I am volunteering this meeting’s blog/aftermath/rundown. This was the first meeting with our new officers, and new President J.R. Casillas!!! (Cut to that cool intro video logo thing you always see at the movies, after the trailers, just before the film opens……)

We have a rebel comic – a comedian as our President! How cool! (Do we need a Jokemaster anymore? We have a Second City-trained comedian starting our “Shows!” So let’s replace the Jokemaster role with um, second treatmaster?)

We had Chuck Hamman , new member, as Toastmaster. He did a number of things I think should be done regularly (but who am I, just a fill-in commentator – but I feel they are good to do and I’m writin’ this…).

He asked the guests what they thought of the meeting at end – simple, just not done before to my knowledge. It connects them to the group more – and we need guests to become members.

**(Does anyone call guests who signed up in the guest book? If VP Membership Chuck Romero needs a hand in that, let me know (Dana). We had literally hundreds of guests in the last two years who never became members).

Chuck read the objectives of the speech before the speech was delivered. Simple again, but it’s not been usually done and it helps me, to listen to them out loud before the speech is delivered. Great job as Toastmaster, Chuck - poised, professional, weeeell done all around.

Chris Motal as VP Education, held up a spreadsheet and said he’d like to track who does what when, rolewise/speechwise. I’d like to see that too. Just pin it up on the wall at each meeting. Yes, I’m a curious sort…. And who is on what speech – (can we see that too??). Not a contest, just a conversation piece. It took me 4 years to become CTM/CC. It’s not a race, it’s something about seeing that you’re on speech #6, for all in the meeting to see – maybe even comment on…

Chris also said he’d like to know from each member what are their goals? (How exactly, Chris??) I told you mine, now what do we do with it? ;-}

Anyway, I like the idea. Yep, more accountability. A bit more healthy nudging from our peers. Reminders of what we want to get out from our TM memberships/attendance.

I like that Chris took out the web version sign up sheet and literally asked almost each person if they’d like to take a role/which one, for next meeting, then wrote them in on the spot. Very proactively getting the ball rolling (AND he made a speech, AND he was the treatmaster and brought sandwiches). Wheeew. Chris’ speech was about Attitudes – the positive and the negative, and how each thought and behavior is a choice to take your mind one way or the other. His 3^rd speech.

Is this a book ??? Other roles. Meg Mattsson, long time member, woo hoo!!, evaluated Chris’ speech, and Heidi, who by the way is VP of Public Relations lending her energy to this role again! - round of applause - evaluated the meeting. Timer was Molly Joyce. Thank you. Ah/Um counter was Chuck Romero. Thank you. Videotape Operator was Adrian Pyk. Thank you. We need people to learn to film using the cool DVR with the cute mini-CD’s, and Adrian has written the instructions. Wordmaster was Dana Shapiro (this here commentator), with the word “KAIZEN” - verb – Japanese term, “To constantly improve.” (I failed to put the word on paper-sloppy, my apologies). I have to kaizen this role.