New year, new set of skills
Take on a new challenge and improve your speaking skills this year.
With the new year comes new resolutions, setting new goals and at the Florida Toastmasters Club, testing your voice at new speeches.
At their recent meeting the Toastmasters hit the ground running.
“If you want to influence, persuade or inspire your team, clients or a roomful of colleagues, you need to become a skilled speaker,” club spokesperson Dawn Hemming said.
“It’s necessary to think on your feet and deliver a compelling message at any given moment in the corporate world.”
She said Toastmasters gives residents the opportunity to learn how to deliver presentations, lead meetings and communicate the company vision with ease and confidence, speaking in a compelling manner that arrests attention and inspires people to follow one’s lead.
Toastmaster Paul Muller presented the toast to Toastmasters while Craig Ellis proposed the toast of the evening, to a prosperous 2016. This was following with an excellent education session on quality management, presented by Tim Knights, in terms of maintaining a club-like organisation.
Lawrence Makeleni delivered the first prepared speech of the evening on change in the new year, highlighting that popular resolutions these days revolve around health. Quitting smoking, drinking less and losing a smart phone addiction is on top of mind for many in the beginning of the year, but come February, most of these resolves have been discontinued. He advised listeners to scrap the resolutions and resign to live another year with a tarnished halo, or to be brave and change attitudes and goals to achieve real results.
Michael Glencross spoke next on cooperation and competition, which raised listeners’ curiosity levels. He argued if both parties cooperate, both stand to gain rather than lose from the experience. He utilised an analogy revolving around two prisoners who sit isolated, each accused of a different crime, highlighting the factors that can determine whether two people cooperate or compete. Typically, these prisoners would compete; given their different personalities they can however choose to either compete, cooperate or follow the other’s lead. Glencross concluded cooperation and competition are important forces in today’s world.
Elize Ellis led the table topics session with the theme, “What would you do with a million dollars?”
Margreet Ludewig, Caroline Clifford, Lindley-Anne McKenzie and Bronwyn Urquhart each gave different answers, but all agreed they’d share the wealth with either their families, an organisation or a community.
Make it your resolve to improve your speaking skills this year and join the Florida Toastmasters. They meet on every first and third Tuesday of the month, with the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday 2 February. Meetings start at 7.15pm and are held in the Huguenot Restaurant at Flora Centre, Ontdekkers Road. For more informationcontact Tebogo Legodi on 072 130 4849 or via email at tebogo19@gmail.com
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