There was much discussion at tonight’s meeting about the
surprising near-absence of men in attendance. Was it perhaps the
theme of the evening that had scared them away? Many of the
highlights suggest that there were many of us who “enjoyed the
humour from the theme “Red Hot”. As it stood, only Jan F. was
there to handle the “Red Hot” evening of feisty females! And, as
usual, he handled his role with gusto! “The only gentleman at
the meeting, Jan F. certainly controlled the traffic very well!”
“All women and one man – way to go, Jan!” This merely enhanced
the “playful passion” of the evening: as one member put it, “I
thoroughly enjoyed the cheeky nudging at the female-to-male
ratio!”
As Chairman, Jan F. “lit up the evening with his sense of humour.”
“I loved his poem!” Doubling as impromptu Jokemaster, “Jan F’s
off-the-cuff joke was very enjoyable. He thoroughly embraced the
theme and wove it into all his bridging.” He made us laugh with
his self-deprecating humour: “If I judged by my eyes it wouldn’t
be fair”, and was highlighted for one of many colourful images:
“like a piston in a dirty old car,” in the poem he read. Li-Ying
was applauded both in the General Evaluation and in the
Highlights for “the warm manner in which she always welcomes our
guests.” Wordsmith Diane provided a great word (“fiery”) which
was “especially well-used by the Chairman in his great
bridging.” “I liked Diane’s word: short, easy-to-use, and
befitting of the theme.” “Fiery was the word, and fiery was the
attitude.” “There was a plethora of word pictures” and “Diane
seemed to catch them all with her meticulous ear.” Diane also
received kudos for her “healthy snack” which was “thoroughly
enjoyable!” “Good inspiration from Jane,” who read a poem that
touched quite a few members tonight: “the poetry inspired me!
Thanks, Jane!” “As a teacher, I need that kind of reminder! Much
appreciated!” “How wonderful to have two great poems in one
evening!” Our pinch-hitter Wizard of Ahs, Delene, “stepped up to
the plate like a pro!” “Good to see Delene back, as relaxed and
poised as ever!” “I enjoyed Delene’s great explanation and good
humour in her role as Wizard.” Jan K. stepped in to rescue us as
Timer, and “kept meticulous note of all times” (much to the
chagrin of one speaker!) ☺ “I enjoyed Jan K’s explanation of her
role as Timer, for the benefit of our guest this evening.” Jan
K. was also praised for her apt observation that “as timer I
take my cues from the Chairman.”
Jessica’s “great Table Topics” were right on the ‘red hot’ pulse
of the meeting. “Her bridging was well done” and “she picked her
speakers well, as was necessary tonight.” “Jessica had great
questions for what I thought would be a tough topic!” “She gave
a very good explanation of what Table Topics are; this would
have been a help to our guest this evening.” “Loved Jessica’s
humour, -- and was grateful for the reminder to use the word of
the evening in my Table Topic!” “I liked Jessica’s turn of
phrase when she warned us we were all ‘possible victims’ of her
topics.”☺ The participants regaled us with stories ranging from
hot yoga, and being complimented as a “red hot mamma”, to making
us think about “Hallmark holidays”, and spending imaginary
money. Jan K. was a hit with her “feisty approach to spicy
food”: “I hate when food bites me back!” and “I refuse to eat
any food I have to fight with!” Members appreciated Diane’s
warning not to attempt hot yoga with a hangover, and members
enjoyed the “horror and humour” of her speech. Jane’s “red hot
images in her ‘golden opportunity’ Table Topic were excellent –
from ‘red hot movies’ to ‘golden leaves of fall’.” “I love how
Delene just launched into spending her non-existent lucky
Chinese New Year money! So many ideas!” “Delene had great
gestures in describing all the places she might go with her
lucky money.” “Karen’s understated humour” was a highlight in
describing her preference to being stranded on a hot rather than
a cold island. Her statement that “it’s much easier to go into
tragic circumstances when you’re cold than when you’re hot”
seemed to hit home with a few members. “I liked how Karen’s
island came automatically equipped with a shady tree and ‘really
good water filtration system’!” Michelle’s more serious
description of “the out-of-control Valentines for elementary
schoolers” hit home with all of us: “really well-paced and
thoughtful: brought back the horrors of Valentine’s Day from
when I was in grade school.” Michelle was also highlighted for
her “intriguing comparison between Hallowe’en and Valentine’s
Day.” Kate was praised for “her dramatic performance” in
advertising a volcanic resort, and her warning that “nature may
explode”. In evaluating the Table Topics, Li-Ying was “very
inclusive and very observant.” “She has a knack for ad-libbed
humour!” “I liked Li-Ying’s individual comments and great
word/gesture catches for each person.” “Fantastic use of humour
to lighten and soften her constructive comments.” “One thing I
love about Li-Ying is that not only is her enthusiasm
contagious, but also she ‘catches’ enthusiasm from all of us!”
One member especially appreciated Li-Ying’s advice “to ask for
topic clarification prior to addressing the Table Topics master,
if necessary.”
Karen started off the second part of the evening with a toast to
“The power of colour.” “Karen’s toast was an excellent pick for
the theme.” She was lauded for her well-rounded “exploration of
colours and use of colourful word images.” “Karen got me
giggling with her exploration of ‘red hot’ – which even included
inflammation!” “What a trooper: Karen was a great last-minute
Toastmaster!” Kate was highlighted for her speech about picking
the right dictionary; one member enjoyed “Kate’s snowflake
image: that all people are different and no dictionary is
perfect for everyone.” First-time speech evaluator Michelle
wowed all present with her “in-control and professional
evaluation of Kate’s speech.” Recipient of the ribbon for Best
Evaluator this evening, she was highlighted several times for
her “good eye, great catches and superb delivery of both praise
and constructive comments.” “Hard to believe this is her first
speech evaluation.” “Michelle’s evaluation impressed me.”
To end the evening, General Evaluator Jill “praised the variety
of content in the meeting: ‘full of poetry and colour’.” “I
liked Jill’s appreciation of the ability of people to come and
be pinch-hitters, from Karen writing her Toast on the bus, to
Jan F. stepping in with a great joke.” She paid “good
compliments to those who were new to roles or who had been
last-minute rescuers.” “I like her personal touches for each
person.” All in all, “a warm and educational” way to finish a
fiery, red hot meeting!
Everyone is welcome to join us next Monday, February 18th, 2008
for entertainment, refreshments and laughter in “Learning
Through Fun and Friendship”. We look forward to seeing many
familiar faces and some new ones! -- Don’t forget to mark your
calendars for February 25th: come join us for North Shore
Toastmasters Speech and Evaluation Contest.
Club 1085
This merely enhanced
the “playful passion” of the evening: as one member put it, “I
thoroughly enjoyed the cheeky nudging at the female-to-male
ratio!”
