November 30, 2009 Minutes

From Austin Toastmasters (Balcones, Club #3407)

Fred Maynard opened the meeting, over which Edwin De Angel presided as Toastmaster. Edwin's theme was "What do you like about the holidays?"

Prayer and Pledge was led by .... who reminded us to try to do something for someone who cannot do something for you.

Priscilla Oehlert was our Grammarian. She gave us "salubrious" as the word of the day, which was used many times in many ways.

Keith Taylor was Timekeeper, who had to report that several people went over on their time and were disqualified in the voting.

Guoen Wang was the One Minute Toastmaster and he suggested thinking of your car as a "university on wheels." You might listen to CD's to improve communication, win friends and influence people, set goals and achieve them. Remember, we are never too old to learn!

Jerry Barrett was the Table Topics Master asking about thoughts regarding the holidays.

• Rohit Chaube - Best Table Topics - doesn't think about weight and food during Thanksgiving. He says, "Who cares?" And pecan pie gets a thumbs up.

• Jon Beall says that he remembers the Trail of Lights and the Zilker Tree as a traffic jam, but still worth it. It's just as exciting as 30 years ago, even if a little smaller.

• Glenn Nielsen spent Thanksgiving with his in-laws and their intimidating brains, but still had a good time.

Dan Naden brought us Project #5 from the Speech by Management manual. He was talking to Microfocus management about the importance of "usability." His speech was entitled "You Customer Has All the Answers." He made the point that usability can bring measurable gains to the bottom line.

Peter Ryon gave a speech entitled "Being A Coach." As a coach, we need to make sure that our mentorees are receiving positive rewards for positive performance. He then demonstrated a coaching session using role playing with Jerry Barrett and asked the audience questions regarding mentorship.

Steve Gonzales - Best Speaker - gave the third speech entitled "It Isn't Just for Dead People." Steve gave us stories that helped understand the role that estate planning and proper insurance coverage can play in creating a peaceful life.

Dugg Tankersley evaluated Dan Naden. Dan had excellent gestures and clear communication, but might be a little better organized.

Mike Carr liked Peter's role playing and intense eye contact. It was a good example of a coaching session and accepting responsibility for mentorees.

Jane Sanford - Best Evaluator - pointed out that Steve was extremely organized and that his use of the chart made the material easy to understand. Steve is clearly an insurance expert...with a good sense of humor.

Comments:

• Jason Boehle really like the word of the day.
• Jay was on assignment for College.
• Sherbin is an engineer and also likes writing poetry. He thanked us for helping him by example.
• Sonny Sonntag was amazed at the use of the word of the day and would like to see more people use the word of the day more often.
• Bill Williams thought it was a salubrious meeting.
• Priscilla gave us the slate of officers for the next six months: Fred Maynard as President, Rohit Chaube as VP of Education, Edwin De Angel as VP of Membershiip, Michael Giles as VP of Public Relations, Keith Taylor as Treasurer, Jon Beall as Secretary, Bill Williams as Seargent at Arms. They were voted in by the membership.