The theme of our Chapter meeting was Spring. For simulating the Spring atmosphere, we had our virtual backgrounds coordinated with flowers displays.
April ushered in the Spring season. While its presence might not be keenly felt in countries with tropical climate, places experiencing the four seasons welcomed it with wide open arms. A poem by a 13 year old read:
Spring Ah!
The time of year when seedlings get their first taste of sunshine,
Shy petals peak out from their buds;
Animals in hibernation get a first breath of warm, fresh spring air.
With desolate of winter gone,
The colours of nature seep forth and bloom
In a dazzling array of splendour.
(By Choy Yi Han, 1998)
Cold harsh winters may represent problems and troubles we face in life. Take heart a way out will always come along, just like spring comes after winter:
No winter lasts forever;
No spring skips its turn.
(By Hal Borland)
On that note, our chapter meeting started and went on to speeches being delivered and assessment and feedback given to the speakers. The back to back speeches and evaluation processes had always been a great asset of Toastmasters’ meeting.
Two to three minutes of Impromptu speeches were made by almost all present. Not only did the Table Topic session a challenge to speak on our feet but also the topics given were often reflective:
If you were given a second chance to start something over, what would you do?
What is the meaning of spring to you?
Are you happy with how you started the year?
What is the biggest change you experienced in 2021?
The table topic session was an enriching moment as we shared our life experiences.
A session that often saw us biting our nails was the report on how often we used fillers like “ah”, “umh”, “right”, “really” in our speeches. That was one place we did not want to chalk up points. The perfect zero score was possible and one veteran in the club did it!
The meeting ended with a general evaluation of the languages used during the meeting. A visitor from another club enlightened us with ways to enhance our languages as well as pitfalls to avoid.
As always, the chapter meeting was meaningful.