Poetic wedding invitations and the Zodiac

Spinnaker Toastmasters enjoyed an inspirational and entertaining meeting on Tuesday 4 April with our workshop participants giving their 3 minute icebreakers and 5 minute topic speeches.

Firstly, Table Topics Master Darrell challenged speakers with the theme “Quote or Question”. Everyone chose to speak about the quote and there were some masterful opinions given.

Fenli spoke about the ancient Chinese custom of using the “Zodiac” to learn when someone was born and whether their zodiac sign was a good omen for a potential marriage. Evaluator Katina loved the visual aid (pictured below) which Fenli used to describe the zodiac signs.

Juan gave an emotional speech recounting part of a book she had read called “The art of deliberate success”. Evaluator Katina reported that we all got the message, and Juan was very inspiring in her thoughts.

Dieter told us about how he was a victim of “Involuntary Philanthropy”, and evaluator Megan thought his title was intriguing, he was relaxed on stage and she loved his use of humour.

Simon told us about “A birthday to remember”, and said the hardest step in a process is to “put up your hand”. Evaluator Kathy said she couldn’t see any sign of nerves and loved Simon’s use of the words “totally transformative”.

Sarah gave us an entertaining story of her wedding day, and read out her poetic wedding invitation from 20 years ago. Sarah actually dressed in a wedding outfit just to top off her visual appearance, and evaluator Angela thought that dressing up for the speech and her clever use of the theme “red” has the audience captivated.

Monika told us about the history of “Montessori”, her own experiences in an educational setting, and the advantages and disadvantages of this method of education. Evaluator Ron thought Monika had researched her speech well.

Gary gave us an educational on the next speech the Workshop Participants will be working on – how to define the purpose of your speech, and he said to think of the speech like a jigsaw, with lots of pieces that need to fall into place to complete the picture.

If you are interested in being part of Toastmasters and presenting your ideas in a clear and concise manner, then contact us on email spinnaker@toastmasters.org.nz to find out more. We’d love to welcome you and help you achieve your goals.