The Great Escape!

Report from Galway Toastmasters meeting 19th April 2017.  

My name is Paul and I was Toastmaster for the night. It was my first time performing the role in a couple of years. I thoroughly enjoyed the night. I have also been away from the club for a year, and it was a pleasure to see new faces and familiar faces. Attendance at the meeting was slighly lower than usual as the Easter holidays are on and many members are away during this time.

The word of the night, given by Doireann, was Segue (to transition smoothly).  It was a popular choice for the night. We segue a lot in a Toastmasters meeting. As Toastmaster, it would have be remit of me not to have used it every opportunity I got. I used it seven times at final count!

Margaret was our Topicsmaster. She gave each speaker a challenge and asked how they would go about doing it. The challenges varied from climbing Everest, to creating a work of art, to sailing across the Atlantic. 

We had three speeches. The first two were Projects 2 and 3 from the Competent Communicator manual and the third was from the Speciality Speeches manual.

Dara gave us a comprehensive insight on “The Rules of Work”, a guide to an effecient life in the work force.

Tim inspired us with his insight in how to overcome obstacles in life, including using a story of a donkey trapped down a well.

Ellen entertained us with an award presentation speech, telling us the evocative story of a young man who swan the English channel to raise money for a cancer charity.

Pat was our General Evaluator and he praised the good work of all three of his evaluators. Our timekeeper was Jenny.  Sarah provided us with her Ah-counter report and then with her contribution for creative corner. She read ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou. 

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 3rd May at 8.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there.