Toastmasters celebrate freedom of youth

Members of the Toastmasters Club in Honeydew had their second face-to-face meeting on June 14 at Christ Church in Weltevreden Park. Under the theme ‘The freedom of youth’ speakers showcased their communications skills with their prepared speeches.

The club’s Vice President of Public Relations, Maralize Mulder said they alternated between meeting on Zoom and in-person, with the observation of Covid regulations. She said although they are a fun club, their meetings are also informative. “You learn something every time you are here. It might be something the evaluator picks up, or something that one of the speakers said.”

The meeting’s word of the day was ‘gumption’, which is defined as a spirited initiative or to do something with energetic determination. Members are encouraged to use the given word of the day throughout the evening. Maralize said, “It’s not a word I have used before, but I used it in my speech tonight for the first time. The whole idea of Toastmasters is to give you a bit of confidence in the workplace or your personal life.”

Three speakers took turns giving their prepared speeches on their unique takes on the topic of communication. Musa Mnguni’s speech reminisced about his university days, and how learning a new language connected him to a larger group of people and expanded his world view. Maralize taught the group about the five different forms of communication, ranging from verbal to non-verbal and lastly, Hannes Mare shared the lessons he has leaned in using social media to create and build a brand.