Meetings
Meetings are held each Thursday night from 6:45pm-8:00pm at Ozona Grill and Bar (map), 4615 Greenville Ave, Dallas. We recommend arriving by 6:30pm to allow extra time to park and order food and drinks, so that the meeting can start on time. Each meeting is divided into three sections:
- Prepared Speeches
During this section, members present the speeches that they have prepared in advance. Usually 2-3 members will give a prepared speech at each meeting.
- Table Topics
This is the "impromptu", or unprepared speaking portion of each meeting. The leader has prepared a list of questions in advance, and will ask each member to respond to one of the questions (as many as time allows), giving as many people as possible an opportunity to speak at each meeting.
- Evaluations
During the evaluation section of the meeting, each of the prepared speakers receives oral and written feedback on their presentation skills that night (both what they did well and 1-2 areas for improvement). The speech evaluators then receive oral feedback on how well they presented their observations, and the meeting preparation and flow are evaluated.
Following the three sections of the formal educational meeting, we usually have a short business meeting plus announcements. Afterwards, many of the group will stay for "Post-Toasties", where people get together for conversation, drinks, and snacks.