Hey Toastmasters,

Once again we had a great meeting Thursday night (March 15) with Char Bennington as the Toastmaster of the evening. Char reminded all of us that to make each and every meeting a grand slam, teamwork is a must: the behind the scenes, the evaluators, the speakers, and even the Treatmaster.

Our word of the day, courtesy of George “Webster” Alexandrov, was (drum roll, please…) Reticent: inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech. And we also got a few chuckles from Adrian Pyk’s joke, mostly from the men, though.

We had a wonderful and pleasantly lengthy Table Topics discussion, with John McCarthy as the leader of six, that’s right, six, thought-provoking questions regarding politics, lessons of life, and favorite tourist spots of Chicago. Six members practiced and showed some great improvisational skills.

The two prepared speeches of the evening represented the beginning and end of the CTM journey for two of our members. Eric Bingen gave his Ice Breaker speech entitled, “Do You Trust Your Intuition?” Eric spoke about intuition and how useful it has served him in the past. Congratulations on a first speech well spoken, Eric! Dana Shapiro completed her tenth and final speech of the CTM manual entitled, “’You Only Live Once’—Are You Sure?” In her stimulating speech, Dana raised interesting points about reincarnation and various theories about life after death. We’re all interested in hearing more speeches from Dana in her life after the CTM manual. Congratulations on this achievement, Dana.

Overall, the meeting was well attended with both veteran and new members bringing various strengths and skills to the meeting.

Remember, our next meeting will be April 5, in lieu of the March 29 meeting. Everyone is encouraged to attend the Area Contest in which are very own Chuck Romero and Todd Ledden will be competing (clap, clap, clap, whistle). Chuck will be competing in the Table Topics Contest while Todd will be participating in the International Speech Contest. Let’s all bring our enthusiasm and support for Chuck and Todd to the Harris Bank, 111 West Monroe, Chicago, IL, on Wednesday, March 28 from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Regarding our next meeting, we will be hosting the Division Contest on Thursday, April 5. Mark your calendars for the opportunity to see some excellent speeches!

And finally, our Treasurer, Adrian Pyk, is on dues patrol. If you haven’t paid, make sure to mail/give Adrian your $41. The $41 covers Toastmasters membership from April 1, 2007, through September 30, 2007. Checks should be made payable to "Toastmasters of Lincoln Park," and can be given to Adrian in person at any upcoming meeting or mailed. Check the member directory for his mailing address.

Have a great weekend—and St. Patrick’s Day!

Heidi
VP or PR