BET Meeting Notes for December 9, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

December 9, 2014

Toastmaster Leatha Elrod

Word of the day: wisdom |ˈwizdəm| noun the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.

Club Business and Announcements

The winter session of Toastmasters Leadership Institute will be held January 8, 2015 at Caterpillar Financial (evening) and January 31, 2015 at HCA (morning). Please contact a club officer if you are interested in participating – the sessions are targeted at club officers but all Toastmasters can benefit from the workshop.

The next scheduled BET club meeting will be cancelled December 23 due to the holidays. We are planning to meet on the fifth Tuesday, December 30, with agenda TBD.

An advanced club in the Nashville area, the Deipnosophists is hosting an Evaluation Challenge on January 31^st from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Hermitage House Smorgasbord. The cost is $18 for materials & dinner. Please contact Susan Martin for further details.

BET Meeting Notes for November 11, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

November 11, 2014

Toastmaster Patrick Frazier

Word of the day: gratitude |ˈgratəˌt(y)o͞od| noun the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness

Club Business and Announcements

The winter session of Toastmasters Leadership Institute will be held January 8, 2015 at Caterpillar Financial (evening) and January 31, 2015 at HCA (morning). Please contact a club officer if you are interested in participating – the sessions are targeted at club officers but all Toastmasters can benefit from the workshop.

BET will be meeting as usual on November 25, but the club meeting will be cancelled December 23 due to the holidays. We are planning to meet on the fifth Tuesday, December 30, with agenda TBD.

Awards

Best Evaluation: Rachel Sumner

Best Table Topics: Russ Vantrease

Best Prepared Speech: Ani Osborne

BET Meeting Notes for October 14, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

October 14, 2014

Toastmaster Marc Smith

Word of the day: heedless |ˈhēdlis| adjective showing a reckless lack of care or attention

Club Business and Announcements

The winners of the club-level speech and evaluation contests went on to compete at the area-level contest on October 4^th in Murfreesboro, and then the district-level contest on October 9^th in Maryland Farms. Congratulations to Patrick Frazier who won both area-level and division-level humorous speaking contests and will go on to represent Division D at the district-level contest October 24^th-26^th in Johnson City, Tennessee. For more information please visit the district website at its new address: http://d63.toastmastersdistricts.org/

Awards

Best Evaluation: Ravi Aradhyula

Best Table Topics: Patrick Frazier

BET Meeting Notes for September 23, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

September 23, 2014

Toastmaster Sunil Suthar

Word of the day: gumption |ˈgəmpSHən| noun (informal) shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness

Club Business and Announcements

We are going to celebrate our 25^th anniversary this September 30. At tonight's meeting it was decided to have a soft start at 6:00 – please feel free to arrive between 6:00-6:30. Janet will post a sign-up sheet for members to volunteer to bring side dishes and the club will sponsor a main dish. The guest speaker (TBA) will perform at 7:00. Look for more details to come and prepare to have a great time celebrating BET's 25^th anniversary!

The BET club-level humorous speech and evaluation contests were held on the 1^st Tuesday of September. Congratulations to the winner of the humorous speech contest, Patrick Frazier, and to the winner of the evaluation contest, Mike Costa!

The winners of the club-level contest will go on to compete at the area-level contest on October 4^th in Murfreesboro, and then the district-level contest on October 9^th in Maryland Farms. For more information please visit the district website at its new address: http://d63.toastmastersdistricts.org/

Awards

Best Speech: Mark Brown

Best Table Topics: Susan Martin

BET Meeting Notes for August 26, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

August 26, 2014

Toastmaster Kristen Rice

Word of the day: polyglot adj. knowing or using several languages noun a person who knows and is able to use several languages

Club Business and Announcements

We are going to celebrate our 25^th anniversary this September 30. At tonight's meeting it was decided to have a soft start at 6:00 – please feel free to arrive between 6:00-6:30. Janet will post a sign-up sheet for members to volunteer to bring side dishes and the club will sponsor a main dish. The guest speaker (TBA) will perform at 7:00. Look for more details to come and prepare to have a great time celebrating BET's 25^th anniversary!

The BET club-level humorous speech and evaluation contests on the 1^st Tuesday of September.

Winners of these club-level contests will go on to compete at the area-level contest on October 4^th in Murfreesboro, and then the district-level contest on October 9^th in Maryland Farms. For more information please visit the district website at its new address: http://d63.toastmastersdistricts.org/

Please participate in the speech and evaluation contest! There are many roles available, including but not limited to competing speakers and evaluators, judges, and sergeants-at-arms.

Immediate past president Mark Bayless announced that Brentwood Evening Toastmasters club has earned the President's Distinguished Club award for the 2013-14 year. Congratulations! This is the 5^th year in a row that BET has achieved this club designation.

Awards

Best Speech: Mark Bayless

Best Evaluation: Marc Smith

Best Table Topics: Sunil Suthar

BET Meeting Notes for August 12, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

August 12, 2014

Toastmaster Patrick Frazier

Club Business and Announcements

We are going to celebrate our 25^th anniversary this September. Janet Schreibmann will be coordinating the event which is tentatively scheduled for September 30^th.

The BET club-level humorous speech and evaluation contests on the 1^st Tuesday of September.

Winners of these club-level contests will go on to compete at the area-level contest on October 4^th in Murfreesboro, and then the district-level contest on October 9^th in Maryland Farms. For more information please visit the district website at its new address: http://d63.toastmastersdistricts.org/

Our club has a projector that all members are welcome to use in their presentations. Please notify the SAA or VPE in advance if you would like to use it in an upcoming meeting.

Awards

Best Speech: Marc Smith

Best Evaluation: Janet Schreibman

Best Table Topics: Dasie Schulz

BET Meeting Notes for July 29, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

July 29, 2014

Toastmaster Ryan Osborne

Club Business and Announcements

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters holds regular meetings every 2^nd and 4^th Tuesday of the month, but in months with a 5^th Tuesday we follow a special Speech-a-Thon agenda. These special meetings focus exclusively on prepared speeches and evaluations.

Our club officers are attending training at the Toastmasters Leadership Institute this Thursday, July 31^st at 5:30 pm at the Caterpillar Financial building on West End Ave. Please contact Mike Costa if you are interested in joining us!

We are going to celebrate our 25^th anniversary this September. Janet Schreibmann will be coordinating the event which is tentatively scheduled for September 30^th.

The BET club-level humorous speech and evaluation contests on the 1^st Tuesday of September.

Winners of these club-level contests will go on to compete at the area-level contest on October 4^th in Murfreesboro, and then the district-level contest on October 9^th in Maryland Farms. For more information please visit the district website at its new address: http://d63.toastmastersdistricts.org/

Awards

Best Speech: Sunil Suthar

Best Evaluation: Mike Costa

BET Meeting Notes for July 22, 2014

BET Meeting Notes

July 22, 2014

Toastmaster Chris Meador

Club Business and Announcements

FHUMC staff reported a recent break-in at the church, and they urged us to please take the following safety precautions.  Leave the hallway lights on at night.  Don't walk to the parking lot alone; go in groups.  If you see anyone suspicious or threatening, don't hesitate to call the police.  Hopefully this was an isolated incident but please be careful when visiting the building at night.

Our first officers' meeting of the 2014-15 club year was held before the club meeting.

• Ani will be forming a committee to increase membership and reduce absenteeism.
• Janet and Rachel will form a committee to plan BET's 25^th anniversary celebration, currently targeting September 30.

Please contact them with questions or ideas.

Induction of new officers and new members!

IPP Mark Bayless installed the officers for 2014-15.

President Pankaj Soni inducted two new members, Leatha Elrod and Sunil Suthar.

Please enjoy the following links mentioned during the meeting.

Anne Curzan's TED Talk – What Makes a Word “Real”

http://ideas.ted.com/2014/06/18/20-words-that-once-meant-something-very-different/

Weird Al Yankovic – Word Crimes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

Word of the Day
ineffable - |inˈefəbəl|  adjective  too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words

BET Meeting Notes for July 8, 2014

Club Business and Announcements

Pankaj announced new officers for the upcoming year:

• President: Pankaj Soni
• VP-Education: Ravi Aradhyula
• VP- membership: Ani Osborne
• VP- Public Relations: Janet Schreibman
• Secretary: Chris Meador
• Treasurer: Mike Costa
• Sergeant at Arms: Ryan Osborne
• Mentor Coordinator: Rachel Sumner

Word of the day: 

Pluvial -- of or pertaining to rain; rainy

Awards:

Table Topics: Marc Smith

Evaluator: Janet Schreibman

Speaker: Rachel Sumner

BET Meeting Notes for June 24, 2014

Club Business and Announcements

Ryan Osborne opened the meeting. Toastmaster Rachel Sumner lead meeting and also filled in for absent club president Mark Bayless. An update was requested on club award status. We are on track to qualify for the President's Distinguished Club recognition...our sixth time in a row. This is our last meeting with the current officers. 

Skip Malone mentioned that BET was chartered in September of 1989, so our 25th anniversary is upcoming. It was recommended that we plan a special event to celebrate.

Word of the day:

Audacious adj. showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks

Users:

Rachel, Russ, Janet, Pankaj 

Awards:

Best Table Topics: Tie with William Turner & Cole McKenna (guest)

Best Evaluator: Russ Vantrease

Best Speaker: Mark Brown

BET Meeting Notes for June 10, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Lysa Rigo

Opening:

Ryan Osborne opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to Club President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

Website for BET (http://www.betoastmasters.org/) hosting plan is up for renewal. Mark reviewed the renewal options and the membership voted on the best option for our club. The membership approved a 5-year renewal of the website hosting service.

Forest Hills United Methodist Church generously allows us to meet regularly in a church classroom, but our regular classroom will be occupied on June 24 due to Vacation Bible School, so we will be meeting in a different room at FHUMC. Look for the signs with specific directions on the night of the meeting.

Toastmaster: Lysa Rigo shared unlikely but true stories about members throughout the meeting.

Word of the Day: optimistic |ˌäptəˈmistik| adjective hopeful and confident about the future

Humorist: Russ Vantrease told a joke about entrepreneurial friars who sell flowers.

Table Topics:

Table Topics Master: Ryan Osborne .

Speaker #1: Irma Perry told us about the scariest place she has ever been.

Speaker #2: Ravi Aradhyula shared with us his experiences as a leader.

Speaker #3: Adam Zheng explained his preference for working for a smaller company.

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Patrick Frazier, “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” (6:02)

Speaker #2: Janet Schreibman, Award Acceptance Speech (5:34)

Speaker #3: Chris Meador, “Step Up to the Streets!” (6:23)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Dasie Schulz

Evaluator #1: Allan Daniels (3:41)

Evaluator #2: Mark Bayless (4:17)

Evaluator #3: Kristen Rice (2:19)

Timer: William Turner

Vote Counter: Jaylyn Bergner

Ah-Counter: Adam Zheng

Awards:

Best Table Topics: Irma Perry

Best Evaluator: Kristen Rice

Best Speaker: Janet Schreibman

BET Meeting Notes for May 27, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Ravi Aradhyula

Opening:

Ryan Osborne opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to Club President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

The officer slate for 2014-15 was announced at tonight's meeting, and a motion was unanimously passed to accept the slate and the 2014-15 officers were elected!

• Immediate Past President: Mark Bayless
• President: Pankaj Soni
• VP Education: Ravi Aradhyula
• VP Membership: Ani Osborne
• VP Public Relations: Janet Schreibman
• Secretary: Chris Meador
• Treasurer: Mike Costa
• Sergeant at Arms: Ryan Osborne
• Mentor Coordinator: Rachel Sumner

Forest Hills United Methodist Church generously allows us to meet regularly in a church classroom, but our regular classroom will be occupied on June 24 due to Vacation Bible School, so we will be meeting in a different room at FHUMC. Look for the signs with specific directions on the night of the meeting.

Toastmaster: Ravi Aradhyula welcomed everyone from the holiday weekend and kicked off the meeting with some personal anecdotes.

Word of the Day: gravitas |ˈgraviˌtäs| noun dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner

Humorist: Allan Daniels told a terrible joke about a gravy toss and a great joke about a bagpiper.

Table Topics:

Table Topics Master: Mike Costa played “hot potato” with the Table Topics ribbon.

Speaker #1: Ryan Osborne speculated about when summer might begin.

Speaker #2: Allan Daniels provided a similarly informal definition of the end of summer.

Speaker #3: Bill Martin ponders if summer even matters to adults.

Speaker #4: Justin (our visitor!) stepped up and told us about his dream job for the summer.

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Kristen Rice, “Dream On!” (5:39)

Speaker #2: Chris Meador, “The First Million is the Hardest” (7:20)

Speaker #3: Patrick Frazier, “I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Gosh Darn It – People Like Me!” (13:56)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Susan Martin

Evaluator #1: Rachel Sumner (3:05)

Evaluator #2: Allan Daniels (3:28)

Evaluator #3: Ani Osborne (2:14)

Timer: Ryan Osborne

Vote Counter: Ryan Osborne

Grammarian: Janet Schreibmann

Awards:

Best Table Topics: Justin Simmons

Best Evaluator: Ani Osborne

Best Speaker: Chris Meador

BET Meeting Notes for May 13, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Marc Smith

Opening:

Ryan Osborne opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to Club President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

Tonight we inducted three new members: Patrick Frazier, Kristen Rice, and Adam Zheng. Congratulations and welcome to our new members!

We are quickly approaching the end of term for our current club officers. Consider volunteering to serve as a club officer next term! The club will be nominating candidates in May and will announce the slate of new officers at the first meeting in June. Read more about the officer roles in the Club Leadership Handbook at http://www.toastmasters.org/clh.

Forest Hills United Methodist Church generously allows us to meet regularly in a church classroom, but our regular classroom will be occupied on June 24 due to Vacation Bible School, so we will be meeting in a different room at FHUMC. Look for the signs with specific directions on the night of the meeting.

Toastmaster: Marc Smith introduced the theme of the meeting, Summer Fun in Nashville, by telling us about his favorite city park, the Percy Warner Park in Bellevue.

Humorist: Bill Martin explained why 8 is the holiest numeral.

Table Topics:

Table Topics Master: Ani Osborne asked three questions about vacations.

Speaker #1: Chris Meador told us about the ideal vacation duration. (1:51)

Speaker #2: Tim Diehl shared his perspective on employer vacation allotments. (1:24)

Speaker #3: Dasie Schulz described her dream vacation location. (1:11)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Janet Schreibmann, “It Drives Me Crazy!” (9:39)

Speaker #2: Adam Zheng gave his ice breaker! (7:38)

Speaker #3: Kristen Rice, “So Many Apps, So Little Time” (9:27)

Speaker #4: Patrick Frazier, “Show Me the Money!” (12:59)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Rachel Sumner

Evaluator #1: Susan Martin (3:16)

Evaluator #2: Dasie Schulz (3:27)

Evaluator #3: Pankaj Soni (4:06)

Evaluator #4: Steve Ketterbaugh (3:30)

Timer: Ravi Aradhyula

Vote Counter: Alex

Awards:

Best Table Topics: Dasie Schulz

Best Evaluator: Steve Ketterbaugh

Best Speaker: Adam Zheng

BET Meeting Notes for April 29, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Pankaj Soni

Opening:

Chris Meador opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to the Toastmaster of the meeting, Pankaj Soni.

Meetings that fall on the fifth Tuesday of the month follow a non-traditional SPEECH-A-THON format, with 5 prepared speeches and no word of the day, opening joke, or Table Topics.

Club News:

Our next meeting on May 15 will be our normal format except we will have a special treat before the meeting – come early to enjoy a submarine sandwich dinner! The party sub will arrive around 6:00.

We are quickly approaching the end of term for our current club officers. Consider volunteering to serve as a club officer next term! The club will be nominating candidates in May and will announce the slate of new officers at the first meeting in June. Read more about the officer roles in the Club Leadership Handbook at http://www.toastmasters.org/clh.

Toastmaster: Pankaj Soni

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Kristen Bell, “Email Marketing: Break Through the Clutter” (5:31)

Speaker #2: Chris Meador, “A Survey of This Year's Errors” (10:19)

Speaker #3: Mike Costa, “Thank You...The Write Way” (7:46)

Speaker #4: Susan Martin, “Get the Facts Straight, Please” (12:35)

Speaker #5: Krishna Rao, “Business Strategy II” (9:32)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Janet Schreibman

Evaluator #1: Janet Schreibman (3:12)

Evaluator #2: Rachel Sumner (2:54)

Evaluator #3: Chris Meador (3:00)

Evaluator #4: Mark Bayless (5:00)

Evaluator #5: Mike Costa (2:46)

Timer: Pankaj, Mark, and Chris

Vote Counter: Mark Bayless

Awards:

Best Evaluator: Janet Schreibman

Best Speaker: Mike Costa

BET Meeting Notes for April 22, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Ryan Osborne

Opening:

Richard Naslund opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to BET President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

Next week is a 5^th Tuesday meeting so we will follow the Speech-a-Thon format, and the following meeting on May 15 will be our normal format except we will have a special treat before the meeting – come early to enjoy a submarine sandwich dinner! The party sub will arrive around 6:00.

Congratulations to Lysa Rigo on her completion of the Competent Communicator speech manual!

Toastmaster: Ryan introduced the theme of the meeting, April Fools.

Wordmaster: Russ Vantrease

Word of the Day: perseverance |ˌpərsəˈvi(ə)rəns| noun steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success

Humorist: Mike Costa told us a joke with excellent timing.

Table Topic Master: Rachel Sumner hosted an acting workshop for Table Topics.

TT Speaker #1: Susan Martin played the spider next to Miss Muffet. (1:04)

TT Speaker #2: Skip Malone related to the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. (2:23)

TT Speaker #3: Ani Osborne related to the Old Woman's children! (1:12)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Ravi Aradhyula shared a story about perseverance in a 3-week trip. (7:01)

Speaker #2: Kristen Rice gave her ice breaker! (5:58)

Speaker #3: Janet Schreibman, “Be Careful What You Wish For” (12:32)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Irma Perry

Evaluator #1: Russ Vantrease (3:21)

Evaluator #2: Susan Martin (2:59)

Evaluator #3: Ani Osborne (3:25)

Timer: Richard Naslund

Vote Counter: Kristen Rice

Grammarian / Ah Counter: Chris Meador

Awards:

Best Table Topic: Ani

Best Evaluator: Susan

Best Speaker: Kristen

BET Meeting Notes for April 8, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Pankaj Soni

Opening:

Chris Meador opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to BET President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

Mark announced that the spring newsletter is available to view online. He also reported that the get-together at Cinco de Mayo was a lot of fun for everyone who came. Our next social event will be on May 13 -- we will have a party sub before the regular meeting.

Toastmaster: Pankaj introduced the theme of the meeting, April Fools.

Wordmaster: Tricia Smith

Word of the Day: obstreperous |əbˈstrepərəs| adjective noisy and difficult to control: the boy is cocky and obstreperous.

Humorist: Irma Perry shared with us the humorous side of the laws of natural science.

Table Topic Master: Ravi Aradhyula.

TT Speaker #1: Richard Naslund shared his high school memory about a school prank. (1:50)

TT Speaker #2: Steve Ketterbaugh gave us his plan to revitalize the Titans. (1:50)

TT Speaker #3: Tricia Smith told us her plan to invest $1,000,000 in local business. (0:52)

TT Speaker #4: Irma Perry taught us how to fix the US education system. (2:15)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Patrick Frazier gave his ice-breaker! (9:06)

Speaker #2: Lysa Rigo, “Will the Real YOU Please Stand Up?” (7:09)

Speaker #3: Mark Brown, “The Reality of Things” (5:00)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Mike Costa

Evaluator #1: Rachel Sumner (3:20)

Evaluator #2: Susan Martin (3:06)

Evaluator #3: Richard Naslund (3:10)

Timer: Mark Bayless

Vote Counter: Kristen Rice

Grammarian / Ah Counter: Mark Bayless

Awards:

Best Table Topic: Richard and Steve (tie)

Best Evaluator: Rachel

Best Speaker: Lysa

BET Meeting Notes for March 25, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Ani Osborne

Opening:

Russ Vantrease opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to Toastmaster for the evening, Ani Osborne.

Club News:

The District 63 Spring Conference will be held April 4-6 in Nashville. Please visit http://d63toastmasters.com/ for the agenda and information about tickets.

Dues are due! Membership dues are posted semiannually in March and September, and the spring deadline is March 31. BET members who renew for 12 months instead of 6 months will have a portion of their dues waived.

Toastmaster: Ani Osborne introduced the theme of the meeting, Happy Birthday.

Wordmaster: Ravi Aradhyula

Word of the Day: happaratchik |ˌäpəˈräCHik| noun, derogatory or humorous an official in a large organization, typically a political one

Humorist: Pankaj Soni told an original joke about bringing peanuts to Toastmasters.

Table Topic Master: Susan Martin hosted a birthday-themed Table Topics.

TT Speaker #1: Russ Vantrease shared his feelings about surprise birthday parties. (1:21)

TT Speaker #2: Skip Malone told us how he would spend his next birthday. (1:21)

TT Speaker #3: Mark Bayless shared a story about his sister who was born on Christmas. (1:21)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Marc Smith, “Reasons to Become a Mentor” (5:19)

Speaker #2: William Turner gave his ice-breaker! (6:42)

Speaker #3: Darryl Pace, “The Lesson of the Loom – On Persistence” (6:44)

Speaker #4: Jaylyn Bergner, “Four Keys to a Better Traveling Experience” (9:26)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Mark Bayless

Evaluator #1: Mike Costa (3:13)

Evaluator #2: Rachel Sumner (3:13)

Evaluator #3: Allan Daniels (10:10)

Evaluator #4: Chris Meador (3:38)

Timer: Tricia Smith

Vote Counter: Pankaj Soni

Grammarian / Ah Counter: Richard Naslund

Awards:

Best Table Topic: Russ Vantrease

Best Evaluator: Rachel Sumner

Best Speaker: Marc Smith

Word of the day users: Susan, Mark

BET Meeting Notes for March 11, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday March 11, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Dasie Schulz

Opening:

Mark Bayless, president of BET, opened the meeting and led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to Dasie Schulz, Toastmaster for the evening. Guests were welcomed, including guest speaker Elizabeth Lindsay.

Theme: March 8 is International Womens’ recognition day. “That’s What She Said” is meeting theme in honor of this event and included inspirational quotes by notable women.

Club News:

• Mark read mission of Toastmasters International.

• Dasie made a motion, which Susan seconded and club members approved, to induct tonight the following individuals as new members: William Turner, Pat Thurmond and Tricia Smith.

• Elizabeth Lindsay, Division D club ambassador, provided a presentation to BET about the upcoming revisions to the TI educational program will be rolled out in the coming months.

• Ani represented BET in Table Topics at the area contest.

• Dues are due by end of March. If you sign up for entire year, rather than six months, you receive a discount. Contact BET treasurer Mike Costa for details.

• Upcoming events: After the March 25 meeting, members and guests are invited to a social gathering at Cinco de Mayo restaurant, 4944 Thoroughbred Lane, Brentwood.

• The District 63 Spring Conference will be April 4-6 in Nashville. For the agenda and ticket information, visit http://d63toastmasters.com/

Word of the Day: Lysa Osborne

Advocacy/advocate

The act of pleading for or positively supporting a particular person or topic of interest

Humorist: Ryan Osborne told a “salty” story about “complimentary” peanuts

Table Topics:  Mike costa

Speaker #1: Mark Bayless – “Why is Tuesday the most productive day of the work week?” 1:49

Speaker #2: Janet Schreibman – “What is the most productive day of the week for you?” 1:23

Speaker #3: Pankaj Soni – “What is the least day of the week? :49

Speaker #4: William -- Do you have a personal “to do” item that you need to get done, and what day of the week would you pick to do it?”:59

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Elizabeth Lindsay –Upcoming changes to the educational program (5-7 min.) 6:59; (2-3 min.) for questions

Speaker #2: Don Kovach.-- #3 Special Occasion Speeches; The Roast: “Mr. Wonderful” (5-7 min.) 5:15

Speaker #3: Lysa Rigo – #6 CC Vocal Variety: “It’s All in the Way You Say It” (5-7 min.) 7:13

General Evaluator:  Rachel Sumner

Evaluator #1:  none necessary

Evaluator #2:  Bill Martin 3:02

Evaluator #3:  Susan Martin 2:50

Timer:   Jaylyn Bergner

Grammarian/Ah Counter:  Mark Bayless

Vote Counter:  Pankaj Soni

Word of the Day Users:  Lysa, Mark B.

Awards:

Table Topics:  William

Evaluator:  Susan Martin

Speaker:  Don Kovach

BET Meeting Notes for February 25, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Pankaj Soni

Opening:

Chris Meador opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to BET President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

The District 63 Spring Conference will be held April 4-6 in Nashville. Please visit http://d63toastmasters.com/ for the agenda and information about tickets.

Dues are coming due! Membership dues are posted semiannually in March and September, and the spring deadline is March 31. BET members who renew for 12 months instead of 6 months will have a portion of their dues waived.

Next meeting we will have a guest speaker, Elizabeth Lindsay, who will be explaining the upcoming changes to the Toastmasters Educational Program. For more details, please visit http://www.toastmasters.org/eduprogram.

Toastmaster: Pankaj Soni introduced the theme of the meeting, procrastination.

Wordmaster: Susan Martin

Word of the Day: brevity |ˈbrevitē| noun concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.

Humorist: Krishna Rao told a joke about the Husband Store.

Table Topic Master: Janet Schreibman

TT Speaker #1: Lysa Rigo described her methods of procrastination. (1:36)

TT Speaker #2: Jaylyn Bergner shared a story about a procrastinator she knows. (1:38)

TT Speaker #3: Bill Martin speculated on the nature vs. nurture of procrastination. (1:03)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Ravi Aradhyula, “Informal Sports” (7:03)

Speaker #2: Krishna Rao, “An Introduction to Business Strategy” (9:38)

Speaker #3: Ani Osborne, “Bigotry and Facebook” (10:24)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Dasie Schulz

Evaluator #1: Mike Costa (2:55)

Evaluator #2: Rajiv Gupta (3:32)

Evaluator #3: Rachel Sumner (3:23)

Timer: Ryan Osborne

Vote Counter: Jaylyn Bergner

Grammarian / Ah Counter: Janet Schreibman

Awards:

Best Table Topic: Lysa Rigo

Best Evaluator: Rachel Sumner

Best Speaker: Ani Osborne

Word of the day users: Janet, Lysa, Ryan, Ravi, Rajiv

BET Meeting Notes for February 11, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday February 11, 2014

International Speech and Table Topics Contest

Opening:

Richard Naslund opened the meeting and led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. He announced that tonight’s agenda is the International Speech Contest and he is serving as Contest Chairman. Richard then turned introduced BET President Mark Bayless who shared the mission of Toastmasters International. Mark welcomed our visitors and invited them to share their feedback at the end of the meeting.

Club News:

Elizabeth Lindsay, District 63 ambassador, will speak at the meeting on March 11 regarding the “Revitalized Education Program”.

Mark thanked the BET officers who attend the TLI winter session.

Next meeting is February 25.

The winner of tonight’s contest will move on to the area contest on Thursday night at 7pm, Feb. 27 at the People’s Church, 828 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin, TN 37064. All members are invited to attend.

Table Topics Contestants: 

Speaker #1: Ravi Aradhyula

Speaker #2: Mike Costa

Speaker #3: Ani Osborne

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Marc Smith CC #5 – “Right Now” 5-7 min.

Chief Judge: Allan Daniels

Judges: Rachel Sumner, Pankaj Soni, Mark Bayless, Russ Vantrease

Ballot Collector: Ryan Osborne

Sergeant at Arms: Don Kovach

Timer:   Dasie Schulz

Table Topics Winners: 

3^rd place: Ravi Aradhyula

2^nd place: Mike Costa

1^st place: Ani Osborne

BET Meeting Notes for January 28, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Richard Naslund

Opening:

Richard Naslund opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to BET President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) has a make-up meeting in Nashville on Tuesday, February 4 at the Caterpillar Financial. The training is scheduled for 5:30 pm – 9:30 pm.

The BET club-level contest (preliminaries for the International Speech and Table Topics Contest) will be held on February 11. Contact Richard Naslund or Pankaj Soni to participate as a contestant or judge. The area-level contest will be held the following week.

Toastmaster: Richard Naslund introduced the theme of the meeting, National Compliment Day.

Wordmaster: Ani Osborne

Word of the Day: diaspora |dīˈaspərə| noun (often the Diaspora) the dispersion of any people from their original homeland

Humorist: Pankaj Soni told a joke about a rural volunteer fire department.

Table Topic Master: Rachel Sumner hosted a sports-themed Table Topics!

TT Speaker #1: Janet Schreibman told us how she became a sports fan. (1:36)

TT Speaker #2: Chris Meador spoke about marching band and drum & bugle corps. (2:08)

TT Speaker #3: Susan Martin explained what a “Soup-er Bowl Party” is. (1:23)

TT Speaker #4: Richard Naslund encouraged us to root for Peyton Manning. (1:22)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Don Kovach, “Work the Plan” (11:25)

Speaker #2: Ravi Aradhyula gave his ice-breaker! (6:16)

Speaker #3: Mark Bayless, “TV Detectives and Toastmasters” (10:29)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Chris Meador

Evaluator #1: Mike Costa (3:37)

Evaluator #2: Janet Schreibman (3:23)

Evaluator #3: Russ Vantrease (4:53)

Timer / Vote Counter: Ryan Osborne

Grammarian / Ah Counter: Susan Martin

Awards:

Best Table Topic: Richard Naslund

Best Evaluator: Janet Schreibman

Best Speaker: Mark Bayless

Word of the day users: Ravi, Janet

BET Meeting Notes for January 14, 2014

Brentwood Evening Toastmasters

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Toastmaster for the evening – Janet Schreibman

Opening:

Richard Naslund opened the meeting and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance, then turned the gavel over to BET President Mark Bayless.

Club News:

President Mark Bayless announced that BET will induct two new members at our first 2014 meeting on January 14.

Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) is upon us and will be held on Saturday, January 18 at the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Lebanon, TN. The training is scheduled for 7:30 am – 12:00 pm.

The BET club-level contest (preliminaries for the International Speech and Table Topics Contest) will be held on February 11. Contact Richard Naslund or Pankaj Soni to participate as a contestant or judge.

Toastmaster: Janet Schreibman introduced the theme of the meeting, New Year's resolutions.

Wordmaster: Mike Costa

Word of the Day: resolute |ˈrezəˌlo͞ot, -lət| adj. admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering

Humorist: Ani Osborne shared a joke about a man who quit smoking for the new year.

Table Topic Master: Rajiv Gupta

TT Speaker #1: Mike Costa is on track with his resolution to be more active, weather permitting. (1:18)

TT Speaker #2: Ani Osborne enjoyed the warmth of a new puppy on the coldest day in memory. (1:40)

TT Speaker #3: Dasie Schulz told us about her holiday in Holland. (0:55)

Prepared Speeches:

Speaker #1: Mark Bayless, “Forest Gump as it Applies to Easy-Speak” (11:35)

Speaker #2: Mark Brown gave his ice-breaker! (4:30)

Speaker #3: Pankaj Soni, “How to be Miserable” (6:05)

Speech Evaluations:

General Evaluator: Rachel Sumner

Evaluator #1: Susan Martin (2:53)

Evaluator #2: Richard Naslund (3:10)

Evaluator #3: Allan Danials (3:26)

Timer: Ryan Osborne

Grammarian / Ah Counter: Dasie Schulz

Vote Counter: Chris Meador

Awards:

Best Table Topic: Ani Osborne

Best Evaluator: Richard Naslund

Best Speaker: Mark Brown

Word of the day users: Mike Costa, Janet Schreibman, Mark Bayless, Richard Naslund