With Thanksgiving on the horizon, Betsy, President of our Peace Speakers club, opened our meeting with a fact about Thanksgiving. She shared that seven other nations celebrate Thanksgiving as well, a time to be grateful for the harvest and to connect with family and friends. (My dose of gratitude and desire for connection is big this year, since I'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for 20 people!)
Because no member was giving a prepared speech at our meeting today, Perry, our Toastmaster, planned for us to watch two televised speeches that he witnessed live in August at the Toastmasters International Convention in Las Vegas. Noting that there was a common thread that ran through both speeches, Perry asked us to study the strategies employed by each speaker and decide which speech was most effective.
The First Televised Speech
Marin Toyama, whose speech was called "The Origin of Beauty," was the first speaker. She began with, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" The mirror replied with a resounding, "NOT YOU!!!" She looked at the audience and posed the question, "Who decides what is beautiful?" After being told at a young age she was really ugly, she tried to compensate by becoming the smartest, then the most athletic, and even by marrying a "hot Brazilian".
Marin asked us to ponder on who WE see when we look in the mirror. She alleged that each of us projects our thoughts and feelings onto others. Therefore, if WE think we're ugly, then we'll see others as ugly, too. By the same token, the beauty we see in others is in us as well.
Marin closed her speech urging us to stand before a mirror and recognize our own beauty. It starts with an open heart and kindness towards ourselves. What naturally follows is kindness and acceptance of others, which in turn fosters true happiness.
The Second Televised Speech
Teresa Nwachukwu began her speech, "Nickels and Dimes," with the message that what you see isn't necessarily what you get. She relayed the story of herself at age 5 and her brother at age 3. Their grandmother gave each of them coins, and seeing that her brother's coin was larger and shinier, she tried to snatch it from him.
When her brother complained loudly, Teresa's mother intervened. Her mom advised her that her coin, though smaller, actually had more value. She had mistakenly placed value on mere surface features.
As Teresa grew up, these learnings evolved. If size didn't denote value, then maybe appearances of people were deceptive as well. Conclusions made about others without looking within or beyond their masks often betray us. When Teresa let her guard down on an airplane, she formed an unlikely yet long-standing friendship with a woman after initially prejudging her appearance. She was reminded once again, "What you see is not always what you get!"
I found both of these 7-minute speeches to be compelling. The first one's message is one I have been cultivating for years, realizing that I must take some ownership for what I see in the world around me, no matter how disturbing it is. Witnessing what displeases me might just be an issue I need to address and heal within myself, if in fact, the world is a mirror for what's inside me.
In comparing the two speeches, the second one was delivered in a more expressive way. Her body movements were more involved and expressions had greater variance. Although her message was as important, it wasn't as novel or as challenging to accept as the first one. Both speeches, however, were well-crafted and entertaining. I loved how each speaker memorized her speech and shared it in a storytelling manner as she paced back and forth on the stage. (Ahhhhhhhhh, to be that self-confident and accomplished. That's why we're members of Toastmasters!)
We had time for extemporaneous sharing as well at our meeting, and Kim was our Table Topics Master for the day. She bagged some thoughtful questions that brought a moment of reflection before answering. Most of us who drew from her decorated bag were asked to choose one of the three given values and talk about why it was more important than the others. In 2 minutes or less (usually), members responded verbally. I chose "nature" primarily because of my fascination with critters, which had been fostered by my father early in my childhood. It is still one of the best ways to connect with my dad 80 years later.
Becki had a choice between formality and being casual. She admitted she preferrred jeans over dressing up because she likes a more natural look and seeks comfort. (What??!?!? You don't want to wear those 5-inch heels and have foot problems the rest of your life?)
Keith focused on the word "creativity" and shared that he should be more creative with his gifts. His co-worker has inspired him by creating items made from silhouettes of her nieces. (We'll be happy to get creative gifts this year, Keith!)
Perry chose the word "achievement" and admitted that he likes to accumulate information and skills in a variety of areas. I have a lot of interests but not Perry's ability to synthesize all of that information.
Rhonda was our Ah-Counter/Grammarian today. (No, she isn't scolding us for butchering the English language.) She just let us know that we inserted some "ums" and "ahs "as we shared with one another today. Being aware of the "space-fillers" we use is the first step in eliminating them!
On December 1st, the Presbyterian Center is hosting a Staff Development Day. Members of our Peace Speakers club will be conducting two Toastmasters meetings for newcomers to experience. One is at 10:30 and the other session is at 12:45. It's a great opportunity to share what Peace Speakers do at their meetings and encourage others to join us.
Learning how to communicate effectively and developing leadership skills is valuable in any workplace or setting. Peace Speakers meet the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month, with the exception of next month, when we will only gather on December 7th. That particular meeting will be hosted by our Area Govenor, Jason Rehkamp. Anyone is welcome, however, if you want to attend a regular meeting, they will commence on January 3rd and the January 17th, 2012.
Our Peace Speakers meetings are open to anyone! Join us any 1st or 3rd Wednesday from 1:00 - 2:00 PM downtown Louisville at the Presbyterian Center, 100 Witherspoon. It's never to late to improve yourself!
Respectfully submitted by Kay Chambers, VP of Public Relations
No comments:
Post a Comment