TOASTMASTERS CLUB 1841
FRIDAY <> DECEMBER 2, 2011
KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY
CALL TO ORDER: RON SZASZ
TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – SHON COLEMAN
THEME: “GOING GREEN”
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VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT, SHON COLEMAN
DISCUSSION ABOUT POSSIBLE CHRISTMAS PARTY
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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – SANDY GEROUX
“TALENT ALONE WILL NOT MAKE YOU A SUCCESS. NEITHER WILL BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, UNLESS YOU ARE READY. THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS… “ARE YOU READY?”
JOHNNY CARSON, TELEVISION HOST
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VICE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
NO GUESTS TODAY
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WORD OF THE DAY- PRISCILLA VILLARREAL
“BANTER”
AN EXCHANGE OF LIGHT PLAYFUL, TEASING REMARKS
GOOD NATURED RAILLERY
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FIRST SPEAKER – RON SZASZ
SPEECH 2– HOW TO SAY IT (5-7 MINUTES)
“MY FIRST TRIP OVER THE POND”
Over the pond refers to going over the ocean to the United Kingdom. My first trip over was with my new wife, Heather. Well before I met Heather, I was always attracted to British comedy. They had a ministry of “silly walks” which was fall-down funny stuff. I also love British stamps. When you look at a British stamp, they tend to stand out. The artistry, the way they are designed, the gold on it… it’s all unique and it pops out at you. If you’ve seen 3-D television, that is closely what the British stamps look like. When I was able to visit Great Britain, I couldn’t stop talking about the trip. My friends would say, “Would you shut up already?” We flew Virgin Airlines and I couldn’t believe the service, and we were flying in coach. When we arrived at the airport, my in-laws picked us up. It was a weird experience going down the road on the wrong side of the road, which they call the right way. Equally as weird was the steering wheel on the right side of the car. I had to move a car for someone about 20 feet and I couldn’t fathom the process. We visited pubs. I love the taste of beer and the variety that are available from all over Europe. I’m in heaven at this point. When my British friends come to America, they buy Budweiser. Go figure! We visited cliffs and I was amazed at how much fun it might be to explore them. Rome occupied Britain for many years so there is still a lot of Roman influence in the country. My trip over the pond was special.
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SECOND SPEAKER –MAIRA DURAN – (5-7 MINUTES)
HIP POCKET SPEECH
“SHARING”
My subject today is about sharing. Last week was Thanksgiving. There are so many people out there on the streets that need help. Don’t pre-judge them. I saw a lady on the streets who was nicely dressed but she literally had no food. I was deeply hurt at this woman who had less than I had. I gave her some food yesterday. It breaks my heart every time I see someone who has it worse than I do. This experience is not unique. Many people are having a bad time today. There’s lots of pain and despair. Not only do these people need help but they also need courage. When you see someone out there, don’t pre-judge them because they don’t look like they need help. I have the privilege to thank God last week during Thanksgiving for the blessings I’ve been given. Osceola has 24% poverty and Volusia County is at 22%. Yesterday, I interviewed with Hospice. When people are sick and struggling, they need encouragement. On the flip side, these three guys in Connecticut that won the lottery… $245 million. And these guys were executives. Another family was fighting over an inheritance and the lady I met was fighting to survive.
THIRD SPEAKER –LARRY MATTERN – (5-7 MINUTES)
HIP POCKET SPEECH
“GOING GREEN”
This seems to be all you’re hearing about lately. Going green means you will be “losing green.” The big new energies are wind and solar. When you grow things in the ground and burn them, you have the same carbon footprint that we have with coal. The more we grow our energy the more it affects us all, including farmers. I recently attended an Energy Summit in Orlando. The state’s energy secretary was promoting the concept that it’s right to give dollars to farmers for energy. Solar power works when the sun shines. Yes, we are the sunshine state but we are also a very humid state and that affects the cost as well. Natural gas is available. Solar power requires a minimum of two acres of land. Ten acres will provide 2 million megawatts. It costs a lot of money to provide this. Wind power is not environmentally friendly; it beats birds to death. When the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing, you end up with a “brown out,” requiring fossil fuel as a backup in the wind or solar fail. Don’t think for a moment that going green is going to save money; it’s going to cost lots of green… and that’s what you need to be thinking about before making this the priority. KUA is the third cheapest utility in the state right now. Think about that.
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TIMER REPORT- MAIRA DURAN
ALL SPEAKERS QUALIFIED
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TABLE TOPICS – HARRY FIX
Michael Aun… Blah, blah, blah…
Davin McKim… I prepare my Thanksgiving turkey like I did my Christmas lights, which come on and say “bah-humbug.” I prepare my turkey very carefully. It’s about a 12-13 pounder and we deep fry it. I recently bought an in-door fryer and it’s one the best ways to do the turkey. It’s better than the gas job I used to use outside. There’s nothing like the skin, which is like eating pork rines. Nothing like a turkey “samich.”
Annie Yan… My favorite Chinese tradition is the Chinese New Year when we eat dumplings, which are made from scratch. This is a nice family event because people gather around and make them. The last time I visited China, I was amazed at the endless choices that exists there now. I am amazed at how much it has changed since I lived there.
Fred Moore… The last time I pulled off a holiday dinner… I’m amazed at all the bantering that’s been going on. My favorite place to eat when I’m in Europe is at McDonalds, which drives my wife, the culinary specialist, absolutely crazy. My idea of cooking is to provide leftovers for whoever pops in. My mom and my wife are in the process of decorating our house.
Sandy Geroux… The worst vacation I ever went on was to Halifax, Nova Scotia. We made the mistake of believing the cruise line’s brochure on the ship called the Scotia Prince. Cruises are supposed to be luxurious. Scotia Prince should never call itself a cruise line. You drive your car literally into the belly of the ship. The cabin was like a crewman’s cabin with 7 bunks in one room. My father actually slept in the casino because he was claustrophobic. I never even saw the ocean the entire time we were there. The ride back was even worse with carbon monoxide poisoning going on in the belly of the beast.
Priscilla Villarreal … Lots of people call me Phyllis. My favorite kitchen appliance is the microwave oven. It’s very handy for heating up leftovers. I love the in-door deep fryer we heard about earlier as well. My kitchen appliances are something I’d like to share with my daughter-in-laws. One is a vegan and she is different. I wish my other daughter-in-law would learn how to use the microwave, but we’ll keep that our little secret (not any more).
TIMERS REPORT: MAIRA DURAN
Everyone qualified.
BREAK TIME
MASTER EVALUATOR – TONY MORELLI, ACB, CL
EVALUATING RON SZASZ – MARY LEE GILL, ATMG
Ron’s presentation today had a great title… “My Trip over the Pond,” a great title. This talk was about voice variety. When you’re working the room, be aware that your back is to half the room. I’d like to see a little more word description. A few more word pictures would have enhanced this speech. Voice variety… you seem very accomplished up here because you tell great stories and you come off sincere. I was a bit confused about where you met Heather but you’re a great storyteller. Wrap up your talk but don’t say “thank you.” We need to Thank You!
EVALUATING MAIRA DURAN – SHON COLEMAN
Maira, thank you for stepping up and offering a hip pocket speech today and it was without title. You spoke about Thanksgiving, which is about giving not receiving. Your challenge was to persuade with emotion and you certainly did that, moving yourself literally to tears. You movement in front of the lectern and offering the emotional story about your recent holiday experience was powerful. Sometimes you tend to work the “American Idol Judge” side of the room but I followed along very nicely. You used logic and emotion and you had no notes because you spoke from the heart, which was obvious to us. Try to keep on key… you tended to wonder from subject to subject. But for a hip-pocket, you did terrific and you adapted nicely.
EVALUATING LARRY MATTERN– HARRY FIX
Larry’s presentation was great. I really enjoyed your speech: Super Fantastic! Larry had a hip-pocket speech already prepared, which was obvious. This speech was a terrific speech for the“Speaking to Inform” challenge. You might want to use this presentation. You gave us the downside to “going green.” Your credibility lends a level of trust to your audience. Sometimes you tend to drop off the end of your sentences. You’re not bantering; you’re doing really good public speaking so fully enunciate the entire sentence. You’re a great representative of KUA and you showed us this today! Great job!
TIMERS REPORT- MAIRA DURAN
ALL EVALUATORS QUALIFIED
AH / GRAMMARIAN – SANDY GEROUX
THERE WERE A FEW AH’S BUT WE DID VERY WELL TODAY. RON SAID I COULDN’T HARDLY STOP… SHOULD HAVE SAID I COULD HARDLY STOP. YOU LIKE USING “STUFF” AS WELL. MAIRA YOU USE AXED INSTEAD OF ASKED.
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WORD REPORT – PRISCILLA VILLAREAL
“BANTER”
Everyone used the word today…. Okay, maybe not everybody.
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FRED MOORE – JOKEMASTER
CLOSING AWARDS – SHON COLEMAN, VICE-PRESIDENT
TABLE TOPICS WINNER: SANDY GEROUX, ATMB, CL
BEST EVALUATOR: MARY LEE GILL, ATMG
BEST SPEAKER: LARRY MATTERN
