Special Events – Page 5 – Spirited Speech Masters

Members and Guests Spoke Easily at our Fall Open House

Posted in Special Events on November 19, 2019 by Loni Huff

Our speakeasy-themed fall open house event was a roaring success with a turnout of more than 20 welcome guests! All participants performed admirably in their chosen roles, with Joann providing warm and enthusiastic transitions between each segment as the President and Toastmaster-of-the-Day. Christine introduced a specially chosen Word-of-the-Day, brouhaha.

Our headline event was a humorously poignant speech about the journey that lead one member to non-contact boxing, a speech that was expertly evaluated by Sally. I had the pleasure of running a variation of Table Topics, and our VP of Enrollment Usamah closed out the meeting with information about how to enroll in the Spirited Speech Masters program.

A huge thank you to everyone who made this event possible, especially the two other members of the planning committee, Usamah and Dawn, as well as our photographer, Allison! I hope you enjoy some of the photographs she took at this year's event:

Had a great time at the Open House and now interested in becoming part of Spirited Speech Masters? Visit our Join page!

Public speaking give you jitterbugs?

Posted in Special Events on November 1, 2019 by Loni Huff

Come to the Spirited Speech Masters Speakeasy Open House on November 14^th to learn how Toastmasters can help you develop public speaking and leadership skills!

Thursday, November 14th
1MC16.3312 (central breakroom on the 16th floor)
noon-1:00 PM

The event will feature an engaging speech by an accomplished storyteller, and we will be serving appetizers along with a bevvy of Prohibition-themed "mocktails" that are sure to be the Bee's Knees!

Build your confidence while conquering your fears in the warm and supportive environment of Toastmasters, all without having to leave your workplace!

Be Your Best Leader: Executive Leadership Summit

Posted in District, Special Events on October 29, 2019 by Loni Huff

District 56 is hosting an Executive Leadership Summit on November 2nd. This set of workshops will substitute for officer-required Toastmasters Leadership Institute, but all members are encouraged to attend.

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2019
Time: 9a - 2p (Registration at 8:30a)
Where: Fountain Life Center
14083 South Main Street
Houston, TX 77035

Please join to learn more from your fellow Toastmasters and let us all grow as leaders!

Parliamentary Procedure in Motion

Posted in Special Events, Weekly Window on October 24, 2019 by Sally Boyd

If you missed today’s workshop on Parliamentary Procedure, you missed a treat!! When we think of Robert’s Rules of order, we think of very formal and strict rules for running a meeting. [Yawn!] Tamesia Garner’s presentation couldn’t have been more different. She very clearly focused on the heart of the matter that most people can appreciate.

We received a great handout on constructing a successful meeting agenda entitled, “The Agenda: Don’t Leave Home without It” and detailing a number of different segments that can help a group make the most of their time.

Her second handout -- entitled "Getting the Train on the Tracks" -- discussed how motions are handled, using a train as a metaphor:

Getting the train on the tracks; a motion is made.
Can the train go anywhere at this point? The motion is seconded (or not, in which case the train is derailed).
Once we are chugging along, what happens next to get us on our journey? The motion is restated and possibly voted upon (at the "Voting Station," naturally).

Tammy has a humorous and down-to-earth style that you can’t help but appreciate. At the same time, she is inclusive, sagacious, and a great teacher, ensuring that she thoroughly and completely answered every question asked by the audience members.

Thank you to our members who filled roles today:

Sally, Toastmaster
Doug, Grammarian (word of the day: sagacious)
Loni, Timer for a complex speech

Also to volunteers, Usamah and Paulette!

And thanks to Loni for the yummy refreshments!

One Set of Rules to Rule them All

Posted in Special Events on October 23, 2019 by Sally Boyd

We will have a special guest this week, Tammy Garner, to speak on Parliamentary Procedure. This is the formal process of running a meeting that is used by Toastmasters and many other organizations.

Sally will serve as Toastmaster for this special event and -- while this will not have the standard format of our usual meetings -- we still have a few roles to fill. We still need a Timer, an Evaluator and a Grammarian (for a word of the day).

We encourage you to share the news with your friends and anyone who might be interested in this topic and come support our guest.