Friday, 30 December 2011
Next Meeting...
The 1st meeting of UT Sciences Toastmasters will be held on January 6, 2012. See you then!
Friday, 16 December 2011
46th Meeting of 2011
The 46th meeting of the year was on the topic of "Politically Incorrect" and the Toastmaster of the Day was Justin Hall. Our TopicsMaster, Alex Loh, divided the audience into two teams who debated the statement, "Good communication is the most important skill a leader should have."
The Word of the Day was "Diplomatic".
Jag Swaminathan gave his 6th Competent Communicator speech titled, "The Cyclonic Monk from India".
The General Evaluator was Natasha Scherbakova, and the prepared speech was evaluated by Maryam Ali.
The supporting roles were filled by Albert Ntiri (Grammarian), Xiang Hu (Ah Counter), Kalen Braman (Time Keeper) and Tatiana Makhinova (Vote Counter).
The Word of the Day was "Diplomatic".
Jag Swaminathan gave his 6th Competent Communicator speech titled, "The Cyclonic Monk from India".
The General Evaluator was Natasha Scherbakova, and the prepared speech was evaluated by Maryam Ali.
The supporting roles were filled by Albert Ntiri (Grammarian), Xiang Hu (Ah Counter), Kalen Braman (Time Keeper) and Tatiana Makhinova (Vote Counter).
Friday, 9 December 2011
45th Meeting of 2011
The theme of the meeting was "You've got to be kidding!" and we stretched our minds by coming up with outrageous tall tales. The Toastmaster of the Day was Eamon O'Dea, and Justin Hall was the TopicsMaster. The word of the day was "Incredulous".
Jordi Calveras' prepared speech was a Roast for the Special Occasions Speeches advanced manual. Jordi proceeded to poke fun of himself in the third person, to much amusement.
Kalen Braman was the General Evaluator, and Maryam Ali evaluated the speech.
Supporting roles were filled by Alex Loh (Grammarian), Al Ntiri (Ah Counter), and Natasha (Time Keeper and Vote Counter).
Jordi Calveras' prepared speech was a Roast for the Special Occasions Speeches advanced manual. Jordi proceeded to poke fun of himself in the third person, to much amusement.
Kalen Braman was the General Evaluator, and Maryam Ali evaluated the speech.
Supporting roles were filled by Alex Loh (Grammarian), Al Ntiri (Ah Counter), and Natasha (Time Keeper and Vote Counter).
Friday, 2 December 2011
44th Meeting of 2011
The theme of today's meeting was "The 80s and the 90s". The Word of the Day was "Nostalgia". Maryam Ali was Toastmaster of the Day and Kalen Braman was TopicsMaster.
Our first prepared speech was delivered by Jordi Calveras, on "Accepting an award". The second speech was Alex Loh's 4th CC speech, titled "The Body in our Backyard."
General Evaluator was Natasha Scherbakova. Grammarian was Maryam Ali. Ah Counter was Natasha. Time Keeper was Justin Hall, and Vote counter was Victor Yu.
Our first prepared speech was delivered by Jordi Calveras, on "Accepting an award". The second speech was Alex Loh's 4th CC speech, titled "The Body in our Backyard."
General Evaluator was Natasha Scherbakova. Grammarian was Maryam Ali. Ah Counter was Natasha. Time Keeper was Justin Hall, and Vote counter was Victor Yu.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Thanksgiving break!
We will take a break from our weekly public speaking adventures to share Thanksgiving week with friends and family. Our meeting for November 25, 2011 is cancelled. Come see us next week!
Friday, 18 November 2011
43rd Meeting of 2011
The theme of this meeting was "Wolves". The Toastmaster of the Day was Justin Hall. The TopicsMaster was Jordi Calveras. The word of the day was "carnivorous".
Both speakers gave their 10th CC manual speeches on the theme of "Inspire your audience". Kalen Braman gave a rousing speech exhorting, "Citizens of Endor, Unite!" Maryam Ali spoke on "Ethical Science".
Kathy Spradlin was the General Evaluator. Speech evaluators were Jag Swaminathan and Andrew Engel.
Victor Yu was Grammarian, Eamon O'Dea was Ah Counter, Jordi Calveras was Time Keeper, and Natasha Scherbakova was Vote Counter.
Both speakers gave their 10th CC manual speeches on the theme of "Inspire your audience". Kalen Braman gave a rousing speech exhorting, "Citizens of Endor, Unite!" Maryam Ali spoke on "Ethical Science".
Kathy Spradlin was the General Evaluator. Speech evaluators were Jag Swaminathan and Andrew Engel.
Victor Yu was Grammarian, Eamon O'Dea was Ah Counter, Jordi Calveras was Time Keeper, and Natasha Scherbakova was Vote Counter.
Friday, 11 November 2011
42nd Meeting of 2011
The theme of the day was "Extraterrestrials". Victor Yu debuted as Toastmaster of the Day and Kathy Spradlin debuted as TopicsMaster. The word of the day was "Migrant".
Hieu Nguyen gave his 3rd CC speech on "UFOs". Jordi Calveras delivered a Roast as part of the AC "Special Occasions" speech manual.
Kalen Braman was the general evaluator. Alex Loh and Eamon O'Dea evaluated the speeches.
Andrew Engel was the Grammarian. Xiang Hu served as Ah Counter. Ahmed Aldkhil was Time Keeper and Victor Yu was the Vote Counter.
Hieu Nguyen gave his 3rd CC speech on "UFOs". Jordi Calveras delivered a Roast as part of the AC "Special Occasions" speech manual.
Kalen Braman was the general evaluator. Alex Loh and Eamon O'Dea evaluated the speeches.
Andrew Engel was the Grammarian. Xiang Hu served as Ah Counter. Ahmed Aldkhil was Time Keeper and Victor Yu was the Vote Counter.
Friday, 4 November 2011
41st Meeting of 2011
This day's topic was "Silence". The Toastmaster was Andrew Engel. The word of the day was "abstain".
Today's prepared speeches were by Jordi Calveras and Maryam Ali .
TableTopics were presented by Natasha Scherbakova.
General Evaluator was Jag Swaminathan. Kalen Braman and Eamon O'Dea evaluated the speeches. Justin Hall was Grammarian. Alex Loh was the Ah Counter. Xiang Hu was Time Keeper. Ahmed Aldkhil was Vote Counter.
Today's prepared speeches were by Jordi Calveras and Maryam Ali .
TableTopics were presented by Natasha Scherbakova.
General Evaluator was Jag Swaminathan. Kalen Braman and Eamon O'Dea evaluated the speeches. Justin Hall was Grammarian. Alex Loh was the Ah Counter. Xiang Hu was Time Keeper. Ahmed Aldkhil was Vote Counter.
Friday, 21 October 2011
39th Meeting of 2011
This day's topic was "Body Language". The Toastmaster was Alex Loh. The word of the day was "eschew".
Today's prepared speeches were by Victor Yu (giving his Icebreaker!) and Eamon O'Dea.
TableTopics were presented by Natasha Scherbakova!
General Evaluator was Jordi Calveras. Andrew Engel and Maryam Ali evaluated the speeches. Kathy Spradlin was Grammarian. Kalen Braman was the Ah Counter. Xiang Hu was Time Keeper. Ahmed Aldkhil was Vote Counter.
Today's prepared speeches were by Victor Yu (giving his Icebreaker!) and Eamon O'Dea.
TableTopics were presented by Natasha Scherbakova!
General Evaluator was Jordi Calveras. Andrew Engel and Maryam Ali evaluated the speeches. Kathy Spradlin was Grammarian. Kalen Braman was the Ah Counter. Xiang Hu was Time Keeper. Ahmed Aldkhil was Vote Counter.
Friday, 30 September 2011
36th Meeting of 2011
This day's topic was "Magic". The Toastmaster was Jordi Calveras. The word of the day was "Illusory".
Today's prepared speeches were by Maryam Ali and Jordi Calveras.
TableTopics were presented by Jag Swaminathan.
General Evaluator was Andrew Engel. Alex Loh and Eamon O'Dea evaluated the speeches. Justin Hall was Grammarian. Brian was the Ah Counter. Hieu Nguyen was Time Keeper. Tatiana Makhinova was Vote Counter.
Today's prepared speeches were by Maryam Ali and Jordi Calveras.
TableTopics were presented by Jag Swaminathan.
General Evaluator was Andrew Engel. Alex Loh and Eamon O'Dea evaluated the speeches. Justin Hall was Grammarian. Brian was the Ah Counter. Hieu Nguyen was Time Keeper. Tatiana Makhinova was Vote Counter.
Friday, 23 September 2011
35th Meeting of 2011
This day's topic was "Wild Animals". The Toastmaster was Maryam Ali. The word of the day was "Predator".
Today's prepared speeches were by Andrew Engel and Jordi Calveras.
TableTopics were presented by Alex Loh, featuring the debut Two-Tailed African Merbat!
General Evaluator was Jag Swaminathan. Eamon O'Dea and Justin Hall evaluated the speeches. Natasha Scherbakova was Grammarian. Eamon O'Dea was the Ah Counter. Hieu Nguyen was Time Keeper. Alex Loh was Vote Counter.
Today's prepared speeches were by Andrew Engel and Jordi Calveras.
TableTopics were presented by Alex Loh, featuring the debut Two-Tailed African Merbat!
General Evaluator was Jag Swaminathan. Eamon O'Dea and Justin Hall evaluated the speeches. Natasha Scherbakova was Grammarian. Eamon O'Dea was the Ah Counter. Hieu Nguyen was Time Keeper. Alex Loh was Vote Counter.
Friday, 16 September 2011
34th Meeting of 2011
Today's topic was "Miscommunication". The Toastmaster was Maryam Ali. The word of the day was "Contrary".
Today's prepared speech was Ahmed Aldkhil's Icebreaker.
TableTopics were presented by Justin Hall.
General Evaluator was Jordi Calveras. Natasha Scherbakova evaluated the speech. Justin Hall was Grammarian. Ahmed Aldkhil was the Ah Counter. Eamon O'Dea was Time Keeper. Alex Loh was Vote Counter.
Today's prepared speech was Ahmed Aldkhil's Icebreaker.
TableTopics were presented by Justin Hall.
General Evaluator was Jordi Calveras. Natasha Scherbakova evaluated the speech. Justin Hall was Grammarian. Ahmed Aldkhil was the Ah Counter. Eamon O'Dea was Time Keeper. Alex Loh was Vote Counter.
Thursday, 8 September 2011
33rd Meeting of 2011
The meeting theme was "How Busy Are You?" The Toastmaster of the Day was Justin Hall. Word of the Day was "exemplary".
The prepared speech was delivered by Jordi Calveras, from the "Storyteller" Advanced Communicator manual.
Hieu Nguyen was the Topics Master.
General Evaluator was Andrew Engel. Speech Evaluator was Eamon O'Dea. Venkat was Grammarian, Tatiana Makhinova was Ah Counter, Andrew Engel was Time Keeper, and Natasha Scherbakova was Vote Counter.
The prepared speech was delivered by Jordi Calveras, from the "Storyteller" Advanced Communicator manual.
Hieu Nguyen was the Topics Master.
General Evaluator was Andrew Engel. Speech Evaluator was Eamon O'Dea. Venkat was Grammarian, Tatiana Makhinova was Ah Counter, Andrew Engel was Time Keeper, and Natasha Scherbakova was Vote Counter.
Friday, 2 September 2011
32nd Meeting of 2011
The meeting theme was "What I want to be when I (finally) grow up". The word of the day was "nonchalant". The Toastmaster of the Day was Maryam Ali.
Sharanya Rajan gave her Icebreaker speech, one week after her first meeting as a guest! Jordi Calveras gave an Advanced Communicator speech from the "Storyteller" manual.
Hieu Nguyen debuted as TableTopics Master.
Eamon O'Dea was General Evaluator. Tatiana Makhinova and Mick Normington evaluated the speeches. Supporting roles were by Natasha Scherbakova (Grammarian), Albert Ntiri (Ah Counter), Andrew Engel (Time Keeper) and Venkat (Vote Counter).
Sharanya Rajan gave her Icebreaker speech, one week after her first meeting as a guest! Jordi Calveras gave an Advanced Communicator speech from the "Storyteller" manual.
Hieu Nguyen debuted as TableTopics Master.
Eamon O'Dea was General Evaluator. Tatiana Makhinova and Mick Normington evaluated the speeches. Supporting roles were by Natasha Scherbakova (Grammarian), Albert Ntiri (Ah Counter), Andrew Engel (Time Keeper) and Venkat (Vote Counter).
Current Location of Meeting
Fellow Toastmasters,
Our current meeting room PHR 2.208 may no longer be available to us. The tonight's meeting will likely be held at PHR 2.108 or PHR 2.110 .
Both rooms are in the 'new' pharmacy building, adjacent to the 'old' one , where PHR 2.2XX rooms are.
Please, do check all three rooms tonight, as we have not received a final confirmation on which exact room will be assigned to us for this semester.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!
Natasha.
Our current meeting room PHR 2.208 may no longer be available to us. The tonight's meeting will likely be held at PHR 2.108 or PHR 2.110 .
Both rooms are in the 'new' pharmacy building, adjacent to the 'old' one , where PHR 2.2XX rooms are.
Please, do check all three rooms tonight, as we have not received a final confirmation on which exact room will be assigned to us for this semester.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!
Natasha.
Friday, 26 August 2011
31st Meeting of 2011
Today's theme was "Texas" and we celebrated the arrival of many new students to UT campus. The Toastmaster was Natasha Scherbakova, returned from her summer travels, and the word of the day was "Maverick".
The first prepared speech was Maryam Ali's 7th project, on "The Symbols of Texas". The second speech was by Hieu Nguyen, delivering his 2nd project speech, on his "First Impressions" of this state.
Albert Ntiri kindly stepped in as Table TopicsMaster.
The General Evaluator was Andrew Engel who also evaluated Maryam's speech. Mick Normington, the Area Governer, was visiting and evaluated the second speech. Supporting roles were filled by Eamon O'Dea (Grammarian), Tatiana Makhinova (Ah Counter), and Alex Loh (Time Keeper and Vote Counter).
The first prepared speech was Maryam Ali's 7th project, on "The Symbols of Texas". The second speech was by Hieu Nguyen, delivering his 2nd project speech, on his "First Impressions" of this state.
Albert Ntiri kindly stepped in as Table TopicsMaster.
The General Evaluator was Andrew Engel who also evaluated Maryam's speech. Mick Normington, the Area Governer, was visiting and evaluated the second speech. Supporting roles were filled by Eamon O'Dea (Grammarian), Tatiana Makhinova (Ah Counter), and Alex Loh (Time Keeper and Vote Counter).
Thursday, 18 August 2011
30th Meeting of 2011
The meeting theme was "Famous People" and the word of the day was "Notorious". Alex Loh served as Toastmaster of the Evening.
Hieu Nguyen gave his Icebreaker speech today, while Area Governor Mick Normington stopped by to talk about "Giving Effective Evaluations".
Andrew Engel was Table TopicsMaster and used his trademark eye-catching visuals to prompt us for answers to his questions.
The General Evaluator was Jordi Calveras. Eamon O'Dea evaluated the first speech while Jordi and Alex co-evaluated the second speech. Supporting roles were filled by Maryam Ali (Grammarian), Jag Swaminathan (Ah Counter and Vote Counter).
Hieu Nguyen gave his Icebreaker speech today, while Area Governor Mick Normington stopped by to talk about "Giving Effective Evaluations".
Andrew Engel was Table TopicsMaster and used his trademark eye-catching visuals to prompt us for answers to his questions.
The General Evaluator was Jordi Calveras. Eamon O'Dea evaluated the first speech while Jordi and Alex co-evaluated the second speech. Supporting roles were filled by Maryam Ali (Grammarian), Jag Swaminathan (Ah Counter and Vote Counter).
Friday, 5 August 2011
28th Meeting of 2011
The theme of the meeting was "Lifestyles of the Poor and Obscure", in which the impoverished members of our club described their attempts to live on an academic's budget. The Toastmaster of the Day was Justin Hall. The word of the day was "Vicarious".
We had one prepared speech today - Jordi Calveras gave his fifth and final speech from the "Professional Speaker" advanced manual.
Alex Loh did a great job as TopicsMaster, making us laugh with reminders of the lengths graduate students go to to obtain free food, clothing, and furniture.
The General Evaluator was Jag Swaminathan, while the speech was evaluated by Tatiana Makhinova.
Supporting roles were filled by Dmitri Iourovitski (debuting as Grammarian), Eamon O'Dea (Ah counter), Maryam Ali (Time Keeper), and Andrew Engel (Vote Counter).
Join us next week for the topic "It's never too late".
We had one prepared speech today - Jordi Calveras gave his fifth and final speech from the "Professional Speaker" advanced manual.
Alex Loh did a great job as TopicsMaster, making us laugh with reminders of the lengths graduate students go to to obtain free food, clothing, and furniture.
The General Evaluator was Jag Swaminathan, while the speech was evaluated by Tatiana Makhinova.
Supporting roles were filled by Dmitri Iourovitski (debuting as Grammarian), Eamon O'Dea (Ah counter), Maryam Ali (Time Keeper), and Andrew Engel (Vote Counter).
Join us next week for the topic "It's never too late".
Friday, 29 July 2011
27th Meeting of 2011
The theme of the meeting was "Whose Toast Is It Anyway", with a series of improvisational activities for TableTopics. The Toastmaster of the Day was Jag Swaminathan, and the Word of the Day was "instinctive".
We had two prepared speeches. Tatiana Makhinova delivered her #3 speech on "Pharmacoeconomics: Why do we need it?". Alex Loh gave his #2 speech on "Every hero needs a Sidekick".
Justin Hall, as Topics Master, gave each speaker a simple question, such as "What did you do in the morning". Halfway through the talk he offered the speaker a word randomly pulled from a hat, such as "zucchini", which the speaker had to incorporate into the talk as seamlessly as possible. This led to some hilarious results, such as the bushel of zucchini that Eamon claimed to have eaten during the course of his morning run.
Eamon O'Dea was the General Evaluator. Jordi Calveras and Maryam Ali evaluated the speeches. Supporting roles were filled by Andrew Engel (Grammarian), Xiang Hu (Ah Counter), Irina (Time Keeper), and Jordi Calveras (Vote Counter).
Attendees were: Jordi Calveras, Kayoko, Xiang Hu, Irina, Tatiana Makhinova, Andrew Engel, Eamon O'Dea, Maryam Ali, Hieu Nguyen, Dmitri, Justin Hall, Jag Swaminathan, Tom Vamvanij.
We had two prepared speeches. Tatiana Makhinova delivered her #3 speech on "Pharmacoeconomics: Why do we need it?". Alex Loh gave his #2 speech on "Every hero needs a Sidekick".
Justin Hall, as Topics Master, gave each speaker a simple question, such as "What did you do in the morning". Halfway through the talk he offered the speaker a word randomly pulled from a hat, such as "zucchini", which the speaker had to incorporate into the talk as seamlessly as possible. This led to some hilarious results, such as the bushel of zucchini that Eamon claimed to have eaten during the course of his morning run.
Eamon O'Dea was the General Evaluator. Jordi Calveras and Maryam Ali evaluated the speeches. Supporting roles were filled by Andrew Engel (Grammarian), Xiang Hu (Ah Counter), Irina (Time Keeper), and Jordi Calveras (Vote Counter).
Attendees were: Jordi Calveras, Kayoko, Xiang Hu, Irina, Tatiana Makhinova, Andrew Engel, Eamon O'Dea, Maryam Ali, Hieu Nguyen, Dmitri, Justin Hall, Jag Swaminathan, Tom Vamvanij.
Friday, 22 July 2011
26th Meeting of 2011
This week's theme was "iPhone apps". The Toastmaster of the Day was Tom Vamvanij, who coincidentally thinks iPhones are evil. The Word of the Day was "superfluous".
Our two prepared speeches were "The Golden Goose" by Maryam Ali for her Project #6, and "Success through Failure" by Justin Hall for his Project #5.
Tom Vamvanij served as TableTopics Master.
Andrew Engel was the General Evaluator. Jag Swaminathan evaluated Maryam while Ahmed Aldkhil evaluated Justin. Supporting roles were filled by Eamon O'Dea (Grammarian), Xiang Hu (Ah Counter), Andrew Engel (Time Keeper), and Ahmed Aldkhil (Vote Counter).
Today's attendees were: Maryam Ali, Tatiana Makhinova, Giacomo Ravo, Ahmed Aldkhil, Andrew Engel, Jag Swaminathan, Eamon O'Dea, Jordi Calveras, and Justin Hall.
Guests were: Kayoko, Irina Zvyagintseva, Heiu Nguyen, Xiang Hu, and Dmitri Iourovitski.
Our two prepared speeches were "The Golden Goose" by Maryam Ali for her Project #6, and "Success through Failure" by Justin Hall for his Project #5.
Tom Vamvanij served as TableTopics Master.
Andrew Engel was the General Evaluator. Jag Swaminathan evaluated Maryam while Ahmed Aldkhil evaluated Justin. Supporting roles were filled by Eamon O'Dea (Grammarian), Xiang Hu (Ah Counter), Andrew Engel (Time Keeper), and Ahmed Aldkhil (Vote Counter).
Today's attendees were: Maryam Ali, Tatiana Makhinova, Giacomo Ravo, Ahmed Aldkhil, Andrew Engel, Jag Swaminathan, Eamon O'Dea, Jordi Calveras, and Justin Hall.
Guests were: Kayoko, Irina Zvyagintseva, Heiu Nguyen, Xiang Hu, and Dmitri Iourovitski.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Visiting: Austin Tastemasters
Several members of our club went to visit the Austin Tastemasters for their July 21st meeting, held at Cannoli Joe's in South Austin.
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| Tom, Alex, Maryam Tatiana, Giacomo, Anastasia, Ahmed |
Friday, 15 July 2011
25th Meeting of 2011
This week's theme was "Pirates versus Ninjas". Maryam Ali was Toastmaster of the Day for this celebration of epic rivalries. The word of the day was "enthralling".
We had two prepared speeches today - Jag Swaminathan's #5 speech titled "Oh My God", and Giacomo Ravo's #2 speech exploring the differences between "Old World vs. New World".
Andrew Engel organized an exciting Table Topics session, using presentation slides as prompts for rivalries ranging from the eponymous "Pirates vs. Ninjas" to "Cats vs. Dogs" and "Windows vs. Mac". (Linux won that battle.)
Jordi Calveras was the General Evaluator. Jason Yan evaluated Jag and Jordi Calveras evaluated Giacomo. Supporting roles were played by Weijia Li (Grammarian), Alex Loh (Ah Counter), Eamon O'Dea (Time Keeper) and Ahmed Aldkhil (Vote Counter).
Today's attendees were: Jordi Calveras, Eamon O'Dea, Maryam Ali, Ahmed Aldkhil, Giacomo Ravo, Alex Loh, Jason Yan, Andrew Engel, Jag Swaminathan, and Weijia Li.
Our guests were: Jim Jin, Xiang Hu, and Anastasia Kokanina.
We had two prepared speeches today - Jag Swaminathan's #5 speech titled "Oh My God", and Giacomo Ravo's #2 speech exploring the differences between "Old World vs. New World".
Andrew Engel organized an exciting Table Topics session, using presentation slides as prompts for rivalries ranging from the eponymous "Pirates vs. Ninjas" to "Cats vs. Dogs" and "Windows vs. Mac". (Linux won that battle.)
Jordi Calveras was the General Evaluator. Jason Yan evaluated Jag and Jordi Calveras evaluated Giacomo. Supporting roles were played by Weijia Li (Grammarian), Alex Loh (Ah Counter), Eamon O'Dea (Time Keeper) and Ahmed Aldkhil (Vote Counter).
Today's attendees were: Jordi Calveras, Eamon O'Dea, Maryam Ali, Ahmed Aldkhil, Giacomo Ravo, Alex Loh, Jason Yan, Andrew Engel, Jag Swaminathan, and Weijia Li.
Our guests were: Jim Jin, Xiang Hu, and Anastasia Kokanina.
Friday, 8 July 2011
24th Meeting of 2011
This week's theme was Extreme Sports, and Eamon O'Dea made his debut as Toastmaster of the Day. The Word of the Day was "Exhilarating".
The prepared speech was delivered by Jordi Calveras, a "Professional Seminar" talk for his Advanced Communication manual.
Giacomo Ravo debuted as Table TopicsMaster and asked us about the extreme sports we may have participated in or adamantly avoided.
The General Evaluator was Andrew Engel. Tom Vamvanij evaluated Jordi's speech. Supporting roles were played by Maryam Ali (Grammarian), Tatiana Makhinova (Ah Counter), Time Keeper (Jason Yan), and Justin Hall (Vote Counter).
Today's guests included: Jim Jin, Steve Sedowski, Ruben Rodriguez, and Edgar Edyee Campos.
Next week we debate the superiority of Pirates versus Ninjas.
The prepared speech was delivered by Jordi Calveras, a "Professional Seminar" talk for his Advanced Communication manual.
Giacomo Ravo debuted as Table TopicsMaster and asked us about the extreme sports we may have participated in or adamantly avoided.
The General Evaluator was Andrew Engel. Tom Vamvanij evaluated Jordi's speech. Supporting roles were played by Maryam Ali (Grammarian), Tatiana Makhinova (Ah Counter), Time Keeper (Jason Yan), and Justin Hall (Vote Counter).
Today's guests included: Jim Jin, Steve Sedowski, Ruben Rodriguez, and Edgar Edyee Campos.
Next week we debate the superiority of Pirates versus Ninjas.
Friday, 1 July 2011
Photos from the 23rd meeting of 2011
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| Giacomo Ravo's Icebreaker speech |
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| Toastmaster of the Day, Tom Vamvanij |
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| Zhenya wins a prize for being our 5th new member in May-June. |
23rd Meeting of 2011
At our club we often talk about our experiences traveling but we seldom discuss the means by which we get from one place to another. This week we explored means of transportation under the theme, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."
Tom Vamvanij was the Toastmaster of the Day. Our Word of the Day was "Wanderlust".
Our new member Giacomo Ravo gave his Icebreaker Speech, talking about his background in Italy and his new life in the U.S. Mick Normington gave a brief talk on popular college majors in Texas and the local job market.
Zhenya Mikhaylova, our newest member, gave her first Table Topics session. Weijia Li won the Best Table Topics award for his story about getting on trains through the window as a kid.
The General Evaluator was Maryam Ali. Speech evaluators were Andrew Engel and Justin Hall. Supporting roles were played by Tatiana Makhinova (Grammarian), Eamon O'Dea (Ah Counter), Weijia Li (Time Keeper) and Justin Hall (Vote Counter).
There were no new guests today. People in attendance were: Jordi Calveras, Tom Vamvanij, Zhenya Mikhaylova, Tatiana Makhinova, Eamon O'Dea, Giacomo Ravo, Weijia Li, Andrew Engel, Ahmed Aldkhil, Justin Hall, Maryam Ali and Mick Normington. Not bad for the middle of Summer Semester!
Based on the goals met in the last week, our club now qualifies for Distinguished Club status! And by becoming our 5th new member in the months of May and June, Zhenya has helped up meet the "Beat The Clock" membership contest set by Toastmasters International. Congratulations to our entire club for reaching these goals!
Tom Vamvanij was the Toastmaster of the Day. Our Word of the Day was "Wanderlust".
Our new member Giacomo Ravo gave his Icebreaker Speech, talking about his background in Italy and his new life in the U.S. Mick Normington gave a brief talk on popular college majors in Texas and the local job market.
Zhenya Mikhaylova, our newest member, gave her first Table Topics session. Weijia Li won the Best Table Topics award for his story about getting on trains through the window as a kid.
The General Evaluator was Maryam Ali. Speech evaluators were Andrew Engel and Justin Hall. Supporting roles were played by Tatiana Makhinova (Grammarian), Eamon O'Dea (Ah Counter), Weijia Li (Time Keeper) and Justin Hall (Vote Counter).
There were no new guests today. People in attendance were: Jordi Calveras, Tom Vamvanij, Zhenya Mikhaylova, Tatiana Makhinova, Eamon O'Dea, Giacomo Ravo, Weijia Li, Andrew Engel, Ahmed Aldkhil, Justin Hall, Maryam Ali and Mick Normington. Not bad for the middle of Summer Semester!
Based on the goals met in the last week, our club now qualifies for Distinguished Club status! And by becoming our 5th new member in the months of May and June, Zhenya has helped up meet the "Beat The Clock" membership contest set by Toastmasters International. Congratulations to our entire club for reaching these goals!
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Photos from dinner after the 22st meeting 2011
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| Our illustrious president, Justin Hall |
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| People at dinner, minus Maryam, Tom and Kalen, featuring Justin Hall as The Walrus |
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| People at dinner, minus Giacomo, Tom and Kalen, featuring Alex as Antennaed Alien |
Note: Kalen left before we took out the camera. Tom declined to be photographed for reasons related to the state of his immortal soul.
22nd Meeting of 2011
At the peak of summer we distract ourselves with a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, and our Toastmasters meetings are no exception!
Our theme for the week was "Summer Recreation" and Tatiana Makhinova made her debut as Toastmaster of the Day! Our Word of the Day was "rejuventate".
We had not one, not two, but three prepared speeches today. Our new member Jason Yan gave his Icebreaker speech. Jordi Calveras delivered his 3rd speech from "The Professional Speaker" Advanced Communicator manual, in which he persuaded a hypothetical audience of a faculty committee to hire him as an assistant professor. Tom Vamvanij gave his 10th speech from the Competent Communicator manual, inspiring us to reject the false hope offered by the iPhone.
Congratulations to Tom for becoming out latest Competent Communicator!
Our Table TopicsMaster, Justin Hall, asked us how we like to entertain ourselves in the summertime.
The General Evaluator was Andrew Engel, Speech Evaluators were Mick Normington, Maryam Ali, and Kalen Braman respectively. Supporting roles were played by Eamon O'Dea (Grammarian), Justin Hall (Ah counter), Giacomo Ravo (Time Keeper) and Jason Yan (Vote Counter).
After the meeting we brainstormed meeting ideas for the next two months, and then had our monthly dinner at Coco's Cafe.
Join us next week!
Our theme for the week was "Summer Recreation" and Tatiana Makhinova made her debut as Toastmaster of the Day! Our Word of the Day was "rejuventate".
We had not one, not two, but three prepared speeches today. Our new member Jason Yan gave his Icebreaker speech. Jordi Calveras delivered his 3rd speech from "The Professional Speaker" Advanced Communicator manual, in which he persuaded a hypothetical audience of a faculty committee to hire him as an assistant professor. Tom Vamvanij gave his 10th speech from the Competent Communicator manual, inspiring us to reject the false hope offered by the iPhone.
Congratulations to Tom for becoming out latest Competent Communicator!
Our Table TopicsMaster, Justin Hall, asked us how we like to entertain ourselves in the summertime.
The General Evaluator was Andrew Engel, Speech Evaluators were Mick Normington, Maryam Ali, and Kalen Braman respectively. Supporting roles were played by Eamon O'Dea (Grammarian), Justin Hall (Ah counter), Giacomo Ravo (Time Keeper) and Jason Yan (Vote Counter).
After the meeting we brainstormed meeting ideas for the next two months, and then had our monthly dinner at Coco's Cafe.
Join us next week!
Friday, 17 June 2011
21st Meeting of 2011
After the excitement of last week's Open House, we somehow managed to make it to Friday with an unfilled agenda. Luckily our members were up to the task of signing up for meeting roles at the last minute.
Justin Hall stepped in as Toastmaster of the Day, and led us through a meeting on the theme of "Pet Peeves". Jordi Calveras gave his 2nd Advanced Communicator speech, "The Entertaining Speech", and related several amusing stories of the cultural clashes he experienced during his time in Japan.
Table Topics were led by Maryam Ali, and many of our new members and guests spoke about things that annoy them to a remarkable degree.
Our visitor, and veteran Toastmaster, Mick Normington stood in as General Evaluator and gave us valuable feedback from an outsider's perspective. Eamon O'Dea made his debut as Speech Evaluator for Jordi's speech. Supporting roles were played by Maryam Ali (Grammarian), Tatiana Makhinova (Ah-counter), Giacomo Ravo (Time Keeper) and Jason Yan (Vote Counter). It was not only Giacomo's and Ravo's first time filling meeting roles, it was their first meeting as full member! Congratulations to them!
Ahmed Aldkhil was also attending his first meeting as a full member. Our guests included Anastasia Kokanina, Weijia Li, Najah, Maryam Algassab, Mick Normington, and Andrew. We hope to see them again next week!
Justin Hall stepped in as Toastmaster of the Day, and led us through a meeting on the theme of "Pet Peeves". Jordi Calveras gave his 2nd Advanced Communicator speech, "The Entertaining Speech", and related several amusing stories of the cultural clashes he experienced during his time in Japan.
Table Topics were led by Maryam Ali, and many of our new members and guests spoke about things that annoy them to a remarkable degree.
Our visitor, and veteran Toastmaster, Mick Normington stood in as General Evaluator and gave us valuable feedback from an outsider's perspective. Eamon O'Dea made his debut as Speech Evaluator for Jordi's speech. Supporting roles were played by Maryam Ali (Grammarian), Tatiana Makhinova (Ah-counter), Giacomo Ravo (Time Keeper) and Jason Yan (Vote Counter). It was not only Giacomo's and Ravo's first time filling meeting roles, it was their first meeting as full member! Congratulations to them!
Ahmed Aldkhil was also attending his first meeting as a full member. Our guests included Anastasia Kokanina, Weijia Li, Najah, Maryam Algassab, Mick Normington, and Andrew. We hope to see them again next week!
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Visiting: Austin Tastemasters
The Austin Tastemasters is a Toastmasters club that meets monthly at various restaurants in the Austin area. Their June 2011 meeting was held at El Mercado, a Tex-Mex restaurant near the UT Austin campus and two of our members, Tatiana Makhinova and Maryam Ali, paid them a visit.
Tastemasters differs from our club primarily in it's setting. This meeting was held in the banquet room of El Mercado, and the colorful decor of the restaurant lent a festive mood to the proceedings. We were ordering and eating dinner during the meeting, which added an interesting challenge.
The meeting began with a business meeting in which the club nominated and voted on officers for the coming year. They followed Parliamentary procedure and it was interesting to see this in action.
The agenda was printed to look like a menu and the TableTopics, Prepared Speeches and Evaluations were referred to as Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts respectively.
Most members of Austin Tastemasters are very experienced speakers and have several Area and District officers and Speech Contest winners among them, but they are very welcoming of newcomers. According to member and District Governor Grace Jennings, it's a great place to join as a second club. There are good networking opportunities and a chance to learn from more experienced Toastmasters.
Austin Tastemasters' next meeting will be on Thursday, July 21 at Cannoli Joe's, an Italian all-you-can-eat buffet. For more information, visit their website at http://austintastemasters.org/.
Tastemasters differs from our club primarily in it's setting. This meeting was held in the banquet room of El Mercado, and the colorful decor of the restaurant lent a festive mood to the proceedings. We were ordering and eating dinner during the meeting, which added an interesting challenge.
The meeting began with a business meeting in which the club nominated and voted on officers for the coming year. They followed Parliamentary procedure and it was interesting to see this in action.
The agenda was printed to look like a menu and the TableTopics, Prepared Speeches and Evaluations were referred to as Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts respectively.
Most members of Austin Tastemasters are very experienced speakers and have several Area and District officers and Speech Contest winners among them, but they are very welcoming of newcomers. According to member and District Governor Grace Jennings, it's a great place to join as a second club. There are good networking opportunities and a chance to learn from more experienced Toastmasters.
Austin Tastemasters' next meeting will be on Thursday, July 21 at Cannoli Joe's, an Italian all-you-can-eat buffet. For more information, visit their website at http://austintastemasters.org/.
Friday, 10 June 2011
Open House and 20th meeting of 2011
This Friday, UT Sciences Toastmasters held our very first Open House!
Our recent efforts at outreach bore fruit as we counted 14 new guests at our event. Also present were founding members of our club Trey Gramann and John Schmidt, and Area Governor Paul Wilson. And last but not least, 11 of our current and former members were in the house - a great turnout, considering how many people are out of town for the summer.
We were inspired by wordplay for our choice of refreshments: Three varieties of bread and a toaster allowed people to prepare their own Toast, and an array of spreads, sauces, cheeses and meats served as accompaniments. Some very unusual concoctions came about as a result!
Presiding Officer Justin Hall opened the meeting and invited all the guests to introduce themselves. Then Maryam Ali led the meeting as Toastmaster of the Day.
Two members delivered prepared speeches today. The first was by Teresa Lai, who has completed her Competent Communicator manual and is now giving her Advanced Communicator speeches. This was her first speech from the Speaking to Inform manual, and she spoke on "Toastmaster Rewards", in keeping with the Open House theme. The second speech of the day was delivered by Justin Hall for his 4th project in the Competent Communicator series. He spoke on "The Words We Choose" and how they impact the message we deliver.
Jordi Calveras posed a series of TableTopics questions, encouraging current and veteran members to share their experiences in Toastmasters International.
Tatiana Makhinova made her debut as the General Evaluator today. Alex Loh experienced his first time as Speech Evaluator for Teresa, whereas Kalen Bramann evaluated Justin. The supporting roles were filled by Grammarian Eamon O'Dea, Time Keeper Kayoko, Ah-Counter Jag Swaminathan, and Vote Counter Jordi Calveras. The Word of the Day was "Proficient".
Before the close of the meeting we encouraged the guests to consider becoming members, and three new members signed up on the spot! We're thrilled to have Ahmed Aldkhil, Giacomo Ravo, and Jiusheng Yan among our ranks, and we hope all our other guests will return to our regular meeting next Friday. The theme will be "Pet Peeves". See you then!
Our recent efforts at outreach bore fruit as we counted 14 new guests at our event. Also present were founding members of our club Trey Gramann and John Schmidt, and Area Governor Paul Wilson. And last but not least, 11 of our current and former members were in the house - a great turnout, considering how many people are out of town for the summer.
We were inspired by wordplay for our choice of refreshments: Three varieties of bread and a toaster allowed people to prepare their own Toast, and an array of spreads, sauces, cheeses and meats served as accompaniments. Some very unusual concoctions came about as a result!
Presiding Officer Justin Hall opened the meeting and invited all the guests to introduce themselves. Then Maryam Ali led the meeting as Toastmaster of the Day.
Two members delivered prepared speeches today. The first was by Teresa Lai, who has completed her Competent Communicator manual and is now giving her Advanced Communicator speeches. This was her first speech from the Speaking to Inform manual, and she spoke on "Toastmaster Rewards", in keeping with the Open House theme. The second speech of the day was delivered by Justin Hall for his 4th project in the Competent Communicator series. He spoke on "The Words We Choose" and how they impact the message we deliver.
Jordi Calveras posed a series of TableTopics questions, encouraging current and veteran members to share their experiences in Toastmasters International.
Tatiana Makhinova made her debut as the General Evaluator today. Alex Loh experienced his first time as Speech Evaluator for Teresa, whereas Kalen Bramann evaluated Justin. The supporting roles were filled by Grammarian Eamon O'Dea, Time Keeper Kayoko, Ah-Counter Jag Swaminathan, and Vote Counter Jordi Calveras. The Word of the Day was "Proficient".
Before the close of the meeting we encouraged the guests to consider becoming members, and three new members signed up on the spot! We're thrilled to have Ahmed Aldkhil, Giacomo Ravo, and Jiusheng Yan among our ranks, and we hope all our other guests will return to our regular meeting next Friday. The theme will be "Pet Peeves". See you then!
Friday, 3 June 2011
19th Meeting of 2011
It was a day of firsts at UT Sciences Toastmasters.
The theme of the 19th meeting was "Cinema", and Albert Ntiri did a great job in his first-time role as Toastmaster of the Day.
Jordi Calveras delivered his first Advanced Communicator speech, from The Professional Speaker manual. His speech was the first project from that manual, The Keynote Address.
Eamon O'Dea also had a first this week - he was the TableTopics Master. Drawing inspiration from a conversation at last week's meeting, he invited each speaker to collaborate on the pitch for a hypothetical film. One speaker chose the set, another choose characters, and the rest developed a series of plot elements - each in the required 1-2 minutes. The final "film" was a swashbuckling adventure with evil princes, disguised princesses, and a stable-hand with dreams of greatness. The experience was tremendous fun!
Coming up next week: our club's first Open House!
The theme of the 19th meeting was "Cinema", and Albert Ntiri did a great job in his first-time role as Toastmaster of the Day.
Jordi Calveras delivered his first Advanced Communicator speech, from The Professional Speaker manual. His speech was the first project from that manual, The Keynote Address.
Eamon O'Dea also had a first this week - he was the TableTopics Master. Drawing inspiration from a conversation at last week's meeting, he invited each speaker to collaborate on the pitch for a hypothetical film. One speaker chose the set, another choose characters, and the rest developed a series of plot elements - each in the required 1-2 minutes. The final "film" was a swashbuckling adventure with evil princes, disguised princesses, and a stable-hand with dreams of greatness. The experience was tremendous fun!
Coming up next week: our club's first Open House!
Friday, 27 May 2011
Photos from the 18th Meeting of 2011
18th Meeting of 2011
In this week's meeting, we talked about ways to "Beat the Heat" in the sweltering Texas weather. The word of the day was, of course, Sweltering.
The Toastmaster of the Day was Maryam Ali. Al Ntiri delivered his 2nd speech ("Organize Your Speech") in the Competent Communicator series, and spoke about how his experiences traveling in Australia helped him make peace with his native country.
Teresa Lai made creative use of props while asking questions during this week's Table Topics session.
We also spent some time planning the upcoming Open House on June 10th.
Join us next week as we discuss the joys of Cinema!
The Toastmaster of the Day was Maryam Ali. Al Ntiri delivered his 2nd speech ("Organize Your Speech") in the Competent Communicator series, and spoke about how his experiences traveling in Australia helped him make peace with his native country.
Teresa Lai made creative use of props while asking questions during this week's Table Topics session.
We also spent some time planning the upcoming Open House on June 10th.
Join us next week as we discuss the joys of Cinema!
Friday, 20 May 2011
The 17th Meeting of 2011
Today's meeting was on the topic of "Austin 360", in which we explored all that our fair city has to offer.
Justin Hall was Toastmaster of the Day, and Albert Ntiri debuted as TopicsMaster today!Tom Vamvanij presented his Project #9 speech titled, "Boys will be boys".
After the meeting, we planned publicity for our upcoming Open House, and then headed to Kerby Lane for our monthly dinner.
Next week we tackle the hot summer weather with the topic "Beat the Heat". Be sure to join us then!
Justin Hall was Toastmaster of the Day, and Albert Ntiri debuted as TopicsMaster today!Tom Vamvanij presented his Project #9 speech titled, "Boys will be boys".
After the meeting, we planned publicity for our upcoming Open House, and then headed to Kerby Lane for our monthly dinner.
Next week we tackle the hot summer weather with the topic "Beat the Heat". Be sure to join us then!
Friday, 13 May 2011
The 16th Meeting of 2011
Today our meeting was on the topic of "Paranormal Activity". The Toastmaster of the Day was Jordi Calveras.
Our prepared speech of the day was delivered by Eamon O'Dea who spoke to us about "Statistics and ESP Research". This was his Project #2 speech.
Jong-Ho Kim was our TopicsMaster.
Next week we explore our city with the topic "Austin 360".
Our prepared speech of the day was delivered by Eamon O'Dea who spoke to us about "Statistics and ESP Research". This was his Project #2 speech.
Jong-Ho Kim was our TopicsMaster.
Next week we explore our city with the topic "Austin 360".
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