Topics of mystery and imagination!

Impromptu speaking - we all do it and quite often,  we dread it. All interpersonal communications require the ability to think quickly and with flexibility, to be able to read the situation and respond accordingly. It can be complicated!

Toastmasters can help. Our Table Topics Session puts Members on the spot in a non threatening way. And! It can be hugely entertaining. At the last Speakeasy Meeting,  the Topicsmaster, Claire O'Connell treated her audience to a highly imaginative and quirky selection of challenges that brought out  the best in every response.

We cringed when we recalled "chat-up lines" we may have used. Yes, there is a plethora of corny conversations from meet up situations.  But nothing beats the story of the member (who will remain nameless) who complimented a woman for "looking radiant in white" and then, completely by accident,  tumbled a full pint of Murphy's stout over her!

We learned of members' pet peeves regarding Hotels,  especially Gyms that contravene such descriptions - gyms that are installed for Star Rating purposes that lack the basic essentials of a gym.

Imagine that you could be a household appliance? Which one? The response was a C⁰lothes Iron, steaming clothes and pressing them to perfection while blowing hot air, just like the speaker.

We had an ode to the importance of trees to our existence and a guide to matching and mismatching various colours while dressing for that night out but, most interesting of all, would you marry your arch enemy for a Billion? There was a time when we spoke about Millions but inflation has changed all that. One member spoke about a certain marriage arrangement in rural Ireland  - "40 acres and Madge thrown in". But, one response summed it up in practical terms, when marrying for a Billion,  make sure to have a good pre-nuptial. It was a modern day take on the infamous Zsa Zsa Gabor line - "I'm a great housekeeper,  when I divorce, I keep the house".

The next Speakeasy Meeting takes place on this Thursday night, 15th October in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.45pm.  As always,  guests are welcome to attend our Meetings and are never obliged to speak unless they wish to do so. For more information about this Club,  please check out our website speakeasytoastmasters.com or on Facebook. 

The Drunken Toastmaster and other stories

We are all familiar with the Drunken Sailor and his travails. At  the last Speakeasy Meeting,  we were treated to the tale of The Drunken Toastmaster from the pen of Helsa Giles. And thankfully, the speaking skills he had acquired in Toastmasters helped him navigate his speaking assignment unscathed.

Paul Corcoran 

Steven Day presented his Icebreaker Speech  - "The Scenic Route". Among his many interests is a fascination with dancing, especially the Argentinian Tango. In Toastmasters, we are given the opportunity to appreciate so many different ideas and hobbies that nembers share, some quite mundane and some like Steven's - quite fascinating. 

We also travel a mile in speakers' shoes. In Trevor O'Sullivan's Speech - "Lightning Strikes Twice" we got to experience the frustrations of the house hunter - experiencing the magic of the photography that can "transform a gargoyle into Prince Charming" by making the dingiest of property into a "big, bright,  warm and welcoming home". We got to feel the burn of the Auctioneer's trick of advertising a shared viewing with five other clients as "a private viewing"!

And then we had "An Appointment with Mr. Yeats". Pat Sexton spoke about the continued relevance of the poetry of Ireland's first Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats. His poetry continues to shine,  be it "When  you are old" or his other doomed love poems for his muse Maud Gonne or his sharper political poems like "No Second Coming". The time is about right,  so this speaker suggests to host an afternoon devoted to sharing his wonderful poetry with the local community. 

In Toastmasters,  we develop our skills of communication through expressing our experiences, our ideas and our stories. We can entertain, inform, inspire and sometimes, we provoke our audience. And we achieve that in front of an audience that is helpful and supportive. 

Our next Meeting will take place on Thursday 15th October in The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow at 7.45pm.  As always,  guests are welcome to attend our Meetings and are never obliged to speak unless they wish to do so. For more information about this Club,  please check out our website speakeasytoastmasters.com or on Facebook.   

Helsa Giles presents Best Speaker Award to Steven Day.