The Importance of Voice

 Kathy extended a warm welcome, kicking off the first meeting of 2024 on Wednesday, January 10th. She graciously greeted the new attendees and those embarking on fresh goals for the year. Mark assumed the role of Toastmaster for the evening, feeling more confident in his second attempt at this responsibility.

Connie, acting as the Grammarian, introduced the word of the day: "recombobulate," the inverse of "discombobulate." It was defined as pulling oneself together, causing clear thinking, reorienting, and restoring to working order.

Avril, fulfilling the role of Topics Master, presented thought-provoking and stirring questions. The first topics addressed the issue of homeless children in Ireland, emphasizing the need to protect them from drug and alcohol abuse. The ensuing discussion delved into the seriousness of the topic, the differentiation between a home and accommodation, and challenges in the current housing climate. Avril's second topic addressed incidents of setting fire to asylum centers. Responses emphasized the importance of open-mindedness, viewing each other as human beings, and recognizing that fear stems from a lack of information.

Mark delivered the first speech of the evening titled "First Impression the Importance of Voice," for level 3 on the presentation mastery pathway. Mark focused on the uniqueness of one's voice, and the impact of tone, pitch, and pacing. He enlightened the audience about the three components of communication: verbal (7% content), vocal (38% tone pacing) and visual nonverbal (55%). This speech lasted 9 minutes 37 seconds and was evaluated by Brian who awarded it full marks.

Kathy, in her level 2 speech on the Effective Coaching pathway, titled "That's What I Said: Discovering Your Communication Style," explored the four communication styles using the acronym SAID—Supportive, Analytical, Initiating, and Direct. She likened each style to trying on different jackets and gave a demonstration of each style.  Descriptions of the communication styles were as follows: Supportive - engaging in active listening,  Analytical - factual, numerical, data-driven, Initiating – emotive, socially outgoing, excited, Direct - motivational and connected with every individual in the present. Kathy concluded that a diverse range of communication styles, akin to a full wardrobe, is essential. This speech was evaluated by Warren and he awarded it full marks and it had duration of 6 minutes 5 seconds.

In the latter part of the evening, Mona fulfilled eh role of general evaluator. The AHH counter reported 30 filler words, and the Grammarian noted 7 uses of the word "recombobulate" throughout the evening. The meeting concluded with a creative corner game using everyone's names.

Overall, the meeting was insightful and engaging, with valuable discussions and impressive speeches, leaving a lasting impression on the group