In the opening remarks, President Kerstin Haase shared the story of a close family member who encountered bullying, highlighting how this individual chose to ignore the ignorant behavior, demonstrating resilience and the power of focusing on positivity in the face of adversity.
In a show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, the group observed a minute of silence, muting microphones and turning off cameras to honor all victims of racial injustice.
The meeting was then handed over to the Toastmaster of the Day, Kendra Hiatt. Kendra introduced the Word of the Day (WOD), which was “fresh.” She explained that this term refers to something new, clean, and unspoiled, often evoking a sense of vitality or renewal. Congratulations to Kendra on an excellent job in her first-time as Toastmaster of the Day!
We are pleased to welcome back returning guest Matthew Choate. You’re always welcome!
Toastmaster Norris Bass introduced the first speaker, Toastmaster Stiles Burr. Stiles delivered a presentation about Domino, the alternative record label that hypothetically discovered a demo CD by his band, Fingers Crossed. Sharing that in this scenario, the CEO of Domino, Laurence Bell, has extended an invitation for Stiles to visit their headquarters in London. “Stiles, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!”
Norris evaluated Toastmaster Stiles’ speech, commending his exceptional delivery. Norris provided constructive feedback, identifying areas where the speaker could further strengthen his speech.
Toastmaster Anu Parvathaneni introduced the second speaker, Toastmaster Savannah Murphy, who delivered a speech titled “Six Steps to Find Your Missing Piece.” In their talk, Savannah shared how to ask for help in ways that benefit both yourself and your relationships. Savanah highlighted the importance of following through, expressing gratitude, clearly mentioning what you need help with, and looking for ways to assist others.
Anu evaluated Savannah’s speech, commending their great eye contact and gestures that helped convey the message effectively. Anu noted the speech was truly impactful, as it resonated with the audience on a personal level.
Toastmaster Summer Murphy led a table topics session, challenging participants to respond to “fresh” questions! The exercise aimed to foster quick thinking, effective articulation, and confident on-the-spot communication skills among the attendees.
Toastmaster Dave Burr served as a General Evaluator, providing comprehensive feedback on the meeting and commending the exceptional performance of participants. Toastmaster Tim Murphy delivered the Timer report, ensuring each segment adhered to the allocated time. Toastmaster Norris Bass, served as the Grammarian, offered valuable linguistic feedback and shared resonating quotes with the group.
Toastmaster Kendra smoothly handed over the meeting to President Kerstin to wrap up and officially adjourn the meeting.
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The next Sunrise Toastmasters meeting will be at 7 a.m. on Jan 24, 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: Norris
Speaker 1: Abdulrahman
Speaker 2: (Open)
Table Topics: Tina Joe
General Evaluator: Savannah
Evaluator 1: Tim
Evaluator 2: Kendra
Timer: (Open)
Grammarian: Kerstin
