Editor: John C Graves    February 23, 2006    Warner Center Toastmasters    guests welcomed
"Competition"

We like to think of our Toastmasters club as a communications laboratory, a forum for experimentation, a place to work on your own personal style. Some super-talented people took control of the lectern at our last meeting, led by Toastmaster of the evening Carolyn Goldman. Both veterans and some new members of Warner Center Toastmasters gave their best. 

Scott Blough talked about the fascinating subject of why so many voters elect to stay away from the polls. "A lot of times people have a misunderstanding about voting," Scott remarked. "American voters tend to confuse what's true or false in negative campaigning with why it's being done." Scott captured best speaker with his number 3 speech from the manual. 

Area Governor Erin O'Neill stepped up to the plate again with a fantastic speech number 4. "Type A people are so comfortable with pressure, they actually go out and look for more," Erin observed, in a speech called "Under Pressure". This is good stuff! And talk about delivery...Erin establishes intimate contact with her audience amazingly fast. 

Dennis Rowe, ATM, shared his most interesting story about a war experience in Italy. In 1945, he was nearly arrested by French border guards because he was carrying too much chocolate. "What did I say to them that really made their day? Chocolate! They said 'We've got an American smuggler.'" 

Vlada Dmytrenko continues to chart a steady course towards her CTM certification. She delivered speech number 6 with her usual world-encompassing perspective.  "Unlike in Russia, here in America you get a chance to meet so many different ethnicities," Vlada commented. 

Longtime member Dave DeFore, CTM talked about how Toastmasters has helped a practicing extrovert become even better. As a real estate professional, Dave knows all about cold calling, following up with clients, and more. "The Toastmasters experience is not a speechwriting course," said DeFore. "The content of your speech is important, but I would focus more on delivery skills."

Topicmaster Marc Cohn, CTM asked Art Hugon about getting his taxes in by Valentine's Day, but Art happily diverted onto another subject entirely, thus capturing best topic. And General Evaluator Wes Johnson, CTM led a critique segment in which Don West won Best Evaluator. 

Remember that while our February 23 meeting (630 to 9 pm Thursday) is a speech and evaluation competition, it is open to everyone, even guests who don't know anyone here. Introduce yourself to our hearty and intelligent group -- you'll be glad you did! (Visitor and meeting schedule details below.) -jcg