Our theme for this meeting was “ School of Life”. The word of the day was “ inquisitive”. The meeting was led by Toastmaster Tom B.

Humor, what a nice way to wake up! In his speech titled “ Cringeworthy: two love stories of the 1970’s”, Andy K. took us back to his pre-teen years when, he, as a bespectacled, small kid with bad hair, had to compete against a lot better looking rival for the affections of Diana, her 5th grade classmate. Farrah Fawcett  is invoked to help tip the scales in favor of the underdog. Will she succeed? Here’s a question you can ask Andy next time if you did not hear the speech.

Our second speaker was Isabella Z. presenting her icebreaker speech. Isabella shared her relationship with the English language, from her first interaction with it at age 13 in her native China to a harrowing exam that she had to pass as an adult . According to Isabella, her main struggle is with the pronunciation. Through the years, Isabella has tried various methods to practice her oral skills with friends. Her goal, in joining the Seattle Sunrise Toastmaster, is to improve her communication skills.  We look forward to Isabella’s next speech and will be tracking her progress.

In her speech titled “ Letter to my Son”, our third speaker Paula L. exhorted her freshly turned 16 year old son to be the best man he can by being …a feminist. By definition feminism refers to equal rights for women. In her speech , Paula pointed out some significant ways in which women had yet to receive equal treatment to their male counterparts. She concludes her speech by reminding him of the struggle of his great grandmothers and entreats him to support fair and equal treatment of women. Although Paula’s son was not in the audience, her daughter, who sat in for him enjoyed the speech!

Our final speech of the day was presented by Aswini H. There are currently 190 million online shoppers in the US, and the market is growing by 10-12% each year. There are many advantages to shopping online- selection, convenience, price. What happens behind the scenes, once a shopper presses the “ order” button?   In her speech titled” A Glimpse at how online shopping works”, Aswini gives us a “ back of the store” tour. We  follow the trajectory of a product all the way from the online order, through the various departments of the warehouse and all the way to the shopper’s doorstep.
Thanks for this great tour, Aswini!

Kathy M. led the table topics portion of the meeting- Marty M won the Best Table Topic and Best Evaluator titles.

Our next meeting is on  May 20, 2017.

The theme for this  meeting was “Sustainable living”. The word of the day was “ perseverance”

Our Toastmaster, Aleli M., led the meeting.

Scammed by a car salesman who sold you a used car with more miles than the odometer says? Consider RCW 19.86.020 , the State Consumer Protection Act.  Tom B., presenting project #2 from the STI manual, outlined the purpose and the usefulness of the Consumer Protection Act. The State’s consumer protection office can file  lawsuits against deceptive businesses on behalf of the consumers in Washington State, with the consumer being awarded damages and attorney’s fees if the State wins.

Remember RCW 19.86.020

What energy will you use for grilling : coal or gas? In her speech titled “ What are you grilling on?” Cara answers this question with pros and cons of each type. We learnt that coal grills are better suited for passionate grillers, with plenty of time for cooking and cleaning and gas grills for casual and on-the- go grillers.  Cara was presenting CC project #7: research your topic.Well done, Cara!

All this talk about grilling at 7:30 am….

In her speech titled “5 to 7 minutes” our last speaker, Marti M., shared a new found insight about making speeches. What a 5-7 minute speech need not be is dull book report or essay about your vacation. What a 5-7 minute speech is a box of colors that you can use inform, inspire, excite audiences. Well done on presenting CC project #10- Inspire your audience, Marti!

A 5-7 minute speech about how to have fun making a 5-7 minute speech!

Bill S. led the table topics portion of the meeting. Members and guests were asked to answer creative job interview questions such as : would you rather fight a horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses? Nice job, Bill!

Andrew H and Zhou B.were voted  best table topic .

Super Lucky and No to fitting an elephant in the fridge!

Ashwini H. won  the title of best evaluator.

Our next meeting is scheduled for May 13, 2017

Our theme for this  meeting was “Charisma”. The word of the day was “ flamboyant”

Our Toastmaster, Julie S., led the meeting with a definition of of charisma before giving the floor to four speakers.

Our first speaker, Kathy M., presented CC Project #4: How to Say It. In her speech titled: “The birthday gift: visiting the Holocaust Museum“, Kathy shared the story of a birthday present that led her on an emotional journey from sadness, anger, grief and empathy . Humans have the uncanny ability to inflict extreme violence on each other across the ages, all around the world. Kathy’s speech was raw  and full of emotion.She concluded with her resolution to be an agent of change which was  inspired by a quote by Elie Wiesel .

In her speech titled “ Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: a tall tale“, our second speaker, Kiki N., regaled the audience with the story of Paul Bunyan, from the time of his birth in Bangor, Maine to the time he rescued Babe the Blue Ox before sailing around on the Round River thrice! Using vivid imagery, expressive body language and a sweet southern accent, Kiki told a very entertaining story and met her goal for this first project of the Storytelling Manual Project! Well done, Kiki!

Our third speaker, Brett S,in his speech titled “ How to stay adrift and not sink.” described the sunk cost theory which leads people to sometimes stay on the same mistaken course because of what they have already invested . For example, going to a concert that you do not feel like going to, just because you’ve already “sunk “ the money in the purchase of the ticket. Or, persisting on a crown molding installation project which should have been fun, but turns into a frustrating ordeal. Brett concluded with a clear and simple call to action: Be self aware, accepting of your mistakes and change…unless you like your own mistakes! Great project #9, Brett!

Our last speaker of the day was Ken B., practicing his speech for the International  Speech Competition.  In his speech titled       “ The crisis we create”,   Ken takes us back to a near death experience that transformed his life. Barreling down the road  at 90 mph, in a clunker without seat bolts or brakes will make your life flash in front of your eyes, especially when you see the roadside telephone pole rushing towards you!  Both Ken and Dennis, his pal, lived to tell the tale . Ken walked away, transformed,  with a new found clarity and purpose. He enjoined the audience to create a crisis to transform their lives. Chaos begetting clarity?  Interesting thought. Thanks Ken!

Aanya L. led the table topics portion of the meeting with original improv exercises where two members of the audience are given a situation and prompts to create creative small talk. Dilip and Isabella were voted best table topic for their easy banter about flowers and broken cycling equipment at the gym.

Andrew H. and Marti M. both won the title of best evaluator.

Our next meeting is scheduled for 4/29.

Our theme for this last meeting of the month was “ Tax Burden”.  Filing your taxes? Good! Owe money to the IRS? Not so good! Here’s some advice from Cara S., our Toastmaster: don’t give up, just keep at it and you may end up with a refund instead! . The word of the day,” Recalcitrant” was  introduced by Paula L.  Ashwini H. officiated as the timekeeper.

Julie S was the first speaker with her speech titled “ Highlights of Osten and Asher”. Presenting CC project #6-Vocal variety, Julie chose the subject of her two nephews, Osten and Asher. Through a series of vignettes, Julie  painted the picture  two little boys, the milestones in their development, their likes and dislikes and their evolving relationship with each other and the world. Quoting from real interactions, Julie made a judicious use of kid dialogue for vocal variety. Thanks for an artful and tender speech, Julie! We look forward to the next instalment of the adventures of Osten and Asher!

Our second speaker, Bill S. presented  CC project  #3- Get to the Point. In his speech titled :” Do not tax yourself with the forethought of grief, Bill, a self described “small town Norwegian-Lutheran guy” describes his journey; growing up not talking about death to learning to become fluent and comfortable with death and grief as a volunteer in AIDS support group and finally, having experienced grief, coming to the realization that peace comes from not pre-empting loss and grief.  He concluded his speech with Wendell Berry’s advice to “come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief….(to) for a time (…) rest in the grace of the world, and… (to be) free.” In these times of renewed anxiety, may we be at peace and untaxed with the forethought of grief like  wild things.

Our last speaker of the day was Peter F., presenting CC project #10- Inspire your audience. “ If you can dream it, you can do it.” is the title of Peter’s rousing speech. Using examples from Walt Disney’s life, Peter shared the many hard decisions this visionary had to make to achieve his dreams. Walt Disney was uncompromising and unstoppable . He had a vision, and no price was too high, no pain too unbearable to achieve his dream. He was a huge success and his dreams created a world of magic that continues to inspire generations all over the world to this day.  You can do it too, says Peter, but know that “ the commitment ( is when) the journey begins, not a second before” and that “it’s not free, it will cost you a lot of pain.”  We are inspired by Peter who, like Walt Disney, is following his dream as an inspirational speaker. Best in your endeavors, Peter!

Zhou B.  led our table topics session.  On this Easter Saturday, Brett S. was voted best table topic with recollections of Easter in Australia:  baking hot cross buns ad nauseum and way too long long week-ends!

Our evaluators were Aanya L, Aleli M, Tom B. Andy K, who  served as our general evaluator was also voted “ best evaluator”.

Welcome to our four new members!

Our next meeting is scheduled for 4/22.