The 2023 Chronicle

TOASTMASTERS’ SOCIETY

Staff Members in Charge: Mr D Gruijters, Mrs M McMichael Chairman: Theo Apteker Deputy Chairman: Joshua Perkins Secretary: David Du Toit

This was followed by the first meeting, with three new members introducing themselves to the society in an icebreaker speech.

A way of marketing the society and fostering interest is to invite junior boys to act as waiters for the night; they then join the seniors for the dinner and learn from what they experience. Once again we chose to lighten the preparation load for speakers over the June examination period, and an evening of impromptu speeches under the theme of Off the Cuff proved to be enjoyable and served as an opportunity for the more reticent speakers to hone their skills. The Parents and Sons meeting, which is always the last meeting of the year for the matrics, remains a highlight. This year our meeting’s theme was When I am your Age . This naturally led to several gibes at the parents and some witty banter in return. Theo put Mr Simon Woodland on the spot by calling him up to present an impromptu speech and, naturally, as an ex-member of the society himself, Mr Woodland rose to the occasion with an outstanding delivery. The Parents and Sons evening is always an occasion from which one returns feeling proud of being associated with Michaelhouse. Two trophies were awarded: Daniel Kaabwe received the Dudley Forde Trophy for Most Improved Speaker, and Andrew Woodland received the Jack Crutchley Trophy for Excellence in Public Speaking. It is a privilege to be involved in shaping the passions of young men and equipping them with skills that are so vital in a modern world that demands so much from its citizens. I am eagerly anticipating next year’s intake, when young speakers will have the opportunity to learn to love speaking and grow in confidence.

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oastmasters remains one of the core societies of the school, having been established in 1982, and it is the society of choice for senior boys. We continue to follow a successful format of preprepared and impromptu speeches followed by peer evaluations. Meetings are held twice a term in which members enjoy a three-course dinner and an opportunity to hone their table manners and engage in animated dinner table conversation. Some competition lies beneath the comradery because at the end of each meeting the best prepared, best impromptu and best evaluator awards are announced. Before the selection of the new members for 2023, a more intimate meeting under the gavel of the new chairman, Theo Apteker, took place. The B Block boys were able to enjoy ginger chicken wonton parcels as senior speakers began the meeting with the theme of Through the Eyes of a Child . In our meetings, we have a general theme that provides context without limiting the message of a speech. We aim to create an environment where individuals can express viewpoints freely without facing judgment. Our approach encourages speakers to share their perspectives, regardless of their backgrounds. Selection of 15 new toastmasters took place in the last term of 2022 and the new committee of Theo, Joshua and David, with Mr Gruitjers and Mrs McMichael, began the task of finding talent among the C Block applicants.

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