Vicki, President, opened by reminding us that Toastmasters held its first meeting in California in October 1924.

She thanked members for their efforts to dress for this centennial celebration and welcomed Peter
(Kenton), our historian, in person for the first time in several months. We were delighted for the opportunity to see him again and to hear him speak.

JESSICA, TOASTMASTER OF THE EVENING
Jessica welcomed us to this “glamorous” occasion and hoped everyone was having a “fabulous” time! This was “a remarkable milestone” in the history of Toastmasters. The association was started by the “quiet and modest” Ralph Smedley, who wanted to help people develop their communication and leadership skills. She reminded us how important these are and drew our attention to the quotation of the night – If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change lives. Rob Brown)

PETER KENTON – “BEWARE OF TOASTMASTERS!” We were thrilled to have with us the ever-effervescent Peter, who – Is the Official TMP Historian and Executive Committee Member – Has been involved in Toastmasters since1990 – Founded several European clubs – Assisted Bob Mohl in establishment of Speechmasters (Paris) – Started a number of bilingual and corporate clubs – And calls Toastmasters of Paris his Home Club! “Beware of Toastmasters!– It’s habit forming,” Peter announced. There are now around 400,000 Toastmasters all over the globe and in about ninety countries, and they are “as congenial, friendly, and confident” as the members of TMP. These people form a network that can be helpful to us, whether it is finding new jobs or visiting other places. (Invitations to homes in other parts of the world can save us a good deal of money when holidaying, he suggested!) And people who love to talk quickly become “addicts” who are “hooked”. But, he reminded us, speaking in public is not the ultimate goal. He explained the association’s major objectives are the development of communication and leadership. Toastmasters is the largest nonprofit educational organization in the world that is dedicated to developing these skills, and that we acquire them by doing, which is proven to be the quickest and easiest way to learn. There are no teachers, only “friendly and constructive” member mentors. Practicing publicly is fun – you don’t realize you are learning, he suggested – and it boosts self confidence. Members learn to talk “literally on a moment’s notice” and then learn to listen, which is harder. They quickly find their way into contests and conferences as well as discovering that Toastmasters can boost careers: hundreds of major companies support the program. Peter concluded by suggesting that Toastmasters is neither sinful nor unhealthy, “so get addicted!”

Toastmasters Magazine Celebrates the Centenary -“In Style!”

RALPH SMEDLEY February 22, 1878 – September 11, 1965 October 22, 1924, opening of the first official club.

“Ours is the only organization I know dedicated to the individual, we work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply these skills to help others.”

“[With] a good Mentoring program, your club will be filled with spark plugs ready to fire upon request. Mentoring and evaluations create enthusiasm, and once you light that fire the only thing it needs is some kindling.”

“We learn best in moments of enjoyment.“

“If you know how and when to speak, and when to remain silent, your chances of real success are proportionately increased.”

“Faultfinding without suggestions for improvement is a waste of time.”

“While most of us may have entered Toastmasters to learn to make speeches, that benefit is but the
beginning of the good which may come to us and the good which we may do for mankind.“

THE TOAST – AVA
Jessica’s “sparkling speech” was followed by the toast.
Ava gave us a little more history – The first club outside America was created in 1935 women were only accepted in the 1970’s (when membership almost doubled!) On average, Toastmasters stay in the club for 2.4 years. Ava asked us to consider our own journey. What brought us here? And what keeps us coming back? – Probably the fact that we learn through “moments of enjoyment”, as Smedley said. Ava asked us to toast the last hundred years of Toastmasters – and the next!

THE WORD – JOANNE
Illustrious
Joanne’s word was wrapped in ribbon! Well chosen, it matched the theme of the night, TMI Turning 100, and it was also easy to use. Congratulations to all the people who incorporated the word of the evening into their speeches!

THE JOKE – CAROLINE
“Laughter is the best medicine, and Caroline is our doctor,” Jessica announced.
An Englishman, an american, and a Frenchman were stuck on an island. They were desperate as they
were about to runout of food and water, when they bumped into a genie. He agreed to grant them the
traditional three wishes, but of course, they were rationed to one wish each.

“I wish I were at home, drinking a cup of tea,” said the Englishman, and his wish was granted.

“I wish I were at hime, eating a hamburger,” said the American, and his wish was granted.

“I’m lonely,” complained the Frenchman. “I wish my friends were back with me!” And immediately…

JOSEP’S (20’s THEMED) TABLE TOPICS

JOSEP SAID THAT THIS WAS HIS FAVORITE ROLE – HE KNOWS HE CAN’T BE CALLED ON – AND WHEN HE CAME IN, EVERYONE WAS SO NICE TO HIM!

MAYA – WHAT’S YOUR IDEA OF A GOOD PARTY?

Maya told us she doesn’t enjoy drinking or hanging out late and has “never really partied.” However, she has enjoyed being with theater classmates doing games and improvisation, so she thinks something like
this would be good. Then she’d add some dress up and some music. “Next time you have a party, please invite me!” she concluded.

LARS – WAS PROHIBITION A GOOD IDEA?

Lars noted that ban on alcohol was also imposed in Norway in the 20’s after the war.
As in the US, the result was a change of production – homebrewing and moonshining.
Although this didn’t slow down the partying, it had a negative effect in general as it contributed to crime: this was when the Mafia took a toehold in the States. So no, prohibition was not a good idea!

AMELIE – WHO INSPIRES YOU FROM THIS DECADE?

What inspires Amelie is not a person but a dance. This time in history is not her favorite: she told
us that the period of prosperity between the two world wars “plunged us into today’s chaos.”
However, she has loved the Charleson ever since dancing it as a child in “the best show of my
life.” And, twirling her twenties – style beads, Amelie was kind enough to demonstrate!

BENOIT – IF YOU WERE PART OF THE EXPEDITION THAT DISCOVERED TUTENKHAMIN’S SARCOPHOGUS, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE SAID?

“I’d like to welcome you here to tell you about the discovery we made early this morning,”
Benoit began, before cleverly role-playing the entire speech. His main point was that people
at this time lived exactly as we do today, and he concluded by saying that this is a message
we should keep in our hearts.

YANNIS – ARGENTINA ‘DISCOVERED’ THE TANGO AT THIS TIME. HOW DID IT CHANGE THE WORLD?

One evening Yannis saw people dancing the tango on the banks of the Seine. A few days later, he saw some swing. This pushed him into taking classes, which he did for several years. That’s how the tango changed his world. And now -! – Amelie leaped to her feet and the improvisation became a (very
impressive) improvised dance!

VINCENT – WHAT WAS THE BEST INVENTION OF THE TIME?

Vincent told us he has been reading about how innovation stimulates growth. He suggested
that, just as AI is the major innovation of the current period, the Ford T was the major innovation of the twenties. It was the first time that cars had been mass produced, and this gave people a freedom they had not previously possessed. The innovation also created a new workforce, as the company needed laborers. However, Vicent concluded, the creation of this working class ultimately led to “a new class
war.”

SPEECHES AND EVALUATIONS

MARIA ON PETER’S BEWARE OF TOASTMASTERS

Maria noted the irony in the situation: she knows Peter as “an illustrious member” of another club,
where he repeatedly told her to speak up and to use vocal variety, and here she was evaluating
him. She enjoyed his structural outline, as he announced at the beginning that he would answer
the who, what, where, when, how, and why of Toastmasters. The five W’s, Maria said, were used to
help the audience understand the topic, and Peter provided a good deal of information: “He knows
a lot!” Maria also praised Peter’s vocal variety, drawing attention to the way that his voice changed
to accentuate each new section of his talk.

Suggesting that there was nothing he could make better in the speech, she said the only
improvement to be made was for Peter to come back in person so we can benefit from the wealth
of his knowledge! Maria thanked him for the advice he has given her in the past, particularly saying
recommending her to record her speeches.

YASMINE ON SIOBHAN’S MIRROR, MIRROR

Yasmine had one major challenge, that Siobhan should make use of some type of visuals in
her Part 2 speech.

Apart from this, she found much to praise. Yasmine commended Siobhan’s choice of a well
researched and “relatable” topic, as well as her humor and use of personal stories. She
claimed that Siobhan’s passion for the subject was evident in her vocal variety, starting softly
and ending with clear frustration, and enjoyed the use of a mirror, which served to raise
curiosity at the beginning and to emphasize the theme.

SILVIA ON SUZANNE’S RETHINK YOUR APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION
Silvia commended Suzanne for achieving her goal, to practice facilitating a Q&A. She noted
examples of Suzanne’s professionalism: she gave clear direction to avoid confusion about
who should speak next, and she responded well to the questions. Silvia noted that the
speech was clearly divided into two parts – business presentation followed by questions, and
commended Suzanne’s good vocal variety, eye contact, and gestures. The presentation was
well prepared, and Suzanne looked comfortable throughout.
Suggesting improvements, Silvia suggested re-ordering material to ensure that the audience
was fully engaged from the start: she felt that the language at the beginning seemed rather
abstract and advised Suzanne to open with her personal anecdote, which Silvia really hooked
the audience.

GENERAL EVALUATION – VICKI
It had been an unusual evening, Vicki noted. We celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the founding
of Toastmasters International and we had Peter as a speaker – “Such a pleasure!”
Vicki reminded us that Peter had come to us on the eve of the funeral of his wife, for whom he would be
speaking in tribute, and because of which, he had to leave early. On behalf of the club, she thanked
him.
Next she thanked all the members of the club who had dressed up in the twenties theme, with a
special recognition to Alison who had brought feathers for anyone who had been unable to find a
costume so that “everyone could be together in this.” (The feathers, Alison informed us, were the very
pieces Lady Gaga had used for her recent Olympic opening performance!)
Vicki was thrilled that we had managed a club photo shoot. We have had many new members join us
since the last shot four years ago, so some of the TMP images currently online are now very outdated.
Vicki hopes that we can use a centenary celebration photo to show the world who we are.
Vicki thanked Jessica for her leadership of the meeting, cheerful and animated as ever, and also for her
work with the restaurant to ensure that the necessary accommodations were made for this special
event.

OUR GUESTS
Dalila had been a Toastmaster but stopped two years ago and is now looking for
a new club. She thanked us for welcoming her. She found the meeting
“interesting as always” and said the speakers were well prepared, so the made
speaking look easy. She felt there was a good energy and decided that she might
join us. [Please do – we love the added energy that new members bring to our club.]

Eric works for a US security company. He had watched some Toastmasters
online and suggested that we could now guess why he had come – he is hoping
to improve his communication skills! He told us that he had enjoyed the evening
and found the atmosphere “warm” and “kind”: he would like to come back.
[We hope you will! – Come as a guest three times – and then, join us!]

Next meeting – October 15th
Don’t miss it!