In a unique shift of venue, The Marriott’s outdoor Garden Gazebo (a popular place for weddings) was the setting as 34 members and three quests convened outdoors in the gathering dusk on June 8^th.  Amid  the twittering of birds and a gentle breeze, Toastmaster Rose Lane, DTM, welcomed all to the Garden of Love, where "Aggravation” was the theme for the night.   

If anything was aggravating, perhaps it was the sound-absorbing qualities of the garden venue, which presented a special challenge for most of our speakers, who had to crank up the volume a few notches even to be heard.

Being The Best 

Speaking of the special challenges that an open air setting presents, the effervescent Rose Lane, DTM said, “This is a place where people make a lifelong commitment. It is also good place for us to recommit to being the best Toastmaster we can be.” 

Topics Master Glen Rankel told the group, “There is no humor unless you have ‘aggravation’.” With that he invoked the old Coaster’s hit, “Charlie Brown” (“Why’s everyone always pickin’ on me?!!”) and asked a series of questions that probed the aggravation thresholds of nine members: Helen Wax, Carolyn Goldman, Colin Giles, Mark Cohn, CTM, Alan Reveles, Marie Umali, Ann Philippon, Beverly Rankel, and the winner of the evening’s prize for the Best Table Topic, Don West.  

Superhuman Speeches 

 First up was Felicia Martino’s Icebreaker, My Super Human Parents.  Felicia described her parent’s love and sacrifice, “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without them.” Geza Kalman followed with a second Icebreaker, My Homecoming. In it he detailed his resistance and eventual acquiescence to his father’s advice, “…learn public speaking.” Next up was Jackie Goldberg whose talk, The Art of Selling, fulfilled the requirements of Speech #4. Employing personal anecdotes to illustrate professional techniques, our Pink Lady advised, “Above all else, you are selling you!”  

The second half of the program began with an advanced speech from Soraya Deen, CTM entitled, The Power of Children. Soraya described the impact of her father’s influence on her work to promote peace. A commitment she is trying to pass on to her own son and daughter, “Through my children I want to serve the world.” 

John Graves, CTM-CL, explored the integral role of language on our thought process and political outlook in By Definition, a speech from the Advanced Manual. Charged to begin his talk with an “extraordinary” demonstration, the mischievous Mr. Graves announced that he would, “Put part of a dead animal in my mouth and swallow it.” With a flourish, he produced and devoured a “hot wing”.  WCTM members gave John the evening’s biggest tip, voting him Best Speaker. 

The evening’s final speaker, Susan Mayberry, ATM-B, did a run-through of the speech she will give at the Region II International Speech Contest in Honolulu on June 24. The speech, What on Earth are You Doing? finds its inspiration in the good that comes from doing small acts of service, “I’m leaving it better than I found it.”   

In Tune Evaluations 

In the third half of the meeting, Gen Evaluator Tess Asiala, CTM. congratulated all saying, “Everyone was lively and in tune with what was happening”. Individual evaluations were done by Erin O’Neil (Felicia Martino), Shelly Bright (Geza Kalman), Maisie Lee (Jackie Goldberg), Art Hugon (Soraya Deen), and Dan Marzec, ATM-B (John Graves).  A group evaluation was done for Susan Mayberry’s speech with John Graves, Soraya Deen, and Loan Carrison providing comments and suggestions. Shelly Bright was judged “Best Evaluator”.   

Summer Party 

Preliminary arrangements for WCTM's Annual Summer Party were discussed at the end of the June 8^th meeting. Soraya Deen volunteered to host the party on Sat August 19 at her house in Tarzana, dinner to be sponsored by WCTM. The traditional “White Elephant” Auction will again be a featured part of the evening. Members are urged to give some thought to what items they will auction.                                      -Bill Anderson  

READ OUR SPEECHES 

MEETING ARCHIVES

Club President:

Carolyn Goldman

Vice President, Education:

Erin O’Neil

Vice President, Membership:

Vlada Dymentrenko

Vice President, Publicity:

Bill Anderson

Secretary:

Eva Berry

Treasurer:

Arnold Arch

Sergeant at Arms:

Sunit Nangia / Mohnish Sharma

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.