“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” – Karen Blixen

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Josep opened the evening, happy to see a packed room and “many, many, many new faces!” He explained that this was an unusual meeting, as the first part was given over to the AGM and notably the financial report. THE TOAST Lars looked back over the year, amazed at the variety of great speeches he has heard, ranging from how many people it takes to change a lightbulb to the use of AI in medicine and Turner’s use of color in his paintings. He wanted to thank and celebrate the storytellers, because that’s what Toastmasters are, he concluded.

THE THEME
ALEX
Alex said he chose the theme when he was at the beach and then realized the subject’s potential. The significance of salt includes its taste, its ability to enhance food, its use as a currency (hence someone being ‘worth their salt’), and the modern online use of salt and salty to show indignation.

THE WORD
ALISON
Alison chose the word schism, cleverly relating this to the topic. ‘Salting the mines’ by adding gold to the earth (to increase its value) had caused schisms between indigenous people and newcomers.

THE JOKE
MARIA
Maria’s funny personal story, centered on her reluctant decision to leave Paris during the Olympics, had us laughing.

AGM: TREASURER’S REPORT

Connal presented the report, which has been sent in full to all members, explaining our income and expenditure and comparing them to last year’s.

Our finances are healthy with a closing balance 21% higher than 2022-2023.

Having studied alternative banks, Connal sees no competitive advantage to changing.

He made three recommendations for next year’s Excom, that we should
1. reduce our surplus
2. retain our centralized payment system (collecting from members and then paying TMI dues)

3. continue using Helloasso, thereby reducing cash transactions.

Connal opened the floor to questions (there were none). He closed by inviting anyone interested to consider joining the Excom.

Congratulations, Connal – a succinct, understandable, and even humorous presentation !

CANDIDACY SPEECHES

MAYA Maya told us she is an actor, dancer, and more recently a yoga teacher. After graduating from a school of journalism and TV, she worked for a while in television in Armenia, but she moved to Paris to follow her dream of acting, where she started a podcast. Maya requests support for her candidacy to TM because she is impressed by the “friendly and meticulous approach of evaluators” and the “inspiring” people here. In return, she promises to bring her full presence to all meetings and to be a reliable member and friend.

JOANNE Joanne used her name to introduce herself. The J, she claims, indicates her as a “J person” in the Myers Briggs personality types – as exhibited by her love of structure, use of checklists, and hasty decision-making. One quick decision was to join the club, which she made on her first visit to us: “I just loved the atmosphere and knew I wanted to be a part of it.” She sees three benefits for joining: the chance to practice public speaking, the inspiration of “our diverse stories and wisdom,” and the connection with other international people. In return, she will give attention and respect and a unique viewpoint. Joanne finished by explaining that her name has two Chinese characters meaning long- lasting peace and joy, and she hopes to bring these values to TMP.

MOHAMMAD’S TABLE TOPICS Mohammad’s table topics included some challenging questions…
Maya “The salt to your pepper” – Who’s yours?	Maya argued that we don’t need anyone else to complete us. She believes we spend too much time trying to “find our salt in other people” and repeating the same cycles, when in fact we need to find ways, such as art, to feel complete in ourselves.
Joanne Many cultures use salt as a symbol. What significance does salt have in yours?	Joanne talked about the Chinese practice of using sea salt to absorb negative energy from a room. Personally, she told us that she avoids salt and tries to persuade her hypertensive, salt-loving mother to use a different flavoring.
Florence If you were a superhero able to produce salt, how would you use your power?	Florence noted that salt is an interesting substance. If she were a superhero, she would use salt for its potential to sting – and she would overcome her enemies with this!
Josep You’re a chef in a restaurant trying to find salt. Read a page from your journal.	Josep’s salt is in The Great Gatsby. He referred to advice given in the novel, that we shouldn’t criticize others as they may not have had the same opportunities as us. This lesson of respect is the key to success, he claimed, and Josep uses this to salt his life.
Kelly Has anyone ever deliberately ‘salted your earth’ to prevent you from succeeding?	Kelly found three obstacles preventing her from being “a perfect expat in France”: people speaking English to her when she tries to practice French; having “every single delicious pastry” available when she wants to have a healthy lifestyle; and the Olympics forcing her to move out of Paris just when she hoped to stay here and see her friends.

SPEECHES AND EVALUATIONS

AMELIE’S EVALUATION OF TRISTAN’S “TURN IT OFF”

Amelie opened by saying that Tristan had “absolutely” fulfilled his objective: the speech was very well organized. He had depicted very clearly how we spend our lives connected and then he asked us to imagine the power of ‘disconnecting’. His vivid imagery – for example, reminding us of restaurants where couples sit opposite each other but on the phone – helped us to relate. She enjoyed his “dose of humor”, for example, recalling his own procrastination in writing his speech. Amelie also praised Tristan’s body language, for example, moving around the lectern and counting on his fingers.

Finally she presented a challenge for the future – to inject more pauses into his speech.

SIOBHAN’S EVALUATION OF YASMINE’S “UNPREPARED AND UNSTOPPABLE”

Siobhan commended Yasmine’s preparation: Having learned the speech, she was free to move, looking relaxed and smiling throughout.

Yasmine’s personal objectives were to communicate through storytelling and to inspire. Her story, with its exposition setting the scene and the use of present tense for immediacy, the body outlining the details of her race, and the resolution in which she wins the medal, was followed by a transition (What did I learn?) leading to her inspirational message with four tips for how to be successful in overcoming challenges.

There were two Pathways objectives, one of which was compelling body language. Yasmine’s story was demonstrated by her progress across the room as the race took her from the start to the finish line, and her use of gestures brought details to life. The second goal was to use vocal variety. Yasmine’s voice was clear and the speech well enunciated, but there was room for far more drama – for example, she could have paused before “I hate running!”, either whispering it confidentially or making it loud and aggressive. Siobhan suggested that in future Yasmine should examine her stories for the highs and lows and then use volume and tone to create the drama.

CLAUDIA’S EVALUATION OF JESSICA’S “THINGS THEY DON’T TELL YOU AS A HALF MARATHONER”

Claudia enjoyed Jessica’s title and the way the audience was implicated from the beginning. She noted Jessica’s humor, such as her description of her family always commenting on everything that she does. She also remarked that some of Jessica’s comedy was “daring” – for example, the explanation that some runners wear diapers. Claudia complimented Jessica on many aspects of her speech – her good eye contact, her pacing, her clear diction, and her ease and comfort.

Claudia noted some areas for improvement. At moments Jessica seemed to sidetrack, for example with stories about other contestants rather than focusing on her own experiences and the “things they don’t tell you” promised by the title.

Finally she suggested that it would take courage but also add to the humor were Jessica to have donned a diaper!

Tricia’s evaluation of Suzanne’s “The Keys to a Killer Speech”

“Another time when you’ve proven you can write witty speeches,” Tricia said of Suzanne’s speech, a mock Toastmasters evaluation. Tricia had counted no fewer than ten bursts of audience laughter. She pointed to the cleverly comical title – Suzanne countered our expectations when it transpired that killer did not refer to a brilliant but to a murderous speech. The fictional speaker, we learn, has killed their mentor!

One of Suzanne’s personal objectives was smiling: Tricia suggested that if he had not used notes, Suzanne could have opened with a smile (and also made eye contact with the audience). In conclusion, Tricia pointed out that this was supposed to be an informational speech. As such, it needs to be based on facts and knowledge in order to teach the audience. Although Suzanne used the evaluator’s checklist to structure the speech, there was not enough to make it “informational”.

Guests

Joining us for the first time, VICTORIA has been in Paris for seven years. She noted that TMP is a place where authenticity is celebrated: “I love that!”

EMMANUEL found out about Toastmasters when he was living in Mexico. What is valuable about the TMP experience, and what he has not seen elsewhere, he claimed, is the emphasis on feedback – tonight, the evaluators were evaluated!

ANKUR, originally from India, has lived in Paris for eight years. Finding the TMO experience “inspirational”, he wondered why he had waited so long before coming!

Amelie had invited SALAH to the club. He was impressed by the way feedback is handled, something he would like to work on himself.

IMEN is hoping to improve his public speaking but claims that the level here is high. Pressure!
(We can reassure you: everyone feels like that at first!)

YULIA had heard about Toastmasters “many years ago” and was recently reminded about the club. Determined to “minimize the distance between intention and action,” she decided to come along. impressed by the level, she says she might feel “imposter syndrome”. (A very common first feeling, Yulia!)

ARTURO has been in Paris for two years, having lived previously in Venezuela, Brazil, and Mexico. Now on his second visit to our club, the experience “surpassed” his first.

ANJA belonged to Toastmasters in Lima, Peru. She enjoyed the TMP meeting, noting it was more structured and longer than what she was used to.

ANNA, originally from Russia, thinks that Toastmasters is a “great way to improve communication skills” and thanked us for our welcome.

The Evening’s Winners

Kelly, Table Topic

Yasmine, Speech

Siobhan, Evaluation

General Evaluator’s

Comments

Silvia was delighted to find the room was already full and “abuzz” when she arrived. She noted it was good to see a new member inducted and two more people seeking membership.

Silvia praised Alex for his warm opening explaining how the evening works and for his unusual and interesting theme. She congratulated Lars for his toast to our club, Alison for her clever connection of the word (schism) to the theme (salt) and her “quick reprise” at the end, and Maria for her funny personal story. Mohammad was commended for the interesting questions of his table topics.

Final Evaluation

Alex, Toastmaster of the Evening, always points out that evaluation is the most valuable part of the Toastmaster process, the key to improvement, benefiting both the giver and the receiver.

Unusually, Silvia evaluated the table topics speakers and the evaluators, who usually go without any feedback. She had praise for clear structure and personal story (Kelly), the impact of smiling (Joanne), and the rebuttal of an assumption within the question (Maya). She noted that table topics speakers should make eye contact with the whole audience, not just the table topics master. She passed on an excellent tip that she had learned at a recent Toastmasters workshop: if in doubt and lost for words, it helps to repeat the question and define the terms used, as this not only gives time to think but can also stimulate ideas. Evaluators were warned that they should use personal response phrasing (I feel) rather than assuming everyone agrees (we all…).

Looking forward, Silvia had two suggestions for improvement. We started late, and this has become a habit. She wonders if payment for the meals is the issue. If this is the case, she suggests that if this is not finished by 8:00, it might be possible to continue during the break. Another problem is the disruption caused when servers try to identify vegetarians and vegans, and she suggested that we need a clear way to identify these people.

President’s Comments

Josep told us he sometimes wonders – What is the perfect TM meeting? Answering his question, he told us – This was!

COME AND SEE IF THE NEXT MEETING (JUNE 4TH ) MATCHES UP! It’s the Toasties!