For those who missed last week’s meeting, you really missed
something special!!! The highlights, this week, are a bit
lengthy, but indicated the enthusiastic responses to this
extraordinary occasion. Unofficially, it was Pam Elliott
Appreciation Night. The theme, Gratitude, was designed with this
in mind and focused on Pam’s accomplishments in our club and the
esteem we have for her. “Everything was so well organized!”
“What a positive and upbeat atmosphere!” “The level of
professionalism – Very High! Very Enthusiastic!”
An unusually large number of Guests, some of whom were familiar
faces and others who had come for the first time “filled the
room with their warmth and kindred energy.” Jill McCormick had
her hands full with all the introductions.
Much of the focus this evening was on Pam. It was a surprise!
She only knew that Neville Cohen, our member and Area Governor,
was going to present her with the Advanced Communicator Gold
certificate from Toastmasters International, and the District’s
achievement pin. She had no idea that the club was presenting
her a very special award of its own, or that Jill would
personally present her with a beautiful bouquet, or that dear
old friends (former members) would be there, or that the
speeches would be entirely about her!
“Seeing what a well-oiled machine this club really is, and the
tribute to a woman who has contributed so much, for so long,
highlighted the evening for me.” “What a wonderful meeting on a
very special occasion. I enjoyed every minute of it”. “A well
deserved award for you for all the years dedicated to
Toastmasters.” “How thoughtful of people to acclaim (Word of the
Day) her for her noteworthy accomplishments in our club over the
years.” “I got inspired! Thanks Pam and many congrats!”
Thanks to the celebration, one guest exclaimed “Great Food!”
“Neville’s wife Wendy’s made a delicious cake in celebration of
the award. It was so delectable that members fought over the
last slices!”
“Way to go, Pam!” “You are a great Chairman!” “The gratitude she
expressed for the positive aspects of this theme and how they
caused her to reflect on all the positive things in her life
really struck a chord with me, and set an optimistic tone for
the evening.” “Loved the way she used ‘gratitude’ in introducing
the guests for their comments at the end of the meeting.” “The
questions she posed to the participants she was introducing
elicited heartfelt, revealing and often inspirational
responses.”
“Elma’s Word of the Day had a wonderful response.” “The meeting
was packed with some vividly rich quotes. She picked up on some
of the best of them!” “Um, uh, er … a novel way to open the
Wizard of Ah’s role explanation? It seemed to work well for Dave
F.!” “His self-effacing manner wins his audience over every
time! – despite how much we may have to pay for our ‘ums’ and
‘ahs’!!”
“This meeting had me riveted from beginning to end. This made
Christine a hero to me because not once, the entire night, did
she miss a beat with the timing!!” “Jan’s joke had a good punch
line and was quite amusing in its style of delivery. It flowed
smoothly.” “His joke was a treat! While most of us troll the
internet in search of the perfect (albeit ‘used’) joke, Jan, our
resident storyteller, is able to take personal anecdotes and
turn them into original jokes.”
“An excellent Inspiration by Nahid!!!” “This heartfelt
Inspiration about her family’s fearful voyage to Canada and her
incredible gratitude in being offered citizenship was a reality
check for those of us who may take what we have here for
granted.” “Wow, for a first time Inspiration, Nahid really had
it dialed in. Her journey from war torn Iran to Geneva, and then
to Canada was moving and inspirational.” “I felt proud to be a
Canadian.”
“The Table Topics session was led expertly by Elena, who was
comfortable and self-assured in her delivery.” “I appreciated
that, for the benefit of our many guests, Elena provided an
in-depth explanation of Table Topics and how they work.” “All of
the Table Topics participants proved that humour conquers all;
when in doubt, make ‘em laugh!” The participant who surprised us
all and who won the Best Table Topic Speaker award was our
guest, Dave A.
“His first shot at Table Topics was very impressive!” “A
complete speech delivered with confidence. Wow!” “He
demonstrated admirable confidence and poise, especially for a
second-time guest. His speech was well-organized, clear and
finished with an excellent conclusion.”
“I admire Jan’s innate ability, as a natural storyteller, to
connect so immediately with his audience, no matter what role he
plays.” “Both Ed and Jan won the audience over with their
humorous approach to their speeches.” “Dave F. was handed a very
challenging topic which he handled with his usual relaxed
manner, approaching the topic with humour and trademark
sincerity.” “Hilary’s speech impressed me: she approached an
extremely challenging topic calmly and methodically. Her
technique of exploring her thoughts on a difficult topic aloud
and in front of her audience until she arrives at a logical and
humorous conclusion allows fellow Toastmasters unique insight
into thought process. She sets a good example for those of us
who tend to freeze upon receiving a topic we feel we cannot
immediately speak to.” “I loved the way Hilary turned her topic
on its head, concluding that perhaps the key to succeeding is
‘to make revenge profitable’.”
“Kate gave an excellent Table Topics Evaluation – I learned
something!” “What a masterful, incisive and vibrant job of
evaluating by Kate.” “She was excellent and very well spoken.”
She was the winner of the Best Evaluator for this meeting.
“Neville’s researched and well-delivered introduction to his
award presentation to Pam was a Highlight. His explanation of
the different ingredients of her award also served to illuminate
those of us who are new to Toastmasters.”
“All four of the speeches were done competently,
enthusiastically, professionally, vivaciously, and with aplomb.”
“All of the speeches and evaluations were thoughtful, humorous,
and enjoyable. Nothing felt out of place or awkward.” Li Ying
was the Toastmaster for this section of the meeting, and because
her Toast was a manual project it was also considered to be one
of the speeches “Li Ying’s novel approach to her role as
Toastmaster was certainly a Highlight! Great Toast!!” “She made
me smile in her Special Occasion Toast to ‘the mother of our
club, Pam’.” Comments on her Toast: “Good, humorous and well
planned – Loved it!” “Very appropriate, sincere, and funny – the
best I’ve heard in a long time, and I love her spontaneous
mischief! I admire, envy and enjoy her enjoyment of the moments
she spends with her audience and with those she introduces.
Thanks for great bridging and wonderful laughs, Mme.
Toastmaster!” “Good speeches in Praise and in the Roast of our
own Tasmanian Devil.” “Dave S.’s Roast of ‘Well-done Pam’ was
well-researched with light-hearted comments just as he
promised.” “Loved his ‘Don’t “should on” yourself!’ anecdote!
His Roast was gentle but lively, with a good amount of pop and
crackle.” “In Don’s laudatory speech to Pam to Present an Award,
he deftly summed up an evening which fully expressed gratitude
to a truly valued member of this club.” “Jill’s thoughtful
gesture of flowers was sweet! Good use of this prop, too!”
“Loved her description of Pam: ‘she nudges us with
organization’. I also enjoyed her great use of humour and word
pictures during her speech lauding Pam’s involvement in
Toastmasters over the past 16 years. Her ELLIOTT banner was
creative and apt!” “Her speaking in praise – what a good choice
for this project. She knows her so well – what a great summary
of Pam’s contributions.” “Her speech was a wonderful Highlight –
Jill at her best, warmest, and most articulate.”
“Excellent evaluations for the speeches, especially by Jim and
Neville. Good skilled use of the sandwich technique!” “Jim’s
amazing vocal variety in his evaluations is a lesson to us all:
Just because it’s an evaluation doesn’t mean it can’t capture
the audience’s attention.” “Neville’s gentle and humorous
roasting of the roaster in his evaluation of Dave S.’s speech
was a definite Highlight. It exemplified for me the familiarity
and camaraderie of our club atmosphere.” “Stuart used excellent
specific examples from Li-Ying’s speech to illustrate his
evaluation. What an apt observer!” “I admire Hilary’s ability to
speak without notes, in front of the lectern, while giving a
speech evaluation. Bravo! She provided excellent and unique
observations about Don’s sincerity and the different ways in
which it was demonstrated.”
“Ruth gave a very good General Evaluation.” “She covered all the
essentials”, and “didn’t miss a beat in her observations. Wow!
She made me smile with her ‘everyone was appropriately
labeled’.”
“This meeting was exceptional. Every moment of it was a
Highlight: the Guests were very friendly and supportive, the
speakers spoke from the bottom of their hearts, the cake was
delicious … It was like a Christmas party – everybody was
excited and well prepared. Congratulations!” “The whole meeting
spoke of Gratitude.” “Tonight was a great night! I realized what
a privilege it is to be part of this club.”
Please join us as ‘a part of this club’ on Monday, May 7th. We
have a great line-up of speeches for this meeting, and we will
also be holding our annual club elections this night. We always
look forward to having guests and hope to see you then.
Club 1085
“His first shot at Table Topics was very impressive!” “A
complete speech delivered with confidence. Wow!” “He
demonstrated admirable confidence and poise, especially for a
second-time guest. His speech was well-organized, clear and
finished with an excellent conclusion.”
