"MOON STRUCK!"

What an interesting meeting!  Started off with Carol our Toastmaster giving us an insight with regard to current Lunar activity.  Loved your agenda.  This theme was apparent throughout the whole meeting.  Thanks Carol.  Your efforts were very much appreciated.

'TO USE (BODY LANGUAGE) OR NOT THAT IS THE QUESTION!"

Our meeting last Thursday , was as warm and friendly as the weather outside . 

Toastmaster Noel , provided us with a very nice agenda and a warm welcome . 

Kerry Howley paid a visit and as our new Area Director it was  a triple pleasure , an ex member, the presidents wife and Area Director ! 

Heather came along for the first time and we hope she will come again. 

"ICE BREAKER IN SIBERIA!"

The meeting of 12 July was attended by 12 hearty souls and we were pleased to have Barbara  back as a visitor, but quickly had a role as Mission Statement reader. Toastmaster Graeme welcomed all with bright yellow agenda and took a long list of apologies which was accepted with due process.

First speaker Paula was introduced by Craig. Paula explained in her icebreaker, entitled "A Soundbite and a wee insight into Paula!" her role as a paid and volunteer motivator and skills coach and then described the goals she wished to fulfil in her Toastmaster's membership. As Craig evaluated this was a “top bracket” icebreaker by Paula with her attention grabbing start, dynamic gestures, and passed on a sense of enjoyment that all added to gaining and maintaining attention. Craig struggled to find just one recommendation but suggested that Paula limit the number of items to be introduced and discussed, which applies to all 5-7 minute speeches. Excellent Ice Breaker, well done Paula!

Carol introduced Tamara who gave her third speech about her recent trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Mongolia. She illustrated her address with photos using the television the club now has on tap. Her description of a Siberian sauna sounded like it was almost an actual ice-breaker! Her descriptions of the landscapes and experiences were fascinating. Carol’s evaluation was very positive and mentioned how standing in the right location when using screens needs to be carefully considered.

Lou introduced table topics with a theme of “making time to help” in which Marc Barbara and Paula were asked to describe different instances of helping by themselves or by others. All three responded very well as evaluated by Mike who was unable to identify recommendations. He judged Marc’s as the best table topic.

Noel rounded off the meeting with a very efficient General Evaluation assisted by Sandy, who  gave a comprehensive timekeepers report and Noel gave awards for best speech to Paula for her Ice Breaker and best evaluator to Craig. A great meeting well coordinated by Graeme.

"FOOTBALL- MY OTHER WORLD!"

Football - My Other World.

Yet another interesting, informative and fun Pania meeting on 5th July.

Craig was the Toastmaster and had the Football World Cup as his theme, with flags and balloons to emphasize the festive occasion.

New member Trish read the Mission Statement.

Craig was also Linda’s evaluator.

Linda, gave a presentation titled My Other World, about her experiences in Iran. She made use of the club’s new TV and showed a Power Point of photos of her life in Iran. Linda also got dressed appropriately for Iran.

In his evaluation, Craig gave the objectives of the project and recommended that Linda position the TV further forward and look at the laptop screen rather than back at the TV and therefore maintain better eye contact with the audience. He also recommended that Linda quote her research sources.

Craig had some commendations for Linda, but they could have been promoted a little more to give a more balanced evaluation.

The next speaker was Marc, who was introduced and evaluated by Graeme.

Marc presented his Pathways Icebreaker, which coincidentally matched the theme of the meeting and was all about football and Marc’s successful history as a player, referee and coach. Marc wore a football shirt and had a number of personal, football related visual aids.

In his evaluation, Graeme gave good commendations, such as use of visual aids, speaking rate, eye contact.  His suggestions (Graeme prefers suggestions to recommendations) for Marc were to give himself more speaking space and to move the visual aids table closer, so that he didn’t need to walk back and forth as much.

Graeme overlooked stating the project objectives and the speech title.

Table Topics was presented by Darryl who had a sports theme that was complementary to the meeting theme and interspersed the topics with shouts of Goal and Strike.

Tamara - Spoke about playing an underwater sport and chose underwater hockey. Tamara knew something about underwater hockey because her brother used to play it.

Trish – Favourite sport as a child. Trish spoke about growing up on a farm and riding horses, so Equestrian was her favourite sport and still is.

Noel – How to combine cycling, skiing and soccer in one sport. Noel avoided directly answering the topic but spoke about rugby and soccer.

Darryl summed up the session with a shout of We Won.

Patrick was the Table Topics evaluator and gave good commendations for each speaker but not many recommendations, except for Trish to use her hands for gestures, rather than clasped.

Mike, as General Evaluator, summed the meeting up well with suggestions for some of the Evaluators and many commendations. He was assisted by the Timekeeper, Carol, and we finished pretty well on time.(Ed)

We then had the first of a possible monthly nibble/chat session for those that could stay so that we had some social time with the other members. I believe this was worthwhile and could well be continued, even perhaps bi-monthly! (Ed) 

Best Speaker – Marc 

Best Evaluator – Craig 

Best Table Topics - Trish

"PARTY IN YOUR HEAD!"

"Party in your Head" was the intriguing title of our only speech today at Pania Toastmaster's weekly meeting and what an interesting presentation it was!
The meeting was opened by 'first time Toastmaster' Sandy, who did a wonderful job of keeping the items connected and also utilised the theme of a 'full moon' to advantage. A colourful and well set out program set the scene, well done Sandy!

After a unfortunately long list of apologies, supplemented by the presence of two guests, Trish and Tina ( who  capably read the mission statement) we were underway with the speech by Carol, "Party in Your Head!" introduced by Darryl.Carol brought along her Yoga Mat as a prop and explained to us about the 'vagus nerve' (Google it if you have not heard of it) and the importance that it has on the well being and health of individuals. Three interesting points emerged for me from this presentation,1. You cannot frown with a pen in your mouth!! 2. It takes 66 days to form a habit!! 3. Touching is good for your health (just be careful where you touch!).Carol presented this informative speech in her usual bright and cheerful manner and it also contained plenty of humour, which was one of the objectives set. Who is going to do 'that' exercise for the next 66 days when they first get out of bed in the morning??
Darryl praised Carol (rhymes eh!!) for her presentation and also had some worthwhile suggestions for her but overall thought it was an excellent presentation.

With only one speech we had an elongated Table Topics session run superbly by Mike, during which six members (including guest Trish) gave their  varied opinions on subjects gained from song titles and words from some of Mike's favourite singers. Mike was even encouraged to sing some of the words (but one must do what one must do!!). The subjects ranged from Moon Dancing to being positive about the rain to being swallowed in the bowells of the earth to liking where you live to changing times and finally to shopping in second hand stores. Great answers came from Graeme, Paula,Linda,Jen,Noel and Trish.
Jen evaluated the Table Topics session and had many commendations for all the speakers and also for Mike, who she actually was able to utilise part of her time during table topics to give us a few lines from Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. 'hallelujah!!!'

During the business session our latest member, Paula, was 'officially inducted into the Club' and we know that she will be a great asset to us. Craig , briefly discussed the Distinguished Club Plan and the fact that we had achieved 5 goals but required another member to make our membership 20  by 30th June and 'officially' be recognised as a Distinguished Club, when one of our guests Trish, volunteered as that member and signed up after the meeting. Well done everyone on achieving "Distinguished Club" status.

Craig, as General Evaluator, wrapped up the meeting with the assistance of Lou (standing in for the arranged Timekeeper, Noel). We do it all again next week, when we will have the first of the 'President's Lunch meetings', where, after our normal 55 minute meeting, those than can will stay for a quick bite to eat and some socialising until 1.30. This will be once a month and advised in advance.

Best Table Topic ; Trish
Best Evaluator; Jen
Best Speaker; Carol

"NO FISH!! FEELING S.A.D.?"

Baby it’s cold outside!’ crooned Frank Sinatra in the 50’s, and the same could be said for the meeting today with the winter solstice upon us. While the meeting theme was wintertime, the welcome from our Toastmaster Craig to our three guests and members was as warm as ever. Craig also took on the grammarian role with the word ‘EXTREME’.

First up was an inspirational speech by Lou, and she was warmly introduced by Carol. Using the objectives as a guide, Carol prepared the audience by informing them of what she was looking for and I’m sure this helped our guests to appreciate that there is much more to speechmaking than just standing in front of an audience. ‘No Fish’ was the title and the role of plastic in causing the death of marine life both fish and birds was well-delivered by Lou, as were the steps we can take to limit the use of these death traps in our own lives. I particularly liked the way she told us how she walks the talk of creating a greener, safer world.

Carol suggested that Lou review her main points at the conclusion of her speech. This would help the audience retain the information and the useful steps that we can take to reduce our own environmental footprint. A second recommendation ‘not to be nervous’ may be harder for her to follow, but this will definitely rectify itself with continued speech practice.

Marc introduced our second speaker Laurel with the apt description ‘illustrious’. ‘Feeling SAD’ was the title of her speech. Laurel suffers from Seasonally Affective Disorder during the drab winter months. Her story of her particularly difficult first few days of life in the bleak winter of 1946 was a poignant introduction to why she dislikes the cold so much. This winter affliction affects many people and I’m sure that members felt warmed and informed by her well researched information. ‘Brain freeze and low sex drive’ are just some of the ways our bodies react to the cold.

There were some difficulties identified by Marc with managing the labels as they were applied to the whiteboard. But it was an interesting method to illustrate the myriad of ways that the body is affected by short, cold winter days. I really appreciate it when members try new ways of delivering information.

The Table Topics session was very professionally managed by Tamara. It followed the theme of the Winter Solstice and the natural rhythms of the earth, and she had excellent topics to challenge the participants.

First up was Graeme - What types of winter activities do you enjoy? - For a man who grew up in the bottom of the South Island, he finds the mildness of Napier a breeze to cope with, so he doesn't find any problems in winter that he needs to surmount.

Paula - Your favourite celebration? - This took a little while to get off the ground as she told us about the horrors of Christmas, but she soon warmed to the theme and chose Easter for relaxation and family time.

Carol – How do you relax? – She revelled in warm soapy water, candles and bath salts, followed by clean white sheets in bed with no children or watching a movie with her husband, ah bliss….

Mark – What is your vision for the future? – Never one to let an opportunity pass him by, Marc shared his vision for a stunning TM conference to be held in Napier in two year’s time. Sounds great!

The Table Topics session was ably evaluated by Sandy who executed a skilful commend/recommend format and gave all participants good feedback.

The meeting was summarised by Linda, The General Evaluator, who in the limited time available aptly gave good feedback to the Evaluators, and said "read the Blog" for more details!! She was assisted by the Timekeeper, Graeme, who it is fair to stay pointed out that we were running close to time part way through the meeting. Toastmaster-take note!!! (Ed)

Best Speaker; Laurel

Best Evaluator; Sandy

Best Table Topic; Paula (our newest member!)

"THE MAGIC OF BELIEVING!"

The Magic of Believing.

Tamara was the first time Toastmaster and had a well laid out and colourful programme with the theme The Magic of Believing. She also had a new and very practical room lay out, although the TM’s table could have been set further back to enable the speakers to include everyone.

Sandy was the first speaker with her informative presentation about the consequences of global warming. Sandy was introduced and evaluated by Lou. Her first time as an evaluator. Lou did a very good job and told us a little about Sandy in her introduction and read the speech objectives. She referred to the objectives again in her evaluation and spoke in the third person. Her recommendation for Sandy was to slow down a little.

Graeme was the second speaker with a presentation from the Competent Communicator manual. For the eighth time apparently! Graeme told us about his trip around the lower South Island on his new motor bike when he was just 21. He sent telegrams (a pre-internet email) to his Mum at every stop and was home in time for tea.

Graeme was evaluated by Darryl who commended his vocal variety and picked up on Graeme’s phrasing of a sentence and found a flaw in Graeme’s time and distance calculations.

Craig was the Table Topics Master and kept to The Magic of Believing theme. He quoted words from the I Believe song, but didn’t actually sing. The four Table Topics were all about belief. The afterlife, self-esteem, Santa Claus and is NZ all it is promoted to be?

Table Topics were evaluated by Marc with good commendations and recommendations.

The meeting was well summarised by the General Evaluator, Mike, who had stepped in at the last minute and he was assisted by the Timekeeper, Linda, who was a little late arriving but got us finished on time!!(Ed)

Best Speaker – Sandy

Best Evaluator – Marc

Best Table Topics - Linda