"BUZZ & GUTS"

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