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

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: