Our Toastmaster of the day, Tu Duong hosted our July 9 meeting for the first time and did an amazing job!  He used the fable of the rabbit and the turtle as the theme but with a few twists.  He first explained the original moral of the story was: “slow and steady wins the race” and obviously, this occurred due to the rabbit’s overconfident attitude.  However, the Toastmaster took the fable to another level by giving different versions.  This time the rabbit asks the turtle to run another race but this time he does not fall asleep and wins the race.  Moral: “fast and reliable always beats slow and steady”.  But, this is not all.  Tu introduced a third version where the rabbit suggests doing the race again but using a different route.  Off they went. After a few miles they come upon a river and the rabbit cannot swim so the turtle wins the race.  Moral: “In order to achieve your objective you must know your core competencies”.  The different outcomes gave us something to think about.

We had two of our veteran speakers give speeches.  Both speeches were thought-provoking.

WILL YOU BE MY PARTNER IN A SHARED ECONOMY?

This was the title of Andy Newman’s speech and that is exactly how he started, with this question, which immediately engaged the audience. He brought up the fact that Toastmasters are afraid to sell and don’t talk much about their jobs, which is quite accurate.  Andy spoke about one of his business ventures and encouraged us to begin a new journey by identifying a segment of our economy that we aren’t using to its full potential.  This can be a spare bedroom, a vacation home that can generate income.  Why not swap homes with someone across the country or the world?  Take advantage of the economic revolution and live a simpler life.  Instead of owning a timeshare or booking a hotel room, why not experience adventure and a sense of belonging by going the route of AirBNB ?  Andy asked that we join him in this adventure.

“WHY HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS ARE GOING UP” ….

was the title of Chris Wolfe’s speech.  Chris owns an insurance company and has been in the business for 41 years.  It was funny that Andy Newman should mention that we never speak about our jobs and Chris decided to speak on the subject.  Chris asked how many of us blame Obamacare for the rise in health insurance premiums.  Answers varied but those that said yes were partly right.  The bottom line, however is that we need to be able to control price of going to the Doctor or to the hospital in order to stabilize premiums.  In addition, we need more doctors, more hospitals; we need tort reform; hospitals need to be more transparent so we can shop around and force premiums to come down.

Jennifer Garcia was our TABLE TOPICS Master who had some very interesting and challenging questions.  Here are the responses from our impromptu speakers.

Jim Harnett told us about the fun he had growing up in Coral Gables and playing with his buddies in the DeSoto Fountain, particularly when they decided to  put bubble soap in the fountain.

Nick Zwemer talked about how he has never felt underestimated, which he attributes to his confident nature.  He attributes this trait to his upbringing and is grateful to his parents for having imparted confidence in him.

Chris Nolte, on the other hand, was underestimated once by his first boss who told him he did not have what it takes to be in sales.  Luckily, Chris did not let that bring him down and today he is very successful in his sales career.

Cristian Stenstrom said that the moral of his story is “enthusiasm” and explained how it has been a constant in his life.

Leisha John and Jodi Johnson were the speech evaluators under the direction of our Master Evaluator,  Ghislaine Demombynes.

Suggestions for improvement:

• Be mindful of the time so you are not rushing at the end trying to wrap things up quickly and missing out on a powerful closing
• Make sure that if your speech has a call to action that it is clear

We want to thank our guest for visiting and hope to see you again next week.  Our guests were Andrew Saint Lazare, Melissa Blundell Osorio, Roxanne Jorge (previously a member) and Anna-Kaye Lue.

In honor of our country’s upcoming birthday, Chris Nolte, the Toastmaster of the day chose the theme “Americana.”  Throughout the meeting he told us several interesting facts about the United States.  For instance, did you know that we have more than 600 national parks?  Just when you thought there was no new place to visit,  you find at least 600 vacation choices.

Our first speaker, Lina Draney, asked us, “Have you ever looked at something familiar, but suddenly saw it as if you had never seen it before?”  She described 2 such incidents which took place in her own back yard.  While standing in her garden, she heard an unusual sound and looked to see from where it was coming.  Some blooming flowers had attracted quite a number of bees.  Her immediate alarm dissipated when she realized the bees were not interested in her at all — they were just gathering nectar for honey.  She spied 1 bee sitting atop a flower and realized it was grooming itself.  It actually took an antenna and appeared to be washing its face.   On another occasion, she was watching spiders.  She suddenly noticed that different spiders weave different types of webs.  Some are triangular, others rectangular, yet others combine various shapes.  All are intricate and incredibly strong.  She brought in a plant she’d grown and said until recently she hadn’t noticed it had tiny flowers.  We all took the opportunity to look at the small plant and find it’s delicate little flowers.  Lina maintained, “It’s amazing what we don’t see as we walk through our day.”

Tu Duong asked us, “How many of you have cell phones?”  That brought a 100% affirmative response — everyone did.  His next question, “Do you use it the way you did 10 years ago?”  Another 100% response — NOBODY DID.  So much is different and Tu suggests in the next 10 years we will see even greater change.  Tu believes the Smart Phone will become our health monitoring center.  It will be capable of detecting heart rate, blood pressure, heart valve problems, diabetes. The information can be transmitted directly to your doctor and if you need assistance, your GPS will lead paramedics to your location.  OMG!  Of less importance, but certainly adding ease to the day, your Smart Phone will change the way you shop.  Your wallet and credit cards will no longer be necessary.  Your phone can take a picture of what you want and billing can be completed in the time it takes to click.  In the Virtual Shopping world, imagine seeing s suit you like and then pressing a button to see how it would look on YOU.  What would it look like in a different color?  Just click away.  Hmmm, is the Smart Phone becoming smarter than us?

Andres Del Corral presided over Table Topics.  What interesting Americana questions, and what remarkable responses.  All were splendid, but in voting for the best, our 3rd place runner-up was Maria Larrazabal, 2nd place was Sharon Patish and our WINNER was, our guest, a former Toastmaster, Virginia Jimenez.

Our Master Evaluator Sharon Patish and her team, Jim Hartnett and Luisa Herran gave us some pointers to think about when we next speak.  Here are some examples:

As beginning speakers, we are nervous and our anxiety often gives way to speaking too fast.  Take a deep breath and slow down.

Also pauses aid in showing emphasis.

Use visuals when possible.

Finally, our Grammarian, Ghislaine Demombynes, noted that in the past our first speaker had many “ums and ahs,” but during this speech there were none.  So listen as the Grammarian points these things out — then listen to yourself.

A big welcome to our guests:  Virginia Jimenez, Jason Raskin, Carlo Camargo, Melissa Blundell Osorio and Sylvia do Pico.  We look forward to seeing you again.

Jerry Bailey, our Toastmaster of the day, began the meeting welcoming the vernal equinox, which occurred last Friday, at 6:45 pm.  This is a 24-hour period in which day and night are nearly equal in time (both almost 12 hours).  To us in the northern hemisphere, the vernal equinox means SPRING IS HERE.  For many cultures and religions it is a time of rebirth and new beginnings.

AUTHOR — AUTHOR

Our first speaker, Ghislaine Demombynes is a life coach and our resident author.  She is in the process of publishing her new book, “Not Too Close, Not Too Far,” which deals with her experiences and observations in child rearing — not just youngsters, but adult children as well.   The title describes the “dance” a parent performs — trying to hold a child close, while allowing  them freedom to grow and explore.  Ghislaine identified several traits that have a high impact on children.  For instance, a parent’s vision of failure may prevent a child from attempting something new because it is difficult.  However, that very struggle gives one the opportunity to acquire, modify, or reinforce skills.  Did you know that worry impedes nurturing and loving your kids?  Often worrying over children is considered a way of loving them.  However, worry begins in the head — not the heart.  An interesting and dynamic talk.

CLIMATE CHAOS

Leisha John discussed the confusion many have, when it comes to understanding our planet’s climate problems.    Recently a politician threw a snow ball in Congress and criticized those who speak of global warming because it’s March and we are still having blizzards.  Our own Governor Scott banished the term global warming when having discussions with him.  Here is something neither of these politicians seem to get — CLIMATE CHANGE IS GLOBAL, WEATHER IS WHAT’S IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.  The reality is that “global trends” indicate that the climate is getting warmer.  This causes higher evaporation over land and sea.  On our continent, California is almost out of water, and in Texas cattlemen are looking to move herds because of water scarcity.  The arctic melt is causing sea levels to rise.  Ground Zero for this harmful situation is right here in Florida.  So, what can we do?  Leisha suggested the following:

1) First, learn the basics of climate change.

2) Find out what people seeking political office know about the climate and environmental issues.

3)  Get out and vote.  Vote for the environment.

COULD YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

Mike Molina, our Table Topics Master, surprised members with some interesting questions:  1)  What does spring mean to you?  2) What outdoor activities do you enjoy in the spring? 3) What do you recall about springtime when you were growing up? 4) What calls you to the cold mountains in spring?  4) What benefits do you derive from going on vacation?  5)  Looking back on your youth, what are you most ashamed of?

There were some mighty good answers.  Our winners were:  Third Place – Sharon Patish; Second Place – Paula Hesch; First Place – Chris Wolfe (OMG, did we laugh! Imagine something to do with college students, smoking and General Hospital).

WHAT DID WE LEARN THIS WEEK

Susan Racher mentioned that shortly after joining Toastmasters, her husband said, “You know, you listen a little better these days.”  But, of course.  That’s what a Master Evaluator does.  Susan and her team, Jennifer Garcia and Nick Zwemer, listened carefully and reminded us all to:

Involve the audience.

If you are not giving a manual speech, let your evaluator know on what to focus.

Bring positive energy to the room.

When you are a speaker, arrive early and make sure the room is set up correctly.

BTW

This week’s Word of the Day, was “illuminate.”  IT WAS USED 22 TIMES!   Attending our next meeting?  See if you can top that!