August 5, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Greetings. Nice of you to drop by. Meeting minutes follow. 

Ann was our Toastmaster and started the meeting promptly at 6:30 AM, but there was a slight delay and rearrangement to the expected agenda. So, things really didn't start rolling until 6:45 AM. Technically, the late start was due to me (Josie) not setting up all the wires (projector, computer, screen and Internet connection) in time for the meeting start. There was a PowerPoint presentation on the agenda! No wonder we don't do this often! There are many details to love, especially that all-important detail of allowing enough time for computers to do what they do best... ;-). Still, in spite of the setback and late start, the presentation happened with just a few glitches involving power cords and sound.  The Early Risers made it happen in a supportive and fun way. Thanks for your patience, everyone. 

Attending: Kelly, Ann, Stephanie, Jane, Claire, Laura, Tony, Theo, Donna, Lee D., Daohua, and Josie

The Theme: Staying Positive. Attendees shared some great ideas for how they stay positive--everything from embracing adversity and deep feeling to taking walks, eating nice meals, and doing "extreme" ironing.

Announcements: Upcoming Competitions in September, and the 50th Anniversary of the Early Risers Toastmasters. Stay tuned for more details.

Awards for this meeting: 

Best Table Topics: Donna

Best Evaluation: Claire

Best Speech: The HPL Panel: Stephanie, Jane, and Kelly

Speeches:

1. Josie, "Dwell in Possibility: Yes, we're blogging meetings," speech #4 in Competent Communication manual, 8 to 10 minutes; evaluated by Claire

2. HPL Panel members Kelly, Stephanie and Jane, moderated by Claire, "Mentoring Resources for Early Risers Toastmasters"; High Performance Leadership project completion, 20 minutes. This panel went over the goals and accomplishments of the project as well as notes on the process, which seemed to be satisfying and positive for all. Of note, some very positive things came out of this project: mentoring resources and guidelines which will be available to members soon; the Mentoring Coordinator role, whose main task is to assist the VP of Education with all things related to mentoring. Mentoring doesn't just happen at Toastmasters. It is truly out in the world, and so it is a great skill to build. The panel presentation was evaluated by Lee D.

Note: All speeches were completed in the alloted time.

Table Topics Master was Laura. The theme was, "Is Happiness Overrated?" This spirited discussion included tips for being happy: embrace what you really feel! don't listen to news radio! eat your greens! when faced with adversity, find a quiet space and do what you love and repeat to yourself, "This too shall pass."

WordMaster was Ann, and Stephanie counted the uses of the word, sanguine.

General Evaluator: Daohua

Ah-Counter and Grammarian: Tony

Meeting adjourned by Ann at 8:05 AM once the awards were made. See you next week.