Afterburners Has A DeMONSTERable Open House!

What a great Open House Meeting of Looking Forward and Giving Back on May 27th! Kudos to Chairperson Rose Timmons for coordinating a memorable evening with delicious refreshments, chaired by Laurie Dulin, and nice patriotic decorations, chaired by Brenda Daniels! Toastmaster Laura Stewart kicked off the meeting that included six guests and 16 members present.

It was a special treat to hear Area 12 Governor Rachael Williams’ A Commentary on Frankenstein, Project 4 from the Competent Communication manual, How to Say It. An avid Mavs fan, Rachael rocked us with her creative analogy of an NBA owner and Frankenstein, in deMONSTERable detail!

Jodie Sanders was eloquent presenting Mentoring is Giving Back!, from the CC manual, Project 10, Inspire Your Audience. Inspiring indeed, Jodie gave us an account of the many treasured experiences in Toastmasters and challenged all of us to pursue the many opportunities available for us to give back to Toastmasters and our communities.

The final presentation of the evening had us rolling on the floor laughing with History Repeats, Project 1 in the Professional Speaker manual, The Keynote Address, by Tom Brents. A charter member of Afterburners, Tom gave a hilarious flashback of the countless and memorable moments in Toastmasters, sparking interest in the minds of potential members. Tom really opened himself up to us recounting his initial experience in public speaking and how that experience drove him to choose Toastmasters to become the distinguished speaker that he is.

The half-time show of Table Topics, directed by Topicsmaster Laurie Dulin revealed some extraordinary perceptions to the wonderful questions posed by our Afterburners cheerleader. Aaron Robinson wowed us with his ability to speak extemporaneously and succinctly. Even newly-elected Area 12 Governor Suzanne Negron-Paez graced us with her eloquent response. But the highlight of the evening was guest Stephen Davis agreeing to participate in table topics at his first Toastmasters meeting ever!

It was a pleasure hearing outstanding evaluations from Tammy Bailey, Brenda Daniels, and Bill Erwin. As Tammy pointed out, this was the first time (in her recollection) that the entire speaking portion of the meeting had presentations directed toward Toastmasters.

The prize of a bottle of Cajun-style WowWee dipping sauce, fresh from the Gulf Coast, was awarded to General Evaluator Jennifer Frank for bringing two guests to the meeting. She really knows how to spice things up! This fun-filled evening had the icing on top: two guests submitted their applications and checks to be immediately voted in as new Afterburners! Welcome to Gerald Pinke, a Speechcraft graduate, and Stephen Davis!

Submitted by Laura Stewart
President
Afterburners Toastmasters