A Letter From Christa

Hello, all.

I couldn't sleep the night before my first time training a class of new employees. I felt jitters throughout my body. Even though I knew the material inside and out, I was afraid someone would put me on the spot by asking a question.  I'll also admit, since we're all friends here, there was an embarrassing amount of sweating going on. I’d like to say that I quickly overcame these symptoms, but it took years before I finally relaxed. If I had only joined Toastmasters back then, I could have saved myself a lot of sleepless nights.

I finally joined Toastmasters in 2016 to prepare for a presentation I was giving at an international conference. I knew Toastmasters would help me develop my speaking, but I didn’t expect the other skills I would grow through the club; how to lead a meeting, quickly organize my thoughts, and adapt to role changes.

It took me hours to write my first speech. Now I can craft a speech in less than half an hour because I no longer fear “it won’t be good enough.” The members of the club are wonderfully supportive. I’m not afraid to go out on a limb, to try new things, and most importantly to make mistakes.

New doors have opened for me since I joined. I just confidently submitted three presentation abstracts for another international conference, I started writing articles for a newsletter, I was in the local newspaper for earning my Competent Communicator Award, and I was a co-guest on a local radio station to talk about the club. I even discovered I love competing in speech contests. I can't wait to see what's next!

Joining Toastmasters has been one of the best decisions of my life. I relish the challenge and the resulting personal and professional growth. However, that’s not what keeps me going to the meetings every week; it’s because it’s so fun!

Christa

We are in the paper!

https://www.newportnewstimes.com/article/kathleen-ritzman-receives-toastmaster-award

Kathleen Ritzman, a member of the Yaquina Toastmasters Club, took third place in the District 7 table topics finals contest. District 7 covers western and central Oregon, SW Washington and part of Northern California. There were eight division finalists who competed in table topics. The topic that all contestants were given was “November is novel writer’s month. You have a great idea for a novel. Your first line is: “Hester was well liked by her colleagues, but no one knew the secret she kept.”
(From Newport News Times, please see the article attached above)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Our Zoom Link

https://zoom.us/j/503657370 

Our new link for the new year

Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Join a meeting!

Yaquina Toastmasters meets every Tuesday at 7 AM PST at Pig 'N Pancake in the back meeting room. We also offer an online attendance option through Zoom. To attend through Zoom, we offer a link to our meeting, which you click to download it to your computer and then you can join us live. This allows our online members to actively attend our meetings! We would love to have you join us!

About Us

Yaquina Toastmasters started on April 1st, 1965. They are a club that is apart of Toastmasters International, an international speaking and leadership organization. Since it's beginning in 1924, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience. Yaquina Toastmasters strives to provide a fun and supportive atmosphere where their members can practice public speaking and leadership skills. This allows their members to grow in confidence and overcome their fears. To help their members achieve their goals, Yaquina Toastmasters has a mentorship program, where every member has a mentor that will guide them through the education program towards their goal.
As a club, they are active in their community, helping the Loyalty Day Princesses perfect their scholarship speeches, assisting clubs such as the 4H members as they work on their competition speeches, and working with college students who are in public speaking classes to record their speeches.
To aid in the members' growth, Yaquina Toastmasters has an educational program that all members have the opportunity to go through. As an exciting development, this year there was an update to the program! This new program is called Pathways, which is made up of ten different Paths that members can choose from, which can be seen in the graphic below. Each Path includes five different levels that increase in difficulty (see below). These Paths will teach both leadership and public speaking skills to the members, and can be customized to the person's interest.

As a member of Toastmasters, there are opportunities to practice leadership skills at club and district levels. Every club has seven officers, including the President, Vice President of Education, Vice President of Membership and Vice President of Public Relations. There are also the Treasurer, Secretary, and Sergeant at Arms. In addition to year long roles, there are meeting roles that members can practice their skills doing. These include roles such as timer, speech evaluator, grammarian and Toastmaster of the day. Other meeting roles are general evaluator, table topics master, and speakers. Members also have the opportunity to give prepared speeches at meetings, and participate in Table Topics, practicing on impromptu speaking.
Yaquina Toastmasters meets every Tuesday at 7 AM PST at Pig 'N Pancake in the back meeting room. We also offer an online attendance option through Zoom. To attend through Zoom, we offer a link to our meeting, which you click to download it to your computer and then you can join us live. This allows our online members to actively attend our meetings! We would love to have you join us!

Welcome!!

Welcome to our newest members:
Susan Hansen
Svetlana Rakhimova
Lakota Burwell
Ruth Michelle Hart

PERSUASIVE INFLUENCE

PERSUASIVE INFLUENCE
Mastering Fundamentals
• Ice Breaker
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Researching and Presenting
Learning Your Style
• Understanding Your Leadership Style
• Active Listening
• Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
Increasing Knowledge
• Understanding Conflict Resolution
Level 3 Elective Projects (choose 2)
• Deliver Social Speeches • Focus on the Positive
• Using Presentation Software • Inspire Your Audience
• Connect with Storytelling • Prepare for an Interview
• Creating Effective Visual Aids • Understanding Vocal Variety
• Using Descriptive Language • Effective Body Language
• Connect with Your Audience • Make Connections Through Networking
Building Skills
• Leading in Difficult Situations
Level 4 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Create a Podcast • Manage Online Meetings
• Building a Social Media Presence • Question-and-Answer Session
• Managing a Difficult Audience • Public Relations Strategies
• Write a Compelling Blog • Manage Projects Successfully
Demonstrating Expertise
• High Performance Leadership
• Reflect on Your Path
Level 5 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Lessons Learned • Leading in Your Volunteer
• Moderate a Panel Discussion Organization
• Prepare to Speak Professionally
• Ethical Leadership

Watch Our Meeting

HOLIDAY THEME

There will be No Table Topics

Brian is the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Diane. The first speaker will be Julie, evaluated by Lauralee. The second speaker will be Svetlana, evaluated by Rozaline. The last speaker will be Avital, who needs an evaluator. Grammarian will be Dale, and the timer will be Brian H.

Motivational Strategies

MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES
Mastering Fundamentals
• Ice Breaker
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Researching and Presenting
Learning Your Style
• Understanding Your Communication Style
• Active Listening
• Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
Increasing Knowledge
• Understanding Emotional Intelligence
Level 3 Elective Projects (choose 2)
• Deliver Social Speeches • Focus on the Positive
• Using Presentation Software • Inspire Your Audience
• Connect with Storytelling • Prepare for an Interview
• Creating Effective Visual Aids • Understanding Vocal Variety
• Using Descriptive Language • Effective Body Language
• Connect with Your Audience • Make Connections Through Networking
Building Skills
• Motivate Others
Level 4 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Create a Podcast • Manage Online Meetings
• Building a Social Media Presence • Question-and-Answer Session
• Managing a Difficult Audience • Public Relations Strategies
• Write a Compelling Blog • Manage Projects Successfully
Demonstrating Expertise
• Team Building
• Reflect on Your Path
Level 5 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Lessons Learned • Leading in Your Volunteer
• Moderate a Panel Discussion Organization
• Prepare to Speak
Professionally
• Ethical Leadership
• High Performance Leadership

November 28th Evaluations

November 28th Table Topics

November 28th Speeches

Watch our Meeting

December 5th meeting

Christa will be the Toastmaster of the day and evaluated by Lauralee. This will be our business meeting and there will only be one speaker. Paul will be speaking and evaluated Brian. Laurie will be the table topics master and the grammarian will be Avital. Dale will be the timer.

Path: Visionary Communication

VISIONARY COMMUNICATION
This path helps you build your skills as a strategic communicator and leader. The projects on this path
focus on developing your skills for sharing information with a group, planning communications and
creating innovative solutions. Speech writing and speech delivery are emphasized in each project. This path culminates in the development and launch of a long-term personal or professional vision.

How to turn off pop up blocker

Chrome:
1. Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.
2. Select Settings.
3. Click Show advanced settings.
4. In the "Privacy" section, click the Content settings button.
5. In the "Pop-ups" section, click Manage exceptions.
Internet Explorer:
1. Open Internet Explorer, select the Tools button , and then select Internet options.
2. On the Privacy tab, under Pop-up Blocker, select or clear the Turn on Pop-up Blocker check box, and then select OK.
Safari:
1. Windows users select “Safari” > “Preferences“.
2. Click on “Security” at the top of the window.
3. Check the box “Block pop-up windows” to enable this feature. Uncheck it to disable it

Path: Team Collaboration

TEAM COLLABORATION
This path helps you build your skills as a collaborative leader. The projects on this path focus on active listening, motivating others and collaborating with a team. Each project contributes to building
interpersonal communication and public speaking skills. This path culminates in a project focused on
applying your leadership skills.

Path: Strategic Relationships

STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS
This path helps you build your skills as a leader in communication. The projects on this path focus on
understanding diversity, building personal and/or professional connections with a variety of people
and developing a public relations strategy. Communicating well interpersonally and as a public
speaker is emphasized in each project. The path culminates in a project to apply your skills as a leader in a volunteer organization.

Roles for November 28th

The Toastmaster of the day will be Rozaline, generally evaluated by Lee. There will be two speakers of the day, Diane, evaluated by Brian H, and Avital evaluated by Paul. Dale will be the grammarian of the day. Julia will be the table topics master of the day. Brian N will be the timer.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We will have thanksgiving week off!

Our Table Topics Winner!

Congratulations John on winning the table topics trophy as he told us about how he joined Toastmasters to be able to speak in public easier! When he was in high school, John said that he would shake and be so nervous to give his speech. Now he wants to get over his fear because he thought that it was stupid to be so afraid of giving a speech. 

November 14th meeting

Brian H was the Toastmaster of the day for the first time. His theme was the upcoming musical, the Addams family. The musical will be showing Friday November 17th through December 3rd. He talked about how they have new microphones that cause problems, such as getting the wires tangled in the actors costumes. If you would like to check out the Addams Family, the link is provided below.
http://www.coastarts.org/events/2017/12/the-addams-family/
Laurie was the general evaluator for the day. She told Brian that he had a great theme for the day, as well as some good introductions for the speakers of the day. One thing she did suggest was to have a bit more of an introduction for other players in the meeting.
The first speaker of the day was Brian N, where he gave his last speech for the humorous speaking manual. He gave his finale speech for Lost in Translation. This is the speech he gave at the division contest where he took second place. His speech went through how he was a general manager for UPS working in Tijuana, Mexico and going across the border between the States and Mexico. While working there, he went to cross the border one day like he always did. This day was different, and the border patrol were more strict. While inspecting his car, he accidently said there was a hooker, instead of a pillow in his car. Later he found that one of his customers paid him in cash, and he had too much money to cross the border with. Rozaline was Brian's evaluator for the day. She talked about how he was able to start with a memorable joke and bring us in with his energy. One thing she suggested is to use the rule of three in his speech.
The second speaker of the day was Lauralee. She talked about her public relations campaign, with her team Avital, Christa, Kathleen and herself. Part of their goal is to get onto the radio, which they have been able to do. Lauralee also talked about getting in the paper, and being able to reach those in our community. The last thing she talked about was the that the club was able to get onto Zoom, and now have had three Zoom members. Avital was her speech evaluator, who talked about that Lauralee was able to explain the campaign, and explain her goals. One thing she suggested Lauralee do is to put it in a more streamlined outline, with only seven topics.
http://www.bossfmradio.net/podcast/toast-masters/ 
http://ybtoastmasters.blogspot.com/2017/11/we-are-in-paper.html

How to get started in Pathways

Leadership Development

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Mastering Fundamentals
• Ice Breaker
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Researching and Presenting
Learning Your Style
• Managing Time
• Understanding Your Leadership Style
• Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
Increasing Knowledge
• Planning and Implementing
Level 3 Elective Projects (choose 2)
• Deliver Social Speeches • Focus on the Positive
• Using Presentation Software • Inspire Your Audience
• Connect with Storytelling • Prepare for an Interview
• Creating Effective Visual Aids • Understanding Vocal Variety
• Using Descriptive Language • Effective Body Language
• Connect with Your Audience • Active Listening
• Make Connections Through Networking
Building Skills
• Leading Your Team
Level 4 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Create a Podcast • Manage Online Meetings
• Building a Social Media Presence • Question-and-Answer Session
• Managing a Difficult Audience • Public Relations Strategies
• Write a Compelling Blog • Manage Projects Successfully
Demonstrating Expertise
• Manage Successful Events
• Reflect on Your Path
Level 5 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Lessons Learned • Leading in Your Volunteer
• Moderate a Panel Discussion Organization
• Prepare to Speak
Professionally
• Ethical Leadership
• High Performance Leadership

We are in the paper!

Congratulations Kathleen on Placing Third in Districts

Roles for November 14th

Brian H will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Laurie. There will be two speakers of the day. The first will be Brian N evaluated by Janci. Lauralee will be the second, evaluated by Avital. Paul will be the grammarian of the day, with Lee as the timer. Dale will be the Table topics master of the day.

November 7th meeting

The Toastmaster of the day was Brian, who ran the business meeting. We celebrated our seven new members and over 400 visits to our blog in the last month. During the business portion, we talked about how we have assigned mentors, and going to different businesses to talk to them about Toastmasters.
Our first speaker of the day was Brian H, who talked about how estates work. He suggested that, when planning your estate, you use a lawyer who has several years of estate experience. One of the problems with estate law is that there are several different laws for different possessions. Brian said that personal Facebook pages have their own law on how to deal with them, as do homes, clothes and other possessions. His evaluator was Diane, who said he did a very good job at meeting the requirements of the third speech. She suggested that he should talk about Oregon specific estate law.
The second speaker of the day was Julie, a new member of Yaquina Toastmasters. She talked about her Pathways experience. When looking at Pathways, she decided that she was falling in love, and like all people in love there were problems but she was able to overlook them. After she started in Pathways, Julie decided to start a blog on her experience. You can read that blog at:
http://pathwaysexperience.blogspot.co.uk/  She talked about how her blog highlights both what is wrong and what is great about Pathways.For what is wrong, Julie said how to fix the problems.  If you wanted to read about her experience with Yaquina Toastmasters, you can use this link:
 http://pathwaysexperience.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/joining-pathways-zone-tm-club.html
This speech was a reflection on her Pathways experience. Janci was her evaluator, and commented on the fact that on Zoom, you have only a small view of a person's body language. She thought that Julie did really well telling about her experience. One thing that Janci suggested was that Julie focus on her facial expressions because on camera, that is the main focus.
Lauralee was the general evaluator of the day. She said we had a great meeting despite some temporary glitches. To start, she complimented Brian on starting on time and for Brian asking for the times very often. When talking to Diane, Lauralee complemented Diane using the manual to highlight the speech. One thing she mention is Diane could mention something specific to improve on that is in the manual. To Janci, Lauralee like how she used the sandwich method, and was very positive with her suggestions. Something Lauralee suggested to Janci is to highlight the evaluation form more, and mention what is it she is evaluating for.
There were no table topics for the day. The timer of the day was Dale. The grammarian of the day was Laurie.

Welcome to our New Members

Yaquina Toastmasters would like to officially welcome its newest members:
Brian Haggerty
Julia Carlson
Janci Rozaline
Julie Kertesz
Michelle Alba-Lim

Letter From Paul- Our Sergeant at Arms

Hello All,
I am Paul Brookhyser, the retired engineering technician, husband of 49 years, father of three adults ages 41, 37 and 35 and now part time youth minister of 18 students in the 7th and 8th grades Wednesday nights at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Newport. I joined Toastmasters in 1983 to organize my competing thoughts and ideas and to help the then young and upcoming engineers I worked with to gain confidence and self esteem in all social communications.

My favorite thing about Yaquina Toastmasters is its humor and spontaneity.  The club members are genuinely concerned about the success and satisfaction of its newest members of any age. We all needed training wheels at one time and we all learned from our successes and our stumblings too. It is truly a thrill for me to see shy new members progress in their assignments and transform and learn to forgive themselves and others for their uniqueness.

My greatest personal reward for continuing in Toastmasters is the freedom it gives me to boldly try new things that my shyness has prevented in the past. I have gained freedom of expression. I have taught, acted on stage, song solos, and danced. Now when I meet new people I am enthusiastic about their lives and their learning.

Thanks for asking,

Paul

11/7 Roles

This will be our business meeting. Brian will be the Toastmaster of the day, with Lauralee as the general evaluator. We will have two speakers as well. Brian H will be the first speaker of the day, evaluated by Diane. The second speaker will be Julie, evaluated by Janci. Laurie will be the grammarian of the day, and Dale will be the timer.

Congratulations Avital on your Competent Communicator Award

Path: Presentation Mastery

PRESENTATION MASTERY
This path helps you build your skills as an accomplished public speaker. The projects on this path focus on learning how an audience responds to you and improving your connection with audience members. The projects contribute to developing an understanding of effective public speaking technique, including speech writing and speech delivery. This path culminates in an extended speech that will allow you to apply what you learned.

Here is the link to the first Pathways project

https://www.toastmasters.org/websiteApps/Pathways/IceBreaker/tm100101/resources/8101%20Ice%20Breaker.pdf

How to Print your Projects

Step 1- Launch your project
Step 2- Make sure your popup blocker is disabled
Step 3- Find the navigation bar at the end of the page
Step 4- Go to evaluation page
Step 5- Hit print my project

Path: Persuasive Influence

PERSUASIVE INFLUENCE
This path helps you build your skills as an innovative communicator and leader. The projects on this
path focus on how to negotiate a positive outcome together with building strong interpersonal
communication and public speaking skills. Each project emphasizes developing leadership skills to use in complex situations, as well as creating innovative solutions to challenges. This path culminates in a “High Performance Leadership” project of your design.

Tuesday's roles

The Toastmaster of the day is Diane, generally evaluated by Laurie. Avital is the first speaker of the day evaluated by Brian N. Christa is the second speaker of the day, evaluated by Lee. Dale will be the grammarian of the day, and Julia will be Table topics master of the day. Brian H will be the timer of the day.

Listen to our members

http://www.bossfmradio.net/podcast/toast-masters/

Christa and Lee talked about Yaquina Toastmasters live on BOSS FM today! Listen to their interview!

Like our Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/YaquinaToastmasters

Innovative planning

INNOVATIVE PLANNING
Mastering Fundamentals
• Ice Breaker
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Researching and Presenting
Learning Your Style
• Understanding Your Leadership Style
• Connect With Your Audience
• Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
Increasing Knowledge
• Present a Proposal
Level 3 Elective Projects (choose 2)
• Deliver Social Speeches • Focus on the Positive
• Using Presentation Software • Inspire Your Audience
• Connect with Storytelling • Prepare for an Interview
• Creating Effective Visual Aids • Understanding Vocal Variety
• Using Descriptive Language • Effective Body Language
• Make Connections Through Networking • Active Listening
Building Skills
• Manage Projects Successfully
Level 4 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Create a Podcast • Manage Online Meetings
• Building a Social Media Presence • Question-and-Answer Session
• Managing a Difficult Audience • Public Relations Strategies
• Write a Compelling Blog
Demonstrating Expertise
• High Performance Leadership
• Reflect on Your Path
Level 5 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Lessons Learned • Leading in Your Volunteer
• Moderate a Panel Discussion Organization
• Prepare to Speak Professionally
• Ethical Leadership

People without internet access

There are five paths available in printed material for those who do not have internet access. The vice president of education would need to log into the Toastmasters website, and can order the paths for the member without internet access. The materials would be sent directly to the members who the vice president would be ordering for.

New Members and DCP credit

Toastmasters International has sent out an email about credit for education awards. For all new members, who have never been a member of Toastmasters before, they must start in Pathways. If they start into the tradition program, the clubs will not receive Distinguished Club Program credit for their achievements. The transitional period applies only to current members, or members who return to Toastmasters.

Pathways- Adding Roles

There are a few educational requirements for Pathways. The Paths are organized into levels, which are then broken down into projects. For level one, there are three projects, which include speeches like the ice breaker and the research speech. In this program, Pathways, members are also required to fulfill meeting roles. To do this, members must add when they have fulfilled meeting roles on basecamp. A club leader cannot do this for a member.

How to do this:

1. Log onto Toastmasters.org

2. Go to education, click Pathways

3. Click begin my journey, and log in as a member

4. When on basecamp, hover over the gear and go to "my account"

5. Scroll down to the different rolls. Make sure to press "save" afterwards.

Virtual Support Session- Pathways: Where to Begin

October 24th meeting

Brian was the Toastmaster of the day, whose theme was halloween. He talked about how the tradition of trick or treating is one that children get candy, which is a 600 year long tradition. Another fun fact Brian N told us was that the fear of halloween is called samhainophobia. The general evaluator of the day, Lee, complimented Brian N on being able to trim down the activities so that our meeting ran close to on time. He did mention that Brian H had not had the chance to give his review of the word of the day complement. 
There were two speakers of the day. The first speaker was Diane, who spoke about how to go on a scuba dive. The first thing she talked about is the equipment, and how before going on the dive you need to check all of your equipment. After getting in the water, Diane talked about how it gets tricky to communicate, so her dive buddy would need to know signs. Some of the important signs would be whether or not your buddy is okay, and if you see a shark. Diane ended by showing how you go up and wait for several minutes before finishing your dive. Her evaluator was Laurie, complimented how Diane used a full example of how diving working, by bringing in a person wearing full dive gear. One suggestion she gave to Diane was that she outline her speech more because she knew the material enough to do it without a fully written out speech. 
The second speaker of the day was Dale, who gave her icebreaker. She talked about growing up in New York, being born during a storm. She remarked that her sisters' name was Gale but Dale was the one born in a storm. Throughout her speech, Dale talked about how she moved to several different states finding who she was. Now she works for the National Park Service volunteering for  The Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. To emphasize her speech, Dale showed us a set of cartoon frogs she drew depicting herself at different stages of her life, from her teenage years to today. For her frog today, she shows herself being content and peaceful. Christa was her evaluator, who praised Dale for expressing her emotions so well. Another thing Christa complimented Dale on was the fact that she did not rely on her notes very much. The one thing she suggested for Dale to do is explain the first picture, a banana slug, a little more.
Laurie was the table topics master of the day, who asked Christa about the weather this weekend. Christa said when her dog was a puppy, she would take her dog out rain or shine to make sure Dutch got a walk. Now though, when it rains her dog knows that they will be staying inside that day. Brian H was asked about whether he had been dumped before. He said that he had been before and of course he was sad about it before but now he is in a happy relationship. Brian mused that he may need to recall this type of pain for a play later. Christa was the winner of the table topics award.
The timer of the day was Lauralee. Brian was the grammarian of the day.

Tomorrows roles

Brian N will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Lee, the general evaluator. There will be two speakers of the day, Diane and Dale. Diane will be evaluated by Laurie, and Dale will be evaluated by Christa. Lauralee will be the timer of the day, and Brian H will be the grammarian.

October 17th meeting

Diane was the Toastmaster of the day, whose theme was based on October's women in history theme. She talked about Billie Jean King and the movie called Battle of the Sexes. Another topic she highlighted was the posts on Facebook about "me too", meaning to highlight those who have been sexually assaulted. Brian H was the general evaluator of the day, who complimented Brian N on starting the meeting, taking the storm head on. The one thing he suggested is for Diane to pinpoint on main topic, and fully explain that one idea before moving on.
Laurie was the only speaker of the day, who talked about giving evaluations. She explained two ways you can give a good evaluation. The first way is that you can give a compliment, critique, and compliment in the sandwich method, to help the speaker know what they did, make them feel good about their speech, and help them improve at the same time. The second way is to give a compliment, critique, and summary. Laurie explained both ways help the speaker, and are very similar. Another part of the evaluation that she talked about was how evaluations are not just something you do for speeches, but can be used at home when talking to a family member about changing a behavior, or a at work. Christa was Laurie's evaluator, who was intimidated by evaluating a speech on evaluations. First, Christa complemented Laurie on She suggested that Laurie use a little bigger visuals so we could read what they said.
Lauralee was the table topics master of the day. Her theme for table topics was putting yourself in history. She asked Christa what she would do if she found a diary from a woman who was a stop on the underground railroad. Christa said first she would read the diary, and find out how the guests were like, and what her life was like. After that she would publish the diary. Dale was ask how she would interview a female world war two pilot. First Dale said she would asked how how the war went for her as a pilot, and then she said the only form of respect that Dale thought was appropriate would be for her to take a knee to the pilot. Lauralee asked Diane what she would do with a Bible she found with names of Jews who were hidden in a woman's home from the Holocaust. Diane said she would give the Bible to the Holocaust Museum. Brian H found love letters in a box and said he thought they could be letters from a forlorn love, or unrequited love. He marveled at how handwriting letters is a lost art. Lee was the last person picked who found a necklace that he said was the treasure of a little girl, and he was going to try to restore the necklace. Dale was the winner of table topics.
Dale was our grammarian of the day, and Brian was the timer.

Returning members with Pathways

For a returning member of Toastmasters:

A member who reinstates after Pathways has launched in their district or region will receive information to begin in Pathways. However, they are welcome to work in the current program, Pathways, or both until the two-year transition period ends.

Table Topics trophy

Congratulations Brian (Left) and Lauralee (Right) on winning the table topics trophy awarded by Diane (Middle)

Virtual Support Session- Pathways Questions

How to Get to Pathways

1. Go to Toastmasters.org
2. Log into your account
3. Click "Pathways
4. Choose "Go to Basecamp"
5. Click Log in as member or take the assessment

Path: Motivational Strategies

MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES
This path helps you build your skills as a powerful and effective communicator. The projects focus on learning strategies for building connections with the people around you, understanding motivation
and successfully leading small groups to accomplish tasks. This path culminates in a comprehensive team-building project that brings all of your skills together—including public speaking.

Path: Leadership Development

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
This path helps you build your skills as an effective communicator and leader. The projects on this path focus on learning how to manage time, as well as how to develop and implement a plan. Public speaking and leading a team are emphasized in all projects. This path culminates in the planning and execution of an event that will allow you to apply everything you learned.

Todays roles

Laurie will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Lauralee. There will be two speakers, Lee and Christa. Lee will be the first speaker, evaluated by Julia or Brian H. Christa will be the second speaker, evaluated by Brian N. Diane will be the table topics master of the day. Paul will be the timer and Brian H will be the grammarian.

Path: Innovative Planning

INNOVATIVE PLANNING
This path helps you build your skills as a public speaker and leader. The projects on this path focus on developing a strong connection with audience members when you present, speech writing and speech delivery. The projects contribute to building an understanding of the steps to manage a project, as well as creating innovative solutions. This path culminates in a “High Performance Leadership” project of your design.

Tomorrows roles

Lee will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Laurie. Lauralee will be the only speaker, evaluated by Diane. The Table topics master of the day will be Brian H, and the grammarian will be Paul. Julia will be the timer of the day.

Path: Effective Coaching

EFFECTIVE COACHING
This path helps you build your skills as a positive communicator and leader. The projects on this path focus on understanding and building consensus, contributing to the development of others by coaching and establishing strong public speaking skills. Each project emphasizes the importance of effective interpersonal communication. This path culminates in a “High Performance Leadership” project of your design.

Path: Dynamic Leadership

DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP
This path helps you build your skills as a strategic leader. The projects on this path focus on understanding leadership and communication styles, the effect of conflict on a group and the skills needed to defuse and direct conflict. These projects also emphasize the development of strategies to facilitate change in an organization or group, interpersonal communication and public speaking. This path culminates in a project focused on applying your leadership skills.

Effective Coaching

EFFECTIVE COACHING
Mastering Fundamentals
• Ice Breaker
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Researching and Presenting
Learning Your Style
• Understanding Your Leadership Style
• Understanding Your Communication Style
• Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
Increasing Knowledge
• Reaching Consensus
Level 3 Elective Projects (choose 2)
• Deliver Social Speeches • Focus on the Positive
• Using Presentation Software • Inspire Your Audience
• Connect with Storytelling • Prepare for an Interview
• Creating Effective Visual Aids • Understanding Vocal Variety
• Using Descriptive Language • Effective Body Language
• Connect with Your Audience • Active Listening
• Make Connections Through Networking
Building Skills
• Improvement Through Positive Coaching
Level 4 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Create a Podcast • Manage Online Meetings
• Building a Social Media Presence • Question-and-Answer Session
• Managing a Difficult Audience • Public Relations Strategies
• Write a Compelling Blog • Manage Projects Successfully
Demonstrating Expertise
• High Performance Leadership
• Reflect on Your Path
Level 5 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Lessons Learned • Leading in Your Volunteer
• Moderate a Panel Discussion Organization
• Prepare to Speak Professionally
• Ethical Leadership

Roles for 9/26

Paul will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Lauralee. There will be two speakers of the day, Brian and Diane. First speaker will be Diane, who will be evaluated by Lee. Brian will be evaluated by Laimons. Brian H will be grammarian, and Christa will be table topics master. Julia will be the timer of the day.

Pathways Questions and Tour

Dynamic Leadership

DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP
Paths, Levels and Electives
Five Levels:
Mastering Fundamentals
• Ice Breaker
• Evaluation and Feedback
• Researching and Presenting
Learning Your Style
• Understanding Your Leadership Style
• Understanding Your Communication Style
• Introduction to Toastmasters Mentoring
Increasing Knowledge
• Negotiate the Best Outcome
Level 3 Elective Projects (choose 2)
• Deliver Social Speeches • Focus on the Positive
• Using Presentation Software • Inspire Your Audience
• Connect with Storytelling • Prepare for an Interview
• Creating Effective Visual Aids • Understanding Vocal Variety
• Using Descriptive Language • Effective Body Language
• Connect with Your Audience • Active Listening
• Make Connections Through
Networking
Building Skills
• Manage Change
Level 4 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Create a Podcast • Manage Online Meetings
• Building a Social Media Presence • Question-and-Answer Session
• Managing a Difficult Audience • Public Relations Strategies
• Write a Compelling Blog • Manage Projects Successfully
Demonstrating Expertise
• Lead in Any Situation
• Reflect on Your Path
Level 5 Elective Projects (choose 1)
• Lessons Learned • Leading in Your Volunteer
• Moderate a Panel Discussion Organization
• Prepare to Speak Professionally
• Ethical Leadership
• High Performance Leadership

Pathways Learning Experience

Go to toastmasters.org and take the assessment today!

The Ten Paths

The New Program is Live

Pathways is officially rolled out in our region! Log into Toastmasters.org to choose your path!

Congratulations Lauralee

Congratulations Lauralee on receiving your Advanced Communicator Bronze and Advanced Leadership Bronze!

Congratulations Christa

Congratulations Christa Colway on receiving your Competent Communicator!

September 19th Roles

The Toastmaster of the day will be Laimons, evaluated by Peter. There will be two speakers of the day. Brian H will be the first speaker, evaluated by Paul. The second speaker will be Avital, who will be evaluated by Lee. Brian will be the grammarian, and Diane will be the timer of the day. Laurie will be the table topics master of the day.

Welcome To Pathways

Pathways Video

Tips for Pathways

Tip One:
Make sure to sign into Toastmasters.org and go to the education Pathways page.

Tip Two:
Find your quick start guide to see how to find Pathways and Basecamp.

Tip Three:
Check to see if your popup blocker is on for Toastmasters.org.

One Day To Pathways

We are one day away from roll out! The new Pathways program will be ready to use on September 19th!

First Place Winner of Table Topics Contest- Christa

The Table Topic contest question was September 11th, never forget- Where were you on September 11th, 2001? Christa talked about how she was on a boat when the towers were attacked, and they did not come back to town for several days. All they had were radios to find out what was happened. When she finally got to a hotel, no one else wanted to listen to what happened.

First Place Humorous Speech Contest- Christa

Christa was the second speaker of the day, who talked about her experience in Alaska where she lost her only pair of pants. Her crew was in their fifties and had worked together for decades, making foul play unlikely when she lost her pants. During her week on the boat she had be covered in fish blood and guts making wearing her work clothes back on the plane nearly impossible. She looked around the small galley kitchen, her bunks, and everywhere else she could think but her pants were nowhere to be found. Then she thought... "Did I wear my pants home from the bar last night?" but then decided she had to have worn them home because to get back on the boat, Christa would have had to climb over the rail. In the end, the captain gave her a pair of his work pants to wear home, grease stains, holes and all.

2017 Humorous Speech and Table Topics Contest!

Today was our humorous speech contest for our club. We would like to welcome our guests, Julia, Seanette, and Shannon! Lee was the Toastmaster of the day who introduced the rules of the contest, and explained how it would work. To begin the meeting, he told us that Avital and Christa would draw to see who would speak first, and then the contestants in table topics would draw next.
Avital was the first speaker of the day. She told us about her trip to India 10 years ago, where they invited her to dance. During that trip, Avital was asked to teach a group of children and adults to dance. After going through several groups of people to try and find her a place to teach, and several translations later, Avital was given a room to choreograph her dance with rows of people watching her. When Avital explained that she had not made the dance yet, they responded then make it, so she took some of the dances that she had already done and modified them. After weeks of practice, they performed their dance in front of thousands.
Christa was the second speaker of the day, who talked about her experience in Alaska where she lost her only pair of pants. Her crew was in their fifties and had worked together for decades, making foul play unlikely when she lost her pants. During her week on the boat she had be covered in fish blood and guts making wearing her work clothes back on the plane nearly impossible. She looked around the small galley kitchen, her bunks, and everywhere else she could think but her pants were nowhere to be found. Then she thought... "Did I wear my pants home from the bar last night?" but then decided she had to have worn them home because to get back on the boat, Christa would have had to climb over the rail. In the end, the captain gave her a pair of his work pants to wear home, grease stains, holes and all.
For the table topics contest, Christa went first. The Table Topic contest question was September 11th, never forget- Where were you on September 11th, 2001? Christa talked about how she was on a boat when the towers were attacked, and they did not come back to town for several days. All they had were radios to find out what was happened. When she finally got to a hotel, no one else wanted to listen to what happened. Brian N went second, and talked about how he was on a business trip in Seattle. When he turned on the TV, he could not believe what was happening. As a veteran, he was sickened that we were being attacked after desert storm. He talked about coming home, and explaining to his youngest daughter that there were planes in the sky, but they were good planes like what grandpa worked with in the air force that were there to protect us. Brian H talked about how he was in a meeting recently at the fire department, and was amazed at how different the emergency response works now after the attacks on September 11th. Laurie was the last contestant, who said that a week after 9/11 was her grandfather's celebration of life. Her parents were trying to fly out to meet everyone for the funeral, but all flights were grounded due to the attacks that day. Eventually they decided to drive to the funeral instead, and Laurie said that despite all of the chaos and tragedy, everyone did make it.
Christa took first place in the speech contest, and Avital placed second.
For the Table Topics contest, Christa took first place, and Brian N came in second.

September 5th meeting review

On Tuesday, September 5th, the Toastmaster of the day was Christa. She talked about Labor day, and how our country started down the path to improved working conditions. One thing she focused on was America's history of strikes, like the fact that there were 37,000 strikes that happened between 1870 and 1940 on topics like low wages and dangerous working conditions. Diane was the general evaluator, who talked about how the meeting started on time with our business portion of our club meeting. As the evaluator, Diane complemented Christa on how she ran the meeting smoothly, and did not have any improvements.
Avital was the speaker of the day. Her speech was called The Problem Today Is.

Laimons was her evaluator, who talked complemented Avital on talking about doctor interviews to help validate her point. He also talked to her about how the speech could be applicable to everyone. One thing Laimons suggested is that Avital make sure to she give her sources, and back up all of her claims in case anyone is skeptical of her topic. 

Paul was the table topics master of the day, who asked Lee to talk about his new job of driving seniors around. Lee talked about going to the state fair, and how he was able to walk around with Ana who was a former Toastmaster. Laurie was asked about fall colors, who talked about big leaf maples, and how they are already turning around an hour away from cape perpetua. The winner of the table topics trophy was Laurie! 

The timer of the day was Peter, and the grammarian of the day was Brian H, whose word of the day was gibe!

Speech and Table Topics contest

Lee will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Brian H. Christa, Avital and Brian will be competing tomorrow in the speech contest. Peter will be the chief judge, and Laurie will be in charge of the table topics contest. Diane will be the timer of the day.

Pathways Program Overview

Toastmasters International is rolling out the Pathways Program as you are reading this. The first district, 57, has already starting using this program. Newport Toastmasters is a part of region two, which will be the second region to receive this program.

What is this program?
It is personalized by an assessment that will direct you to which path Toastmasters believes is best for you.

What is new?
They have included projects such as podcasting, ethical leadership and blogging. It involves videos, quizzes and new feedback options. The projects have changed as well. Each path has both required and elective projects. The path recognition is achieved when a member completes 14 projects across all 5 levels of the path. According to Toastmasters International, a combination of 10 required projects and 4 elective projects are chosen from a comprehensive list covering a variety of subjects. Each of the projects includes one speech, and some include more. Even though members are required to complete 4 elective projects, obviously they have the option to complete as many as they would like.

How many paths are there?

1. Motivational Strategies
2. Presentation Mastery
3. Leadership Development
4. Innovative Planning
5. Visionary Communication
6. Strategic Relationships
7. Dynamic Leadership
8. Persuasive Influence
9. Effective Coaching
10. Team Collaboration

https://www.toastmasters.org/Pathways-Overview

Recent Pathways Questions

Q: What is the difference for DTM between the traditional program and Pathways?
A: To get to DTM in the traditional program, you need to complete the Advanced Communicator Gold and Advanced Leader Silver. This includes being in leadership positions and going through six advanced manuals. In contrast, Pathways requires you to complete two Paths, which include five manuals each. As an officer, you need to serve for twelve months in your club, as well as a district officer, just like today.
Other requirements:
Serve as a club mentor or coach.
Serve as a club sponsor or conduct a Speechcraft or Youth Leadership program.
Complete the DTM project. (Members are required to create and implement a project of their own design, in which they demonstrate the skills and expertise they have gained.)

Q: What do you get free?
A:Your first Path is free in Pathways. This means you get all five levels of that Path for free.

Q: How are the levels different than our manuals now?
A: 
This is an example of what a path would look like. In Pathways, the levels are broken down into projects where there are steps to completing each, like a survey, journaling activity, speech, and the reflection. In contrast, the traditional system would have you give a speech, such as competent communicator seven where you would need to research a topic and present it.

Tuesday 9/5

Tuesday will be our business meeting. Christa will be the Toastmaster of the day, evaluated by Diane, the general evaluator. There will only be one speaker of the day, due to the business meeting. Avital will be the speaker, evaluated by Laimons. Brian H will be the grammarian of the day, and Peter will be the timer. Paul will be in charge of table topics.

Avital's Was it Love or Was it Kale speech

August 28th review

Lee was the Toastmaster of the day, who talked about how cars have changed over the years. He said he had been thinking about how his grandfather would be blown away by how our cars work now. Lee's grandfather had worked on wagons in the 1800s, and Lee talked about taking his grandfather for a ride in his van that he does not even need to turn a key to start. Christa was the general evaluator of the day, who complimented Lee on his introductions for the speakers. She mentioned to Lauralee that she liked how Lauralee added her critiques into her overall evaluation instead of piling them on at the end of the evaluation.
Avital was the first speaker of the day. Her speech was speech 10 of her competent communicator. She only has one more speech to receive her Competent Communicator award.

Lauralee was Avital's evaluator for the day. She complimented Avital on her presence and her confidence during her speech. Lauralee said Avital did a great job of painting her story for us. One thing she did suggest was for Avital to give us a little more of a buy in to accept the changes she suggested for us.
Brian H was the second speaker of the day. He did his Ice Breaker speech, the Life of Brian. In his speech, he talked about how he went to college as a long-haired hippie freak, and found out that he had to decide on a major. In college, he majored in journalism, and went to Washington for his first job. He moved to Oregon once he found what his job as a journalist would really entail. In Oregon, he got a job involving taxes, where he learned he loved the tax code. From there he went to Lewis and Clark to become a lawyer, and moved to Newport, Oregon. Today he works at Newport Law, and is a volunteer firefighter. Peter was Brian's evaluator for his Ice Breaker. He complimented Brian on his eye contact and expression. One thing that Peter mentioned was Brian's confidence and good volume.
Due to time constraints, there were no table topics.
Paul was the grammarian of the day, whose word was umbraphile. Diane was the timer of the day. 

No open roles August 29th

The Toastmaster of the day will be Lee, evaluated by Christa. There will be two speaker of the day, Avital speaking first, evaluated by Lauralee. Brian H will speak second, evaluated by Kathleen. Brian will be the table topics master of the day. Paul will be the grammarian of the day, with Diane as the timer.

We have an email

You can email us at ybtoastmasters@gmail.com

Our Facebook page

We have a Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/YaquinaToastmasters/

Upcoming Dates

Club Contest: September 12th 7 AM
Area Speech Contest: September 23rd 10 AM
Division Contest: October 21st 10 AM

Watch our evaluations

Experience Table Topics

Christa's speech: Tales from Sea

Avital's Healing Happens speech

Roles for August 29th

The Toastmaster of the day will be Lee, evaluated by Christa. There will be two speaker of the day, Avital speaking first, evaluated by Lauralee. Brian H will speak second, evaluated by Kathleen. Brian will be the table topics master of the day. Paul will be the grammarian of the day, with Diane as the timer.

August 15th review

The Toastmaster of the day was Peter, who talked about how the eclipse will happen soon, and what to do with the influx of people. He talked about the gas shortage, and how people should stock up on food before the eclipse happens. Brian was the general evaluator of the day, who complimented Peter on looking the part. One suggestion Brian did make was to have the Toastmaster welcome our online guests.
We had a small business portion of the meeting, where we discussed the upcoming speech contest. The contest will be on September 12th. Kathleen and Lee will be chairing the competition. Christa, Diane, and Peter will be competing in the humorous speaking contest. Kathleen will be competing in the table topics contest.
There was one speaker of the day, Kathleen. She talked about how our world has finite resources and we need to respect them. Her main theme was sand, and how we use it. One way we use sand is with outside volleyball, which requires a different type of sand than concrete, where the sand is mixed in to create the concrete. The volleyball sand has a recipe to create a sand that will not stick to the player's body. She said that sand is the second most used natural resource. It is first is water. Some of the ways we use sand is in glass, swimming pools and filters. Kathleen talked about how we use the sand in our oceans now, which is changing our ocean floors. Avital was Kathleen's evaluator, who said she would have liked to have Kathleen as a teacher. She complimented Kathleen's posture and presence while speaking.
Christa was the table topics master of the day. She asked Laimons what he would do if he had a large audience that came to listen to him. He said that he would tell them that they should follow the golden rule. Diane was asked what her American dream is, and she said she is living her American dream by living on the Oregon Coast. Christa asked Laurie if she could lie without saying anything. Laurie said that she went berry picking this weekend, and said she had not thought about ways of lying. Laimons and Laurie were the winners of today's table topics.
Lee was the grammarian of the day, whose word was eclipse. Brian H was the timer of the day.

Roles for August 15th

Peter will be the Toastmaster of the day on Tuesday, with Brian as the timer. There will be two speakers for the day, Brandy evaluated by Paul and Kathleen evaluated by Avital. Lee will be the grammarian of the day, and Christa will be the Table Topics master. The timer of the day will be Brian H.

Pathways Q and A

Q: Can I be in more than one path at a time?
A: Yes you can. In fact, if you are a member of more than one club before roll out, you receive two free paths.

Q: Is it more expensive?
A: No, actually it is a little cheaper. Your first path is free, and your second path online is 20 dollars. That will get you to your DTM. For the traditional program it is $6.00 for each advanced manual, making it $24 dollars to get your DTM.

Q: What is base camp?
A: Base camp is where you access your online materials. On base camp you can find your evaluations, projects, videos, and interact with members of your club.

Q: How long do we have to finish in the traditional program?
A: It is two year from the day it rolls out in the very last region. There are seven roll out phases that are left before those two years will start.

Q: When will Pathways roll out?
A: Mid September

Q: Do you have to use Pathways online?
A: No, there is a printed version that you can bring with you. Another way to do this is you can print the Pathways projects straight from Base camp.

Q: I am new to Toastmasters. Should I wait to start in Pathways?
A: You can. Pathways will also honor your ice breaker, which is already online at https://www.toastmasters.org/websiteApps/Pathways/tm100101_SCORM12_20151004/tm100101/index.html

Q: Will they let me keep my current progress?
A: Your current level in Toastmasters, such as an Advanced Communicator Silver and Advanced Leader Bronze, will still be present in your title. However, you will start back to your Ice Breaker with Pathways.

Pathways Guide Recording

Due to technical difficulties during our meeting, Zoom did not record from our meeting. Here is what the meeting was like.

Pathways Guide Review

Today was a special meeting, as there were no roles. President Brian opened the meeting by explaining how Pathways Guide Lauralee would be presenting the new Pathways program to our club. He also welcomed MIME Speaks, another club, to our meeting via Zoom, as well as a few other guests that were present on Zoom.
Lauralee started off by explaining how Toastmasters started with the basic manual under Ralph Smedley in the 1940s. She talked about how it had evolved to the traditional program that we recognize today, such as the Competent Communicator and Competent Leadership. Another thing she went over that the board of directors had World Headquarters review and refresh the education program. To do this, they looked at the basis that the current education program, and created the five primary core competencies. Those are: public speaking, interpersonal communication, strategic leadership, management, and confidence. From this, Toastmasters created ten paths.

(Toastmasters.org)

She went over how each path starts with level one where the individual completes their ice breaker, evaluation and feedback, and research and presenting projects. From there the Paths vary to meet the individual's needs. Lauralee talked about how there are now badges where you are awarded for completing levels. One new thing about Pathways is you can give and receive badges from members. In her speech, she briefly talked about how the evaluation form had changed so it is now three pages long and is more specific to the speeches. The mentor program had also changed so that each mentor is trained by Toastmasters before receiving a mentee.
During the second section of her speech, Lauralee talked about how there is a new manual called the navigator that goes over club roles, and the Pathways program. She mentioned when choosing your Path, the in print does cost more but the first Path is covered by your Toastmasters dues. The second Path is the one that costs. Lauralee also talked about the online assessment that helps you decide which Path is the best one for you, including how there are short questions, and it is based on your goals and needs. Once you have selected your Path, you begin working on Base camp, if you are working online.
Lauralee talked about the fact that the meetings will not run longer due to Pathways, and Table Topics, evaluations and club roles will all still be a part of Toastmasters. Due to Pathways rolling out, the Distinguished Club Program added new education goals so you could have either levels from Pathways or advancements in the traditional program for two years.

Toasthost page

We have a Toasthost page now! Here is the link to check out our page.

https://3880.toastmastersclubs.org/

August First Review

Brian was the Toastmaster of the day, who talked about odd animal friends. He mentioned how a hamster was put in the cage of a snake. While it was expected that the snake would eat the hamster, it did not, and they ended up becoming friends. Avital was the general evaluator, who complimented Kathleen in making the speaker feel good about herself even when giving constructive criticism.

We had our business meeting today, where we talked about the upcoming events that will be happening.

Pathways training: August 8th, 2017 Tuesday at 7 AM. 

Club speech contest: September 12th, 2017 (Tuesday 7 AM)

Area Speech Contest: September 23rd, 2017 (Saturday 10 AM Corvallis)

Division Speech Contest: October 21st, 2017 (Corvallis Saturday 10 AM)

There was only one speaker of the day, Diane, working on her Competent Communicator Get to the Point speech. She talked about relationships, and how going to the Galapagos Islands is not just about nature and tourism, but about the people you meet. She gave us examples of the friends she met, such as Jorge who took them on a tour of the island. Her second highlight was a man named Luis and a third man named Victor who was also a tour guide. Kathleen was the evaluator for Diane's third speech. In her evaluation, she talked about how Diane always dresses for success, and that helps her to set the tone for her speech. Another thing that Kathleen mentioned about the speech was that she used visual aids so that we could see what she was talking about. A suggestion Kathleen had for the visual aids would be to make them bigger so the whole room could see it. 

Laimons was the Table Topics Master of the day. His theme was relationships, following the theme of the rest of the meeting. Avital was asked if people should change in a relationship, and she said that both people should change. She then went on to talk about her garden and how she had asked the gardener to plant specific vegetables, such as kale, and she found that there ended up being no kale in her garden. Brian H was asked about divorce, and he said that it is much cheaper to break up with someone before getting married than to get a divorce. Avital was the winner of Table Topics.

Lee was the timer of the day and Brian H was the grammarian. The word of the day was umbrage. 

August 1st meeting roles

Roles for August 1st:
The Toastmaster of the day is Brian, evaluated by Avital. Diane will be the only speaker of the day, evaluated by Kathleen. Brian H will be the grammarian of the day, and Laimons will be the Table Topics master. Lee will be the timer of the day.
This will be our business meeting

May 16th Throw back table topics!

River talked about how she had a Volkswagon beetle that she learned how to drive a stickshift on. She said that her dad took her around the back roads in Texas to teach her how to drive it, and assured us that she did master being able to change gears and not roll backwards on hills. River was the table topics winner.