A festive tone at Toastmasters meeting
Toastmaster members had a jolly good time
Christmas was the theme at the recent Florida Toastmasters meeting and members, visitors and guests had a jolly good time while being entertained with festive stories about traditional Christmas family gatherings and dreams about Santa’s visit.
Those present now also have an idea how to grow their own multivitamin and Moringa pharmacy in their own back yards.
Club President, Paul Muller opened the evening’s events with the tap of the gavel. He extended a hearty, warm welcome to all members, guests and visitors, before handing over to Toastmaster Dick Hallet.
Dick set the tone for the meeting with a Calvin Coolidge quote, “Christmas is not a time or a season, but a state of mind to cherish peace and goodwill, and to be plenteous in mercy is to have the real spirit of Christmas”.
The evening was started with the Education Session presented by Karen Gray. She explained to the audience how PowerPoint presentations can make any presentation more interesting. “By using graphs, cartoons, charts or other illustrations, you might be able to capture and hold the attention of a group of people. The flip chart is also a very handy tool as it provides colour, words and pictures. Most of us learn visually, auditory or kinaesthetically,” she said.
John Smith, one of the new members, delivered his first speech titled The Ice Breaker, using the opportunity to tell the audience more about himself – starting from his early childhood right through to where he is today.
Ndifhedzo Ganndini captivated the audience with his rendition of how to grow your own multivitamin and Moringa pharmacy in your own back yard. He explained, “The Moringa tree is known as the miracle or drumstick tree and was used as a medicinal plant in ancient times. It was known to heal and ease many diseases, ranging from various inflammations to parasitic diseases, diabetes and cancer.” He also gave a step-by step guide on how to make Moringa Oleifera tree leaf powder – an excellent energy drink. “It is a cure-all plant that grows easily from seeds or cuttings,” he said.
Caroline Clifford entertained the crowd with stories on how she and her family celebrate Christmas in the good old British tradition by visiting the theatre on Christmas Eve before going to Midnight Mass. “We always started Christmas morning with a breakfast of bacon, sausages and eggs – with Boney M playing in the background. The main Christmas meal was always eaten at lunch time, or early afternoon, with friends and family amidst all the Christmas wrapping on the floor.
There was never a shortage of mince pies, ginger bread cookies and a lot of chocolates!” she said.
Brad Cassell told everyone about his dream of Santa Claus’ visit coming true. He explained, “We went to spend Christmas day at Grandma, and just after we arrived, we heard a loud ‘Ho, Ho, HO!’ at the door.” Santa popped in to join them for a glass of champagne and orange juice. “We spent the day playing traditional party games and sharing the Christmas spirit with family and friends.” He concluded his speech by wishing everyone a Happy Christmas.
Toastmaster Dick concluded the evening’s proceedings with a Quiz-mastime quiz, with a lot of great questions about reindeers, elves, Santa’s favourite mince pies, brandy and the precise location of the North Pole.
Ndifhedzo was awarded the trophy for the Best Prepared Speech and Karen was awarded the trophy for Best Speech Evaluator.
For information about club meetings, contact Paul Muller (President) at paulthomasmuller@gmail.com or 082 929 7981. Alternately, contact Dawn Hemming (Public Relations Liaison Officer) at gaildawnh@gmail.com or 082 330 9215 / 063 736 0282.
For more details about club activities, visit their website at https://florida.tmclub.co.za.
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