Meeting 1134 - "Change or be Changed"

Learn to transform within an ever-evolving world or you might be "forced to be changed" were the opening words of Toastmaster Arun when he first explained the topic to Sandgate Toastmasters and its guests.

The meeting was called to order by Sergeant at Arms Helen with a slight alteration: she welcomed our first-time guests Liz and Amit as well as our returning guests Will and Shaun.

Upon popular request, she cited half an explanation (leaving us in suspense until after supper) of railway gauges.

Helen then read the mission statement before handing to President Gail H to open the meeting.

Gail H thanked all members who participated at the Einbunpin Festival and was glad to see guests from the stall.

Toastmaster Arun first called on Vice President Liz for the program changes who was overjoyed that there were no mutation necessary.

Next, Rosie gave us the toast "To Courage" which is the second line of the serendipity prayer.

Subsequently, Chris presented a challenging word of the evening with metamorphosis meaning a profound change of form or structure.

In the Round Robin led by Carmy, we were encouraged to answer the question: "What positive changes have you made in your life?" It shows that the question brought a lot of interest, since all of our guests also spoke on the topic with answers ranging from health (activity level and diet) over household chores and changing taps to marriage and career changes.

In our speech segment, we were treated to an Icebreaker, followed by two speeches.

1. Michael told us an emotional snippet about his own life in his speech "The highs and lows of horse racing" (Presentation Mastery path, Level 1, project 1: Icebreaker) with a few open ends to be closed in his future speeches. The speech was evaluated by Paul.
   
2. Helen finished her speech titled "Humble Beginnings" (Presentation Mastery path, Level 1, project 2: Writing a Speech with Purpose) about the tulip with a question to us all: "How can we idolise a thing?" Rosie evaluated the informative speech by encouraging to spend more emphasis on the opening and conclusion to help the audience remember a speech.
   
3. Christiane's speech "Attracting more... (Fill in the blank)" (Persuasive Influence path, Level 4, elective project: Public Relations Strategies) was a reflection on her public relations plan for Sandgate Toastmasters' social media campaign. It was evaluated by Gokul who was referencing back to his opening segment of which purpose Christiane's speech should fulfill.
   

Arun presentation of his raffle was a very short variation, but he took it with humour when his transfiguration was pointed out.

Throughout the evening, Gail W kept us running smoothly by using the timing lights and giving us brief timing reports.

At the supper break with supper provided by Jonathon and Christiane, we were able to eat, drink, catch up and laugh together.

The second half of our meeting started with the promised completion of the railroad gauges by Helen before it was time for Table Topics.

Table Topic Master Jonathon called on:

1. Gokul - "The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude." Does it strike a chord with you? - Yes, especially for him when it comes to electric cars.
   
2. Narelle - Can you share a time in your life when you chose to change something about yourself? What inspired that change, and what did you learn from the experience? - Cutting six-weekly hairdo expenses for functions helped her to save a deposit for a house.
   
3. Chris - Leaders often are agents of change. Can you speak to a time when you've influenced others to change their thought or behaviours? Or, conversely, when someone has profoundly changed you? - He spoke of his retired work colleague and how Chris has learnt that the fun stuff at work also entails paperwork.
   
4. Rosie - Our tastes in food, music, or hobbies can change as we grow. Can you tell us about something you used to dislike but now enjoy, or vice versa? What prompted this change? - She used to love eating pork (even with poo), but now dislikes it because it doesn't agree with her tummy. She used to dislike oysters, but her husband has introduced her to a delicious version.
   
5. Christiane - Can you tell us about a time when you moved to a new city or country? How did you adapt to the change, and what were the most memorable experiences? - Coming to Australia, firstly standing corrected by her coordinator, then not being able to distinguish between acceptable phrases and trade language.
   
6. Liz A (guest) - Have you ever taken up a new hobby or learned a new skill that changed your daily routine? Can you share your journey and how it made you feel? - Growing up, she wasn't allowed to do sport, because she had to learn how to run a household. With her move to Brisbane, she has taken up Crossfit and loving it.
   
7. Shaun (guest) - Technology is often a driver of change in our lives. Can you share your thoughts on how technology has changed your life, either positively or negatively, and how you've adapted to those changes? - Although he built his own computer when he was 14 years old, he can't keep up with technology. Others made triple his income by sitting in front of a ring light.
   
8. Michael - Have you ever tried to change a habit, either by breaking a bad one or forming a new one? Can you share your struggles and successes with this change? - Changing to a dairy- and gluten-free diet made him feel overall better, but is a challenge when going to fast food eateries with his kids.

The above Table Topics were evaluated by Liz We and Marlene who focussed on the use of descriptive language and personal stories, respectively.

Sergeant at Arms Helen collected the votes while Arun gave us more examples what is required to keep up with the amendments.

The business session chaired by Liz We resulted in a moved motion.

Chris reported on the perceived difficulty to pronounce the word of the evening and declared revamped Rosie as the winner.

In her general evaluation, Gail H pointed out the participation of all members in meetings.

Following this, Arun asked guest Liz to draw the raffle winner and brought a smile to Rosie being able to take a gift card home.

President Gail H closed the meeting by asking our guests for feedback with Will, Shaun and Liz announcing to become members. (No pressure for Amit being very welcome to come back and observe as a guest for another time).

Finally she awarded:

• Best Speech to Michael
• Best Table Topic to Narelle
• Best Evaluation to Marlene
• Most Improved to Michael

Our next meeting is on August 22 with a third meeting in August being on August 29.