Travelers Noontime Toastmaster #2532
Meeting Minutes – October 9, 2008
Our Mission: The Travelers Noontime Toastmaster (TNT) Club is dedicated to helping individuals improve themselves by sharpening their speaking, listening and thinking skills, all of which are necessary for success at work and at home. We provide a supportive environment with opportunities for public speaking and leadership development.
Chairperson: Michael O’Brien
Toastmaster: Bob Kirkendall
Timer: Aarti Gupta
Grammarian: Kristi Bathgate – Today’s word of the day was assiduous which means: constant, persistent.
Quiz Master: Debbie Sala
Bob’s tip for the day was – Think Outside the Box. Bob explained how at a recent job interview, the company asked all candidates how they would respond to the following situation – you drive past a bus stop where there are 3 people waiting for the bus. An old lady who needs medical attention, your oldest friend in the world who once saved your life, or the man/woman of your dreams. BUT, you only have room for 1 in your car – who do you pick up. The person who got the job answered like this: I’d give the keys to my best friend and tell them to take the old woman to the hospital. I’d then stay and wait for the bus with the person of my dreams.
Speaker 1:
Ed Foerster, “Domestic Engineer” (CC #6 – Vocal Variety; 5-7 min.) [Actual Time = 6m 56s]
Ed’s speech today was about the role of domestic engineer (i.e. housewife). He said that this was a phrase coined by his mother in the 3rd grade in response to the question – ‘What do you parents do?’. Ed then went onto to explain why being a housewife relates to being an engineer. For one thing – it’s all on the job training. The projects last anywhere from 0-22 years, and many times you have cost overruns. Similar to an engineer, a housewife will have ‘design specifications’ – for example, religion, manners, culture, etc. Also, the housewife will sign-off on the ‘project’ once the child graduates college.
Housewives are also great problem solvers. They always seemed to be prepared with band-aids, tissues, etc. They know how to negotiate and solve problems, and are good risk mitigators. They also really shine in the realm of continuing education by helping new moms and learning from experienced moms (via playgroups, social circles, etc).
He concluded by saying that he thinks domestic engineer has a more positive connotation than housewife. Ed really thinks highly of people that stay home and take care of the kids and the house – and he said that he definitely could not do what his wife does all day! He thinks that domestic engineers really make a strong impact in the world, and should be appreciated by us all.
Evaluator: Bob Kirkendall [Actual Time = 3m 21s]
Speaker 2:
Kristi Bathgate, “Connect Through Community” (AC Silver #7, Persuasive Speaking, 6-8 min.) [Actual time = 8m 43s]
Kristi opened up her speech by asking us all to picture a playground. To picture children having fun and playing with each other. She then asked us to picture one of those children in a wheelchair, and see how the picture changed. This was a good introduction to Kristi’s story about Amy. Amy lives in West Hartford and raised over 500,000 in order to build a playground for disabled children. What a difference one woman and one playground can make in the community!
Kristi then asked us all to envision us helping out one another. To understand the importance of giving back to the community and actually DO something to make this a better world. It’s easy to give back – whether it be at work via a mentoring relationship, or by donating money to a charity. Use Amy as motivation to see how a small idea can make such a big impact!
Kristi explained how she used to participate – she helped mentor a child in High School and helped Holly Gaspar during the early part of her career at TNT. But then, she started to become indifferent. Until last Tuesday when she heard a speech given by the CEO and President of Sea Research – Stephen Coan. Stephen does so much for the community – why couldn’t Kristi do just 1 thing??
Kristi then challenged us all to help out the community at least 2 times a year. Worried about money? Why not give up your 2nd coffee everyday. Or, bring lunch a couple times a week instead of eating in the cafeteria. Small differences throughout the year can really add up. Worried about time? Who doesn’t have a half hour every week to spare?
She finished her speech today with a quote about how the sea is made up of millions and millions of tiny drops – all of which make a difference.
Evaluator: Ed Foerster [Actual Time = 2m 57s]
Table Topics:
Chairperson – John Taveras: We had a very interesting table topic today. Rather than call up individual speakers, John started a story. Each person in the room then had to add to the story, until everyone had a chance to speak. It was a really creative tale of going to DisneyWorld, getting a neck injury on Splash Mountain, seeking medical attention, and forgetting one’s name. Overall, a very interesting and creative table topic!
Quiz Master:
Today Debbie asked us 7 questions from the speeches and table topics. We all must have done a great job listening because we got all 7 right!
General Evaluator:
LaTash Smith
LaTasha thought we all just had a great attitude today! The room was setup appropriately, we had great introductions, and the lectern was never left unguarded. The flow was good and the table topic was exceptional!
Next Meeting: October 16, 2008
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Chairperson: OPEN
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Toastmaster: Helene Talbott
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Speaker 1: Dan Guinan
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Speaker 2: Ian Neveu
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Speaker 3: OPEN
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Table Topics: Tracy Miranda
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General Evaluator: Joyce Grose
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Evaluator 1: Lora Ashcraft
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Evaluator 2: OPEN
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Evaluator 3: OPEN
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Timer: Debbie Sala
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Grammarian: Joyce Grose
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Quiz Master: Aarti Gupta
If you change your availability for your assigned roles, please e-mail VPE Bob Kirkendall and let him know.
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