Let’s Reminisce!

That was the theme for our 21 February 2023 meeting – “Looking Back”, chaired by Dave.

Table Topics Master Darrell picked up on the theme by pulling out an old table topics list used previously, and challenged all the speakers to state whether they were for or against the topic, then argue the opposite. And challenging it was indeed! Evaluator Dale thought that the arguments used were pretty much the same as before, leading everyone to reminesce about what they had said.

Speaker 1 was Dirk talking about “The current state of AI chatbots”. He said that ChatGPT can mimic human-like conversations, answer queries, provide explanations and guidance, translate languages and generate content. But there were some concerns as well in that it could reflect societal biases, students could cheat in exams, and the chatbot could become very defensive since it gets its data from the internet. Evaluator Jacqui thought Dirk’s opening “I love technology” was simple and clear, but he needed to eliminate his “so yeah” filler words.

Speech 2 was by Jacqui called “Save the Day”. In this speech Jacqui had kept a diary for two weeks on her moods and emotions, and she related and reminisced about her experiences and feelings during that time. Evaluator Paul thought Jacqui had delivered the speech “like a boss”, it was colourful and interesting.

Speaker 3 was Ron who was finishing his Team Collaboration Pathway, and also reminiscing on all the projects and topics he had completed. Evaluator Kathy liked Ron’s opening “Come on board with me while I reflect on my journey”. She liked Ron’s humour but asked for more drama and tension in his speaking to add some dynamism.

Best speaker: Ron
Best evaluator: Kathy

If you like the idea of giving speeches and hearing feedback on how you did, come and join us at Spinnaker Toastmasters every second Tuesday at 7.30 pm. You’ll be amazed at what people talk about and learn so much about their lives, their work and their families.

We’re always available to chat about what it’s like and how much you’ll enjoy yourselves. So contact us or come to our next meeting on Tuesday 7 March. Better still, join our 4-session Introduction to Public Speaking Workshops to have a go yourself.