Meeting Recap: Thursday, June 9, 2016 (New Leaders)

Dear APS Members,

Out with the old, and in with the new! “New Leaders” was the theme as APS elected a new slate of officers for the 2016-2017 Toastmasters year. Toastmaster of the Day and outgoing President Marcia Berry ran the meeting and the election. “Quorum” was the Word of the Day introduced by Marcia, who also served as Grammarian.

After a discussion of relevant issues by members present, the 2016-2017 officer team was elected:

President - Harry Aneziris

VP Education - Lisa Qu

VP Membership - Neerja Purang

VP Public Relations - Jinquan Liang

Secretary - Todd McKinney

Treasurer - Derek Chen

Have you ever won the lottery? Harry Aneziris believes that “Hey, You Never Know.” Harry made light of the fact that Todd McKinney had once asked the same question in a District contest speech, not expecting any affirmative answers. Yet there was a lottery winner present, a Toastmaster named Donna, who as Harry later discovered was already rich in familial love. The ultimate lessons were that values matter more than money, and that if you are to be a successful speaker, you need to know your audience. Speech Evaluator Neerja Purang admired the well crafted message and the tie in to Todd’s lottery speech, but asked that Harry tone down his sometimes overbearingly loud vocal modulations.

New York is a crowded city! Have you ever been pushed? “Don’t Push Me” says Derek Chen, but he is grateful to his Mother, who pushed him to being accepted at one of China’s top universities. Now Derek pushes himself, like on a mountain climbing trip in China where he overcame altitude sickness by visualizing the ultimate goal, just as he hopes to do in Toastmasters. Marcia Berry noted that Derek has become a masterful speaker by learning from his previous evaluations. Great message, stories and delivery leave only accent reduction as the unexplored path to the mountain top.

“Harnessing the Power of Speech” is the way to truly benefit your listeners. Kelvin Davis says that caring for the audience is better than considering, and after reading The Great Gatsby seven times Kelvin has learned that advanced speakers should read a lot, listen to great speeches and collaborate with peers. Lisa Qu liked the unique content and the advice that Kelvin offered, but suggested adding additional details to deepen the emotion. Speaking with more power and authority and would also enhance the persuasion.

Table Topics Master Todd McKinney asked the new APS Top 3 if they had any thoughts about their new roles. President elect Harry Aneziris said DCP is not the only goal, but the club needs good attendance and productive meetings. When Lisa Qu served as VP Education for American Express, now known as World Financial, membership grew to large numbers but she advised against splitting the club. Neerja Purang would like to see APS adopt a social media presence and continue the tradition of special event meetings to generate excitement.

General Evaluator Todd McKinney was glad there was time for a brief discussion before the election took place. He also praised the evaluation by Lisa Qu for being direct, concise and substantial.

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Todd McKinney

Secretary, Advanced Public Speakers