Meeting Recap: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 (Wanderlust)

Dear APS Members,

Toastmaster of the Day Manuel Saldana was wondering how many of us have “Wanderlust” – the urge to travel. Who would not like to begin an entrada into unexplored territory very soon? Berry Schwartz began his Toastmasters journey as a guest at this meeting, and “Entrada” was the Word of the Day selected by Grammarian Todd McKinney.

“8 Minutes of Your Life” is how much time you lose for each cigarette you smoke. Harry Aneziris told the story of his Father, Dr. Nicholas Aneziris who was a hospital director and among the first physicians in Greece to campaign against the use of cigarettes. He encouraged Harry to move to America and become a scientist. Harry told us to “always be proud of your parents no matter what, for they are among the heroes of the world.” Jacqueline McIntire praised Harry for sharing his important personal story, but suggested that he relax and show more emotion to reflect the sincerity of the message.

David Hamilton says that having a “Checklist” has helped him organize his affairs. Inspired by the book “Checklist Manifesto,” David gave several examples from his everyday life. Todd McKinney admired David’s use of silence, his strong stage presence and his structural repetition of the key word “checklist.” However, Todd was unsure what he wanted the listeners to do because there was no call to action.

Wesley Webster acted out the fable of a Kingdom called Paradise to make us realize that we do have the “Power to Change the World.” Especially if you “reach out and touch somebody’s hand” to make us realize that “we’re all in the same boat.” Chris Sassone enjoyed Wesley’s opening song and his charismatic storytelling ability, but said that adding more humor and pausing for effect would enhance the already substantial message.

Did you ever work hard at something but never achieve success? Derek Chen thought that for him, winning a speech contest would be “Impossible.” Yet Derek kept working at it. After many setbacks, he even caught the attention of the police on the Brooklyn Bridge while yelling “Ho! Ho! Ho!” trying to project his voice. This year Derek won his club, Area and almost his Division humorous contest. Georgia Jones thought that Derek found a winning formula with his opening question and his self-depreciating humor, but recommended speaking more slowly so that key elements of the speech development would be clearly understood.

Table Topics Master Kadisha Currie gave everyone a chance to talk about their travel experiences. For Georgia Jones travel is in her DNA, but walking the 600 mile Camino Frances through parts of France and Spain was a true highlight. Marcelo Braga loves to travel with a small group of friends rather than going it alone. Berry Schwartz remembers being stuck at an airport after missing a flight when he was only fourteen years old. Harry Aneziris finds that Paris, San Francisco and Shanghai are three of his favorite places while Chris Sassone remembers a Metallica concert as an exciting entrada of his younger life.

General Evaluator Marcelo Braga agreed with world champion Lance Miller that no meeting should ever start late, not even by nine minutes. Marcelo liked Kadisha Currie’s Table Topic questions but thought that she should allow more time for the respondents to receive their applause. Before closing the meeting Kadisha asked for announcements, and Todd wanted to thank Manuel Saldana for donating his second AC Bronze award to APS enabling us to become Select Distinguished. Manuel will be giving some leadership presentations at officer training in January and is expected to complete his DTM that month. 

~ - ~ -  ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

Todd McKinney

Secretary, Advanced Public Speakers