The theme of our March 16 meeting was “My Japanese Experience”. Toastmaster Esther enlightened us about the Japanese culture. Did you know that the Japanese do not talk on their cell phones in a public places like the public transit? Imagine what it would be like if people here did the same thing!

We had three prepared speeches. Ali was our first speaker. He CRUSHED the ice and completely captivated us when he told us about his journey from Iran. The natural flow of his narrative was really powerful!

Our second speaker, Hazel presented from the Competent Communication Manual 4 about her love for skiing. She vividly recreated what it was like to go skiing, which was really great for those in the audience who don’t ski.

Finally, Eric presented from the Advanced Speaking Manual. With the assistance of Sean in a supporting role, Eric provided a mini workshop about how to close a deal. Titled “Maple Syrup is Sweeter than Vinegar”, Eric did a great job breaking down the material he was going to present to us.

Fresh off of her flight from Japan the night before, former club member Millie won table topics. Her topic tied into our theme of Japan. When asked about experiencing no internet service, she recounted what it was like days prior in Japan when the internet service was not constant. We learned so much about the situation in Japan through her perspective – really sad and quite scary too. On the other hand, we’re glad Millie is back safe and sound and marvel that she was able to defy jet lag, attend our Toastmasters meeting and win table topics. Great job!

Once again, the evening was packed with some delightfully entertaining material.. Looking forward to hearing the topics that will be presented at our next meeting.

See you then!

Michelle