Summary MutualVoices Meeting 7/14
Toastmaster for the 7/14 meeting was Mary Ellen. The Theme of the Day was "Twin Cities Vacation" and the Word of the Day was "Leisure." Other duty holders were Mike , as General Evaluator, and Mark as Timer and Marian as Sumamrizer.

Mary Ellen did an excellent job of planning the meeting, including checking to ensure that all duties would be covered on a day when attendance was lighter than usual. She started the meeting on time, led the clapping and provided interesting segues between sections of the program. Overall, the meeting was entertaining and another well-spent lunch hour.

Speech # 1 was presented by Jeff, the second speech from the CTM Manual -- "Organize Your Speech." In his speech, Jeff captured the pleasures offered by the resort where his extended family vacations each summer, Bent's Camp Resort,
www.bents-camp.com. Along with a description of the physical details of the resort, including the resort’s location on Mamie Lake (part of the Cisco chain), its 270 feet of shoreline and sandy beach, Jeff told us about the experiences that his family shares during their time together. Whether it’s fishing in the early hours of the morning or making smore’s on a camp fire in the twilight, Jeff did an excellent job of convincing us that Bent’s Lake offers the perfect environment to build family traditions.

Table Topics Master was Laura G, who asked four challenging questions. Marian demonstrated her lack of Table Topics experience (her assessment) in answering Laura’s first question "How would you promote the Twin Cities theater to people from outside the region?" Marian’s answer was convoluted (her description) and wasn’t organized as a mini speech -- one of the cardinal rules to follow in answering Table Topics questions.

Laura’s second question, "What activity would you do with visiting family members that is typically Minnesotan?" Laura B. did an excellent job of buying time by telling us that all her family is very familiar with the Twin Cities but demonstrated her skills by pulling together a well-organized mini speech.

Table Topics Question # 3, "What do you especially like to do more in the Twin Cities?" was answered by Eddie. Eddie told us that he would like to visit more historical sites and enjoy more music experiences, with the goal of becoming a more well-rounded person. (I’m going to miss hearing Eddie’ s stories about his life and times.)

Mark answered Laura’s fourth question, "Why should we or shouldn’t we attend a wine tasting dinner?" Mark talked about an annual wine-tasting event that he goes to regularly, a fundraiser for the Humane Society.

Bill evaluated Jeff’s speech. Bill said that he thought that Jeff’s had created a structure that was easy to follow, with an opening that captured our imagination and a strong conclusion. Bill said that by providing first-hand experience, Jeff had made the speech more credible and vivid to the audience. He also described Jeff’s style as relaxed and easy to listen to.