Toastmaster Midori-san set the meeting theme as ‘Frozen Food’, which sounded it reverses in winter when I first heard it. Indeed, it was a little bit cold on the meeting day. Not a blizzard but it’s bizarre! According to the National Calendar Day, our meeting date March 6th was National Frozen Food Day. Midori-san thinks frozen food is very convenient to use and even said it was a life saver to her especially when she was hectic working or whatever. I agree with her and I have had my kids use frozen food to make their lunch for themselves before, which was quick and easy.
Speaking of which, as a role taker myself, I picked the following word for the Word of the Day. Word of the Day: ˌno-ˈbrainer = a decision that is easy, and that you do not need to think about, used when you want to emphasize that it is really very easy e.g.) Joining the plan is a no-brainer. Just do it. If you ask me, it's a no-brainer. Of course, you should accept the job. The movie is a complete no-brainer, but enjoyable The most frequent users: Peko-san in her very first-time evaluation speech Thanks a lot!
Now I’d like to introduce other role takers for today. Grammarian: Takako-san kindly used the Word of the Day when she reviewed some grammatical errors and useful expressions after the main session was over. Timer Hideo-san explained his role well with 3 different colored sheets of papers to show each speaker. Thanks a lot for your cooperation. Well, it’s time to begin with the prepared speech session.
The 1st speaker was LanAnh-san! Her speech title was ‘One Poem.’ from Competent Communication Manual#4. The speech objectives were as follows. Words and sentence structure communicate the ideas clearly, accurately and vividly. Rhetorical devices enhance and emphasize ideas. No jargon or unnecessary words. Correct grammar used. She talked about one poem when she learned in school as a student. The poem was like this: to love is to die a little in heart. At first, she didn’t understand the meaning of the poem, but she pretended to do because she didn’t want her classmates to know her ignorance. Then she described in a poetic way how she eventually figured out what it meant by herself so that we clearly and vividly got the whole picture. Thanks for sharing your imaginative storytelling!
The 2nd speaker was Kazuko-san! Her speech title was ‘The Story of Our Lives.’ from Competition & Other speeches #1. As for the speech objectives, I’m sorry that I couldn’t find them on the meeting agenda. While listening to her speech, or her story, I felt as if I were actually watching what was happening to her. She wanted to create her own story as a little, but she realized that life was not so rosy as she had expected. After surmounting lots of plights, however, she realized her dream to establish the first language school in her area and make a difference in the local people’s life. Kazuko-san, thanks a lot for sharing your dramatic stories with us. I will keep in mind that “it’s you who create your story of your life” from a message in a book you read.
The 3rd speaker was Drian! His speech title was ‘You are here.’ from Competent Communication Manual #9. His speech objectives were to persuade listeners to adopt viewpoint or ideas, or to take some action; to appeal to the audience’s interests; to use logic and emotion to support the position; and to avoid using notes. I had known the story he was talking about in his speech today from his post on social media. He rescued a precious ‘pal’ when he went on a motorcycle ride in Yamanashi. It moved me a lot and I perceived he was such a tender-hearted and generous guy. Listening to his speech today gave us more insights into the life-saver story. It was to find the true self again. Thanks a lot for giving us another inspiring speech.
Next, Table topic session conducted by Yuki-san! All of sudden, we heard a piece of music Radetzky-March♪Aha! She is a music person! What an intriguing way to start the session! The theme was ‘It’s March! Let’s march!’ After each speaker chose a question number at random, we heard a march related to the question.
#1 If you go to America, which state do you want to go? ♪Stars and stripes forever♪ Hideki-san as an auditor wants to go to Illinoi State because he has a license of ISACA. ISACA international headquarter is located there. If you are curious about what it is, go to the website. http://www.isaca.org/about-isaca/Pages/default.aspx I checked it and thought it was beyond of my ability to be a member. Haha…
#2 What is your next target at the moment? ♪Aida: Triumph march and chorus ‘Gloria all ‘Egitto’♪ Masashi-san, a new member, it is one of his targets to finish up toastmaster activities in 3-4 years and create a Toastmasters club in Gumma prefecture, where he lives. Wow! What an ambitious member he is! He has just encouraged me to make another speech because I haven’t made a prepared speech for more than a year.
#3 If you found a “Double Eagle”, what would you do? ♪Under the Double-Eagles♪ Marama-san said if she found a double eagle, that would be amazing. But she often sees eagles, not double-heads ones, flying in the sky in her neighborhood. She lives out in the countryside and there are lots of rice paddies. One day while driving she saw 2 eagles fighting or trying to mate high in the sky, which was fascinating for her. If she found a double-heads eagle, she would report it to people who are into researching unusual birds though she doesn’t know the researchers. Wow. I was just impressed how she could handle such a difficult question to answer.
#4 How do you spend your holiday? ♪Buglar’s holiday♪ Yamaji-san found it easy to answer the question because he lives in Yamaguchi now and it is not a familiar place to him because he just moved from Kanto area last year with his family. He has already explored the city by going to a museum and others. Since he is available during the “Golden Week” this year, he is very looking forward to visit Setouchi area, which is close to his place.
#5 If you were a king or a queen, what would you do? ♪Pomp and Circumstance March♪ Paul-san answered another interesting question very well. He was one of our wonderful guests today and made a quick decision to be a member after the meeting. Paul-san, we are glad to have you in our club. Thank you! Well, what he said in his speech that he was basically lazy, and he wanted all the people to relax or let them go on a holiday. Haha…
Lastly, I would like to make an announcement. The best table topic speaker was Marama-san! The best evaluator was Aaron-san! Congratulations, both of you! Getting the award might be a no-brainer for them 😉