So why cheese? Well, because as Kori our Toastmaster of the week stated as a matter of fact at the start of the meeting, “Who doesn’t like cheese?”

Sharing the joys of using AI as a source of inspiration, Kori had not only used ChatGPT to look up 20 cheeses, he had looked up 20 cheeses and their personalities.

The first one he introduced to us was the Stinking Bishop. Apparently not because it’s stinky, but because as it matures, it’s immersed cider made from Stinking Bishop pears. The things you learn at a Toastmasters meeting!

Jorge also demonstrated the power of AI, and specifically Yoodli when it comes to sharpening our speechwriting and presentation skills with a great balance of insight and humour. And I found it fascinating to see how many members were completely unaware of this tool which has been available to us for a year or two. Great reminder that we have lots of resources available to us via Toastmaster International.

AI and the use of tech continued to be upfront and centre throughout the meeting; not only was our General Evaluator online, but we also had a couple of fellow Toastmasters/guests Zooming in from overseas; one from Hungary, the other, from Dallas, Texas.

Kori gave them both an opportunity to introduce themselves to us after the break, and I enjoyed hearing what they thought of Boaters.

What made the biggest impact on me in this meeting was the benefit of members embracing technology. Yes, the art of speaking in the front of the room without slides or tech is indeed an art. But these days,  we really need to get with the all round presentation play if we want to remain relevant and take advantage of the possible reach and impact.

Having given an educational recently in the art of online meetings, our General Evaluator for the day, Sabine took us through a bunch of suggestions to help us lift our hybrid game.

But having written an extensive blog last week, I’m keeping it snappier this. So those recommendations will be coming at ya, courtesy of a standalone blog another day… watch this space.

Member blog – by Louise Landess

We received some education about the weather along with the pro and cons of swimming in the Lyttleton Harbour. Our two introducers Stephen McConnachie and David Clarkson were both on form with animated and comprehensive introductions.

Dee took the opportunity to continue her preparation for the up-coming international speech competition. Some engaging stories about stories, along with the question, can you change your story?

Sabine led an interactive session on the topic of evaluations, drawing on the combined experience of the Boaters team. A recording was made, so if you weren’t there you should have a chance to tap into the ideas also.

Our three evaluators, Max, David Cooper and Louise all did an awesome job. All with the pressure of everyone having just had a tutorial on evaluations.

Commendations to all those who were onboard and making it another successful Friday morning at Boaters.

Member blog by Roydon Gibbs

The ‘buzz’ was in the air at meeting #1078, as Toastmaster Jacqui led our ‘Demo Day ‘ with the theme ‘What’s Your Buzz’.

You just never know what topics and conversations will be covered off at Boaters on a Friday morning but it is always worth jumping online (or going to a live meeting) to get your fill of new conversations.

This week we began with Helen reading a poem by Winston Churchill who was talking about whiskey from polar opposite angles. It is a highly rich and descriptive piece on the good and bad side of whiskey, as only a politician could!

Winston Churchill on Whiskey

We had our Toastmaster Henry, who was full of interesting facts having his first time in the role. He slotted in a new segment called ‘Toastmaster’s Real Life’ and dished out topics for members to speak to – My Dream Home, a presentation speech and an explanation to a traffic officer for speeding were all in the mix.

Lots of table topics giving many the opportunity to speak to such topics as charities, sustainability, your best sunrise and life hacks. The most quirky was Cam talking about his favourite restaurant called AFG – Afghan Restaurant. He reeled in our interest, it sounded fun, crazy and unpredictable… perhaps it’s our venue for our next get-together?  It got us tapping on our keyboards to find out more, and that is where you discover there is a group called ‘Is AFG Open?’ with 4 700 members. It even has a flowchart to explain opening hours. There are “Is AFG Open?” t-shirts as well. There’s a good chance we will be trotting off to try it out after Cam’s rave review.

Our speech recommendations this week came from Roydon, who suggested we watch the ‘umms’ and ‘arghs’, don’t forget to look at the camera, get your camera angle right, repeat the topic, use description and enthusiasm to make an impact!

But the TOP recommendation this week could well be AFG – Afghan Restaurant. Who knew?!?

Spring is in the air with daffodils full, Christchurch’s parks and gardens proving that summer is on its way. Spring change was the theme at Boaters Friday morning via ZOOM. Toastmaster Steve did an excellent job at keeping us entertained with stories of Spring. Gerald spoke about Gamblers Guide to Negotiation, a very encouraging speech about how to ask for more when looking for new employment. Cam then reflected on his personal journey at toastmasters and what he has learnt, giving us all an insight into how Toastmasters has helped him grow in his personal and professional life.

I was first up to in Table topics with the question: “What do you think about people lining up for hours to get McDonald’s since we are now in Level 2? As usual, I was caught off guard, I gave my honest opinion and then tried to save myself from stalling by sharing my experience of trying to get takeaways on the first night. Was it worth it NO, but I do feel for those people working hard to feed everyone and having to do dinner dishes as well.

Bravo to all who attended our meeting last week including our visitors both online and in person. We were lucky enough to have a visitor join us over Zoom all the way from Japan. He was interested to see how we run toastmasters meetings in New Zealand. Hopefully, we have more international guests in the near future!

In the photo below you can see the direct video feed to our guest all the way in Japan and our members at home who couldn’t make it in.

One of our experienced members completed one of his level 3 projects which was a professional job interview style performance, showing everyone that these skills really do matter in the real world.

I admire the gusto of our members and their ability to give new things a go. Our meetings have a fluid nature and never fail to be insightful and well polished.  I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes: “there are no winners in war but everyone wins with communication.”

Steve Kennelly was our Toastmaster for the morning, exploring the meeting theme of the Winter Solstice. He presented different winter themed facts and got us looking forward to the longer days as we head towards summer!

Corinne Bataille started us off with a research speech on food systems that can savethe world. This was speech #1-4 of Presentation Mastery – Researching and Presenting an Unfamiliar Topic. A very well structured speech began with Corinne spending time outlining the topics she will cover throughout her speech before diving in, which allowed us to seamlessly follow her through. Corinne had clearly researched her topic well as there was little indication the topic was unfamiliar to her! She invited audience participation with regular questions and left us pondering ‘Why should we care about food systems?’ Overall, it was a well presented speech on a topic that was relevant to the entire audience.

Colin Hampson made a statement early by pushing his notes aside and settling into the stage. Colin oozed relaxation by composing himself well, making us aware of him taking a moment to compose himself, and by doing so, he made instant connections with us in the audience. Presenting his first speech, titled ‘Why Words Matter’, in the Effective Coaching pathway, Colin shared with us deep personal stories from his past that have positively shaped his personality to date.

A profoundly emotional speech that evoked perspective through grief allowed the audience to understand how Colin values life, reminding us throughout that the gift of life is the greatest gift of all; especially for those who no longer have that gift. While sharing his stories Colin always returned to his speech title on why words matter, reminding us to consider how the words we produce each day will impact on those around us. Overall, Colin’s fantastic ice breaker speech left us looking forward to his upcoming speeches.