June 18, 2007 Minutes

From Austin Toastmasters (Balcones, Club #3407)

Balcones Toastmasters June 18, 2007

Chapter 3407 District 55

Minutes of Meeting

The June 18th meeting was opened just a few minutes late by President Jake North.

• Scott Perry served masterfully as Toastmaster. Summertime memories was the theme. It seems we all enjoy summer.

• Antionette Griffin led Prayer & Pledge and Jon Beall filled in as Sergeant at Arms.

• Jake North filled in as Timer for Darlene who was suffering from allergies (hopefully no longer).

• Mary Buker was Grammarian and chose "Flummery" (meaning complete nonsense) for the word for the day. It was used by Jim, Anne, Jon, Rick, Hollis and Sonny. She heard a few Um's, Ah's and You Know's. The speeches were filled with so many wonderful quotes the secretary could not get them all written down.

• Gordon Baker was One Minute Toastmaster - Gordon urged us to talk about something we know. Don't search for that perfect speech. Talk about your passion.

Table Topics Master was Anne Child. Anne asked participants to answer "if you had 1 minute with _____, what would you say?"

• Phil Hallmark - 1:11 - Phil told the President that he appreciates how difficult it is to lead a diverse country but he should take the pulse of the population and get different advice.

• Dan Naden - 1:14 - Dan told the Mayor of Austin that Austin is an open city, full of locals and transplants. It is different than most places in Texas.

• Jon Beall - 1:59 - Jon told the Pope as long as there has been history, it included the concept of god. The church is an enduring institution with a checkered past but carries great responsibility.

• Rick Bradstreet - winner - 1:59 - Rick spoke to his CEO, the new chief of police. Special interest groups will peck at you. There divide in Austin is mostly black and white. You need to ally the blacks and the browns to create a more balanced discussion.

Speaker #1 Harry Savio - winner - 7:16 - speech #5 (I didn't catch the title) - Harry spoke of his passion, working in the Shoshone National Forest in his youth. Trees untouched by man, air the purest God can make, passes to the mountains are 2 miles high with real natural lakes. But that pales to the majesty of the animals, where the ugly moose is beautiful, the power of the elks voice pounds through you, and the eagles are awesome as they steal your fish. Memories of this time soothe hard times.

Speaker #2 - Steve Gonzales - 7:28: "The Hammer, the shovel & the lawn mower - Dad's tools for the lessons of life" - As a 4 year old, Steve was mesmerized by the hammering of workmen next door. His dad told him about history of nails. But an anxious Steve hammered and hit his dad's thumb. But his dad contained his pain and continued the story. The lesson, a man doesn't quit. After breaking their own shovel handle and that of their neighbors, he was proud to take back a fixed shovel to the neighbor. He learned proper lawn mower maintenance means it will work well for you next time.

Speaker #3 Jonathan Huizingh - Most Improved - 9:08 - "Lessons learned from riding a bike" - Jonathan enjoys taking the back roads to work on his bike as it teaches him to slow down and relax. Climbing the steep hill home teaches him that doing things the hard way challenges us. He appreciates the friendly biker community that looks out for each other. By letting others bless us we are a blessing to them.

General Evaluator was Jim Comer who appreciated Gordon's message about passion and then enjoyed each speech proving that notion.

• Table topics evaluator was Hollis Baker - 3:20 - Anne kept the introduction and questions short. Phil used control, was kind and at ease but gave good advice. Dan was complementary and Hollis like his use of "open arms to new ideas." Jon's slow start turned into an advantage as we wondered what was brewing... "longevity is marvelous." Rick's speech had authority but was not over bearing.

• Evaluator #1 for Harry was Sonny Sonntag - 1:41 - Harry did a good job. He talked nicely about a bunch of experiences. But his hand went into his pocket. Harry gave us a good speech.

• Evaluator #2 for Steve G. was Jake North (yes in his 3rd role today) - 2:56 - In his second speech, Steve told us what he was going to tell us. He had great stories to convey his message. But he could have used a smoother conclusion pulling it all together.

• Evaluator #3 for Jonathan was Jennifer Wagner - winner - 2:53 - Jonathan was not rushed, he spoke in front of the podium. He had great analogies including "chicken legs turned into turkey legs." He used gestures but could use different ones and could move around so we could feel this bike ride. It was a phenomenal speech.

Timer and Grammarian gave their reports. Everyone had a speaking role already.

Jake reviewed the schedule for our next meeting on Monday June 25th. Jon Beall is still searching for new officers, any volunteers?

Future schedules are available at http://www.balconestoastmasters.org/schedule/.

We finished up a few minutes early after an enjoyable meeting.