Capital City Toastmasters Meeting Recap - April 15, 2010

Submitted by Brian Simpson

 

Today's Theme: Memories of My First Job

 

Today's meeting featured two IceBreaker speeches and an Impromptu speech! You don't see THAT every day in Toastmasters!!

Dean DiLillo served as Sgt. at Arms and welcomed our Toastmaster, Tom Beaulieu. Throughout the meeting, Tom peppered us with fun facts about jobs. For example, did you know that the temporary employment agency ManPower is the largest employer in the U.S? And did you know there are people whose job title is Chicken Shooter? These are the folks who fire dead chickens at airplanes to test the impact on windshields, engines, etc! Those are just a few of the many interesting work-related factoids that Tom shared with us.

Lesley Cates gave the invocation, quoting the first part of a Robert Frost poem ("The Road Not Taken") without using notes. Wow! Here is the full poem:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Dean was also our WordMaster, giving us the Word of the Day: subservient. This word means "subordinate in capacity or function."

Kerry Leeburn filled the empty TimeKeeper slot and gave the time parameters for meeting participants with speaking roles and those called upon for Table Topics.

Simon Phillips-Hughes introduced our first speaker, Jillian Bowlin. Jillian took an interesting approach to her 4-6 minute IceBreaker speech (the first of ten projects in the Competent Communication manual), as she introduced herself to us by telling stories about her various tattoos and their relationship to her religious faith. Dean served a 3rd role in today's meeting (thanks Dean!!) and introduced our second speaker, Stephen Beausang, who also delivered an IceBreaker speech. His speech was filled with vivid imagery that helped us picture his hometown in South Ireland, "a green limestone valley with castles and monuments dotting the landscape." Sara Salek introduced my impromptu speech about fishing and boating.

Simon, Dean and Sara evaluated the 3 speakers, providing helpful feedback including both praise and areas for potential improvement.

Tracey Gritz was ran Table Topics, calling upon Travis Vann to tell us why living next to a nuclear power plant is a GOOD thing, Cherry McRae to tell us which age she would pick if she could re-live any age for one week, and Mike Eaves to elaborate on the fact that what some people THINK they know about his place of birth is not really true. All 3 participants used the Word of the Day in their responses. Well done!

Mike Eaves gave a detailed Grammarian's report, and Tom Presley gave the General Evaluator's report on this morning's meeting.

 

Responses to the theme question, "What was your first job and what is your strongest memory about it?" included:

I worked on a farm for $1.25 an hour – 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I slept A LOT during the summers I was 13 and 14 years old .

My first job was working in my father's law practice in high school.  My strongest memory was my work on Saturday mornings gathering the mail, starting the coffee, and getting everything organized for the attorneys.  Fun and relaxing!

My first job was working at my father’s gas station changing oil and pumping gas.  It left an impact on me in several ways.  I think I walk faster than I might have if I didn’t have to hustle out to the car to wash the windows and pump the gas.  I learned how to handle money and talk to grownups.  I actually had many memorable moments as I carefully washed the driver’s side front window of the better looking female customers not even noticing the glass.

My first job was at "The Pet Spa."  It was a pet grooming and boarding place.  I was only 13 when I started working there and one of my interesting memories was when a lady brought in her pet skunks for grooming.  I was happy to discover they had taken away the scent glands and I wouldn't be sprayed!

My first job when I left high school was as a Trainee Accountant at an Insurance Company. I realized early on that this was not for me. I was however a great benefit to me as my later career included programming, supporting and eventually selling Accounting Software.

My first job was as a Sales associate at Structure, a men's clothing store. Strongest memory (aside from the discounts) was that the manager always treated me like an equal, despite my young age. This made a lasting impact on me.

My first job was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken.  My strongest memory was learning that if I kept asking other employees to cover my shifts, my boss assumed I didn't want to work and cut my hours. That was financially painful, but a great life lesson

My first job was working at one of the first Burger Kings in the UK!

My first job was at an upscale Italian restaurant in Miami Beach. I loved it because all the cooks would try their newest recipes with me.....I ate a lot...it was great!

I grew up working on parents farm and in their store but never received paycheck. The first job I got paid for was assisting at poll for an election. It was only one day but I was very excited when I received my first check in the mail. I didn't realize it was a paying job!

My first job was s cooping ice cream for Haagen Daaz.  I quickly learned that ice cream had thin profits – a 4 oz. scoop made money, a 5 oz. scoop lost money.

 

Club Business:

Don't forget about the Division Contest on Saturday. Visit our website's homepage for the link to pre-register yourself and any guests you plan to bring.

Also, please send your dues to Gwen if you haven't done so already. Thanks!!

 

Ribbon winners:

Best Table Topics: Mike

Best Evaluator: Sara

Best Speaker: me

 

We had 3 guests at today's meeting: Mary Lee McDaniel, Christine Castelloe, and Natasha Toon. Altogether, we had 15 folks in attendance today. Tom B. pointed out that attendance was lower than normal today because everyone must be rushing to finish their taxes for today's April 15th deadline! Haha!