Meeting Recap: Wednesday, March 23, 2016 (Fifth Anniversary!)

Dear APS Members,

Everyone loves a birthday party and APS just celebrated its fifth! The first APS meeting took place on March 30, 2011. This fifth anniversary meeting had a special double sided meeting agenda that reproduced the 2011 agenda on the reverse. Of the 2011 members listed, all but one are still with the club today (he moved.) An icing inscribed birthday cake was courtesy of Toastmaster of the Day Neerja Purang and party hats and balloons were supplied by Marcia Berry. Special guests at the fete were Stela Mihneva-Chotalal, Hitomi Kobayashi, Barbara Stallworth, and Rocky Tang. “Fete” was the Word of the Day announced by Grammarian David Graubard who also became the newest APS member.

Charter APS member and 2011 club sponsor Neerja Purang gave a photo slide show to help us celebrate some of the people and events of APS past. Neerja spoke lovingly of many of the key early APS members and of some of the special format meetings that have forged the club character and inspired us on to achieve even higher highs. Neerja said “the sky is the limit for our members, and for APS!”

According to Chris Sassone “One Friend Can Make a Difference.” After some powerful fireworks went in the wrong direction, it was Chris’s childhood friend James who saved him from the clutches of Bart, the local bully.  Speech evaluator Marcia Berry enjoyed the entertainment created by Chris’s vivid language, but then suggested that he employ the literary technique of “foreshadowing,” to alert the listeners in advance that Bart was someone to watch out for.

Are you a fearless speaker? As a child in China, Jinquan Liang had to adapt to many changes when moving to the big city. Jin now believes that “The Fearless Speaker” is someone who can overcome past disappointments to ultimately become proud and take full ownership of who they are. Marcelo Braga liked Jin’s opening question and the personal stories that he used, but wanted him to focus on two main stories only - especially his own.

“Make My Day” is the contest speech by Todd McKinney, where random acts of kindness make the world a happier place. The Round Robin evaluators liked the message, but they suggested dropping the one serious story, using the speaking area, having more content specific body language and that a much stronger opening was required.

What do you expect from an advanced club? Table Topics Master Marcia Berry had questions relating to the “Moments of Truth” for a club that just became five years old. Stela Mihneva would like a club to have advanced members, high energy and be a great place to hear and steal ideas. Barbara Stallworth would like to see a Koala Bear be the APS mascot because they are so cute and lovable while still being vicious competitors. Rocky Tang would like to join Toastmasters for the networking opportunities. Hitomi Kobayashi has been checking out advanced clubs now that she recently earned her CC Award. Marcelo Braga thinks that in twenty years APS will be meeting on a fully booked cruise ship in New York Harbor. If APS were a person, David Graubard envisions a hot babe riding in an exciting hot rod, while Chris Sassone would like to see an APS theme meeting that was organized like a doubles tennis match. The favorite APS memory for Derek Chen is the solid speech feedback he has heard and received that has lifted him to a much higher level. Neerja Purang believes that Derek Chen is the most improved APS speaker now that he is winning contests and his humorous speech stole the show at the Hail & Farewell luncheon.

General Evaluator and charter APS member Harry Aneziris thanked Marcia and Neerja for their festive birthday meeting preparations. He wasn’t happy that the meeting started late and ran over, but liked that most everyone was still present at the end. Harry praised the speakers for their easily relatable topics and singled out the evaluation by Marcia Berry for suggesting the advanced speaking technique of “foreshadowing.” 

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

Todd McKinney

Secretary, Advanced Public Speakers