Editor: John C Graves    February 9, 2006    Warner Center Toastmasters      guests welcomed
"Valentine's Day"

She had all the classic symptoms of an overdose. She wasn't feeling well. Adrenaline, anxiety, and cold sweats were followed by a sense of relief, a burst of self-confidence. Then she sat down and the evaluators came into the room, one by one. 

It was contest season in her Toastmasters area. And as a model speaker, this was her opportunity to be analyzed by some of the best evaluators in a face-off of constructive criticism.  

If you're new to Toastmasters, you may be wondering what an evaluator does. An evaluator, quite simply, provides valuable advice on how to improve your self-image. Your speaking and presentation style is made up of many components: your vocal range and rhythm, your command of vocabulary, your physical gestures and facial expressions, even how you dress. How well do your organize your thoughts when speaking? 

When we bring four evaluators together to focus on one speaker in an evaluation competition, the effect is powerful. Contest season is also an excellent time of year to bring forward your best material, and give a speech in an unfamiliar setting with an audience you've never met. This is the next level at Toastmasters, and we urge you to explore it.    

As Topicmaster at our January 24 meeting, Dan Marzec, ATM asked questions about how Toastmasters membership has helped our members in their careers and personal lives, and he got some interesting responses. This meeting, attended by a healthy sampling of more than thirty members, also contained three new speeches, from beginning to advanced. 

VP of Education Carolyn Goldman explained in her winning table topic that while she is not a party animal, it was much easier for her to feel comfortable at a party she recently attended, thanks to Toastmasters. "Toastmasters has helped me socially," she confided.

Born in Armenia, Taguhi Graiyan came to America at a young age after her native town was devastated by an earthquake. For her Icebreaker, Taguhi described what it was like to become an American. 

Nastaran Motiei's speech #2 compared the value of wealth vs knowledge, and how they may be used as assets to achieve success. And John Graves, CTM,  shared the many twists and turns of his special visual effects career in an advanced speech assignment from "The Entertaining Speaker" manual.

Rose Lane, DTM managed the meeting with her usual high calorie output, and Bill Anderson admirably handled the General Evaluation segment, getting an extra extra long round of applause. Susan Mayberry, ATM-B-CL captured best evaluator when she reviewed Nastaran's speech. 

If you'd like to learn more about Toastmasters, this week's meeting will be an excellent one to attend. We'll have five fantastic full-length speeches, and Dave DeFore, CTM, one of our veteran members, will be talking about how Toastmasters has helped him in his real estate sales career. View the upcoming program schedule below.