01 December 2010

This was another of those great evenings where more than 40 toastmasters and their guests were entertained to another professional workshop. Workshop leaders Dorothea Stuart and Sue Kennedy presented ‘Story Telling’ in anticipation of January’s Cooper Cup Competition for story telling. (Octogenarian Jean Cooper a former member of Riverside was a story telling legend. On her retirement ‘up north’ she presented the story telling trophy.)

The key ingredient of the workshop was to improve one’s ability to tell a story and there was only one way that that was ever going to be acheived. Everyone tell a story, not just once but several times, each time embelishing and improving the last effort. Imagine 20 stories every 60 seconds for ten minutes. 200 speeches and that was just the warm up!

By the time the evening was over everyone’s ability and confidence had grown. This ably demonstrated by the club’s newest member Jeanette James who delivered her maiden story. Her opening statement, ‘I was only 8 years old. I was locked in the dentists’ toilet! The dentist was on the other side of the door encouraging me to open it!’ You should have been there. It was hilarious.

All attendees were treated to a comprehenive pack reminding them of the advice and guidance provided by the workshop leaders Dorothea and Sue.