Club Ambassador's Torch

by Susan Shulz, ACS

Table Topics Torch

Werner Schulz joined Toastmasters in August of 2011, one month before his 83rd Birthday. He accompanied his wife Susan to Toastmasters meetings for over 16 years in NY and Florida. One evening while visiting the Advanced Toastmasters Club in Brevard County, he was asked to participate in table topics. DTM Pim Love asked Werner “Why haven't you ever joined Toastmasters?”. Werner's response indicated that no one ever asked him to join. Pim quickly provided him an application for membership before the end of that evenings meeting.

As Werner was not eligible to join the Advanced Communicators Club, Susan promptly signed him up to join Toast-Stars club 9269 when she began the new Membership year as VPM.

Werner continued to visit clubs in Division B and qualified as a Club Ambassador within weeks of becoming a Toastmaster.

Werner enjoys using his creativity for table topics. When visiting the Advanced Communicator club with his wife Susan the immediate past president, Werner volunteered to be the Table Topic master for the July meeting. Werner chose to capitalize on the Olympics theme, so he created an Olympic Torch using paper “flames” for the table topics participants to select their table topic. The first speaker Pim Love was asked to carry the torch in Melbourne, Florida and tell about the frog jumping contest at the Olympics.

Pim's response included reflections of a Toastmasters Club in Fellsmere, recalling the Frogs Leg Festival held each year in that town. Lot's of laughter followed as Pim continued her response. The next participant was a guest, who had never been to a Toastmasters meeting before. His topic was to share his thoughts about the Olympic event of turtle races. The guest provided lessons learned from the fable of the tortoise and the hare, that slow and steady wins the race. The guest did a superb job with table topics and was invited to visit several other local Toastmasters Clubs Division B to select a club to join.

Werner also treated his home club of Toast-Stars with a round of table topics using the Olympics Torch the following week including topics of Elephant duet figure skating competitions and Kangaroo tennis matches. These topics offered the participants an opportunity for some creative and humorous responses. Werner reminded everyone that Table Topics can be a wonderful way to exercise your quick thinking and creative imagination and have fun!