Tuesday, December 02, 2014
Evaluating Ruth's Speech on Medieval History
The purpose of Toastmasters International is to train you to give speeches outside Toastmasters and Ruth's advanced speech fulfilled that ultimate purpose when she rehearsed her speech on Medieval History. Her speech was to be given to the history group of the U3A, the University of the Third Age - mostly retired people with time to indulge in researching their interests.
When I listen to a speech I ask myself:
What do I know about this subject?
What does the speaker know and is the speaker on expert? and
What do I want to know - what's in it for me?
I know very little about medieval history so I expect to get information. But that might be dull or confusing, so I hoped it would be easy to understand and entertaining.
She began with an overview. The main events of the periods were famine, the plague and the peasants' revolt. I'd heard of the latter two, especially the plague. But the subject of this summary or excerpt was something jollier, food. Ruth as a retired tea-shop owner has food running through many of her interests and speeches.
She started by explaining the middle ages or Medieval period, 5th to 15th centuries.
My first recommendation, or suggestion, was that she might have related the period to a well known person, the king or queen or kings and queens of the time.
Or the common people. Were they post-Roman? Celts? Vikings? Before Henry the Vth and Elizabeth Ist? William the Conqueror and Harold in 1066 when the word boeuf came into the language? Who were these poor people and rich people?
She enlisted our sympathy by saying they were like us. She involved our imagination by suggesting we walk through the door of the cottage or the castle and look at what is cooking or what is on the table.
The poor people had potage, a thick soup or casserole, kept on the go from the vegetables in their garden. (I wonder when the fashion for flowers and lawns started? In those days the kitchen garden was the normal garden, like the allotments of modern times.)
Everybody in the Harrovian Toastmasters audience winced at the description of blood taken from living animals to make blood pudding. Yet, she could have pointed out that leaving the animal alive is kinder than killing the animal for meat. Blood is still taken from living animals in our times by the Masais (in East Africa, in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania).
(Ruth described the lord's house where we would see the use of bread as a trencher or plate and water scented with rose petals.)
I said that Ruth ended by answering what's in it for us by ending, how happy she is to be living not in medieval times but today.
I suggested she could have gone one better, by making this her title. She could make her start and end more memorable and dramatic by picking a quotation about medieval times, or a quotation from somebody in medieval times to start and end the speech.
I was surprised and delighted to be awarded the ribbon for Best Evaluator. Thank you Ruth for the opportunity.
When I listen to a speech I ask myself:
What do I know about this subject?
What does the speaker know and is the speaker on expert? and
What do I want to know - what's in it for me?
I know very little about medieval history so I expect to get information. But that might be dull or confusing, so I hoped it would be easy to understand and entertaining.
She began with an overview. The main events of the periods were famine, the plague and the peasants' revolt. I'd heard of the latter two, especially the plague. But the subject of this summary or excerpt was something jollier, food. Ruth as a retired tea-shop owner has food running through many of her interests and speeches.
She started by explaining the middle ages or Medieval period, 5th to 15th centuries.
My first recommendation, or suggestion, was that she might have related the period to a well known person, the king or queen or kings and queens of the time.
Or the common people. Were they post-Roman? Celts? Vikings? Before Henry the Vth and Elizabeth Ist? William the Conqueror and Harold in 1066 when the word boeuf came into the language? Who were these poor people and rich people?
She enlisted our sympathy by saying they were like us. She involved our imagination by suggesting we walk through the door of the cottage or the castle and look at what is cooking or what is on the table.
The poor people had potage, a thick soup or casserole, kept on the go from the vegetables in their garden. (I wonder when the fashion for flowers and lawns started? In those days the kitchen garden was the normal garden, like the allotments of modern times.)
Everybody in the Harrovian Toastmasters audience winced at the description of blood taken from living animals to make blood pudding. Yet, she could have pointed out that leaving the animal alive is kinder than killing the animal for meat. Blood is still taken from living animals in our times by the Masais (in East Africa, in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania).
(Ruth described the lord's house where we would see the use of bread as a trencher or plate and water scented with rose petals.)
I said that Ruth ended by answering what's in it for us by ending, how happy she is to be living not in medieval times but today.
I suggested she could have gone one better, by making this her title. She could make her start and end more memorable and dramatic by picking a quotation about medieval times, or a quotation from somebody in medieval times to start and end the speech.
Here's Ruth again, looking very happy and relaxed now her speech is over and has been evaluated.
I was surprised and delighted to be awarded the ribbon for Best Evaluator. Thank you Ruth for the opportunity.
President Indra Sikdar presents ribbon for best evaluation to Angela Lansbury.
Labels: allotment, blood pudding, Harrovians, Indra, Masai, medieval, president, Ruth, Toastmasters International, trencher
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Competition Time
The contest was attended by VIP guest Keith Toms, Honorary Alderman. We are old friends. Both old and both friends. I think he is friends with everybody.
He gave a great speech. I was flabbergasted to learn he once invented a Bulgarian expert to quote. When a BBC reporter checked up and said accusingly, 'The BBC archive has no record of this man,' Keith Toms retorted, 'That just shows how bad the BBC archive is!'
A sure fire winner for a Humorous Speech contest or Tall Tales event.
In this picture you see Keith Toms far left, Ruth Vishnick, a past president of Harrovians, Indra Sikdar, a founding member, At the back, current President of Harrovians, tall Gosbert Chagula, and I am at the front right, your speaker and reporter and Immediate Past President, Angela Lansbury.
Winners of the contests were Gosbert and Indra, Speech Contest, Gosbert and Angela Evaluation contest.
Member Ben Piersen far left, Sara, our timer, Lorna - Toastmaster of the evening, in her slimming style dress (also called an illusion dress) from Macy's in Florida, David Vardy, a guest, Ruth Vishnick, Indra Sikdar.
If you are free on Monday evenings in London come to Harrovian Speakers. Meeting fortnightly at Glebe Hall, Glebe Road, off the Broadway, by Sainsbury's in the centre of Stanmore shopping centre. The bus stop almost outside is the H12 to Hatch End. A short walk from Stanmore underground station.
see harrovians.org.uk or
Toastmasters International Find A Club
Labels: BBC, certificate, Evaluation contest, Gosbert, Harrovians Speakers' Club, Honorary Alderman, Indra, Keith Toms, president, Ruth, Speech Contest, Tall Tales, Toastmasters International, Winners
