Galway Toastmasters Meeting 18th February 2015
There are few better ways to spend a Wednesday evening than in the company of people with interesting things to say and the ability to do so.
Our meeting started promptly at 8:30 with a welcome from our President, Margaret, to the members, guests and our Area Governor Ann. Due to the full agenda she handed over to the meeting’s Toastmaster Pat. He presented the officers for the evening including Donal, as Grammarian, who introduced the word “Aplomb” to the meeting. Pat then passed control of the meeting to Ellen our Topicsmaster.
Her wide-ranging and interesting Topics session covered the Six Nations, mindfulness, Donegal Tuesday, forgetting your wife’s birthday and 50 Shades of Gray which, apparently, is unrelated to fashion.
The prepared speeches commenced with a wonderful icebreaker by Ivica who told us about his love for Galway, having moved here from Germany. It was a great start to his Toastmaster speeches.
Astrid followed with a stage three Competent Communicator speech entitled “Welcome to Lisbon”. We experienced the sights and attractions of the city including the liquer of choice in Lisbon, known as Ginjinha, together with wonderful ice cream. We also learned about the delights of Sintra, a town close to Lisbon with its beautiful Pena Palace. Astrid used props to highlight her speech which gave us a view and taste of Lisbon.
Jenny’s stage 8 Competent Communicator speech brought us through dealing with strains and sprains. She introduced the RICE approach after advising us to refer any suspected breaks to a doctor. Using a Powerpoint presentation she revealed the steps of Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation which should aid a proper recovery.
Margaret gave a highly entertaining and informative advanced speech on Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats. Using visual props she described the white, red, yellow, green, black and blue hats and their characteristics. She also engaged the audience in a mini drama which entertained and highlighted the points made.
Our final speech from Gary was an educational and timely one on evaluations. This is the feedback we receive on a speech and it is highly important it be done well. Gary emphasised that evaluations should be based on "The Three Fs" – Be firm, fair and friendly. Recommendations are to help the speaker advance and no one should feel harshly treated.
After the break, the evaluations by Joseph, Frank, Frances and Cathryn followed Gary’s advice. They were firm, fair and friendly emphasising the highlights of each speech and making recommendations for future speeches.
After the evaluations the officers for the night reported back and we heard from Pat C, who was our General Evaluator, on how the meeting itself was run. Our Toastmaster Pat O’D brought his first stint in the role to an end with aplomb. He handed back to Margaret who thanked us for attending and introduced our Area Governor to say a few words. She also presented an award to Frank for his work as Area Governor last year.
The room, agenda and the fun were all packed tonight and I cannot wait to do it all again on 4th March.
Visit galway.toastmastersclubs.org for more information
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