Meeting Recap: Feb. 26, 2014 (Winterbound)

Dear APS Members and Guests,

Toastmaster of the Day Georgia Jones was inspired by the relentlessly frigid weather to choose“Winterbound” as the meeting theme. Georgia also provided appropriate poetic interludes throughout the meeting. No members have yet suffered frostbite however, and many were busy attending to Area and District responsibilities. Welcome guests included Justin Thomas, Louis Chesney, Hongyi Zhou, and Elena Macaluso who served as Grammarian. Jacqueline McIntyre was the Timer, and also became the newest APS member. “Frostbite” was the Word of the Day chosen by Manuel Saldana.

Manuel was the first speaker with “Forgiveness,” a speech that asks the question: “how many times should one forgive”. Manuel proposed that there be no limit. Speech Evaluator Gouri Seetharam loved the message, but suggested a more energetic delivery and that Manuel include at least one personal story of forgiveness from his own life.

Derek Chen followed up with “Road to Nowhere,” his tale of perseverance and ultimate success as a stranger in the strange land of Toronto, Canada. Derek’s message: Don’t give up! Manuel Saldana liked Derek’s powerful personal story, but wanted better internal transitions and more powerful catch phrases (punch lines) in the introduction and conclusion.

“A Modern Day Hero” and “New Year’s Revolution” are the current contest speeches by Harry Aneziris andTodd McKinney respectively. Both received evaluations in the Round Robin format and both elicited similar feedback: Make the message clearer, include more of your own personal experience, and greater energy and eye contact were needed.

Harry Aneziris then ran a Table Topics session where each question was derived from the answer of the previous respondent. Preetam Sirur revealed that he would rather be sailing in the British Virgin Islands,Elena Macaluso spoke fondly of her home in Sacramento California, Justin Thomas spoke of being inspired by the majesty of Yosemite and Louis Chesney would never be without his camera because he is an avid photographer. Hongyi Zhou said that rather give than receive a gift on her birthday, she would prefer to give one to her parents because they have given her the gift of life.

General Evaluator Christine Navigante called for reports from her team, conducted the Round Robin evaluations and offered a comprehensive report on the entire meeting – including Georgia’s selected quotes:

Blow, blow, thou winter wind. Thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude;

Though thou the waters warp, thy sting is not so sharp, as friend remember’d not.

– William Shakespeare

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Todd McKinney

VP Education, Advanced Public Speakers