Meeting Recap: Jan. 8, 2015 (Happy New Year!)

Dear APS Members and Guests,

APS President and Toastmaster of the Day Georgia Jones welcomed the members, the guests and the New Year with outstretched arms, a gigantic smile, and by proclaiming “Happy New Year!” three times for extra enthusiastic effect. While the ball dropped on the pristine APS New Year, guest revelers at the bash were Steve Alexander, Sergei Shveduke and Len Lubarsky. “Pristine” was the Word of the Day offered by Grammarian Todd McKinney.

This spring Georgia Jones will be taking “A Very, Very Long Walk.” As an exercise in spiritual growth, Georgia will become a pilgrim on the Camino do Santiago (Way of Saint James,) walking from southern France to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. Speech Evaluator Derek Chen praised Georgia’s outgoing speaking style but wanted more humor and emotional content. Derek also reminded everyone to never cast our eyes to the floor when addressing the audience.

“The Underground Guru” was Marcia Berry’s humorous tribute to Brian Robinson and his book “How to Meet Women on the Subway.” Marcia dug deep into the many facets of the book. Harry Aneziris admired Marcia’s expert delivery, detailed preparation and clever use of props, but said that her unrestrained laughter during the speech was a distraction that lessened the impact of the presentation.

Brian Robinson used humor and personal stories of career disappointment to deliver his motivational message to “Shake It Off.” Pam Burke commended Brian’s strong call to action and his ability to create visual imagery; however she wanted more pauses to enhance drama and emotion, and pointed out that any speaker who refers to their speech as hastily prepared will only undermine their own credibility.

A visit to the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit provided inspiration for Todd McKinney to wonder “Can We Really Change the World?” The answer turned out to be yes - if we have the passion of a Henry Ford, Steve Jobs or Rosa Parks, all of whose accomplishments were on display. Sheryl Berger liked the message and the examples provided, but thought that the humorous call to action for everyone to eat more tofu did not provide the serious ending required by the speech.

Table Topics Master Harry Aneziris called for predictions based on months of the New Year. Len Lubarsky agreed that everyone should be eating more tofu and thought it could become a major trend. This year could represent a paradigm shift, but Myron Tucker still wants people to share their gifts with the world. Hackers may try to crash the financial system but Steve Alexander is optimistic that people will work together to resolve the problem. Steve Brady will be facing challenges caring for his Mother but said that he will be there to help whatever it takes.

General Evaluator Myron Tucker had positive feedback for everyone, especially Pam Burke for incorporating body language into her comprehensive speech evaluation. However Myron reminded the evaluators to maintain a strong structure by using the well-proven “sandwich approach.”

Todd McKinney

VP Education, Advanced Public Speakers