Toastmasters Icebreaker speech: title?

The first time I gave an ice breaker speech was a long time ago.  

Our toastmasters club had a theme for each meeting, and on that day the theme was "Backwards toastmasters meeting"

My speech title was "I am an extraordinary person living an ordinary life".

When I announced the speech title, I sensed my audience judging me as an "arrogant" person.  I often make snap judgements about people and their social status, and life too.  I could relate.  

But, I had a plan.  I took a deep breath and started.

I had taken advantage of our toastmaster theme meeting, and structured my speech backwards.  So extraordinary were my life stances and I was the ordinary one.  

I am an ordinary person living an extraordinary life.   I am so grateful for what I have in life.

Life happened.  I stopped going to Toastmasters.  I became pregnant, went on maternity, and changed jobs.  

After a couple of years at my new place of employment, I found out there's a corporate Toastmasters Club.  I was so happy and happier when my manager was supportive of me joining the club, and happiest when I found out my second line manager was a club member.  Oh all the opportunities I could embarrass myself in front of my managers!  

I have a self defeating sense of humour.

It's a deja vu moment for me to be standing here, and giving another ice breaker speech.  Feeling all your energy through miles, cuz I am in Canada, and you are not.  It seems, and I am saying this based on my experience of two Toastmasters club, the common denominator here is positive energy. 

so my fellow toastmasters, I can't wait to start this new journey with you.  In this one I plan on identifying my sense of humour and incorporating it in the words I choose to deliver the messages.

   

Back to you!

Notes to self:  need an example to for self-defeating sense of humour.  

Impromptu speech

 Mark Twain hit the proverbial nail on the head when he said, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” 

I relate to this!

Today's topic: Explain Covid19 Pandemic to a five years old.

What I said:

Literally telling the story of explaining to our child about Covid19.  The only high point in the speech was using the word of the day, commiserate.

What I came up with later:

How do you explain COVID-19 pandemic to a child, without freaking her out of day to day things: like opening a door, pushing an elevator button, playing in the park, meeting up with friends.  

First approach: don't explain and hope it will go away soon.  That doesn't work.  Why?  Because the damn thing doesn't go away!

Second approach: google, Facebook, twitter: how other parents are telling their kids.  

Third approach: channel out the fear of unknown and calmly say, hey kiddo for a while we just need to stay low, keep to ourselves and find new ways to learn, and play.  It's gonna be fun, because we haven't done it before.