Preston Persuaders

Meeting Recap

Sarah’s invocations have been so inspiring, she delivered yet another invocation on the need to show and feel compassion towards everyone. Sarah introduced many in the audience to the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference and renowned author Karen Armstrong’s call for compassion in her TED talk of 2008. Toastmaster for the meeting Shiny took everyone on a sojourn(WOTD) in describing the tales of the - Story Journey - theme for the meeting.

In his speech – No Rooz – Bahman introduced to all the Persian New Year celebrations that occur each spring and last for thirteen days of merriment. Speaking on – Parent, Adult and Child – Durai connected the dots between the three behaviors in transaction analysis and how in each approach the ego comes into play. In a very entertaining speech about – Skiing – Brian recalled his vacation trip of many years ago with his college friend and the many funny instances that occurred during the trip, including some who misconstrued them as an “alternate-lifestyle couple”.

Larry’s entertaining questions during the Table Topics segment was fun for all participants and listeners alike. Dean handled the General Evaluator role and all three evaluators provided insightful feedback to the speakers.

Ribbon Winners
Best Speaker: Bahman D, TM
Best Evaluator: Allison B, CC, CL
Best of the Big 3: Shiny Wu, ACB, CL
Best Table Topics Speaker: Patrick M, CC
5-Star Helper: Mark R, TM
Sparkplug: Patrick M, CC

 

Meeting Recap

After the exciting and hectic contest meeting last week, Sarah Whitfield’s timely invocation on always working to live in the moment got the meeting started in the right direction. Continuing on tips for PPTM roles, Jyo Pai reminded everyone the importance of developing and taking up club leadership roles. The toastmaster for the meeting Ed Meissner narrated how “The Winds of March” – theme of the meeting – affected his life growing up in west Texas. That caused a little haboob (WOTD) among the audience.

Chris Jackson started off the first speech in more ways than one… it was his Ice Breaker speech as well. Chris shared his personal experience of coaching a kids soccer team and the emotional roller coaster that ultimately led him to become a better leader. In his speech - Tennis On table - Mike Tatachar talked about how his dormant passion of playing Table Tennis was awakened and the numerous physical and mental benefits of the game. In her speech - Path to Agile - Lisa Sun gave everyone an insight into the makings of an IT company’s approach to product development and the interplay of technology relative to business considerations. The final speech of the meeting - Retirement Planning - Dean Emmert discussed the various options for all to take when planning for retirements. It was very informative to all.

Contest Recap

Last Monday was the day Preston Persuaders were awaiting with much excitement – The club speech contest day. Befitting the theme for the meeting –Seize the Moment – our Contest Master, Sarah Whitfield, and all five contestants had the audience in rapture.

To get the speeches started, Bahman spun quite a tall tale about his tech-savvy grandma’s new password complete with 7 characters, a number, and one especially special character. The audience was still laughing at his punch line the rest of the evening. Mark took us on a magical journey as he uncovered the mysterious truth about Toastmasters.

All three speakers participating in the International Speech Contest had a remarkable common thread weaving through the fabric of their speeches – a deep personal touching connection. In his speech - Why Are You Here? - Mickey explored how he connected at multiple levels with his father . He went on to explain how crucial personal communication skills are and how being in a Toastmasters club is furthering that journey. In her speech - Nurture and Nature- Stephanie literally touched everyone’s soul recanting her relationship with her son. Her speech truly embodied a mother’s unconditional love for her son. In his speech titled - L i f e - Mike captured the unexpected twists and turns that make everyone’s life what it is. Mike recalled how a serious accident his daughter suffered suddenly thrust the family into action and personal revelation.

The meeting was not only a feast to the mind, but also to the body. The refreshments served up were fancy and delicious. A big thank you to Contest Chair Lisa Sun, Chief Judge Jyo Pai, and the rest of our amazing volunteers who made this contest such a success!

Tall Tales Contest
1st Place: Mark R, TM
2nd Place: Bahman D, TM

International Speech Contest
1st Place: Mickey B, CC
2nd Place: Mike T, TM

Mark and Mickey will go on to represent our club at the Area Contest on Saturday, March 29th.