Marti gallantly filled in for President Bill today. Thank you!

Aswini, our Toastmaster, led the meeting expertly with the assistance of Lara and Vamsi officiating as Grammarian and Timer respectively.

The Word of the Day was ” Flummoxed”.

Justin presented project #4 from the CC manual titled ” Bug Out Bags 101″.  What are BO Bags?  Essentially emergency preparedness in a backpack. Justin’s bag contained flash lights, first aid kit, beef jerky…even a flint fire starter!  If you don’t have a BO bag, you should make your own… or know someone who does not mind sharing with you!

Brett presented Pathways Project #2. This assignment calls for presenting the same speech twice, and being evaluated by the same evaluator. The goal is to demonstrate how feedback provided the first round around is successfully applied to improve the same speech. Brett’s speech titled ” Locked Out ” is a cautionary tale of forgotten travel lock combination and the desperate ingenuity that can stem from desperate circumstances.

Isabella presented project #10  from the CC manual . In her speech titled ” Why Isabella will be a great PR Officer”, Isabella pitched the audience on why she should be elected as the VP of Public Relations for the upcoming term.

Saher presented project #6 from the CC manual. In her speech titled ” Difficult Discussions”, she regaled the audience with the joys of being a parent of two young children …especially when they ask certain questions like ” Where do babies come from?”

Marti was our Table Topics master.

Kathy, Scott, Lidia and Jovica delivered thoughtful speech evaluations.

Paula evaluated the meeting.

Our next meeting is May 19.

What a treat to have Dave E. host as our Toastmaster today!

The word of the day was ” Flummoxed”, which means ” to be confused”.

Lest there be any confusion, Seattle Sunrisers were far from flummoxed on this bright Saturday morning.

Some highlights

Kathy M. presented ” Deal me in” project #9 from the CC manual.

Landon presented his icebreaker speech titled ” Call me a skeptic.”

Isabella Z., making excellent progress on her CC manual, presented ” Ready, Player 1″

Rachel H. led a round of thoughtful table topics.

Our evaluators; Jovica, Mike , Lara and Marti offered helpful suggestions to Kathy, Landon, Isabella and the general audience.

Marti was voted Best Table Topic.

Marti, Lara and Mike tied for best Evaluator, a first in the history of Seattle Sunrise!

Our next meeting is May 12th.

Toastmaster Jovica S. opened the floor by taking us to faraway Swaziland where a certain monarch changed the name of the country on his 50th birthday and has – according to Jovica- sixty wives, which was, on all accounts, downsizing from the hundred plus wives said monarch’s father had in the past!

Unforgettable Jovica!

Jovica, who will be celebrating his birthday in a few days( Happy Birthday, Jovica!) reflected- for a fleeting moment- whether he would change the name of our club to Seattle Sunset Toastmasters to celebrate this momentous occasion. No need to say that the club forgot what he said instantly. We also forgave him!

The word of the day, presented by Grammarian Lidia S. was “ Cogitate”.
Kathy M. was our Timer.

Isabella Z. presented project #8 from the CC manual. In her speech titled “ How to play Monopoly”, Isabella shared her passion for this promotional campaign held by a national food chain. She explained the rules of the games and provided a wealth of very useful information about how to stay organized and win prizes. Isabella’s enthusiasm for this game” on paper, not computer” was irresistible!

A new way to play…

Brett S., leading the way in Pathways, presented Pathways project #2 titled: “ The Zen of Lockpicking” about a vacation almost gone wrong . It all started when Brett absent mindedly locked his combi travel lock without being aware of the combination he’d used. From all appearances, Brett was going to be locked out of his suitcase unless… he lockpicked his own lock.Thanks for a highly entertaining speech, Brett!

What’s the code, Brett?

In the absence of a scheduled speaker, Dilip and Aswini tag teamed to present two mini impromptu speeches about interesting experiences about air travel.

Saher presented CC project #5 titled “ Our parents and our identity” in which she shared a story of how musical preferences can be transferred from one generation to another. Growing up, Saher felt that her father and her had very different musical tastes- that is until an impromptu stint DJ-ing to her crying babes while stuck in a traffic jam taught her otherwise… Musical tastes maybe part of your DNA after all. They  may skip a generation, but they will always come back to haunt- or save you!

Jam session in a jam saves the day!

Lara G. led the audience in a thoughtful round of table topics.
Bill S. and Lara G were voted best Table Topic and Evaluator respectively.
Our next meeting is April 28.

Toastmaster Kathy M. reminded us that spring rituals mark the return of light and warmer days.

Justin K. introduced the word of the day “ Flourish” and Landon was the time keeper for the first time. Welcome Landon!

We all flourish!

Rached H. presented her icebreaker speech in which she shared two of her passions: scuba diving and skiing.

Passions: scuba diving & skiing.

Mike D. presented project #1 from the CC manual. In this icebreaker speech titled “ Family of origin”, he shared precise, thoughtful and humorous reflections on parenting and parenthood- as the product of a chatty and agreeable mother and a “ loud father who never whispered” and as father who reminds him of his father. Through the shared experience of fatherhood,Mike discovered a new affinity and appreciation for his own father.

Bill S. presented project #10 from the CC Manual- ” My history of flight” . This was a repeat and improved presentation of this this lively and inspirational speech. Using expressive body language, Bill shared his fascinating ability to fly in his sleep. What’s most surprising: this skill does not come any easier in the dream world; it takes training, dedication and fearlessness… just like the ability to speak in public! Bill encouraged the audience to keep spreading their wings by coming to Toastmasters .

Fly!

Scott C. presented Project #1 from the “ Speaking to Inform” manual. In his speech titled “ The benefits of time tracking”, Scott shared the reasons why he started the practice and lessons learnt. By integrating this tool in his work habits, Scott has greatly increased his self awareness and productivity! I declare him Super Scott!

Paula L.was the Table Topics master.
Scott C. and Aswini H. were voted best Table Topic and Evaluation respectively.

Our next meeting is April 21.