The highlights were as wide and varied as the evening itself.
“Tonight, I loved the imagery in the Table Topics, the
informative speeches and the fabulous treats at break time!”
“Our ‘rookies’ tonight did a terrific job!” “It was so good to
see guests out on such a cold evening – and the visit from one
of our members who was taking a break from his duties as a new
father.”
The evening began with Jill, who “was full of warmth and energy
as Chairman this evening.” She welcomed all speakers and guests,
and “helped make the lectern a friendly place to be.” In her
opening comments, she provided “fascinating and inspiring facts
about Ancient Rome and Roman society.” “I especially liked
Jill’s in-depth research into the theme ‘When in Rome…’, and the
interesting tidbits she offered us, such as St. Augustine’s
quote about the importance of conforming to the society you’re
in.” She was also praised for her “wonderful, warm humour and
off-the-cuff bridging.” “A very appreciative Chairman.”
Wordsmith Jan K.’s word apprise “was easy to say, easy to
understand and easy to fit into my speech! Thank you, Jan K!”
“Jan K’s pick-ups for great word images were spot-on. I
especially like her catches from the Table Topics and the two
speeches.” … As for “the other Jan”… “Few people can make me
laugh like Jan F. can! His joke tonight was pitch perfect.”
Inspirator Diane received kudos for her “personal story that
shared so much about culture and a shared experience between
people.” “Diane took us around the world to tell us what she did
to conform to each culture.” “I really liked Diane’s parting
advice to ‘Do as the Thais do!’” “Wing Lee was a hilarious
Timer. I enjoyed his threats to throw the lights at us if we
went over our time limit. – Fortunately, it didn’t happen!”
Michelle’s Table Topics were “very enjoyable”,
“thought-provoking and creative” and elicited “a lot of laughter
– from both the audience and the speakers!” “Michelle
demonstrated great bridging between speakers: she had at least
one bridge per person.” “I liked Michelle’s listening skills;
not an easy thing when you’re coordinating a session of multiple
speakers.” “Aside from her great sense of humour, Michelle uses
good dramatic pauses. Very suspenseful in Table Topics!”
As for the Table Topics speeches themselves, they took us
traveling both in time and geography. One member wrote: “Our
Toastmasters are getting better at doing logical, humorous,
organized mini-speeches. Diane, who won the Best Table Topic
ribbon of the evening, “entertained and delighted us with her
imperious and satirical vision of re-building Rome.” Atta,
“whose understated humour is one of his trademarks”, made us
laugh and reflect on who we should and who we should not
emulate. Jan K, “who loves to challenge our perspective”, had us
take a look at the Canada we live in, and how much it has
changed. Wing Lee “had us in stitches” with his “hilarious,
enthralling and very personal” account of why the Canadian
health care system should be exported to other countries. Jane,
who truly “took her own path” in her Table Topic, received some
of the highest Table Topics praise for the evening in tonight’s
highlights: “her courage and willingness and great sense of
humour always make for good laughs.” “You are my hero, Jane!”
And Kate amused one Toastmaster with “the image of gladiators’
calves” as they leaped after badminton birdies in a new Roman
sport.
Dave A’s Table Topics evaluation was a highlight for many. “I
liked his evaluation: different, relaxed and personable.” “Dave
A. provided us with great educational moments: his evaluation
helped not only the individual speakers, but all of us.” “I was
impressed by Dave A’s supreme organization and speedy set-up.
Thank you!” “Great use of the sandwiching technique by Dave A!”
“He had something for every individual – and
individually-tailored advice. Thanks for your great eye!” “Dave
A’s excellent use of humour helps enliven and soften an
evaluation session.” “I liked Dave A’s modeling of ‘walking off
stage proud’.”☺
Toastmaster Li-Ying led us into the second session by
encouraging us to do our best to “fit in” and “act like a
local.” “She warmed up the audience well” for both speakers with
her “well-researched introductions” and her warm and energetic
manner. “Both formal speeches tonight were excellent!” The first
speech of the evening was Jessica’s second speech to the club,
but most highlights comments tonight agreed she seemed much more
experienced. Her speech, entitled: “PAIN: Applying to Medical
School”, was “excellent and informative” and revealed to many of
us “the arduous steps required to enter Medical School.” “She
was exactly what she claimed she’ll have to be in her interviews
for Med School: ‘ethical, eloquent, confident and relaxed’.” “I
was really horrified by the in-depth process students must go
through!” “Loved Jessica’s imagery: ‘med schools choose their
students like a good bottle of wine’, and ‘draining and
squeezing every life event onto the application form.’” Karen’s
speech, “Not Just For Relish Anymore”, described the many health
benefits of the red reishi mushroom. “I learned a lot from
Karen, tonight! From polysaccharides to triterpenes and free
radicals, I feel like a have a whole new vocabulary that I
actually understand!” “I liked the horrifying image of ‘unstable
electrons moving through the body.’” “Great visuals in Karen’s
presentation. Thank you for spelling out those three technical
terms.” “Loved Karen’s speech: now I have something new to add
to my health food cupboard!” “Really enjoyed Karen’s concluding
sentence about this being ‘a much better mushroom trip!’”
“The evaluators were so in control tonight, and had thoughtful,
constructive criticism.” Kate, who won the ribbon for Best
Evaluator of the evening, “offered warm praise and good
suggestions” to Jessica, and Christina’s “use of specific
examples in her constructive comments was very useful.”
“Christina demonstrated fine skills tonight in giving a balanced
and instructive evaluation.”
Dave S. was “in his usual fine form” in delivering his General
Evaluation of the evening. “As usual, he was to the point in his
evaluation.” “I like the way he personalizes his comments, but
still uses the 3rd person [he/she]. This makes his advice
personal to all of us, and we all take something away from his
evaluation.” His warmth and “humorous observations” made us
chuckle, and his “insightful comments” were “helpful not only
for those he was critiquing, but also the people who will fill
those roles in the future.”
The meeting finished with positive comments from our guests, and
requests for recipes from Jane for the yummy treats she provided
for refreshments!
Everyone is welcome to join us next Monday, February 11th, 2008
for entertainment, refreshments and laughter in “Learning
Through Fun and Friendship”. We look forward to seeing many
familiar faces and some new ones!
Club 1085
