October 26^th Meeting Notes: Everything Was “Boootiful”

          Ghosts, goblins, and other assorted spirits were among the 26 members and one guest that haunted the annual Halloween meeting of Warner Center Toastmasters (WCTM) held on October 26^th in the Malibu Room at Warner Center Marriott. Donning a special mask to get in the “spirit” of the evening, Toastmaster” Rose Lane, DTM, kicked off the evening’s program. “Welcome to another exciting program that is all about treats without any tricks or trickery!” she enthused. One of these “treats” was the evening’s costumes worn by Arnold Arch (the ghost of Halloweens past), Eleonor Arellano (Hawaiian maid), Eva Barry (harem girl), John Graves, CTM / CL (Aaron Burr), Susan Mayberry, ATM-B / CL (dance hall girl), and Alan Reveles (Cowboy). The award for the “Best Costume” went to Arnold Arch.

Table Topics: The Halloween Effect

          Arnold Arch served as Topics Master for the Table Topics segment of the evening’s program. After taking the group through his extensive research into the various influences that brought us the current cultural icon that is Halloween, Arnold  queried six WCTM members about how their Halloween experiences. This group included: Susan Mayberry, Vlada Dymtrenko, Stuart Juggler, Bill Anderson, Nastaran Motiei, and Carolyn Goldman. Taking the first place ribbon for Best Table Topics was Nastaran Motiei who described how her first brush with Halloween trick-or-treaters caused her to dial 911, “They came for chocolate and got the police!”

Prepared Speeches: Talent & the Variety It Inspires

The five talks that made up the Prepared Speeches portion of the meeting both showcased the talent of the participants and highlighted the varied interests that reside within the WCTM membership. Leading off the program for the second meeting in a row was Cate Bramble. Her talk, entitled, “Section,” fulfilled the requirements of speech #3 from the Communications & Leadership Manual (CLM). In her presentation about the use of disinformation and aural pressure techniques by government psychological operations units (pysch ops), Cate provide details on how music can be used to affect behavior with specific examples of its use to breakup public demonstrations. “Our perceptions can be deceived by using sound against us. If you run into the street to protest, what music will you hear?” she concluded.

Chad Celi followed with his speech #5 from the CLM entitled, “Germ Theory is a Theory.” Eschewing conventional wisdom that holds “germs” responsible for most human illness, the health-conscious Mr. Celi went on to describe an alternative explanation of sickness: immune system imbalance. Using an “In & Out” hamburger stand as a metaphor, he explained, “If you have 1,000 people going in and just 900 people going out, you will get sick. Balanced ‘In & Out,’ that’s what a healthy person is all about!”

“Take It Easy” was the title Maisie Lee’s speech #6 from the CLM.  In it, she spoke of the need for all people to learn to deal with stress on the job. Citing the statistic that 80% of US workers experience job stress everyday, the ever ebullient Ms. Lee went on to provide the group with ten tips to reduce stress. “If you still feel overwhelmed,” she advised, “find a professional counselor for more help.”

          Resplendent in full colonial dress (including a three-corned hat), John Graves, CTM / CL treated the club to an interpretive reading from the Gore Vidal novel, Burr. Evoking the persona of Aaron Burr, ever famous in American history for his deadly duel with Alexander Hamilton, John gave voice to Burr’s critique of George Washington (“resolute, courageous with a tremendous lack of imagination”), his recollections of Benedict Arnold, and his description of the espionage activities of loyalist provocateur,  Margaret Moncrief.

Rounding out the segment was Chick Saffell, ATM-B with the advanced speech “Conquering Fear.” The story of his effort to overcome his fear of public speaking, Chick shared with the audience two early, humiliating experiences that led him to seek out his first Toastmaster membership in Glendale. Receiving a “little cup” for his icebreaker in the third week, the venerable Mr. Saffell described the event as a “breakthrough for me” that led to his eventual triumph as a speaker. “If you are afraid of something, get out there and do it. Soon you’re not afraid of it,” Chick advised. In recognition of his effort, Chick Saffell was voted the evening’s Best Speaker.

Theme: "Award Winning Accomplishments"

Evaluations: Improvement by Everyone

          The meeting’s final segment, Evaluations, was led by General Evaluator, Lois Coburn. Remarking on the willingness of members to step into meeting roles at the last minute, Lois went on to congratulate those who gave Prepared Speeches, saying, “You did a great job! I can see improvement in everyone who spoke tonight.” Among her suggestions for improvement was starting on time, keeping to the program and turning off all cell phones and pagers. Individual evaluations were done by Dan  Marzec, ATM-B (Cate Bramble), Susan Mayberry, ATM – B / CL (Chad Celi), Marc Cohn, CTM, (Maisie Lee), Shelly Bright, (John Graves), and Don West (Chick Saffell). The “Best Evaluator” award went to Don West.

Announcements

District 52 Events

Two District 52 events will take place at the Glendale Central library on consecutive Saturdays later this month. The District 52 Humorous Speech & Table Topics Contest will take place on November 11^th while The Annual Educational Conference will be held on November 18^th (9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) The Speech Contest will feature the top two qualifiers in each event from the four divisions in the district. Representing WCTM in both speech competitions will be Susan Mayberry, ATM – B / CL. All members are encouraged to attend the competition and support Susan. Space, however, is limited. Those wishing to attend are advised to register as soon as possible. Admission is ten dollars ($10.00).

The educational conference, entitled “How to Be a Better Speaker,” will feature four educational sessions, a visit from Toastmasters International Director, Lauren Kelly, DTM, and an awards ceremony recognizing the District’s new Distinguished Toastmasters. Admission (including lunch) is twenty dollars ($20.00). Registration forms for both the Educational Conference and the Speech Competition are available on the District 52 website: http://www.district52.org. The Library is located at 222 East Harvard Street in Glendale.

READ OUR SPEECHES

MEETING ARCHIVES

Letter from the President

PUT ON YOUR PARTY HATS!

Dear Warner Center Toastmasters,

            The Holidays are almost upon us.  In celebration, we are having our Holiday Party on Saturday, December 2, at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Tess Asiala, who so graciously has extended her hospitality!  There will be food, drink and wonderful entertainment to bring in the Season.

            Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.  Bring a guest -- a friend or a spouse.  Since we need to know how many will be attending, please contact Mohnish Sharma for sign up.

            This is a dress up affair so get those party hats, tuxedos and fancy dresses ready for the event of the year!

Your President in Formal Wear,

Carolyn

P.S.  Tuxedos not required, but please do dress up!

You may find the answers in a book, but how can you take action and put principles into practice? Toastmasters is dedicated to helping you overcome your fear of public speaking, so why fumble around in the dark with your self-image? Think of your Toastmasters club as a communications laboratory, a forum for experimentation, a place to work on your own, personal style. 

If  this sounds good to you, then come join us for a light buffet and some great speakers at the Warner Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. Among  the most prestigious and popular Toastmasters meeting locations in greater Los Angeles, the Marriott provides a wide variety of superb meeting rooms for one of Los Angeles' finest Toastmasters organizations.