Honeydew Toastmasters close off the year
Despite being held online, members brought the jolly and magic of the festive season.
The Honeydew Toastmasters Club got together for their final meeting of the year on December 13. The meeting had to be moved virtually at the last hour due to their rising Covid cases, however, that did not stop members from getting into the festive spirit and clinking the year that was.
In her speech titled, ‘Houston we have a problem’, Maralize Mulder spoke about the importance of having a proper public relations strategy in place.
“You need to have a great relationship with internal and external stakeholders. In the event of a tragedy, what information will be given? When will the media be informed? When will an incident report be issued? The staff must also be briefed. What not to do in a crisis; don’t lie. Don’t be bullied into giving information when you do not have any to give. It is important to have a PR strategy for various scenarios.”
The third and final prepared speech of the evening came from Alliah Halifa. Titled ‘Princess Perfect and Cute’, Halifa shared how even the best planned-out paths can still derail.
“I will talk about the year I decided to be courageous and do my honours degree. February hit and I was ready. I am a planner, I love organising and knowing what is going to happen but change happens despite our best plans,” she began. “April rolled around and I wasn’t feeling very well and I found out I was pregnant. This was not what I planned for or needed. When we make plans know that God has already made his.
“I had to ask myself ‘do I continue with my studies?’ Our baby came a month later. I had begun planning for my January delivery but my baby had other plans, throwing mine out the window. We named her Ashaliah which means, princess, perfect and cute. If there is anything I learned is that surprises will always come your way, no matter how much you plan.”
The speeches tied in with the theme for the evening ‘The magic force’. Vice President of Education, Tebogo Mailula said the magic force was an ode to closing the year off with a bang as well as spreading magic at the end of the year.
Secretary Musa Mnguni added, “It has been a hard year. We all came together to learn how to be good speakers and good listeners. We have been able to soldier on and see this day.” Lastly, no party is complete without music even if everyone attending had to turn their homes into the dance floor.
