"OH THE PLACES YOU'LL GO"

This was the book title chosen by Carol with her bard reading at Thursday's meeting of Pania Toastmasters, for those that may have heard of this title before it's probably because the writer was none other than the very popular Dr. Seuss, well chosen Carol.


The reading was great to listen to and to watch, with Carol reinforcing her delivery by showing us the pictures as she read. It was not hard to imagine the effect it had on her children and it certainly gained and held our attention for all those at the meeting- what an impressive beginning!
Our Toastmaster of the day was Ian and he chaired the meeting very competently, sure we did start a tad late waiting for people to arrive but once underway everything flowed along very nicely and we did finish on time!

After the Bard reading we had Graeme giving an Education session on the Table Topics Contest to be held at the next meeting. Competitions are yet another opportunity for members to challenge themselves with regard to impromptu speaking. Graeme not only covered the existing rules and timing  but also provided tips on how best to handle different kinds of questions, techniques covered for this include past, present,future/ for & against/ use of the formula PREP i.e. Point of view,Reason for that point of view, Example of the point of view and finally back to Point of view so as to round off the whole package. Sounds so easy doesn't it? we can therefore expect an excellent turnout! 4th September.

David evaluated Carol's presentation and there was a good balance in that more emphasis was placed on praise and less on suggestions for improvement. Carol would certainly have benefited from David's advice.

Table Topics were then presented by Wendy and what an enjoyable session this was. Wendy gave the name of a song and people were asked to respond with their immediate reaction.
"It's now or never" was given to David who spoke of a regional brewing contest and what it would mean for him to win the Cup. Mike "Blue Skies" talked about the current weather and how frustrating it was, can't wait until summer and to enjoy swimming again. (spring's around the corner Mike!)
Jen "New York, New York" wants to visit it, almost convinced two of the ladies to go with her! what a party!! "Little old wine drinker me", Laurence quickly explained his surname related to drink and how much he loved copious quantities anytime, anywhere. Carol "Help" started to sing but then pointed out her concern for people needing help- thought provoking.
"It's not unusual", Barbara quickly added "to fly of the handle" and mentioned a recent altercation between a cyclist and her car. Well told. "Money, Money, Money", Ian gave us an insight on who to approach for money and what to do with it when acquired.
Wendy highlighted each topic with background as to who sang the song along with further comment about it. Well thought out and very much appreciated, excellent session.

Barbara gave an insightful a General Evaluation, her experience really showed, we are fortunate to have someone that can provide such in depth perception, thank you Barbara.  Timekeeper Jen, provided a very good summary of how the meeting went and it is important that we are reminded how long we took.

Best Speaker; Carol
Best Evaluator; David
Best Table Topics; Laurence

SEE YOU ALL NEXT WEEK FOR THE TABLE TOPICS CONTEST AND THE TOPIC IS .........!

Thanks Graeme for your report.