Gniteem Sdrawkcab

Glenn Woodson challenged our sense of the direction of time with a Backwards Meeting. This is where everything is done in reverse order of the normal agenda, with evaluations done before the speeches and functionary reports given before the actual tallies.

Carrie Glenn earned her Competent Communicator (CC) with her #10 speech Where Are You?

Jack Jackson gave the #3 speech from the advanced manual "Technical Presentations" entitled Innovation Science

FALLing Leaves

In celebration of the upcoming Autumnal Equinox, Annette Cain chose FALLing Leaves as her theme for today.

Francisco Baez gave humorous Opening Remarks:

Art Testani won Table Topics:

Most Improved Speaker Jack Jackson gave the #2 project from advanced manual Technical Review Program. The presentation was followed by a questions and answer period:
Presentation:

Q&A:

Jack was evaluated by Tom Anderson:

Don Free won Best Speaker for his project from the Storytelling advanced manual, Just Another Day at the Office

Don's evaluator Pat Hanson was selected as Best Evaluator:

Rejection

Kate Daniels Kurz chose Rejection as her theme this week.

Fred Sadler was the Humorist:

Don Free won Table Topics:

Francisco Baez gave his Icebreaker speech Where is my English language caveat?

Most Improved Speaker Jon Pagnucco gave his #2 speech entitled Daimler-Chrysler Merger: A Colossal Failure

Jon's evaluator was Carrie Glenn:

Leisel Iversion was voted Best Speaker with her #9 Words To Live By. Sadly, this was Leisel's last meeting with NPS, and we wish her all the best in Las Vegas.


Leisel's evaluator was Pat Hanson, who was Best Evaluator:

California

Don Free was the TMoD today and chose a theme of California in honor of our proud state's history.

Jack Jackson was the humorist with some ... interesting laws from around the state:

Carrie Glenn won Table Topics:

Jon Pagnucco gave his #2 speech Point/Counterpoint:

Jon was evaluated by Art Testani:

Leisel Iverson was voted Best Speaker for her #8 entitled Just Breathe:

Her evaluator was Tetyana Margolina:

Carrie Glenn gave her speech #8 Why Arbonne?

Carrie's evaluator Carl Thormeyer was selected Best Evaluator:

Recognition

Tetyana Margolina was TMoD for a meeting that featured two #10 speeches and round-robin evaluations.

Don Free gave Opening Remarks:
Annette Cain led off with Wag More! and was voted Best Speaker as well as Most Improved:

Annette was evaluated by Art Testani, who was also selected as Best Evaluator:

Annette's Round Robin Evaluation:

Pat Hanson's speech was entitled Love More ... Leave Your Legacy Now:

Pat's evaluator was Tetyana Margolina:

Pat's Round Robin Evaluation:

Humorous and Evaluatiorn Speech Contest

Leisel Iverson and Jon Pagnucco were TMoD and Chief Judge for today's Humorous and Eveluation Speech Contests.

Jack Jackson came in second with Politically In-Correctable:
Arnie Buss won with We're Doing it Wrong! and will represent the club on Sept 27 at the Area A1 contest:
Our test speaker for the Evaluation Contest, Oscar Perez, gave an inspiring speech entitled The Sweet Territory of Silence:

Second Place Don Free:
And the winner, Tetyana Margolina, who will represent the club at the September 27 Area A1 contest:

This Day in Hstory

Art Testani wasTMoD today, and his theme was "This Day in History"

Laura Franklin  combined Table Topics with her role as Humorist:

Joe Leavitt won Table Topics:

Sheila Dundon presented a module from the Successful Club Series, A Foolproof Way to Achieve Your Competent Leader Award this Year!

Her evaluator was Carl Thormeyer:

Treasured Books. Favorite Stories

Leisel Iverson chose a theme of "Treasured Books. Favorite Stories" that added a literary flair to the meeting.

Jack Jackson was Humorist putting the slam on novels:
Fred Sadler won Table Topics with a rebut of Jack's thesis:
Tom Anderson was voted Most Improved Speaker for his #3 speech Training for the Big Sur Marathon:
Tom's evaluator was Jon Pagnucco:
Tom Mallory reached his goal of a Competent Communicator with his #10 speech Next Step. He was also voted Best Speaker of the meeting:

What is Happiness?

Jon Pagnucco was the humorist:
Leisel Iverson won Table Topics:
Jack Jackson was Most Improved Speaker with his #1 project from Technical Presentations advanced manual,Fostering Innovation:
Pat Hanson was voted Best Speaker for her #2 project from the advanced manual Special Occasion Speeches, Leave a Legacy of Love, Now!
Pat's evaluator was Carl Thormeyer:

Happy Days of Summer

Fred Sadler continued the "summer" theme with today's meeting, "The Happy Days of Summer."

But first, Leisel Iverson was voted in as the new Sergeant at Arms:

Also, newest member Joe Leavitt was inducted.
Arnie Buss was humorist:

Pat Hanson won Table Topics:

Jon Pagnucco gave his Icebreaker speech and was voted Most Improved Speaker:

Best Speaker Leisel Iverson sang her way through her #6 speech Do Re Mi:

Tom Mallory gave his #9 speech  Food That Loves You:

Unfortunately, the videos of the evaluators were lost. :(

Amusement Parks

Laura Franklin's theme was Amusement Parks, very appropriate for the early summer!

Leisel Iverson was the humorist:
Glenn Woodson was voted Best Table Topics Speaker:
Most Improved Speaker Tom Mallory gave his #8 speech A Picture Is Worth A Thousand ... What?:

Tom's evaluator was Arnie Buss:

Best Speaker Tetyana Margolina gave the #3 project from the advanced manual Technical Presentations:

Tetyana was evaluated by Best Evaluator Art Testani:

Lessons from Maya Angelou

Laura Franklin's inaugural time as TMoD was a resounding success! Her theme was "Lessons from Maya Angelou" and filled us in on some particularly inspiring quotes from her work.

Jack Jackson was the Humorist, with an amusing poem from Maya Angelou:

Jack also won Table Topics:

Kim Amador won both Best Speaker as well as Most Improved Speaker for her #4 speech #Push4Parity:

Kim's evaluator was Leisel Iverson, who was also selected Best Evaluator:

Kate Daniels Kurz gave a #2 speech from the advanced manual "Speaking to Inform" entitled The WIP Presidential Briefing:

Kate's evaluator was Carrie Glenn:

Progressive Story Told by Attendees: A Beach Tale

Carrie Glenn took us to the beach - or rather, brought the beach to Glasgow Hall - for a creative meeting with a theme of a Progressive Story

Tetyana Margolina began with Humorous remarks:

Annette Cain won Table Topics:

Tom Mallory gave his #7 speech Breaking the Traditions of Traditional Banking and was voted Most Improved:

Carl Thormeyer evaluated Tom's speech:

Jack Jackson was voted Best Speaker for his folk tale A Grain of Rice from the advanced manual "Storytelling":

Jack's evaluator Laura Franklin was selected Best Evaluator:

Summer Solstice

Tetyana Margolina was TMoD today and selected "Summer Solstice" as the theme, coincident with that event!

Pat Hanson was Humorist:

Kim Amador won Table Topics:

Laura Franklin gave a #5 speech A Wedding Toast! and was voted Most Improved:

Sheila Dundon was Laura's speech evaluator, and unfortunately the video of her speech didn't turn out. :(

Glenn Woodson was voted Best Speaker for his presentation from the Leadership Excellence series, Building a A Team:

 Glenn's evaluator Don Free was selected Best Evaluator:

Superstitions

It being Friday the 13^th, and one with a full moon no less, Leisel Iverson chose "Superstition" as her theme.

Carrie Glenn gave opening remarks:

Carl Thormeyer won Table Topics (for the second week in a row!)

Annette Cain gave her #7 speech, Plastic Soup, and was voted Most Improved Speaker:

Annette's evaluator Jack Jackson was chosen Best Evaluator:

Arnie Buss gave the #1 project from the advanced Storytelling manual entitled The Rusty Penny, and was voted Best Speaker:

Arnie was evaluated by Don Free:

D-Day

Today was the70th anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy that signaled the beginning of the end of World War II. So Arnie Buss, today's TMoD, chose D-Day as the theme.

Carl Thormeyer won Table Topics:

Kim Amador gave her Icebreaker Speech The Most Important Woman in the World, and was voted Best Speaker as well as Most Improved Speaker:

Kim's evaluator was Fred Sadler, who was Best Evaluator for the meeting:

Tom Mallory gave his #6 speech What If I Were Perfect:

Tom was evaluated by Pat Hanson:

Grandparents

Pat Hanson's theme was Grandparents, which everyone could relate to, since it turns out that everybody in the club was either a grandparent themselves or have had grandparents.

Tom Anderson gave opening remarks:

Don Free won Table Topics:

Carrie Glenn gave her #7 speech How to Change in 3 Easy Steps and was voted Most Improved:

Carrie was evaluated by Annette Cain, who tied for Best Evaluator with Annette:

Arnie Buss gave a #6 speech It's All in the Wrist, and was voted Best Speaker:

Arnie's evaluator Leisel Iverson was co-Best Evaluator with Annette:

Summer Vacation

Although the turnout was a bit low for the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, Tetyana Margolina led a spirited meeting with the theme of Summer Vacation.

Don Free led off as Humorist:

Returning erstwhile member Glenn Woodson won Table Topics with a story about the vacation he didn't take and the race-themed "staycation" he will take this Sunday:

Tom Mallory won both Best Speaker and Most Improved Speaker with his #5 project Naive Moments:

Tom's evaluator was Don Free, who was also selected Best Evaluator:

Arnie Buss gave project #4 from the Interpersonal Communications advanced manual, Coaching to Resolution with an Impact Statement, with able assistance from Don Free in the role-play.

Arnie's evaluator was Sheila Dundon:

Strategic Communications

Jack Jackson chose "Strategic Communications" as today's theme, and reminded us of the difference between strategy and tactics.

Table Topics was won by Kim Amador, who was also voted Most Improved:

Kate Daniels Kurz gave project #4 from the advanced manual "Speaking to Inform" entitled Women's Economic Security in Monterey County:

Kate was evaluated by Don Free:

 Tetyana Margolina was voted Best Speaker with project  #4 from The Entertaining Speaker entitled A Recipe for Love

Tetyana's evaluator Art Testani was Best Evaluator:

Mothers and Other Goddesses

Arnie Buss wasTMoD today and with Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, chose "Mothers and Other Goddesses" to celebrate not only mothers but all nurturing women.

Opening Remarks was by Fred Sadler:

Leisel Iverson was voted Best Speaker for her #7 speech entitled Now What?

Leisel was evaluated by Carrie Glenn:

Thomas Mallory's #4 speech Playing The Lotto With Loyda earned him Most Improved Speaker:

Thomas' evaluator was Sheila Dundon:

Carl Thormeyer gave the #4 project from advanced manual The Entertaining Speaker entitled How I helped win the Cold War - Part 2: The Rest of the Story

Carl's evaluator Don Free was selected Best Evaluator:

Science!

Will Spears took his first turn at being TMoD today - and one would never know it from the smoothness of the transitions to ending at 1:10 on the dot. Well done Will!

Opening remarks was by Carl Thormeyer:

Table Topics was won by Leisel Iverson:

Annette Cain was voted Best Speaker for her #5 project A Screw Loose:

Her evaluator was Carl Thormeyer:

Pat Hanson was Most Improved with her #2 project from the advanced "Storytelling Manual" entitled Aging Positively Moi? A Moral Dilemma

Pat's evaluator  Leisel Iverson was selected Best Evaluator:

Famous Fantasy Characters

Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy ... It being the Friday before Easter, Kate Daniels Kurz chose a theme of "Fantasy Characters."

Guest and (now member) Kim Amory won Table Topics:

Thomas Mallory won Best Speaker for his #3 project What is Your Formula For Success?

Thomas was evaluated by Monique Fountain, who was also selected as Best Evaluator.

Most Improved Speaker Jack Jackson told a moving historical story for his #5 project in advanced Storytelling manual, Molly Pitcher:

Jack's Evaluator was Carl Thormeyer:

Famous Dates in History

TMoD Don Free gave us a version of Dates You Missed in History Class by reminding us of some dates that we "should" remember (but often don't).

Humorist was Art Testani:

Best Table Topics was Jack Jackson:

Amy Treadwell gave a #4 speech Welcome to the Board:

Amy's evaluator was Pat Hanson:

Tetyana Margolina was voted both Best Speaker as well as Most Improved Speaker for her #3 project from "The Entertaining Speaker" advanced manual, For Better or Worse:

Tetyana's evaluator Jack Jackson was selected Best Evaluator:

April Showers

The rain in Monterey stayed mainly on the reign of TMoD Fred Sadler, with a theme of April Showers. Fred treated us to his chanelling of Gene Kelly's Singing in the Rain:


Humorist was Jon Pangucco:

Best Speaker and Most Improved Speaker Laura Franklin gave her #4 speech How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You:

Laura was evaluated by Pat Hanson:

Carl Thormeyer followed with the #1 project from "The Entertaining Speaker" manual, My Experience with the Secret Service:

Carl's evaluator Tetyana Margolina was selected as Best Evaluator:

Effective Communication

Art Testani (or is it Testiani?) chose a very appropriate theme for Toastmasters, Effective Communication - which is what Toastmasters is all about!

Don Free gave humorous opening remarks:

Will Spears won best Table Topics speaker:

Jack Jackson (or is it Johnson?) was the best speaker with his original story Nobody Likes You Charlie, project #4 in the advanced Storytelling manual:

He was evaluated by Sheila Dundon:

Tom Anderson was Most Improved with his #2 speech The Fishing Way:


His evaluator Annette Cain was Best Evaluator:

Vernal Equanox

Jack Jackson led today's meeting with military precision - ending precisely on time despite 3 speeches and 3 table topics!

As a bonus, here is Jack reading some Wordsworth...

Sheila Dundon was the humorist:

Karen Woodson won Table Topics:

Leisel Iverson earned her ½ CC with a #5 speech Boom!

Leisel's evaluator, Don Free, was chosen as Best Evaluator:

Tetyana Margolina garnered both Best Speaker as well as Most Improved with a #2 project from advanced manual "The Entertaining Speaker" entitled Can You Hear the Music?

Tetyana was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer:

Kate Daniels Kurz gave the #1 project from advanced manual "Speaking to Inform" entitled Gender and Injustice:

Kate was evaluated by Arnie Buss:

The Hour That Slipped Away

Carrie Glenn chose "The Hour That Slipped Away" (aka Daylight Saving Time) as her theme for today's meeting.

Jim Burlison was humorist:

Tom Mallory gave his #2 speech, The Habit of My Habitats, and was voted Best Speaker as well as Most Improved:

Tom's Evaluator was Laura Franklin:

Jack Jackson gave the #3 project from the advanced Storytelling manual entitled Twenty Years Ago We Planted the Seeds:

Jack's evaluator Art Testani was selected Best Evaluator:

Decision Making

Sheila Dundon's theme was Decision Making...

Monique Fountain was humorist:

Carl Thormeyer won Table Topics:

Patrick Kim gave his Icebreaker speech Summers Growing up:

Patrick's evaluator was Leisel Iverson:

Do You Have a Secret?

Leisel Iverson brought out some of our deepest, darkest secrets!

Will Spears starting things off as Humorist:
Most Improved Speaker Laura Franklin gave her #3 project, Level Up: Why I Still Play Video Games

Her evaluator was Art Testani:
Best Speaker Sheila Dundon gave a project from the Successful Club Series, Closing the Sale:
She was evaluated by Best Evaluator Fred Sadler:

Tall Tales and International Speech Contests

The Tall Tales contest had three contestants:

Winner Tetyana Margolina with A Tall Tale About Catching a Train:

Runner up Arnie Buss with The Oxford Dictionary and Me:

Leisel Iverson with My First Fifteen Minutes of Fame:

The International Speech Contest had but two:

Winner Arnie Buss with The Last Car on the Train:

Runner Up Carrie Glenn with Bully for You:

February 14 Through History - Personal or Private

Today being Valentine's Day, Don Free chose that as his theme.

Amy Treadwell got things off to a loving and humorous start:

Arnie Buss won Table Topics:

Jack Jackson gave the #2 project from advanced manual "Storytelling," Romance in the Internet Age:

Fred Sadler evaluated  Jack and was chosen Best Evaluator:

Pat Hanson won Best Speaker for the meeting with her #4 project from "The Entertaining Speaker" advanced manual, Leave a Legacy of Love Whether You Are There Or Not:

Pat was evaluated by Carl Thormeyer:

Carrie Glenn gave her #5 speech from the CC manual, Practicing Politeness is the Key to Peace and was voted Most Improved Speaker:

Carrie's evaluator was Laura Franklin

What's In a Name?

Tetyana Margolina TMoD

Tom Anderson Humorist

Carl Thormeyer won Best Table Topics

Will Spears won Most Improved Speaker with his #2 speech The Social Media Code:

Will's evaluator Leisel Iverson was selected Best Evaluator:

Best Speaker Jarrod Smith reached his 1/2 CC with #5 A Newborn's Touch:

Jarrod was evaluated by Ginger Sheila Dundon:

Building Membership

TMoD was Sheila Dundon

Humorist Arnie Buss was going for the shortest performance of the role:

Tom Anderson gave his Icebreaker A Connecticut Yankee Abroad:

Tom's evaluator was Jarrod Smith:

Best Speaker Don Free gave the #4 project from Speaking to Inform Advanced Manual, State of the Club 2014:

Jack Jackson evaluated Don and was selected Best Evaluator:

Milestone Birthdays

Kate Daniels Kurz was TMoD and chose a theme of "Milestone Birthdays"

Humorist was Pat Hanson

Table Topics was won by Jack Jackson

Will Spears gave his Icebreaker 150 Men in a Pipe:

Will's evaluator was Jack Jackson:

Leisel Iverson won both Best Speaker, and Most Improved, with her #4 speech, The Little White Box:

Leisel's evaluator Arnie Buss, was selected Best Evaluator:

Cartoons

Arnie Buss chose a lighthearted theme as TMoD - Cartoons

Annette Cain was Humorist

Newest member Will Spears won Table Topics, but unfortunately there is no video.

Jack Jackson gave his second #3 speech from the CC manual, A Prophet in His Own Mind, and was voted Best Speaker:

Pat Hanson Speech was his Speech Evaluator

Carrie Glenn was voted Most Improved Speaker for her #9 speech Practicing Politeness is the Key to Peace:

Annette Cain was her Speech Evaluator and also selected as Best Evaluator:

New Beginnings

Fred Sadler started the new year as TMoD with a theme of New Beginnings

Kyle Tobin-Williams was the Humorist
and also won Best Table Topics

Annette Cain gave her #4 speech  Ageless Dogma and was voted Most Improved Speaker


Don Free was Annette's Evaluator and was chosen Best Evaluator
Jack Jackson gave his #10 Still Looking for That Box? and was voted Best Speaker - congratulations Jack for achieving Competent Communicator


Jack was evaluated by Kate Daniels Kurz