Oct 19: Toastmasters in funny hats

Last night several of our speakers wore hats in honor of the theme "A Toastmaster Wears Many Hats!" The presentations can be equated to a train ride as we covered all the meeting roles and Toastmaster acronyms.

Pat Quick led the train by describing how to prepare for and to perform the Toastmaster role. Bob Titiryn tooted the train whistle by explaining the role of Timer. Conductor Dámaris Thorn gave a great lesson in the appropriate use of the English language, and Tom Brents counted the train stoppers — ah, umm, and-so, so, well, —. Our CPA deluxe, Steven Timmons, suggested several ways to prepare to be Vote Counter and what is expected at the meeting when serving in this role.

Whistle stop entertainment was provided by Brenda Daniels and Setma Maddox. Brenda pointed out that the Table Topicsmaster should know the theme and prepare questions ahead of time regarding the theme. She also provided guidelines as to who should be asked to answer Table Topic questions. Setma clarified many of the acronyms used in Toastmasters, explained how those acronyms get attached to your name, and provided a method to track your progress.

George Arndt kept us on track with how and why the General Evaluator should give feedback to the speech evaluators, and on the running of the overall meeting. Tammy Bailey demonstrated how to evaluate a speaker by giving Pat Quick a short evaluation on her presentation. Gary Chiu enlightened us to the fact that much goes on behind the scenes before a meeting can even take place, such as setting up the room and making sure all the equipment is in operative condition. Jodie Sanders reminded us that when we are not assigned a specific meeting role, we are in the Hot Seat. As such we should always be prepared to step up on the train and help make the meeting run smoothly no matter what role we are filling — including Speaker.

At the end of the meeting, two new members were accepted into our club. Welcome, Kim Alvarez and Teresa Wilburn!

We Are Leading the Way!

Setma Maddox

"An extraordinary learning opportunity"

I don't remember where I heard this quote, but I like it: "There is no man so poor that he cannot afford to learn from another."

Our October 19 meeting will be an extraordinary learning opportunity, not to be missed! Based on an advanced communication module called "A Toastmaster Wears Many Hats," we will present an in-depth look at each of the major roles in a Toastmasters meeting.

Why are we doing this? One reason is the explosion of growth our club is experiencing. Some of our newer members joined after just one or two meetings, and are now thrust into the arena without proper preparation for the roles we're asking them to perform. Another reason is our need to balance meeting the educational & leadership needs of all our members with the desire to remain respectful of everyone's time on meeting nights. Knowing more specifically how each role should function can help us accomplish that goal with our usual Afterburners success.

This week's meeting will provide insight into each major role and guidelines on how to execute each one as well. I hope to see each of you there as we learn from each other!

Tammy Bailey

Special Meeting on Oct 19!

I am personally inviting you to our SPECIAL Afterburners Toastmasters Meeting next Tuesday, October 19, at 6:50 p.m. Well, our meeting actually begins at 7:00 p.m. on the dot; however, the extra ten minutes will give you time to visit.

The SPECIAL speakers during this meeting will describe the opportunities available during an Afterburners Toastmasters Meeting. You will learn several important speaking and leadership skills. For example, when someone calls you by name, do you respond: "It is I" or "It is me." When do you use the words "that" and "which" in a sentence? What is a double negative? Am I talking about a car battery? Come to the meeting to find out!

Dámaris Thorn

Help for meeting roles now on the website

Are you feeling a little nervous about being Toastmaster or General Evaluator? Can't remember everything the Grammarian or Ah-Counter should be listening for?

It's hard to remember not to leave anything out. Go to the Club Roles page of the Afterburners website, and at the bottom of the page for your role, you will find a download link to a Word document that you can save to your computer. (If you have difficulty with this, call Jodie Sanders for assistance.)

Print it to study ahead of time, and bring to the meeting with you. Your fellow Toastmasters will be impressed with how well prepared you are.

Then give big thank-yous to Pat Quick for the Toastmaster and General Evaluator scripts, and to Benson for the Ah-Counter Tally and Grammarian's Log. We appreciate their efforts to help us have successful opportunities and smooth meetings!

Jodie Sanders