THE TIME

Following a vote by membership, new times were observed –

7:00 Drinks, networking, socializing 7:30 Opening

Lars, VP Education (24-25), welcomed us to the first session of our new year, before introducing Ava as Toastmaster of the Evening.

“What a pleasure to be back in this space with all of you here!” she said, before confessing that the return to work – leaving the summer behind, with its quieter streets and the fun of the Olympic Games – had given her “a case of the blues.” So, she asked us, “Why not adopt a playful approach tonight?” and make this an evening of “fun, humor, play, and laugher.”

TOAST – How many of us feel that our to-do’s are multiplying all the time? – We tend to forget about the importance of play, Jessica told us, echoing Ava’s suggestion that we should enjoy the evening.

WORD – Joanne offered the word ‘adroitly’ (skillfully) and told us, “Play hard to use this word!”

JOKE – Thibaud told us about three young boys arguing about whose father was the fastest. The first boasted that his was a racing car driver, and the second that his flew a plane. The third laughed. “Mine is a French bureaucrat. He finishes wok at five and is home by four thirty!”

THE GUESTS
Sanjay has lived in Paris for seven years. Having come to TMP before the break with the intention

of improving his communication skills, he was back for a second visit.

Corinne is a Learning and Development professional. She attended some Toastmasters meetings in Paris over a decade ago, but she had not yet been to Toastmasters of Paris. She said she would like to attend a little more regularly!

Kevin was born and raised in Paris. He discovered the group through a co-worker – Yasmine!

Laetitia has been in Paris for only a few months but discovered Toastmasters in Toulouse, where her brother leads a group. Hoping to improve her public speaking, she would like to join Toastmasters in Paris. [Hopefully she will choose OF Paris!]

SUZANNE’S TABLE TOPIC

SUZANNE explained that table topics were to “get your adrenaline flowing” with impromptu speaking skills. She reminded the group that when voting, they should pay attention to the speakers’ ability to refer to the topic, use structure, make a clear point, maintain eye contact, and to be touching, engaging, or entertaining.

READY, SET, PLAY!

PLAY IT BY EAR, SIOBHAN – Table topics depend on this, Siobhan claims. It’s vital to listen carefully to the topic in order to speak about it. Moreover, she has to listen carefully to what she says as she goes along because, despite Suzanne’s reminder to plan, she never knows what she is going to say until she says it!

WHAT’S YOUR GAME? ALEX –“What’s your game?” – Alex repeated. “What isn’t my game?!” He reminded us of his love of board games. We are, he told us, living in “a golden age of designer games,” and that he loves the challenge of new rules and a new game. He closed by repeating, “What’s my game? All of them, to be honest. I love them all.”

PLAY TO WIN OR JUST FOR FUN? DEBBIE – While she would like to think she plays for fun, Debbie admitted, “I discovered I like to win,” and struggles with being a good sport. Recently, playing a game she normally wins, her husband “slaughtered” her, and she found herself with her three-year-old “poopy face”! “Not proud of myself – but bottom line, yes, I do like to win!”

FAIR PLAY? AMELIE – “What is fair and what is unfair?”Amelie asked, continuing, “How many times did I ask myself that question?” – particularly as her two children used to want her to adjudicate. Believing that parents should not intervene, she used to tell them to “Trust the universe,” saying that fair play would be rewarded!

WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN, PLAY IS SERIOUS BUSINESS, BOB – Bob rephrased the topic: “When it comes to play, children are serious business.” He had just introduced three children to ultimate frisbee, he saw they took the game very seriously. Bob noted that for him, too, playing with a boy almost a tenth of his age, it’s also “serious business”!

ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JOHNNY A DULL BOY, FLORENCE –

Florence reported having taken a day away from “all the things I had to do” so she could attend the paralympics. It was the chance “to do something new,”as she doesn’t normally watch sports. By taking a break, she “took an opportunity that will never come again.”

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD: FANTASY? POSSIBILITY? – JESSICA

Jessica suggested that there are no level playing fields because everyone is different. As an example, she cited herself and her partner. When it comes to playfulness, she is the earth and he is the sky! He decided that to strengthen their relationship, they should do a puzzle: it is progressing very well! However, he has done every piece so far. Nevertheless, Jessica concluded by recommending playfulness: it is, she claims, the foreplay to eroticism!

THE GAME OF LIFE, JOANNE – Life is a game, Joanne conceded, as it is unpredictable and we have to live in the moment. While people talk about the work life balance, work is a part of life. It shouldn’t be taken too seriously but treated as part of the game of life. Joanne concluded with the reflection that she works too much and needs to relax more!

Shiobhan on Alison’s “The King’s Speech”

Alison communicates confidence. This was signaled in her ‘rewinding’ movements after she had been called to the lectern but then had to pause for the timer’s announcement. It continued once she was back in place, when her smile and eye contact took in the whole of the audience. She opened by explaining that she would take us on a journey about the freedom of speech that would cover several countries and a huge time range from the thirteenth century to the present. Despite what Siobhan termed “a scarily broad and ambitious plan,” Alison fully engaged her audience. Siobhan noted the effectiveness of well-constructed narrative, cited as Alison’s personal objective, as well as a clever structural trick to build momentum – “But one elderly man… But one archbishop… But a bishop a resolution, and two presidents”! Alison’s descriptive touches further aided her narrative (for example, “languishing in jail” and “for Africa to shine”), as did her vocal delivery with its use of stresses and pauses. Siobhan asked if Alison really needed to hold her notes rather than simply leaving them in place on the lectern: as she clearly knew the material so well, it seemed a shame to limit her gestures to one hand only.

ALEX ON MOHAMMAD’S “CAN I GET MY SHOES BACK”

Alex noted Mohammad opened with a question, suggesting that this drew us in. Additionally, he noted that Mohammad looked happy and confident, and rightly so, as he was clearly well prepared. Alex praised the use of personal story as everyone likes to learn about people, and he said it was clever to tie this in with leadership. (Mohammad explained how he had demonstrated leadership when he was held up at gunpoint!) Nevertheless, Alex felt that some of the information sounded as if it came from the instructional material, and wondered whether Mohammad might have adapted some of the facts of his story to suit the topic. However, “You absolutely nailed the ending,” he told Mohammad. The delivery was “perfect and practiced” – “and that’s how you should end a speech!”

BOB ON ANNAELLE’S “THE FOREST DILEMMA”

Anaelle’s speech focused on a survey that suggested women were more apprehensive about being in a forest with an unknown man than being in the forest with a bear. He suggested that the topic was perhaps not the best for ‘Engaging Humor’, although she could have read out the funny lines. Bob noted that the speech’s purpose, using body language, was rendered more challenging as Anaelle was often turned towards to the screen. He also had much praise in Anaelle’s performance, however. He commended her management of technical issues, mentioning the way she smoothly explained the essentials of the video when the sound failed. He enjoyed her ability to communicate her feelings, beginning and ending his evaluation by commenting that she is clearly “passionate” and “feels strongly” about the subject. Finally, as Bob suggested, ‘The Forest Dilemma’ was “an excellent speech” on an “unexpected and interesting topic.”

GENERAL EVALUATION – BENOIT

Benoit commended

the new meeting time (Hear, hear! – Much better transport links thanks to the extra half an hour) the many people who helped set up in Yannis’ absence
the easy payment system, and encouraged everyone to use HelloAsso
the joke, well told by Thibaud

the table topics, well chosen by Suzanne, easy enough for good responses the speakers, especially as it is hard to prepare during vacation time
the evaluators, all experienced
the way Bob handled the disruptive laughter from outside

the perforated voting papers, thanks to Yannis, suggesting it was a pleasure to write comments the experimentation with a new voting system (although he would prefer to have Toastmasters as a place to switch off our phones!)

Benoit ended with a request –

Yannis, Sergeant-at-Arms, needs assistance setting up, IT support, and clearing – a “very, very important role” – could this be you?

THE EVENING’S WINNERS

TABLE TOPICS AND EVALUATION –

Double winner – unprecedented!? Congratulations! –ALEX

SPEECH – ALISON

Don’t miss the next meeting September 17!