Meeting Notes - July 12, 2012

This was the first meeting of the year, and was held at the MiddleOak building. Meetings during July and August will be held here, and not at Middlesex Community College.

The theme for this meeting was “New Beginnings.”

Past President Kay Jeyapalan was the Toastmaster for the evening.

There were sixteen members present, including new member Will Harovas, who also gave his IceBreaker speech.

Members Present: Patricia Alston, Jay Broderick, Jennifer Cimillica, Sonia Dean, Siva Digavali, Helena Grey, Will Harovas, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Monica Lozano, Daniel Moran, Michael O’Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Robert Schaff, and Judy Thompson.

Meeting

President Jonathan Herron, and Past Club President Kay Jeyapalan installed new officers Jennifer Cimilluca (Vice President-Education) and Jay Broderick (Treasurer). Helena Grey was recognized with an Enthusiam award. Kay was presented with a plaque in appreciation of her service. The plaque was presented by the past officers.

Jennifer Cimilluca was the Table Topics Master.

Prepared speeches:

There were four prepared speeches this evening, three of the four were iceBreaker speeches:

IceBreaker-Pat Alston-“Living the Dream”

IceBreaker-Will Harovas-“Three Interesting Things”

IceBreaker-Monica Lozano, ”Making Friends with Fear”

CC #8 Get Comfortable with Visual Aids-Siva Digavali, “Best Friends Forever”

Roger Arnold will be the guest speaker at the 8/9 meeting. The Humorist Contest will be held on September 27th.

The next meeting will be held on July 26, at the MiddleOak building.

Respectfully submitted,

Pat Alston

Meeting Notes - June 28, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters celebrated their last meeting of the club year in style on Thursday, June 28, at Middlesex Community College. We had 18 members and 4 guests in attendance for a meeting focused on recognition and leadership.

Members Present: Tom Alvord, Patricia Alston, Jay Broderick, Sonia Dean, Ryan Dolan, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Cheryl Mason, Daniel Moran, Michael Nicastre, Sally Nicastre, Michael O'Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Kim Price, Rob Schaff, and Judy Thompson

Guests Present: Richard Peck, Ute Brinkmann, Marsha Kiley, and Caroline Herron

Meeting

Club President Kay Jeyapalan used her last meeting as club president to recognize this year's team of officers and other outstanding members. It was a great club year, with many outstanding guest speakers and our 7th consecutive Presidents Distinguished Award. Thanks again to Kay for all of her efforts on behalf of our club.

Cheryl Mason was our Toastmaster for the evening. Jay Broderick was the Humorist. Ramesh Padavala was the General Evaluator, and was supported by Sally Nicastre (Ah-counter), Judy Thompson (Grammarian), and Jonathan Herron (Timer).  Patricia Alston provided the Word of the Day ("lethologica", the condition of temporarily forgetting a word), and the word was used a surprising number of times throughout the evening.

Tom Alvord was the Table-Topics Master, and his theme was Toastmasters leanings and experiences.

Prepared speeches: All three of our prepared speeches centered on the theme of Leadership.

• Rob Schaff gave a speech from the CC manual entitled "Sharing the Vision," relating the power of inspiring a share vision when leading a team. His speech was evaluated by Michael O'Brien.
• Ute Brinkmann's speech was entitled "Leadership Lessons I learned From My Double Base." Ute used her instrument to organize and punctuate her speech about fundamental leadership lessons. Her speech was evaluated by John Keppler.
• Former District Governor Marsha Kiley gave a speech on her leadership journey through Toastmasters. Her title was "The Ripple Effect." Her speech was evaluated by Kim Price.

Outgoing District Governor Richard Peck addressed the club at the end of the meeting, and congratulated Middlesex County Toastmasters on their continued success and sustained energy. He even confided that we were his wife's favorite club!

This meeting was the last club meeting for members Mike and Sally Nicastre, who are departing for an extended trip to Europe. Bon voyage, Mike and Sally!

Our next meeting will be Thursday, July 12, at the MiddleOak building in downtown Middletown. Please sign up for a meeting role. See you there.

New Club Officers

New Officers for Year 2012-2013 from R to L: Jonathan Herron (President), Chris Sullivan (VP-Membership), Helena Grey(VP-Public Relations), Patricia Alston(Secretary) and Daniel Moran(Sergeant at Arms) being installed by Kalyani Jeyapalan (President 2011-2012)

Meeting Notes - May 24, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, May 24, at Middlesex Community College. We had 21 enthusiastic attendees, including 17 members and 4 guests. The meeting has highlighted by our club elections and 4 prepared speeches.

Members Present: Patricia Alston, John Bell, Jay Broderick, Jennifer Cimilluca, Sonia Dean, Ryan Dolan, Charnaie Gordon, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Jacqueline Kirwan, Daniel Moran, Michael O'Brien, Murali Pemmaraju, Kim Price, Rob Schaff, and Chris Sullivan.

At the business meeting, Club President Kay Jeyapalan mentioned a concern about the number of empty roles at recent meetings. Please take this opportunity to sign up for speaking slots and other meeting roles on the club website.

Club Elections

We held elections to establish our club officers for next year. The club year runs from July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. Our next set of officers will be:

• President: Jonathan Herron
• VPE: Jennifer Cimilluca
• VPM: Chris Sullivan
• VPPR: Helena Grey
• Secretary: Patricia Alston
• Treasurer: Jay Broderick
• Sargent at Arms: Daniel Moran

Congratulations to all of the incoming officers, and thank you for volunteering to help keep this great club going strong.

Meeting

Newly-elected VPE Jennifer Cimilluca was our Toastmaster for the evening. Jacqueline Kirwan provided the invocation, and Jay Broderick was the Humorist. President-elect Jonathan Herron was the General Evaluator, and was supported by John Keppler (Ah-counter), Ryan Dolan (Grammarian), and Charnaie Gordon (Timer). Kay provided the Word of the Day ("egg on", urge on; cause to act).

Murali Pemmaraju was the Table-Topics Master, and got many members and guests involved with questions about special days in the month of May.

Prepared speeches:

• Sonia Dean gave her first speech at this club, speech #2 from the Competent Communicator Manual. Her speech was titled "Glossophobia", and was evaluated by Michael O'Brien.

• Rob Schaff gave speech #5 from the Competent Communicator Manual, called "Fear of Jumping". His speech was evaluated by Kim Price.

• Kim Price gave a speech entitled "Gestures", demonstrating how gestures and body language are used during sales presentations. His speech was evaluated by the club in a round-robin format.

• Kay Jayapalan gave a speech about the DCP program and what it means to the success of the club. Her speech was evaluated by Rob Schaff.

The positive feedback from our guests shows that our club continues to make visitors feel comfortable and welcome at Middlesex. Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 14. Please sign up for a meeting role. See you there!

Respectfully submitted,

Robert A. Schaff, ACS, ALB

Club Elections

Middlesex County Toastmasters held their club elections last night. The club officers for the 2012-2013 club year will be:

President: Jonathan Herron
VPE: Jennifer Cimilluca
VPM: Chris Sullivan
VPPR: Helena Grey
Secretary: Patricia Alston
Treasurer: Jay Broderick
Sargent at Arms: Daniel Moran

Congratulations to all of the incoming officers.

Meeting Notes - May 10, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, May 10, at Middlesex Community College, for a meeting featuring a special guest speaker. We had 25 attendees, including 19 members and 6 guests.

Members Present:

Tom Alvord, Jay Broderick, Jennifer Cimilluca, Sonia Dean, Ryan Dolan, Charnaie Gordon, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Jacqueline Kirwan, Monica Lozano, Daniel Moran, Michael O'Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Rob Schaff, Arun Sodani, Kirti Sodani, Chris Sullivan, and Judy Thompson.

Special guest: Carmine Coco De Young

Meeting

Jacqueline Kirwan was our Toastmaster for the evening. Charnaie Gordon provided the invocation with a Mother's Day theme, and Kirti Sodani was the Humorist. John Keppler was the General Evaluator, and was supported by Chris Sullivan (Ah-counter), Charnaie (Grammarian), and Jonathan Herron (Timer). Sonia Dean provided the Word of the Day ("quixotic", exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical). Ramesh Padavala was the Table-Topics Master.

Prepared speeches:

• Judy Thompson gave speech #5 from the Competent Communicator Manual, Your Body Speaks, with a speech called, "Fore! Run For Your Life". Her speech was evaluated by Michael O'Brien.

• Carmine Coco De Young was our guest speaker. Her speech was entitled, "The Total Effect". Carmine's speech had an inspirational message about the power of words, and she augmented her speech with a Q&A session.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, May 24.

Respectfully submitted,

Rob

Meeting Notes 4/26/12

Attendees: Jennifer Cimilluca, Arun Sordani, Kirti Sordani, Kay Jeyapalan, Judy Thompson, Murali
Pemmaraju, Pat Alston, Helen Evrard, Amy Ansah, Guest Sonia, Guest Dan, Ryan Dolan, Monica Lozano,
John Keppler, Helena Grey, Guest Amy Ansah

Jonathan Herron was the Toastmaster for the evening, Jennifer Cimilluca was the General Evaluator. The
word of the day was “Responsible” and provided to us by Helen Evrard. Technicians were Timer Judy, Ah
Counter – Murali, Grammarian Pat Alston.

Prepared Speeches:

• Amy Ansah, a guest from the Cromwell Club, gave a speech called Three Digs, One Treasure, which was a very creative and thoughtful speech about phases in our lives.
• Jacqueline Kirwan finished up her triple crown of achievements with a speech about what is Love and how do you know if you are in Love. What is it?
• Jennifer Cimilluca told us what it was to be 22 years old and in love with a new car but that as with all things you love there are ups and downs especially when the love involves a clutch and a stick shift.
• Kay Jeyapalan unveiled Moments of Truth and asked us all to provide feedback on what is going well but what could be done better at Middlesex County Toastmasters.

Evaluators:

• Kay Jeyapalan provided good thoughts and positive feedback to Amy Ansah.
• Murali Pemmaraju evaluated the Love Evaluation of Jackies speech

The Group gave very constructive feedback on what we can do better at Middlesex County Toastmasters.

Next Meeting will be May 10th when we will have a Guest Speaker Carmine Coco DeYoung and her speck

– Total Effect!

Meeting Notes - March 29, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, March 29, at Middlesex Community College, for their spring speechathon. Eleven members and one guest were on hand to hear six speeches, including two amazing Ice-Breakers and two contest speeches.

Attendees:

Jennifer Cimilluca, Siva Digavalli, Helen Evrard and her friend Kimberly, Charnaie Gordon, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, Jacqueline Kirwan, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Rob Schaff, and Kirti Sodani.

Jonathan Herron was our Toastmaster, and provided the word of the day, "persevere". Jennifer was the General Evaluator, and was supported by Murali (Ah-counter), Siva (Grammarian), and Ramesh (Timer).

Prepared speeches:

• Kirti Sodani gave her Ice-Breaker speech, and appeared poised and confident in her first prepared speech at the club. Her speech was evaluated by Ramesh.

• Jacqueline Kirwan gave her final speech from the Interpretive Reading advanced manual, an Oratorical Speech entitled, "A Whisper of Aids." Her speech was evaluated by Rob.

• Jennifer Cimilluca presented her Tall-Tale for the upcoming club speech contest at her second-favorite Toastmasters club. The attendees provided a round-robin evaluation. Good luck at your contest!

• Charnaie Gordon gave a speech on her High Performance Leadership project. The speech provided an overview of her project, organizing a Toastmasters training event, and gave us insight into the HPL program. The speech was evaluated by Kay.

• Helen Evrard gave the second outstanding Ice-Breaker of the day, a moving account with the title, "Starting Act III." Her speech was evaluated by Charnaie.

• Murali Pemmaraju practiced his Tall-Tale contest speech, "My Adventures with Harry," in preparation for the Area Contest on Tuesday, April 3. The attendees provided a round-robin evaluation. Good luck, Murali! We know you will do a great job representing Middlesex County Toastmasters.

Our next club meeting on April 12 will feature a great guest speaker, Nana Danso. See you there!

Respectfully submitted,
Rob

Club Speech Contest

Middlesex County Toastmasters held their Spring 2012 Club Speech Contest on March 9.

Contest Chair Arun Sodani ensured that we had a well-organized contest.  Volunteers included Chris Sullivan (Sergeant at Arms),  Michael O’Brien (Contest Master),  and Jennifer Cimilluca (Chief Judge).

There were 5 contestants between the two contests, International and Tall Tales.  Rob Schaff was the 1st place winner of the International Speech Contest and Tom Alvord 1st place winner of the Tall Tales Contest.  Rob and Tom will be competing at the Area Level Contest to be held at the Nutmeg Club in April. 

Don't miss our Open House

Bowling @ Bowl-O-Rama

Meeting Notes - February 23, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, February 23, at Middlesex Community College. We had 19 in attendance, 16 members and 3 guests. Our meeting featured a first-time Toastmaster, another Competent Communicator added to our ranks, and a new member joining the club.

Members Present:

Patricia Alston, Tom Alvord, Anne-Marie Cannata, Helen Evrard, Helena Grey, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Mike Nicastre, Sally Nicastre, Michael O'Brien, Murali Pemmaraju, Rob Schaff, Arun Sodani, Chris Sullivan, and Judy Thompson.

Guest Present:

• Kim Toledo, who became our newest club member at the conclusion of the meeting

• Kirti Sodani, who came back for her second visit

• Linnae Gould, a first-time visitor who lives in Portland, CT


At the start of the meeting, Club President Kay Jeyapalan announced that we have officially achieved President's Distinguished Club status. This is the 7th straight year that the club has achieved this highest level of recognition. Congratulations, Middlesex County Toastmasters!
Chris Sullivan was the Toastmaster for this evening. This was Chris's first turn at Toastmaster, and he made it look easy. Murali Pemmaraju provided the invocation, and Helen Evrard provided a humorous story. Murali was the General Evaluator, and was supported by Arun Sodani (Ah-counter), Anne-Marie Cannata (Grammarian), and Helena Grey (Timer).

Kay provided the Word of the Day ("exultant"; overjoyed, thrilled), and the club members did a great job of using the word through-out the meeting. Rob Schaff was the Table-Topics Master, and used a set of inspirational quotes that he received from World Champion of Public Speaking Darren LaCroix as the topics.

Prepared speeches:

• Jonathan Herron presented his 10th speech from the CC manual, earning his Competent Communicator award. His speech, entitled "What Is Your Fairytale?", was evaluated by Kay. Congratulations, Jonathan!

• Tom Alvord gave a speech about his Toyota Prius, which was evaluated by Mike O'Brien.

• Sally Nicastre gave a speech about her experiences on the Connecticut Wine Trail, evaluated by Tom.

• Judy Thompson presented a speech on her trip down the Colorado River, entitled "Never Knew I Was a River Rat." Her speech was evaluated by Michael Nicastre.

Tom talks about his Prius

Our next meeting will be our Spring Club Speech Contest, on Thursday, March 8. We are still looking for contestants for both the International and Tall Tales contests. See you there!

Respectfully submitted,

Robert A. Schaff, ACS, ALB

Meeting Notes - February 9, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, February 9, at Middlesex Community College. Twenty-one public speaking fans were in attendance, including 17 members and 4 wonderful guests. This meeting featured one member giving their very first speech, and one member achieving their Competent Communicator award by giving their 10th speech.

Members Present:

Patricia Alston, Tom Alvord, John Bell, Anne-Marie Cannata, Jennifer Cimilluca, Omar El-Taliawi, Helen Evrard, Charnaie Gordon, Helena Grey, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Kim Price, Rob Schaff, and Chris Sullivan.

Guest Present:

• Mary Essue, who recently moved from Florida to Connecticut

• Dave Pelland, a member of Park City Toastmasters and brother to our own Jennifer Cimilluca

• Kirti Sodani, who is married to long-time club member Arun Sodani

• Kim Toledo, a second-time visitor to our club from Middletown


At the business meeting, Club President Kay Jeyapalan recognized new members Patricia Alston and Helen Evrard with their official membership pins.

Arun Sodani was once again our Toastmaster. Charnaie Gordon provided the invocation, and Ramesh Padavala told a very humorous joke. Jonathan Herron was the General Evaluator, and was supported by Tom Alvord (Ah-counter), Helen Evrard (Grammarian), and Jennifer Cimilluca (Timer). Chris Sullivan provided the Word of the Day ("bombast", pretentious, inflated speech), and Jonathan managed to use the word twice.

Kay Jeyapalan was the Table-Topics Master, and provided a mix of group exercises and solo topics.

Prepared speeches:

• Omar El-Taliawi gave his Ice-Breaker speech, fittingly entitled "A Little About Myself." His speech was evaluated by Helena Grey.

• Rob Schaff gave a speech from the Special Occasions Manual, speaking in praise about "My Marathon Mentor." His speech was evaluated by Kim Price.

• Murali Pemmaraju gave us some insight into his speech preparation methods with a project from the Humorously Speaking advanced manual. His speech was titled, "How I Cook My Speech," and was evaluated by Tom Alvord.

• Helena Grey presented her 10th speech from the CC manual, earning the Competent Communicator award. Her moving speech was titled, "Of Men and Honor", and was evaluated by Charnaie Gordon.


The feedback from our guests shows that our club continues to make visitors feel comfortable and welcome at Middlesex. Our next meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 23. See you there!

Respectfully submitted,

Rob
Robert A. Schaff, ACS, ALB

Meeting Notes - January 26

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, January 26, at our primary meeting place at Middlesex Community College. Twelve club members and one guest enjoyed an entertaining and educational meeting.

Business Meeting Notes:

• Club President Kay Jeyaplan informed us that our club now has 8 out of 10 points towards the Distinguished Club Program.

• There is a District Training program at Middlesex Community College on Monday, 1/30. Following this training, the club should have 9 of 10 points, achieving President's Distinguished status.

• Rob Schaff informed us that the club website will be converted to a new platform this week. There will be a new look, a new login procedure, and a new method for signup up for meeting roles.


Arun Sodani was our Toastmaster for the evening. Jennifer Cimilluca provided the Invocation and filled in as the Humorist.

Murali Pemmaraju was our General Evaluator, and was supported by Michael O'Brien (Ah-counter and Ha-counter), Jonathan Herron (Grammarian), and John Keppler (Timer). Kay gave us the Word of the Day ("munificent", very generous).

Ramesh Padavala served as Table-Topics Master, and provided each participant with their choice of two questions. Our guest, Kim Toledo, participated in Table Topics and did a great job.

Prepared speeches:

• Michael O'Brien gave an Ice-Breaker speech, entitled "My Experience in Toastmasters." His speech explored the advantages of belonging to Toastmasters, and the positive impact it has had on him. His speech was evaluated by John Keppler.

• Siva Digavalli gave the "Your Body Speaks" project from the CC manual, titled, "My Experiment with My Daughter's Elementary School Science Project." His speech was evaluated by Jennifer.

• Helena Grey gave a persuasive speech called "Self-Actualization, evaluated by Rob.

• Jonathan Herron have an impromptu speech, persuading the audience that the Giants will definitely beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. His speech was evaluated by Helena.

Our next meeting will be on February 9. See you then!

Members Present:

Jennifer Cimilluca, Siva Digavalli, Helena Grey, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Michael O'Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Rob Schaff, Arun Sodani, and Omar Taliawi.

Guests Present: Kim Toledo

Respectfully submitted,
Rob

Speech-a-thon notes, January 18

The Middlesex County Toastmasters and Wallingford Eagle Toastmasters joined together on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, at Middlesex Mutual Assurance Company, 213 Court Street, Middletown for a Joint Speech-A-Thon in 2012.

There were 5 truly amazing well-prepared speeches by two Middlesex members and three Eagle Club members! A well organized meeting as usual with refreshments! Thanks to Murali for a job well done. Members stepped up to take various roles at the last minute. John Keppler stepped up to give a speech at the very last minute as he has always done to help the club. Helen Evrard, our newest member, stepped up to be the Grammarian! Thank you so much Helen. Helen was so conscientious in giving constructive feedback to all of us. It takes genuine concentration and energy to give such a detail and useful feedback. Murali Pemmaraju, VPE of Middlesex County Toastmasters Club, was the Toastmaster of the evening and did a superb job!!!

Members Present:
Middlesex Club - Jennifer Cimilluca, Helen Evrard, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Emily O’Brien, Michael O’ Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju.
Eagle Club: Ute Brinkmann, Catherine Kelly, Rachel Mele.

Guest Present: Janaman Swalsing

Our Sergeant At Arms started the meeting on time at 7:00 p.m.

Our Toastmaster, Murali, was supported by Ute Brinkmann (Timer), Ah Counter (Ramesh Padavala), and Grammarian ( Helen Evrard). Helen Evrard presented the Word of the Day, “Genuine” meaning authentic or true. Ramesh Padavala was our General Evaluator.

Kay Jeyapalan was the Invocator.

Prepared Speeches:

Rachel Mele presented “Emailaholics Anonymous,” Humorously Speaking Manual, Her speech was evaluated by Jennifer Cimilluca.

Emily O’Brien presented “Special Dog,” Competent Communication Manual, Project Vocal Variety. Her speech was evaluated by Catherine Kelly.

Catherine Kelly gave a speech “My Journey in Toastmasters,” Competent Communication Manual, Project Ice Breaker. Her speech was evaluated by Michael O’Brien.

John Keppler’s speech was “Do you have the Courage?” Competent Communication Manual, Persuade with Power. His speech was evaluated by Rachel Mele.

Ute Brinkmann gave a speech “Who Am I,” Interpretive Reading –Monodrama. Her speech was evaluated by Jonathan Herron.

Murali Pemmaraju thanked everyone for bringing the refreshments and taking part in organizing the meeting. Eagle and Middlesex members expressed interest in organizing a Joint Speech-A-Thon again. Kay Jeyapalan applauded all for attending the meeting and contributing towards speeches and various roles.

Our special thanks goes to Jonathan Herron for arranging the room at his work place and welcoming all the members at the entrance as we walked in.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kay Jeyapalan, CC, ALB
Middlesex County Toastmasters Club # 8340

Meeting Notes, January 12, 2012

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, January 12, 2012, at Middlesex Mutual Assurance Company, 213 Court Street, Middletown for our first meeting in 2012. It was another wonderful meeting with 4 great speeches and members stepping up to take more than one role. Emily O’Brien was our Toastmaster for the evening and did a fantastic job!

Members Present: Jay Broderick, Siva Digavali, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Cheryl Mason, Michael Nicastre, Sally Nicastre, Emily O’Brien, Michael O’ Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Arun Sodani, Chris Sullivan, Judy Thompson

Guests Present: Helen Evrard

Business Meeting:

Kay Jeyapalan announced that the meeting on January 26th will be at our regular location, Middlesex Community College, 100 Training Hill Road, Middletown, Chapman Hall, Room 808 D. There will be an Officer Training on January 30th at the same location from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. You don’t need to be an officer to attend this program. Please see the attached flyer for more information. The club’s Open House will be on March 22nd, more information will follow. Kim Price received an e-mail from the Headmaster of a private school in Waterbury-Chase Collegiate School asking whether our members will volunteer to be judges for their public speaking events. The time is 8:00 – 11:00 during the workday. Kay will find out the dates of these events. The description of the program is attached.

Murali Pemmaraju announced that our joint Speech-A-Thon with Eagle Club will be on January 18th at MiddleOak Building, 213 Court Street, 2nd Floor, Wilcox Room. Bowling will take place on Saturday, February 18th, 2:00 p.m., @ Bowl-O-Rama, 2143 Berlin Tpke, Newington, Ph: (860) 666-5411. Our Spring Contest, International and Tall Tales, will be held on March 8th. There is no requirement to participate in the Tall Tales Contest. However, you need to have completed 6 speeches on your Competent Communication Manual in order to compete in the International Speech Contest. Contact Murali if you want to take part in the contest as either contestants or various roles.

Our Toastmaster, Emily, was supported by Jay Broderick (Timer), Ah-Ha Counter (Murali Krishna Pemmaraju), and Grammarian (Guest Helen Evrard). Jay Broderick presented the Word of the Day, “Kudos” meaning praise given for achievement. Michael O’ Brien was our General Evaluator.

Kay was the Humorist. Judy was our Table Topics Master and she asked the audience topics related to “weather.” Everyone got a chance to speak at the meeting.

Prepared Speeches:

Jonathan Herron presented “Local Medical Treatment is Important,” Competent Communication Manual, Project #8, Get Comfortable With Visual Aids. His speech was evaluated by Siva Digavali.

Cheryl Mason presented “Purposefully Positive” Competent Communication Manual, Project #9, Persuade With Power. Her speech was evaluated by Ramesh.

Arun Sodani gave a speech “Camping 101” Competent Communication Manual, Project #9, Persuade with Power. His speech was evaluated by Cheryl Mason.

Chris Sullivan’s speech was “No Goal is Out of Sight” Competent Communication Manual, Project #6, Vocal Variety. His speech was evaluated by Arun Sodani.

Thanks to all who stepped up to take various roles at the last minute. Our special thanks to guest Helen Evrard for taking the “Grammarian” role at the last minute. Kudos to Helen. She did a thorough job!!!

Respectfully Submitted,

Kay Jeyapalan, CC, ALB