Alternatives to Holiday Shopping

Pat Hanson took a turn at TMoD and brought a theme of "Alternatives to Holiday Shopping

Arnie Buss was the Humorist

Jack Jackson won Table Topics

Carrie Glenn was voted Most Improved for her #4 Giving Beautifully

Carrie's Evaluator was Tetyana Margolina

Sheila Dundon Best Speaker #10 Leading in Times of Change

Sheila's evaluator Don Free was selected Best Evaluator:

Turkey!

Jack Jackson chose a lighthearted theme of "Turkey" partly in keeping with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and partly in contrast with some of the more somber themes recently.

Arnie Buss was the humorist:

Matt Balint won Table Topics:

Kyle Tobin-Williams gave her #4 speech Introducing Tillie Lewis:

Kyle's evaluator was Monique Fountain:

Sheila Dundon won Most Improved for her #6 speech How I improved My Speaking Results Ten Fold in One Day:

Sheila was evaluated by Leisel Iverson, who was also selected Best Evaluator:

Don Free won Best Speaker with a #2 project from the advanced manual Speaking to Inform, The Address at Gettysburg:

<,br/> Fred Sadler was Don's evaluator:

Membership

Annette Cain pumped up the membership with her theme as TMoD.

Kathleen Hanselmann was the humorist:

Tables topics was won be Leisel Iverson:

Monique Fountain kicked off the membership drive with her #8 speech Campaign for Membership

Monique was evaluated by Jarrod Smith:

Best Speaker and Most Improved Speaker Jack Jackson gave his #9 speech To Lead People, Walk Beside Them.

Jack's evaluator was Tetyana Margolina:

Arnie Buss gave a #3 speech from the advanced manual "Speaking to Inform," Easy Speak:

Arnie evaluator Carl Thormeyer was Best Evaluator:

Club Table Topics Contest!

Annette Cain was TMoD for a special club Table Topics Contest. With most of the club competing, she adopted a special format in which each contestant drew their question from a hat.

The contestant responses:

Don Free:
 
Carl Thormeyer:
Jack Jackson:
 
Kyle Tobin-Williams:
Pat Hanson:
 
Leisel Iverson:
Art Testani:
 
Kathleen Hanselmann:
Arnie Buss:
 
The results:
1^st - Arnie Buss
2^nd - Leisel Iverson
3^rd - Art Testani

All Hallows Eve/All Saint's Day

Today is All Saint's Day, or All Hallows Day, from which comes the evening before, "All Hallow's Eve" - or Hallowe'en. TMoD Arnie Buss shared that and other interesting tidbits about this fall holiday.

Don Free was the humorist:

Pat Hanson won Table Topics

Best Speaker Laura Franklin gave her #2 speech The Art of Doing Nothing: A Modern Gal's Guide to Procrastination.

Laura was evaluated by Tetyana Margolina:

Jack Jackson wom Most Improved for his #8 speech Do You Believe Me or Your Lying Eyes?

Jack's evaluator Carl Thormeyer was selected Best Evaluator:

Next week - the club's Table Topics Contest!

First Jobs

Club President Don Free was TMoD today and chose "First Jobs" as his theme, something every member could definitely relate to!

Michelle Gomez gave Opening Remarks:

Laura Franklin won Table Topics:

Annette Cain gave her #6 speech Ghost Stories of Old San Juan Batista:

Annette was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer:

Tetyana Margolina earned her Competent Communicator with her #10 speech Persuade With An Accent, and was voted Best Speaker as well as Most Improved:

Tetyana's evaluator Arnie Buss was selected as Best Evaluator for the meeting:

Healthy Competition

Kate Daniels Kurz chose "Healthy Competition" as her theme, in anticipation of the upcoming club Table Topics contest on November 7.

Leisel Iverson gave humorous Opening Remarks:

Table Topics was a tie between Matt Balint and Art Testani:


Best Speaker was Jack Jackson with his #7 The More I learn the Less I Know:

Jack was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer

Pat Hanson won Most Improved for her soliloquy Reaching for Stillness, the #3 project in advanced manual Interpretive Reading:

Pat's evaluator Sheila Dundon was selected Best Evaluator:

Strike Action

In this first post-shutdown meeting, TMoD Kathleen Hanselmann chose a theme of "Strike Action," recalling other kinds of work stoppages throughout the years,

Opening Remarks was by Monique Fountain

Pat Hanson won table topics:

Arnie Buss gave a CC #5 speech False Starts:

Arnie's evaluator was Jack Jackson:

Sheila Dundon won both Best Speaker and Most Improved with her #9 speech, Advancing Women Leaders: a Win/Win Solution Part 2:

Sheila's evaluator, chosen Best Evaluator, was Kate Daniels Kurz:

Parrr-tay!

In a small, but fun, meeting during the government shutdown-induced furlough, we met in downtown Monterey to a theme of "Let's Party."  Despite just one speech, we did par-tay!

Monique Fountain gave her #6 speech Reluctant Adventure:
Monique was evaluated by Annette Cain:

Accounting

First-time TMoD Jack Jackson led today's meeting as if he had been doing it for years! His theme of "Accounting" had a double meaning - the financial activity as well as accountability.

Humorist was  Pat Hanson
Table Topics was won by Laura Franklin

Arnie Buss gave a speech from the Entertaining Speaker advanced manual, project #4 Car vs Train


Most Improved speaker Don Free also gave an advanced speech, #1 from Speaking to Inform, He Can't Always Be Right, Can He

He was evaluated by Kathleen Hanselmann
Best Speaker Tetyana Margolina gave her speech #9 from the CC manual, Push the Envelope
Her evaluator Art Testaniwas also the Best Evaluator:

The Fall of Summer

Annette Cain was the TMoD today and chose a theme of "The Fall of Summer".

Humorist was Laura Franklin

Best Table Topics Speaker was newest member  Lisa Ward:
 Jack Jackson gave his #6 speech Crazy on Two Wheels and was voted Most Improved.
Jack's evaluator was : Monique Fountain
Sheila Dundon got the "win" with her #7 speech Advancing Women Leaders: The Win/Win Solution:
Sheila's evaluator Matt Balint was selected Best Evaluator:

Playing Tour Guide

Sheila Dundon gave a clinic on being TMoD today. Her theme of being a "tour guide" for our vacation wonderland resonated with all of us.

Jack Jackson gave Opening Remarks with some of the more unusual laws around here:

Fred Sadler won Table Topics with a dizzying dramatic display:

Jarrod Smith won Most Improved Speaker for his #4 speech Revising Education:

Jarrod's evaluator Don Free won Best Evaluator:

Carrie Glenn gave her #3 speech entitled Toasting with the Masters and won Best Speaker:

Carrie's evaluator was Matt Balint:

Time

Tetyana Margolina took the helm for today's meeting with a mystery theme of "Time."

Laura Franklin gave her Icebreaker speech, Two Tickets from Paradise:

Laura was evaluated by Kyle Tobin-Williams:
Annette Cain presented some heart-felt Origami with her #8 speech Heart Folds:
Annette was evaluated by Chuck Burton:
Kathleen Hanselmann gave her #6 speech Curses, Foiled Again:
Kathleen's evaluator was Fred Sadler:

Mid-Summer's Night Memory

Carrie Glenn, fresh from the Toastmasters International Convention in Cincinnati, was a first-time TMoD today, choosing a theme of "Mid-Summer's Night Memory."

Annette Cain gave the humorist/opening remarks:

Best Table Topics Speaker was Kyle Tobin-Williams:

Katharine Daniels Kurz presented the Toastmasters Educational Program and won Best Speaker:

Kate's evaluator was Arnie Buss:

Jack Jackson continued his sprint through the CC manual with his #5 speech Tell Me Lies, and was voted Most Improved Speaker:

 Jack's evaluator was Celine Lai:

Humorous and Evaluation Speech Contest

All were winners at today's Humorous and Evaluation Contests!

Will Heilbut from the MIIS Toastmasters Club gave the test speech, Life Equals:
Cristine Lambarte expertly led the evaluation contest, while Don Free MC-ed the humorous contest.

Will Heilbut from the Monterey Institute Toastmasters Club was the test speaker, with Life Equals:

Second Place was Kate Daniels Kurz:
And the winner was Chuck Burton:
Kyle Tobin-Williams came in second in the humorous speech contest with He's Waiting Up All Night To Get Lucky - There Ought to be Rules:
Arnie Buss won the contest with Unanswerable Questions;

Good Eats!

Kyle Tobin Williams made a fabulous debut as TMoD, sandwiched between Concours D'Elegance events.

Carrie Glenn won Table Topics:

Celine Lai gave her #3 speech Be Grateful!

Celeine was evaluated by Carrie Glenn:

Tetyana Margolina won Best Speaker with her #8 Little Keys to Big Doors:

Tetyana's evaluator was Pat Hanson:

Carl Thormeyer gave a #3 speech from the advanced manual "The Entertaining Speaker" entitled I'm Just an Old Guy:

Carl was evaluated by Annette Cain:

Cars!

Chuck Burton chose Cars as his theme - appropriate due to the local Concours D'Elegence event happening this week on the Monterey Peninsula!

Celine Lai gave Opening Remarks:

Jack Jackson discussed the science of complexity in his #4 speech Simply Complex:

Jack was evaluated by Jarrod Smith:

Art Testani encouraged us to"make a difference" with his #7 speech, entitled You Can Make a Difference:

Art was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer, who was also chosen Best Evaluator:

Kyle Tobin-Williams won Best Speaker with her #3 The Write to Speak, in which she extolled the virtues of writing versus impromptu speaking:

Kyle's evaluator was Tetyana Margolina:

World Traveling

TMoD Celine Lai's inaugural as TMoD was a brilliant success with her theme of World Traveling.

Humorist Thomas Mallory started us of with a laugh

Table Topics was won by Jack Jackson

Cristine Lambarte #7 was voted Most Improved, How Do You Feed Your Brain?

Cristine's Evaluator was Fred Sadler

Arnie Buss won Best Speaker with his (eleventh) #4, Speaking Without Words:

Arnie's Evaluator Kathleen Hanselmann was chosen Best Evaluator:

TMoD Tips

Jarrod Smith's theme for today's meeting was "TMoD (Toastmaster of the Day) Tips" - strategies for success at this important role. Jarrod certainly succeeded marvelously in running an outstanding meeting!

Opening Remarks was by Carrie Glenn:

Kathleen Hanselmann won Best Table Topics:

Best Speaker Jack Jackson gave his #3 speech, Creating Value in Relationships:

Jack's evaluator, Don Free, was also the Best Evaluator:

Most Improved Speaker Pat Hanson gave a #6 speech Nothing is Ever Lost in the Universe: But Maybe Not So at NPS:

Matt Balint gave Pat her evaluation:

Summer Reading

Immediate Past President Jim Burlison chose the season-appropriate theme of "Summer Reading" for today's meeting. Jim gave the humor himself:

Kyle Tobin-Williams gave her #2 speech Strategic Art of Day at Disney: Mastering the Mouse:

Kyle was evaluated by Cristine Lambarte:

Matt Balint was voted Best Speaker for his #4 speech Life's Lessons From Your Favorite Hobby:

Matt's evaluator Jarrod Smith was chosen as Best Evaluator:

Most Improved Speaker Tetyana Marhgolina  rounded out the speeches with her #7 Short, Ugly, abnd Common:

Tetyana was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer:

Toastmaster Goals

Incoming President Don Free led off the new Toastmasters year with a theme of "Toastmasters Goals." We began with induction of the new club officers by Area Governor Rich Gierman:

Fred Sadler was the humorist extraordinaire with an original limerick:
Returning member Cathy Lee won Table Topics:
Best Speaker was Jack Jackson with his #2 speech So You Feel Lucky?:
Jack's evaluator, Art Testani, was selected Best Evaluator:
Most Improved Speaker Celine Lai gave her #32 speech Human Research Protection Program:
Her evaluator was John Mahler:

Gettysburg 150 Anniversary

TMoD Art Testani chose the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg as the theme.

Jarrod Smith won Tabe Topics:l

Carrie Glenn was voted Best Speaker as well as Most Improved for her #2 Speech I'm Sorry, So Sorry, Please Accept My Apology:
Carrie was evaluated by Chuck Burton:

June is Bustin Out All Over!

Fred Sadler Busted out June with his Carousel-inspired theme today!
Humorist was Kyle Tobin-Williams:
Leisel Iverson won Best Speaker with her #3 Dancing in the Dust:
Leisel's evaluator was Carl Thormeyer:
John Mahler was Most Improved with his #4 Why the Marines Should Keep Weapons Off Drones:
John was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer:
Tables topics was won by Pat Hanson:

What is the Fondest Memory of Your Father?

TMoD Cristine Lambarte paid tribute to Fathers everywhere in advance of Sunday's Father's Day. The meeting featured three Icebreaker speeches - a record, according to club statistician Carl Thormeyer!

Leisel Iverson gave Opening Remarks:

Table Topics was won by Amy Treadwell:

Kyle Tobin-Williams' Icebreaker What Me Worry? garnered her Best Speaker:

Tetyana Margolina evaluated Kyle's speech:

Most Improved Speaker was Carrie Glenn with her Icebreaker Etiquette Can Save Your Life!

Annette Cain evaluated Carrie:

Jack Jackson finished off the Icebreaker meeting with Seven Principles for Myself:

Jack's evaluator Carl Thormeyer was selected Best Evaluator:

World's Oceans

Annette Cain was TMoD and her theme was the World's Oceans.

Pan Hanson gave Opening Remarks:
Celine Lai received Best Speaker for her Icebreaker Military Spouse and Duty Stations.
Jim Burlison was her evaluator:
Thomas Mallory won Most Improved Speaker for his Icebreaker Tell Me About Yourself:
Arnie Buss evaluated Thomas and was selected Best Evaluator:
Fred Sadler gave his third #3 The Physician Assistant - Then and Now:

Fred was evaluated by Tetyana Margolina:

Holiday Weekends

Carl Thormeyer was TMoD and brought a theme of Holiday Weekends - appropriate, being the Friday before one!

John Mahler gave Opening Remarks:

Leisel Iverson won Best Table Topics:

Michelle Gomez was the Most Improved Speaker for her #3 speech Saving Hearts

Arnie Buss was Michelle's evaluator and was selected Best Evaluator:

 Tetyana Margolina was voted Best Speaker for her #6 speechThe Loser Takes All

Jarrod Smith evaluated Tetyana:

Internet Memes

John Mahler debuted as TMoD with a contemporary theme of Internet Memes - see below for the ones John created for the meeting!

Carl Thormeyer was the Humorist

Leisel Iverson #2 won both Best Speaker as well as Most Improved for her #2 speech, The Hands Have It:

Don Free was the speech evaluator for Leisel:

Pat Hanson gave her #8 speech High Heels: Sexy or Fracture Waiting to Happen

Fred Sadler was selected as the Best Speech Evaluator for his feedback to Pat

Kate Daniels Kurz won Best Table Topics

The memes:

When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear

Art Testani pulled double-duty as TMoD and speaker. His theme and speech were from the quote by Gandhi "When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear."

Jim Burlison was Humorist:
Chuck Burton won Table Topics, while Table Topics Master Leisel Iverson was part of a three-way tie for Most Improved with Chuck and Art:
Art gave an Icebreaker speech When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear:

Art's Evaluator, Kathleen Hanselmann, was selected Best Evaluator:
Arnie Buss won Best Speaker for his Icebreaker My First Love:
Arnie was evaluated by Sheila Dundon:

TM Resources to Help Us Succeed

Sheila Dundon stepped forth to be TMoD with a theme very close to our heart at NPS Toastmasters! Namely, Toastmasters resources to help us succeed.

Matt Balint gave Opening Remarks:

Chuck Burton's #2 speech The Ins and Outs of Scuba Diving garnered him Best Speaker as well as Most Improved:
 Chuck's evaluator was Jarrod Smith:

Sheila doubled as a speaker as well, with her #8 project Using the NPS Website to Help You Succeed:

Sheila's evaluator Pat Hanson was selected Best Evaluator:

Matt Balint won Best Table Topics:

Texting Motorists Still Ignore Danger Warnings

Cristine Lamberte was TMoD at today's meeting, and she chose the sobering theme of the dangers of texting while driving.

Sheila Dundon was the Humorist:

Best Speaker was Pat Hanson with her #7 speech, The NOT To-Do List: Multi-Tasking from the Top:

Pat's evaluator was Art Testani:

Most Improved Speaker was Tetyana Margolina with her #5 speech, Stringing the Beads:

Best Evaluator Fred Sadler evaluated Tetyana's speech:

Birthdays

Fred Sadler was TMoD and chose a theme of Birthdays to celebrate the birthday of his twin brother, Blair.

Pat Hanson won Best Table Topics:
Chuck Burton's Icebreaker speech, Where the Outsider Looks, earned him Most Improved Speaker:

Tetyana Margolina was Chuck's evaluator:
Liesel Iveron's Icebreaker speech, Three Wishes, garnered Best Speaker:
Liesel was evaluated by Jim Burlison:
Brennan Kemper gave his #2 speech, Time Management (no video)

Brennan's evaluator, Kate Daniels Kurz, was chosen Best Evaluator:

St Patrick's Day

Kathleen Hanselmann was TMoD and chose a theme of St Patrick's Day

Pat Hanson was the humorist:
Carl Thormeyer won best Best Table Topics ("in a pinch"):
Don Free gave his #8 speech Remember the Alamo:
Don was evaluated by Arnie Buss:
Bill Coloe gave his #2 speech The Importance of Having Fun:
Bill was evaluated by Pat Hanson:
Kate Daniels Kurz  gave project #4 from Speaking on Television, The Press Conference:

Kate was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer:

Name That Tune!

Monique Fountain has us dancing in the streets will a theme of "Name That Tune" - the importance of music in our lives.

Humorist Arnie Buss had a musical groaner:

John Mahler won Best Speaker for his #2 speech Good Fats:

John's evaluator Shane Grass as selected Best Evaluator:

Carl Thormeyer gave a #3 project from the advanced manual "Speaking to Inform" titled The Lunch Box:

Carl was evaluated by Arnie Buss:


Art Testani won Best Table Topic:

Moving!

Pat Hanson did a stint as TMod with the theme of "Moving". Together with an unforgettable word of the day - nostumania - we were all in for a real treat!

Bill Coloe was the humorist:

Don Free's #7 speech Where Are the Children? garnered him Most Improved Speaker:

Don's evaluator, Matt Balint, was also the best evaluator:

Annette Cain practiced her award-winning Tall Tales speech A Bloated Tale and was voted Best Speaker:

She was evaluated in a round-robin manner by the entire club, in preparation for the Area contest tomorrow:

LUCK - Of Any Kind

Amy Treadwell chose "Luck" as her theme, and proved that it wasn't luck that led to a fantastic meeting!

John Mahler won Best Table Topics:

Michelle Gomez' Icebreaker speech Stop and Smell the Roses garnered her Most Improved Speaker:

Michelle's evaluator was Arnie Buss:

Tetyana Margolina gave her #4 speech Gone with the Wave and was voted Best Speaker:

Her evaluator Don Free was also selected as the Best Evaluator:

Tall Tales and International Speech Contests!

The winner of the Tall Tales contest was Annette Cain with A Bloated Tale:

Arnie Buss came in second place with The House on Cherry Lane:

Arnie won a hard-fought International speech contest with Do It Anyway:

American Presidents

Don Free was TMoD and gave all kinds of fascinating information about American Presidents. (Who knew that there have been 47 Vice Presidents?)

John Mahler was Humorist:

Jarrod Smith won Best Table Topics:

Bill Coloe won Most Improved) for his Icebreaker speech Two Suitcases and a Thousand Bucks:

Tetyana Margolina was his evaluator:
 Matt Balint  won Best Speaker with his #3 speech:
 Sheila Dundon was his evaluator:
 Kathleen Hanselmann gave her #4 speech The Little Old Lady from Pasadena:

Her evaluator Amy Treadwell was chosen as the Best Evaluator:

Speaking Extemporaneously

Kate Daniels Kurz chose "Speaking Extemporaneously" as her theme today.

Arnie Buss gave the Humorist/Opening Remarks:

Fred Sadler won Best Table Topics:

John Mahler won Most Improved Speaker for his Icebreaker I Just Can't Wait to Get Out to the Fleet:

John's evaluator, Jim Burlison, was Best Evaluator:

Sheila Dundon  gave her #4 speech Thank Heaven for Little Girls' Fathers: Providers of Life's Lessons:

Sheila was evaluated by Annette Cain:

Best Speaker Don Free gave his #6 speech, They are Driving Me Crazy:

Don was evaluated by Jarrod Smith:

Giving Back

Art Testani's theme of 'Giving Back' he;ed create a generous atmosphere for today's meeting!

Michelle Gomez gave Opening Remarks

Best Table Topics was won by John Mahler

Fred Sadler gave his second #10 speech (and earned his second CC) with Love Stellan

Carl Thormeyer evaluated Fred's speech
While the Best speaker and evaluator were walkovers, Chuck Burton was voted Most Improved for his Table Topics response: