible theme of renewal. It was the perfect start to a super evening as spring is in the air…Everyone wore a smile throughout the evening. MJ succeeded as she transitioned from role to role with ease, making us feel happy to be back to the regular meeting. Graham did an excellent job in replacing Rodney as the table topics master on short notice.
There were 5 wonderful speeches this evening, which was started by Kelly. She did a super job as she revealed the inner world of working with the colourful people in her workplace. She came on stage, took charge and had us entertained throughout by using several advanced techniques of vocal variety and body language to enhance the experience. Thanks Kelly! Next we were treated to a speech from Karen Newman. She explained why boys should not be afraid to sing. She delivered with a lot of passion as she wowed us using her vocal variety as well. As always, Karen was composed and charming as we appreciated her words of wisdom to encourage the boys to belt it. After Karen, Rick stormed the stage with an entertaining speech about his trip in Greece with his daughter. He was fully engaging, while humourous and light-hearted. His dramatic re enactment really brought us into his adventurous journey. Again, we were delighted to see Rick’s fun side. The fourth speaker was Hailund. She gave us a play by play of her recent trip to Cuba. Some might say she sold us on going. It was a fabulous speech detailing the many activities she was involved with, including the places she visited. Her descriptive illustrations were breath taking. Hailund was exciting, animated and made us all want to be with her. Wonderful speech! Michelle was the last speaker of the evening. She did an incredible monologue through the eyes of a confused and emotional 19 year old. We were all literally hanging on to each word. She expressed a side that we all had not experienced before. Thank you for pushing the envelope once again Michelle. The best table topic speaker of the evening went to Patrice. Gord took top prize for his excellent evaluation and Michelle walked away as the best speaker. Congratulations to all of you! The meeting was fast, entertaining and fun! We will meet next in two weeks to see Marc in action as the Toastmaster. The theme is “Bring a friend”, so let’s all see if we can pack the room! We are looking forward to seeing you all after Easter and Passover for another exciting adventure at Racquenteurs on April 20th.
March 16th, 2009
Monday evening stated off with an introduction about the economy from our resident Toastmaster, Gord. He did a fantastic job as he explained the challenges and possibilities as we face our local economic situation. This evening was particularly challenging as he had several changes to address prior to the meeting. Gord handled the Toastmaster role with superior expertise as everyone enjoyed themselves and the meeting flew by on time.
This week was packed with speeches. Sean started the speeches with a discussion about the importance of having a balanced lifestyle. It was well organized, and the use of visual aids was amazing. Thanks Sean!
Kathleen took the stage last minute to describe the debacle associated public speaking. It was an excellent performance…Well done Kathleen.
Rodney then played a video which described how to give a professional speech. We all learned a lot. A wonderful educational experience… Rodney is on a roll!
We were then treated to a terrific story by Beth. Everyone was awe inspired as she read and maintained eye contact throughout. It was one of those speeches that we just didn’t want to end. Smiles all around Beth!
MJ took the stage and delivered an educational run down on the new Social Media phenomenon, Twitter. It was relevant and interesting for all. We are looking forward to your next presentation MJ.
There was no time for table topics on Monday due to all of the speeches. However, top speech went to a well deserving Beth. Graham took 1st prize for best evaluator. Well done everyone!
Come out next Monday at 7:00 pm week for another exciting evening at Racquenteurs Toastmasters!
March 9th, 2009 Racquenteurs
served up an incredible event on Monday as we held our Speech and Evaluation
contest. Everyone was treated an amazing display of talent among a packed the
house. Sean was the chair for the meeting. He flew through the rules & regulations just prior to the speech contest and made sure that the meeting ran smoothly and ended on time. All speech
contestants put their hand in the hat to see who would present first. As it
turned out, Dave began the contest with an endearing speech about his wonderful
Nana. He revealed a sentimental story about their relationship which touched us
all. He was kind enough to bring some homemade cookies too! Thanks for sharing
Dave! Karen then came on the scene as she delivered a serious, yet memorable discussion about the warning signs of Invetro pregnancy. She had a wonderful array of beautiful pictures to enhance her speech. Her use of the floor space was absolutely superb. Well done Karen. Graham
took the baton from Karen as the last speech contestant for the evening. He gave
a humorous speech about his life a retiree. He moved from moment to moment with
bold hand gestures and witty comments as he captivated the crowd. It was another
excellent speech from our resident DTM. The meeting kicked into high gear as the speech segment transformed into the evaluation contest. Barry, our double DTM guest from Politically Speaking started us off with an inspirational speech detailing his inner voice. He spoke of his drive to forge ahead to be at his very best. This message resonated well throughout the room as the audience was truly inspired by his words of wisdom. Kathleen
drew first lance, as she courageously took a stab at her very first evaluation
contest so far. She was confident, composed and gracious as she revealed her thoughts
about Barry’s inspirational speech. Her infectious smile, open hand gestures
and thoughtful praise were on target. Well done Kathleen! It then was Marc’s turn to shine under the Racquenteurs lights as he appeared on stage. We all gravitated to his alluring words. He revealed a methodical, well planned evaluation of Barry’s speech. He swaggered across the floor to use the space to his advantage. He presented with strong hand gestures and a powerful presence to end his emphatic evaluation. Excellent job Marc! Michelle elegantly
walked through the door and took center stages to present her evaluation. Her compliments
were matched by her suggestions for improvement. She wowed us with a possessed outbreak
of eye opening body language and incredible seat shifting vocal variety.
Michelle advised and performed her way through an unforgettable evaluation. Do
it to it Michelle! During the interviews we learned a lot about our resident Racquenteurs performers and the guest speaker Barry. The audience cheered with uncontrollable, tissue flailing laughter as the contestants answered questions during the table Topics type session. Although
there were six amazing contestants, in the end, there was only room for one
winner in each category. Top prize for the speech contest went to Graham. Michelle
snatched her way to victory in the evaluation contest. With an extra special thanks to the Racquenteurs for acting as pillars of stability and organization in making for a wonderful evening. Thank you to Dave, Michelle, Mani, Sean and all the judges, timers and Sergeant at Arms for all your efforts. Stay tuned for the area speech contest on March 30th at Racquenteurs as Michelle and Graham do us proud! See you next week for our regular meeting. March 2nd, 2009 Monday evening came and went as quick as a wink. Wendy’s theme as toastmaster was hats of course. Wendy started the evening in fine form as she treated us to a wonderful string of stories relating to her favorite hats. She kept the meeting rolling along from role to role as we all engaged in learning, laughter and fun. Hats off to you Wendy! Suann conducted the business meeting with professionalism as she called for the executive reports from Andrei. MJ read the minutes from the last business meeting as well. Andrei
presented a different version of table topics this evening, as he was perhaps
more compassionate than most. He gave people the “heads up” when they were
called upon to deliver. And boy did they! Andrei was particularly clever as he
elegantly incorporated the hat theme into his questions. Nice spin Andrei! After a brief introduction of the Toastmaster’s Communication and Leadership track from Wendy, the speakers took the stage. First up was Umang. He discussed the importance of resolutions and how they have changed his life. Way to go Umang! Next up was Kathleen with her second speech from the Toastmasters CC Manual. As usual she was composed and relaxed as her speech flowed through the room like popcorn in a movie. Thanks Kathleen, looking forward to number three! The last speaker of the evening was Rodney, with a twenty minute speech on overcoming challenges through three stories. His heart warming speech touched us all. Some were even drawn to tears. Excellent speech Rodney! As the evening wound down much like a turn of the century clock, a drum roll signaled our esteemed winners for the evening. Sam was the winner for best table topics, while Rodney hammered out a win for best speaker and Marc decimated the floor with his superb evaluation…One of the best at Racquenteurs so far Marc. Congratulations to our winners! A final reminder to everyone…the club speech and evaluation contest takes place at the next meeting, on Monday March 9th. So come out and join the fun that can only be experienced at Racquenteurs! February 23, 2009 Our fellow Toastmasters rolled up their sleeves as the meeting began on time. Karen immediately took control as she introduced the theme, Vancouver. It was appropriate as we all live, work and play in this wonderful city. Karen was relaxed, professional and enthusiastic as she navigated through the roles to make for a super evening. Thanks Karen!
We certainly had a busy night of scheduled speeches, so there was no time for Table Topics or a business meeting…
Sam was the first speaker of the evening. He took us through a frightening experience as he recounted a near death experience from his flying days. As he explained the events, he used a variety of gestures and props to help us experience the flight. Well done Sam, you’re on a roll!
The next speaker was Rick. As usual, he entertained us as he spoke about the days of yester year in his Morris with the removable floor boards. He twisted and turned his way through a humorous speech which we all were definitely engaged in. Excellent job Rick!
Dave took over to illustrate his serious side. He let us all in on the bid for the whitecaps stadium which may not see the light of day. Through a descriptive array of PowerPoint visuals, he clearly emphasized the importance of working together at all levels. Thanks for the insights Dave!
It was now up to Suann to deliver an award to Lois. Yes, Suann delivered a super speech as she let us in on how Lois positively impacted the lives and people in Mexico. Suann was sincere, graceful and warm as she acknowledged Lois by giving her a beautiful plaque. Another wonderful speech Suann!
In true form, Lois kindly accepted the award from Suann. Through her acceptance, Lois thoughtfully treated us to an incredible description of the pleasurable experiences she had in Techachalco, Mexico. You go girl!
Lois and Suann received top status for best speaker, while our esteemed president Marc walked away with the award for best evaluator.
As the last minutes of the meeting ticked away, Dave announced that he and Michelle would participate in the speaking contest… but we still need a few other volunteers to help with the meeting.
When all is said and done, we wrap up another excellent Monday evening adventure at Racquenteurs. Be sure to join us next week when Wendy takes the stage as resident Toastmaster.
February 16th, 2009
Another Monday night of Toastmasters at Racquenteurs has come and gone in what some would call a flash.
Mani sprung into action as the esteemed Toastmaster of the evening with his theme…Traffic. There was no honking or yelling here folks. You were treated to an evening of fun, as he navigated through the roles on time without any accidents. Excellent job Mani!
During the business meeting, we instated our newest member Cary… Welcome aboard, we are glad to have you!
Hailund took control of the floor with the first speech of the night, as she served up a full dose of advertising which we all can relate to. She was poised, calm and delivered the right message to the right audience. Super job Hailund!
Beth took the baton from Hailund as she presented a beautiful poem while incorporating touching anecdotes and visual aids to highlight her father. It was a wonderfully prepared speech which touched us all. We thank you Beth.
Next up, was our very own Rodney presenting a talk show with fellow guest and DTM John Hawkins. Rodney was sharp, well dressed and interviewed much like the great Larry King Live, minus the suspenders of course. Excellent presentation Rodney!
Ending the speeches, we were treated to a radio talk show from our seasoned veteran…the king of corn, Sean. He explained the importance of Toastmasters in the community and how one can get involved. We appreciate the reinforcement Sean!
As the traffic lights shined, we acknowledged our superstars…The best Table Topics award went to the Club President, Marc.
The best evaluator was presented to Rick, and Beth took home the best speech award.
In announcments, Dave and Michelle are looking for volunteers to help out and contestants to participate in the speech contest on March 9th. Please contribute if you can.
We look forward to seeing everyone next week as Karen takes the stage as Toastmaster…Don’t miss it for anything!
February 9th, 2009
Monday evening was a treat! Rick started us off with a double roll of Sergeant at Arms and Toastmaster for the evening. Talk about doing a double duty. His theme was Graffiti. It proved to be a colourful theme which prompted artistic discussion and some frivolous debate.
As the evening forged ahead, Hailund kept us on our toes with an excellent string of questions during Table Topics. Her questions brought out the artistic side in all of us… Well done Hailund!
After a much deserved break, Rick explained the speaking program. The first speaker was Patrice. She launched into it full force as she flew through her second speech in the CC manual. Super job Patrice!
Next we had Karen serving up a culinary surprise for her fifth speech in the CC manual. She incorporated the grace and elegance one would only expect when dining with the Queen. Excellent Karen!
The 3rd speaker was Kelly. She entertained us with her vocal variety and body language to emphasize her speech No.5 as well in the CC manual. That was swell Kelly, swell!
The winner for best speech was Karen, while Sean walked away as best evaluator. The winner for table was Mr. High tech, Rodney of course.
Michelle appealed to the group as she encouraged members to participate in the club speech contest, which is coming soon.
Also, don’t forget about the Area Toastmasters Conference in Whistler this year, which kicks off in mid May. Stay tuned for more details next Monday as we meet, 7:00 pm sharp at our famous Racquenteurs Toastmasters Club…
February 2, 2009
Once again we showed up for another exciting evening at Racquenteurs! Denise got everyone’s attention with her sweet introduction to the fun filled theme of the evening…Groundhog Day.
The theme was backed by a message, only to be sealed with a double dose of Hershey’s Kisses! February 2nd was shaping up to be another super evening. Need I say more? Yes, I think I will.
Wendy took charge of the group as she facilitated the business meeting with professionalism, mixed with a dash of laughter for good measure.
Sam jumped in two feet forward to give us his insights about the days as a film consultant, a picture in Africa and the demanding directors of the illustrious movie industry. Good job on breaking the ice with your first speech. We are all looking forward to your next kick at the can. I know you will make a dent!
Dave took over with a hilarious speech concerning the woes of a less than perfect job interview. We were all at the edge of our seats to what he was going to say next. Well done Dave! Mani stepped up to reveal his thoughts on Groundhog Day. It was another entertaining speech as he detailed the parallels of our proud, powerful Canadian groundhogs to the American eagle and the Russian bear. They don’t stand a chance against the groundhog…Mani showed us why. Disco!
Michelle made it known that she was possessed by Winston Churchill for the evening. Sending chills throughout our bodies, she urged the crowd to join the battle while sporting a cigar for her efforts. Call the exorcist! Where did Michelle go? It was a certainly a memorable speech Michelle gave to close the evening of speeches. Thanks again Michelle! True to form Beth won the prize of best evaluator, while Michelle became herself again upon collecting the win for best speech of the evening! We closed the meeting down with a reminder of two important events coming up. We are opening the international speech and evaluation contest in early April and the Toastmasters International conference will be held mid May in Whistler this year. Come along next weekend for more details and another exciting evening of Toastmasters at Racquenteurs!
January 26th, 2009
Another successful meeting is in the books, as we say! It was a super meeting with fun had by all. Sean, the resident Toastmaster and self professed “King of Corn” kicked the meeting off with an opening speech describing the theme of the week, Styles.
MJ took charge last minute to step in as the Table Topics Master for the meeting. She busted through a barrage of questions, leaving us all entertained through her composure, confidence and charm. MJ delivers and we are not talking pizza!
Lois launched into the second half of the meeting by demonstrating a compassionate, yet cheerful award speech to Suann…Well done Lois!
Without skipping a beat, Suann graciously accepted the award. At times, she had us frantically searching for a parka as she vividly described the tribulations endured in the icy waters required for her honour. Super job Suann.
Wendy took the floor and hammered home an entertaining, yet educational speech from the Better Speakers Series. We learned how to effectively open a speech through her visual display of suggestions. Wendy made the PowerPoint her friend for the evening…she may have even pulled of the phone number. Fantastic, thanks for the tips Wendy!
Marc owned the top shelf in table topics, while Wendy cat clawed her way to victory as best speaker. Graham catapulted his way over, way over, the wall to earn the #1 evaluator for the evening.
Marc closed the meeting by reminding us of the upcoming speech contest. He drove the point home by asking for volunteers to help judge and chair the event. Send him an email soon to be involved.
We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week & invite guests to see what it’s all about at Racquenteurs.
January 19th, 2009
MJ started the meeting as our resident toastmaster by introducing the theme winter fun. The meeting was exactly that…Fun. Marc and David launched into the re-gift auction where collectively, we generated a healthy sum for the club. Who needs credit cards when you have cash in the hand I always say.
Mani kicked off the speeches by teaching us the finer pints of intellectual arguing, as he wowed us with a flurry of counters to fallacies by using superior logic. Excellent Mani! Kelly took the baton in fine form as she described the greatest contributor to the Oxford Dictionary. It was an entertaining speech with elements of satisfying humour for all to enjoy. Well done Kelly! Sean was the final speaker of the evening. He gave a lighthearted, educational speech about nervous energy and 3 important tools we can use for speaking excellence. As always, Sean delivered with passion!
The best table topics went to Graham, while Karen hammered out a victory for the best Evaluator. Sean pulled a rabbit out of a hat to claim best speaker for the evening. Super job done by all!
After the dust settled as the meeting came to a close, we were reminded once again by Rodney to claim our speeches from his computer and to prepare for the international speech contest in late March.
Next week we will see what Sean has up his as he ushers in the theme of the evening with Styles!
January 12th, 2009
Welcome back everyone for the first meeting of 2009. The evening started of with a bang and continued strong the whole way through.
There was a packed house on Monday led by our Toastmaster Lois. Her game was certainly on during this fun filled, entertaining evening which can only be experienced at Racquenteurs.
She introduced the theme of the evening: Highlights. Lois kept the meeting moving with superior transitions as she maneuvered from one role to the next. There were many highlights on Monday, that’s for sure. Well done Lois!
Michelle kept us on task with a brief business meeting just prior to the speeches.
We had five wonderful speeches. Patrice gave a strong icebreaker, followed by two first-class speeches on body language from Andrei and Margarita. Dave gave us a super show on demonstrations, while Denise kicked it into high gear; I mean real high gear… as she jumped in last minute to wow us with her interactive display of verbal excellence.
Denise wrangled in the best speaker prize, while MJ powered her way to victory with an amazing evaluation.
We were also pleased to have four guests join us, with two considering joining. Why wouldn’t they?
See you next Monday for what promises to be another incredible evening at Racquenteurs.
December 15th, 2008
The last meeting of the 2008 year!! Michelle took charge as Toastmaster of our meeting tonight with the theme of "Gift-Giving". She got everyone talking about their most memorable and favourite gifts. Marc led Table Topics following with the Christmas theme and choosing great topics to get members to discuss. Kelly was our only speaker today giving a fanastic speech on finding optimism in online dating. She gave all the single people in the room a little hope by telling us all how she found love online. Our second half of the meeting today was led by the social committee of Rick and Denise with a fun musical presentation and Christmas celebration before the holidays. A big thank you to all the members who brought food and snacks!!
Best Table Topics: Laura
Our first meeting of 2009 will be Monday, January 12th - we look forward to seeing you all there!
December 8th, 2008 Margarita came out on Monday evening with the theme of The Purpose of Life. It was a thought provoking theme which prompted stimulating conversation for all. During our business meeting, Sean Moss was voted in as the new VP of Public Relations. Mani was also voted in as the new VP of Finance We all enjoyed three incredible speeches. Beth started us off with a super presentation on the causes of stress, the potential health implications and why we all need to reduce negative stress in our lives. Well Done Beth! Kathleen, one of our newer members took the bull by the horns on short notice to wow us with her ice-breaker speech. She explained why she decided to join our fantastic club. Wonderful courage, great start! Rodney took the baton to close the speeches as he presented a heartfelt press conference on the impact of being a organ donor. Nicely done! Winner, winner chicken dinner! Not for best speaker this evening…However, Marc won for best Evaluator and the best table topics went to our busy new member Kathleen. Get ready for a change up next week as we complete the last meeting for 2008. Come out and join us for a ½ meeting of speeches followed by our annual Christmas bash… Members are reminded to bring finger food; baking or any other goodies that you would like to share…See you on December 15th
December 1st Andrei, the self-proclaimed Realist, was the Toastmaster for the evening and led with "Optimism" as the theme for the evening. November 24th Rodney was the TM for the evening and led us a night of "Adventure." Members shared some of our most memorable adventures throughout the meeting.
November 17th Laura led us today with the topic of music. She was able to get everyone grooving to their favourite song. Margarita led Table Topics and did a fabulous job of bringing the music theme to life by asking members to listen to a song and then she asked questions based on the song. I think it was the best table topics session yet! Hailund started our speeches off with a talk on ballroom dancing titled "Shall We Dance". Graham stepped in and gave us an educational speech on breath and voice and Rodney finished everything off with a powerful sales presentation entitled "Creating Eager Buyers".
Best Table Topics: Mani Best Speech: Graham Best Evalutor: Lois
Next week Rodney leads us into "Adventure".
November 10th Marc our president was also our Toastmaster tonight taking us on a record breaking meeting with the topic of "World Records". He got everyone discussing the most interesting and most disgusting World Records and after much debate -the man with the most piercings won weirdest World Record. Laura led Table Topics getting back to the old way of picking unsuspecting individuals and getting them to talk for a minute and a half. Our speakers tonight were fabulous led by Ryan on his trade, paper, originals speech on publishing. Rick captured everyone's attention with his speech about his journey down the Oregon Coast and Rodney finished things off tonight with his speech the Leader as a Coach.
Best Table Topics: Graham Best Speech: Rick Best Evaluator: Denise
Next week Laura takes us on a musical journey with "Music".
November 3rd
Grant did a fabulous job today as his first time being Toastmaster. Our theme today was "Art" and Grant was able to get everyone reflecting on the importance of "Art" in their lives. Collette led Table Topics using the theme of "Art" she had someone draw a picture and another person put on the spot as the artist explaining the beauty of their work. Umang started off the speeches tonight with his Icebreaker speech - always a great way to get to know someone. Laura gave an emotional speech on a friend with cancer. Rodney and Beth both had beautfiul powerpoint presentations where Rodney talked about being a Visionary Leader and Beth taught us how to empty our suitcases.
Best Table Topics: Marc Best Speech: Beth Best Evaluator: MJ
Marc leads us next week with "World Records".
October 27th Rodney was the Toastmaster today, taking over the room and consuming everyone's thoughts with the topic of "Love". Stephen was in charge of Table Topics were he tried to create a more realistic life situation by giving everyone a couple minutes to think about their topic before they had to speak. We had 4 fabulous speeches tonight, starting off with a very funny Denise taking us through different lessons she has learned through the different stages in her life. Mani, our newest Racquenteur gave us an insight to himself with his icebreaker speech. Andrei gave us a fabulous book review and Lois finished things off with a roast on her dad. Best Table Topics: Graham Best Speech: Denise Best Evaluator: Suann Next week Grant will lead our session with "Art".
October 20th
Denise was the Toastmaster and had everyone volunteering their tips for "Email Etiquette." We all shared some of the faux pas of hitting the Send button too early.
Denise also picked up the role of Table Topics Master and had a new twist on the theme by having each speaker continue the story from the previous person. Speeches for the night were from Dave, who talked about how ones professional career can take over ones life. Yatendra experienced Yoga for this first time this summer and he shared some of the benefits of the practice. Ryan spoke about his mini obsession with Scrabble. MJ spoke tongue-in-cheek about the only-in-Vancouver phenomenon of the Vancouver Special. Best Table Topics - Marc Best Speaker - MJ Best Evaluator - Beth Yatendra has a family emergency so Rodney will be taking over as TM and is running with Yatendra's theme of "Love."
October 6th
Michelle F. was our Toastmaster for the evening with a cheeky TBA theme which got everyone thinking about 3 letter words that stand for something significant. Mani was sworn in as our newest Racquenteurs Toastmasters member. Marc did a fabulous job leading Table Topics today switching the normal table topics up with a fun alphabet partner session - it was so fun we had extra time at the end and continued playing!! We only had two speeches for the night Rodney led the speeches off with his vision to inspire at Toastmasters and make Toastmasters more IT friendly. Sean was the second speech of the night and led us through a step-by-step process to ensure our club is the best it can be in the Successful Club Series.
Winners for the night... Best Table Topics: Su-Ann and David Best Speech: There were only 2 speeches tonight so we do not vote. Best Evaluator: Graham
Next week Denise is on stage with Female Etiquette being the topic!
September 29th
Kelly led our Toastmasters session today by engaging everyone in conversation about being outside your comfort zone. In table topics today Yatendra put five individuals on the spot, with MJ taking the crown for best table topics speech. Laura started the speeches off with a story about her best friend's wedding and the emotional speech she was able to give because of the confience she has gained through Toastmasters. Dave took us on a thrill-ride telling us a story and letting us choose: Do you freak or do you chill? And finally Marc finished up the speeches today as well as completing his Competent Commuicator manual with a speech by inspiring us as a club to be the best. Congratulations Marc!
Best Table Topics: MJ Best Speech: Marc Best Evaluator: Graham
Michelle F. is our Toastmaster next week with "TBA" as her theme.
September 22nd
Marc chaired the Table Topics and Humorous competition. Suann was the chief judge.
September 15th
Suann was the Toastmaster for the evening and got us to think about our a-Ha moments.
September 8, 2008
A great start to our Toastmasters 2008-2009 season started today with Beth Sukha-Barker as our Toastmaster teaching us "About Face"; an attiude change or change in opinion on a position, direction or principle. Beth did a fabulous job of engaging the group (most of us still feeling the effects of summer) and sparking some great discussion about life epiphanies and people's personal "about face" realizations. Andrei started the new speech season off with a great speech on computer viruses while Dave stunned us all with a heartfilled speech about his personal health. Rodney finished the speeches off teaching us about great speech openings and the importance of capturing an audience at the beginning of a speech. The evaluators for the night were Stephan, Michelle and Suann-all doing a fabulous job!
Winners for the night... Best Table Topics: Lisa Best Speech: Rodney Best Evaluator: Michelle
"AH-HA" is the theme for next week as Suann takes the stage!
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June 16, 2008
The final meeting for the 2007-2008 season was full of " Laughter " as Suann was TM for the night. It was another packed house on a warm night and 7 guests were present.
Michelle was Table Topics Master and put our Job Interview skills to the test. Sean's confusing diatribe was funny enough to elicit him best TT vote.
The new executive was sworn in by Past-President Sean.
In the speech segment Marc told us why we should fire our financial investor. Rodney completed #10 ACB and reminded us of our journey from beginner to advanced in the CC manual. Graham motivated and inspired us to focus on Drive, Discipline and Determination to determine our destiny.
Lois presented the awards for;
Rookie of the Year: Yatendra
Toastmaster of the Year: Rodney
Congratulations to these members for meeting their goals for this year:
Rick: CC Competent Communicator
Stuart: CC Competent Communicator
Stephan: CC Competent Communicator
Lois: CL Competent Leader
Lois: ALB Advanced Leader Bronze
Wendy: ACS Advanced Communicator Silver
Michelle F: ACB Advanced Communicator Bronze
Rodney: ACB Advanced Communicator Bronze
And winners for tonight were...
Best Table Topics: Sean
Best Speech: Graham
Best Evaluator: Wendy
See you at the Summer BBQ!
June 09, 2008
A packed house tonight as we had 8 guests. Rick was the the TM with the theme " It's a small world." Rick had great introduction to the night as he explained where the term Six degrees of separation came from.
Six speakers this evening: Yatendra passionately shared that one's attitude is the most important characteristic in life. Sean role-played with Beth and showed the benefits of assertiveness. Rodney had us all laughing as he literally fell in the aisle. Heather talked about appealing to the youth in today's work market. Andrei spoke about the effects of big-box businesses in our neighbourhoods. Lois reminded us about our Toastmaster promises to the club and how they can benefit us personally.
Amazing evaluations tonight from Beth, Suann, Colette, Graham, MJ and Michelle F.
Best Speech: Rodney
Best Evaluator: Beth
Next week is our last meeting, and we are aiming to finish early.
Suann will have us all " Laughing "
June 02, 2008
Margarita showed us a great time by starting out meeting off with a little dancing. We got a small taste of what her fun family reunions are like in Venezeula, with a video of her dancing family. Beth led our table topics duscussion where Lisa, MJ, Kelly, Grant, Michelle and our guest Eva took the stage. Laura did her second speech on the endless opportunities that she has in her future. Michelle did a fabulous speech on The Little Prince dedicating her speech to her dad and brother who joined our group today as guests. Our last speech was Wendy who entertained us with her Turtle acceptance speech completing her ATM-B portion of Toastmasters. Lois led the evaluations where MJ, Lisa and Collette all gave excellent reviews on the speeches they were covering.
Best Table Topics: MJ
Best Evaluator: Lisa
Best Speech: Wendy
Next TM is Rick
May 26, 2008
Michelle F. was the Toastmaster and started the evening with a theme of 'Reading'. We had a great meeting with 3 speeches. An icebreaker by Kelly McKeown, a speech by Michelle Castillo and a moving, inspirational #10 CC speech by Stephan Malherbe. Suanne stepped in at the last minute with Table Topics. Penny, Heather and Beth all did super evaluations & Beth ended up taking the prize for best Evaluator. Rick won best Table Topics & Stuart did a super job as General Evaluator.
Rick announced that summer BBQ will be on the 19th of July.
Best Table Topics: Rick
Best Evaluator: Beth
Margarita is the next TM with the theme "Dancing"
May 12, 2008
Spring was in full effect as MJ's theme was 'flowers.' MJ even brought in flowers for every body. Tonight we had 1 guest.
David performed his Icebreaker and shared his love for architectural design and city planning. Sean taught us 9 steps to becoming an effective coach. Michelle shared a story about Elizabeth I. Stuart inspired us with his 10th speech regarding his friend's legacy after losing a battle with Hodgkin's.
Congratulations to David for finishing his Icebreaker and Stuart for completing the Competent Communicator Manual.
Elections were held this evening and your 2008-2009 executives are:
President - Marc
VP Business - MJ
VP Finance - Lisa
VP Education - Michelle F.
VP Public Relations - Laura
VP Membership - Rodney
VP Sargent at Arms - Rick
Past President - Lois
Best Speech: Stuart
Best Evaluator: Wendy, Colette ( Tie )
Next Monday is a holiday and May 26th will be hosted by Shoko.
May 05, 2008
Iraj, as TM, had everyone dreaming about their next vacation.
There were no guests tonight but it was a full house with very high attendance.
Andrei did an amazing Icebreaker, as he was already speaking without the use of notes! He shared his love of music and the association of music with his childhood memories growing up in Russia.
Wendy performed a mock award ceremony and honoured her personal trainer.
Best Table Topics: Rick
Best Evaluator: Beth, Stephan ( Tie )
Next week MJ is at the helm, with the theme: Flowers
The summer BBQ will be hosted by Rick on Saturday July 26th. Party committee includes Kelly, Laura and Yatendra.
Apr 28, 2008
Tonight was full of endless positive energy as our positive thinking bellwether Toastmaster for the evening was Beth.
Racquenteurs was recognized as one of the top 10 clubs in BC in the membership drive. Lois has two DVD's that members can borrow from last year's speech contests.
Laura gave her Icebreaker last night and it is obvious that she will quickly become a great speaker. Marc showed us how iGoogle can help us get things done and stay organized. Stuart inspired us to make sure our private identity is never compromised.
Best Table Topics: Ryan
Best Evaluator: Rick
If you would like to run for the executive next year send an email Sean's way. Becoming an executive member is another fantastic resource for developing your leadership skills. We will also have a new Executive position which will handle all our new a/v equipment.
Next week's Toastmaster is Iraj
Apr 21, 2008
Michelle F. was the Toastmaster and shared with us her love for "Photography." Two guests were present this evening.
Sean taught us steps for conflict resolution. Rodney shared an inspirational story about a handicapped boy's dream to play baseball. Michelle told about her world travels with her Icebreaker. Yatendra shared the three R's to leaving a legacy behind. Wendy had us all laughing by 'roasting' men.
Best Speech: Wendy
Best Evaluator: Suann
Apr 14, 2008
Lois' theme for the evening was "Babies." Despite the fact that Lois said she would never have a baby, she shared some pictures of her beloved nieces and nephews. Andrej was sworn in as the newest member, and there was one guest present this evening.
There was no Table Topics tonight as lots of speeches are getting finished with only a couple months to go remaining in the season.
Ryan shared his thoughts on non-violent conflict resolution.MJ talked about writer's block. Rodney theorized how there really are aliens out there. Michelle continued her story-telling and this time brought an extra level of emotion. Rick performed his 10th speech and spoke of the great orator Winston Churchill. Rick achieved Competent Communicator level tonight. Congratulations Rick!
Best Speech: Rick, Michelle F ( Tie )
Best Evaluator: Suann
Next week Michelle F is Toastmaster with the theme "Photography."
Apr 07, 2008
Congrats to both Beth and Marc, both of whom placed 3rd at the Area contest on Sunday. Beth changed her speech quite a bit and put on an amazing performance. Beth thanked the members for all their suggestions in preparation for the competition. Marc placed 3rd in the Evaluator competition. Roger Killen, the guest speaker at the Racquenteurs contest, finished 1st in the evaluation contest, and 2nd in the speaker category.
Graham's theme for Monday night was "Re-birth". Graham shared his personal experience of re-birth as he has almost completely recovered from his stroke 6 months ago!
Three guests were present for the evening and Laura was inducted into the club.
Grant performed exemplary in his Icebreaker tonight. Congratulations on taking your first step. Margarita shared some emotional stories about her family, and Marc went 'From Moronic to Mnemonic" and taught us about memory aids.
Best Table Topics: Suann
Best Evaluator: Beth
Next week Lois is the TM with the theme " Babies "
Mar 31, 2008
Colette had the aptly named theme '"Switch It Up", as the evening featured six speakers. Two guests were present this evening and Michelle was the latest to officially join Racquenteurs.
The business meeting, curated by Suann, passed the motion for the club to purchase a video camera.
Heather's speech was about breaking the golden rule. Stephan gave us three things to remember when living healthy. Michelle practiced her story-telling skills. Sean role-played his negotiation skills in procuring a raise at work. Lisa compared sisters cities to Vancouver that were reducing their carbon footprint. Rodney stepped up his inspirational speaking style.
Best Speech: Stephan
Best Evaluator: Marc
Marc and Beth will be competing this Sunday at the Speech and Evaluator contest. The contest will be held at 11:00 am on Sunday, April 6th at Grays Park Community House located at 4850 St. Catherine's Street (corner of 33rd Avenue).
Next week's Toastmaster is Graham with the theme "Re-birth".
Mar 17, 2008
Tonight was a more formal evening as the annual Speech and Evaluation Contest was held. Hosts for the evening were Colette and Michelle.
Guest speaker was Roger from the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Club
Evaluator Contest:
1st place: Marc
2nd place: Lois
3rd place: MJ
Beth, Rodney and Dave all performed amazing, inspiring speeches. Unfortunately Dave went over the alloted time so he was disqualified.
Speech Contest:
1st place: Beth
2nd place: Rodney
Congratulations to Marc and Beth who will be representing Racquenteurs at the Regional Contest on April 6th.
Mar 10, 2008
With our clocks sprung forward, Stuart fittingly led the night with the fun theme "Sleep." One guest was present and Kelly was inducted into the club.
Rick shared his passion for his old English car and Rodney practiced his sales skills using participants from the club.
Best Table Topics: Colette
Best Evaluator: Marc
Next week is the Club Contest and it promises to be a fun night.
Mar 03, 2008
Fresh from a beach vacation, Lisa was Toastmaster with the theme "Life is a Beach". We all reminisced about where we would like to go on our next beach vacation.
Tonight was the inauguration for our newest member David. Kelly announced that she will probably join next week as well.
Ryan gave his icebreaker and talked about his potential career change to training and/or teaching. Margarita inspired us to think about making a will. Iraj told us about how a manager can learn from a gangster leader.
Best Table Topics: Marc
Best Evaluator: Beth
Next week Stuart is the TM with the theme "Sleep"
Feb 25, 2008
Best Speech: Denise
Best Table Topics: Rick
Best Evaluator: Sean
Feb 18, 2008
Flu season has hit the club with full force, but that didn't stop members from having a fun night. Suann had a very original theme with " Aunts and Uncles " and everyone shared some favourite moments about their respective influential Aunt or Uncle in their life. 2 guests were present for the evening.
MJ had a fantastic icebreaker and talked about her love of photography and art. Stephan also had an icebreaker ( although far from his first speech ) and gave us some great insight to his family life and why he is part of Toastmasters. Michelle took her storytelling skills to the next level and shared with us her trip to Paris with her friend Maynard.
Best Table Topics: Denise
Best Evaluator: Marc
Next week Rick is Toastmaster.
Feb 11, 2008
Denise was Toastmaster and led a fun evening based on the theme " Shoes ". Three guests were present this evening.
Michelle tossed the pulpit aside and showed off some impressive storytelling skills. Beth enlightened us to what the meaning of Chakra is.
Best Table Topics: Wendy
Best Evaluator: Rodney
Special congratulations are in order for Michelle who completed her Advanced Bronze Communication.
Next week Suann will be TM with the theme " Aunts and Uncles ".
Feb 04, 2008
Sean was Toastmaster for the evening, and based on his recent nightmare with his computer had the theme: Technology: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. We also had a new member voting-in ceremony as Grant decided to join the club.
Shoko had the first speech of the night and spoke eloquently about childhood. Marc got over the ugly part of technology and gave an entertaining visual presentation about the effects of corn on our diet. Rodney showed us some sales skills, specifically selling Racquenteurs to new members.
Best Table Topics: Heather
Best Speech: Marc
Best Evaluator: Beth
Next week Denise is at the helm, with the theme: Shoes
Jan 28, 2008
It was another packed house tonight as there were 7 guests in the house. Last week's guest, Ryan, made the quick jump and decided to join the club this week. Ryan was voted in unanimously by the club. Dave juggled Sergeant at Arms and Toastmaster roles with humour and announced the theme of childhood memories.
Penny gave her icebreaker tonight and showed that she already looks like a seasoned veteran. We are all looking forward to more from Penny. Heather also showed great skill considering it was only her second speech. Heather talked about avalanches.
Rodney announced that if anyone has a 5-7 minute speech, they can use his audio recording device, which he can convert into .mp3. This will be a nice resource until we buy a digital camera.
Best Table Topics: Wendy, Beth ( Tie )
Best Evaluator: Marc
Next week Sean is Toastmaster.
Jan 21, 2008
Toastmaster Marc tied in one of his personal goals for 2008 and talked about Clutter. De-cluttering old Christmas gifts in a re-gift auction was another highlight of the night. Over $160 was raised towards the purchase of a Digital Video Camera for the club. It was once again a packed house as 6 guests were present. The other guest, Ming Gu, was sworn in as a new member. Welcome to the club Ming Gu!
Undoubtedly, the guests and Ming Gu were entertained by Rick and Sean who both gave very professional speeches. Rick talked about baseball, and Sean gave a mini-seminar on the 4 stages of talking to a stranger.
Next week's theme is Childhood Memories. Dave will be at the helm.
Jan 14, 2008
The first night of the 2008 was a packed house as members were eager to get the year going on the right foot. 4 guests were also present. Graham was the Toastmaster and coaxed us to focus on our Toastmasters goals for the year. As Graham remarked; don't say " I think I will " say " I am going to!"
Lois continued the theme in her speech and talked about the club goals and how each individual contributes to that collective goal. Rodney touched on the controversial subject of Religion vs. Science. Denise pulled out a last minute speech and inspired us with her story of her ups and downs when she first joined Racquenteurs.
Best Table Topics: Stephan
Best Speech: Denise
Best Evaluator: Rick
Next week remember to bring your Christmas gift rejects for the re-gifting auction. We will be raising funds for a new video camera for the club.
Marc is the Toastmaster and the theme is "Clutter"
Dec10,2007
The last meeting of 2007 involved a shortened agenda as we celebrated the holidays with food and games. Denise was the Toastmaster for the night, and the members shared their tips for dealing with the holiday stress.
Stuart and Stephan were very informative with their speeches. Stuart talked about different performance enhancing drugs to complete speech #7. Stephan gave us several key Power Point tips as he used the projector as a visual aid to complete speech #8.
Check out some photos from the party. Margarita did a great job of setting up a game which got us all mingling quickly.
The first meeting of 2008 is January 14th.
Dec 03, 2007
Toastmaster Rick couldn't have timed his topic for the night any better. After a weekend of snow in Vancouver we were ready to reminisce about the Southern Hemisphere. Apparently, a lot of us have been to Australia. Rick even got us to share some romantic memories that we associated with spring.
Yatendra performed his speech #3, about sustainable happiness and Hailund worked on speech #4 which was regarding her wine-tasting experiences.
Best Table Topics: Graham
Next week is our last meeting for 2007. After the speeches, we will end early and partake in some socializing and games. Please bring a small snack to share.
Nov 26, 2007
Michelle got us in the early Christmas spirit as the theme for the evening was about Christmas shopping. Somehow Lois has finished her shopping already. Wow!
Margarita had her ice-breaker tonight and as Wendy put it, she was a ringer, looking like a seasoned pro already.
Colette got us thinking about our roles in the club as Colette is now pursuing her Advanced Bronze course.
Rodney acted out some role-playing with Suann and showed us the importance of listening during sales meetings. The Q&A period could have lasted a long time as all the sales gurus in the club perked up with great interest.
Graham gave us an inspiring speech about his 'stroke of luck' and emphasised how important it is to enunciate and slowwww down. Welcome back Graham!
Best Table Topics: Denise, Sean ( Tie )
Best Evaluator: Wendy
Next week Rick is at the helm with the theme: The Southern Hemisphere
Nov 19, 2007
Our past club president Sean, as the evenings Toastmaster, used the theme of Mystery to get us thinking about the mysteries of life, the universe and everything. Mystery, along with mystical and supernatural, percolated through the meeting.
The evening was highlighted by the induction of our latest new member; Stephan. Additionally there were 4 guests present for the evening.
One of our newest members, Heather, gave her first speech. We all got to know her through her shoes; runners, loafers and hiking shoes. Great speech Heather! Michelle gave her final AC-Bronze speech. Congratulations Michelle! Rick tried to persuade us that weekends should be abolished and let us pick our own days off.....floating weekends....hmmm.
Best Table Topics: Dave
Best Evaluator: Denise
The next meeting is November 26th.
Nov 05, 2007
President Lois introduced Toastmaster Lois and initiated a very interesting night where we all got to know a bit more about each other's home town.
The evening was also highlighted by the induction of our latest new member; Penny. Additionally there were 5 guests present for the evening.
Speakers for the evening were Rodney and Michelle, who are both working on their Advanced Communicator Manual.
Best Table Topics: Sean, Hillary ( tie )
Best Evaluator: Wendy
Reminder that there is no meeting next week because of Rememberance Day. The next meeting is November 19th.
Oct 29, 2007
Kristina, decked out as a cow-girl, led a fun-filled Halloween night. One guest was present this evening, and also got into the spirit by dressing up. Check out some photos from the night.
Both speakers for the evening, Hillary and Sean, shared what Toastmasters meant to them, and inspired us to re-examine our personal and club goals. Unfortunately for us, Kristina decided that she could not commit fully to the club in the near future. Kristina did promise she would be back some day. Who are we going to get our health tips from now?
Best Table Topics: Rick
Next week's Toastmaster is Lois with the theme "Your home town"
Oct 22, 2007
Two new members joined us tonight. A big welcome to Margarita and Heather! Four guests were also present this evening.
Toastmaster Dave set the evening off right with " You are what you wear??" and challenged members to think of their favourite comfy wear and most embarrassing outfits.
Denise also introduced a new challenging twist in Table Topics with a grab bag of clothing props.
Speakers Kristina, Stuart and Rodney did a fantastic job and kept everyone highly entertained and motivated.
As Suann exclaimed at the end of the evening, the best anti-aging medicine is a dose of smiles at Racquenteurs.
Best Table Topics: Michelle
Best Speech: Stuart
Next week is a Halloween theme with Kristina at the helm.
Oct 15, 2007
Congratulations to Inger and Rick, as they both placed 2nd at last week's contest!
Rodney hosted tonight's meeting with the theme " Why is the sky blue? " It was a night about our curiosity. 2 guests were present.
Yatendra, Hailund and Michelle shared marvelous speeches with us. Dave and Michelle embarked in a hilarious role-playing segment during MIchelle's talk about dealing with conflict.
Best Table Topics: Sean
Best Speech: Michelle
Best Evaluator: Lois and Karen ( tie )
Next week Dave hosts a night called " You are what you wear??"
Oct 1, 2007
Black cats and ladders were the order of the evening as Stuart hosted a night of Superstitions. There were 7 guests present and it looked like Heather decided to join.
We had a great speech #4 from Karen, who talked about enjoying the journey. Dave entertained us with an Alaskan cruise from the eyes of a 16 year old. Rick did a practice run of his Humorous speech entitled " Notes for Dummies, " and received valuable feedback from everyone to take it to the next level.
There is no meeting next week, but be sure to support Inger and Rick next Thursday in the competition.
Best Table Topics: Marc
Sept 24, 2007
Loishosted the Table Topics and Humorous speech contest. The Table Topics subject was " The Vancouver Civic Strike ".
1st place: Inger
2nd place: Marc
3rd place: Michelle
Rodney, Graham and Rick competed in the Humor contest. Rodney talked about teenagers from another world, Graham shared his experiences driving in Riyadh, and Rick compared speaking from different types of notes.
1st place: Rick
2nd place Graham
3rd place: Rodney
Next week, Stuart has his first go as Toastmaster with the theme: "Superstitions"
Sept 17, 2007
Wendy was the Toastmaster for the evening with the personal theme " Advice for a nervous flier " as she is heading off to London in a couple weeks and the nerves were already hitting her hard. Hopefully Wendy gained some valuable feedback from the seasoned travelers.
Tom Jones, the local area governor was in attendance along with another record 7 guests. We are going to need these guests to join as there were a few sad departures announced. Katherine, Lise and Inger all shared that they would be moving on to other ventures in their lives.
Best Speech - Tom Jones
Best Table Topics - Katherine
Next week is the Humour and Table Topics competition
Sept 10, 2007
Lise started off the year with a bang as our first Toastmaster with the theme " A New Beginning". Five guests attended our first meeting, and most of them remarked they would be back again.
Best Table Topics - Colette
Best Evaluator - Denise
Next week's Toastmaster is Wendy, with the theme: " What is your advice for a nervous flier?"
June 11, 2007
Congratulations to the following Racquenteurs for your achievements in reaching the next level as a Toastmaster!
Beth = ACB (Advanced Communicator Bronze)
Lois = CC (Competent Communicator)
Rodney = CC (Competent Communicator)
Inger = CC (Competent Communicator)
Colette = CC (Competent Communicator)