Uplift the Spirit

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today
To-morrow will be dying.

My fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen. This is a poem from Robert Herrick. The most famous of that line “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may” was used in the film starring Robin Williams. Anyone can remember this movie? It’s Dead Poet Society. In that movie, Robin Williams used one term “Carpe Diem” to inspire and motive his students to seize the day, gather ye rosebuds while ye may, before we all become food for the worms and by that time, it would be too late.

My dear friends, tonight, can I shamelessly borrow from Robin Williams and say, “Carpe Diem” my dear friends, “Carpe Diem”. Yes, Seize the day, but for what? We are all toastmasters, that’s why we are all here tonight to attend our chapter meeting. We are benefitted so much from being a toastmaster, yes? Who can honestly say, “I am a toastmaster, but I really don’t think I gained much out of it.” No, you simply can’t. I can’t. I know  I can’t because I have indeed benefited so much out of this program.

The very first improvement we all see in us taking on the toastmaster journey is the increasing confidence when we speak. 
a.       Confidence

-         In the past, I never really think that people would actually be interested in what I present. However, as I worked through my speeches from the very first ice-breaker to the latest inspirational speech, I shared about my hobby of travel, photography and choir, I found out that people are actually interested in what I have to say.

-         This is of cos a combination of the content and delivery, and the toastmaster program gradually build up such essential skills for us. From helping me to focus on my subject to practicing the appropriate body languages to give an interesting delivery, these are done in an easy step by step manner to gradually build up the skill.

-         As our stage presence grew, we gained a lot of confidence in the ability to stand in front of people and speak.  I recall I have to fight butterflies in the tummy and jellied legs everytime I stand in front. I am sure at one point in time we all have that same feeling, even now. That might never go away completely, but at least now we are better at controlling our nervousness.

      

      The second aspect of growth that I believe we all experienced, is the intellectual growth. Creativity. We are driven to think out of the box, twist and turn our ideas, thoughts and especially the English Language. 

       b.      Creativity

-          In the past, I have never considered myself as engaging or humorous, but guess what? That changed completely after I started the toastmaster program.

-         Humorous – I also made a great discovery – I am actually quite funny! Does anyone here have the same experience with me? Well, we are not stand up comedians, cos we cannot be deliberately funny. But we can be accidentally funny with the play of word usage and interesting rhetorical devices.

- By far the greatest benefit out of our toastmaster journey, is something we can all relate to, better communication, improved interpersonal skills and your very own unique sense of humour. Who in this room can deny that? We all agree that the toastmaster program is indeed an excellent way to be better at communication and leadership.

- In fact the toastmaster program has a long history of making great speakers. Toastmasters International was founded in 1924 by Dr Ralph Smedly. Her Vision: To empower people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. Through our member clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change, and make difference in others' lives. - Today, we have at least 200,000 members around the world, all going through this program to become more capable of communicating and leading.

Today, this very day, I would like to start a movement and I hope you will all join me in this movement. That is to share with our friends the goodness of being a toastmaster, to help them see that they can be a better communicator and leader through this program.

Carpe Diem my friends! Are you with me on this movement? If the toastmaster program has changed your life, let’s go and help change some lives out there. Truly, they need us! People out there need us, to tell them how wonderful this program can be, to us, and especially to them.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may! And spread the good news to all whom you know. Share with them your experience, your gains and your personal growth. Ask them to come and join you in this amazing journey to experience it themselves. Urge them to get on this journey that will transform them from a good to great speaker, and from a great speaker to an excellent distinguished toastmaster!

Carpe Diem my friends! Carpe Diem!

Evaluation - as with all inspirational speech, there needs an element of emotional stirring, which this speech lacks. What I could have focus on, was the part where Toastmasters International was formed and how it helped the youth of that time.