**11 April 2001**

# ![](media/image1.png) The Edge ![](media/image2.png)

**BNL Toastmasters, Club 8069, District 46**

**Meetings are held the 1^st^ and 3^rd^ Tuesday at 5:30 PM and the 4^th^
Tuesday at 12:05**

**Biology Building 463, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY
11973**

<http://www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/toastmstrs/default.htm>

## [Upcoming Events]{.underline}

Tues., April 17 Club Meeting, 5:30 Theme: Birds Room 160, Bldg 463

Tues., April 24 Club Meeting, 12:00 Theme: A Stitch in Time Room 160,
Bldg 463

### Officers

### 2000-2001 

**President:**

Ronnie Evans

**VP Education:**

Nancy Manning

**VP Membership:**

Frank MacKay

**VP Public Relations:**

Nand Narain

**Secretary:**

Amy Halsted

**Treasurer:**

Claire Heil

**Sergeant at Arms:**

Beth Lin

**Newsletter Editors:**

Amy Halsted

### Beth Lin

Nancy Manning

### 

### The mission of a Toastmasters Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

**April 3 Meeting**

The theme of our merry April 3 meeting was jokes. Amy was TMOD of the
long but happy meeting. Kim was Wordmaster, and she gave us
\"countermand.\" Nancy did Table Topics. She had a number of jokes and
funny sayings ready for members to use in their responses. Table topics
were followed by a five minute break.

In the speech portion of the meeting, Kim went first with \"NYC Trip
Experience.\" In the absence of the interpreter, Beth read Kim\'s speech
aloud while Kim signed it. Kim said that the diversity of the city is
one of the things she likes best about New York. She described a variety
of museums that she had visited, including the museum of television,
which had a variety of exhibits using televisions as a medium and also a
library of television programs on videotape. Kim\'s lively, expressive,
and enthusiastic delivery and Beth\'s narration were a winning
combination.

Pat spoke next with \"Courage,\" a project from an advanced manual. We
heard about Pat\'s encounter with a distinguished former prisoner of
war, who had occupied the infamous Vietnamese prison known as the
\"Hanoi Hilton.\" Despite interdictions against communication between
prisoners, and harsh punishment for infractions, the group of prisoners
managed to organize themselves and communicate secretly. Pat ended with
something that his distinguished friend, a former aviator, had told him.
When there\'s an emergency in a plane and the pilot is ejected, the only
person who matters to him at that moment is his parachute packer. Pat
advised us to consider who our parachute packer is, and to treat that
person with the respect and love that he or she deserves.

Nand followed with \"Dial 'H\' for Hands Free,\" a project from the
Speeches by Management manual. His assignment was to present a
controversial or unpopular idea and deal with confrontational questions
from his audience. He described the measure taken in Suffolk County to
make it illegal to talk on a handheld cell phone while driving. Several
members obligingly gave him a hard time about the effectiveness and
intent of the law, but Nand managed to keep control of the unruly crowd.

Finally, Beth presented an Icebreaker speech, entitled \"My SWOT
Analysis.\" A SWOT analysis, as Beth reminded us, is an examination of
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Beth listed her
strengths as her reliability, maturity and optimism. She clearly knows
an opportunity when she sees one, as shown by the many projects she has
undertaken to further her education and develop herself. Her life has
had many chapters and it just keeps getting better. The threat she saw
was the limited amount of time available to do all the things she\'d
like to do.

Pat was general evaluator, and he said a few words about how the meeting
had gone. Cathy was quizmaster and she had good questions for us. Next,
Pat called the evaluators to the podium. Ronnie evaluated for Kim,
Margaret Conover for Pat, Margaret Foster for Nand and Cathy for Beth.
Winning the prize for filling the most roles at the meeting, Cathy was
also AH Counter and made her report. Pat returned the podium to Amy.
Nancy reported that Amy had won for best table topics. A number of
members had worked \"countermand\" into their contributions. At last,
Ronnie closed the marathon meeting, which lasted two and a half hours.

# ***The Edge, Page 2 April 10, 2001***

BNL Toastmasters Regular Meeting Schedule

  ------------------ ------------------ ---------------- -----------------
  **Date**           **April 17**       **April 24       **May 1**
                                        NOON**           

  **Theme**          Birds              A Stitch in Time Dance Around the
                                                         Maypole

  **TMOD**           Pat                                 Kim

  **Joke**           Margaret C.        Pat              

  **Word**                                               

  **Timer**          Kim                                 

  **Ah counter**                                         

  **Grammarian**                                         

  **Table Topics**                                       

  **Speech #1**      Margaret C.        Pat              Kim

  **#2**             Kim                                 

  **#3**             Amy                                 

  **#4**             Nancy                               

  **#5**             Nand                                

  **#6**                                                 

  **General Eval.**  Nand               Amy              

  **Evaluator #1**   Kim                                 

  **#2**                                                 

  **#3**                                                 

  **#4**                                                 

  **#5**                                                 

  **#6**                                                 

  **Quiz Master**                                        

  **Absent**                                             
  ------------------ ------------------ ---------------- -----------------

![](media/image3.wmf)

**BNL Toastmasters Club Web site:**

[www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/toastmstrs/default.htm](http://www.bnl.gov/bera/activities/toastmstrs/default.htm)

**Mark your calendars:**

**April 17 Club Meeting.** By popular request, this will be a
\"tongue-in-cheek\" meeting. Please be prepared with your favorite puns,
double entendres, and paronomasias. Also, we\'ll be doing Table topics
slightly differently than usual. Each brief table topic speech will be
delivered from the podium. Finally, Kim is going to cook for us!

**Our Charter Celebration is Coming!** May 15 will be our Charter
Celebration. Join us as we celebrate our 10^th^ Anniversary with special
guests, an outstanding program, and light refreshments.

**Division F Speech Contest.** Tuesday, April 24, Northport VA Medical
Center Auditorium (Bldg. 5) - Park in parking lot \"B\".

**District 46 Toastmasters Spring Conference.** Saturday May 19 - Sunday
May 20. Woodbridge Hilton, Iselin, NJ.

Members\' Progress Report

  --------------------- ------------------ ------------------------------
  **Member**            **Speeches         **Achievements**
                        completed**        

  Pat A.                4                  CTM

  Susan C.              5                  

  Margaret C.           3                  

  Ronnie E.             1                  ATM-G + 5 CTMs

  John F.               1                  CTM

  Margaret F.                              DTM

  Mary G.                                  

  Amy H.                9                  

  Claire H.             5                  

  Beth L.               2                  ATM-G + 5 CTMs

  Patty L.              5                  

  Frank M.              10                 ATM-B

  Nancy M.              3                  CL, ATM-B

  Nand N.               4                  ATM-S

  Kimberly P.           7                  

  Luis R.               1                  

  Betsy S.              5                  

  Cathy S.              2                  

  Eric S.               5                  
  --------------------- ------------------ ------------------------------