Thursday, February 7, 2013

Minutes of January 21, 2013-Speech-a-thon



Sgt at Arms: 
President Chandra:  We used this meeting for a Speech-a-thon, as there were 6 speeches.  We also needed to sub roles, as 12 members showed up despite the snow and poor weather.

Toastmaster:  Uta very capably allowed the meeting to carry on as if all was planned.

Table Topics:  Ian allowed members to speak about their enjoyment of the “cold”—quite appropriate for those of us who ventured into the night under these winter weather conditions.

Speaker 1:  Joe—Storytelling #1 The Folktale; 7-9 minutes.  “Gold Tree and Silver Tree”
Joe shared an old Celtic Folk Tale passed down by oral tradition.  He entertained us by speaking without notes.  He captivated our attention by creating quite a gory scenario, as typical of many ancient stories.  The best part was the triumph of good over evil despite what appeared to be a lost cause.
               
Speaker 2:  Tom P. Interpretive Poetry, 6-8 minutes; “The Mad Gardner’s Song”
Tom spoke about Lewis Carroll and his Life, as well as about his Poem.  Carroll was a Logician, Anglican Deacon, Photographer, and Inventor, as well as an author.  He was known for his ability at word play, logic, and fantasy.  Tom brought out his use of the “rule of three” used in memorable speeches:  ex. Friends, Romans, and Countrymen (Shakespeare); Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Jefferson); The Few, The Proud, The Marines (USMC).  Toastmasters also encourages the use of 3 main points in speeches.
The poem allowed Tom to picture the mad gardener walking around shouting at inanimate objects, and people thinking them to be entirely different things.  His thought-provoking statement was, “Some days I feel like the Mad Gardener myself”. 

Speaker #3: Jay—CC  #7–“Get to the Point”; 5-7 minutes; “Gun Violence”
                Jay spoke about the human, media, and gun control aspect of gun violence.  He spoke about military strength.  He about how the media promotes violence, with video games, Hollywood, and high tech TV shows inciting watchers to take action.  His plea:  Take action now—allow your children to have real life experiences so they know that the real world is not all violence, media, and Hollywood.

Speaker #4:  Rich—CC—“Research Your Topic”; 5-7 minutes; “Stents, A Small Medical Marvel”
                Rich relayed interesting information about how stents saved the life of a friend with 4 blockages. 
Previously, this person had no time or ability to exercise.  There is technology out there to help people.  Physicians inserted the stents with a balloon, so that the metal stents expand and become part of the artery.  Now, this person makes time to exercise and is able to do so without numbness and leg cramps.

Speaker #5:  Hyunsoo:  CC #3 “Get to the Point”, 5-7 minutes; “Protect Yourself from Flu Epidemic
                Hyunsoo gave a very timely and informative talk on what we can do to protect ourselves from the flu.  There are now 2500 confirmed flu cases in Connecticut, making the epidemic bigger than the previous 2 years.  One is highly contagious, especially 1 day before developing symptoms and 5-7 days after becoming ill.  The Center for Disease Control has 3 guidelines for prevention:
1.        Get the flu vaccine each year:  3 types of flu can be prevented with one shot.  The shot has a 50-70 per cent success rate.  It is not too late to get one at the local drug stores.
2.       Take action to prevent the spread:  Wash hands with soap and water, scrubbing the back, between fingers, and under nails; rinse with running water for 20 seconds (you can sing “Happy Birthday” to make the time go faster”; use tissue for coughing—then dispose of it.
3.       If you think you have fever, cough, sore throat, headache, body ache, and tiredness, anti-viral medicines can help if you take them within 2 days; also, one must eat right and exercise to strengthen the immune system.

Speech #6:  Chandra—Specialty Speeches, Uplift the Spirit, 8-10 minutes, “Look into the Mirror”
                Chandra gave the speech he will deliver at the District Jan Jam.  He reminded us that we are mirrors that reflect what we are.   Our personality, character, and core beliefs change with time.  The important constant in whatever we do is love.  Love is the oil for the engine that runs the planet. We should enjoy life, treasure our experiences (learning from the negative; gaining pleasure from successes), and have fun.    Chandra hit on the reason we come to TM even in the dead of winter.

General Evaluator:  Ian
Evaluator #1:  Elaine for Joe
                Joe’s delivery allowed us to hang on every word, as he attracted our attention by the phrase:  “eating the heart and liver of Gold Tree”.  We realized that violence in stories goes back to ancient times.  However, “good triumphs over evil” and “jealously brings self-destruction” come out as positive themes. 
Evaluator #2:  Joe for Tom P—Tom gave us insight into the author, as well as his poetry.  The rhythm and language of the poem enhanced the delivery.
Evaluator #3:  Chandra for Jay—Jay cleverly did not take a position, but encouraged us to act the way we feel would be most beneficial.  He was well organized, using the rule of three.
Evaluator #4:  Daya for Rich—Daya performed his first evaluation, complimenting Rich for his supportive research and clear purpose.
Evaluator #5:  Ian for Hyunsoo—Ian complimented Hyunsoo for coming across as a well-organized professional, with an effective, conversational delivery.
Evaluator #6:  Rachel for Chandra—Rachel solicited support from the group in agreeing that Chandra encouraged us by very effectively bringing out his main points in story-form.

Ah-Counter:  Ian
Timer:  Rachel
Guest Comments:  Though half the membership did not attend because of weather, those present pulled together an effective meeting.  Our guest gained knowledge, while being entertained and appreciated the value of evaluation.

President’s Remarks:  Everyone spoke, as only 12 were present.  He reminded officers and members to attend the Officer Workshop on Jan. 30. 

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