Toast Notes

Today's Toastmaster meeting theme was "Music From Our Youth."

Ages of the members span from late 20s to people in their 50s. Here is today's takeaways. 

Sharon shared the word of the day: Respect.

Our first speaker was our past President and a Distinguished Toastmaster, Marcy Eckoff-Wagner. Her introduction posed the question, "Have you ever been faced with a situation or challenge that you feel is unsurmountable?" She then shared about laughter. Laughter has been used as a healer for years and she shared some eye-opening examples on the medicinal effects. Did you know that laughter increases endorphins and provides balance for our bodys' emotional and mental state. It also can improve physical health from expanding our capillaries that allows us to breathe better.

Marcy, a cancer survivor and recent stroke victim "personifies improved health." Her evaluator, John shared his observation watching her recovery from her recent health issues. 

Here were some additional tidbits of the truth on laughter: - As soon as a baby is born, he smiles.- At three months or so, a baby starts to laugh.- An average five year old laughs 400 times a day.- An average adult laughs 15 times a day. 

Marcy also shared a couple of jokes with us to get us laughing. This was one: "Why did the elephant have red nails?... He was trying to hide in a strawberry bush." 

The next speaker was invited to speak without any preparation. Charlie approached the lectern proudly, without hesitation and shared with us about his life as a farmer. He graduated from Purdue 10 years ago and has been learning more about the changing marketplace of the agriculture industry. The global market, including the fluctuations in other countries' economies, the competition and significant weather changes have had a serious impact on the elevation of prices on beans, corn and eggs.  

Charlie's evaluator, Greg spoke for the entire club when he said that he would be interested in learning much more about the agriculture industry and is fascinated by documentaries like King Corn and more. Greg also said he enjoys Charlie's approach to his presentations as he seems to always have a coffee mug in hand, "its very folksy." 

Table topics were led by Marianne Peters and she lightened the room with laughter as she selected a song and invited an audience member to share. Here were the songs:

Tom Petty's Waiting is Hardest Part
KC and the Sunshine Band's I'm the Boogie Man, Boogie Man, Turn Me On
Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey

Do you know what you would speak about for two to three minutes if you had been put on the spot? Table Topics are a great way to help you be agile as a speaker.

Teressa was the meeting's general evaluator and she reminded the members to sign up for roles ahead of time.

Also, she encouraged each speaker evaluator to include feedback and not to just share the positive parts of a speech. This allows for improvement and we all want to grow and improve. 

Officer Meeting Recap

Following the meeting, the officers met for their monthly meeting. Here is a quick snapshot that took place during that meeting. 

We shared our takeaways from our experience from training that took place a couple of weeks ago. Here were some of the comments:

- Our club had a strong core and representation compared to other clubs in the area. 

- Some ideas to help membership grow were discussed including, (1.) Assigned Hosts and (2.) Personal Notes. Planning is underway on these ideas and is being led by Jan and Lisa! More details will be shared soon!

Lastly, we shared about our own roles as officers and how we can apply our responsibilities towards our theme: PROFESSIONALISM. More on this later. 

Reminders:

Dues are due no later than September 30th. 

Please make a payment, checks may be written to Wythougan Toastmasters and may be given to our treasurer, Teressa. 

Registration for Fall Conference is due Monday.

Please send your individual registration including the payment for your meal selection. Registration form may be printed and is available here >>> 

About Toast Notes
Toast Notes is an ongoing review of the Wythougan Toastmaster's weekly meetings located in Plymouth, Indiana on Friday mornings. The purpose of the Toast Notes is to help readers better understand the many benefits Toastmaster clubs can offer, including entertainment, networking, community and professional development opportunities. 

About Wythougan Toastmasters Club
The Wythougan Toastmasters Club meets weekly at 6:45 a.m. on Friday at Christo's Family Restaurant in Plymouth, Indiana. Club members represent a variety of professional backgrounds and personal interests and share one common goal: To speak well. 

Weekly meetings provide members and guests a supportive forum to share speeches and receive constructive feedback. The club support and the Toastmaster resources help individuals refine individuals with a focus on public speaking, leadership qualities and overall professional development skills. Guests are welcome to visit and experience the many benefits Toastmasters provides each Friday at Christo’s Family Dining, 2227 North Michigan Street in Plymouth from 6:45 – 7:45 a.m.  

About Toastmasters International
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization has more than 270,000 members in over 13,000 clubs in 116 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. To learn more about Toastmasters International, click here >