inspiration

“Speech has power. Words do not fade.
What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed.”
— Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), rabbi, theologian & philosopher

Among the dismal voids of the so-called information age is the paucity of published speeches.

Twitter and TV cover public addresses using bite (or byte)-sized dictums. At best, newspapers weave a phrase from a news conference into a pithy headline. Websites stitch together patchworks of a speaker's themes.

It is always exciting when District 96 welcomes a new club in Toastmasters, and we are excited to introduce a new opportunity for members.

The Inspirational Speakers Advanced Club was chartered on June 24, 2020, and is the brain child of Shayan Shakeraneh. Through discussions with Gene Vickers, a bit of brainstorming and reaching out to fellow Toastmasters, posting advertisements on Facebook, on the evening of June 24, 2020, via Zoom, a Demo Meeting was held, and about 43 Toastmasters joined in to learn more.

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”
— William Barclay (1907–1978), Scottish author, professor & minister

In the midst of making a speech, there are few things more distressing than running out of steam. It might be on account of nervousness, lack of preparation, or a shortage of inspiration. Whatever the cause, the result is usually the same: panic, hesitation, and a scramble to reach an inevitably apologetic conclusion.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
— Albert Einstein (1879–1955), German-born theoretical physicist

One of the most-rehearsed forms of performance art is musical theatre, particularly on Broadway or London's West End. At the time of the COVID interruption, The Phantom of the Opera had played 13,370 times—the longest-running song-and-dance show in history.

“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.”
— Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831), German philosopher

Communication is weightless—but it has gravity.

On journeys by plane, ship, train or bus, it shows in the manner that staff interact with passengers. Aboard flights, rote repetition by cabin attendants ("Pretzels or biscuits?") reveals a dispiriting, cookie-cutter approach to customer relations. Dispensing juice in a plastic cup as solemnly as the Eucharist only exposes the thinness of such hospitality.

“What people call serendipity sometimes is just having your eyes open.”
— José Manuel Barroso (1956–), Portuguese politician & university teacher

One of the reasons I joined Toastmasters was to confront crippling perfectionism. I think everyone is prone to this trait, some more than others.

After all, would life be as sweet if there weren't achievements whose excellence we pursued with abject devotion?