The theme of the evening…. Teamwork makes the Dream-work
Glenn, called the meeting to order and our acting President David M welcomed everyone and opened the meeting. Mark outlined the alterations and thanked all those who volunteered to fill in for those unable to attend. Toastmaster Barbara warmly welcomed our two brave and charming guests – Jena and Melissa. Each guest is inspired to attend when circumstances call them to develop their speaking skills, and we all benefit from their presence and participation.
Joyce presented a spirited and motivating Two Minute Tip which had us dreaming big and writing down the steps we need to take to fulfill our dreams. Gerry commenced the warm-up, recounting a time when she was part of a ‘Dream Team’ at work. Members and guests each described their experience of a dream team – at work, on the sports field, or in other groups. Wordmaster/Grammarian Mark revealed the word of the night which was a wonderfully amicable one.
Karen’s speech opened our eyes to the power of our thoughts. A story of intention setting, focused thoughts, and group healing. Glenn told us two truths and a half-truth, and members and guests had mixed results in identifying the ‘lie’. Supper was provided by the generous, creative Joyce – a delicious serving of delectables. Joyce then had us spellbound with a roving kind of Table Topics which saw an AFL dream team dig all the way to China (or thereabouts). There were sleepyheads (Mark), hardworking organisers (Dean), crocheting neighbours (Gerry), members of the constabulary (Melissa), and the finisher-upper (Glenn).
Mark’s evaluation of Karen’s speech was comprehensive, thoughtful, and encouraging. Mark’s wordmaster/grammarian report included how many times we each used the word of the day (‘amicable’) and how many times we each ‘ummed’ and ‘aahhed’ (a few). Mark also identified some noteworthy words and phrases used during the evening, encouraging us to increase our vocabulary every day.
Mark’s general evaluation was all-embracing, and he urged us to be mindful of the correct way to fulfill our Toastmaster roles and work together as a team. Thanks to Dean for your methodical timekeeping and Barbara for amiably and enthusiastically weaving the Teamwork theme throughout the meeting, with insightful quotes and kindness. Thank you to our fabulous guests, we hope to see you again soon.