Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)

Weds May 30th. Another of our weekly Toastmaster sessions.
Word of the day: Facetious

 In attendance:
Simon Jackson: Grammarian and Ah Counter; Mahdia Ibrahim Speaker #1; Jolanta Westergard: Speech Evaluator #1; Darlene Davies, DTM: Speaker #2; Julie Wright: Speech Evaluator #2; David Zhao, CC: Toastmaster; Kim Beckett: TT Master; Helen Eng: TT Evaluator, and General Evaluator; Lora Johnston: Timer;  Our Guests: Janet

And I saddle up my horse
And I ride into the city
I make a lot of noise
Cause the girls
They are so pretty
Riding up and down Broadway
On my old stud Leroy
And the girls say
Save a horse, ride a cowboy.
Everybody says
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy

If Buddha is correct in the Dharma when he says "What we think, we become" then we are all Cowboys here in Calgary. 2012 is the 100 year anniversary of the Calgary Stampede and Darlene reminded us in her speech that whilst it may have evolved, from the long tassels of yesteryear to the shiny sparkles of modern day, the Stampede is a quintessential Calgary experience.

Darlene is our DTM, and founder member. She was also one of 4 native Calgarians at the meeting today, and her insights into the years of the street party and the square dancing helped lend a fantastic historic flavour to something all of us in town know as a true Calgary passion.

And on the subject of passion, our own 'Flux Capacitor in Human Form', Madhia Ibrahim, led a high energy analysis in the other speech looking at whether it could be accurate or not that "fear of public speaking ranked right up their with fear of death'. Sounds exaggerated...lacks empirical data...Mr Sulu, you have the Bridge. 

Kim "Reiki" Beckett led us in a group of table topics. I got "Would I go to the moon or a desert island?", Our Guest Janet took "What music defines you?", Jolanta spoke about Dandelions on the food chain and Julie on Calgary's new city slogan "Be part of the Energy"...oh so pun-tastic...

And, the winner: Send Simon to the Moon...or the speech, (I should be less facetious apparently).

Calgary 2012 is also celebrating Calgary as a city of Culture. With the official song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IRjl3SWC2U

Sweet...Sweet City Woman....

Sing, Dance, Ride your horse, don't take your boyfriend, and most of all:

Remember to move in the space, focus on the topic, or that other sweet city evaluator Helen Eng will come get you with her six gun...

CTI gets Presidents Distinguished award (again)

Congratualtions CTI Techtalkers! We are officially a Presidents Distinguished club for 2011-12!

For those who aren't aware, we have targets (shown below) to achieve a number of members who receive Competent Communicator (CC), Advanced Communicator (AC), Competent Leader (CL), Advanced Leader (AL) or Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), along with new members, and training of officers.

Success in at least 9 of 10 makes us "Presidents Distinguished"!

Congrats Team!!!

GOAL ACTUAL ACHIEVED [1] CCs 2 2 * [2] Additional CCs 2 1 [3] ACs 1 1 * [4] Additional ACs 1 1 * [5] CL, AL, or DTM 1 1 * [6] Additional CLs, ALs, or DTMs 1 3 * [7] New Members 4 4 * [8] Additional New Members 4 7 * [9] Officers Trained (both required)      June-August 4 7      and December-February 4 7 * [10] Submitted on time (both required)      October or April Renewal 1 2      and Officer List 1 1 * Total Goals Achieved To-Date: 9

CTI Techtalkers get 3rd Distinguished Toastmaster

Congratulations are in order to our beloved Geetha Nicodemus who, after 10 years in Toastmasters at a range of clubs spanning continents, is now a Distinguished Toastmaster.

Distinguished Toastmaster or DTM, is the highest award within Toastmasters, and represents a huge accomplishment not just in public speaking, but in a leadership capacity within club and division.

Geetha joins Darlene and Rosario as DTM's in our club, and rumour has it Val is close to achieving the status also.

Proof positive that CTI Techtalkers has a great depth of talent to call on. And so... time for the men to step up to the plate too methinks...

Congratualtions Geetha! and lady DTM's! (Perhaps we need Pink DTM jackets ala Grease...)

Katimavik-tims

Weds May 23rd. Another of our weekly Toastmaster sessions. In attendance:

Simon Jackson: Toastmaster; Darlene Davies, DTM: General Evaluator; David Zhao, CC: Timer; Geetha Nicodemus, ACG ALS: TT Evaluator; Jodi David; Josefina Perez: Grammarian; Kim Beckett: Speech Evaluator; Kyle Wilson, CC CL: Ah Counter; Lora Johnston: Speaker; Val Erickson, ACG ALB: TT Master; Chris Hecker, CL; Our Guests: May Li

Lora led the way with her speech about volunteering with the Youth Program Katimavik. She spoke on the importance of giving something back, and of helping to foster links and community relations and achieve things that would otherwise never be done. I wonder if Katimavik has a team that will come do my laundry?

Friendship and community were quite the theme of the day with our Table Topics Contest being won by David, who cited friendship as the thing in life he couldn't do without. Not only did he sway the judges, but he also managed to quote Francis Bacon.

Reminds me of the poem: Roses are Red. Bacon is also Red. Poems are hard. Mmm Bacon...

We were joined by a guest who spoke eloquently about the "silent place" and the difficulties of being an immigrant. As one of them I feel the pain. My advice: Buy good snow boots. Dress Warm.

Our evaluators summed up proceedings neatly, offering poignant advice about focusing on the personal touches, maintaining eye contact with the audience, and to our Toastmaster: More Clapping!

Donkeys in the bathtub and a walk on the dark side

CTI Techtalkers is not just a toastmasters club, but a gathering of
minds, a war of wits, and a sparkling effervescence of splendor.
Occasionally it's also about Donkeys in the Bath, and a voyage into
the dark recesses of our esteemed toastmasters minds.


May 16th was one such occasion, in the words of Joseph Conrad "They
had behind them, to my mind, the terrific suggestiveness of words
heard in dreams, of phrases spoken in nightmares."


Our Table Topics of the day presented by our esteemed Julie Wright,
concerned “Silly Laws”, and our winner of the day was Jean Francois
Amiot with a discussion of the frustrations of his wife keeping a
donkey in the bathtub. You had to be there.


Our speeches of the day were Simon Jackson with “O Fortuna”, and Val
Erickson with a look at whether we are “Lucky or Unlucky?” and the
personal decision for positivity.


Both speeches contained references to traumatic effects of the past,
prompting our incoming Club President for 2012, Chris Hecker, to
remark that we'd taken a 'walk on the dark side', and that
“Toastmasters can be a lot like Therapy”.


For myself, I have to mention that the CTI Techtalkers are much more
than a speaking group, they are a supportive group of friends, and
that as we all know, is worth more than Gold...


Also with us with her time keeping were Kim “My lights not on?”
Beckett, and Lora “Laughing Yoga” Johnston.