Benjamin Toastmasters meeting of 21 March 2014 at University of Canberra

This meeting was again a small ome - nine present, including three visitors.
Geoff stepped up to act as Toastmaster.  Leona replaced the no-show first speaker with a great introduction to speaker roles - targeted to visitors and new members, but also illuminating for me.
Ianon gave an informative speech on High Performance Leadership - based on the six dimensions of leadership:
 - Vision and values
 - Direction
 - Persuasion
 - Support
 - Development
 - Appreciation
Ianon focussed on the last two dimensions.

Dom was Table Topics Master.  He provided four thought provoking topics.  Peter addressed the question as to whether too much is spent on sport, and if sport has lost its connection with the community.  Karina spoke to 'if you could sing, who would you be?' - an easy one for her since she turned out to be a singer.
Lili addressed accent/communication issues, and Nicole spoke about what she might like to change (or not change) about her childhood.
The speech evaluations from both Peter and Karina were great, and great models for future evaluators.

All in all another fun meet.  :)

Benjamin Club hosted the Belconnen area speaking contest, 15 March

As you know, from the post two-below about our internal club 'International speech' contest, Toastmasters clubs hold competitions to find their best speakers.

The six clubs in the Belconnen area, ACT, competed on Saturday 15 March at University of Canberra's Retro Cafe to find the best speakers to represent our 'area' in 'International speech', and also in 'Evaluation' - two separate competitions.
Our club, Benjamin, was the host, making all the arrangements (thanks to our capable and very experienced President, Ianon). Judges for these contests are invited from across the district to ensure impartiality; all the competing clubs also contribute volunteers to fill the various other leadership roles laid down in the formal guidelines for running Toastmasters contests.

The International speeches tackle topics that are inspirational or thought provoking. The audience of about 40 at Retro Cafe heard a smorgasbord of very good speeches, each lasting between 5 and 7 minutes. There was: how public speaking helps a person frame how they address controversial topics even within the family (Dominic); everyone is capable of good and bad or unexpected behaviour (Tami); the inspiration of a mother overcoming enormous challenges to raise five sons (Tony); awkward colleagues can be found in all types of workplaces (Mike); how little we really know about coffee and its background until we research the fine print (Chris); and some life-changing experiences in Cairo (Angela).

After a tea break, we heard from 'target' speaker Sangeeta, whose speech was then evaluated by the six contestants in the Evaluation contest. Sangeeta benevolently discussed features we have all noticed in the various generations we belong to. In particular, we heard how Gen Y differs from older gens, and there were a good many 'ah-ha' moments! Each contestant made notes during the speech. Then they were ushered to another room, given a few minutes to refine their thinking and notes, and brought back one by one to speak their unique 2-3 minute evaluations.  

The afternoon concluded with announcements of the winners of the two contests (in both, Dept-of-Immigration Club = First; Kippax Club = Second), presentation of certificates and the winners' trophies (personal and perpetual), and the drawing of the contest raffle.

Benjamin Club is very grateful to UC's Coop Books and also to UC's Mizzuna Cafe, which between them generously donated four of the much-desired raffle prizes.

*The ultimate winner of the various levels of the contest (club - area - district - division) will represent NSW and ACT at the even-higher-level contests overseas for the ultimate title of World Champion, later this year. (That's why it's called 'international'.)

Meeting no. 1017 - 7 March 2014

This meeting began in a rather dishevelled manner, as the two scheduled speakers were unable to speak, and we had five visitors. Nevertheless, the meeting was quickly turned into a fun, productive meeting. In place of speeches Leona (I hope my recollection is correct about the organiser of this) arranged a round-robin talk. This was surpisingly fun. Our new member Karina was Table Topics Master, and came up with some great topics, including some on-the-fly to fill in time because of the missing scheduled speakers. Karina's topics were: 1.Learning from our elders helps avoid making mistakes in our lives. Give an example of advice given to you by your parents that turned out to be wrong, or a mistake they made that helped you learn to avoid making the same mistake. 2. They say that the problem with elections is that whoever you vote for, you get a politician. Can you think of an alternative? 3. What is your ideal getaway and how do you deal with day to day stress? Any stress-busting tips? 4.Some compare having a pet with having a child. In what way is this true or not true? 5.Once the National gallery displayed 3 black paintings as modern art. What is the purpose of modern art? Does it make the world a better place? 6.What does home mean to you? 7.Competition. Is it healthy? Keiko's table topics evaluations were as usual informative, incisive, and a valuable model for us to use in the future. Thankyou. Overall, I was pleased that we had a productive meeting, despite the unexpected problems at the start. VPPR.