Buzz and
Guts!
Yes, this was the subject matter in the two excellent
presentations made at our club meeting on 16 February.
As we’ve come to expect from sisters Petrice and
Rebecca, we were once again educated and enlightened - Petrice creating a
real buzz over her enthusiasm for Honey Bees and Rebecca keeping our attention
focussed on looking after ourselves by maintaining a healthy gut.
First speaker Petrice informed and entertained us
about her interest in Honey Bees by sharing what she had learned from a recent
course in Apiary or bee keeping as it’s more commonly known. Given the plight of
our Honey Bee population, this presentation was not only enlightening, but made
us aware of our responsibility to be more active and attentive to our little
furry friends. Without them, there would be no veggies or fruit! I know there’s
always chocolate, but think about it – who pollenates the cocoa
flower??
Second speaker Rebecca once again focused our
attention on health, but this time specifically our inner health, in a
presentation titled ‘The guts of it!’ We have come to rely on Rebecca to give us
excellent tips on maintaining and improving our health - this was no exception!
She not only explained why it’s so important, but also how to do
so. She gave us many examples of where to find the magical pro-biotics which I’m
sure will have us all analysing our eating habits.
Anna evaluated Petrice’s speech by reminding us
of the specific objectives, analysing and acknowledging many positive and strong
points while also identifying where Petrice could improve her presentation. The
General Evaluator acknowledged Anna’s excellent evaluation and suggested
she give Petrice an example of how she could make her cue cards work better for
her.
Linda evaluated Rebecca’s speech by
demonstrating a classic ‘C, R, C’ evaluation (commend, recommend, commend – not
criticise, ridicule and condemn). Linda also reminded us of the specific speech
objectives and identified the speech purpose as ‘Inspiration’. She also gave
clear recommendations which will help Rebecca in the future. The General
Evaluator acknowledged the quality of Linda’s evaluation and suggested she
leaves a little time for a summary.
Kerry was our very able Toastmaster of the day
who was not only on form with her chairing ability but was also personally
presented to match. Stunning colour Kerry! Kerry got us off to a flying start
and kept us well to time throughout. She handled the apologies well and
provided a small opportunity to learn parliamentary procedure if someone were to
vote against accepting the apologies. (Ask if each ‘nay’ voter wishes for their
vote to be recorded, before declaring the vote in favour of the majority). She
welcomed our guest Steve who was visiting us a second time, then invited
Barbara to read the Mission Statement. Barbara did so in an
interactive manner.
Kerry’s programme was well laid out and easy to follow. The
addition of a quote by Winston Churchill added a touch of humour with meaning as
it alluded to inter-personal communication – it’s not what you say, it’s how you
say it! The quote was:
‘Tact is the
ability to tell someone to go to hell in a way that they look forward to the
trip!’
Well done, Kerry!
Graeme demonstrated a lot of forethought in his task
of Table Topic Master. It’s indicative of our club that themes seem to
merge as though our task holders are in sync. Graeme’s underlying theme required
careful communication between two speakers. He deliberately created situations
where each speaker had to carefully choose their communication style. Great
twist on solo speaking Graeme, and certainly a challenge with a
difference!
Marc had the unenviable challenge of evaluating
the Table Topic session, but demonstrated it was a walk in the park for
him. He commended Graeme on his choice of topic duets, and gave an in-depth
analysis of each pair’s communication, showing us his observation and listening
skills. He also gave helpful suggestions to each pair. This full evaluation left
him with little time to summarise which was the gist of the General Evaluator’s
recommendation.
Our General Business session chaired by President
Helen was very short but informative.
Mike was our Timer for the meeting and as we
have come to expect, delivered his report with humour and
precision.
The meeting was adjourned on time.
Other details:
Apologies received from: Jen, Craig, Russell, and
Jane.
Welcome Guest: Steve
Awards: Best speaker jointly awarded to
Petrice and Rebecca
Best evaluator jointly
awarded to Anna and Linda
Apologies for the tardiness of this report – blame it on Art
Deco and visiting relatives!
General Evaluator - Laurel
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