Monday, August 22, 2011

Inside a Winnipeg Toastmasters Club With Doctor Phil


The act of giving can grow a person in many ways.  It fosters good will, spreads joy to others and overall makes your day feel better knowing you did something nice for someone.  Bev’s theme of giving reminds us all at toastmasters just how important it is to continue to give.  This was wonderfully demonstrated during our introductions where everyone shared one way that they gave to others, whether it is as simple as directions to someone lost, or something more, like spending time with people to calm them in difficult situations or teach them skills to better master an activity.  Everyone showed just how easy it is to give to one another and what a change it can create.
Andrea gave a very persuasive speech to the group, “What If I Were To Tell You”.  She opened our eyes to the truth about the health of our bodies and how facts about obesity are really played out by the media.  She concluded to us saying we should be aware that the whole truth is not always going to be given to us and like the things we see and hear in the media, the things we read should also be taken with a grain of salt. 
As we entered into our Table Topics session, “Doctor Phil” led us on a whirlwind of an adventure with his time machine.  As Satwinder travelled back in time, his job was to explain to the people of the past some of the things we have in the present day that have benefitted people worldwide.   He expertly pinpointed how important medical research has been in combating so many diseases we have in the world.  Selena then did a follow up trip to the future and came back to tell us what some of the things we would lose in the future.   She found that our energy resources have depleted and so we should find alternative means to keep our machines running as soon as possible.  A round of kudos to both Satwinder and Selena for becoming our newest toastmasters members and exploring the table topics so well for the first time and to Phil, a returning toastmaster, to provide us a most intriguing adventure that kept me on my toes. 
Coming out of the meeting left me thinking back at the things we give to others and the world and of the things I get back as well.  I am reminded of the movie “Pay it Forward” and how our actions often cause rippling effects to the world.  Toastmaster is similar in that what we put forth towards our toastmasters meetings in energy and commitment; we get back in learning and experience to better our skills.  As Bev challenged us at the end of the meeting to try and give at least one thing every day, I will start with giving thanks to all those who spend the time to read this and to those who are always there to encourage me with my speaking.  I personally like to give by caring for animals and cooking for the people I love… so who wants cake?
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If you would like to take part in a UM Masters meeting, we’re located in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. Our meetings are held every Wednesday from 12:05 –12:50 PM in Room 111 at St. John’s College (which is part of the University of Manitoba).

If you're in Winnipeg and interested in sitting in on a club meeting to see if Toastmasters is right for you, please feel free to contact Tiffany Lui at  tpylui@hotmail.com