Topic Wordplay, Meeting Roles and Wake Up Your Audience - an alleviating morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM Veronica led us with an inspiring Invocation.

And, we voted for (following Robert's Rules of Parliamentary Procedure) and inducted our new VP Membership, TM Christina.  Thank you!

TM BeckyJo brought us very original Table Topics, based on wordplay.  We found out that...

* TM Pam's mother made bathtub gin and went to speakeasies during Prohibition and then became a teetotaler... nothing like extremes!

* TM David's kitchen in France exploded with Nutella and frogs while crushing the linoleum floor...

* TM Randolph has a lucky silk tie which endows him with extraordinary charisma.

* TM Jorge's rubberband pistol was confiscated by his teacher who called it a Weapon of Math Destruction.  He Won Best Table Topics Award.  Go Jorge!

* TM Veronica visited a silkworm farm in Thailand and met some backward poets who write inverse.

* Guest Fernanda sometimes pushes the envelope and that has caused her to acquire writer's block.  It's still stationery....

* TM Gail feels for puppies who give birth on the side of the road and get cited for littering.... Life isn't fair....!!

* TM Christine went to a farm and actually saw a meat grinder in action and managed not to get behind...

* TM Aleta saw many chickens crossing the road, getting decapitated by the cook, feathers plucked, and roasted in the oven.  Poultry in motion...

Along came (2) fantabulous educational speeches...

* TM Pam presented us all the available roles in Toastmasters - from the sublime to the ridiculous, which make us outstanding speakers.

* TM Aleta shared some attention magnets to keep our audience engaged:  "Here's the thing", "To be Clear", "My point is this", "Rest Assured", "Here's What Really Matters"....  She Won Best Speaker Award.

And then the evaluations...

* TM David praised TM Pam for her amazing speech which was clear and organized in spite of encomapping a lot of information.  Next time he suggested she use personal names to exemplify club roles.  He Won Best Evaluator Award.

* TM Randolph called TM Aleta a Toastmaster in Top Form as she showed us once more how to master a room.  No critiques were forthcoming!

The Word of the Day was 

ALLEVIATE, verb

To make less severe

Example:   Coffee alleviates headaches and morning grogginess.

Here's the link to the recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH9xMZt0D10

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer

Debating Debatables, The Love Boat and (Dis)organized crime in South Florida - a facilitated morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

TM David smoothly facilitated our meeting as a first-time Toastmaster of the Day.  Congratulations David!

TM Aleta led us in thought-provoking both sides of table topics... We discovered that...

*TM David thinks AI should be banned in war because it can destroy lives exponentially...

*TM BeckyJo says it should NOT be banned because the bad guys will use it anyway. So let everyone use it, destroy the planet and start over.  All we need are robots and gardeners to start the Garden of Eden.   She Won Best Table Topics Award.

* TM Pam thinks mandatory age retirement should be banned.  Old people should be out working (except her)...

*TM Marie thinks it should NOT be banned - she still works, facilitates training, feels connected.  Rock 'em, sock' em, robots wedding cake.

* TM Christina recovered from her initial shock and stated she absolutely believes the moon landing was a hoax.  They put movie cameras in a basement and some decorative rocks.  Just ask Buzz Aldrin,,,

* TM Randolph thinks it was NOT an elaborate hoax.  What would we gain from believing it's a hoax anyway?  He's pragmatic above all.

* TM Veronica thinks a 4-day workweek improves productivity and increases wellbeing.  Less commuting, more time with kids and for appointments.

* Guest  Fernanda thinks a 4-day workweek would not work for certain industries - healthcare, restaurants, hospitals.  Definitely a no-no.  Good job, Fernanda!

We then proceeded on to the prepared speeches...

*TM Christina regaled us with a sweet story of her personal Love Boat adventure, where she met her husband-to-be amazing chef and they both learned together to distinguish between a rope and a line.  Jib the jab!!  She Won Best Speaker Award.

* I, Ana, told a juicy tale of (dis)organized crime in South Florida in the 40s, 50s and up to the 80s, amidst the sound of crashing waves, swaying palm trees and lots and lots of lime mojitos.

As far as evluations go....

* TM BeckyJo adored TM Christina's love story on the high seas and encouraged her to focus on her vocal variety since everything else is excellent.

* TM Pam empathized with the tale of La Cosa Nostra, Florida style, since she's a native Floridian and is familiar with Florida craziness.  She suggested I stick to 2 or 3 stories and expand on them.  She Won Best Evaluator Award.

The Word of the Day was

FACILITATE, verb

To make an action or process easier

Example: It's easy to facilitate any role in Toastmasters because we have our prized 'crib sheets' to guide us along.  Try it people!

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwoPSNMiuU

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

Cupid, Adventures and Smart Homes That Are Not Too Smart - a fun morning at EarlyBirds!

Dear Members, Guests, Friends,

TM Randolph started us off with a meaningful Invocation, and we were ready to start our Table Topics contest...

The topic was ADVENTURE.... and as we soon found out...

* TM Veronica stays in Toastmasters to master her hesitation with impromptu speaking and has embarked in this adventure.

* TM Pam's main adventure - at this stage of life - is exactly that, to have conquered another night stayin' alive...

* TM Jose's middle name is Adventure - he began getting into pickles at a very tender age and continued until caution became his second middle initial.  He Won Second Place.

* TM Cristina's life has been a total and complete adventure, seconded since a few years ago by her also-adventurous husband.  She Won First Place.

* TM Randolph's adventure plans includes riding his bike alone and aimlessly until his legs give out - hopefully near a Hyatt Regency.  He Won Second Place.

* TM BeckyJo's childhood adventures included commanding her entire 4th grade to follow her across the street to a park and serving 3 years' detention for it. But... she'd do it again in a heartbeat.

While the votes were being tallied, we had a prepared speech and a disruptive audience.

* TM David told us that "A smart house is not a silver bullet" and, among interruptions, comments and sneers, we realized that smart homes are simply endless set up instructions, compatibility issues, resetting passwords, wifi shutdowns and toilets that don't flush when the internet is down.  So beware of modern technology if you still want to have a quiet cup of coffee on weekends.

As far as evaluations go...

* TM Jose praised TM David's speech and how he handled disruptions... before TM Jose himself was disrupted by a security technician intending to make my home a little smarter but not quite.

Our Word of the Day was

CUPID, noun

A cherub-like entity that throws arrows at people's hearts to allure them into romantic love and otherwise entices everyone to profess brotherly/sisterly love to their fellow humans.

Example:  Cupid played an important role in most couples' romantic involvements.

Overall, our Table Topics contest provided a morning of fun and laughter for us all.

And as they say.... "If it's not fun... it's not Toastmasters!"

Here's the link to the recording....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cawh2Cfo_g

See you next week!

Ana I.

Recap Writer 

Contest, Inspiration and Is It Fair? - a contested morning at EarlyBirds

Dear Members, Guests and Friends,

We heard very inspirational speeches...

* TM Marie expressed to us how the most important gifts we receive in life are those invitations we accept....  She Won First Place

* TM Veronica clearly showed us how life happens while we're getting prepared so we must reverse course and take action first!  She Won Second Place

* TM Jose reiterated that we are responsible for our own actions and we need to actively build a healthy life and determine what we refuse to tolerate.

* TM David declared that life marches along and we must not allow any small hiccup to cause upheavals.  That's why he goes to Toastmasters.  He Won Third Place.

* I, Ana, gave a bird's eyeview of life from the shoreline instead of focusing on one finite point in my realm.

* TM Aleta explained to us what a modern pioneer woman is - perseverance, stamina and WiFi!  Go Starlink!

While votes were being tallied, we had outstanding Table Topics led by TM Randolph - is life fair and does money make a difference?

* TM Jose's life indeed changed by the lack of money when he learned to hunt and cook and then as he made more money, expenses always caught up!

* TM Veronica found herself in Costa Rica, 21 years old with no money but she had generous friends who spotted her till she got back home.

* TM Aleta said you can't depend on what you learn in college because life itself is the best teacher.

* TM Pam stated that no, life is indeed not fair, but hey people, learn to be empathetic to those below - it needs to become trendy again.

* TM BeckyJo said it's fair to cut in line if you pay Premium but it's not fair to cut in line for organ donation just because you're wealthy.  No sireeee...

The Word of the Day was 

CONTEST, noun

An exercise to determine one's place in a competition.

Here's the link to the recording:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9wJWefpXwE

Next week, on to Table Topics Contest!!!

See you then!

Ana I.

Recap Writer