BROADBAND RECOMMENDED FOR BEST VIEWING


Editor: Bill Anderson    October 26, 2006      Warner Center Toastmasters      guests welcomed
Theme: "Halloween"

Mayberry Sweeps Division “A” Contest

She’s at it again! Our own Susan Mayberry, ATM – B / CL, won both the Humorous Speech and Table Topics competitions at the Division “A” contest that was held at the Spirent Communications facility in Agoura this past Saturday, October 21^st.  Now it’s on to the District 52 contest which will be held in Glendale at the Central Library on November 11^th.  The contest will feature the top two qualifiers from each of the four divisions in District 52. As space is limited, those wishing to attend are advised to register as soon as possible. Admission is ten dollars ($10.00). Registration forms can be downloaded from the District 52 website.

Club Announcements

Halloween Reminder: Put on Your High Heel Sneakers!

            Warner Center Toastmasters members are reminded that the upcoming October 26^th meeting will be our annual “Halloween” meeting. Costumes are encouraged, but not required. If past years’ Halloween events are any indication, the meeting promises to be great fun. So dress up and come on down!

Holiday Party Date Set

Rose Lane, DTM, announced that the date for WCTM’s Holiday Party has been set for Saturday, December 2^nd.  She went on to say that the date has been set much earlier this year do avoid the crush of office Christmas parties that occur later on in the month. Tess Asiala, CTM, has volunteered to host the party at her home in Calabasas.

District 52 Educational Conference Just Around the Corner

District 52’s annual educational conference will be held on Saturday, November 18^th (9 a.m. - 4 p.m.) at the Glendale Public Library.  The theme of the event is “How to Be a Better Speaker”.  The day will feature four educational sessions on various performance elements of public speaking as well as a visit from Toastmasters International Director, Lauren Kelly, DTM, and an awards ceremony recognizing the District’s new DTMs. Admission is twenty dollars ($20.00) which includes lunch. Registration forms can be downloaded from the District 52 website.

October 12^th Meeting Notes: A Tradition of Inclusion

          The Hidden Hills Room at the Marriott was the scene of Warner Center Toastmasters (WCTM) October 12^th meeting. In attendance were 31 members and two guests. The evening’s Toastmaster, Dan Marzec, ATM-B, used his opening remarks to explore how the meeting’s theme, “Tradition” related both the WCTM and the nation at large. Juxtaposing WCTM’s traditions of acceptance, camaraderie and competence with those of America’s immigrant heritage, Dan told the group, “America is a melting pot where most ethnic differences disappear after one generation. Be proud of your ethnic origins. They add so much to our way of life.”

Table Topics: Traditional Effects

Nastaran Motiei served as Topics Master for the Table Topics segment of the evening’s program. Describing America’s culture as the blending of many traditions, Nastaran queried ten WCTM members about how various aspects of tradition, both theirs and that of others, affects their lives and attitudes. This group included: Maisie Lee, Zahaya Dembowich, Arnold Arch, Lois Coburn, Vlada Dymtrenko, Chad Celi, Carol Steffen, Beverly Rankel, Jason Thompson, and Bill Anderson. Taking the first place ribbon for Best Table Topics was Chad Celi with his answer to the question, “What would be your reaction if you traveled to another country and saw people eating with their fingers?”

Prepared Speeches: Eclectic Topics

The topics of the four Prepared Speeches that formed the core of evening’s program ran the gamut of human experience from science to economics to relationship. Leading off the program was Cate Bramble with speech #2 from the Communications & Leadership Manual entitled, “Goin’ South.” In it Cate used her background as a technical writer to inform us of how science orients earth regard to interstellar space, “The right-and rule gets you out of trouble!”

          Shelly Bright took the lectern next with, “You Can Make a Difference,” speech #5 from the CLM. The story of how one teacher (Mrs. Thompson), made a difference in the life of a troubled young boy (Teddy Stoddard), Shelly’s speech brought a collective lump to the throat of her audience as she described the good that can come from small acts of love and kindness. “We can all be like Mrs. Thompson if we try. We all know a Teddy Stoddard who needs our help,” she concluded.

          Predicting the direction that the real estate market will take was the topic of Glen Rankel’s CLM speech #8, “The Strangest Economic Indicator.” Telling the group that he had been studying a variety of such indicators all of his life, Glen used a series of slides to reveal what, he asserted, has been the most accurate economic measure: the length of women’s skirts!  “When they go up, sell. When they go down, buy,” he said. Giving his prediction for 2007, he advised, “Mini-skirts are back. Sell!”

The always surprising, Don West was the program’s final speaker with, “Love Bank,” speech #9 from the CLM. In it he explored what makes relationships work: meeting the emotional needs of your partner. One way to keep track of this important endeavor is the “love” bank, a tabulation of emotional deposits and withdrawals. “It is a tool that teaches us how to become an emotional millionaire in the eyes of our spouse,” the investment minded Mr. West concluded. For his efforts (including his fashion sense!), Glen Rankel was voted the evening’s Best Speaker.

Evaluations: It Went Like Clockwork

          The meeting’s final segment, Evaluations, was led by General Evaluator, Mohnish Sharma. Telling the group that the meeting went so well that he didn’t have to make any notes, Mohnish went on to say, “I realized that we’ve all done this so often that everything goes like clockwork.” However, he did point out that members still need to remember that the lectern must be covered at all times. He also pointed out that a handshake is needed when one meeting participant takes over the lectern from another. Individual evaluations were done by Bill Anderson (Cate Bramble), Susan Mayberry, ATM – B / CL (Shelly Bright), John Graves, CTM / CL, (Glen Rankel), Art Hugon, (Don West). The “Best Evaluator” award went to Susan Mayberry.