Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Georges St-Pierre (GSP) wasn’t always on top of his game. When he lost his title, he focused on ways to improve himself and stay on the right track to win back his title. Toastmaster Bing told us that as Toastmasters, we need to take time to focus and stay on track to achieve our goals and win our personal titles.
We had a joint meeting with the Go-Getters Toastmasters club. The prepared speech component of the meeting featured only one person – Eddie of the Go-Getters. His speech was from the Competent Communication Manual – 4. It was about whistleblowers. He took us on a well crafted journey on the importance of whistleblowing. It was peppered with real life situations and a thought provoking conclusion.
The popular Table Talks segment was elevated to a new level at our March 2 meeting. There was a debate on whether fighting sport should be banned. Overall twelve Table Topics speakers were divided into two groups of six. One team represented the “yes” side, and other group represented the “no” side.
The debate format proved to be a great way for speakers to interact effectively with others on their team. Before the debate, the teams were given time to go over their talking points. They took full advantage of this and collaborated seamlessly– very nice for people who mostly did not know each other well. There was a great mixture of volunteers from Liberty Village. The Go-Getters also had great representation, and a couple of our guests volunteered to debate too.
Spectators agreed it was a WOW (War of the Words) moment. Both sides launched strong attacks on their opponents. When we thought one group eloquently pummeled the other group, the other group counter-attacked with another hook. It was primetime entertainment at its best. The debate went back and forth like a great dramatic performance. In the end the group that felt fighting sports should be banned prevailed. Overall everyone did an exceptional job! Congratulations all!
The evening went by really quickly, and that’s due to everyone’s enthusiasm and passion. Looking forward to the next meeting which will be our regular format Toastmaster meeting.
Michelle
