Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 6-29-05

Theme: San Diego Politics

WOW: Catbird Seat – a situation that gives somebody power and an edge over others,

            especially competitors or opponents

Sergeant in Arms Jude Awiylika began the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance after a brief room shuffle and food break, and introduced President Dick Larkin to the 18 members and one guest in attendance. Dick spoke of the club's great flexibility, and then reintroduced Jude as the Toastmaster for the day. It was Jude's first go as Toastmaster and he was as cool as a cucumber and did a fantastic job. Jude led the group with self-introductions and asked each person to share a view on local San Diego politics. He then kindly introduced the one and only planned speaker of the day Tania Fragomeno.

Tania presented her CTM 1, the Icebreaker. She grew up in Pasadena and fondly remembers spending a lot of time with her family at their restaurant. After attending an all girls Catholic preparatory high school, she moved to San Diego to be a student at UCSD. Her studies at UCSD led her to a study abroad program for her entire senior year in Italy. While living in Italy she had the great opportunity to travel all over Europe and looks back on the experience as an empowering one that has given her the confidence to accomplish anything she wants. Tania is back in San Diego working and is thankful to now have her family living in the same area. She spoke eloquently and confidently and we all look forward to her future speeches.

Frida Vissuet led Table Topics and called on Cher Vargas, Jose de la Torre and Gabriel Chong to respond to questions involving traveling. Frida herself will be making a trip to Egypt and Israel soon to help celebrate her wedding anniversary. Cher said she would love to go back to Costa Rica, Jose wants to make a trip to Europe again with his mother, and Gabriel has the desire to go to Hawaii and the Czech Republic.

Dick led the induction of the new officers and thanked the outgoing. We appreciate your leadership Dick and are also excited to see what the new officers will accomplish.

Matt Greenbergs served as General Evaluator, Darcy Konold evaluated Tania, Gabriel was the grammarian/ah counter and Arnold Ahyuen timed. Cher won best Table Topics, Darcy Best Evaluator, and Tania Best Speaker. We also heard some wonderful news at the meeting. Christina Baker is no longer a Baker and is married, Jose and his wife had a new baby girl, and Frida is having a big celebration in a couple weeks for her wedding anniversary!

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 6-22-05
Theme: Summertime
WOW: Estivation – pass the summer; dormancy in some animals during the summer
President Dick Larkin started the meeting, leading the group of 15 in the Pledge of Allegiance, and introducing the Toastmaster for the day, me (Molly Frisbie). I introduced the theme and the word of the week and asked each person with self-introductions to explain how he or she likes to spend a hot summer day. The members of Century Toastmasters like to spend hot days in the sun, and in the protection of an air-conditioned house. We all had our own ways to beat the heat.

The first speaker of the day Joe Stewart presented a very important speech, his CTM 10. Joe chose the topic of genocide and used researched facts, history and compassion to inspire all of us to do something to stop genocide worldwide. The word genocide didn't exist until after World War II, yet almost every culture has a word for it. Joe stated that every culture has said never again to genocide, yet it's happening right now in parts of the world. He encouraged us to assist refugees, such as those in Darfur, and to write letters to let the government know we want it to stop. Well done Joe!

The second speaker of the day Byron Shovlain also presented his CTM 10 speech. What a treat for meeting attendees! Two in one day! Byron inspired the audience to look back at our lives and to think what would happen if we died today? Would we have done everything we wanted to do? Made the world a better place? Left our mark? Byron shared his own personal experiences to explain how he has pondered his own life, and found that he has lived a rich life, that he's still striving to fulfill more and more each day. Byron used great poetic language with an openness that struck and inspired the audience. Congratulations Byron!

Stephen Jaworski filled in as Table Topics Master on short notice and asked Rhonda Walthall, Matt Greenbergs, and guest Ken St Pierre about some of their goals for the summer. Congratulations to Ken for winning Best Table Topics at his first meeting!

Arnold Ahyuen served as General Evaluator, Dick evaluated the first speech, Stephen evaluated the second, Dee Williams was the grammarian/ah counter, and Darcy Konold timed. Byron won Best Speaker and Stephen won Best Evaluator.

It was a great meeting and we're looking forward to the next on Wednesday, June 29. Don't miss it! Free food will be provided and we'll be inducting our new officers into the club and recognizing the outgoing.

Please let me know if you'd like to fill in for the open spot.

CENTURY TOASTMASTERS

  CLUB 9273 – Vision statement “YES, You CAN“

Club website:  www.centurytoastmasters.com     

WEDNESDAY, March 23, 2005 12 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.

San Diego Gas & Electric, 8306 Century Park Court, Building 4, 4120C

Theme: Birds & Bees
WOW: Euphemism – a word or phrase used in place of a term that might be considered too direct,
        harsh unpleasant, or offensive

12:05   CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE                           Jude Awiylika
OPEN MEETING                                    Dick Larkin

12:10 TOASTMASTER                                       Dick Larkin

12:12 SELF INTRODUCTIONS                                All
                                                                                                       
12:20 SPEAKER #1                                                Christina Baker, CTM 2

12:28 SPEAKER #2                                                Allison Converse, CTM 4

12:36 SPEAKER #3                                                Jose de la Torre, CTM 1

12:44 GENERAL EVALUATOR                         Molly Frisbie
                EVALUATOR #1                                    Matt Greenbergs
EVALUATOR #2                                    Tony Gutierrez
EVALUATOR #3                                    Frida Vissuet
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER                   Open
TIMER                                                   Nina Terrell

12:52 TOASTMASTER - PRESENT AWARDS              Dick Larkin

12:55 BUSINESS WRAP UP                                  Dick Larkin

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE – Wednesday March 30, Building 4, Room 4120C

Toastmaster: Open                                       Grammarian/Ah Counter: Open
Educational Moment: Open                                General Evaluator: Open
Speaker #1: Issa Zumot, CTM 2                   Evaluator #1: Open
Speaker #2: Molly Frisbie, CTM 5                        Evaluator #2: Open
Speaker #3: Michael Elizondo, guest                     Evaluator #3: Open
Table Topics Master: Open                               Timer: Open

Our very own Jim Tucker and Martin Olmeda won both competitions at the
Area 5 Toastmasters competition.

Jim took first place in the International Speech Competition. as an
aside, Jim has gone all the way to the international contest the last
three years. This places him squarely as one of the top 9 Toastmasters
in the world!

Not to be overshadowed, Martin Olmeda, another of our illustrious
members won the evaluation contest. Evaluations are a critical
component of the Toastmasters program. By receiving high quality
evaluations, we learn how to improve.

I speak for all members of Century Toastmasters offering our sincere
congratulations and best wishes to our champions.

Dick Larkin
Club President

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 03-09-05

Theme: Tax Time
WOW: Fiduciary – relating to the holding of something in trust for another

Century Toastmasters had the wonderful opportunity to host guest speaker Mark Gray of Liberty Tax Service. He presented several ways that ordinary people can cut taxes. He informed the group that important tax credits can be gained from educational programs and children. Mark also suggested investing in 401(k)s and IRAs as much as possible because taxes are deferred and your taxable income is reduced. Also, Mark highlighted the benefit of going to a licensed tax professional to help you with your taxes.

Joe Stewart bravely filled in as Toastmaster for the rest of the meeting and lead Table Topics. Byron Shovlain, Doug Goodman, and Heather Stachelrodt all answered Joe’s questions related to paying taxes.

With 19 people in attendance and 1 dog, we all enjoyed hearing of ways to save money. We welcomed Christine Walker, Nina Terrell and Fidel Castro as new guests, and Heather as our newest member! Welcome all!

The Area Contest will take place March 11, 6:30 p.m. at nearby Solar Turbines. Everyone is invited to cheer on our contestants, Martin and Jim Tucker.

The next meeting is Wednesday, March 16, in Building 4, Room 4120C. Please email Joe ( joe.stewart@twp.cc ) if you’d like to fill in a position for next week’s meeting.

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Please let me know if you'd like to fill in for open spots.

CENTURY TOASTMASTERS

  CLUB 9273 – Vision statement “YES, You CAN“

Club website:  www.centurytoastmasters.com     

WEDNESDAY, March 16, 2005 12 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.

San Diego Gas & Electric, 8306 Century Park Court, Building 4, 4120C

Theme: Leprechauns 
WOW: Sylvan – relating to the forest or its inhabitants

12:05   CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE                           Jude Awiylika
OPEN MEETING                                    Dick Larkin

12:10 TOASTMASTER                                       Byron Shovlain

12:12 SELF INTRODUCTIONS                                All
                                                                                                       
12:20 SPEAKER #1                                                Andy Crabtree, CTM 2

12:28 SPEAKER #2                                                Joe Stewart, CTM 8

12:36 TABLE TOPICS                                      Tony Gutierrez

12:44 GENERAL EVALUATOR                         Open
                EVALUATOR #1                                    Molly Frisbie
EVALUATOR #2                                    Open
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER                   Open
TIMER                                                   Open

12:52 TOASTMASTER - PRESENT AWARDS              Byron Shovlain

12:55 BUSINESS WRAP UP                                  Dick Larkin

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE – Wednesday March 23, Building 4, Room 4120C

Toastmaster: Open                                       Grammarian/Ah Counter: Open
Educational Moment: Open                                General Evaluator: Open
Speaker #1: Christina Baker, CTM 2                      Evaluator #1: Open
Speaker #2: Allison Converse, CTM 4                     Evaluator #2: Open
Speaker #3: Jose de la Torre, CTM 1                     Evaluator #3: Open
Table Topics Master: Open                               Timer: Open

Century Toastmaster Meeting Minutes 03-02-05

Theme: Marching Towards Spring
WOW: Burgeoning – producing new buds and leaves; flourishing or developing rapidly

Century Toastmasters kicked the month off right with 19 people in attendance! Sergeant in Arms Jude Awiylika started off the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, before handing over the meeting to President Dick Larkin. Dick announced that March 1 was the 12^th anniversary of Century Toastmasters. Congratulations to all members and special thanks to our Founders! Toastmaster Tony Gutierrez took the time to introduce our guests of the meeting, Heather Stachelrodt, Raquel Rodriguez, and Dan Selis. We hope you enjoyed your time at the meeting, and hope you all come back soon. After self-introductions, Tony jumped right into introducing the first speaker of the day, Jude.

Jude chose a very meaningful and personal topic for his speech; he explained to the group the process he went through recently to gain United States citizenship. It all started for Jude back at his home country of Cameroon. He was asked to go to the U.S. Embassy, and after several months of physical and medical tests he flew to New Jersey with U.S. permanent resident status. Soon after he moved to Washington D.C. where he completed his degree at Howard University. After deciding to apply for citizenship Jude went through a series of paperwork mishaps in San Diego, but as he said. “Everything was worth it.” After all his interviews, he probably knows U.S. history better than the rest of us.

Byron Shovlain, working on his CTM  7, chose to research and present on the topic of listening. Byron used his fine internet searching skills to find useful facts and tips for the rest of us. He suggested visiting www.listen.org. Bryon talked about the Benefits of listening, the Elements of listening, and Tips for listening. We should always remember to show interest in the speaker, keep our emotions in check, respect the speaker, not rush the speaker, and show empathy to the speaker. And Byron reminded us that we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak.

I (Molly Frisbie) spoke on a topic I know very well, the American Society of Civil Engineers National Concrete Canoe Competition. I participated and competed in the event for 3 years in college, designing and leading the group my last year. I explained the purpose of the event, how the event works, and some of the details of how my team designed and built our canoes. I forgot to mention that the boats are about 20’ long, weigh anywhere from 100-250 pounds, and are usually 0.25”-1” thick.

Jim Tucker did a fine job of leading the evaluation team of Dick Larkin, Martin Olmeda, Matt Greenbergs, Joe Stewart, and Jose de la Torre. Joe noticed a good lack of “filler words” and we pretty much stayed on schedule for the meeting.

Martin Olmeda won Best Evaluator, and yours truly won Best Speaker.

The Area Contest will take place March 11, 6 p.m. at nearby Solar Turbines. Everyone is invited to cheer on our contestants, Martin and Jim Tucker.

The next meeting is Wednesday, March 9, in Building 6, Seminar Room 2. Don’t miss our guest speaker Mark Gray delivering a speech titled “Five Ways to Cut your Taxes.”

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

I can do Eval #3 tomorrow, I would like the practice in preparation for the upcoming Area contest.

Martin Olmeda

 -----Original Message-----
From:   Frisbie, Molly 
Sent:   Tuesday, March 01, 2005 11:47 AM
To:     Frisbie, Molly; Shovlain, Byron; Converse, Allison M.; Sherif, Amir; 'Andres Acosta (E-mail)'; 'Cathy Alfaro (E-mail) (E-mail)'; Century Park Toastmasters; 'Christina Baker (E-mail)'; 'dee.williams@jackinthebox.com'; 'Dick Larkin (E-mail) (E-mail)'; 'Doug Goodman (E-mail) (E-mail)'; 'Emily Waters (E-mail)'; 'Frida Vissuet (E-mail) (E-mail)'; 'Jennifer Duncan (E-mail)'; 'Joe Stewart (E-mail) (E-mail)'; Awiylika, Jude; ''Julio Sanchez' (E-mail) (E-mail)'; Greenbergs, Matthew; Hilden, Mike (CSC); 'Nancy Batterman (E-mail)'; 'robert .corbin'; 'StevieJaworski'; 'Tony Gutierrez'

Cc:     'Toastmasters Minutes&Announcements (E-mail)'; 'Chantal Roche (E-mail)'; Sherrill, Harold G; 'James Phung (E-mail)'; Norris, Julie; Hendricks, Kristine; Stanley, Lee; 'Peter Rondineli (E-mail)'; Edra, Sherwin; Castro, Fidel R; 'issa@fdbs.com'; 'pdstrong@san.rr.com'; 'ee_chris2001@yahoo.com'; 'adrienne.mccrumb@sdenergy.org'; 'jpasqualetto@katzandassociates.com'; 'cher.vargas@cox.net'; 'dfradelis@san.rr.com'; 'jose.delatorre@sdenergy.org'; 'bengreet@hotmail.com'; Bastian, Maria; Jang, James

Subject:        Century Toastmasters Agenda 3-2-05

Please let me know if you'd like to fill in for open spots.

CENTURY TOASTMASTERS

  CLUB 9273 – Vision statement “YES, You CAN“

Club website:  www.centurytoastmasters.com     

WEDNESDAY, March 2, 2005 12 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.

San Diego Gas & Electric, 8306 Century Park Court Building 4, 4120C

Theme: Marching Toward Spring 
WOW: Burgeoning – producing new buds and leaves; flourishing or developing rapidly

12:05   CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE                           Jude Awiylika
OPEN MEETING                                    Dick Larkin

12:10 TOASTMASTER                                       Tony Gutierrez

12:12 SELF INTRODUCTIONS                                All
                                                                                                       
12:20 SPEAKER #1                                                Jude Awiylika, CTM 3

12:28 SPEAKER #2                                                Byron Shovlain, CTM 7

12:36 SPEAKER#3                                         Molly Frisbie, CTM 4

12:44 GENERAL EVALUATOR                         Jim Tucker
                EVALUATOR #1                                    Dick Larkin
EVALUATOR #2                                    Alan Colton
EVALUATOR #3                                    Open
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER                   Open
TIMER                                                   Jose de la Torre

12:52 TOASTMASTER - PRESENT AWARDS              Tony Gutierrez

12:55 BUSINESS WRAP UP                                  Dick Larkin





OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE – Wednesday March 9, Building 6, Seminar Room 2

Guest Speaker: A tax specialist who will be delivering a speech titled

“Five Ways to Cut Your Taxes”

Please let me know if you'd like to fill in for open spots.

CENTURY TOASTMASTERS

  CLUB 9273 – Vision statement “YES, You CAN“

Club website:  www.centurytoastmasters.com     

WEDNESDAY, March 2, 2005 12 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.

San Diego Gas & Electric, 8306 Century Park Court Building 4, 4120C

Theme: Marching Toward Spring 
WOW: Burgeoning – producing new buds and leaves; flourishing or developing rapidly

12:05   CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE                           Jude Awiylika
OPEN MEETING                                    Dick Larkin

12:10 TOASTMASTER                                       Tony Gutierrez

12:12 SELF INTRODUCTIONS                                All
                                                                                                       
12:20 SPEAKER #1                                                Jude Awiylika, CTM 3

12:28 SPEAKER #2                                                Byron Shovlain, CTM 7

12:36 SPEAKER#3                                         Molly Frisbie, CTM 4

12:44 GENERAL EVALUATOR                         Jim Tucker
                EVALUATOR #1                                    Dick Larkin
EVALUATOR #2                                    Alan Colton
EVALUATOR #3                                    Open
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER                   Open
TIMER                                                   Jose de la Torre

12:52 TOASTMASTER - PRESENT AWARDS              Tony Gutierrez

12:55 BUSINESS WRAP UP                                  Dick Larkin

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE – Wednesday March 9, Building 6, Seminar Room 2

Guest Speaker: A tax specialist who will be delivering a speech titled

“Five Ways to Cut Your Taxes”

Century Toastmaster Meeting Minutes 2-23-05

Theme: Speech Evaluation
WOW: Critique – an assessment of something, usually a creative work, with comments
on its good and bad qualities

With a dozen members present at the meeting, and guest James Jang in attendance for the second time, Century Toastmasters got off to an enthusiastic beginning led by the new America citizen, Jude Awiylika, starting the Pledge of Allegiance. President Dick Larkin opened up the meeting, telling the group of his experience in attending a nearby Co-op Toastmasters meeting, where they were celebrating their 31^st anniversary. Back from Missouri, Doug Goodman volunteered right away at the chance to be Toastmaster for the day. Doug led the self-introductions, and asked everyone to introduce him or herself, and say how long he or she has been in Toastmasters. The award for the longest membership period went to Jim Tucker with 30 years under his belt, and Jose De La Torre got the honor for having the meeting being his first as an official member. Congratulations!

Chief Judge Joe Stewart got the competition off on the right foot by explaining the rules and procedures for the Evaluation Contest. He also noted that Century Toastmasters is hosting an evaluation workshop within the next month or so. With everyone on the straight and narrow, it was time for the “Specimen Speech” of the day.

Dick started his speech “Creating a Successful Club Climate” by first reviewing with the group the club’s accomplishments, but then went on to explain some actions Century Toastmasters can take to create an even better club climate. He asked us to think about setting a good example for others, volunteering more within the club, paying more attention to guests, and encouraging fellow members, among other suggestions. Dick presented the material very well, and gave us all useful, important pointers that can benefit the whole club.

The five contestants Martin Olmeda, me (Molly Frisbie), Jude Awiylika, Matt Greenbergs, and Byron Shovlain were led out of the room to prepare for our evaluations. After some quick note scribbling Jim took our papers away, and Martin was the first to evaluate the speech. All the contestants did a thorough job, and most noted Dick’s ability to focus and hold the audience’s attention with his voice, eye contact, and direct mention of audience members. His good use of the overhead and his slides was also mentioned, and it was noted that he could work on maintaining his energy level throughout giving a speech, as well as his speaking speed, as the designated time closes in.

After careful tallying, Martin Olmeda was announced as the Evaluation Contest Winner, and Byron Shovlain the runner-up. The Area Contest will take place March 11, 6 p.m. at nearby Solar Turbines. Everyone is invited to cheer on our contestants, Martin and Jim Tucker. Stay tuned for more details!

The next meeting is Wednesday, March 2, in Building 4, room 4120C.

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Please let me know if you'd like to enter the contest as EVALUATOR 3.

CENTURY TOASTMASTERS

  CLUB 9273 – Vision statement “YES, You CAN“

Club website:  www.centurytoastmasters.com     

WEDNESDAY, February 23, 2005 12 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.

San Diego Gas & Electric, 8306 Century Park Court Building 4, 4120C

Theme: Speech Evaluation 
WOW: Critique – an assessment of something, usually a creative work, with comments on its good
and bad qualities

12:05   CALL TO ORDER, PLEDGE                           Jude Awiylika
        OPEN MEETING                                    Dick Larkin

12:10 TOASTMASTER                                       Alan Colton

12:12 SELF INTRODUCTIONS                                All

12:15 CHIEF JUDGE                                               Joe Stewart
                                                                                                       
12:20 SPEAKER                                           Dick Larkin

12:30 EVALUATOR #1                                      Molly Frisbie
          EVALUATOR #2                                  Martin Olmeda
          EVALUATOR #3                                  Open

12:40 TIMER’S REPORT                                    Byron Shovlain
                                       
12:43 INTERVIEW OF CONTESTANTS                  Alan Colton    
          COMPILE RESULTS                              

12:50 PRESENT AWARDS                                    Alan Colton

12:55 BUSINESS WRAP UP                                  Dick Larkin

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE – Wednesday March 2, CP4120C

Toastmaster: Tony Gutierrez                             Timer: Open
Educational Moment: Open                                General Evaluator: Open
Speaker 1: Molly Frisbie, CTM 4                 Evaluator 1: Open
Speaker 2: Jude Awiyalika, CTM 3                        Evaluator 2: Open
Speaker 3: Byron Shovlain, CTM 7                        Evaluator 3: Open
Table Topics Master: Open                               Grammarian/Ah Counter: Open

Although I'm happy to be the speaker for the evaluation contest, I've learned that it might be better to have someone who is working on their CTM be the speaker who is evaluated.

Who would like to step up and be the speaker next week?

One of the best benefits is that you receive evaluations from several different perspectives which gives you more opportunities to improve.

This is a fabulous opportunity, and we only have space for one.  You may find that this one moment propels you to a new level.

If you're interested, please contact Joe Stewart Joe.Stewart@twp.cc .  First come, first served.

Yes I can, Yes I will.

Thanks,

Dick

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 2-16-05

Theme: Public Speaking
WOW: Mellifluous – one flowing as with honey; pleasant and soothing to listen to; as, a mellifluous voice

President Dick Larkin got the meeting started, energizing the crowd of 16 Toastmasters, including three guests! Everyone introduced him or herself, and answered the question, “How has public speaking affected your life?” Answers ranged from professional development to helping in getting to know new people.

Chief Judge Matt Greenbergs began the speech contest by explaining the rules of the contest, and passing out the score sheets. Joe Stewart prepared as timer, assuring the speakers only present for the allotted time of 4:30 minutes to 7:30 minutes. Jim Tucker’s name was chosen as the first speaker.

Jim’s speech titled “Love Is” started off with the statement “It feels good to love, and have someone love you back.” His speech delved into the details of how he has learned to love in his life, and figured out what “love is.” For Jim, love is private, public and priceless. He learned about private love from his mother, public love from his wife and priceless love from his children. Jim’s skill of weaving personal stories into a universal theme the whole audience can relate to showed through with his touching speech.

Dick presented his speech titled “Mission Impossible.” Dick explained the blunders of helping his fourth grade daughter with a school project, specifically building a model of a California mission. His story expressed his experiences of trying to not only help his daughter, but satisfy his wife. In the end Dick proved to be an All-Star Dad, buying the best materials for the model, and even driving all the way up to Ventura to see the mission in person with his family. Dick always does a fine job of using just the right amount of humor in his speeches.

Toastmasters members then had the opportunity to vote on the speaker that moves on to the next level of competition. Jim Tucker will have the opportunity to represent Century Toastmasters!

Next week is the Club Evaluation Contest. Dick is the speaker, and three people will give evaluations of his speech. The rest of the Toastmasters will then vote on the best evaluator who will go on to continue competing as an evaluator outside of Century Toastmasters. Alan Colton is the Toastmaster for the meeting. Please email Joe Stewart (Joe.Stewart@twp.cc) if you’re interested in being an evaluator. It takes no preparation! The meeting is Wednesday, February 23, building 4, room 4120C.

Thank you to our guests Ben Greet, Maria Bastian, and James Jang. We look forward to seeing you again!

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 1-26-05

Theme: Sports
WOW: Champion – the supreme victor in a contest; someone who exemplifies excellence or achievement

The meeting got off to a good start beginning on time, lead by Jude Awiylika with the Pledge of Allegiance, and 15 people in attendance. President Dick Larkin took a moment to mention the upcoming International Speech Contest and Evaluation Contest. More info is to come on those two exciting events! Dick introduced me (Molly Frisbie) as Toastmaster for the meeting. I mentioned the theme and WOW and had everyone stand up and introduce him or herself and say his or her favorite champion and why. Century Toastmasters for the most part don’t have to look far for inspiration, as childhood friends, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, and children were frequent favorites. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. also inspire the group.

Andres Acosta provided an interesting Educational Moment, filling the group in on the details of Super Bowl advertisements this year. With an estimated 35 million viewers, each 30 second ad costs 2.4 million dollars! Budweiser is the frontrunner paying a whopping 24 million for ten ads, and Pepsi 12 million for five ads. Car and beer companies will all be vying for our attention as we watch the game and think about how much money they’re spending!

President Dick Larkin presented his ATM Bronze Speech 8 titled “The Sales Training Speech.” Using experience from his work, Dick presented a speech to the group as though we were advertising salespeople who sell Yellow Pages advertising and are being trained to sell Internet advertising as well. Using humor, and comparative insight into Internet business listing, he educated all of us on the relevant need for especially small and medium sized businesses to advertise and list on www.worldpages.com.

Speaker #2, Emily Waters, presented her CTM 2 speech “Try New Things.” With the aim of the speech organization, Emily did a great job explaining the three main areas in her life that she wants to try new things in 2005, and told us specific examples. She likes to stay in touch with her creative side with art, and intends on taking jewelry making classes soon. (She also suggested taking classes at the San Diego Museum of Art!) In the realm of food, she’d like to try new restaurants and take cooking or wine classes at the House of Hospitality in Balboa Park. And lastly, she wants to try Pilates as a way to break out from the normal gym routine. Emily offered great inspiration and ideas.

Tony Gutierrez celebrated the completion of his CTM today with his speech titled “Speak from the Heart.” With his knack for engaging the audience, and delivering personal, insightful speeches, Tony did a fantastic job in capping off his first speech series. About five years ago at a seminar, when we was living in L.A., Tony met a woman who told him that he did not speak from his heart. From that moment, he took it upon himself to really self-examine his life. Since then, he has changed his career for the better, and has tried to focus on not only positively improving his life but the lives of others. We’re proud of you!

Due to time constraints, we did not have Table Topics, and moved right along to evaluations. Joe Stewart lead the group as General Evaluator, and past president Alan Colton delivered an evaluation for Dick. Alan congratulated Dick on his speech, and offered the comment that he be even more enthusiastic when delivering a training speech. Issa Zumot evaluated Emily, noting her excellent use of organization, with the small suggestion that she continue to use her arms and hands more. Robert Corbin evaluated Tony’s speech, echoing the audiences’ sentiment of how well Tony presents his speeches, and picked a very appropriate subject for the speech. Christina Baker gave the timer’s report and I presented Best Evaluator to Issa and Best Speaker to Tony.

The next meeting is Wednesday, January 26, in building 6, seminar room 2. Don’t miss our guest speaker Milo Shapiro. He’ll be leading us in an improvisational teambuilding workshop.

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 1-19-05

Theme: Martin Luther King Jr.
WOW: Tolerance – acceptance of different views

Sickness and last minute schedule changes lead to a very intimate and interesting meeting. With five members, and two guests in attendance, everyone had a great chance to speak! Our Toastmaster for the day Joe Stewart started off the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance, and straight away took a moment to introduce the guests. Linda Parker, the Lieutenant Governor for District 5 was in attendance, and brought along Erin Stallmer, an employee at GMAC looking to start a new Toastmasters club. We welcomed them both, and tried our best during the meeting to explain the various parts of the agenda to Erin.

Toastmaster Joe took a few moments to recall a time when he had the opportunity to see MLK Jr. speak at the UC Berkeley campus. The topic moved him, but Joe reminded us to also remember MLK not only as a civil rights activist, but also as a person with a fantastic speech craft. His ability to deliver to a crowd is obviously something to admire. To continue with the theme of the day, the Toastmaster asked each person to stand up and introduce him or herself, and talk about some aspect of his or hers life where tolerance is challenging, or present. Answers ranged from co-worker working habits, to young bosses, to kids’ table manners, to having a high tolerance of alcohol in college! We certainly all have our own daily tests.

Matt Greenbergs gave us an Educational Moment titled “Sweet Spot.” He explained that giving a speech is more than just talking, it’s meant to be a meaningful and important presentation. While preparing for a speech Matt says it three to five times in his head, then out loud twice, and once to someone else. This is his way to find his speaking “sweet spot.” He recommended that we all spend the time to figure out how we should best practice and prepare for our own speeches.

Tony Gutierrez gave his CTM 9, and he did it courageously with little time to prepare. With the planned schedule for the meeting changed, Tony graciously volunteered to be the only speaker for the meeting. He spoke of a subject he knows well, life insurance. He explained the difference between term and cash value or whole insurance, and did it well by providing stories and examples. Thank you Tony for your well delivered and organized speech! Tony also noted that fellow Toastmaster Jim Tucker gave him inspiration for stepping up and speaking on short notice.

I (Molly Frisbie) lead Table Topics. I asked Jim, “Should the birthday of any one individual be a holiday?” and he certainly agreed. Jim expounded on the topic, noting the importance of honoring someone who has made a huge difference in society. Linda, one of our guests, answered Bill Gates as the person who has had the greatest impact on American society, at least in the last century. Great answer. And Joe explained why he thinks people look to MLK Jr. as a true American hero, although he remembers a time when some did not think so.

Jim delivered a fabulous evaluation to Tony, even tying in the theme of Tony’s speech. He told attendees that with Toastmasters and public speaking, “courage is our payment and confidence is our benefit.” Jim applauded Tony’s appropriate chose of a speech topic for speaking extemporaneously, and his phenomenal growth as a speaker since starting Toastmasters.

There was tie between Jim, Joe and Linda for best Table Topics, and surprise! Tony received the Best Speaker award, and Jim the Best Evaluator. Our next meeting is Wednesday, January 26.

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 1-12-05

Theme: Etiquette
WOW: Affable – courteous; sociable

Once again Century Toastmasters showed its energy and strength with a meeting attendance of 15 people, including four brand new guests! Jude Awiylika called the meeting to order and led us with the Pledge of Allegiance. President Dick Larkin helped introduce the guests Issa Zumot, Adrienne McCrumb, Paul Strong, and Christina Huang and importantly had everyone read the Mission of the Century Toastmasters. Dick reviewed the theme and the WOW affable and appropriately applied both to self-introductions by asking everyone what affable traits we enjoy in other people. Answers ranged from eye contact, to active listening, to a friendly smile.

Byron Shovlain did a quick Educational Moment by giving us information about Emily Post’s website about etiquette www.emilypost.com. The website contains lots of useful tidbits and hints about etiquette, including business etiquette, holiday etiquette and technology etiquette. We can all benefit and grow by improving our affable traits.

Stephen Jaworski graciously offered to be Toastmaster spontaneously for the meeting, and introduced the first speaker Dick Larkin. Dick is working on his ATM 7 and presented a humorous speech. He delved in to some of the funny instances in life, so silly that sometimes we feel like someone is watching us and being entertained. His voice techniques, arm gestures, and ability to relate to the audience offered us all a great example of an effective speech.

Tony Gutierrez shared a speech titled “Dare to be Different.” He explained how he has personally grown as an individual by attending etiquette and self-improvement classes and seminars. By recognizing his own shyness, he has created a positive change in his life by finding ways to gain more confidence.

Our Toastmaster Stephen led us in Table Topics by asking the question: “Can you recall a situation when you noticed someone else being affable?” Dee Williams, Cher Vargas, and three of the guests, Issa, Adrienne, and Paul, participated.

General Evaluator Andres Acosta explained to the guests the role of the Toastmasters Evaluation Team, and introduced me (Molly Frisbie) as Evaluator #1 for Dick Larkin. Andy Crabtree dutifully acted as Evaluator #2 for Tony Gutierrez, offering congratulations and helpful suggestions. Joe Stewart provided the grammar evaluation, and noted the higher use of “uhs” and “ums” in evaluations, and overall impromptu speaking. Jude recorded and announced times for all speakers.

Stephen awarded Best Speaker to Dick Larkin and Best Evaluator to me, Molly. Cher was awarded Best Table Topics Speaker for her encounter with the Italian Mafia in New York City! The next meeting is Wednesday, January 19.

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 1-5-05

Theme: New Year’s Resolutions
WOW: Equivocate – To be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or to avoid committing oneself to anything definite

Century Toastmasters 2005 got off to a great start with a strong attendance of 16 energetic and happy members! After Jude Awiylika lead us fearlessly in the Pledge of Allegiance, President Dick Larkin encouraged the audience that Toastmasters this year can be as great as we want to make it. The new Vice President of Education, Joe Stewart, took the lead in organizing meeting volunteers for meetings several weeks ahead. Thank you Joe for spearheading the effort and everyone who graciously volunteered for positions.

Dick Larkin then introduced himself as the Toastmaster for the meeting. As a friendly reminder, he had us all read the mission of the Century Toastmasters Club, and reiterated that you can build confidence by enthusiastically doing something that you consider embarrassing. And, to keep with his word, he had everyone stand up and introduce herself or himself, say what she or he wanted to get out of the meeting, and then do an imitation of an animal. We heard and saw a variety of animals, from a beaver, to a Mexican rooster, to a cheetah imitating Tarzan. Andres Acosta imitation of a “crow” was definitely a crowd pleaser. Thanks Dick for the fun exercise!

The new Vice President of Membership Byron Shovlain held the important role of inducting new members into the club. We are all now official and have our Toastmasters pins!

I (Molly Frisbie) was the first speaker of the meeting, working on my CTM 3. I spoke to persuade people to give Bikram yoga a try, and stated three main reasons why. The reasons were that anyone can do it, your body will improve healthfully in a variety of ways, and your mind and mental wellbeing will improve as well. My persuading skills have already worked, and at least one other Toastmaster is going to try it! If anyone else wants more information, you can go to http://www.bikramkearnymesa.com/.

Christina Baker did an excellent job delivering her first speech, the Icebreaker. She started out with a personal subject, her devotion and faith in Jesus Christ, and explained how her being a Christian plays a role in her life in different ways. For the past several years she’s taught Sunday school to fourth and fifth graders, and has gone on trips to Mexico with her church volunteering. She’s known her fiancé Mark for many, many years, but their relationship has been blessed, and they’re getting married in June! Christina grew up in Santee, graduated from San Diego State, and currently lives with her parents and her brother Charlie, while working for Katz and Associates as a PR professional. She hopes to one day be the director of a non-profit Christian association, and would like to apply her acting and theater experience to Toastmasters. We’re looking forward to that!

Immediate Past President Alan Colton presented the installation of the new officers. Thank you Dick, Byron, Joe, Jude, Tony Gutierrez, and Stephen Jaworski for your service to Century Toastmasters! The new officers for the next 6 months are: Dick, Byron, Joe, Jude, Tony, Andy Crabtree, and myself.

Don Wiggins took over as the general evaluator, and Matt Greenbergs gave a helpful evaluation to me, with a reminder to not say “sorry” in my speech, or “thank you” at the end. Joe Stewart evaluated Christina, and Jim Tucker as the grammarian/ah counter noted Dick Larkin's' fine skill in not ever saying um or uh. Dee Williams provided a thorough timing report, and Don finished it off noting that we should be more cautious of how we use or time in meetings.

Awards were given to Christina for Best Speaker, and Matt for Best Evaluator. Congratulations! Our next meeting is January 12.

Molly Frisbie, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 12-15-04

Theme: Holiday Cheer
WOW: Merriment; with laughter, jollity, frolic

We had a good response for request of pot-luck snacks with a range of cookies, brie and crackers, candy, and other sweets, finished off with Starbucks coffee drinks.  Thanks to all who brought some. With a light turnout, not all goodies were finished.

President Dick Larkin started off the meeting with good thoughts for all and encouragement for making the club a success.  Our club is more dynamic because of its members.  Dick handed off to Deborah Fradelis as Toastmaster.

Deborah started it off with introductions of all and asked about holiday successes and tragedies.  We re-arranged the schedule to allow the guest speaker to arrive.  Deborah decided in the morning that she would be speaker #2 and prepared her speech in a couple of hours. Her subject was the history of dogs, something she already knows by heart. Her speech was peppered with lots of facts and history. It was very informative. I evaluated Deborah's speech.

Next up, your truly presented Table Topics for a short while and noted the introductions are like mini-table topics speeches.  Frida Vissuet gave a brief talk about her holiday plans and invited us for her holiday party.  Jude Awiylika and Dee Williams talked about their holidays of present and past.

Guest speaker, Fran Cannon arrived and started off telling us about his professional seminars on the magnificience of everyone.  Tony and Frida have both taken his seminars and enjoyed them.  Fran thought that Toastmasters provide a critical and structured environment for speaking and encouraged people to speak outside of Toastmasters and thought it more relaxed.  His real message is that we are all maginficient and we need to reinforce the positive image of self.  This will overflow to others if you can see yourself as magnificient.  Fran talked about the different levels of brain and emotional development from 2 years where we start developing the emotional brain to age 26 when the brain should be fully developed in its emotional, hormonal, and consciousness states.

Fran ran time out and so there was no GE, Grammarian, or Timer report.  Dee won Best Table Topics.  Next meeting will be January 5th.  Enjoy your holidays, cheers!

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Please note that the volunteer website from yesterday's meeting is <www.volunteersandiego.org>.  I initially used the .com suffix, which is incorrect.

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters  Meeting Minutes 12-8-04

In the absence of Sgt. At Arms, President, and VP Education, yours truly called the meeting to order, led the pledge, and quickly handed the meeting over to Toastmaster, Frida Vissuet.  We forgot our theme of Vision and WOW of Sagacious except for one small mention.  We concentrated on the holiday season.  Frida looked striking in a bright Christmas-red dress and talked of her easiness with giving but need to feel more comfortable with receiving.  She also was happy for a Christmas present of a new grandchild due soon.  Frida  described a Mexican Christmas that started on the 24th and continued on until the next day.  She then asked us to introduce ourselves and talk about the holidays.  Joe Stewart gave a good Educational Moment about earning your ATM.

Frida introduced Emily Waters as the first speaker.  Emily has had many different roles throughout her life.  Her main roles are daughter, sister, friend, and girlfriend.  She related a closeness to her family and their enjoyment of life, including margaritas at Casa De Bandini. She is cosmopolitan and metropolitan, and likes living downtown and formerly in San Francisco, aka, "The City".  She graduated from Santa Clara University and enjoyed the Bay area except for the constant cold and moved back to her hometown of San Diego.   Her profession is Public Relations, formerly in San Francisco and now with Katz and Associates on the Port District account.  She is adept at writing and speaking.  She enjoys movies, dinner parties, and Texas Hold'em poker. Welcome, Emily, we enjoyed learning about you.

Next, Molly Frisbie spoke about her passion of human compassion.  Molly urged us to volunteer to help make the world better.  Molly has lived her talk, volunteering at soup kitchens and homeless shelters since she was in school.  In encouraging all to volunteer, she gave us the website of www.volunteersandiego.com  to find a cause you like, not necessarily the one most worthy.  All volunteering is worthy and Molly suggested to figure the time you can give, consider what you want to volunteer for, and go for it.  Thanks, Mollie, your speech was very heartwarming and thought-provoking.

Andy Crabtree was Table Topics master and asked about Christmas presents.  Tony Gutierrez spoke of a watch given to him by a homeless person, whom Tony helped.  Deborah Fradelis told us of her protective cockatiel.  Alan Colton told us of his joy of giving to his children.  Doug Goodman told us of Dexter's new teeth and "feather" fur.

I served as General Evaluator and introduced Cher Vargas, who evaluated Emily and Tony Gutierrez, who evaluated Molly.  Jill Pasqueletto served as Grammarian/Ah Counter and Matt Greenbergs served as timer.  Emily won best speaker, Cher won best evaluator, and Tony won best Table Topics.

We will meet next week on the 15th in CP4120F and hope to have a pot-luck snack exchange.  Most members didn't want to meet on the 22nd or 29th because they were busy with the holidays. 

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting minutes 11-10-04

Theme: Know your Board
WOW: Extemporize; Ad-lib, Improvise

Educational VP, Stephen Jaworski, opened up the meeting, and was Toastmaster with the absence of the Sgt. at Arms and President.  He used some past WOWs and continues to come up with a good WOW each meeting.  Stephen also was full of energy and enthusiam for Toastmasters and imbued that spirit on those in attendance.  He asked all to introduce themselves and describe how Toastmasters helps them.

Originally Stephen was going to interview the officers and ask them to describe their duties, but a few officers were missing.  We want to let all members know what the officers do and hope to have a continuum of volunteers willing to serve.  It makes you get more involved and gives people a chance to develop leadership skills.  Nominations for officers will be done at the next meeting. 

Molly Frisbie was our first speaker and broke the ice with tales of growing up in the small town of Gig Harbor, Washington and then going to college in the bigger town of San Luis Obispo where she studied Civil Engineering.  She moved to San Diego to expand her view even more.  She enjoys travelling the world and studied in London and recently visited the South Pacific.  Molly has an amazing amount of energy channelled into tap dancing, yoga, cycling, and being active politically.  She loves change. Her delivery was very smooth and calm for a first timer.  We enjoyed learning about Molly.

Joe Stewart was our second speaker and talked about the annoyance of TV and gave good statistics on the downside of TV.  He talked about the usefullness of a new TV zapper that can turn off any TV set anywhere. Joe also told of us his in-laws who even have 4 TVs in their RV and a satellite dish that doesn't work well.  Joe had lots of good sound effects for his vocal variety speech.

Yours truly then told about an adventure with jackhammers pounding late into Monday night where SDG&E crews were repairing a gas leak. I tried to use some sound effects but forgot about pausing and changing tone for my vocal variety speech.  See what inadequate preparation does for your delivery?

Dee Williams introduced her crew of evaluators; Andy Crabtree, Martin Olmeda, and Gabe Chong.  Emily Waters gave the grammarian/ah counter report and Jim Tucker kept the clock.  Molly won best speaker and Martin won best evaluator.  Thanks to Beth Banning for the new ornamental baskets for the vote collection.  Also, good to see all the new members getting involved.  This club thrives on participation and comraderie.

Next meeting November 17th, CP 4120B
Theme: Century Toastmasters Board Nominations
WOW: Appellant; candidate
TOASTMASTER:                                    GENERAL EVALUATOR: Joe Stewart
SPEAKER 1: Dick Larkin                          EVALUATOR 1: Molly Frisbie
SPEAKER 2: Jim Tucker                           EVALUATOR 2: Byron Shovlain    
SPEAKER 3:                                              EVALUATOR 3:
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER: Frida Vissuet    TIMER: 

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Minutes 10/27/04
theme: Happy 80th Birthday Toastmasters
WOW: Jollification: A boisterous celebration

Sgt. at Arms Jude Awiylika called the meeting to order and president Dick Larkin welcomed every one.  Yours truly took over as the Toastmaster.  The theme of jollification called for extended hand clapping and cheering for speakers.  Everyone introduced themselves and told what made them jolly.  Self introductions are always a good way to get to know people and learn more about everyonegive everyone a chance to remember names. 

Cathy Alfaro presented one of the best and best researched Educational Moments in my memory.  She talked about vocal variery, gestures, and other mechanics of making a speech better.  Look for future Educational Moments to elaborate on the duties of officers and meeting positions.

First Speaker, Gabriel Chong, started off with a good Mark Twain quote that led into his speech about making decisions.  There are so many choices today from coming up with a well thought out sandwich to major decision about life. As creatures of habit we avoid making decisions staying in our comfort zone. Gabriel sprinkled humor in his speech and made everyone smile. He spoke smoothly and like a well-seasoned speaker, while only starting out with Toastmasters.  Look forward for more from Gabe.

Second speaker, Mike Hilden, first speech for breaking the ice told us in brief words about growing up in rural Minnesota, having his Dad teaching him at school, joining the Marines for 7 years (Semper Fi, Marine), and working for CSC computer consulting. He then told us about a story in his life that related to his theme where he was showing off to his citified cousin by jumping in a crick (creek) he thought was  iced over solid.  In showing off, he broke through the ice, literally.  His Icebreaker truly broke the ice.

Stephen Jaworski volunteered for Table Topics master.  He asked Alan Colton, Frieda Visuet, guest Abby Pauline, and Jude Awiylika to share there remisciences about birthdays and celebrations.  Alan talked about how birthdays are special for kids.  Frieda talked about a Quincera or 15th coming of age birthday in the Latin culture, Abby talked about large family birthday celebrations, and Jude related about the commonality of his birthday with that of Ralph Smedley (Toastmaster's founder).

Christina Baker volunteered to serve as General Evaluator.  She introduced her crew of Andres Acosta, Evaluator #1 and then Robert Corbin as Evaluator #2. George Bonner served as Grammarian/Ah Counter. and Harold Sherrill served as timer.  Everyone except Andres volunteered on short notice, and many are new members. Thanks for volunteering. Gabriel won best speaker, Andres won best evaluator, and Alan won best table topics

We had fun today with lots of humor mixed in. Remember to use Toastmasters to your advantage to develop your speaking skills and have fun while doing it.

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE - Wednesday November 3, 2004, CP4120C 

Theme:…and the winner is….
WOW: Volition: The power or faculty of choosing; the will
TOASTMASTER: Christina Baker                    GENERAL EVALUATOR: 
EDUCATIONAL MOMENT:                             TABLE TOPICS: Cathy Alfaro
SPEAKER 1:Robert Corbin Icebreaker              EVALUATOR 1:
SPEAKER 2:                                              EVALUATOR 2:   
SPEAKER 3:                                              EVALUATOR 3:
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER:                          TIMER: 

Byron Shovlain, Secretary

Please volunteer for open spots and let me know by 11:30 tomorrow. Please forward a bio if you are going to speak.

WEDNESDAY, October 27, 2004   12 NOON TO 1:00 P.M.

San Diego Gas & Electric, 8306 Century Park Court Building 4, Room 4120C

theme: Happy 80th Birthday Toastmasters
WOW: Jollification: A boisterous celebration

12:05   CALL TO ORDER                                   Jude Awiylika  
        PLEDGE, OPEN MEETING                            Dick Larkin  
Meeting Volunteers:                             Stephen Jaworski

12:08 TOASTMASTER                                       Byron Shovlain

12:11 SElf Introductions                                All
       
12:15 EDUCATIONAL MINUTE                                Cathy Alfaro

12:17 SPEAKER #1                                                Gabriel Chong                                                                  

12:25 SPEAKER #2                                                Open

12:33 TABLE TOPICS                                      Open
                                               
12:45 GENERAL EVALUATOR                         Open   
EVALUATOR SPEAKER #1                                    Andres Acosta
EVALUATOR SPEAKER #2                                    Open
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER                           Open
TIMER                                                   Open

12:55 TOASTMASTER - PRESENT AWARDS              Open
12:58   BUSINESS WRAP UP                                        Stephen Jaworski

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE - Wednesday November 3, 2004, CP4120C 

Theme:…and the winner is….
WOW: Volition: The power or faculty of choosing; the will
TOASTMASTER:                                    GENERAL EVALUATOR: 
EDUCATIONAL MOMENT:                             TABLE TOPICS:
SPEAKER 1:                                              EVALUATOR 1:
SPEAKER 2:                                              EVALUATOR 2:   
SPEAKER 3:                                              EVALUATOR 3:
GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER:                          TIMER: 

Meeting Minutes from October 20th.

Theme: Participation: The action or state of taking part in something: as: an association with others in a relationship
WOW: Carpe Diem: Seize the moment

Juke Awiylika, called the meeting to order. Stephen Jaworski, filled in for President Dick Larkin and opened the meeting, beseeching members to volunteer for today and future meetings. All introduced themselves. 

WIth a full slate, guest Michael Herrod started off with his humorous contest winning speech, "Nobody for President".  Michael re-familiarized all of us with Nobody, whom we all forget play a major role in all of our lives from the time our mother's first scold us.  Nobody's family consists of Somebody, his mother; Everybody, his brother; and his father, Anybody.  Michael kept intertwining the family with Nobody's adventures.  I was glad to know what so responsible for many things.  Like Joe Stewart suggested, it was almost reminiscent of "Who's of First".  Unfortunately, I already voted absentee ballot and couldn't vote for Nobody. Good Luck to Michael as he makes his way up the contest ladder.

Next, Andres Acosta introduced himself with his Icebreaker.  Andres is the product of growing up on either side of the border, making him culturally diverse and astute.  His upbringing has helped him, first as a teacher, and now as a real estate agent.  He enjoys helping people.

Finally, Dexter the Dog, gave his Icebreaker speech.  Under the watchful words of Doug Goodman, Dexter explained how he came to Toastmasters. Dexter is among a line of distinguished guide puppies that are trained by Doug and his wife. Dexter displayed a calmness and relaxation not seen in most speakers.

General Evaluator, Matt Greenbergs, opened up the evaluations starting with all members giving Michael compliments and suggestions for improvements. All agreed that Michael's speech was funny. Next, Michelle Hoyt filled in as evaluator for Andres, giving kind words of support. I evaluated Dexter.  It was confusing as I paid attention to Dexter and Doug. Christina Baker gave the Grammarian/Ah Counter report and Cathy Alfaro gave the Timer's report.  Andres won for best speaker. Michelle won for best evaluator.  No time for Table Topics. Only a few volunteers for next week, we need more.

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 10-13-04  

Theme-Education-An Instructive or enlightening experience
WOW-Excogitate-Think about, contemplate

President Dick Larkin opened up the meeting with the WOW, asked all to introduce themselves and what did each person excogitate about in the shower.  This is a good way for breaking the ice, getting relaxed, and I enjoy getting to know more about everyone.  Cogitate and excogitate have people thinking about the same things, just excogitating takes in a little deeper.  Stephen Jaworski, Education VP, comes up with some good words for us all to think about.  President Larkin agreed to be the Toastmaster and volunteer slots were filled quickly as members and guests said "I can".  Stephen asked for volunteers for next meeting also, and the slate looks full.  It was good to see five new members signing up or expressing the desire to do so.  Teasurer Joe Stewart reminded all current members to renew their membership and pay your dues of $25. 

A full agenda of three speakers was kicked off by Cher Vargas talking about being organized.  She had prioritized her tasks to help reduce a chaotic schedule. As a reward for finishing up her task list, she gave herself a bonus task.  Cher has a remarkable ability to speak with a stream of consciousness that just flows without stumbling, while being clear and smooth.  Hopefully her October will be less chaotic with her organizing.

Next, Tony Gutierrez showed not only can he talk, but he can plain get down!  Tony started off showing his dance floor moves where he seems to clearly be a participant, especially when the music is playing.  His topic was being a participant in life and not a spectator.  His words were encouraging to all to get up and get down!

Finally, your truly invoked memories of flyfishing in Kodiak, Alaska on my recent vacation.  I tried to express through some animation the movements of stalking, fishing for, and capturing silver salmon in Alaska on a fly rod.  It was a remarkable experience and the enthusiasm generated by the trip was easy to relate.

Stephen Jaworski filled in as General Evaluator.  Matt Greenbergs gave Cher her evaluation, Dee Williams gave Tony his evaluation, and Joe Stewart evaluated my speech.  All gave good words of encouragement and helpful hints for improvement. Guest Mike Hilden gave the grammarian/ah counter report and Andy Crabtree gave the timer's report.  I won best speech and Joe won best evaluator.  No time for table topics today.

A reminder for next meeting that the Area 16 Humorous speech contest winner will be giving his winning speech, which is reportedly a hoot!  Andres Acosta and Doug Goodman are also scheduled to speak. CP 4120B at 12:05. 

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters

MEETING THEME: RELATIONSHIP WOW: DALLIANCE:  LOVE AFFAIR               

The meeting was called to order by our Sergeant of Arms: Jude Awiylika.

President Dick Larkin welcomed All members, 14 total, and Guests: Kaletta Tasem (Maury's Wife) and a Charter member Susan Bell -- Repeat Guest:  Kristi Green and Mike Hilden. Welcome to the club. Because of you we are a better club.  Please come back soon. 

Dick introduced Martin Olmeda as the Club Table Topics Contest Chief Judge. 

Martin took over and asked for contestants for the contest.   Some people were jumping out of their seats to speak.
 The order of Contestants were randomly picked:  Dick Larkin,  Andy Crabtree,  Deborah Fradelis, Michelle Hoyt, Cher Vargas, Dee Williams, Matt Greenbergs, Doug Goodman and Stephen Jaworski.

Ballot counter: Jude Awiylika,  Timer:  Joe Stewart,  all speakers were within the time limits.
Speaker:1   Maury Tasem, give a wonderful speech on the important dates of his life and he talked about how much toastmasters meant.  He is now ready to retire and enjoy the good life after 36 years with SDG&E.  Good luck and keep in touch,  you are always welcome at our meetings.

The ballots were counted:

Best Table Topics: Stephen Jaworski
Second Best Table Topics: Doug Goodman

Congratulations, Stephen, now you go to the AREA 5 contest on Oct. 9th , this Saturday morning and represent our club.  Keep up the Great work,  bring home the GOLD.    Who want to go and support Stephen at the contest?  it is at 9:15 to 11am in the Solar Turbines - Kearny Mesa Office.  See below for details or our website for more information.  http://www.centurytoastmasters.com/meetings.html 

 Areas 5 (9:15am), 10 (11am), 16 (1pm), and  finally 25 & 27 (2:45pm)... whew!!!
Location: Solar Turbines - Kearny Mesa   Video Conference Center
9250-A Sky Park Ct., SD, CA 92123 (off Ruffin Rd., near 15 Frwy) Thomas Guide: 1249-E3
Contestants & Organizers arrive 30 minutes early
CONTEST STARTS PROMPTLY AT GIVEN TIMES
Theme: Lights! Camera! Action! (speeches given under the
lights, and in front of the backdrop of our Video Studio)
Price: $7 each in advance or at door
(Make checks payable to KM Speakers)
See attached advance order form We'll mail the Tickets to you before the contest.
Food and Drinks will be served according to hours of  the day (coffee for earlybirds, etc.)
Questions: Kevin Tuckey w) 858-751-1357 ktuckey3@juno.com
    The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 pm
Next meeting: Wednesday Oct. 6  first meeting of October,  plan now to speech later
Theme: San Diego:  America's Finest City
WOW: Cosmopolitan:  Having constituent elements from all over the world or from many parts of the world
TOASTMASTER: Don Wiggins, DTM Charter Member

  Educational Minute: Joe Stewart  Speaker 1: Andy Crabtree -  1 CTM, Speaker 2: Jude Awiylika - ?? CTM, Speaker 3: Cher Vargas ??; Evaluator 1: Dick Larkin

  We need: Table Topics:  Evaluator 2:  General Evaluator, G/Ah, Timer are all OPEN.
 Please reply to Byron to sign up for next week  and Stephen Jaworski future weeks.

MEETING THEME: Autumn WOW: ADAGE:  an old saying, which has obtained credit by long use;  a proverb            

The meeting was called to order by our Sergeant of Arms: Jude Awiylika.

President Dick Larkin welcomed all members, 13 total, and Guests: 2 First timers: Jill Pasqualetto and Kristi Green; Repeat Guest:  Christina Baker, Emily Waters, Glen Bechara and Mike ( sorry I forgot your last name). Welcome to the club. Because of you we are a better club.  Please come back soon. 

Dick announced the Club Table Topics Contest is scheduled for Sept. 29th, next Wednesday.
Please Sign-up with Stephen Jaworski, VP Education. 

Toastmaster: Deborah Fradelis started us off with around of self introductions and talked a favorite ADAGE.

No Educational Minute
Prepared Speakers:
Cathy Alfaro  did her 5th CTM,  titled "Goldie Lost and the Three Toastmasters. She spoke about how Three Toastmasters, (CL- Competent Leader, ATM - Advanced Toastmaster and CTM- Component Toastmaster) loved Toastmaster and wanted to explain how great it is to Goldie Lost, because she was lost and just happened to walking into their meeting.

Julio Sanchez did his 6th CTM, titled "Smoking"  He explained how bad smoking is for smoker and non-smokers that share the same air. He used a cigarette as a great prop.

Tony Gutierrez did his 6th CTM, titled "The Mirror" 
He talked about how each of us should look in the mirror and  ask "Where you wanted to be in your life?"     If you get the right answer, great. But their are only a few how do.

 If NOT, it is OK because you can't change what the past,  but you can make your future.  So think about moving forward and be a creator and create want you want in life.   Then go back to the mirror.

Table Topics Master - Joe Stewart  went around the room with a gift bag that had an object to speak about for a minute. 

He asked Bonnie, Mike, Emily, Jill and Jim Tucker take an object and speak about it. 

Matt Greenbergs was General Evaluator and introduced Evaluator-1 Dick Larkin did Cathy's speech;  Evaluator-2  Joe Steward did Julio's speech, Evaluator-3 Andy did Tony's speech

 Doug Goodman gave the Timers Report and then Andres reminded us of Ahs, Uhs, and other grammatical scofflaws.
The ballots were counted and the awards were all close calls:
Best Speaker: Cathy Alfaro  
Best Table Topics: Jim Tucker and his duct tape
Best Evaluator:  Andy
         Congratulations keep up the Great work.     The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 pm

Next meeting: Wednesday Sept. 29,  last meeting of the month.
Theme: Relationship
WOW: Dalliance: Love Affair

TOASTMASTER and Chief Judge: Martin Olmeda     
Ballot counter: Jude Awiylika
Speaker:1   Maury Tasem, His last day at SDG&E will be the next day, Sept. 30th.  He is retiring.

Century Toastmasters Meeting Minutes 9-8-04

MEETING THEME: Just Do It!
WOW: bon vivant - A person with refined and sociable tastes

President Dick Larkin welcomed the larger than usual crowed who showed up for refreshments and Professional Guest Speaker, Debra Pestrak.  Kudos to Dick for finding such high quality speakers and look forward for more in the future.

Debra opened up with a handout to all on her topic of expertise, "The Fine Art of Influence".  Debra has written a few books and has motivational tapes too on the subject of influence and been a success in sales as well.  People are influenced by Habits, Perception, Likeability, and Association.  Her research involved talking with many CEOs and high-achievers.  The points made were known to many but the reminder and application brought the points to light.  As a speaker, Debra is very polished.  She involves the audience with questions and anecdotes. It is good to see how a paid professional delivers her subject.  Debra even asked for feedback from those present.  Debra usually has an hour to present the material and did a good abbreviated version within a half hour.

While our members aren't paid just for their speaking ability, they are very professional as Joe Stewart and Michelle Hoyt proved. 

Joe started very effectively without saying much verbally but loudly with the word, "Vote" on a piece of paper.  He did a very good job in being non-partisan but encouraged all to vote after doing research on the candidates and the issues. Don't rely on being hand-fed someone else's opinion.

Michelle talked enthusiastically about what Toastmasters can do for you.  Michelle has developed into a very good speaker, minimizing her initial speaking nervousness and becoming relaxed in front of a crowd.  She covered getting involved by committing to CTM, ATM, or CL goal completion in a short time-frame and becoming an officer. 

With time short, I acted as General Evaluator and introduced Matt Greenbergs to evaluate Joe and Julio Sanchez to evaluate Michelle. Stephen Jaworski gave the timer's report, appropo for a referee.  Too short a time to vote for best evaluator.  Michelle won Best Speaker among club members and completed her CTM.  Congratulations to Michelle.

We had inquiry for membership application from 2 guests, so the meeting was successful in attracting more people.  In a couple of weeks, we will have our Table Topics contest so sign up with Stephen Jaworski.  Let Stephen or I know if you want to participate next week, as well.

OUR NEXT MEETING WILL BE - Wednesday September 15, 2004, CP 4120C 

THEME:  Release the past and embrace new opportunities
WOW: Myriad: Consisting of enormous but indefinite numbers
TOASTMASTER: Doug Goodman                       GENERAL EVALUATOR: 
EDUCATIONAL MOMENT: Maury Tasem         EVALUATOR 1: Byron Shovlain
SPEAKER 1:  Dee Williams                                EVALUATOR 2: Dick Larkin       
SPEAKER 2: Julio Sanchez                                EVALUATOR 3: Joe Stewart        
SPEAKER 3: Stephen Jaworski                     GRAMMARIAN/AH COUNTER: 
TABLE TOPICS                   

Byron Shovlain, Secretary
Century Toastmasters