Elk Co. Toastmasters conduct monthly virtual meeting

The Elk County Toastmasters held their monthly meeting on April 4, 2024, via Zoom.

The local club holds monthly, hybrid meetings throughout the year that are open to anyone interested in participating in a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater selfconfidence and personal growth.

April’s meeting was attended by several members of the club as well as one guest: John Tate. Joining the call all the way from sunny, balmy Florida, John Tate’s attendance turned April’s meeting into a family affair – John is the son of James Tate, a current member of the Elk County Toastmasters. The Elk County Toastmasters:

Connecting Friends and Family Since 1992.

James Tate kicked off the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and a joke, then turned it over to Cory Straub. With some members unavailable, Cory wore many hats during April’s meeting: acting presiding officer, Toastmaster, Timer, and General Evaluator. He welcomed everyone to the meeting and suggested that the evening serve as a (re)introduction to Toastmasters. Cory stated, “Toastmasters is a self-taught, learn as you go, public speaking and communication club” and emphasized that Toastmasters can help members develop new skills to succeed in their personal and professional lives.

To aid in the development of those skills, members are encouraged to take on different roles at each meeting. For April’s meeting,

James Tate served as the Grammarian, offering “balmy,” an adjective meaning soft heat, as the Word of the Day. Attendees were challenged to utilize the Word of the Day throughout the meeting. The evening’s two speakers, Tanya Likhatchev and Joann Stockman, both incorporated the word into their prepared speeches in an impressive display of impromptu prowess.

Tanya presented her speech “Save Our Home,” a call to action in fighting plastic pollution on our planet. She asked audience members to consider ways that they could Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle potential waste. She shared that she utilizes a composter for food waste and promised to offer more tips in part two of her speech at a future meeting.

Joann Stockman took to the screen next with her speech “Count Your Blessings.” Her speech made excellent use of an analogy comparing three items (carrots, eggs, and coffee) introduced to boiling water and their subsequent reactions. The carrots become soft and lifeless while the eggs allow their soft insides to harden. The coffee takes on the water and flourishes. Joann brought this analogy to life by comparing the boiling water to real-life adversity and asking the audience to think about their own reactions to adversity. She concluded by encouraging attendees to strive to become like the coffee – accept adversity and continue on by counting one’s blessings instead of hardships.

Joann’s theme of embracing positivity was carried into Table Topics. When asked to articulate the simplest sentiment she holds as a universal truth, Joann gave a thoughtful response about the importance of seizing the day and looking out for the positives in each moment. Other attendees offered similarly great responses to Table Topics questions: Cory shared that the hardest lesson he had to learn in life was to always keep his word; and Tanya spoke happily about the joys of making and sharing crêpes with her granddaughter.

With the conclusion of Table Topics, the meeting moved forward into evaluations and reports. James Tate reported that the Word of the Day was used several times by all of those in attendance. Joann Stockman served as Quiz Master and asked members questions about different parts of the meeting to test their active listening skills. One member successfully answered their given question and will serve as Quiz Master at May’s meeting – attend the meeting as a guest to find out who!

Curious community members and interested guests are invited to start their own Toastmasters journey by joining the Elk County Toastmasters for their next meeting on May 2, 2024 at 6:30pm via Zoom. In-person attendance at the Saint Boniface Social Hall in Kersey is also welcome – to confirm inperson attendance or to request a Zoom link, please contact Cory Straub at corydeb@ windstream.net.