In the meeting’s opening remarks President, Summer Murphy, share great insights on the election for non-white people and how the power structure is designed for certain people, underscoring the need to remain vigilant against the racism that persists, and everyone must continue working to identify and confront racist attitudes and behaviours.
In recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement, a moment of silence was observed. Summer then introduced the bias flag as a tool for personal growth in our ongoing journey to become better speakers.
The meeting was then turned over to the Toastmaster of the day, Saraswathi Mahalingam. Saraswathi introduced the “Word of the Day” (WOD), which was “attempt.” She explained that WOD refers to an action or effort made with the aim of accomplishing something, even if the outcome is uncertain, conveying a sense of trying, rather than a guarantee of success. She also highlighted Thomas Edison’s persistent attempts, marked by thousands of experiments, led to groundbreaking inventions like the light bulb, phonograph, etc.—remarkable tenacity and creativity in the face of uncertainty.
Saraswathi then invited all Toastmasters to take a moment to introduce themselves to our amazing guests, Kendra Hiatt and Corinne.
Toastmaster Abdulrahman Albazie introduced our first speaker, Toastmaster Tina Joe. Tina delivered a captivating speech titled “Thinking, Doing, Consuming,” in which she explored how the demands of our fast-paced, high-speed world can easily ensnare us in an endless cycle of incessant thinking, frenetic doing, and mindless consuming. Drawing on her own experiences and observations, Tina urged the audience to slow down, take a moment to breathe, and resist the temptation to get caught up in the relentless pace of modern life. Her thought-provoking words prompted nods of agreement and contemplative silences, reminding us of the value of mindfulness and balance in our daily lives.
Abdulrahman Evaluated Tina’s speech, lauding her exceptional delivery and how the message resonated well by providing a timely and insightful analysis that inspired the us to embrace mindfulness and balance.
Toastmaster Kerstin Haase introduced our second speaker, Toastmaster Anu Parvathaneni. Anu delivered a thought-provoking speech that delved into the troubling ways in which society can erode curiosity and enforce compliance. Drawing on incisive analysis, Anu examined the underlying roots behind our responses to rules, guidelines, and expectations, cautioning that our tendency to follow without questioning will ultimately lead to diminished space for curiosity and creativity. Anu went on to categorize rules into “internal” and “external” forms, even citing examples of family dynamics that discriminate based on arbitrary factors like color, by demanding unexpected behaviors. Anu’s insightful and unsettling speech urged us to reconsider our unquestioning adherence to societal norms, inspiring a renewed appreciation for the value of curiosity and independent thinking.
Kerstin Evaluated Anu’s speech, highlighting her masterful use of gestures, vocal variety, and professional presence, etc., and provided constructive feedback to further enhance the delivery.
Toastmaster Dave Burr led an engaging table topics segment, prompting participants – including our special guests Kendra Hiatt and Corinne – to share their personal attempts and experiences in life, and challenging them to think quickly, communicate effectively, and respond confidently in the moment.
Toastmaster John Doggett served as General Evaluator, providing comprehensive feedback on the meeting and commenting the exceptional performance of the participants. Toastmaster Tim Murphy delivered the Timer report, ensuring that each segment adhered to the allocated time, while Toastmaster Hema Kellett, the Grammarian, offered valuable linguistic feedback and shared resonating quotes.
Toastmaster Saraswathi handed over the meeting to Toastmaster Summer to wrap up the meeting and officially adjourn the session.
–
The next Sunrise Toastmasters meeting will be at 7 a.m. on May 31, EST. If you would like to join our meeting as a guest, contact us for the meeting link.
The roles for the next meeting are as follows:
Toastmaster: John
Speaker 1: Kerstin
Speaker 2: Saraswathi
Table Topics: Tim
General Evaluator: Hema
Evaluator 1: Stiles
Evaluator 2: Anu
Timer: Summer
Grammarian: Open
