Meeting Recap: Jan. 10, 2013 (New Beginnings)

Dear Members and Guests,

APS began the year afresh, ensconced in the Millennium Board Room at Thomson Reuters, our posh - but temporary - new home. The theme was “New Beginnings”and the meeting was inaugurated and conducted by Toastmaster of the Day Gouri Seetharam.  Afresh was the Word of the Day supplied by Grammarian Sandro Fusco. 

Welcome guests were Len Lubarsky, Clive Tracey, Nina Fattahi and Somasundaram.

I exploited my position as Club President to give a leadership speech from the Persuasive Speaking Manual. In “Why Not the Best?” I recounted the brief history of APS, and the standards of excellence that were set at the club’s founding. This year we are working to achieve the highest designation possible - the Club Excellence Award, which includes a Perfect 10 score in the Distinguished Club Program. My Round Robin evaluators gave high marks for my stories and for using pauses that enhanced the delivery. Many found the speech structure to be undefined however, and the call to action unclear. The consensus opinion was that in this speech, the pauses were the best part!

Pamela Burke selected a project from the Humorously Speaking Manual. In “I’m in Love” Pam gushed that she is head over heels for “Evernote,” a software suite for note taking and archiving. She is especially fond of using Evernote within the Apple ecosystem, with which she has had a torrid and passionate affair. EvaluatorBrian Robinson was infatuated with Pam’s creative premise and the many other attractive attributes of this fine speech. Brian then suggested that Pam engage the audience more by asking questions. He also said that she could create more suspense by stringing us along just a little longer before dropping the bomb that her true love is in fact Evernote.

Table Topics Master Len Lubarsky asked provocative questions inspired by the New Beginnings theme. Somasundaram personified new beginnings by answering his first ever Table Topic. Eloise Johnny opined that in life the beginnings are much more important than the endings. According to Christine Navigante, a loved one’s death is a new beginning for those of us who are left behind. Clive Tracey believes that to truly start anew, one has to make the choice to forgive, while Nina Fattahisaid that if living her life over there weren’t many things she would change. Sandro Fusco directly confronted his fear of dogs by getting two of them, and they have become like family.

General Evaluator Georgia Jones expressed appreciation for the beautiful Millennium Board Room, and that all meeting documents and handouts were in place before the meeting started. But she lamented that the APS club banner is still imprisoned downtown at 55 Water Street, a lasting effect of Hurricane Sandy.

The next APS meeting will be our club contest on Wednesday, January 23.

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Todd McKinney

President, Advanced Public Speakers