The December 15th meeting was a singularly special and festive occasion.
All five senses were called into action by the delectable array of potluck-style food on the one hand (well, on the large table right up front), and on the other, by true Toastmasters-style speeches and leadership.
Among the 30 special attendees were: Jaci Pasley – District 36 Governor, Jim Cline – Division D Governor, Bill Aley – Area 43 Governor, and Merlyn Kettering – Area 62 Governor.
The epigrammatic responses to Ellen Segal’s well prepared questions based on the Table Topics theme, “The Many Reasons for the Season,” set the tone for the festivity.
Eniola Olowofoyeku, Toastmaster of the Evening, led the program in her usual confident and organized style. As a special treat, she introduced “Bobo.” If you missed meeting this special guest, you will probably be lucky to meet him at our next meeting.
Una Kettering’s speech titled, “My Brother in the Hood,” captured the theme of the meeting. Like a skilled painter, her word picture on the Holiday canvas started with a baby born in Trinidad, an area of Washington D.C under underprivileged circumstances. With Una’s grasp of various elements of speech craft and delivery, we could almost reach out and touch that baby. As she continued on her path of imagery, the Baby born in Nazareth over 2,000 years ago evolved—and the real reason for the season was clear.
Well done Una!
Eldon Ralph’s “Tribute to Mother Teresa” was as intriguing as it was stimulating. Known for his adeptness at story-telling, Eldon took us with him as he verbally “mapped” Mother Teresa’s journey from Macedonia, her birthplace, to Calcutta, India. Among the many valuable nuggets of her character traits that we picked up along the way were:
a) Mother Teresa’s life bore witness to the virtue of humility
b) Her life was an enduring symbol of man’s humanity to man
c) She was the incarnation of charity
Then it was back to Toastmasters basics with the Clarence Featherson.
His energetic and interactive delivery of the A B C’s of Toastmasters protocol, while educational in nature, was entertaining. Can you visualize the Do Si Do—the exchange of positions at the podium between the leader and the next speaker? Do you know that the handshake is symbolic of the passing of power, and that in practice it helps with the smooth transition from one role to the next? Do you realize that in some places you need to step up onto the podium in order to get to the lectern? How long should your applause last? Long enough to allow the person who is introduced to get from his/her seat to the lectern or vice versa.
Good job Clarence!
Silver Spring Club 1314 knows best the value of socialization. With much thanks to all, the potluck was a blast! If your sense of taste was not revitalized, then I guess you missed some favorites like Mel’s Eggplant Parmesan and Fiona’s Pumpkin Roll with Ginger Orange.
Yum, yum!
President Mel Bayo exchanged his hat for the Master Evaluator’s hat which he “wore” very well. Like a good teacher, he explained the reason for, and benefits of this all-important aspect of the meeting.
Armed with an abundance of positive energy, the evaluators, David Buresh and Merlyn Kettering demonstrated their advanced evaluation skills as they commented on what worked and provided insight into opportunities for improvement. Highlights from each speech were the effective use of storytelling, and the skillful balance of information and humor.
To help provide indications of the quality of the meeting, Maxine Blanks, Fiona Morrissey, and Marcia Snyder gave the Timer’s report, Grammarian/Ahs report, and Listener’s report respectively. Maxine commented on consistency with respect to starting meetings on time, and that speakers stayed within the designated time for each project/speech. Fiona generously helped speakers identify fillers that potentially rob a speech of its spark. Marcia did a good job of reminding us of details of each speech.
Kudos to you ladies, your listening skills and keen attention to details really enhanced the roles.
Like the perfect icing on a scrumptious cake, Merlyn Kettering’s crafted a festive twist to the Carol, “Jingle Bells”. We sang with much gusto:
“Toastmasters, Toastmasters,
Toastmasters every day
We love to come to our club
We come to learn and play.”
That made for a perfect ending to the memorable December 15th meeting!
