In the meeting opening remarks, President Summer Murphy reminded all of us why we started to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement at the beginning of our meetings. She referred to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which led to the removal of the pledge of allegiance and its replacement with a recognition of Black Lives Matter. The change is particularly significant now that our club is international.
In support and acknowledgment of the Black Lives Matter movement, a minute of silence was observed. President Summer also introduced the bias flag as a tool for personal growth in our ongoing journey of becoming better speakers. The meeting was then handed over to the Toastmaster of the day, Stiles Burr, who introduced the word of the day (WOD), “Doppelganger,” which refers to a look-alike or double of a person. Stiles shared that the WOD describes someone who closely resembles another individual in terms of appearance, highlighting that it can also be used more metaphorically to describe a person who shares similar traits or characteristics with someone else.
Toastmaster Hema Kellett introduced our second speaker, Toastmaster Tim Murphy. Tim engaged the audience with his speech titled “Knowing Your Governing Documents,” drawing from his personal experience to emphasize the significance of understanding different documents, and highlighted their potential for effective use, intentional non-enforcement, and even misrepresentation. By anchoring his talk in tangible real-life examples, Tim successfully conveyed his message, leaving a lasting impact on the audience. Following his speech, Hema provided feedback, acknowledging Tim’s strengths while also offering constructive insights for further improvement.
Toastmaster Saraswathi Mahalingam led an engaging table topic session, presenting thought-provoking questions to elicit spontaneous and impactful responses. The interactive segment aimed to sharpen participants’ ability to think on their feet, communicate effectively, and respond confidently in the moment. Saraswathi’s adept facilitation created a dynamic environment conducive to improving impromptu speaking skills.
In a role of utmost importance, Toastmaster Summer Murphy served as a General Evaluator, delivering a comprehensive feedback and acknowledging exceptional performances. Toastmaster John Doggett served as the Timer, ensuring adherence to time limits, while Toastmaster Dave Burr, in the role of Grammarian, provided valuable feedback on language usage, grammar, and vocabulary. Collaboratively, their contributions elevated the meeting experience and nurtured the growth of participants’ communication skills.
Stiles smoothly handed over the meeting to Summer, who wrapped the meeting up and adjourned it.
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The next Sunrise Toastmasters meeting will be at 7 a.m. on May 10, EST. If you would like to join our meeting as a guest, contact us for the meeting link.
The roles for the next meeting are as follows:
Toastmaster: Tina Joe
Speaker 1: Summer
Speaker 2: Dave
Table Topics: Hema
General Evaluator: Anu
Evaluator 1: Savannah
Evaluator 2: Norris
Timer: Kerstin
Grammarian: John
