UPDATED Minutes 12/15/09

MINUTES 12/15/09

A momentous final meeting of 2009.

Congratulations to freshly inducted Toaster, Steve, as well as to Joe and Mark on the completion of their Competent Communicator manuals.

To the officers who are stepping down, many thanks for your dedicated service. Those outgoing officers are: Josie as V.P. of Education; Kelly as V.P. of Membership; Tryphine as Treasurer; and Kathy as Sergeant-at-Arms. Mark will be moving from V.P. of P.R. to V.P. of Membership.

Our Current Officers:

Pres- Giselle
V.P.E.- Stephanie
V.P. M.- Mark
V.P. P.R.- Ericka
Secretary- Nik
Treasurer- Theo
Mentorship Coordinator- Joe

Sergeant-at-Arms: Kathleen

Meeting brought to order at 632 a.m. by Giselle.

Attending: Steve, Laura, Jane, Joe, Tony, Mark, Kathleen, Kelly, Theo, Phillip, Josie, Kathy, Nik, John (guest), Eileen, Stephanie, Tryphine, Giselle.

Toastmaster of the Day: Stephanie

Theme for the day: Friends

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Joe, "Boiling the Ocean", Competent Communicator, project #10, time 8-10 minutes. Evaluated by Nik

2) Mark, "Lucky You," Competent Communicator, project #10, time 8-10 minutes. Evaluated by Theo

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration by Kathleen
WordMasters: Mark and Kelly with "absence"
Timer: Josie
Ah Counter: Laura
Grammarian: Eileen

Holiday Gift Exchange led by Laura, Steve, Kathy

General Evaluator: Jane

Joke of the Day: Kelly

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Jane
Best Evaluations: Nik and Theo
Best Speech: Joe

Club Business: Remember to R.S.V.P for the party this Sunday afternoon at Laura's.

Many thanks to Laura, Steve, Kathy and everyone else who pitched in for the gift exchange.

Meeting adjourned at: 8:02 a.m.

12/8/09 Meeting MINUTES

To those Toasters who were ill this week, speedy recovery!

**Keep an eye out for notices about the holiday festivities.**

Meeting brought to order by Josie

Attending: Jane, Connie, Mark, Kelly, Erica, Kathy, Tony, Laura, Trypine, Stephanie, Phillip, Nik, Josie, Eileen, Steve

Toastmaster of the Day: Jane

Theme for the day: Names

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Erica,

Icebreaker, Competent-Communicator Manual, project #1, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Laura

2) Nik,

"Sound and Sense in Verse", Competent-Communicator Manual, project #7, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Mark

3) Kelly,

"Introduction: From Speaker to Manual", project #1, time 10-12. . Evaluated by Stephanie

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration by Eileen
WordMaster: Connie with "nomenclature"
Timer: Phillip
Ah Counter: Eileen
Grammarian:Eileen
Table Topics Master: Tryphine
General Evaluator: Kathy
Joke of the Day from Josie

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Tony
Best Evaluation: Mark
Best Speech: Erica

Elections coming-up. Looking forward to a big turn-out for our final meeting of 2009.

Meeting adjourned at: 8:04

Minutes, Toastmasters 12/1/09

Welcome to Steve, who joined today as a member and will be sworn-in later in the month. Welcome too to our other visitors this morning, Frank, Gary, Josh, and Sally.

Thanks in particular to Frank, Toastmaster Division C Governor, for rising early and helping us recognize the larger context in which our group operates.

Not only did we have several guests today, but one of them gave a speech. Josh Becker gave us a preview of the issues and core beliefs he'll soon air state-wide as he contends for a spot in California's Assembly. Joining him was his business associate Frank and Sally, a former Assemblywoman for District 22.

Meeting brought to order at 632 a.m.

Attending: Mark, Josie, Laura, Ericka, Kathy, Theo, Giselle, Joe, Connie, Phillip, Stephanie, Kathleen, Nik, Kelly, Tryphine, Steve, Frank, Gary, Josh

First orders of business:

An update and greeting from Frank, division governor

Joe filled us in on his recent work as mentorship co-ordinator.

Toastmaster of the Day: Nik

Theme for the day: At the Movies

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Josh Becker, "Why I'm Running for State Assembly." Evaluated by Kathy

2) Kathleen, "Some Thoughts on Unemployment", Competent Communicator, project 2, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Tryphine

3) Connie, "Evaluate to Motivate", Better Club Series, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Kelly

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration from Phillip, quoting Walt Disney
WordMaster: Stephanie with "inimitable"
Timer: Joe
Ah Counter: Ericka
Grammarian: Josie
Table Topics Master: Mark
General Evaluator: Theo
Joke of the Day from Laura

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Phillip
Best Evaluation: Kelly
Best Speech: Connie


Club Business:

*A holiday party is in the works. Special thanks to Steve for being the first to offer to organize the festivities.

* Josie is transforming the website into a powerful tool for handling club business.

*Elections approach.

** As secretary, I lapsed in posting the minutes for the Friday Nov. 20 officers' meeting. In a true testament to the efficiency of all the *other* officers, the action-points from that last meeting have already been publicized and initiated, so I'll refrain from sending out old news and resolve to be speedier the next time around. Explicit thanks are in order, however, to the members who attended that 7am meeting at Palo Alto Cafe: Giselle, Kelly, Kathleen, Kathy, and Josie.

Meeting adjourned at: 808 a.m.

24 November 2009 EarlyRisers Toastmasters Meeting Minutes

Josie here covering for EarlyRisers Secretary, Nik, who was out for the Thanksgiving holiday.  

EarlyRisers moved gracefully into action at this meeting. Relatively new member, Eileen, did her ice breaker speech. Way to go! She had us transfixed with a conscious and deliberate use of "common mistakes" speakers make to make her points. It was a great performance. We also had two guests, Steve and Vishal. We look forward to your return!  Lastly, we welcomed and swore in two new members, Ericka and Phillip.  It was a full day for the ones that rise so early. 

Meeting brought to order at 6:30 AM sharp by Josie

Attending: Kelly, Phillip, Eileen, Stephanie, Kathy, Kathleen, Theo, Mark, Jane, Ericka, Joe, Josie, and two guests: Vishal and Steve. Welcome! We are so glad you joined us for this morning meeting!

Toastmaster of the Day: Kelly

Theme for the day: Identity. What are the 100 things you reveal about yourself in a public blog?

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Eileen, "Six Decades," Competent Communicator project #1, time 4-6 minutes.  Evaluated by Mark.

2) Stephanie, "Speech Openings", Communicating on Television, project #3, time 8-10 minutes. Evaluated by Jane.

Note: All speeches and evaluations were delivered within the specified times.

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Kathy, "If you are sick, be glad you are not dead." Whoa! Cheery thought! A relief and an inspiration.

WordMaster: Kathleen brought us this word: discern, and most of us discerned uses for this word and slipped into comments and conversation.

Timer: Kathy

Ah Counter:  Theo
Grammarian: Theo

Table Topics Master: Josie and there were some hard questions about identity and how to present yourself to a room full of Toastmasters so early in the morning. Here are some examples of how some EarlyRisers Toastmasters and guests chose to reveal themselves: Coffee person or tea person? Neither!  Manage the perceptions to impress a date? I am who I am. Cat vs. dog vs fish vs. reptile? Cat all the way. What my driver's license says about me is my biography, and I sometimes hand over my driver's license to people, like bankers, who can affect the course of my life. My other name is Crouching Tiger. I came to Toastmasters to be with people who are going somewhere in life. To protect your identity, dispose of your bank and credit card statements carefully. My favorite color is a different color every day. Hey, man, I drive a Prius for the sticker that lets me drive in the carpool lane!

General Evaluator: Joe. Joe's report included comments on the energy of the meeting and its pace.  Table Topics was challenging today. Functionary reports on Ah-counting and grammar were especially on target with the Ah-counting. Word of the day got some good use.

Joke of the Day: Brought to you by Joe. A bit of dialog that went like this:

Doctor: You have six months to live. 

Patient: Doctor, I want a second opinion.

Doctor:  Okay. You're ugly, too!

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Mark (the Prius driver!)
Best Evaluation: Jane
Best Speech: Stephanie


Club Business:  Two new members, Phillip and Ericka were sworn in. We read the Toastmasters promise as a promise to our new members, and our new members made the promise to the club members. This is always a great moment of mutual support of one another.  

Other Club  business: We have an "election"/sign-up for New Club officers going on. At this club, we have six-month terms in this club. Each member, including new members, qualify to be an officer. We passed around a "reverse sign-up sheet," where you crossed your name off the list for the officer role position you would rather NOT fill. During the first couple of weeks of December, the lists will go around a few more times to account for those who were not present. Thanks all for participating and being clear about your role and contribution to this fine club. Your presence, participation and contributions of energy and time make this club what it is.

Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

November 17, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Josie here covering for Nik. We had a well-paced and engaging meeting last Tuesday. Thanks all for joining in. We enjoyed strong coffee and homemade baked treats from Giselle and Josie.  A cup of steaming brew was perfectly complemented by traditional jam-filled scones, melt-in-your-mouth Madelines, and decadent shortbread topped with a thick layer of chocolate and a tinge of orange. Talk about having a lot on your plate! The flavors married well with the convivial atmosphere of coming-to-wakefulness and high spirits. Did someone say "happy holidays"? Ah, Toastmasters.

Meeting brought to order at 6:35 AM by Josie.

Attending: Giselle, Joe, Kathleen, Kelly, Theo, Connie, Eileen, Mark, Stephanie, Phillip (making a second guest appearance and taking a membership application with him!), and Josie.

Toastmaster of the Day: Giselle

Theme for the day: Food, a theme you can sink your teeth into (and boy did we ever!)

The "First Course" on the menu or the Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Joe, "Personalized Medicine", Competent Communicator manual, project #8, time 5-7 minutes.  Evaluated by Kelly

2) Mark, "Jury Duty," Competent Communicator manual, project #9, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Connie

3) Theo, "Helmets Required," Competent Communicator project #9, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Josie.

Note: All speeches and evaluations were delivered within the specified times.

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Josie, "Three Stone Cutters story" at the opening of the meeting
WordMaster: Josie and the featured word was cornucopia (got lots of use with this food theme! Thanks, Giselle for suggesting it.)
Timer: Kathleen (nice job!)
Ah Counter: Eileen (who listened for patterns of Ah-usage, especially at the beginning of a speech when the speaker is "getting going")
Grammarian: Eileen

Table Topics Master: Stephanie who deftly facilitated the group's  varied observations about food including, "the defense of chocolate as a vegetarian option, chili peppers that make you sweat on sight, the best snack alternatives to an after-work beer, food memories of a tantalizing Swedish Smorgasbord with piled-high dishes of meats and sweets, the unappetizing aspects of taking a cooked chicken apart with bare hands, feeling virtuous about plant-based food choices and finally,  challenging your food preparing skills by cooking only the exotic vegetables delivered to your home via a delivery service."

General Evaluator: Kelly (thanks for filling in for Tryphine who couldn't join us)
Joke of the Day: Joe (No Swimming? No! Swimmng!!)

"Dessert" portion of the meeting: Awards
Best Table Topics: Kelly (hot peppers and lots of MEAT on pizza, anyone?)
Best Evaluation: Josie 
Best Speech: Mark (congratulations!)


Club Business: Officers meeting on 11/20 (already occurred as of this writing). Kelly is Toastmaster this Tuesday. 

Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

Nov. 10, 2009 Minutes for Toastmasters

Welcome to our guests, Philip, Chuck, Constantine, and Erica.

Meeting brought to order at 630am.

Attending: Erica, Constantine, Chuck, Philip, Kathy, Stephanie, Kelly, Tryphine, Nik, Giselle, Theo, Mark, Josie, Eileen, Jane, Joe, Connie.

Toastmaster of the Day: Joe

Theme for the day: Honesty

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Kathy, "When Life Gives You Lemons", Competent Communicator Manual, project #6, time 6mins, 5 secs. Evaluated by Josie

2) Connie, Impromptu Speaking in the Better-Speaking Series, time 1min, 39secs + 5 mins, 35secs. Evaluated by Jane

3)Giselle, "Civio Update", Speeches for Management Manual, project #1, time 10mins,23secs + 5mins, 26secs for the q. and a. Evaluated by Stephanie

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Mark
Wordmaster: Eileen with "Epic"
Timer: Nik
Ah Counter: Tryphine
Grammarian: Tryphine
Table Topics Master: Kelly
General Evaluator: Mark
Jokemaster: Theo

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Chuck
Best Evaluation: Stephanie
Best Speech:Giselle

Meeting adjourned at: 7:01 am

MINUTES NOV 3, 2009 TOASTMASTERS

CONGRATULATIONS TO KATHLEEN ON HER FIRST SPEECH, AND WELCOME TO ERICA!

Meeting brought to order at 6:31am.

Attending: Kathleen, Tryphine, Nik, Connie, Giselle, Kathy, Theo, Stephanie, Kelly, Jane, Erica

Toastmaster of the Day: Tryphine

Theme for the day:Optimism and Pessimism

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Kathleen, "What January 2010 Means to Me", Comp. Comm., project #1, time 4-6 minutes. Evaluated by Kathy

2) Nik, "Notes on the Creative Process", Comp. Comm., project #5, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Connie

3)Jane, "ZXYZ, Inc. Opens Doors: Trade with STS", Presenting a Technical Paper, project #4, time 10-12. Actual delivery time: 00:00:00. Evaluated by Kelly

Other Roles at this meeting:


WordMaster: Theo and 'Ameliorate'
Timer: Connie
Ah Counter:Connie
Grammarian:Connie
Table Topics Master: Giselle
General Evaluator:Stephanie
Joke of the Day: Theo

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics:Stephanie won by ballot, but graciously ceded to Kelly
Best Evaluation:Kelly
Best Speech:Nik


Club Business: **Open House this Tuesday**

Meeting adjourned at: 759am

Notes, Toastmasters Officers' Meeting, Oct. 23, 2009,

Attending: Giselle, Kelly, Josie, Nik, Mark, Joe (via speaker phone).

We got under way at around 7am at Palo Alto Cafe on Middlefield. The crucial message of the meeting was: We need more members. More members will allow us to win an official distinction from TM.I. We're shooting for at least five newcomers in the months to come.

So please keep promoting TM to your friends and colleagues and please poster in promising places.

Led by Mark in P.R., we'll be growing our on-line profile.

On Nov 10, we have our open-house. This is one of our best chances to show-off our club and expand our membership. In other words, guests are just about always welcome to our TM, but never more so than at this open house. So please get the word out and pull-in a new face or two.

We'll serve food and bev. at the open house (Nov 10). More on this to come.

Contact Joe with suggestions or concerns about mentorship.

Thanks for your attention.

Oct. 20, 2009 Minutes, Toastmasters

Meeting brought to order by Giselle

Attending: Josie, Tryphine, Stephanie, Kathy, Giselle, Theo, Mark, Kathleen, Nik, Eilleen, Kelly Joe

Toastmaster of the Day: Kelly

Theme for the day:Paper

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Joe, "Just Like Riding a Bike", Competent Communicator, project #9, time 5-7 minutes. . Evaluated by Mark

2) Stephanie, "Update on Influenza Vaccination", Communicating on TV, project #4, time 4-6 minutes for the talk, and 8-10 for the q. and a. Evaluated by Giselle


Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Josie], encouraging us to pay our bills on-line.

WordMaster: 'Decoupage' and Tryphine. Definition: Paper cut-outs used to decorate a surface.

Seen in works by Picasso and Matisse.

Timer: Theo
Ah Counter: Josie
Grammarian: Josie
Table Topics Master: Kathy and "Trick or Treat"
General Evaluator: Nik
Joke of the Day by Theo

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Giselle
Best Evaluation:Giselle
Best Speech:Joe

Meeting adjourned at: 8:03am

Minutes for October 13, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 632am by Giselle.

Attending: Giselle, Stephanie, Tryphine, Nik, Theo, Kathleen, Jane, Laura, Eileen, Mark, Kelly.

Toastmaster of the Day: Giselle

Theme for the day: Team Sports

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Nik, "Hitchhiking", Comp. Cmnctr, project #4, time 5-7 minutes.

Evaluated by Stephanie

2) Theo, "Video Evaluations", 7-9 minutes. Evaluated by Jane

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Kelly. What are three key reasons people leave their jobs? 1) anonymity. 2) irrelevance. 3) immeasurability.

WordMaster: Theo and "chemistry"
Timer: Kelly
Ah Counter:Mark
Grammarian:Mark
Table Topics Master: Tryphine and sports. Some of Tryphine's questions: "Who's q.b. in Toastmasters?" "Who's point guard in your family? Shooting guard? Center?" "What was the kick or inspiring drive that propelled you to where you are today?"

"What won't you tolerate as a manager?"

General Evaluator: Laura
Joke of the Day: Theo

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Laura
Best Evaluation: Stephanie
Best Speech:Theo

Terrific news that Eileen and Kathleen will be coming on board! Welcome

Please keep drumming-up interest in our group and see Mark about posters.

Meeting adjourned at:755am

Minutes October 6, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 6:32am by Kelly

Attending: Joe, Laura, Josie, Theo, Stephanie, Connie, Tryphine, Mark, Nik, Kelly, Kathleen

Toastmaster of the Day: Mark

Theme for the day: Fun of Fundamentals

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Theo, "CyberShop", Competent Communicator Manual, project #6, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 7: 21. Evaluated by Connie

2) Josie, "Three in the Morning", The Entertaining Speaker Manual, project #2, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 5:53. Evaluated by Nik


Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Stephanie
WordMaster: Joe with "sporadic"
Timer: Stephanie
Ah Counter: Tryphine
Grammarian:Tryphine
Table Topics Master: Laura
General Evaluator: Kelly
Joke of the Day: Joe on the downside of the 50% divorce rate

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Kelly and Mark tied
Best Evaluation: Connie
Best Speech: Josie

Club Business: Open House on Nov. 10 with the theme "Why Toastmasters?" And please keep luring new members. Thanks to Mark for the posters.

Meeting adjourned at: 7:54am

Minutes: September 29, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 630am by Bud.

Toastmaster of the Day: Theo

Theme for the day: Video Evaluations

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:

1) Tryphine, "A Speech to Inform", Manual: Speaking to Inform, project #5 , Evaluated by Josie

2) Connie, "A Letter to Emily," Special Speeches Manual, project #2, Evaluated by Laura

3)Stephanie Charles, "The Talk Show", Manual: Communicating on Television, project #2, t 10 minutes, 19secs. Evaluated by Joe

Other Roles at this meeting:

WordMaster: Giselle and "Limelight"
Timer: Josie
Ah Counter: Kelly
Grammarian: Kelly
Table Topics Master: Nik

General Evaluator: Bud
Joke of the Day from Laura

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Kelly
Best Evaluation: Laura
Best Speech: Tryphine


Club Business: Urgently seeking new members and bidding fond farewell to departing members: Bud, Daohua, and Michael.

Meeting adjourned at: 8:04am

September 22, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Josie filling in here for Nik. What an interesting meeting. We had an unusual theme that worked out very well. Laura did an impromptu 5-7 minute speech by choosing one of 5 general topics she had not known about before arriving. Bud provided the topics, and Laura chose one. She had about 5 minutes to put her speech together. Impressive focus, Laura. Your speech was a great reminder that any club member may cultivate this skill. If you are interested, and it is your turn to speak, be sure to let the Toastmaster of that week know.

Lastly, a member who recently joined EarlyRisers delivered a moving impromptu good-bye speech in addition to his report as Grammarian. Michael, we are going to miss you. Thanks for saying good-bye and closing the loop in person! It was great to have you at our meetings. We wish you the best of luck with the new job, the move, and your new life!

Meeting brought to order at 6:30 AM by Bud

Attending: Bud, Jane, Mark, Michael, Kathy, Theo, Giselle, Tryphine, Kelly, Laura, and Josie.

Toastmaster of the Day: Bud

Theme for the day: The Volunteer Army

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Jane, "Proposed 2009 Budget Revision", Technical Presentations manual, project #2, time Speech 8 - 10 min + Q&A time 3-5 min. Actual delivery time: 00:13:00. Evaluated by Tryphine

2) Mark, "My Haircut", Contest Rehearsal, Repeat: Competent Communicator manual, project #8, time 5-7 minutes.  Evaluated by Kelly

3)Laura, "My Mexican Journey", Specialty Speeches, Impromptu Speaking project, time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Giselle

All prepared speeches and evaluations were delivered on time.

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Kathy 
WordMaster: Bud and  the featured word was flippant
Timer: Tryphine
Ah Counter: Kathy
Grammarian: Michael
Table Topics Master: Josie. Who knew the army as a theme could be so interesting? Thanks for a great discussion. 
General Evaluator: Theo
Joke of the Day: Bud

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Tryphine
Best Evaluation: Giselle
Best Speech: Laura 


Club Business: DUES are due October 1st. Please make arrangements to pay the $69 for the next 6 months with Kelly or Tryphine (Make your check out to "EarlyRisers Toastmasters.");  Upcoming Club Contest roles [this event is now in the past]; Attendance "elephant in the room" -- please find your substitute and do your best to communicate; next week's schedule (Theo is TM); new schedule coming up: send your scheduling info to Josie.

Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

POST Toast Meeting: A group of FIVE members (Michael, Mark, Kathy, Laura, and Josie) gathered at Philz Coffee (on Middlefield and Loma Verde -- two short blocks from Unity, where we regularly meet), after the meeting. We enjoyed amazing coffee and friendly socializing. A splendid time was had by all. :) When can we do this again?

September 15, 2009 Leadership Meeting Minutes

Thanks Josie. Just adding to that for the leadership meeting notes:

We also discussed Distinguished Club Program goals and our theme is "Membership, Membership, Membership." We need 20 (that's TWENTY) members to qualify for this distinction as club. Last year, EarlyRisers had achieved 9 out 10 points (the highest score in the AREA), but we did not have the required base membership to qualify. We missed out on receiving an award of $200 TI dollars (good for Toastmaster supplies like ribbons and manuals). But this need for new members also affects how the club runs itself. Now, with only 18 members and the reality of vacation, work and family, it is difficult to have full meetings (as is the case in the upcoming week where we only have 1 speaker slated). So, it's in everyone's interest that we bring in new members.

The four in attendance agreed that we will have a membership drive or event in October.

Also good news is that Kelly Brant has stepped up to fulfill the VP of Membership role through the remainder of the term. As you may have heard in his speech a couple weeks ago, Kelly has a lot going on right now. Thanks for stepping up Kelly!

Josie had a very creative idea of targeting other "early risers" in our area at places we can find them-- coffee shops-- and even suggested holding a membership drive meeting at one of the local coffee shops.

The final suggestion was to have a conference call or meeting to discuss an October event.

Enjoy your day!

Giselle

September 15, 2009

Josie here filling in for Nik who is on a much deserved break! 

This meeting was ONE HOUR long. Yes, EarlyRisers met for one hour this morning. I offer a few comments as Toastmaster of the day: It was a snappy pace. Table Topics in particular had a a crackling- nerve-wracking quality that really made it seem random; because, as you may guess, not everyone had a chance to speak, and Kelly did a good job of both staying on time and selecting people at random.  Two speeches fit comfortably in the time allowed; and we were, honestly, hard pressed to come up with a third speaker/evaluator, given attendance. Nice work and good participation for everyone present.  Immediately following this meeting was a leadership meeting of the officers present. We are in the process of exploring meeting formats that will best accommodate and serve our members. We know that some of you travel serious distance to be here. We so appreciate your dedication to your own Toastmastering skills development as well as to the club. All the same, the 90-minute format has worked well for a lot of you. Is there is a way to make it all work and have it be fun for everyone? Let's keep this question in mind as we find our way to balance and harmony in the club and beyond!

Meeting brought to order at 6:30 M by Club President, Giselle.

Attending: Joe, Bud, Stephanie, Giselle, Kelly, Daohua, Laura, Kathy, and Josie

Toastmaster of the Day: Josie
General Evaluator: Giselle (thanks for your double-duty as speech evaluator, too!)

Table Topics Master: Kelly (quoting Steve Miller Band lyrics on time slipping, slipping, slipping)

Theme for the day: Time. Is there enough or not enough??

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Joe, "Time is Life", Competent Communicator, project #7, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:06:31. Evaluated by Kathy.

2) Bud, "Is it acceptable to force American laborers or employees to be fingerprinted?", Specialty Speeches, "Impromptu Speaking" project, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:05:42. Evaluated by Giselle.

All speeches were within time. All evaluations were in time.

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Laura, who brought us various Shakespeare quotes on the nature of time 

WordMaster: Daohua. The featured word: transitory

Timer: Stephanie (thanks for doing this role again!)

Ah Counter: Daohua and Laura (who got different counts!)

Grammarian: Laura (thanks for a thorough report!)

Joke of the Day: Stephanie had Shakespearean insults to share. How cool is that? We are now ready to insult with class and finesse.....;-)

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Laura who shared her thoughts about time and technology (wow! another best table topics, Laura! Way to go!)
Best Evaluation: Giselle (wow! Giselle is getting ready to compete in Area Evaluation Contest!)
Best Speech: Joe (Yesss!)


Club Business: Volunteer Signup for Area Contest went around. Thank you Kelly, Kathy, and Josie for signing up. Area Contest is Thursday, September 24th, 6:30 PM, at the Mountain View Recreation Center. Let's all be there to cheer for our contestants: Mark and Giselle. 

Leadership meeting followed this meeting. President Giselle asked for comments about this short meeting format experiment. Stephanie's thoughtful remark was: "A short meeting format like this leads to fewer speaking opportunities in the long run. Convening the officers immediately after for only 30 minutes does not seem to be enough time to cover all the issues involved in running a club." This has been noted and taken into serious consideration. [Note: officers met for 45 minutes, not 30, that morning.] This issue is to be thoroughly discussed by the officers in an ongoing dialog about how best to "be" and serve this club. As club members, your further comments, thoughts and feedback are most welcome. Please send your comments to President, Giselle or to Vice President of Education, Josie, via email.

Meeting adjourned at: 7:33 AM

Minutes for September 8, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 6:28am by Bud.

Attending: Bud, Josie, Nik, Jane, Kelly, Stephanie, Kathy, Laura, Joe, Mark, Theo,

Toastmaster of the Day: Jane

Theme for the day: Computer Problems and Solutions

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) [Speaker], "Love Ain't Nothin' 'Till You Give It Away", 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Nik

2) Kelly, "No Spoon", 8-10 minutes. Evaluated by Theo

3) Laura, "The Winning Proposal", time 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Josie

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Bud
Timer: Stephanie
Ah Counter: Josie
Grammarian: Kelly
Table Topics Master: Joe
General Evaluator: Mark

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Laura with her commentary on the benevolent nature of the universe
Best Evaluation: Josie
Best Speech: Kathy (congratulations on her first and much-deserved win!)

September 1, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Josie covering for Nik here.

Meeting brought to order at 6:30 AM by Bud.

Attending: Giselle, Mark, Kelly, Kathy, Josie, Bud, Theo, Laura, Connie, Joe and Josie. Welcome Carl, who was visiting. Carl has had experience as a debater in school, and now he wanted to work on these skills again. A visit to his local Toastmasters is the ticket.

Toastmaster of the Day: Kelly

Theme for the day: Cats

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Theo, "Video Evaluation Teamwork: The Recipe for Success", Competent Communicator manual, project #5, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:00:00. Evaluated by Mark.

2) Stephanie, "Support a California Constitutional Convention", Communicating on Television manual, project #1, time :02:30-:03:30 [minutes:seconds].Evaluated by Laura

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Kelly
WordMaster: Kathy, and the featured word: catty
Timer: Bud
Ah Counter: Josie
Grammarian: Josie
Table Topics Master: Connie 
General Evaluator: Giselle
Joke of the Day: Mark

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Joe
Best Evaluation: Laura
Best Speech: Stephanie



Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 18, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 630AM by JOSIE.

Attending: STEPHANIE, VISITING AL, JOSIE, NIK, THEO, KELLY, LAURA, DAOHUA, MARK, JOE, MICHAEL, BUD

INSPIRATION: BUD-- SINGING! THANKS!
Toastmaster of the Day: THEO

Theme for the day: WHAT THE BODY NEEDS AND WHAT THE SPIRIT AND MIND NEED

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) JOE, "RISE OF COFFEE",  [5-7 minutes] . Evaluated by MARK

2) MICHAEL, "THE HARDEST THING TO DO IN SPORTS", COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL, project # 2, time 5-7 minutes.  Evaluated by NIK

3)KELLY, "FEEDBACK LOOPS IN DAILY PRACTICES",  10-12 minutes. Evaluated by DAOHUA

Other Roles at this meeting:

WordMaster: THEO WITH 'COMPLACENT'
Timer: JOSIE

GRAMMARIAN AND AH COUNTER: MARK
Table Topics Master: LAURA 
General Evaluator: STEPHANIE
Joke of the Day: BUD

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: STEPHANIE
Best Evaluation: MARK
Best Speech: KELLY

Meeting adjourned at: 805 AM

MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 11, 2009

AUGUST 11, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 630am by Josie

Attending: Giselle, Kelly, Daohua, Tryphine, Nik, Stephanie, Theo, Mark, Michael, Laura, Jane, Josie, Eileen

Toastmaster of the Day: Josie

Theme for the day: Find Your Voice

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Mark, "And it's a phone too", Competent Communicator, project # 7, time 5-7 minutes. . Evaluated by Stephanie

2) Daohua, "The Last Dream",  project # 4, time 5-6 minutes. Evaluated by Giselle

3) Jane, "Communication Conundrum", non-manual speech,  time 10-12 minutes. Evaluated by Kelly

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Nik
WordMaster: Michael with "intrinsic"
Timer: Nik
Ah Counter: Laura
Grammarian: Laura
Table Topics Master: Theo
General Evaluator: Tryphine
Joke of the Day: Michael

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Laura
Best Evaluation: Stephanie
Best Speech: Daohua


Meeting adjourned at: 801am

Minutes: August 4, 2009

August 4, 2009

Many thanks to Josie for compiling these notes for this extraordinary session.

Attending: Pieter, Nik, Stephanie, Kelly, Bud, Eileen, Michael, Lisa, Daohua, Kathy, Giselle, Theo, and Josie. 

Introduction

The Moments of Truth presentation is a full program from Toastmasters International that was created to evaluate clubs. There was a presentation of 10 slides on the characteristics of successful clubs. Then, those present broke up into groups of two and three to examine areas where the EarlyRisers club is doing well and areas where the club could improve. 

Bear in mind that the purpose of this Moments of Truth program is to gather feedback, impressions, and thoughts. While it was the intention that those members would be truthful in their words, assessments and recommendations, we all know that some things get lost in interpretation. Given this, please take a look of some of the things that got “captured” at this meeting. Perhaps these points demonstrate or illustrate patterns you’ve encountered already. Perhaps, these points address or describe only part of the story. 

This is a beginning. Consider this dialog a completely new way of looking at the club and being in the club. 

Assessments and Recommendations 

1. Program Planning and Meeting Organization

Assessment: The meeting agendas are currently not publicized in advance. • Some people are not prepared for assignments and roles (example, counting “Ah’s”: some Ah counters have reported accurate counts while others have reported, “Everyone did well today.” What is the role exactly anyway?). • Some evaluations have not been effective or useful. Again, while some people take this seriously, others have done “white wash” evaluations lately.

Recommendation: Set a day for when agenda is due from the assigned Toastmaster. At the moment, this is self-directed and depends on the person assigned to be Toastmaster. Could we agree to have agendas ready by the Thursday before? This gives us a chance to make adjustments as needed. • The club should agree (find a way?) on ways to fulfill role. • For Table Topics Master: Remember to direct the questions to people who don’t have speaking roles and don’t use the name of the person until the end of the question. For anyone responding to a Table Topics question: see if you can refrain from fillers like, “Thank you for the question.” • For evaluations, use the “sandwich model”: start with what’s good, talk about what needs improvement, end with what’s good. 

2. Officer and Membership Retention

Recommendations: All members post flyers for club. Members seek out opportunities to speak at other clubs. A mentor is offered right away (for some people, this has never been the case!).  Member finds replacement and follows through beyond “putting out the call” for a replacement and follows up with the Toastmaster for the meeting in question.

3. First Impressions

Assessment: Follow up is not happening all the time. People are not being asked to join when they first come.

Recommendation: Follow up with contact. Provide a “cheat sheet” on how to log on to the blog, the EarlyRisers website, a brochure. Have a “role” cheat sheet for the first assignment of roles. 

4. Fellowship

Recommendations: Have social events outside the normal club meetings—bring back the holiday party. Host or participate in inter-club events. Make updating the website a collaborative and inclusive process. 

5. New Member Orientation

Recommendations: Club members (VPE, VP of Membership, Mentoring Coordinator) get to know new member to assess learning needs, clarify education and leadership paths, ask about leadership and speaking experience. Have ready a speech that is ready to “give” to new members as an orientation. 

6. Accomplishments

Recommendations: Use a simple progress chart that has meaning for the members—perhaps one that is created by members. Recognize leaders and what they are doing in their role; do this perhaps socially rather than in a speech. Publicize achievements on the club website or to other clubs. Have members of the club discuss and decide on whether to pursue the Distinguished Club Program as a club. As it stands, many members are not sure what this program is or why it is significant. Perhaps it is time to address it, not simply in a speech done by an officer, but through many conversations and demonstrations about what this program means to the club and individuals in the club.

Minutes JULY 28, 2009

Meeting brought to order at 630am by Bud.

Attending: Eileen, Michael, Connie, Lisa, Tryphine, Budy, Cathy, Nik, Stephanie, Theo

Toastmaster of the Day: Stephanie

Theme for the day: Inspiration

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Joe 

2) Theo evaluated by Kathy

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Bud
WordMaster: Theo
Timer: Connie
Ah Counter:Lisa
Grammarian: Josie
Table Topics Master: Nik
General Evaluator:Bud


Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics:Eileen
Best Evaluation: Cathy
Best Speech: Joe


Meeting adjourned at: 8:01 am

Minutes July 21, 2009

While the theme was 'everyday', the session was extraordinarily good.

Meeting brought to order at 630 a.m. by Bud.

Attending: Lisa, Joe, Eileen, Kathy, Josie, Theo, Nik, Bud, Daohua, Tryphine, Stephanie, Giselle, and our visitor, the Division C Governor. 

Toastmaster of the Day: Joe

Theme for the day: Everyday

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Giselle, "Lean In", Competent Communicator manual, speech#10, Defining Goal: Inspire your audience, project #10,  Evaluated by Tryphine.

2) Nik, "AWOL", Competent Communicator manual, Defining Goal: Get to the point, project #3, time 5-7 minutes.  Evaluated by Kathy


Inspiration: Stephanie
WordMaster: Theo with 'profound'
Timer: Bud
Ah Counter: Theo
Grammarian: Josie
Table Topics Master: Stephanie 
General Evaluator: Daohua
Joke of the Day: Kathy

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Lisa
Best Evaluation: Kathy
Best Speech: Giselle


Club Business: At the start of the day, Giselle was sworn in as our president and Joe as our mentoring coordinator. Later we welcomed our visitor, the Division C Governor, who as she put it proved at this meeting that she can conquer her fear not just of public speaking but also of appearing in public by 630 a.m. 

Meeting adjourned at: 8:05 a.m.

Minutes: JULY 14, 2009

JULY 14, 2009: Minutes

Attending today were Bud, Jane, Connie, Michael, Stephanie, Tryphine, Theo, Lisa, Daohua, Kathy, Nik, Josie, and Mark.

Bud promptly called us to order, Nik delivered the inspiration, new officers were inducted in a smooth transition of power. Many thanks to the outgoing officers for their service this past year. 

Jane started things off as toastmaster.  The theme of the day was "scent," the word "odoriferous."

Michael delivered his ice-breaker speech and was later inducted into the club. Congratulations and welcome!

Kathy followed Michael with "A Change of Heart: Six Steps to Shifting Anything in your Life.", Competent Communicator manual, speech#4

Bud rounded-off the speeches with "A Look at Same-Sex Marriages." Competent Communicator manual, speech#9

Mark presided over Table Topics.

Theo Lin served as General Evaluator. Josie Weaver evaluated Mike's work; Daohua Kathy's; and Connie Bud's. 

Other Roles:

Lisa: Wordmaster

Nik: Grammarian and Leadership Evaluator

Stephanie: Timer

Ah Counter: Bud

New Officers:

President: Giselle 

VPE: Josie 

VPM: Lisa 

VPPR: Mark 

Sec'y: Nik 

Treasurer: Tryphine 

S@A: Kathy 

Mentoring Coordinator: Joe 

July 7, 2009 Meeting

Josie here for Connie. This was a special post-Independence Day meeting in that we had an extended Table Topics session and only one prepared speech. Several members were on vacation. A lovely time was had by all.

Meeting brought to order at 6:33 AM by Bud.

Attending: Giselle, Brian (guest), Lisa, Tryphine, Bud, Kathy, Michael H. (guest), Michael W. (guest), Nik, Joe, Eileen (guest), Laura, and Josie.

Of note: Michael H. joined the club today. Welcome Michael H.! Brian and Eileen are still considering EarlyRisers as a real possibility.

Toastmaster of the Day: Josie

Theme for the day: Getting Better all The Time

To open the meeting Josie did a Tai Chi demonstration set to the Beatles song, "Getting Better" to show what she is getting better at all the time.

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Lisa, "Change", Competent Communicator manual, project #4, time [5-7 minutes]. Actual delivery time: 00:05:33. Evaluated by Laura.


Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Josie, "First the blade, and then the ear/ Then the full corn shall appear/Step by step, day by day,/ Life Unfolds in an orderly way" by Dorothy Pierson

WordMaster: Nik and the word was complement, which was widely used by everyone

Timer: Bud
Ah Counter: Eileen
Grammarian: Laura

Table Topics Master: Giselle who had people "step away from the table" and come to the front to deliver their impromptu speeches. Highlights include: the military "square" metric of the relationship of the physical-mental-spiritual-emotional balance; inspirational songs that motivate you to be better (the Beatles featured again); the benefits of being a pessimist include seeing things as they really are; creative use of language to describe your previous job as a dish washer can land you a job; training your brain is always a good idea; clearing your clutter in your garage or on your desk can be a big project with big benefits; giving up something (like sugar) or someone (like an ex) can make you feel better.

General Evaluator: Joe -- who did one of the most thorough general evaluations of a meeting I have ever witnessed! Nice work, Joe.

Joke of the Day: Kathy Bibby, who asked, "What is Beethoven doing in his grave at this very moment?" DECOMPOSING!

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Bud
Best Evaluation: Laura
Best Speech: Lisa

Club Business: Officers will be inducted next week. Michael H. will do his Ice Breaker. Jane will be Toastmaster. Be sure to respond promptly!

Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

June 30, 2009

Josie here for Connie. Today we elected our officers for the next six months. See the roster below for the details. We had coffee and breakfast treats to celebrate this momentous occasion. Of note our President Stephanie Charles gave many thanks to the officers completing their stints. And thanks to returning officers (Tryphine as VP of Treasury and Josie as VP of Education) and SPECIAL Thanks to those NEW officers who will be infusing the club's leadership with their special brand of Toastmastery.

Attending: Bud, Theo, Stephanie, Kathy, Laura, Joe, Daohua, Nik, Jane, Lisa, Josie, and GUESTS: Eileen and Michael.

Michael decided to join us and took an application home! We look forward to seeing you next week, Michael! Eileen informed us that she will be visiting again, taking time to assess and evaluate, and then deciding on whether or not to join EarlyRisers. Whatever you choose to do, Eileen, it is a pleasure to have you with us!

Bud opened the meeting promptly at 6:30 AM

The Theme was Great Inventions

TM: Theodore Lin
TT: Lisa Pramatarova
GE: Stephanie Charles

S1: Joe Anderson, speech #4 in Competent Communicator Manual
S2: Mark Wiley, speech #6 in Competent Communicator Manual

E1: Jane Watkins
E2: Daohua Huang

Gr/LE: Josie Weaver (Note: Two people did Leadership projects in the Competent Leadership manual: Daohua and Lisa)
Ti: Laura Caplan
WM: Bud Rubin, the word: Verbatim got frequent usage.
AH: Nik Slivka
JM: Bud Rubin

The new officers are:
President: Giselle
VPE: Josie
VPM: Lisa
VPPR: Mark
Sec'y: Nik
Treasurer: Tryphine
S@A: Kathy
Mentoring Coordinator: Joe

For next week: Josie is Toastmaster and we will be focusing on Table Topics. Think of this as a "playshop" to get some ideas for how to work on your impromptu speaking skills. We will also swear in the officers. Bring a guest!

Early Riser's TM 23June09

no pithy opening comments by the secretary.

Welcome back Kathy and Tryphine!
Attending: Theo, Josie, Jane, Kathy, Nik, Bud, Tryphine, Daohua, Giselle
Guests: Ken, Jeri, Sandy, Eileen

Toastmaster of the Day: Daohua

Theme for the day: Writing instruments

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Giselle: "See Jane Run", Speech #9 CC. Evaluated by Joe.

2) Connie: "Selecting a college", Speech #1 Specialty Speech (Impromptu speech). Evaluated by Theo.

3) Bud: "Taking charge of your life", Impromptu speech. Evaluated by Tryphine

Other Roles at this meeting:

Table Topics Master: Jane
General Evaluator: Lisa

Club Business: next week: election of new officers!

16june09 Early Riser's TM

Attending: Bud, Josie, Connie, Joe, Daohua, Stephanie, Giselle, Nik, Theo, Mark, Lisa

Toastmaster of the Day: Stephanie

Theme for the day: Reunions
comment by secretary: I never think of going back to visit family as a reunion. Freudian block?

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Nik Slivka, "Counterfeiting in Early America", Speech #2 CC. Evaluator: Mark

2) Josie Weaver, "Slowly I Turn", Speech #1 Entertaining Speaker Manual. Evaluator: Lisa.

Club Business: Officer's meeting tomorrow.

ER TM meeting 9June09

Secretary's comments: Am back! Thanks for Josie for filling in when I was out.
Strange--and fun--waking up for a 6:30 meeting again.

Attending: Josie, Joe, Connie, Nik, Giselle, Mark, Stephanie, Jane, Bud

Toastmaster of the Day: Mark

Theme for the day: The Great Doors: Indoors/Outdoors/Doors of opportunity

Inspiration from Giselle:
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. Helen Keller

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Stephanie "Talkin' with Momma", Speech #4 from Interpretive Reading Manual; time 10-12 minutes. Evaluator: Giselle

2) Jane, "Wells Cargo Seizure", Speech #5 from Public Relations Manaul; time 4-6 minutes for presentation; 3-5 minutes Q&A. Evaluator: Nik

word of the day: mesmerize...used by everyone (!)

Club Business: nominations of new officers

June 2, 2009 Meeting

Josie here filling in for Connie. Welcome to the month of June! We had some great speeches to start the new month. Thank you for great enthusiasm at this meeting! Nik did his debut as Timer without the crib sheet. Nice going, Nik. Another debut today: Lisa as Table Topics Master did an excellent job keeping the energy level high and everyone on their toes.

To those of you who missed your weekly dose of toast today:   WE    MISSED   YOU!

Meeting brought to order at 6:31 AM by Bud.

Attending: Stephanie, Lisa, Bud, Daohua, Nik, Joe, Theo, Mark, and Josie

Toastmaster of the Day: Bud

Theme for the day: Interviewing

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Daohua, "Car Maintenance", Storytelling manual, project #2, time 6-8 minutes.  Evaluated by Stephanie.

2) Joe, "Just Be Yourself", Competent Communicator manual, project #3, time 5-7 minutes.  Evaluated by Theo.

Note: All speeches and evaluations were delivered within the specified time limits.

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Josie, "Two things you must do today: First, breathe in. Second breathe out. Repeat throughout the day as often as you wish."

WordMaster: Mark - The word was demeanor (with puns about two bosses, one of which was "the meaner" of the two who sometimes would "demean her" subordinates with off-color remarks and outrageous requests) 

Timer: Nik 
Ah Counter: Daohua 
Grammarian: Mark who pointed out the creative use for the use of the word/concept of TRACTION when it comes to braking after doing your own brake replacement and maintenance.

Table Topics Master: Lisa took us through some tough job interview questions and scenarios. Some highlights: true multitasking is timing your own Table Topics speech while selling yourself as a good hire and improving your speaking skills at the same time; try going to job fairs for their sheer entertainment value; the woman you want to hire will get the job done whether it has to do with physics, engineering or saving lives; pathology is secret medicine practiced by the initiated; toil long hours without pay to save your employers lots of money; deflect conflict and refocus energy to get poker playing children back on track; solve problems creatively and simply, or else try nuclear fusion.

Note: All Table Topics speeches were delivered within the 2-minute (with 30 seconds buffer) time limits.

General Evaluator: Bud

Joke of the Day: Bud. "Benny and the Jets go to the Vatican" (you had to be there)

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Stephanie
Best Evaluation: Stephanie
Best Speech: Daohua


Club Business: 

Mark is first-time Toastmaster next week! Please send your telephone numbers to Josie so the week's Toastmaster can coordinate last-minute details with you over the phone if necessary. Bud distributed fliers you can post in public places to attract new members. We want THREE NEW MEMBERS by the end of the month. Tall order? Quixotic dream? What are we waiting for?! Let's do it!

Meeting adjourned at: 7:45 AM

May 26, 2009

Greetings. Josie here filling in for Connie.

A small but mighty group gathered after a long Memorial Day weekend. To reenter the EarlyRisers routine with ease, we had doughnuts and coffee. Multitasking was the order of the day! Most people performed several roles for this meeting. What a challenge in concentration and attention! Thank you all for your team spirit.

Attending: Mark, Theo, Kelly, Daohua, Giselle, Lisa, Laura, and Josie

Theme for this meeting: Memories and Remembrance

Roles for this Meeting:
Toastmaster – Laura
Inspiration – Josie
Wordmaster – Daohua, word: Reminisce
Timer - Josie
Grammarian - Kelly
Ah Counter - Lisa
Jokemaster – Theo
General Evaluator - Josie

Prepared Speeches at this meeting
Speaker 1 – Mark, "Gone Fishin'," Project: Speech #5 in Competent Communicator manual, time: 5-7 minutes

Speaker 2 – Theo, "The Hood of My Car," Project: Speech #4 in Competent Communicator manual, time: 5-7 minutes

Timer's Report of prepared speech times: Josie was timer, and set the Timer incorrectly! Both speeches were little over 5 minutes, because the red light was on sooner than expected! The speakers handled the situation with aplomb.

Table Topics Master – Kelly

Timer's Report on impromptu speeches: All speeches were within time. 

Evaluation Speeches at this meeting

Evaluator 1 – Lisa

Evaluator 2 – Giselle

Evaluations were timed by Daohua. 

Awards 

Best Speaker: Mark
Best Table Topics: Giselle
Best Evaluator: Giselle

Club Business – New Schedule for June and July is out. If you need to adjust and make corrections to the schedule, contact Josie with your input. See the Googlegroups page for an online copy at http://groups.google.com/group/EarlyRisers/

Early Riser's 19May09

Wow! Our two new members were inducted today AND gave their first speech. (comment from Daohua)

Attending: Bud, Theo, Kelly, Laura, Jane, Mark, Nik, Giselle, Lisa, Daohua, Connie, Tryphine; guest Brian.

Toastmaster of the Day: Tryphine

Theme for the day: Positive impact. There is nothing as powerful as a positive attitude, and nothing as detrimental as a negative one.

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Nik, Icebreaker, Competent Communicator #1. Evaluator: Connie

2) Giselle, "The best birthday present", Competent Communicator vocal variety speech. Evaluator: Laura

3)Kelly, "Ten Degrees of Attitude", Speaking to Inform #2. Evaluator: Jane

Table Topics Master: Theo

Early Riser's meeting 12May09

Welcome to the on-going Early Riser's Toastmaster's meeting minutes/blog.

Attending: Bud, Stephanie, Jane, Lisa, Josie, Theo, Joe Kathy, Daohua, Connie, Kelly, guests Nik and Giselle

hurrah! Nik and Giselle agreed to join.

Toastmaster of the Day: Jane

Theme for the day: Frugal travel

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Joe, Competent Communicator speech #2, "Economic times", time 5-7 minutes; Evaluator: Lisa

2) Kathy, Competent Communicator speech #3, "Nutritional Cleansing an idea who's time has come", time 5-7 minutes, Evaluator: Connie

3)Stephanie, Competent Communicator speech #10, "Celebrating the Merger", time 8-10 minutes; Evaluator: Kelly

Other Roles at this meeting:

Table Topics: Daohua
some frugal travel tips:
use your hotel "miles" (Jane); use Chinese tour agency and have chinese food in europe (Theo); travel and stay with relatives (Lisa); stayvacation in the backyard (Kelly)

Early Riser's TM meeting 5may09

The way to exercise is paved with good intentions

Attending: Stephanie, Daohua, Connie, Josie, Joe, Theo, Jane, Lisa, Kelly, Bud, Tryphine, Nik (guest)

Toastmaster of the Day: Kelly

Theme for the day: Physical Exercise

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Lisa, "The Challenges of Conducting Clinical Trials", 5-7 minutes; Competent Communicator speech #3; Evaluated by Theo

2) Bud, "The Modern History of Israel, a Different Phase", 9-11 minutes; Competent Communicator Manual, speech #8; Evaluated by Jane

3)Tryphine, "Through the years", 5-7 minutes, Entertaining Speech; Evaluated by Josie

Other Roles at this meeting:

Table Topics Master: Connie
General Evaluator: Daohua

Early Riser's meeting 28Apr09

Open House! Come one, come all!
Coffee cake, coffee and tea in the morning; how nice.

Attending: Bud, Kathy, Josie, Lisa, Jane, Joe, Mark, Theo, Stephanie, Kelly, Tryphine. Guests: Michael, Lilia, Norm, Nik.

Toastmaster of the Day: Connie

Theme for the day: Inspiration

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Lisa, "overview of the Drug Development Process", Competent Communicator manual speech #2; 5-7 minutes

2) Josie, "Moments of Synergy", Competent Communicator manual, Speech #10; 8-10 minutes

3) Tryphine, "Fear" by Rachel Gould; Interpretive reading; 12-15 minutes

Word of the day: plethora

Business:
- congrats to Josie for completing Competent Communicator Manual! She can now work on her TM Bronze.
- need to reach one more goal to achieve Distinguished Club award; club needs 20 members; 5 new members

April 21, 2009 EarlyRisers Meeting Minutes

Hi all! Josie here filling in for Connie as writer of meeting minutes. Here are the meeting minutes for yesterday's EarlyRisers' Toastmasters meeting. 

At this meeting:

Newest member, Joe, gave a moving Ice Breaker speech! Congratulations, Joe, on getting the BEST SPEECH award today!

Attending: Daohua, Kathy, Stephanie, Kelly, Joe, Theo, Mark, Bud, Lisa and Josie.

Bud opened the meeting promptly at 6:30 AM.

Toastmaster of the day: Stephanie

The theme: Going green

Inspiration: Josie --who drew a blank! Lesson: Be prepared for your role! But, this could happen in real life, after all. Stephanie, our quick-thinking Toastmaster of the day kept things moving and asked  Joe to read the inspirational thought off his Starbucks cup. There wasn't an inspiration on it today; they must have stopped doing that program. Oops. So, Joe read what was on the cup anyway: "Buy our coffee and all is good." Inspiration is where you find it.

In her role as Club President, Stephanie went over the binder that contains advanced manuals. Check it out when you get the chance.

Prepared speeches at this meeting:

1. Joe, Ice Breaker, "The Doctor's Doctor," speech #1 in the Competent Communicator manual. 4-6 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:05:14. Evaluated by Josie (whose evaluation went over time! 00:04:00).

2. Mark, "Observations Regarding Normality," speech #4 in the Competent Communicator manual. Actual delivery time: 00:07:15. Evaluated by Theo (in 00:03:07).

3. Daohua, "High Mountain, Flowing Water," speech #1 in the Storytelling manual. 7-9 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:08:28. Evaluated by Stephanie (in 00:03:37).

Other roles at this meeting:
Timer: Lisa
Grammarian/Ah Counter: Kathy (first time in the double role; good going!)
Wordmaster: Stephanie (the word: myriad; there was a myriad of uses of this word)
Table Topics Master: Kelly (highlights: going green is making good use of what you have, learning how to identify plants when they just sprout is tricky business, recycling bird nests is cool, growing vegetables is hard work, the planet could be anemic some day)
General Evaluator: Bud

Awards:
Best Table Topics: Bud
Best Evaluator: Theo
Best Speech: Joe (Big Congratulations!)

Announcements: Club open house next week! Bring a guest, bring an appetite for breakfast treats, and bring your mug for the coffee and tea we'll be serving.

Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

Early Riser's Toastmaster meeting 14Apr09

Welcome Joe, our newest member, inducted today!

Attending: Bud, Kelly, Joe, Theo, Jane, Connie, Kathy, Daohua, Stephanie, Josie, Mark, Lisa

Toastmaster of the Day: Daohua

Theme for the day: language

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Kathy, "Nutritional Cleansing, an Idea Whose Time has come", Speech #2, Competent Communicator manual, 5-7 minutes

2) Stephanie, "Valuing our Volunteers", Speech 3#, Specialty Speeches manual, 10-12 minutes

3)Kelly, "Monkey", Speech #1 in Speaking to Inform manual, 5-7 minutes


Club Business: Open House on April 28; come one, come all; invite friends

Early Riser's 7Apr09 meeting

Theme of the day: Favorite songs with or without their being sung; favorite musicals (my personal favorite: My Way, as sung by Frank Sinatra)

Attending: Bud, Lisa, Tony, Laura, Kathy, Lee, Connie, Mark, Josie, Daohua, Kelly, Stephanie, Tryphine, Theo, Joe (guest)

Toastmaster of the Day: Bud

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Lisa, Icebreaker. Speech #1 Competent Communicator. "An Immigrant's Life, from Bulgaria to the US"

2) Theo. Speech #3 Competent Communicator, Organize your speech. "How safe is your car?"

3) Connie. Speech #2 Special Occasion, Speaking in Praise. "A Tribute to Patsy Mink". (Did you know she was one of the principal authors of Title IX?)

Other Roles at this meeting:

Table Topics Master: Tony
Some memorable responses: Tryphine as Tina Turner doing "Rolling down the River"; Jose "Let the sun shine in"; Mark and "Cannibal the musical".


Club Business: Open House Apr 28. Come one, come all!

ER Officer's meeting 2Apr09

In attendance: Tryphine, Bud, Stephanie, Jane, Josie, Connie

Discussion
1- Members: 12 renewed; 3 confirmed leaving; 3 no response to email

2- Goal: to become distinguished club (again); have 9/10 points; need 5 new members by June 30 (!)

3- Membership drive
....a. create flyers; URL on flyers
...........i) ER flyers at libraries, unemployment offices, coffee shops, company HR, gym, senior centers
....b. Open House on Apr 28; annoucement flyers for that; snacks; website announcement
....c. work on website (Jane + Kelly)
....d. email people who have expressed interest in ER

4- ER budget status from Tryphine

Action items
1- Bud to email members to bring in TM magazine
2- Bud to contact his speech class re ER
3- Stephanie to cover "Successful Club" Manual at some meeting
4- Tryphine to create another flyer for Open House Apr 28
5- Stephanie to sent to Jane "tracking list"
6- Mark (when he returns) to help with sign

Early Riser's 31Mar 09

Coffee, tea and Krispy Kreme donuts. What a way to start the day

Toastmaster of the Day: Laura

Theme for the day: April: Be a Fool (and take a risk) or Be Fooled

Attending: Bud, Laura, Kelly, Jane, Theo, Connie, Tony, Daohua, Kathy, Claire, Josie, Stephanie, Tryphine and welcome guest and Area Governor Peter Karp

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Daohua, "Challenge Yourself", CC #10 Evaluated by Theo

2) Josie "The Scoop on the Group", CC #9 Evaluated by Connie

3)Claire, "Carpe Diem", CC #10 Evaluated by Tony

Table Topics:
April Fool's Day enactments: "Smell-a-vision", "The left-handed Whopper", "Whistling carrots"

word of the day: cozen ( to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery)

Awards at this meeting, for completing Competent Communicator manual: Daohua, Claire

Early Riser's TM meeting 24Mar09

Welcome Spring! Welcome Club contest!

Attending: Bud, Lisa, Kathy, Jane, Claire, Tony, Theo, Kelly, Connie, Daohus, Laura, Stephanie, Tryphine, Josie

Toastmaster of the Day: Josie

Theme for the day: Spring Equinox

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Claire, "Namaste -- the light within me honors the light within you", CC #9, 5-7 minues

2) Bud, "Some of the History of Modern Israel", CC #7


Table Topics Contest:
....and the winner is Jane
Paraphrase of Kelly's TT question: If you were President today, in these difficult times, what would you say to the American people?

17mar09 Early Riser's meeting

First meeting I've attended in a while. Thanks for Josie for doing the minutes.
Unstructured-structured meeting.

Attending: Bud, Josie, Kelly, Connie, Tony, Kathy, Daohua, Theo, Stephanie, Lisa

Toastmaster of the Day: Connie

Theme for the day: Grab-bag, or, "Surprise! You have the role of XXX this morning"

Impromptu speeches
1) Daohua, "Songs of China" Evaluated by Tony

2) Kelly, "The Increasing Demand for Energy". Evaluated by Bud

3)Theo, "Noise Canceling Head Phones", Evaluated by Josie

Word of the day: miscreant

10 March 2009 Meeting Minutes

Claire was Toastmaster for the meeting on Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Lisa was inducted as a new member. Welcome, Lisa! As for the schedule, there were some quick changes to be made; because, for the first in eight years, there were two cancelled speeches! With noting to fear, the Toastmasters swiftly moved into action. Stephanie signed up to do an impromptu 7-minute speech to great effect. Way to go, Stephanie!

Attending: Claire, Stephanie, Daohua, Lisa, Kathy, Josie, Kelly, Theo, Tony, and guests, Rebecca (who found us on MeetUp) and Janine from Ohio (just passing through!).

Theme - How do you stay in touch with your friends and family
members? Recently there's been a lot of buzz around various
technologies that allows us to stay in touch with our loved ones - how
do you communicate and stay in touch with your loved ones? Do you
still write letters, phone, emails, or new social media tools such as
facebook, skype, twitter...etc???

Toastmaster: Claire Chang
Table Topics: Theo Lin
General Evaluator: Josie Weaver
S1: Neil Gavande (Cancelled!)
S2: Laura Caplan  (Cancelled!)

Prepared Speeches at this meeting

S1: Stephanie, "Just Show Up!" project #1 in Specialty Speeches manual, 5-7 minutes. Actual speech delivery time: 00:06:50. Evaluated by Daohua.

S2: Tony,  "Part Two of The Art of Effective Evaluation" as part of the High Performance Leadership project, 12-14 minutes. Actual speech delivery time: 00:14:35. Evaluated by Kelly.

Note: All evaluations were delivered within time limits.

Grammarian: Josie
Ah Counter: Kathy
Ti/WM: Bud (word: flaunt)
Joke Master: Theo 
Leadership Evaluator: Kelly
Inspiration: Stephanie Charles who read Rudyard Kipling's poem, "If" 

Awards at this meeting:

Best Table Topics speech: Kelly

Best Evaluation: Kelly

Best Speech: Stephanie

Announcements: Member dues! Remember to bring your check for $69 in ASAP. Thank you to those of you who left your checks with Bud, who will give these to Tryphine. For NEXT WEEK's MEETING: It's a "grab bag" meeting-- roles will be assigned as you come in. Be ready! Come early! Guests and new members will have a chance to do a 5-minute speech only if you want to. As a new member, you are not beholden for this grab bag meeting!  The club contest (Table Topics Contest on March 24) and Area contests (on March 27th) are coming. Bud and others are signed up for the Table Topics contest. 

Meeting adjourned at 7:56 AM. Have a great day!

March 3, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Daohua made her debut as Toastmaster. What a great meeting. Everything flowed smoothly. And the meeting was very well attended. Kathy was inducted as a new member. Welcome, Kathy!

Attending: Daohua, Stephanie, Kathy, Theo, Tryphine, Jane, Kelly, Claire, Laura, Neil, Bud, and three guests: Lisa, Pavel, and BJay

Theme: Books Tell us about the kinds of books you prefer and why. For example, do you like hardcover books because they are so elegant, or paperbacks because they are less expensive and lighter to hold, or you are in the new age world and like e-books or downloadable books.

Inspiration:  Josie read a short poem by Sufi Poet Hafiz about what it means to be a leader.

Toastmaster: Daohua
Table Topics Master: Tony
General Evaluator: Theo

Prepared Speeches at this meeting:

S1: Kathy, "Intrepid Spirit," Ice Breaker speech, project #1 in the Competent Communication manual, 4-6 minutes. Claire was the evaluator. 

S2: Kelly, "[the Chinese character for 'character']"; project #3 in the Speaking to Inform manual, 5-7 minutes. Evaluated by Bud.

S3: Jane, "Cost Cutting for North Union Sports"; project #4 in the Public Relations manual, 3-5 minutes for the presentation and 2-3 minutes for Q&A. Stephanie evaluating.

Note: All speeches and evaluations delivered within the specified time limits.

Grammarian/Ah Counter: Laura
Timer: Tryphine
WordMaster/Leadership Evaluator/Inspiration: Josie Weaver

Awards at this meeting:

Best Table Topics: Josie

Best Evaluation: Stephanie

Best Speaker: Jane

Announcements: Stephanie distributed the Distinguished Club Program game plan. We are oh-so-close! Club contests coming up! Are you thinking about dues?

Meeting adjourned at 8:00 AM

Early Riser's Toastmaster meeting 24feb09

thanks for Josie for doing the minutes in my absence. stay well, people

Attending:Bud, Josie, Tony, Kathy, Kelly, Theo, Connie, Daohua, Tryphine, Stephanie

Toastmaster of the Day: Theo

Theme for the day: the Sims: how would you design your own city?

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Daohua Huang, "Organize your Digital Images"; Competent Communicator speech #9; evaluated by Tryphine

2) Bud Ribin, "Getting more Nuclear plants on-line", Competent Communicator speech #7; evaluated by Tony


Club Business: March schedule is out.

17 February 2009 Meeting

"Hope smiles on the threshold of the year to come, whispering that it will be happier." (Alfred Lord Tennyson). Well, we certainly hope so! Today's meeting was that little ray of sunshine in the bleakness. There has been much rain and much bleak news in the stock market and such.  Special thanks go to Tony today for fulfilling QUADRUPLE roles at this meeting with aplomb. Yowza.

 
Meeting brought to order at 6:30 AM by Bud.

Attending: Bud, Laura, Stephanie, Tryphine, Theo, Tony, Kelly, Mark, Josie and guests: Kathy Bibby and Sheree Lee

Toastmaster of the Day: Kelly

Theme for the day: The Staples of Life 

Inspiration: Provided by Kelly, our TM for the day. See the opening Tennyson quote above.

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Stephanie, "Autumn", Specialty Speeches manual, project #4, time 12-15 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:13:37. Evaluated by Mark (evaluation time: 00:03:18).

2) Laura, "Successful Negotiator", Interpersonal Communications manual, project #2, time 10-14 minutes total (three segments: overview in 4-5 minutes, role play in 3-5  minutes, and Q&A in 2-3 minutes ). Actual delivery time: 00:14:00. Evaluated by Tony (evaluation time: 00:03:18).

3) Theo, "Project Evaluations", High Performance Leadership manual project, part 3, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:06:37. Evaluated by Josie (evaluation time: 00:03:39).

Other Roles at this meeting:

WordMaster: Josie, and the word was "quintessential"

Timer: Tony
Ah Counter: Tryphine
Grammarian: Tryphine
Table Topics Master: Bud facilitated a discussion on peak experiences with a great theme that encouraged a high usage of the word of the day 
General Evaluator: Tryphine
Joke of the Day: Tony (The grape gave a little whine as it was being squashed by the elephant....)
Leadership evaluator: Tony

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Sheree Lee
Best Evaluation: Mark
Best Speech: Laura


Club Business: We need three Competent Communicator awards  + 6  NEW MEMBERS by June 2009 to fulfill the Distinguished Club program requirements. Can we do it? Yes! Then VPE Reported: The Club contests will be on March 17 and 24. One is for the International Speech Contest and the second one is the Table Topics contest. The new schedule will be out on Monday, February 23. 

Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

10 February 2009 Meeting

The theme was RAIN. And Stephanie (Toastmaster for the day), led us in a spirited rain dance to get things started. Today, Laura had a triple role of GE, evaluator, and leadership evaluator. Phew!

Meeting brought to order at 6:30 AM  by Bud.

Attending: Stephanie, Bud, Tryphine, Theo, Tony, Laura, Kelly, Neil, and Josie.

Toastmaster of the Day: Stephanie

Theme for the day: RAIN

The Prepared Speeches at this meeting:
1) Neil, "A Brief History of Colt's Model of 1911", Competent Communicator manual, project #3, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:10:29. Evaluated by Kelly (evaluation time: 00:03:11).

2) Josie, "Balance: It's all in your head", Competent Communicator manual, project #8, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:07:28. Evaluated by Laura (evaluation time: 00:02:38).

3)Tony, "The Jungle Effect", Speaking to Inform manual, project #1, time 5-7 minutes. Actual delivery time: 00:07:14. Evaluated by Theo (evaluation time: 00:03:10).

Other Roles at this meeting:

Inspiration: Bud, "How lovely to think that we can start right now to start changing the world..." (Anne Frank)
WordMaster: Stephanie
Timer: Bud
Ah Counter: Theo
Grammarian: Theo
Table Topics Master: Tryphine (rain and related ideas); all TT speeches were in time

General Evaluator: Laura 
Joke of the Day: Bud

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Laura
Best Evaluation: Kelly
Best Speech: Josie



Meeting adjourned at: 8:00 AM

3 February 2009

Visit this blog on the Internet: http://earlyriserstoastmasters.blogspot.com/

Attending: Peter B. (back after a two-year break), Tryphine, Tony, Bud, Stephanie, Theo, Claire, Kelly, Jane, Laura, and Neil.

6:30 AM Bud calls the meeting to order. Among other things, Fred Rogers was born today.

Club President Presides: Stephanie talked about the upcoming contest in March 2009. You are all invited to participate!

Tony was the Toastmaster.

THEME – Modern world or Old world what are the advantages and disadvantage to both? Do you like the iphone or no phone at all? Do you cook from scratch the old fashion way or do you prefer a fast food restaurant? How do you cope if you want the old way but live in the modern world?

Inspiration provided by Theo: "There are no failures, only experiences and reactions." (Tom Krause, famous motivational speaker and teacher born in 1934)

Word of the Day: (provided by Bud) Intrepid - adj. brave, plucky, courageous

There were some adjustments to the schedule of events:
Speakers 1. Mark Willey and 2. Connie Oshiro were out sick and did not speak today.

There were still two speeches at this meeting:
1. Jane, "eTax", Public Relations manual, project #3, time 6-8 minutes. Actual time: 00:08:10. Evaluated by Josie (00:02:30 minutes).

2. Tryphine, Interpretive Reading manual, project #1, "Phenomenal Women" and "Still I rise" by Maya Angelou, time 6-8 minutes. Actual time: 00:06:06. Evaluated by Laura (00:03:00 minutes).

Table Topic: Claire Chang
Highlights: Kelly's grandfather made an amazing carrot bread you can't get anywhere. The best in the world. Neil's laptop was stolen, and he was better off after that. Tony reports that modern disease seemed to be dramatically reduced in certain parts of the world because of the nutritious food! Stephanie took pictures at the zoo, but forgot all about the camera when she became very engaged by the baby jaguars.

General Evaluator: Stephanie Charles

Evaluators
1. Josie Weaver
2. Laura Caplan
Grammarian Kelly Brant
Ah Counter: Kelly Brant
Timer: Neil Gavande
Joke Master: Neil Gavande
Leadership Evaluator Theo Lin

Awards at this meeting:
Best Table Topics: Kelly
Best Evaluation: Laura
Best Speech: Jane

Closing Remarks by Club President: Stephanie mentioned the Distinguished Club Program and how we are oh so close to getting all 4 Competent Communicator Manuals. VPE, Josie announced next week's schedule highlights: Neil, Josie and Tony are speakers; Stephanie is the Toastmaster. See the EarlyRisers Google Groups page (http://groups.google.com/group/EarlyRisers?hl=en) for the details. Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming contest!

Meeting adjourned at 7:50 AM