Last night I presented my advance speech on conversation. I think it went very well despite feeling uneasy prior to the meeting. My preparations was enough for me to speak well though I did not prepare as much as my past speeches. I guess it's a measure of my improvement in public speaking. During the speech project there was a short role play session and my friend, the club president kindly helped me. During the role play, I thought that I was not doing well because I was not presenting a speech but reacting to another person. Despite some awkward moments, I think the session ended well.
We experimented with a new change from previous practice by trying a group evaluation instead of a single evaluator. I think the experiment went well with every one contributing positively. Two guests attended last night with one from my home country. He lives close by from the community center and I think he was convinced in joining the club. The whole audience gave their feedback on my speech project as part of the group evaluation exercise. They mostly appreciated the handouts. I had precisely prepared the handouts instead of bringing my computer for a visual presentation. My new lap top was just to heavy and I decided that having handouts is a good takeaway for the club members.
I think this is the new strategy that we would like to promote. To have the club experience be a learning one with news letters, group evaluations, blog site and sharing hand outs so our members could learn more from the club. Our club president shared this aspect during his opening and closing speech last night. We had a good meeting and I felt that the members and guests had learned a few things from the meeting last night. From the prepared speeches and group evaluations and sharing of feedback. I think that we now have a better chance in solving our membership problem with these innovations.
I reflected on my Toastmaster experience this morning when I archived my speech and club programme in my folder. I keep the club programs, speeches and project manuals in one large binder. I have been a member for 2.5 years and I have participated in all it's activities. In fact, I have plunged headlong into all its activities: by doing about 20 prepared speeches, 11 evaluations, a handful of table topics, worked as club officer for 1.5 years as VPE and VPM, participated in 4 speech contests, 2 club officer trainings and visited other clubs. I really appreciate the experience and wished I could have joined earlier in my life.
I think this experience plus my blogging have been good for me. It has helped me become more whole and allow me to open myself to others. This is the starting point for building supportive relationships which I never focused on in the past. Building these open and supportive relationships is important if one wants to succeed in one's artistic endeavors (as explained in the book I am reading). I guess it's the missing link in my progress as a writer.
The first step I guess is to open yourself to people. Blogging and public speaking allow you to settle one's internal urges for solitude. I think it also helps to resolve one's neurotic obsessions or tendencies that arise with insularity and aloofness. This feeling of being a 'lone wolf' is not good in the long run. The 'lone creative genius' is in fact a social creature unlike those depicted in movies. At least, there is always someone supporting him in his artistic struggles.
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