In the meeting’s opening remarks, President Summer Murphy reflected on the club’s efforts over the past year in the fight against racism and oppression affecting people of color. She recounted sharing “stories of family separation, unfair housing practices, police brutality” to shed light on these disturbing realities. Murphy also highlighted the stories she had shared about “those people and organizations who are fighting the good fight and trying to level the playing field.” The outgoing president praised the work of these individuals and groups working to address systemic inequities.
As her term came to an end, Murphy expressed hope that she had instilled a sense of duty. “We need to stay aware and informed about the structural and systemic racism in our country,” she stated, “and stand with those who are fighting against it.”
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.
A warm welcome to a former club member, Dustin Johnson. It is great connecting with you, Dustin!
The meeting was then turned over to the Toastmaster of the day, Anu Parvathaneni. Anu introduced the “Word of the Day” (WOD), which was “blistering,” sharing that it refers to something that is incredibly intense, forceful, or rapid to the point of being almost overwhelming.
Toastmaster Dave Burr introduced the first and only speaker, Toastmaster Tim Murphy. Tim delivered a speech focused on the “CHEF” acronym—a framework he proposed to help attendees ensure they are spending their time on the most important priorities. During his speech, Murphy instructed everyone to write down their current activities in the categories of Connections, Health, Education, and Fitness, and then encouraged the group to critically examine these areas, contemplating whether any adjustments were necessary to align their time allocation with their key goals and values.
Dave evaluated Tim’s speech, highlighting the exceptional choice to structure the project more as an interactive workshop than a traditional speech, as well as his effective execution in transitioning the session back to a polished address towards the conclusion—a shift that allowed Murphy to bring the project full circle. Along with his commendations, Burr also provided constructive feedback.
Toastmaster Summer Murphy led a compelling table topics segment, challenging participants to connect with a series of quotes featuring the WOD. Murphy’s intention was to cultivate quick thinking, effective articulation, and confident impromptu communication skills among the group.
Toastmaster John Doggett served as the General Evaluator, providing the group with comprehensive feedback and commending the exceptional performance of participants. Toastmaster Savannah Murphy delivered the Timer report, ensuring each segment adhered to the allocated time. And Toastmaster Hema Kellet, the Grammarian, offered valuable linguistic feedback and shared resonating quotes. The diverse evaluations and reports provided insights to help strengthen the Toastmasters’ communication and leadership abilities.
Toastmaster Anu smoothly handed over the meeting to Toastmaster Summer. Summer then proceeded to wrap up the meeting and officially adjourn the session.
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The next Sunrise Toastmasters meeting will be at 7 a.m. on July 5, 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: Stiles
Speaker 1: Summer
Speaker 2: Abdulrahman
Table Topics: Savannah
General Evaluator: Tina Joe
Evaluator 1: Anu
Evaluator 2: (Open)
Timer: Kerstin
Grammarian: John
