With the sanitary restrictions now allowing small outdoor gatherings, TM Nice organized a picnic and speech marathon today on Castle Hill. It's been quite a while since our members have been able to meet in person and our speakers and evaluators today definitely seized the occasion to really use the space, either by physically moving around the speaking area, or with engaging eye contact with the audience all around, while drawing us into the story. 

Eye contact and more natural physical gestures are of course some of the obvious advantages of in-person meetings when it comes to speeches, but undoubtedly the joy of being in each others company today was felt by all. 

Our speakers, Michael, Maricel and Safae delivered inspiring speeches. Maricel's speech, titled "From Languishing to Flourishing: The Reset", on the theme of holding on to hope and finding joy in the small pleasures of life so we can thrive and flourish resonated with the audience and won the vote for best speech. 

Safae really took control of the stage and showed us how to really use space dynamically, even getting down on the floor to demonstrate Brazilian Ju-jitsu. You can't do that on Zoom quite so easily. It was quite refreshing to see a speech truly come to life when delivered in person. Michael regaled us with his storytelling, choosing a spot in center stage and engaging us with eye contact all around, drawing us in much like a storyteller around a campfire. 

The speeches were followed up with evaluations; Chafic reminded us that smooth transitions between different stories in speeches help the audience follow the train of thought, Deyana shared tips on how to project your voice in open spaces without a microphone (a useful skill for us to work on once we go back to in-person meetings!) and Giulio highlighted what made Maricel's speech a winning one, which secured him the votes for best evaluator. 

Of course, a picnic is not a picnic without food, drink and cheer, of which there was plenty. We look forward to the next one!

A great Conference for contestants, speakers, club members and guests. Everyone contributed towards  making this day friendly, happy and memorable.  A very special THANKYOU to the IPAG Business School for the use of their beautiful Conference facilites which made it possible for Toastmasters Nice to welcome 98 members and guests from other Toastmaster clubs in the South of France.  The next stop is Toastmasters International District 59 Conference in Marseille  «Spring Forward in Marseille».

See you soon !

Une grande conférence pour les candidats, les orateurs, les membres du club et les invités. Tout le monde a contribué à rendre cette journée conviviale, heureuse et mémorable. Un MERCI très spécial à  IPAG Business School  pour l'utilisation de ses magnifiques Salles de Conférence qui ont permis à Toastmasters Nice d'accueillir 98 membres et invités d'autres clubs Toastmaster du Sud de la France. La prochaine étape est celle de la Toastmasters International District 59 Conference «Spring Forward in Marseille». 

À bientôt !

NEW CLUB OFFICERS TRAINING 07.07.2018 Hôtel Ellington, Nice