Gifts

Prepared speeches

Tao shared lessons from his recent job change. News of the speech topic had already sparked excitement in the group chat the day before: “太棒啦，想听啊啊啊啊啊啊啊……” and “各位报个肉来当吃瓜群众，听听 Tao 叔心路历程🍉🍉🍉”. When someone asked what he would talk about, the reply was simple: “…你讲啥我们听啥😁”.

Linna jumped in as the second speaker just one day before the meeting, delivering a speech on leadership styles. A true last-minute gift to a meeting that needed one more voice on stage.

The gift of showing up

The theme “Gifts” extended beyond the Table Topics. The VPE team announced a new club incentive program that evening: complete one Meeting Manager role and two speeches to earn a cash reward. The spirit behind it was not really about the money. “这个我相信大家来 TM 的都不是为了钱哈哈，对我们来说我理解这是一种激励方式，一种乐趣，一个游戏，背后有 VPE 团队的辛苦构思。”

The conversation around participation also surfaced a deeper reflection on what Toastmasters is for: “100 年前 TM 开始的初衷是创造一个会员彼此激发，探索有效沟通方式，以解决工作、生活中遇到的实际问题的平台。” Happy plus learning equals more participation.

Before the meeting

Before anyone had even arrived, a message popped up in the group: “今天 Anyone in 麦麦吃饭 或者需要带饭吗”. Some gifts come in the form of McDonald’s.