"SHOOT TO KILL for a REBEL WITH A CAUSE!"

On the 19th of September I had the pleasure of having Anna chair our meeting for maybe the last time.
It was all rather sad.  Guess who was chairing the meeting yesterday?   It was Anna and what a meeting it was! Lots of fun, bubbly and plenty of animation.  People were up and about enjoying the occasion.  Anna even used words like "Jocund" thanks to Sandy our absent Grammarian.  So did everyone else!  Kees  (a visiting toastmaster from overseas) read the mission statement with lots of enthusiasm.  I could sense we were going to have a special meeting and that is exactly what happened!   Read more.


"REBEL WITH A CAUSE"  "SHOOT TO KILL" These were the intriguing speech titles from our two speakers.
Michael was introduced by Carol who was most encouraging and helped clarify Michael's presentation without giving
too much away.  Michael spoke about the clothing men wore in the "Early Days".  People like Marlon Brando and James Dean.  Vests, T/shirts, Dyes, Screen printing were spoken about with confidence by someone who not only knew his subject but had also done his homework.  I had never considered this subject before and found Michael's speech very interesting.  Carol complimented Michael on his choice of topic, praising him for what unfolded and the history behind it all.  Carol suggested Michael tries using small cards and make more use of his hands.  Congratulations Carol for being so helpful.

Marc was the second speaker and was introduced by Laurel.  I was intrigued to hear Laurel say that Marc was going to read something such as "SHOOT TO KILL".  It sounded like the perfect opportunity to really use ones voice, gestures,
eye contact that sort of thing.  Shows how much I know!  This was a talk that relied on words that were meaningful and grabbed ones attention.  Wow!  What a message!  The statistics were horrific.  Marc told us about the obsession some countries have towards guns and the problems that arise.  I looked around the room - everyone was listening intently waiting to hear more.  Words like fifty thousand more gun stores than McDonalds restaurants in one particular country.  Gun sales worth 50 billion dollars.  No wonder they have problems!  Laurel was almost lost for words when it came to her evaluation.  Laurel told us of the affect Marc's speech had on her and praised him for
making everyone aware.  Thank you Laurel for your openess and honesty.

Table topics was next which gave people a chance to respond to Paula's excellent questions and maybe recover from Marc's speech?
Pedro was asked to remain calm and what about when he didn't?  Great answer and example.  Finished by saying he got himself fired!
Benita was asked to "compromise".  Quickly thought about the washing and someone else who wasn't quite so good.  Tactful for good reason.
Sahar gave a well thought through response bearing in mind that Mehran was table topics evaluator.  Well done Sahar!
Kees  showed he was up to the task by involving the audience for a moment or two.  Found his 23 kilo suitcase and travelling around the world very interesting.

Mehran evaluated Table Topics and showed he was up to the task and standard that he set himself recently.  It was great that he knows how important his role is and that showed - congratulations Mehran.

Lou gave her timekeeper's report without blemish - well done you.

Thank you Anna for giving the meeting that spark that people both enjoy and remember.
Also for following up on next meeting's programme and letting people know.

Best Speaker          Marc
Best Evaluator       Mehran
Best Table Topics  Kees








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