Words to Remember
As we go through our daily routines, we rarely think about how we may impact those around us, either by our actions or our words.
I have been impacted by many of our club speakers and one of those inspirational speakers is Patricia deSa. One day, I received a short correspondence from Pat stating that she had done a Ted-like talk, and thanking her colleague Karen for pushing her, “Gerry with a G” Sandusky from the Baltimore Ravens for coaching her, and her fellow “Toasties” for encouraging her. After reading the message, I eagerly clicked on the link provided.
Listening to the speech, titled “Words to Remember,” it sounded a bit familiar. Our club had been lucky enough to be part of Pat's practice process a while ago, when she had given portions of her speech at a couple of our Tuesday night meetings. I watched her give this recent speech and listened like a proud (Toastmasters) family member, as a loved one shined on the stage at the National Council of Mental Wellbeing annual conference in Washington DC in April 2022.
Pat was kind enough to answer some questions regarding this grand accomplishment.
Q: What prompted you to do the talk?
A: The annual conference where I did the talk hosts TEDx talks and puts out a call for submissions many months before. For the last 7 years I had been wanting to apply but could just never get organized enough to submit before the deadline. This last year a colleague implored me to apply. She created the accountability I needed and I finally got it done. I heard back a few weeks later that I was selected by the conference organizers and they invited me to speak.
Q: How did Gerry coach you?
A: He worked with me over 4 months to give my talk more structure and purpose. It was very systematic. First share my ideas, then develop an outline, then put the talk together, then visuals, then rehearse and refine. He really did help me take it to a whole other level, and gave me ideas that I never would have thought of myself.
Q: How did it feel up there with such a large audience?
A: It felt great. I was definitely nervous earlier in the day, but once I got on stage I was relaxed. They told me to expect 100-300 people. Close to 1000 showed up. For me, when it’s an audience that large, I feel more anonymous and therefore more comfortable.
Q: Any words for those Toasties still working towards their own Ted Talk?
A: You never know when an opportunity will come your way, so in the meantime get as much practice as you can, and always push yourself just slightly out of your comfort zone.
The link to the talk is below. It is a speech about human connection as Pat presents personal stories and how those connections left an imprint. I implore you to watch and be inspired.
https://youtu.be/um6ehBErGHg
Welcome a New Members!
Elia Mael and Colvin Wang have joined our club. We are so glad to have you as part of the Rockridge family.
Achievements!
Robert will become the Division D Director for the July 2022 to June 2023 term. Way to go Robert! We're really proud of you.
Officer Elections in June
During the month of June, we will hold elections for the new board of club officers. Our current roster has a few individuals that would like to continue, but we are still in need of members to take on a few positions.
At the moment it looks like we need a Vice President of Public Relations and a Secretary.
Serving the club is a very rewarding experience. It's a wonderful way to give something back to the club, and to be an integral part of shaping the club and keeping it healthy and thriving. Some roles are more of a time commitment than others. There's probably something that's just right for you!
Please read about the roles in the Member Handbook, and feel free to reach out to our President Laura Patino, or any of the current officers for more information (see sidebar with officer names).
Elections will be held on June 21, 2021 after the regular club meeting.
How Is Hybrid Going?
Our club has officially completed a month of hybrid meetings. I am thankful that we continue to have good and consistent attendance by our members both in person and virtually.
After attending the District Conference and watching a presentation on hybrid meetings, we continue to adjust our meeting logistics. Last week we bought a new microphone and tried a new layout. The new layout worked out great, since last week we had our first meeting with a virtual Toastmaster, Kristen Clopton, who stepped in to led a wonderful meeting.
Once the meeting was over, we ran through feedback and had great suggestions from members, which we will use to fine tune our meetings.
In the meantime, thank you for all of your patience as we continue to adjust. If you happen to be near Lake Merritt on a Tuesday evening around 7 PM, please stop in and say hello! Or just hop on Zoom.
Join us online or in person any and every Tuesday! Meetings start promptly at 7:00 PM.
Scottish Rite Center
Gold Room, 4th Floor
1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612