09/08/2016

Conference Toastmasters in Washington DC

Designed this button or pin or logo, to wear on us telling : Can't Wait to see you in Online clubs

In fact, as it is - a bit double sens.

Can't wait Online clubs to see you... or
Can't wait to See You : in Online clubs

I hope, that those that see it will ask "what do you mean"? and we can explain "I am in two one line clubs (or one) and I would like to see you also in it, or for you to create one."

To speak how wonderful it is to connect through a meeting at the same time with people from so many parts of the world.

In my new club I created with Svetlana, called Witty Storytellers Online, we concentrate on humor and personal storytelling. The base of all great communication. All members so far, Advanced Toastmasters who together, perfect their communication skills and I hope will tell better and better stories inspired from their life.

Inspired by... that is the word I should have used from the beginning. A story is created from a life event and then... transformed into a good story.  A deep human problem, sorrow or fight that can be understood by the others, struggle to get out, then final triumph.

In real life the fight never finishes, one up goes into down and so on but a story is round, has beginning middle and satisfying end. Plus we can tell it with plus or less detail, some parts tell, others dialogs in the moment played out. One time we tell it longer, other times shorter. It still remains our story which comes deep from within us. That deep within that connects us to others.

In our club, from the beginning, the personal details bonded us, made us understand each other faster then in any "brick and mortar" club we went, we go; faster than in other online clubs too.

"What happened to you last days?" All answered something.  I do remember some so vividly!

"My mother died this morning". She was 101 and leaves 101 descendants after her.
"I got a boyfriend! The first ever time!" She is 20 the youngest between us.
"I learned how to cook fried chicken."
"I am morning the sister of my daughter in law for many days"
"I learned to do chocolate cookies"
"I made laugh 10 minutes yesterday at Standup club" - that was me and it did not seem so personal...

In fact it was because for long time I did not go back there, and now I could and the magic of making laugh did not disappear, I still can do it. But how to express this in a short phrase?

After the warmup, twelve of us told four minute "Ice breaker" stories, then four more for two minutes, all the way from Hong Kong to Canada's Virgin Islands. Jordan, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, United Emirates, Philippines, a country near Malaysia, Oregon and Denver, in USA - all bonded through what we told each other very strongly.

Childhood memories, memories from lost spouse, sad and funny or sad made funny. We felt there.

In Washington, miracle! I will meet in person some of them.