FRIDAY <> JANUARY 27, 2012 KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

CALL TO ORDER:  RON SZASZ

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – NEIL ALLEN

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THEME: “REMEMBER WHEN!

TOASTMASTER – SHON COLEMAN

There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain and the human brain is the fattest organ in the body and may consists of at least 60% fat

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT, HEATHER SZASZ

WELCOME TO ALL…

• ·         17 PEOPLE PRESENT; ONE GUEST – WANDA BOEIRO (RETURN GUEST)
• ·         MARISSA ATHERLEY JOINED LAST WEEK… CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME!
• ·         SEMI-ANNUAL PARTY- VALENTINE’S MONTH.  SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012- 6:00 P.M.;   DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUCNED.  MARY LEE GILL HAS OPENED HER HOME TO US FOR THE EVENT.

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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE –  MARY GUIDONE

“Put a smile on your face; it’s contagious!  Bring a little sunshine into someone else’s life by giving away a smile!”

Anonymous

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WORD OF THE WEEK – PATRICIA VILLAREAL

“OBSEQUIOUS”

ob-sec’-qui-us

1-Servile compliance or deference- fawning

Example:  Eddie Haskell (from Leave It To Beaver) demonstrated obsequious behavior.

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FIRST SPEAKER – MARY LEE GILL

SPEECH # n/a – (6-8MINUTES) – N/A

 “PLAN B”

Plan B…. plan A is how we think our lives will go.  We all think our lives are perfect and then change hits and you start living plan B, which is both scary and exciting.  Plan B can be a great chapter in your life if you play your cards right.  When I learned my friend Kitty was moving back up to Maryland, I called her to congratulate her on Plan B and to tell her that this could be one of the best chapters of your life.  Plan B for me was when I met all of you.  I joined a church to meet some sinners and found none there but I came here and found plenty of them in Club 1841.  Since I hate old people, I resisted going to centers where they congregate.  I did attend a Senior Center where widows were bragging about how many husbands they had buried, some of which were just napping.  I can’t possibly top those people who have buried four husbands; I won’t be around that long. Both my husbands are taking a dirt nap.  The only thing they both had in common is they both slept in the nude with a watch on.  I always wanted to know “Who is going to ask you what time is it?”  When I go on a dinner date now, I try to find out what the guy sleeps in.  My friend Kitty has had so much plastic surgery done… when she blinks her eyes her toes curl up.  She looks like a startled, hard-boiled egg!  If that was the look you were going for, you hit it.  If you can’t afford plastic surgery, go bra-less and it will pull the wrinkles out of your face.  Someday, you will all start living Plan B… and it could very well be one of the best chapters of your life.

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SECOND SPEAKER –TONY MORELLI – (5-7 MINUTES)

SPEECH NUMBER 8 – GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH VISUAL AIDS

“RUNNING”

Do you like to have fun?  How about having fun when you exercise?  I do!  I used to play handball, which is very similar to racquet ball except you use a hand instead of the racquet.  As you get older and put on weight and your cholesterol gets higher, my doctor told me I needed to change my diet and exercise.  My dad is 90 and I don’t want to die before him.  RUNNING- what a terrible way to do something for fun!  I joined Weight Watchers and started to run.  My son got me involved in a 5-K run, dressed to kill, of course.  3.1 miles is a long way.  After finishing the first mile, it was finally time to walk.  Before I finished, I walked four different times between the running.  An older gentlemen gave me some good advice- get running sneakers, not what you have on.  These running sneakers (exhibit) have over 200 miles on them.  If you log over 300 miles on a pair of shoes, they break down and you have not support.  He also told me to get rid of the cotton shirt and replace it with a tech shirt (exhibit).  I also have a winter shirt (exhibit) to provide warmth when it’s cold out.  I have shorts but when it gets too cold, I got some nice long pants (exhibit) so that I can be comfortable.  He also told me to get rid of the knee length sox and replace them with thick, tiny sox (exhibit) to allow my legs to breathe.  When you’ve run a lot, you occasionally need spray (exhibit) and lights (exhibit) when it’s dark out.  My friend suggested a series of different types of running, varying the cadence and length and speed.  The day I had the most fun was when I did six miles, which takes about one hour to run.  I run early in the morning.  The idea is to keep your heartbeat up for a period of time.  You have to be careful that the lactic acid that builds up in your body is exhausted as you build up your run.  After I finished that day, I literally had a “runners high,” which was the first time that’s ever happened to me.  Running can be fun!

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TIMER REPORT- MARY GUIDONE

ONLY MARY LEE QUALIFIED; TONY WENT OVER.

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TABLE TOPICS – ANNIE YAN

Michael Aun…   Blah, blah, blah…

Patricia Villareal…   The book I read over and over as a child was “Black Beauty” which was a story about a horse who had Plan A and Plan B.  I have two older brothers who knew not to bother me when I was reading “Black Beauty” because I would always be crying.  

Mary Guidone…   Turning 30 was okay for me.  The only thing that changed was my parents who recently retired and purchased a home in Merritt Island.  They’re thinking about selling the house that I grew up in.  I hate to see them move on because it’ll take me a while longer to visit, which is selfish for me.  I’m excited for them!

Pam Leonard…   I remember when I got the lead in the high school play, which was par for me because I loved to show off.  The male lead in the show was popular but he was sort of boring.  I look back on it now and wonder where he is today.  When we graduated, I had to have crutches to go up and this male lead was to help me.  When he failed to show up at our class reunion, we all got in our cars and went to his home to see why he didn’t show… but he wasn’t home.

Marisa Atherley…   When I was younger, I used to visit Barbados where my family is from.  I still visit twice a year.  As a child, I was picky when it came to eating and I didn’t want island food; I wanted McDonalds.  My grandfather told me to eat my eggs so I could have big “mus-kels.”  That was our running joke until he passed away a few years ago.

Neil Allen…   I don’t think my kids have been obsequious.  My second son liked to run around and do the things that I did.  He wanted to help mow the yard and had to pull the bars down, causing him to miss parts of the grass he missed.  When Debbie came out and looked, she complimented Brandon on the good job and I returned to finish the rest of the yard.

Maira Duran…   My first bicycle… I’m the youngest of six- four boys and two girls.  My sister didn’t really want to play with me because I was so much younger.  I used to play handball growing up in Brooklyn and I really didn’t have a bike of my own.  I had a trike but I mostly played what my brothers played, hand ball or whatever.  We had a giant playhouse in our back yard and we always played school and teacher.  I eventually got a red bike which I shared with my cousins. 

Ron Szasz…   I was born and raised in Miami and there is a place called “Monkey Jungle.”  We rarely went there.  I was told there was an island down in the Keys where people experimented with monkeys and the joke was that these monkeys in “Monkey Jungle” were escapees from the island.  You would never think of a monkey as a pet but many people do have them today.

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TIMERS REPORT: MARY GUIDONE

Everyone qualified except Priscilla, who was two seconds short.

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BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – RON SZASZ

EVALUATING MARY LEE GILL- HEATHER SZASZ

Mary Lee’s presentation was great.  When you have a great speaker like Mary Lee, it stretches you as an evaluator.  Mary Lee sent me an e-mail and asked me to give her some thoughts about how to get to the next level.  Your opening was terrific. But you only worked one side of the room predominantly.  Had you used both sides to play off of one another, it could have reinforced your title Plan A versus Plan B.  Mary Lee’s humor is wonderful.  She took us down one road (playing Bridge) and we ended up learning about the people playing and how many husbands they had buried.  You word pictures… i.e. “looked like a hard-boiled egg.”  Lock in with audience members a tad more and don’t scan the eyes and move on too quickly.  Despite distractions with the lights, your ending was practiced and perfect. 

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 EVALUATING TONY MORELLI – GWEN FIX

Tony’s presentation was wonderful… your smile is contagious and your laughter invites all of us to laugh with you.  You do like to have fun; we can tell.  We all have to watch our weight.  Many of us don’t like to run or walk.  You used your body as a visual aid and you showed us your running wardrobe in the form of exhibits.  The only thing I could see was you tended to work one side of the room and our side didn’t always hear what you were saying.  You explained to us how you built up your running and that’s great and informative.  Try to stay on time next time because you ran a tad long.  Great job on Speech Number Eight.

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TIMERS REPORT- MARY GUIDONE

BOTH EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

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AH / GRAMMARIAN – SANDY GEROUX

We had some of the following:  you-know, like, so, and a lot of run-on sentences and paragraphs.  Too many sentences were starting sentences with “and” and “so.”  They are words that keynote run-on thoughts.  Tony had some double-clutches.  There were no grammatical problems today.

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WORD REPORT – PRISCILLA VILLAREAL

“OBSEQUIOUS”

ob-sec’-qui-us

1-Servile compliance or deference- fawning

Example:  Eddie Haskell (from Leave It to Beaver) demonstrated obsequious behavior.

Michael, Neil and Sandy used the word for the day.

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JOKEMASTER

PAM LEONARD

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CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ

TABLE TOPICS WINNER:  MARISA ATHERLY

BEST EVALUATOR:  HEATHER SZASZ

BEST SPEAKER:   MARY LEE GILL

FRIDAY <> JANUARY 20, 2012 KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

CALL TO ORDER:  RON SZASZ

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – NEIL ALLEN

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THEME: “FEELING STRESSED!

AS MY PAPPY ALWAYS SAID:  “IF YOU GET TO THE END OF YOUR ROPE, TIE A NOT AND HANG ON.”

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT, HEATHER SZASZ

WELCOME

• ·         17 PEOPLE PRESENT; THREE GUESTS – WANDA BOEIRO, MARISSA ATHERLEY, PAMELA HALL
• ·         SEMI-ANNUAL PARTY- VALENTINE’S MONTH.  DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUCNED.  MARY LEE GILL HAS OPENED HER HOME TO US FOR THE EVENT.

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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – ANNIE YAN

“DON’T ANTICIPATE TROUBLE OR WORRY ABOUT WHAT MAY NEVER HAPPEN.  KEEP IN THE SUNLIGHT.”

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

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WORD OF THE WEEK – TONY MORELLI

“CHOLER”

NOUN –

IRASCIBILITY; ANGER; WRATH; IRRITABILITY.

MANY PEOPLE REACE WITH CHOLER UNDER SIMPLE SITUATIONS WHEN UNDER STRESS

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FIRST SPEAKER – GWEN FIX

SPEECH # 4-( 5-7 MINUTES) – COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

(HOW TO SAY IT)

“NEVER AGAIN?”

Up, up, up!  Ten years ago America was invaded by British teenagers in the form of one Harry Potter.  My youngest daughter was caught up with this stuff as well as she purchased a $25.00 twig.  When my oldest son wanted to go to Universal and wanted to ride the Harry Potter ride.  On January 26, 2010, it was cold, wet and miserable.  Seven members climbed into our car to ride Harry Potter.  It was so cold that day and the snow on the Potter rooftops made it seem even colder.  As we went through the castle, it was just as impressive as the outside.  We entered a door of darkness.  When we stepped into the cars, the iron bar closed in and we went up, up, up into the night sky.  I thought we were stuck but instead we were surrounded by life size characters.  They beckoned “come this way” as if we had a choice.  The ride rocked back and forth, causing me to close my eyes until I got sprayed by a flying spider.  I was so happy to be on solid ground when the ride mercifully came to an end.  My daughter said “Mom, you did it.  You came.  You rode.  You conquered!”  The fond memories of the experience made it a wonderful family outing.

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SECOND SPEAKER –MAIRA DURAN – (5-7 MINUTES)

SPEECH NUMBER 10 – THE ENTERTAININ SPEAKER

“POWER SKILLS”

We all have power skills that come in different forms, shapes and beliefs.  The ability to persuade people to accept our idea.  Your greatest asset is yourself- treat yourself like a billion dollars.  Your dreams and ideas are yours.  Close your eyes for a second and say to yourself “I have a dream.”  I have a dream to one day have this island “Dream Island” (photo exhibit).  How many people here yearn for a family reunion (photo exhibit)?  How many people want more control over their lives (photo exhibit)?  Our club member Fred Moore is a magician and he makes fantasy seem like reality.  Always smile for your accomplishments… I think of Mike in a thong and heels…and a smile comes to my face!  I think of Mary Lee as the owner of Rachel’s…and a smile comes to my face.  Meditate more; eat less.  When you meditate you refresh your mind to start a new beginning.  I hope I can inspire you but in reality only you can inspire yourself.  Be positive and look for the good in yourself and others.

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TIMER REPORT- ANNIE YAN

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

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TABLE TOPICS – HEATHER SZASZ

Charles Tiffany…   I think I’d take my cantankerous fellow worker up to Massachusetts to visit the Kennedy’s because they were also choler.  My commanding officer in the military asked me what job I wanted and I told him – “Yours!”  I didn’t get the greatest evaluations from him.  One observation said if this officer was mediocre it would be an exaggeration. 

Michael Aun…   Blah, blah, blah…

Pamela Ward…   My first thought about Toastmasters was to come to learn more about speaking and to meet people.  This is such an interesting group with diverse personalities.  I’m enjoying learning about each of your lives.  I didn’t know when I came here that I’d learn so much about you.  Even in the church experience, you think you’d learn more about others but here I’ve become intimate with you quickly because of the joviality, the motivation and the inspiration.  Walking in and not knowing you caused me choler but I now feel at ease.

Wanda Boeiro…   When my alarm clock went off this morning at 6:00 A.M. I actually thought I have to take the dog out right away and I’d be late for Toastmasters.  Next time I’ll set the alarm for 5:30 a.m.

Marisa Atherley…   I went to Florida State to prepare me for law enforcement.  I later learned that I wanted to practice law.  I decided to apply for law school so I quit my job.  I’m now in my second year in law school and its rewarding and I think I’ve chosen the right career path.

Pam Leonard…   I joined Toastmasters because the leader of the company of which I was a part suggested that it would be wise to join if we wanted to improve our leadership and communication skills.  I’m a yacker and a show-off so I was a natural in Toastmasters.  But this club is the most diverse and fun way to start a Friday morning.

Bill Coeking…   If you don’t read the paper or watch television, should you vote?  I’m glad you asked those questions.  I was happy that this morning’s topic was stress.  As far as voting is concerned, everyone should to do the patriotic thing.  Vote and express their opinion.  I have lots of choler and irritability.  When I first came here, the stress that I felt when I walked into this room that that I haven’t wanted to come through that door- because of Table Topics.

Annie Yan…   I had an early day off and I decided that wow, it’d be nice to have a new look.  So I took my day to get a new style.  She showed me pictures and we finally decided on a couple of choices so I told her to pick something in between.

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TIMERS REPORT: ANNIE YAN

Everyone qualified.

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BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – SANDY GEROUX

EVALUATING GWEN FIX- MARY GUIDONE

Gwen’s  presentation today was today wonderful.  I loved your opening.  When you dragged up the broom, I was fascinated and drawn into your story with your words and exhibits.  You used vivid word pictures to describe your experiences and we were on the Potter ride with you.  Your props were nice because you used them all appropriately.  If you had any nervousness today, your body language definitely covered it nicely.  You hand gestures were right-on and appropriately used.  I might suggest you memorizing your opening and closing.  You are a natural story teller.  Thank you for bringing us along for the ride.

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 EVALUATING MAIRA DURAN – MARY LEE GILL

Maria’s presentation today is one more of the many subjects on which you have spoken in the past.  There is power within each of us.  You entered the group and asked rhetorical questions.  When you work one side of the room, your back is to half of your audience.  You gave great examples.  You had your hands in your pocket on occasion.  You did have good volume and great eye contact.  Your ending could be different and I would change it.  We all know people with crazy ideas but if you believed in the person, you would follow.  Your ending did not exhibit a lot of self-confidence.  You gave us the formula for success.  Show us your power skills and let us learn from them.

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TIMERS REPORT- ANNIE YAN

BOTH EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

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AH / GRAMMARIAN – PRISCILLA VILLARREAL

Bill Coeking made it so easy, recognizing his own ah’s and um’s.  Gwen had 1 ah.  Maira had one repeat.  Charles said “me and him.”  Pamela, Marissa (2 um’s), Mary had one um.

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WORD REPORT – PRISCILLA VILLAREAL

“CHOLER”

NOUN –

IRASCIBILITY; ANGER; WRATH; IRRITABILITY.

MANY PEOPLE REACE WITH CHOLER UNDER SIMPLE SITUATIONS WHEN UNDER STRESS

Charles, Bill, Michael, Pamela, Neil, Sandy said the word for the day.

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JOKEMASTER

CHARLIE TIFFANY

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CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ

TABLE TOPICS WINNER:  GWEN FIX

BEST EVALUATOR:  MARY  GUIDONE

BEST SPEAKER:   BILL COEKING

FRIDAY <> JANUARY 13, 2012 KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

CALL TO ORDER:  RON SZASZ

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – CHRIS HAMMOCK

THEME: “I’M A FAN OF … FRIDAY THE 13^TH!!!”

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT, HEATHER SZASZ

NO GUESTS TODAY

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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – PAM LEONARD

“We are all what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

ARISTOTLE

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PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

 “LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING”

TOASTMASTERS TRAINING TAKES PLACE SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012 AT LYMAN HIGH, RONALD REAGAN BLVD, LONGWOOD @ 8:00 A.M.; COST $10 PER PERSON PAYABLE AT THE DOOR.

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WORD OF THE WEEK – MAIRA DURAN

“QUIN-CUNX”

ARRANGE IN GROUPS OF FIVE

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FIRST SPEAKER – RON SZASZ

SPEECH # 8- 5-7 MINUTES – COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

“WHAT’S IN A PHOTO?”

What’s in a photo?  How many of you have taken photos that you want to remember?  I love to take pictures.  I’ve always wanted to have a “good” camera.  My first cameras were used.  I finally purchased a “good” camera.  There are many things you can do with a camera coupled with great software that comes on computers today.  The combination allows you to be very artistic.  Here’s a great example of a blue heron who is about to fly away because I scarred it a bit.  If you’ll notice that the is a nice shadow of this bird.  Then there is the action oriented photo like this one of the bird in flight.  There are some tricks in photography; you can actually make things stand still.  You can make water stop in mid-air.  I try to plan ahead with my photos.  When you look at some of the photos the pros do, you are in awe.  I love sunsets and sunrises.  There is something glorious about both.  I would like to be able to actually take sequence photos of sunrises and sunsets.  It’ said that when the sun hits the water a green flash appears; I’ve never witnessed this.  As you know, I am heavily involved with dogs and dog training.  I love action photos that we do with all our animals.  Dogs have found a way to defy gravity.  In this photo it looks like the dog is floating in mid-air.  Software can enhance a photo like the dog in mid-air.  There’s also a new affect called the “miniature affect.”  This photo actually makes the dog look like miniature dog.  Photos allow you to do many things.

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SECOND SPEAKER –FRED MOORE – (8-10 MINUTES)

SPEECH NUMBER 8 – THE ENTERTAININ SPEAKER

“SEX, MONEY & BIRTHDAY PARTIES:  THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A MAGICIAN”

When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a magician.  They usually ask me what instrument I play.  Many people immediately think “birthday parties.”  Some people don’t like magicians because they don’t like to be fooled because they feel like they are stupid.  A lot of magicians weren’t good at sports and they weren’t smart enough to join the chess club.  I was shy and I kept to myself and magic helped me to get out of my shell.   At age 16, my high school counselor told me “good luck with that” when I told him I wanted to be a magician.  You can learn magic several ways.  I learned from another magician.  You need to practice the affects.  You can do it in the mirror all you want but until you get in front of an audience to get stage time you won’t get good.  That means lots of birthday parties for free while you’re making a living “working a real job.”  When you finally get good enough to get paid, you will work with an agent.  When you need them, they’re not there.  When you don’t need them, they’re everywhere.  A lot of people watch a magician and they hope you fail so they can find out the secret.   Everyone says they want to know the secret but they really don’t because the sense of wonder disappears.  When you know the secret, it’s easy to do.  (Magic dance act/visual… he turned a yellow hankie into an egg.)  I’m going to break a cardinal rule… it’s a fake egg.  (Here it is again in sloooooooowwwwwww motion….)  When you know the secret, all the magic is taken out of the show.  Just experience the magic; let yourself be a kid again… and you might experience a little real magic, like this fake egg being real (cracks the egg).

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TIMER REPORT- PAM LEONARD

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

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TABLE TOPICS – TONY MORELLI

Sandy Geroux…   I was a cheerleader for … well, never in my life, not in a traditional sense.  I was in the band and I played e-flax alto saxophone.  When the cheerleaders were working the sidelines, we worked ours in the band.  We admired the cheerleaders and all the things they did but we had our own way of cheering, which was tooting our own horns.

Michael Aun…   Blah, blah, blah…

Nancy Street…   I screamed at the top of my lungs but not in sports… perhaps in other areas.  I don’t scream until you cross me or until you hurt somebody.  I used to attend the Osceola High School football games and I occasionally could get into a game but when they won them all won year, I lost interest.  I occasionally scream at my dog when the dog gets too close to an alligator at the edge of the water.

Shon Coleman…   I think ceiling “fans” are cool.  I’m a general contractor and I get the ceiling fan question.  I hate to take them down because they are heavy and awkward.  People are fooled by ceiling fans.  They move the air around and it causes the thermostat to kick, costing you more money.  I looked up “quin-cunx” and I learned about dice.

Pam Leonard…   The music I liked as a fan were the beach boys and all the bee-boppers.  I also liked classical music and jazz.  Music has taken a back seat in school.  Music can help you with math and other subjects.  Even the local talk shows on public television have stopped playing jazz.  Nothing was more appalling than a cell phone that goes off in the middle of a symphony.  The conductor actually stopped the performance!

Mary Lee Gill…  I hate all pro sports.  They’re all greedy.  When I moved to Indiana, we had to pick a team so we chose Purdue, whose colors are gold and black.  The next door neighbor told us you need a “twitter” which is a sweater that is made for two.”  My husband was taller than me but then so are most children.  Even a pigmy is taller than be.  When your hubby jumps up, you jump up too.  We were the only people at Purdue wearing this garb.  We both looked like caterpillars!

Annie Yan…   Actually, I don’t eat stadium food because I’m not a big fan of football games.  I once went to a University of Florida game and the seats are tiny.  When something good would happen, everyone would stand up but I had no idea why.  I am a fan of music but I’m not a fanatic.  Some fans collect things like Elvis’ toilet! 

Priscilla Villarreal…   I wouldn’t really like to dump Gatorade on someone, especially when it’s twenty degrees outside is kind of stupid to me.  I suspect that’s a woman’s point of view.  I don’t particularly appreciate sports but I do go watch my husband play softball twice a week.  When he comes home, all he does is complain about his aches and pains.  Maybe I should throw Gatorade on him.

Maira Duran…   I love all sports but I’m a big fan of the New York teams.  Baseball is exciting to me because of the drama of the game of a player hitting with men on base.  I enjoy the games in a “quin-cunx” style.  I did play women’s softball.

Bill Snyder…   When I check my sugar in the morning, I don’t just see scarlet, I also see gray.  I’m a big fan of Ohio State football.  I had great seats at the stadium on about the 30 yard line.  One of the things that bother me is the emphasis on just winning.  When coaches like Jim Tressell and Joe Paterno get pushed to the brink on recruiting, it causes them to skirt the rules.

Neil Allen…   The teams I support are “kids.”  When I see the kids out playing, I look for the underdog, the ones people don’t recognize.  I watched the coach of my daughter’s swim team and the swimmers all responded differently to the same coaches’ advice.  One would learn from the situation and the other was suffering from “stinking thinking.”  It was all between their ears.

Pamela Hall…   When my voice gave out from cheering, I yelled so much that I lost my voice and my friends and husband were all so pleased.  My husband even baked a cake.  Everyone celebrated because Pamela was finally quiet for a day.  I couldn’t give up that easily so I went on line to study the possible remedies.  Slowly I got my voice back after trying several remedies.  The one that worked was simply “rest.”  It took a full day to regain my voice and I haven’t had to rest since.

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TIMERS REPORT: PAM LEONARD

Everyone qualified.

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BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – GWEN FIX

EVALUATING RON SZASZ – LARRY MATTERN

Ron’s presentation today was to get comfortable with visual aids and to display them with ease and confidence.  The things you asked me to pay special attention to were flawless.  Visual aids are a tough one.   I took a Fred Pryor course once and they said if you’re not well practiced, then NEVER use visual aids.  You were flawless with yours, passing the photos around which allowed you go get us involved.  You are animated and your voice modulation is up and down.  The only negative was you tended to work my side of the room (because I was your evaluator).  You mentally caught yourself working my side.  It was the best speech I’ve ever seen you do!  Great job!

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 EVALUATING FRED MOORE – NEIL ALLEN

Fred’s presentation today makes you feel privileged to be a part of this talented club.  Fred’s job was to deliver an after-dinner talk on a specific theme.  You did that nicely!  You got my attention of bringing out your little box, which fascinated me and wanted me to know what was in it.  But you didn’t rush to your box; instead you set the state for it and moved along at your pace.  You attracted our attention and you concluded on a high point.  You used lots of humor and drama and a nice combination of both.  You challenged us:  You think you want to know the secret, but you really don’t   I loved the way you showed us your trick in slooooooooowwwww motion.  You intertwined everything in a very smooth fashion.  If you were to do this in a longer format, consider a second trick with audience participation.

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TIMERS REPORT- PAM LEONARD

ALL EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

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AH / GRAMMARIAN – PRISCILLA VILLARREAL

I had two ah’s, Pamela Hall had some ah’s, Pam Leonard had one, Ron Szasz had some, and even Nancy Street had one.

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WORD REPORT – PRISCILLA VILLAREAL

“QUIN-CUNX”

ARRANGE IN GROUPS OF FIVE

Fred, Ron, Sandy, Tony, Chris, Michael, Maira, Shon, Gwen and Larry used the word for the day at least once.  Tony led the way with five.

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JOKEMASTER

Bill Snyder told a Catholic joke…

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CLOSING AWARDS – SHON COLEMAN

TABLE TOPICS WINNER: MARY LEE GILL

BEST EVALUATOR:  NEIL ALLEN

BEST SPEAKER:  FRED MOORE

FRIDAY <> JANUARY 6, 2012 KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

CALL TO ORDER:  RON SZASZ

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – LARRY MATTERN

THEME: “HAPPY @#$%&* NEW YEAR”

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT, HEATHER SZASZ

GUESTS

PAMELLA HALL (FROM SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA)

WALTER DERRENBACHER (BOSTON, MA) – BROTHER OF PRISCILLA VILLAREAL

WANDA BORIO (CLEVELAND, OHIO)  - GUEST OF GWEN FIX

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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – MICHAEL AUN

“FAR BETTER IT IS TO HAVE DARED MIGHTY THINGS TO WIN GLORIOUS TRIUMPHS, EVEN THOUGH CHECKED BY FAILURE, THAN TO TAKE RANK WITH THOSE POOR SPIRITS WHO NEITHER ENJOY MUCH NOR SUFFER MUCH, FOR THEY LIVE IN A GRAY TWILIGHT THAT KNOWS NOT VICTORY NOR DEFEAT.”

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

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PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

WELCOME TO GUESTS

“LEADERSHIP AND LEARNING”

TOASTMASTERS TRAINING TAKES PLACE SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012 AT LYMAN HIGH, RONALD REAGAN BLVD, LONGWOOD @ 8:00 A.M.; COST $10 PER PERSON PAYABLE AT THE DOOR.

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WORD OF THE WEEK – PRISCILLA VILLAREAL

“JUSTICULATE”

To make or use gestures, especially in an animated or excited manner.

*******

FIRST SPEAKER – GWEN FIX

SPEECH # 3 – COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

“MASS DISTRIBUTION”

Almost 6 years ago at a London auction two dried up prunes were sold (just like these).  They were destined to become weapons.  They were soaked in water and masked and shipped off to their destination.  Who would question a bowl of prunes?  The prunes were masked in words of encouragement to the recipients, who were prisoners of war.  Today we are in a different kind of war- a war of words.  Every day we are bombarded by an onslaught of words.  Some people will tell you that words and actions will go together.   Perhaps they do help get the message across.  Just ask my son Jeremiah.  We have all heard the statement “Sticks and stones may break my bones….”  The fact is, words can hurt us.  A blind man was panhandling for money with his can and collecting the occasional coin.  Someone came by and took his sign that said simply “I am blind.”  The person came up took his card and changed it to “It’s a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”  Suddenly the donations started to come in and the blind man could not understand why.  At the end of the day, the lady that changed his words on the sign returned to tell him what she had done.  The moral of the story is if you change your words it could change your results.

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SECOND SPEAKER –HEATHER SZASZ – (8-10 MINUTES)

SPEECH NUMBER 5 – ENTERTAINING SPEECH

“THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNEXPECTED”

Do any of you own your own business?  Well there are lots of surprises when you go into business for yourself.  Initially when I opened my cleaning business my plan was to hire people to do the work.  Lo and behold, I ended up being the person who had to do it all.  But I built that business entirely on referral.  Ron got the first referral from a persona at the bank.  I decided to hire someone and with whom we had a language barrier.  That was a bit of a problem.  Several interviews with several candidates later I learned about the backgrounds of many people.  Eventually I learned that there are cultural differences even among the Latin American countries and some don’t get along.  One day an employee came to me to report that a fellow employee was going through drawers looking to steal something.  I put him in the car and immediately took him home.  Another employee was drunk on the job.  I smelled alcohol on her breath immediately.  There is the good, the bad and the unexpected.  One of our teams was cleaning a house that we do every week.  We have the keys to the home so we entered and began the cleaning as there were no cars in the yard.  Then she learned that the man of the house was on the toilet.  “No problem,” she said, “I see my husband like this all the time.”  When you work for yourself, generally you can determine your own hours but sometimes you have to work around the client’s schedule.  Sometimes you have to work around their schedules when running the washing machine.  There are good sides and bad sides when you run your own business. 

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TIMER REPORT- TONY MORELLI

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

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TABLE TOPICS – JEREMIAH FIX

Tony Morelli…   One of the things I’ve been doing lately is preparing to compete in the 10-K, which is one of my New Year’s resolutions.  I was running recently when I injured my right knee and had to put a compress on it.  I did compete in the 10-K and had no problems with the knee then but I’ve had major problems since.

Michael Aun…   New Year’s Resolutions don’t work because people don’t give up on them quick enough.  There!  I said it.  You should consider tearing up your resolutions every quarter.  Revise, revisit, revamp and redo them.  There was an alleged Harvard study that suggested that people who have written goals made 10 times more money as those who had no written goals.  Don’t just write goals down but share them with someone else who will hold you accountable.

Ron Szasz…   Instead of giving someone a piece of your mind, give someone “peace of mind.”  When you have confrontations with others, try giving them “peace” of mind instead of a “piece” of your mind.  Several years ago there was a show on TV about Kung Fu.  Instead of opposing things, the show helped the viewer avoid things.

Walter Derrenbacher…   I don’t have New Year’s Resolutions; they are useless.  We are made to persist; that’s how we find out who we are.  Some people persist in doing wrong things like giving a “piece” of mind.    I am semi-retired.  When I was teaching, I used notes and stood behind a lectern.  Today, I get the students to talk, not me.  By getting them involved, they will learn more.

Wanda Borio…   We must have old memories and young hopes.  In the Bible, you read all kinds of stories about how people deal with things.  In the last few years, I’ve been recalling fond memories about my grandmother and those memories have helped me along the way to renew and refresh me in my life.  Today, I have a new home and new hopes here in Kissimmee.

Pam Leonard….   Children are a unique challenge.  I learned in sales never answer an unasked question.  “We want to have a testimony, but we don’t want the test.”  Most of us don’t reach our New Year’s Resolutions because we don’t want the test.  We don’t really want to rise to the occasion.  We really have to watch ourselves.  Dr. Oz says to write it down and tell a buddy to keep you accountable. 

Fred Moore….   Sorry not a winner… Help I’m trapped in a fortune cookie company… Bad quality lasts a lot longer than a good price.  Cheap isn’t always better.  Resolutions do not work and it proven they don’t.  Resolutions are a lot like dating.  Keep trying until you get it right.

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TIMERS REPORT: TONY MORELLI

Everyone qualified.

BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – FRED MOORE

EVALUATING GWEN FIX – NANCY STREET

Gwen’s presentation today was wonderful!  I loved it!  The purpose of this speech is to “Get to the point” and not beat around the bush, to say it concisely.  You put a lot of thought into your speeches.  We know you spent a lot of time thinking about this.  I loved your props.  You supported everything you said either verbally or with props.  I did notice that you were nervous or not sure what you wanted to say.  It showed a bit.  At one point you seemed stumped but you didn’t stutter your way through it.  Instead you used a long pause to recapture your thoughts.  Don’t thank your audience for listening to you…. we should be thanking you!

 EVALUATING HEATHER SZASZ  –  HARRY FIX

Heather’s speech is out of the Advanced Communicator Manual and it’s not an easy speech.  Your title gives us a great clue as to what to expect.  You are a very entertaining speaker.  The speech was thought out.  One of the things you could have done was provide the person introducing you with a prepared introduction to show what you were attempting to accomplish in the presentation.  We had to figure that out.  It would have helped set the background.  The speech was entertaining.  The presentation was full of antidotal stories that wrapped nicely around your points you wanted to make.  Great job!

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TIMERS REPORT- TONY MORELLI

ALL EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

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AH / GRAMMARIAN – TONY MORELLI

Nancy would be better at this than me.  I didn’t really catch anything except my own.  Heather said “I ended up here in a mistake way.”  Fred Moore, Larry Mattern, Tony Morelli, Heather Szasz had some uh’s, um’s and you know’s.

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WORD REPORT – PRISCILLA VILLAREAL

JUSTICULATE

To make or use gestures, especially in an animated or excited manner.

TONY MORELLI, LARRY MATTERN, FRED MOORE, GWEN FIX, RON SZASZ, NANCY STREET AND HEATHER SZASZ USED THE WORD FOR THE DAY

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FRED MOORE – JOKEMASTER

CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ

TABLE TOPICS WINNER: WALTER DERRENBACHER

BEST EVALUATOR:  NANCY STREET

BEST SPEAKER:   HEATHER SZASZ

FRIDAY <> DECEMBER 16, 2011 KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

CALL TO ORDER:  RON SZASZ

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – CHRIS HAMMOCK

THEME: “LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW”

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT, HEATHER SZASZ

NO BUSINESS TODAY

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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – HEATHER SZAZ

PEOPLE DON’T PLAN TO FAIL, THEY FAIL TO PLAN

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PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

HONESTY BODIFORD

ELON HORSHAM

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WORD OF THE DAY- NEIL ALLEN

“TEPID”

ADJECTIVE

• lukewarm: slightly warm “tepid water”

• unenthusiastic: showing little enthusiasm or warmth “tepid applause”

*******

FIRST SPEAKER – MAIRA DURAN

SPEECH 8– GET COMFORTABLE WITH VISUAL AIDS

“FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT”

How many of you like to dream?  We all like to dream.  Imagine if you had this nice hat (prop)?  These are fancy cars (photos).  Bentley is a $100,000 + car and here are several pictures of it.  This Bentley pictured holds 13 gallons.  Here is a photo of a Lamborghini.  Here is a photo of the fastest car in the world- the Bugatti Veyron.  It can go up to 220 miles per hour.  It is the car of the decade.  It was originally built in 2005.  The transmission alone is worth $125,000.   The tires cost $25,000 each.  If you get a flat, these tires fix themselves.  Dreaming is cheap.  On the face of it, there are many fancy cars out there.  When you go to an auction, you hear all this blah, blah, blah and then a number $125,000.  I only hear the number, not the blah, blah, blah.

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SECOND SPEAKER –PRISCILLA VILLARREAL – (5-7 MINUTES)

SPEECH NUMBER 3 – BASIC MANUAL

“REMEMBRANCE OF AMERICAN CHRISTMAS PAST”

Americans have not always celebrated Christmas the way we do today.  In the past, there were originally two colonies, one in Massachusetts and the other in Jamestown.  In Plymouth, they didn’t really celebrate Christmas.  They only stayed in their home and prayed.  When authorities caught them celebrating in the streets, they were fined.  New England actually had laws forbidding public celebrations.  Jamestown was more of a company town that was founded for adventurers and swashbucklers who wanted to make a name for them.  Jamestown’s Captain Cook was short on food so they went out to hunt some when they were captured by Indians.  In the south, public celebrations of Christmas were fine.  Alabama in 1834 made Christmas a holiday and other states followed.   Along came the Civil War, a great time of trial for both sides.  The Union’s goal was to slash and burn their way through Georgia, burning Savannah to the ground.  General Grant presented that as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln.  Seeing the damage in Savannah, some people from Michigan sent gifts to children in Savannah.  Later,   President Ulysses S. Grant began to celebrate Christmas as a day of reconciliation to the nation.  Today, we all celebrate it differently, so have a Merry Christmas everyone!

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TIMER REPORT- HEATHER SZASZ

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

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TABLE TOPICS – RON SZASZ

Nancy Street…  If I had a carrot for a nose, I suspect I’d smell carrot.  Carrots have a strong taste and smell, which might not be bad if you’re a rabbit.  I’m tepid on the subject of carrots.  You could have a short, stubby baby carrot nose.  When you’re a snow man, a carrot nose would make you a “very cold person.”  I would not want to be a snow man.

Elon Bodiford (visitor)…  I have had several snow days in my life.  I’m from England so I’m very familiar with snow.  When I was in school as a child, snow days were the perfect day to throw snow balls at anyone you want to.  My snow days were “payback” days for me.

Peter…  Everyone knows that I don’t speak any English.  My mentor, Nancy Street, always to convince me that I’m more intelligent that I think I am.  She once told me that “You have two eyes, two ears and one mouth.”  I was in a store and I needed some safety pins and she returned with one.  I told her I need a whole packet.  Why, she asked.  Somebody told me I have a big mouth.

Fred Moore…  I have made many snowballs.  I’m from Ohio which is the reason that I now live in Florida.  I don’t miss getting up at 5:00 a.m. to get a car warmed up.  Driving in the snow is difficult, especially if the road is covered and you turn into someone’s front yard instead of the street.  When you live in snow, you have to drive in snow.  One of my fondest memories is driving along and you start sliding on ice.  You get used to this.  You and others spin out of control, smiling at others who are experiencing the same problem.

Gwen Fix…  I have seen black snow, brown snow but never yellow snow.  I can imagine what it consists of, but I won’t “go there.”  You could go to your kitchen cabinet and collect some yellow food coloring and go outside and put some in the snow.

Charlie Tiffany…  I’m an expert on lawns.  I’m not tepid about it.  I’ve learned one thing:  a southern man is happy if he has a working wife, a color television, a power lawn mower and his wife uses it.  I once lived on the 15^th floor in a tenement.  Rich people had lawns and we used to steal the door mats.  The only things I’ve learned about snow and lawns is somebody else ought to mow them and somebody else ought to shovel them.

Annie Yan…  I grew up in the snow near Siberia, Russia.  As a child we enjoyed snow days but we didn’t have fancy ski stuff like they have here.   We just went out and played.  We would use a piece of cardboard and slide around on it.  The evenings were really cold and if you weren’t careful, the water inside your home would be frozen the next day.  Here in Florida it’s totally different.  I still enjoy the snow and miss it.

TIMERS REPORT: HEATHER SZASZ

Everyone qualified except Gwen Fix

BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – MARY LEE GILL

EVALUATING MAIRA DURAN – TONY MORELLI

BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR VISUAL AIDS.  THEY CAN DETRACT FROM WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH IF THEY BECOME TO MAINTENANCE INTENSIVE.  YOU DREW US IN WITH YOUR TOPIC.  THANK YOU FOR THE SPEECH.

 EVALUATING PRISCILLA VILLARREAL  –  MARY ROSE GUIDONE

ENJOYED THE SPEECH.  A LOT OF CONFIDENCE.  BE CAREFUL OF HAND GESTURES.  GOOD TOPIC AND INFO.  NO NOTES AND GOOD JOB.  LEARNING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR.

TIMERS REPORT- HEATHER SZASZ

ALL EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

AH / GRAMMARIAN – PAM LEONARD

TONY HAD A DOUBLE CLUTCH AND USED HANED EM OUT!

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WORD REPORT – NEIL ALLEN

TEPID

SEVERAL PEOPLE USED THE WORD.

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FRED MOORE – JOKEMASTER

CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ

TABLE TOPICS WINNER: FRED MOORE, CTM

BEST EVALUATOR:  MARY GUIDONE, CTM

BEST SPEAKER:   PRISCILLA VILLARREAL

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

*******

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

AREA 50 <> DIVISION E <> DISTRICT 84

FRIDAY <> SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

1701 WEST CARROLL STREET

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA   34741

CALL TO ORDER:   RON SZASZ

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INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – GWEN FIX

“Words fitly spoken are like apples of gold.”

NEGATIVE WORDS DESTROY; POSITIVE WORDS BUILD

PROVERBS 25:11

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

GUESTS:  NONE 

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TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – NEIL ALLEN

THEME:

“CONFUSION”

WORD OF THE WEEK- JERIMAIH FIX

“CHAOS”

Confusing circumstances…

*******

FIRST SPEAKER –HEATHER SZASZ

SPEECH # 4 – 5-7 MINUTES – A DRAMATIC TALK

ENTERTAINING SPEAKER MANUAL

“GONE IN A SECOND”

“GONE IN A SECOND”… SCREAM!  I come around in an ambulance and I have no idea why and Ron tells me that we’ve been in a car accident.  We were visiting friends for dinner and returning home when we had to swerve to miss a dog, causing the accident.  I was in tremendous pain as they wheeled me into the hospital.  I was begging for pain killers.  They gave me something to drink before hauling me off to x-ray on a trolley.  Those floors are not even; bumps everywhere.  When the x-ray came back, the doctors said they were “choppy.”  They told me they would need a plastic surgeon because of damage to my scalp and road rash on my arm because I was actually been thrown from the vehicle.  My x-husband and daughter arrived to see me.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Here both of the men in my life stood telling me they loved me.  The pain was the worst I’ve ever experienced.  They literally put needles in my head but they did not work so they had to do the entire procedure all over again.  I couldn’t lift my head off a pillow for the next three months without excruciating pain.  Isn’t it amazing… you can be here one minute and gone the next!

SECOND SPEAKER – FRED MOORE

5-7 MINUTES – MAKE THEM LAUGH

SPEECH 3– ENTERTAINING SPEAKER MANUAL

 “UN-PRACTICAL JOKES”

“UN-PRACTICAL JOKES”…  What is a practical joke?  What makes a joke practical?  Webster’s Dictionary defines it as a joke on a victim.  Sometimes they have consequences.  I used to work at the Hard Rock Café and joked around with a fellow female worker, Debbie Lynn.  We would pinch each other on the butt occasionally.  I pinched the wrong person one day but fortunately she did not take it seriously.    I once sent a letter to a friend with a pair of men’s underwear in them and his Drill Instructor had him open it in front of him.  They made him an example.  This little furry animal causes a reaction.  I use it in my show all the time and a lady actually threw a cup of coffee into her husband’s lap.    I had it in a restaurant and was told by the waiter “No live animals in a restaurant.”  No problem… I pretended to kill it and handed it to the waiter!

********

TIMER REPORT- GWEN FIX

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

********

TABLE TOPICS –-RON SZASZ

Larry Mattern … My brother has what he calls the Mattern Sense where he can locate a vehicle anywhere.  He actually went up to someone else’s jeep and tried to open it.  When I lived in East Liverpool, we were riding in my brother’s car, a Gremlin, which did not have power locks.  Later I went to what I thought was the car, laid down in the back seat and nearly scared Kenny to death when I woke up after he got in the car to start it.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Tony Morelli … I would be angry at myself if I was going to sit on a commode with the seat up.  My wife is always telling me that I don’t put the seat down though I continue to try to put the seat down.  It’s the person’s fault who is not looking.

Priscilla Villarreal … You’re in a restaurant and your neighbor’s food is placed in front of you and you accidentally started to eat the food.  Wow, this is chaos.  I would probably just send the food back.

Chris Hammock … I had a fancy Hornet in high school and was cruising down the road at 45 mph with my buddy and we’re chit-chatting.  My buddy has an attitude problem; he has about 15 tickets.  I’m moving along when a light changes and I slammed on the break.  I didn’t even wait for the policeman to pull me over.  The cop comes up to the car and says “You know you ran that red light.”  I told him, “Thank you for pointing that out to me.”  He actually let me go and my buddy was angry that I didn’t get a ticket.

Bill Cokeing… If I mistakenly opened a neighbor’s check that came in error to my mailbox, I am reminded about the stuff we used to do to our neighbors.  I would congratulate my neighbor on the nice check.  My brother and I were practical jokers.  When we were growing up, we got this great idea about dumping the oil out of an oil lamp.  When you turn an oil lamp that is lighted upside down, we alarmed all the neighbors.

TIMERS REPORT- GWEN FIX

EVERYONE QUALIFIED BUT PRISCILLA VILLARREAL (UNDER) AND CHRIS HAMMOCK (OVER).

BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – MAIRA DURAN

EVALUATING HEATHER SZASZ – HARRY FIX

Heather’s presentation this morning was fantastic.  She was to do a dramatic talk out of the Entertaining Speaker Manual.  Her objective today was to develop a dramatic talk with characters in an entertaining manner.  You told a story you had actually experience.  Heather has been there so the story has a terrific advantage along with her British accent, which lends it credibility.  You drew us in with a dramatic talk and great facial expressions.  I loved the intro where you and Ron reenacted the accident in which you were injured.  You did a great job with your vocal variety but you might want to add some dramatic movement to your body language.  Your presentation concluded rather abruptly which led me to believe that you might have been running short on time.  Plan that a bit better and you have a terrific presentation!

EVALUATING FRED MOORE – LARRY MATTERN

Fred’s presentation this morning was titled “Un-Practical Jokes” a humorous speech out of the entertaining speaker manual.  The best speech to give is one about your personal experiences, which are the very best.  We each have a wealth of stories from chaotic ones to humorous ones.  At the very beginning, you spoke very fast.  I could tell when you actually got “into your act.”  It was obvious because the feedback was there.  You are an expert with the use of props.  You are an excellent entertainer.  I couldn’t ask for more!  I was ready to pay admission to hear you.  Your vocal variety and the use of the stage were superb.  You gave us a terrific lift for our Friday morning!

TIMERS REPORT- GWEN FIX

BOTH EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

AH / GRAMMARIAN – CHRIS HAMMOCK

So’s… Ron, Tony, Neil

Ah’s… Ron, Heather, Bill, Chris, Larry, Priscilla

But, but, but… Harry, Tony, Larry

Uhm’s…Maira

You Know’s… None

********

WORD REPORT – GWEN FIX

“CHAOS”

Fred, Ron, Priscilla, Larry, Maira, H Heather, Chris (2), Bill (2) all used the word for the day.

********

JOKE-MASTER- MAIRA DURAN

CHRIS ROCK:

WHEN YOU DIE AT THE AGE OF 72, IT’S STILL OF NATURAL CAUSES.

CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

TABLE TOPICS WINNER: BILL COKEING

BEST EVALUATOR: HARRY FIX

UPCOMING EVENTS

NEXT WEEK’S THEME:  ROAD’S TRAVELED

TOASTMASTER:  LARRY MATTERN

AREA 50 <> DIVISION E <> DISTRICT 84

FRIDAY <> SEPTEMBER 23, 2011
KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

1701 WEST CARROLL STREET

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA   34741

CALL TO ORDER:   RON SZASZ

********

INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE – SANDY GEROUX

“Sometimes we stare so long at the door that is closing that we fail to see the one that just opened.”

ANONOMOUS

********

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

GUEST:  JASMINE COLEMAN, WIFE OF SHON COLEMAN

********

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – SHON COLEMAN

THEME:

“THE WORKPLACE”

WORD OF THE WEEK-  TONY MORELLI

“INSTITUTION”

An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behavior of a set of individuals within a given human community. Institutions are identified with a social purpose and permanence, transcending individual human lives and intentions, and with the making and enforcing of rules governing cooperative human behavior

*******

FIRST SPEAKER –SANDY GEROUX

SPEECH #  1 – 5-7 MINUTES – VOCAL VARIETY

COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

“HUMAN RESOURCES TO HIRE AT THE LAST MINUTE”

“HUMAN RESOURCES TO HIRE AT THE LAST MINUTE”… We are all graduates of MSU… make stuff up.  Sometimes when clients won’t get back to me, I start making stuff up about whether they like me or not.   Give them a break.  Give them a chance to respond.  A young couple moved in next door to us.  The very first day, their little dog started barking away.  The second day the young couple came over and introduced themselves, their children and the puppy.  They were a really wonderful couple.  Michael, Melissa and their baby Elsa were wonderful people.  We stressed ourselves out thinking that these would not be the kind of neighbors we wanted.  We shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.  A friend called me yesterday about problems she was having with her boss, who looks at her like she has seven heads.  She had not mastered the tasks she had been given.  The fact is, she hadn’t even asked the boss what was on their mind.  Previous managers had micromanaged her.  Instead of talking to the boss personally, she put it into an e-mail and it caused a huge storm in the workplace.  When I asked her why she didn’t speak to the person, she said “I tend to get upset and cry.”  This allowed the boss to make stuff up about what was going on.  E-mail is the worst thing that happens in the workplace.  The workplace, like the home place, is all about relationships.

SECOND SPEAKER – LATOYIA STALLWORTH

5-7 MINUTES

SPEECH 5– COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

 “RELAX”

“RELAX”…  “Oh my God, Latoyia, I don’t know what to do.”  My friend drove all the way to Key West and left her wedding dress at home.  She called me to bring the dress and I forgot it too.  I called another person to bring it and she forgot to pick it up too.  On the third day of this venture, I called Danny to pick up the dress and he forgot it too.  Everyone that was supposed to pick up the dress forget it.  “How could you do this to me?” she asked me incredulously.  Finally I called a good friend to pick up the dress, which finally arrived the fourth day.  On the morning of the wedding, the minister had a heart attack.  We had to tell Renee to “Relax, it’s going to be okay.”  My father is a minister and he can perform the wedding.  The wedding was actually performed on the beach in her dress.  “I told you to relax Renee!”

********

TIMER REPORT- FRED MOORE

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

********

TABLE TOPICS –-NANCY STREET

Priscilla Villarreal …  Because I’ve never had a perfect office, my imagination about what one should be like can run wild.  It would have a nice picture window.   It wouldn’t be too hot or too cold.  Some employees have heaters under their desk and some have fans.  Perhaps you should take an extra sweater.  Temperature would have a lot to do with my ideal office.

Gwen Fix … My worst boss was a woman who I applied to for a school bus driver’s job.  I felt this lady was out to get me.  She taught me how to drive but she would yell at me every time anything went wrong.  Finally I pulled over and started crying.   When she asked me why I was crying, I told her I couldn’t take being belittled any longer.  She then lightened up.

Larry Mattern … In my workplace we have been told that joking and cursing are not allowed.  In my blue collar workplace, both applied.  One guy had enough of the joking and threatened to kill us all.  So the Sheriff was called and he was led out of the building.  When he got into the car, he reached under the seat as if to grab a gun…. And that’s my big prank of the day.

Jeremiah Fix …  The five things I would have on my desk if my “neat freak” boss limited me would be a picture of a family member (so they could think I have a heart).  There would be other things as well.

Tony Morelli … The institution of work I usually leave at work.  I recently returned from a two week vacation.  When I left, there were a few activities I had to take care of and I did.  Normally, I leave it at work.  On my next vacation, I’ll pick up the pieces when I return.  Considering the position I’m in, if I’m available I need to be aware of what’s going on.

Michael Aun …  Blah, blah, blah….

Ron Szasz … How I feel about music in the workplace is about the various personalities in the workplace.  Some people put in earphones and listen to an I-pod.   Now companies have video in the workplace as well.  Large television monitors have these huge screens that tell you how to act.  Messages are buried inside them.  Music can be really good in the workplace if you select something that most people like and it’s non-descript.

Jasmine Coleman… I would want to find the value of the different personalities in the workplace.  If I could change any one thing, I would change one person who is causing a lot of friction in the environment.  He’s not always very honest, and he’s causing people to doubt one another.  We have to feel we can trust the people we work for and with so that we don’t wind up in an institution.

Fred Moore … Downsizing two employees or losing $1,500 in pay… that’s like a half day’s pay for me.  Would you fire people or take a pay cut?  One of those moral questions….  It reminds me of a game a woman I was dating and the mom posed the question… “If you got a woman pregnant, would you marry her?”  I got to pose a question back… “If you were in the middle of doing it and weren’t done and the person died… would you finish?”

TIMERS REPORT- FRED MOORE

EVERONE QUALIFIED

BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – DAVID MC KIM

EVALUATING SANDY GEROUX – NEIL ALLEN, ACS

Sandy had an opportunity to day to address a topic that is very critical to our society.  You started with a question and I like that very much.  “Have you ever made and assumption on a first meeting?”  Of course we have.  We all do.  Loved the acronym MSU – make stuff up.  It’s too easy to make wrong assumptions.  ASSUME…it makes an ass out of you and me.  Giving the other person the benefit of the doubt.  I made a comment at a church meeting that offended someone.  When I spoke to her about it we both laughed at her interpretation and my intention.  Do we really know how to communicate in this institution of life?  Excellent job Sandy!

EVALUATING LATOYIA STALLWORTH –  HEATHER SZASZ

Latoyia’s presentation today was fun loving.  Chaos was the focus with panic as part of the story you told with the dress everyone forgot to bring.  The focus of your speech was body language.  I would have liked to see you exaggerate your gestures and body language a bit more.  Your eye contact seemed to focus on one side of the room as well.  Walking helps you to make contact.  The dress….was it ever going to get there?   You never told us whether she wore the dress or not.  We hung onto every word.  You threaded us through it very nicely.  Great story!

TIMERS REPORT- FRED MOORE

BOTH EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

AH / GRAMMARIAN – JASMINE COLEMAN (GUEST)

So’s… Latoyia, Jeremiah, Michael

Ah’s… Latoyia, Priscilla, Larry, Ron

Uhm’s… Latoyia, Pisicilla, Jeramiah, Tony, Shon

You Know’s… Sandy, Latoyia, Ron

********

WORD REPORT – TONY MORELLI

“INSTITUTION”

Shon, Sandy, Latoyia, Nancy, Priscilla, Larry, Michael, Ron and Jasmine all used the word for the day.

********

JOKE-MASTER- NONE TODAY

CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

TABLE TOPICS WINNER: LARRY MATTERN

BEST EVALUATOR: HEATHER SZASZ

UPCOMING EVENTS

AREA 50 <> DIVISION E <> DISTRICT 84

FRIDAY <> AUGUST 12, 2011

KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

1701 WEST CARROLL STREET

KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA   34741

CALL TO ORDER:   RON SZASZ

********

INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE –

“Some people dream of success… while others work hard at it.”

ANONOMOUS

********

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST – AUGUST 19 – SIGN UP TODAY,

 HARRY FIX, CHAIR

GUESTS: NONE TODAY

16 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE TODAY

********

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – HEATHER  SZASZ, CC

THEME:

“GRANDPARENTS”

WORD OF THE WEEK-  HARRY  FIX

“COGNISANT”

cognisant – (sometimes followed  by `of’) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or  perception; “was aware of his opponent’s hostility”; “became  aware of her surroundings”; “aware that he had exceeded the speed  limit”

*******

FIRST SPEAKER –NEIL ALLEN, ACS

SPEECH #  6 – 5-7
MINUTES – VOCAL VARIETY

COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

“FATHERHOOD… A BLESSING OR A CURSE”

“FATHERHOOD… A BLESSING OR A CURSE”…  About 25 years ago, I had a bit of a  challenge with my car; it was overheating.  The thermostat didn’t work.  I
used an expletive deletive “ah… sh….”  Off in the distance, I heard my son repeat exactly what I said.  We immediately had a sit-down to discuss my  language.  My dad once told me “I have a wish for you.  I hope you have a son just  like you.”  Now that I think about some  of the many things I did as his son and I wonder if it’s a blessing or a
curse.   My own sons got into it with one  another and one threw the other down.
What did you do?  I was mad at him  so I turned him upside down and dropped him to the floor, resulting in a slight  concussion.

Children do some interesting  things.  I’m out working in the yard,  sweating away.  I came in the house to  wash my face and I found this wet wash cloth.  I proceeded to wipe my face with it but my five year old advised me the  odor I detected was from her… “Yes daddy… I washed my poop with that cloth.”  I recently became a scoutmaster.  The campsite had no cell service or reliable  web access.  I wanted to wish grandpa a
happy birthday.  His response when the  message finally got through was “The best gift for me is to know that Neil is  serving others as a scoutmaster.”

SECOND SPEAKER – RON SZASZ

5-7 MINUTES

SPEECH 4– COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL- HOW TO SAY IT

 “SHRIMPING IN THE NIGHT”

“SHRIMPING IN THE NIGHT”…  How many of you have eaten shrimp?  Lots of us.  Let me take you on an adventure.   When I was growing up, my dad, my uncles and their friends were all  located where I grew up in Miami.  One of  the most favorite things I did with my dad was to go “shrimping” with my dad  and his friends.  Miami has a series of
causeways all over the city.  The  causeways are usually accompanied by catwalks, which are for people who want to  fish off the bridge.  The beauty of the  catwalks is that you can catch almost anything you could catch out of the  ocean.  You always need certain equipment  when you fish, a hat, suntan lotion, plenty to drink and so forth.  When you go shrimping, you need a big  net.  In order to find the shrimp, we  would often use a lantern at night so that it would illuminate the water below  to indicate where the shrimp were.  Since  you’re usually doing an “all-nighter,” you need plenty of food, drink and  bait.  We enjoyed catching “look-down”  fish which were silvery with a sloped head.  We used to catch and release them, but I later found that they’re good  eating.

I saw an eel one time which was so unique that I had to look it up when I got home.  I thought it was a deep-water eel but it was  actually a “ribbon fish.”  I wondered why  such a creature was actually on the surface below me.  I haven’t done these adventures since I was a  child because central Florida lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to that kind of  activity.

********

TIMER REPORT- NEIL ALLEN

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

********

TABLE TOPICS –-MARIBEL URREA

Gwen Fix …  I knew there was a “Grandparents  Day” here in America but I’ve never actually celebrated it other than to act as  a surrogate grandparent to others.

Tony Morelli…  One of my most  treasured experiences was visiting my grandparents who lived right next door to  where we lived.  The lived in a small  house that was always warm and smelled terrific.  I’ll always remember those odors.  They always had a treat like an Italian  cheesecake.  Then my grandpa would offer a liquor to chase the cheesecake down. 

Michael Aun …  blah, blah,  blah. 

Bill Snyder … Grandparents spoil kids; that’s very true and it’s their  job!  When a child misbehaves and a  grandparent is present, the child always goes to the grandparent because they  know they can get away with more from the grandparent than they can from the  parent.  They’re cognizant of these  things.  Children are learning and they
have to be tolerated while they learn.  I  never knew my grandmother’s first name because I never met her.

Larry Mattern … I have two sons but no grandchildren.  I’m known as cold and heartless.  I always used to shake hands with them when I  left.  We didn’t hug.  Kids want discipline.   Maybe if I ever have grandkids, my heart  will melt down.

Shon Coleman … You had me at hello… I’m just like Larry, I don’t share  emotions.  Now that I’m married to a Dominican and everybody hugs and shares.   Personal space doesn’t exist.  I never knew whether to hug or not.  I can  remember growing up as an Italian and lots of hugging went on whereas my dad’s  side was cold.

Annie Yan …  Is being a  grandparent an opportunity for a second chance?
First time being a parent we lack experience and we sometimes have  regrets.  Experience makes us all wiser  and makes us more patient and loving to grandchildren.

TIMERS REPORT- ANNIE YAN

EVERONE QUALIFIED EXCEPT GWEN AND
ANNIE, THE TWO TIMERS!

BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – SANDY GEROUX, ATMB, CL

EVALUATING NEIL ALLEN, ACS – FRED MOORE

Neil’s presentation today had to  focus on vocal variety and he had specific challenges outlined in the manual.  On all of the points, I thought  he did an admirable job.  My challenge as his evaluator is to find something that needs to be fixed.  Neil is very good and I’m cognizant of the  fact that he’s very aware of himself on the platform.  His use of notes was minor.  In comedy and performing we suggest that you  eliminate facts that are not relevant to a story.  They tend to confuse.  Your use of pauses is excellent.  Those pauses make you want to listen and anticipate your next word.  All in all,  great job Neil!

EVALUATING RON SZASZ – MARY GUIDONE

Ron’s presentation today was  interesting to me because I’m a native Floridian and I went shrimping when I grew  up.  I really identified with your topic  and your speech.  You engaged us right away by opening up with a question.  I  wish you would have been a bit more descriptive, perhaps describing the sounds  of shrimping as well as the word pictures.  Your words were simple and short gave us vivid descriptions of the  situation.

TIMERS REPORT- ANNIE YAN

 BOTH EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

AH / GRAMMARIAN – SHON COLEMAN

Likes (Gwen), You-knows (Ron,  Maribel, Tony), Ums (Ron), and my favorite of the day, a double very by  Sandy:  do do!

********

WORD REPORT – HARRY FIX

“COGNISANT”

Neil, Sandy, Harry, Ron, Bill, Larry, Fred, Heather all used the word for the day.

********

JOKE-MASTER- TONY MORELLI, ACG, ALB

CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

TABLE TOPICS WINNER: LARRY MATTERN

BEST EVALUATOR: FRED  MOORE

UPCOMING EVENTS

NEXT WEEK’S SCHEDULE –
AUGUST 19, 2011

HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST

AREA 50 <> DIVISION E <>  DISTRICT 84

FRIDAY <> AUGUST 5, 2011

KISSIMMEE UTILITY AUTHORITY

CALL TO ORDER:   RON SZASZ

********

INSPIRATION AND PLEDGE –

“If opportunity isn’t knocking at your door, then perhaps  you aren’t in front of the right door.   Try moving to the next one.  And,  if it’s not knocking there, try another one.”

Neil Allen, ACS

********

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST – AUGUST 19 – SIGN UP TODAY,

 HARRY FIX, CHAIR

GUESTS: TONY BETTS

19 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE TODAY

********

TOASTMASTER OF THE DAY – MAIRA  DURAN

THEME: “TOASTMASTER ON PHYSICAL”

WORD OF THE WEEK-  TONY  MORELLI

“RESILIENCE”

THE POWER OR THE ABILITY TO RECOVER  OR RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL FORM.

 *******

FIRST SPEAKER – LARRY MATTERN

SPEECH #  7 – 5-7  MINUTES

COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

“BRINGING YOU THE POWER”

“BRINGING YOU THE POWER”… The Kissimmee Utility Authority  provides power to our area.  Our newest unit is the Cane Island unit.  We work in  in conjunction with 14 other cities and that’s how we’re able to build a  multi-million dollar power plant without you paying through the nose for your  power.    Unit’s one, two and three are built and unit
four is underway.  We make power in a  number of ways.  The way we do it is by  making alternating current power.  To  make A/C power you need a magnet and a conductor.  That, in very simple terms, is how we make  power.  We use huge turbans to make
power.  These turbans spin the magnet and  that’s what generates the power.  When we
spin the magnet, it makes electricity but then we have to deliver it.  We haven’t had the best of luck in getting  our units past a train as the first couple got hit.  Our newest unit made it okay.  Unit four is being built as we speak, allowing  us to deliver even more power.  It’s  being painted as we speak.  We’re doing  testing right now and this is critical.

When you see the steam coming from the plant, you know it is  working.  We not only empower our  citizens, we empower the community with some 400 jobs (at its peak), allowing  us to not only delivering power but a lot of assistance to our community in  general.

SECOND SPEAKER – GWEN FIX

5-7 MINUTES

SPEECH 2– COMPETENT COMMUNICATOR MANUAL

 “IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR?”

“IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE
YEAR?”….  Is this the most wonderful time of  the year?  I wasn’t sure whether this is
or not.  You decide.  Imagine it’s an early August morning and you’re  waving goodbye to your “honey.”  You find  a few more cars than normal on the road.   You come across a road like 192 when your speed picks up.  All of a sudden, you come to a dead stop  because of a possible fender bender ahead of you.  Way off in the distance, you see a “STOP”  sign that’s attached to a school bus and you know you are in for frequent  stops.

When you finally get going again,  you’re asking yourself what’s keeping the bus driver, who is focusing on her  number one priority- the kid’s safety.   As she accounts for each child, she closes her doors, checks all seven  of her mirrors, releases her airbrake and drops her stop sign and proceeds to  her next pickup.  Now you decide to start  weaving in and of traffic to try to get around the bus, but you notice her  amber lights are flashing, indicating she’s about to stop again.  Now you’re irritated but you think to  yourself, I may as well be resilient and just sit back and relax.  Now there’s a long line of kids mounting the  steps into this bus.  It reminds you of  your first day at school and the lunch box you took along with you.  All of a sudden, you hear a horn blowing from  the guy behind you because you’re daydreaming and not paying attention as the  school bus departed.  You speed and drive  recklessly to get to work only to find your boss called your honey right as you  left the house to say that he would not be in that day!

********

TIMER REPORT- NEIL ALLEN

BOTH SPEAKERS QUALIFIED

********

TABLE TOPICS –-MARY LEE GILL – WELCOME TO THE ZOO

Chris Hammock …  frogs are pretty healthy.

David McKim …  This little honey bee reminds me of baseball or  actually softball.  Baseball and softball  is a “honey” of a sport…. get it “honey bee.”   My little bee has a stinger and it likes to find some targets.

Charlie Tiffany …  I have a small monkey here.  My wife told me that the only difference  between me and this monkey is I have a better barber.  Monkeys are taught to  be more resilient.

Michael Aun …  blah, blah, blah.  Ladybug  humor….

Latoyia Stallworth …  I have this beautiful  butterfly to speak about today.  All butterflies are different colors.  It’s like me; I enjoying changing my colors  from time to time.  Butterflies sometimes  get caught and they don’t know what to do; they die out and they don’t always  know how to regenerate themselves.

TIMERS REPORT- NEIL ALLEN

ALL TABLE TOPICS PARTICIPANTS
QUALIFIED

BREAK TIME

MASTER EVALUATOR – FRED MOORE

EVALUATING LARRY MATTERN – HARRY FIX

Larry’s presentation this morning  was about “researching your topic,” which was project seven in the Basic  Communicator Manual.  Larry brought you  the power this morning.  When you speak  about something you know, you bring so much to the speech.  Your PowerPoint showed us wonderful pictures  which defined the Power Plant and the progress you’ve made in building the new  unit.  While you brought us a lot of
facts, you could have given us even more by telling us how much power these  units could build.  It was nice to learn  about all the cities that benefit from the construction of this plant.  In the future, slow down and take a moment to  enunciate and make yourself clear to your audience.  This would also be a great topic for your  next project “Getting Comfortable with Visual Aids.”

EVALUATING GWEN FIX – MARIBEL URREA

Gwen’s presentation today was speech  number two from the competent communicator manual.  I can’t believe this was your second  speech!  Your goal was to have a clear,
well-defined goal in your presentation.   You selected a situation that we all run into every day, getting behind  a school bus that makes multiple stops.

 We can all identify with that; we’ve been there, so it was very easy for  us to identify with you.  Your  preparation was excellent.  We were  following you through your word pictures.   We could see the school bus and the stop sign and the kids and the  patience that the bus driver was showing.   Your closing tied into your opening when your “honey” was waving goodbye  with the phone to their ear.  You did a  really good job telling your story and I look forward to your next  presentation.

TIMERS REPORT- NEIL ALLEN

BOTH EVALUATORS QUALIFIED

AH / GRAMMARIAN – ANNIE YAN

We all did a good job today

********

WORD REPORT – TONY MORELLI

“RESILENCE”

Gwen, Chris, Dave, Charlie and Neil  all used the word for the week.

******** 

JOKE-MASTER- DAVID MC KIM

CLOSING AWARDS – HEATHER SZASZ, CC

TABLE TOPICS WINNER:  CHARLIE TIFFANY

BEST EVALUATOR: HARRY  FIX

UPCOMING EVENTS