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