October 1 meeting

In the absence of President Glenn Lewis, presiding officer Perry Chang opened the meeting at 1:01 p.m. He led the invocation, reading from the book Celestial Carousel, by Bill Joyner.

Perry welcomed club members and guests, and invited all of those present to introduce themselves around the table. He then led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Perry then opened the business part of the meeting. Betsy Blocker made a motion that the minutes for the September 17, 2008 meeting be approved without corrections. The motion passed.

Treasurer Ada Middleton reminded members that their six-month dues for Toastmasters were to be paid by October 1. She said she had received dues from four people so far. She encouraged members to pay before the due date next time so Peace Speakers can be recognized as a “distinguished club.”

Ada also reminded everyone that the Peace Speakers club will be participating in the Hunger Walk on Sunday, October 19. She said she has information about the walk for those who are interested. Participants must register online, and the registration fee is $25. She said two people from the club had registered so far.

Perry then began the educational program, noting that a number of club members are prepared to give speeches in the next few months. He introduced the speaker of the day, Eric Darnel (below), who gave his “Organize Your Speech” Project #2 speech from the Competent Communication Program. Eric’s topic was “Buyer Beware: The Nuances of Purchasing Electric Guitars.” He demonstrated two types of guitars, Fender and Gibson, and explained how to tell if a guitar is damaged.

Perry encouraged those present to use the index cards on the table to evaluate one of the participants in the meeting. He introduced members of the Evaluation Team. Each person explained his/her responsibilities: Table Topics—Ada Middleton; Speech Evaluator—Betsy Blocker; Ah Counter/Grammarian—Becki Moody; Timer/Vote Counter—Eva Stimson.

Becki Moody introduced the word of the day: caustic.

Perry introduced Table Topics Master Ada Middleton (pictured with her back to the camera - above top), who invited five people (including Eddie Sanders - pictured below) to speak on topics related to the theme of “Health.”

Perry then called for reports from the evaluation team. Speech Evaluator Betsy Blocker said Eric’s speech was well organized, interesting and informative. She gave two suggestions for improving the speech: speak louder and give it a stronger opening.

Ah Counter/Grammarian Becki Moody reported that space fillers were used 32 times during the meeting: 11 times during the introductory portion; 8 during Table Topics; 8 during Eric’s speech; 5 during Betsy’s evaluation. The word of the day was used 5 times.

Timer Eva Stimson reported the following times:

Eric Darnell’s speech was 5 minutes, 53 seconds.

Table Topics— Patricia Longfellow (43 seconds); Lisa Daly (1:30); Eddie Sanford (43 seconds); Betsy Blocker (41 seconds); Joelle Anderson (1:15)

Vote Counter Eva Stimson announced that Betsy Blocker and Joelle Anderson had tied for best Table Topics speech. Ada Middleton gave them each a bag of healthy treats.

Perry Chang invited the guests to share questions or comments about the meeting. He offered a closing wish for “new vision,” and reminded everyone that the next meeting was scheduled for October 15 in Conference Room 4000. He then adjourned the meeting at 1:50 p.m.

-- Eva Stimson