Meeting Recap: Jan. 28, 2015 (Welcome New Members)

Dear APS Members and Guests,

Toastmaster of the Day Harry Aneziris humorously explained that “Welcome New Members!” was a much more uplifting meeting theme than his original idea – to lament the broken resolutions that have so far piled up. Yes the membership theme is appropriate, because APS has recently enjoyed an increase. Guest Toastmaster comrades in attendance were Rakhi Datta, Deb Leung and Zak Niazi who became the newest APS member.“Comrade” was the Word of the Day offered by Grammarian Todd McKinney.

Sheryl Berger’s young adult son has recently become a member of “The Millennial Boomerang Club.” He is once again living at home and Sheryl is grappling with how to best handle it. Speech Evaluator Marcia Berry loved Sheryl’s humor and engaging speaking style, but wanted more clarity on the speech message and call to action. What were the listeners intended to do?

Do you remember your first love? That question was posed by Bill Dwyer as an introduction to his personal remembrance “What Would You Do?” Todd McKinney liked the universal theme and Bill’s obvious sincerity. He then suggested enhancing the imagery with vivid descriptive language, and integrating questions throughout the speech, not just at the opening and closing.

In “Blessing in Disguise,” Brian Robinson showed how to turn a setback into a setup for future success, providing examples from his own life and even some from audience members. Harry Aneziris praised the relatable topic and Brian’s ability to deliver it, but suggested ramping up the motivational excitement so that the speech will have an even greater impact and truly achieve its purpose.

Marcia Berry offered three concrete suggestions to “Lose Weight the Easy Way” - have slender friends, get more sleep to burn more calories and frontload your food intake by eating more earlier in the day.  Jacqueline McIntyre couldn’t argue with Marcia’s facts or her persuasive style, but she did ask her to make use of the entire speaking area and possibly include some visual aids to illustrate her main points.

Table Topics Master Georgia Jones had questions inspired by the recent Miss Universe Pageant. Could a Toastmaster give a better answer than a beauty contestant? The answer seemed to be yes, as long as they were at an APS meeting! Rakhi Datta volunteered that she realized the need to join Toastmasters after she spoke to a large group at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Her Toastmasters experience has clearly paid off. Donating part of an organ to help save his brother’s life has made Bill Dwyer a big believer in that procedure. Deb Leungrevealed that she likes to take notes at a Toastmasters meeting so she can review the many valuable things she has heard. Zak Niazi first visited APS two years ago but was disappointed to learn that he could not be a member until he earned his CC Award. Zak did exactly that as a dedicated member of Queens Best, and he has now joined APS.

General Evaluator Jacqueline McIntyre led her team - Timer Georgia Jones and Grammarian Todd McKinney – in a segment where all were successful in being concise.

The APS club contests will be on February 12. Please contact Contest Chair Pam Burke if you would like to volunteer as a contest official. burke.pamela.r@gmail.com

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Todd McKinney

VP Education, Advanced Public Speakers