September 12, 2007

This was a special meeting as we hosted a "singles" event.  We were fortunate to have a large and diverse crowd of close to 20.  The crowd consisted of local toastmasters who came as part of the "singles" event as well as some new students we met at the student organization fair.  Here are some highlights:

-  James Scarborough was the Toastmaster of the Day.  He kept us on pace and focused.  The theme for the meeting was "City Lights."

-  Nick Mandrus gave a speech on the history of toastmasters.  Did you know that there are over 215,000 toastmasters members?  or 11,000 clubs?  or that toastmasters is in over 90 countries?  Thanks to Nick, we learned these interesting facts and a whole lot more.

-  Susan Tomczuk moved on to the advanced manual.  Susan gave an informative and enjoyable speech titled "Invasive Species."  It was apparent Susan knew a lot about her topic.  Great job Susan!!!

-  Our president Ellen Bradshaw took on the role of tabletopics master.  The theme of the meeting was "City Lights."  Ellen stuck to the theme for table topics.  Participants included James Scarborough, Ellen Bradshaw, our guest Allison, Nick Mandrus, Yalonda Mims, and our guest Randy. 

-  We also had a special "singles" session where everyone got to know eachother. 

Again, another great meeting.  Thank you to Imelda and all of our other guests for coming out. 

August 14, 2007

We kept the summer  momentum going with another great meeting. 

Alexis Horn served as Toastmaster.  The theme of the day was summer jobs. 

Yalonda Mims gave a speech on saving for retirement.  Her focus was on the importance of starting young and investing in your company's 401k plan (especially if they provide matching contributions).  The speech was very informative.

Nick Mandrus spoke about his summer job way back in 1998.  It wasn't always easy but Nick learned important lessons about hard work and perseverance.

Susan Tomczuk  gave an interesting twist on table topics.  She found ads on craigslist and had the speakers pretend to be either a job applicant or recruiter. 

Great meeting.  Thank you to all those who came out and we look forward seeing more of you in the near future.

July 26, 2007

News alert!!!  News alert!!!

The Marvin Center on the campus of The George Washington University was flooded with speakers on Thursday, July 26th.  These dedicated and enthusiastic speakers were members of the GWU Toastmasters club and came out for the club's "speak-a-thon."

Speakers included:

Susan Tomczuk
Benjamin Cukok
Noemi Herrera
Alexis Horn
Ellen Bradshaw
Amy Sleeper

Of course, all members did a great job!!!!   We enjoyed your speeches and hope to hear many more. 

Again, another solid turnout with 11 members present. 

On a sadder note, Lisa Nolte is leaving us.  She will be moving to Kansas City.  Lisa contributed so much to our club and will be missed.  We wish her all the best and have no doubt great things are in her future!!! 

July 17, 2007

Wow!!!  Another unbelievable meeting!!!  12 regulars and 3 guests were in attendance.  Here are the details.....

The theme for the meeting was "New Beginnings."  Lisa Nolte got the party started as Toastmaster.  She shined in this role.  Lisa ran a smooth and efficient meeting. 

Next up was Mr. Matt Smith.  Matt was speaking to the club for his first time.  In his "Ice Breaker", Matt let us know who he was and why he decided to become a Toastmaster  He showed unbelievable promise as a speaker  We look forward to many more speeches from this exceptional young man!!!!

Speaking third was Nick Mandrus.  He delivered his 5th speech as a GWU Toastmaster.  Nick spoke on making changes.  Nick's focus was on the power of believing change is possible and committing to making the change you desire.  Not only is Nick an incredibly handsome young man, he is also an engaging speaker!!!

Our final prepared speech was Benjamin Cukok.  Benjamin spoke on becoming a multi millionaire.  Go back and read that again!!!!  Not just a millionaire but a MULTI millionaire.  He offered some helpful hints such as setting goals and writing them down.  Benjamin, if you ever make those multi millions, don't forget about us at the GWU Toastmaster Club.

Our new club president, Ellen Bradshaw lead a spirited table topics session.  Speakers included Benjamin Cukok, Nick Mandrus, Christine Hanson, Yalonda Mims, and Lindsay Batchman. 

Our Area Governor, Rasa Behera, made a special guest appearance.  At the end of the meeting, Rasa lead an induction ceremony for our new officers.  We thank him for his beautiful and eloquent words and hope to see him again very soon!!!

Again, another great meeting.  Thank you for all those who attended.  Please spread the word about our wonderful club!!!

June 5, 2007 Meeting

The theme of the meeting was childhood stories.  We had two prepared speakers: Benjamin and Yalonda.

Benjamin's second speech, titled "Three Skills to Improve Conversation" was a great topic for our club members and guests who are trying to improve our communications skills.  The three skills Benjamin focused on was 1) pause 2) paraphrase 3) ask questions.  He said it's important to pause after someone has made a statement to make sure they are finished with their thought.  Paraphrasing is also important because after someone finished a statement you should paraphrase what they said to make sure you understand their points.  Lastly, if you do not understand what someone is communicating to you, you should not hesitate to ask questions.  The focus of Benjamin's speech was to organization.

Yalonda's sixth speech compared out-of-college salaries for men and women.  She noted, one reason why men typically make more than women, right after college is because, generally speaking, women choose careers that pay less than men when they enter college.  Also, when it comes to re-negotiating ones salary, women are typically more shy than men.  Yalonda supported her points by citing various materials that explore these ideas.  The goal of Yalonda's speech was to focus on vocal variety.