George served as Toastmaster to a Food Theme. There were 12 members and 4 guests in attendance. We started and ended on time.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Scott started the meeting by recognizing Tom as the only veteran in the room. He also thanked those who have family members and relatives that have served in the armed forces.

Scott recommended to the group that if a project calls for a longer than 5-7 minute speech, then notify the Toastmaster ahead of time so the agenda can be adjusted. For example, if a speech is going to be 10-15 minutes then we should only have 2 speakers that night. Remember, we are in this together, communication is key!

Scott recalled Robert’s impromptu speech at the end of last week’s meeting as his speaking tip. He encouraged members to do the same if the meeting time allowed and the content was relevant to the work we put in at Toastmasters. The same goes for the Toastmaster. If you notice that someone has not had an opportunity to speak, call on them at the end of the meeting to share some thoughts if time allows.

Traci shared some “Fall” inspired jokes to start things off.

Our WOD was “Precarious“. It means lacking stability. It was used 6 times.

George set a high standard for himself and the rest of us as Toastmaster even though it was only his first time serving in the role. He was aware enough to call on guests that walked in a little late and managed to share numerous Food Facts without any notes. Perhaps most impressive was his use of food related transitions to introduce other members. Junk food for the ah/um counter to give you an idea of his creativity. Bravo George!

Sarah gave the only prepared speech of the evening. Equally impressive was her ability to switch from a 5-7 minute to a 10-15 minute speech when she learned there was only one speaker. She shared various pictures of “Murals of Mooresville” and the local history behind them. Here is a highlight. It was inspired by lines from an Erin Hanson poem, “‘What if I fall?’ ‘Oh but my darling what if you fly?’” 

#wingwallmooresville on social media for other photos

You can sign up for one of Sarah’s mural tours at TastyTownUSA.

John returned from a long absence to serve as Sarah’s evaluator. He managed to weave in humor while sharing his feedback. We had a 16 year old guest in the room and John highlighted the powerful impact learning a skill like Public Speaking can be if you start early.

Scott served as Table Topics Master and did fun with fortune cookies again. He read the fortune cookie aloud and asked the participant to use the saying as inspiration for their speech. Here are the sayings:

  • Believe in yourself and others will too.
  • Could I get some directions to your heart? 
  • Do not let ambitions overshadow small success.
  • Education is the ability to meet life’s situations.
  • Fearless courage is the foundation of victory.
  • First think of what you want to do; then do what you have to do.
  • Happiness begins with facing life with a smile and a wink.
  • It takes courage to admit fault.

Our young guest Daniel took home best speaker!

George closed his remarks by addressing his tease from last week. What was the first loaf of bread made from? Well there is no exact certainty but it very well could have been made from ACORNS!

Enyonam will serve as Toastmaster next week. Please sign up for a role if you will be in attendance.