Feb. 18, 2014

Post date: Feb 19, 2014 4:44:19 AM

Hello Fellow Toastmasters:

If you missed today’s meeting, you missed a great one. Not only did we have 19 attendees at this meeting but we also welcomed Vicky Ferrer Mustafa, DTM , the Mideast District Governor, a charming and enthusiastic leader, all the way from Jordan. The jam packed meeting started on time with our always enthusiastic President, Eric, who handed the torch to our Toastmaster of the day, Tisha who did a great job of moving the meeting along. All members assigned meeting roles were present so no substitutions were needed which is a testament to our members’ commitment to our club.

After a short explanation of the meeting roles, Vicky took the stage and recounted a memorable story of when she got trapped in an elevator in Las Vegas. But she didn’t panic. Instead, she used her training in Toastmasters to “expect the unexpected” and to remain calm. She expressed how she feels welcome at any Toastmasters meeting anywhere in the world. It’s her extended family. Vicky, it was our pleasure to meet you today. Oh by the way, she did escape that elevator…

We also heard from Fernando Reyes who gave us the Thought of the Day. Fernando told a story of a visit to a foreign country (don’t remember which one). He visited lodging place after place only to find everything completely booked. Finally he found someone who was willing to share his room. Fernando urged us to be compassionate and show kindness to other people who may need our help.

Harry presented a humorous thought of the day. In essence—marry the right woman and you will be complete. Marry the wrong woman and you are done. You have to hear it from the beginning. Honestly…it was funny when Harry said it.

We heard three speeches today. First up was Sonny Gupta who presented his Ice Breaker. Sonny…was that your ice breaker? He did a great job and talked about Conscious Learning—focus on learning the activity (whether it be dancing or speaking) and let go of the end result. That enhances the learning process.

Next Fumiko, our resident geophysicist, told us about a new course she is creating and teaching at UCI and also pointed out how important Toastmasters has been in the process.

Next Doug presented a compelling speech to encourage us to use Social Media to promote the club. He believes it is a great way for the club to remain President’s Distinguished.

Nathan, in charge of Table Topics only had time for one question due to a lack of time, but our guest, David Kline, answered the call and talked about sharing pie. Wish I took better notes on this one…

The three evaluators, Eric, Min, and Margaret all did a great job presenting both positive feedback and areas in which all of the speakers could improve. Our club is lucky to have such experience to draw on.

Margaret was awarded her CL and we took a group picture. Watch for it on Facebook. Margaret, way to go!!!

Tisha reminded us that the club International Speech Contest and Table Topics Contest is next Tuesday. The winners will represent our club at the Area Contest next month. If you would like to participate, email Tisha.

Eric closed the meeting and another successful Toastmasters meeting came to a close. See you all next week!

General Evaluator Dolores Lara

Dolores Lara, CPA

The Hemingway Company