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

Meeting Notes - December 08, Movie Night

The Middlesex County Toastmasters met on Thursday, December 8, at Middlesex Community College, for our last meeting of 2011. Fifteen members and two guests were in attendence for a special Movie Night, featuring the Toastmasters video "Magic Moments 2".

Charnaie Gordon was our Toastmaster. Charnaie added to our Movie Night theme by mixing in some movie trivia, and rewarding correct answers with popcorn. Kay Jeyapalan provided the invocation, and Murali Pemmaraju was our Humorist.

Ramesh Padavala was our General Evaluator, and was supported by Jennifer Cimilluca (Ah-counter and Ha-counter), Rob Schaff (Grammarian), and Murali (Timer). Judy Thompson gaves us the Word of the Day ("ardent", enthusiastic or passionate). Judy presented the word as a scramble, and Jennifer was the first to figure it out. Charnaie also served as Table-Topics Master.

Prepared speeches:

• Helena Grey presented a Christmasy speech entitled, "Ornaments and Stuff," as project #8 from the Competent Communicator manual. She supported her speech with a variety of seasonal visual aids, including Christmas ornaments, candy canes, and mistletoe. Her speech was expertly evaluated by Michael O'Brien.

Movie Night

In the second hour of the meeting, we watched the movie, "Magic Moments 2". This movie was a collection of great moments from the Toastmasters International Speech Contest, from 2001-2003. A transcript of the movie is attached to this email.

The movie was narrated by David Brooks, the 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking. You can learn more about David Brooks and access free public speaking resources at his web site:
http://www.davidbrookstexas.com/

We had two guests visit the club, Pat and Omar. Both guests recognized that Toastmasters can be a fun and supportive way to improve their public speaking and get more comfortable in front of an audience. We hope to see them both again in 2012!

Our next meeting will be on January 12. This meeting will be held at MiddleOak in downtown Middletown. Details about directions and parking will be sent out prior to the meeting.

Members Present:

Tom Alvord, Jennifer Cimilluca, Charnaie Gordon, Helena Grey, Steven Grey, Jonathan Herron, Kay Jeyapalan, John Keppler, Monica Lozano, Emily O'Brien, Michael O'Brien, Ramesh Padavala, Murali Pemmaraju, Rob Schaff, and Judy Thompson.

Guests Present: Patricia Alston, Omar Taliawi

Respectfully submitted,

Robert A. Schaff, ACS, ALB