May Recap

GWU TOASTMASTERS

Recap- May 2, 2007

May 2 marked the end of the GWU Toastmasters semester and members celebrated by bringing in food and practicing impromptu speaking.  Thanks to Christine for the cookies, Lisa for the chips and dip, Susan for the apples, and Alexis for the utensils. 

Thanks also go to those who participated in impromptu speaking:

Susan Tomczuk answered a question about how she has improved over the year as a Toastmaster.  She spoke about how her fear of public speaking has dissipated, how she has become more organized in her thoughts, and how her confidence in her speaking has been demonstrated by her vocal stability and strong stance.

Yalonda Mims answered a question about how she plans to improve as a speaker this summer.  Yalonda stated that she was going to improve her speaking in her social life and in general, prepare more and speak louder.  She also mentioned her desire to become more organized and articulate.

Nick Mandrus answered a question about the most memorable speech he heard at GWU Toastmasters.  He referenced a speech by GWU Member Ellen Bradshaw about conserving water.  Nick enjoyed Ellen’s speech so much because it changed how he lived.  He no longer left the water running for fifteen minutes while he performed other tasks.  Instead, he let it run for a number of seconds before he wanted to use it.

Alexis Horn also answered the question about the most memorable speech she heard at GWU Toastmasters.  She said that she enjoyed Lisa Nolte’s speech that referenced her arachnophobia and her nightmares of having an army of spiders march over her body.  She also mentioned Yalonda Mim’s speech that applauded the independence of single women.

Christine Hanson answered a question about how GWU Toastmasters has grown as a club.  Christine told the audience about the friendly bonds that have been created amongst members and the commitment of members.  She referenced Alexis Horn’s work to coordinate meetings, Lisa Nolte’s efforts to publicize the club, and Susan Tomczuk’s outreach efforts.

Finally, Benjamin Cukok answered a question about how GWU Toastmasters could improve as a club.  Benjamin proposed hosting theme meetings during which all attendees would speak on a common theme.  He also advocated socials like the one GWU Toastmasters hosted for their end of the semester celebration.

Recap- May 8, 2007

Word of the Day- sagacious meaning wise

Prepared Speeches:

            Benjamin Cukok- Ben presented his first speech, an introduction to his life.  In this 5-6 minute speech titled “The Once and Future Bright Man,” Ben spoke about his life growing up in the Philippines.  Among other things, he spoke about his Jesuit upbringing at school and his care under his care under his grandma.  He also spoke about his experiences as a realtor and his dream to create a foundation for the homeless.

            Noemi Herrera- Noemi presented her second speech which focused on organization. In her 5-7 minute speech which was titled “Making a Good First Impression,” Noemi spoke about how physical appearance, body language, and actions are important factors in a first impression.  Noemi referred to the book “Blank” and how people will judge another based on past experiences in a few seconds, a practice which is known as “thin slicing.”

            Nick Mandrus- Nick presented his forth speech which focused on organization and succinctness.  In his 5-7 minute speech titled “Fish Oil,” Nick spoke about the his knowledge of vitamins.  He states that vitamins can be a good supplement for one's diet but are not always necessary.  He referenced his own experiences, doctors, studies online, and the advice of others. He spoke about vitamins as health deterrents and the effects of vitamin use.

            Susan Tomczuk- Susan presented her seventh speech which focused on incorporating research into her speech.  In her 5-7 minute speech titled “The Relationship of Language and Foreign Policy,” Susan spoke about how language is sometimes indicative of foreign policy.  She highlighted cases in the United States, Japan, and Russia and made reference to her own knowledge and articles from news sources and research institutes.

Recap- May 17, 2007

Word of the Day- stupendous meaning really great

Prepared Speeches:

            Susan Tomczuk- Susan gave her eighth speech which focused on using visual aids in her 6:08 minute speech which she titled “Meaningful Junk”.  Susan spoke about a few “junky” items that she keeps because of the stories that are attached to them.  She brought in “Senor Ducky,” an “Indian dollar,” and a knight in shining armor, among other things.  She met her speech objectives of incorporating complementary objects into her text that helped the audience understand and remember her speech while not becoming distracting.

            Ellen Bradshaw- Ellen presented her seventh speech which focused on incorporating research into her 11 minute speech.  Through her speech titled “You Work for Things and Then You Live to Clean Them,” Ellen spoke about prioritizing activites to achieve a good work-life balance. In her excellently researched speech, Ellen brought in personal experiences as well as references to news articles and a public policy institute to make her case that a good work-life balance will decrease heart disease, help the environment, and increase efficiency.

            Yalonda Mims- Yalonda presented her fifth speech which focused on using body language to complement your speech.  In her speech titled “How to Impress Him Using Appropriate Body Language and Conversation,” Yalonda spoke about how the physical appearance, gestures, and behaviors of her date and herself made them a successful couple.  Yalonda met the goals of her speech objectives by maintaining good eye contact, holding a firm stance, and smiling.

Recap- April 11, 2007

Word of the Day- abdicate meaning to surrender or give up.

Prepared Speeches:

            Alexis Horn- Alexis gave her eighth speech which focused on using visual aids comfortably.  In her 5-7 minute speech, Alexis spoke about her memories that are tied up in objects.  She referenced a wristband that she gathered at a Backstreet Boys concert, a rock that she picked up while hiking when she was younger, and a travel book that she bought to prepare for her trip to Iceland.

            Lisa Nolte- Lisa gave her ninth speech which focused on persuasion.  Lisa persuaded the audience to consider visiting Puerto Rico using a “Top Ten” tick down of awesome reasons to go.  These included beaches, rum, beautiful people, close location and an enticing natural setting. She very appropriately started and ended her speech by stretching out in a pretend-beach chair under

            Susan Tomczuk- Susan gave her sixth speech which focused on vocal variety.  Starting out with the introductory beats to Vanilla Ice, Susan introduced the audience to some of her middle and high school teachers who each had a single catch phrase that he or she would repeat in class.  As an example, she recounted how her old math teacher would rap to Vanilla Ice as a de-stresser before a test.

Recap- April 3, 2007

Word of the Day- excursionist

Prepared Speeches:

            Yalonda Mim- Yalonda gave her fourth speech which focuses on the delivery of a speech.  In this 5-7 minute speech Yalonda spoke about “airport blues” and recounted one of her recent experiences at the airport during which she missed her flight, couldn't book another, and consequently missed a wedding.

            Susan Tomczuk- Susan gave her fifth speech which focuses on the use of gestures to facilitate understanding of a speech.  Susan spoke about her travels and gave tips to the audience.  These tips including planning ahead and acting with confidence. 

            Ellen Bradshaw- Like Susan, Ellen gave her fifth speech on gestures.  She spoke about weekend activities in DC and referenced some of the joys of listening to jazz at Utopia, chilling at Madam Organs, and kayaking on the Potomac.

Recap- March 29, 2007

Word of the Day- indefatigable

Prepared Speeches:

            Nick Mandrus- In his second speech, Nick spoke about how he has bonded with his dog.  This 5-7 minute speech was designed to create a well-structured speech.

            Lisa Nolte- In her seventh speech, Lisa spoke about infectious disease in Africa and the efforts of governments and industry to provide help.  The purpose of this 5-7 minute speech was to draw in and use outside research.

            Alexis Horn- In her ninth speech, Alexis tried to persuade the audience to become a GWU Toastmasters officer.  The purpose of this 5-7 minute speech was to persuade the audience.

Recap- March 22, 2007 Meeting

Word of the Day- vivify: to animate (transitive verb)

Prepared Speeches:

            Lisa Nolte- In her sixth speech titled “Arachnophobia,” Lisa spoke about her fear of spiders.  This 5-7 minute speech was designed to be vocally expressive.  Lisa achieved this goal by using imaginative phrases such as “soldiers with boots” when she referred to her nightmares of hordes of spiders following her.

            Christine Hanson- In her club module titled “The more the Merrier,” Christine spoke about the importance of new members and guests to Toastmasters because each person offers new perspectives about life.  Christine's speech was designed to welcome guests and attract more guests to the club.

Table Topics:

Responses:

Christine Hanson- When asked by the Table Topics Master how she would handle the recall of poisoned animal food, Christine replied in a 1:30 minute speech that she would create a campaign called “HAN” which stood for Healthy Animals Now.  Her three-point plan would include calls for government regulation of food, a  recall of food, and a replacement of food.

Amy Sleeper- When tasked by the Table Topics Master about how she would convince city council to allow rowdy college students to visit their town during Spring Break, Amy replied in a 1:27 minute speech she would press how the visit would boost the local economy.  She also replied that the students would not pose a health risk nor be the cause of complaints.

Ellen Bradshaw-  When asked by the Table Topics Master about how she would defend GW's expensive education, she replied in a 1:47 minute speech that there were plenty of opportunities in the city, exposure to a professional atmosphere, and inexpensive housing (when compared to the surrounding area).

Reinhard Stebner- When asked by the Table Topics Master about his best Spring Break, Reinhard spoke for 1:44 minutes about snow skiing.

Alexis Horn- When asked by the Table Topics Master about a current Congressional scandal, Alexis spoke for 2:21 minutes about congressional investigations.

Lindsey Batchman- When asked about the rise in the role of women, Lindsey spoke for 1:49 minutes about the empowerment of women.

Susan Tomczuk- When posed the same question as Lindsey, Susan spoke referenced cases in which the rise of women in politics has not always been fruitful.

Recap- March 6, 2007 Meeting

Word of the Day- usurp

Prepared Speeches:

            Ellen Bradshaw- In her forth speech, Ellen spoke about Ethiopian immigration to the DC area in the 1970's-present.  This 5-7 minute speech was designed to be forceful, vivid and succinct.

            Susan Tomczuk- In her forth speech, Susan spoke about the travails of traveling in Latin America.  Like Ellen, the content of this 5-7 minute was designed to be forceful, vivid and succinct.

            Noemi Herrera- In her first speech, Noemi spoke about her experiences as an employee of a large, international law firm.  This 4-6 minute speech was designed to speak about a comfortable topic.

            Nick Mandrus- In his first speech, Nick spoke about his life experiences including schooling, moving, and employment. Like Noemi, this 4-6 minute speech was designed to introduce to the audience a few aspects about the speaker's life.