A little rain can’t stop Silicon Speech! Especially when it’s on zoom.
President Alex opened the club meeting by addressing our very special guests Jed (honored guest) and Carla (Area 1 Director). Always a pleasure.
Carla mentioned some important business news and events coming up. February 6th 2021 is our Toastmasters Competition for Area 1. If you have a speech in mind, please come on down and give it a go.
Secondly is Toastmaster Leadership Institute (TLI), where you can get your officers training. I highly recommend anyone who’s interested in becoming an officer or just want to check it out to sign up at the link below. It’s virtual and It’s a fun one!
Lauren held the position as Toastmaster for the evening. As the rain poured outside, Lauren kept the meeting light and sunny.
Shar gave a thoughtful joke about not getting ran over. Wise jokes from a wise woman.
Li took on a last minute role of timer. Thank you Li, always enjoy that light show.
Jaclyn & Evan couldn’t make it this evening due to the LA snow. And guess who stepped up and took charge? Our fearless leader Steve.
Steve always has a quote up his sleeve. Hey! That rhymes!
Sam was the master of ah’s! Counter that is.
Steve wears many hats, but Grammarian must be his finest. He chose the word of the day which was “Adumbrate”. To report or represent an outline.
Andy was our first speaker of the night. His speech entitled “The road” was also his ice breaker. Andy gave us some insight into his upbringing. Turns out that Andy had the entrepreneur mentality from a very young age. Starting an arcade business in a basement. Things didn’t pick up right away, but he later found success. But not all good things last forever. His parents reminded him he needed to focus on his studies. This road paved the way to the Andy we know today. Great speech Andy!
Our second speaker of the night was Maryam. Her speech was entitled “Daydreaming”. Maryam spoke about the benefits of getting lost in your thoughts. And the downside as well. Daydreaming can help you solve problems and has proven benefits for a better mood. The downside is that you can lose focus on the real world and cannot complete tasks. This can be detrimental to reality. At the end of the day, daydreaming about winning $1 billion dollars would be nice. I’m feeling happier already! Thank you Maryam.
President Alex evaluated Andy and gave some awesome points. Andy is a great storyteller who has a warm and conversational tone.
Armando mentioned that Maryam chose the perfect topic. Daydreaming during the pandemic is something we’re all doing. He loved the research she put in and the reminder that it’s okay to daydream about the “before times”. Maybe we as a society will be more appreciative of the little things.
Next up was Table Topics. Before Azita took the reigns, Shar mentioned another format that might have us all thinking on our toes. Great tip, Shar!
Azita chose the topic of COVID.
Carla misses Theater and Hockey. Watching it on TV is great and all, but there’s nothing like in-person comradery.
Jed had quite a transition this past year. He’s a proud first time father and homeowner. Congratulations, Jed!
Thirty years from now, what would Blake tell a kid about these crazy times called COVID? She would tell them about the things she’s thankful for. Her husband and toilet paper. I will second that adumbrate on toilet paper.
Rafael talked about the habits he implemented in his life since the pandemic. Walking, drawing, and reading. He’s kept up with this regime about 90% of the time. He’s happier and healthier.
Luis mentioned some new norms that will be dearly missed. RIP handshakes and hugs. He hopes to at least smile at a safe distance to strangers some day. He’s happy that cleanliness will be emphasized in this new world.
In closing, I want to thank Azita for that appropriate topic and mention of a speech you once heard from a Holocaust survivor. His happiness was brought on by the idea that life can end at any time. Therefore, embrace every minute of it. Powerful words needed in these interesting times.
Special thanks to Carla for stopping by. Your presence is always a treat.
Big welcome to Jed! He’s officially joining Silicon Speech! After zoom-shopping two other clubs, we were the most awesomest. His words, not mine. Thank you Jed, and welcome aboard.
Lastly, we will be holding our preliminary speech competition on February 4th. Therefore our meeting structure will be a little different. Our winners will be chosen to move on to Area 1 competition which will be held on Saturday, February 6th.
Here is the link for officer training.
Here is the link for the speech competition
Don’t forget we have Study Hall on Tuesdays from 6-7pm. Questions, concerns, and brainstorming sessions are welcomed.
That’s all from me. Enjoy the rare Los Angeles weather. See you next week!