Sharpening the Saw

One of the things that I do to Sharpen My Saw is to participate in Toastmasters. It serves many purposes. My main goal is to develop my speaking skills so that I will be prepared to train for Ed when the time comes. It also helps me develop meeting planning and implementation skills as well as leadership skills. This year I have been fortunate to be elected President of the Club. The most important piece has been my ability to think on my feet. Something that is critical in my line of work.

Last night was the Humorous Speech Contest and the Table Topics Contest. Table Topics is an opportunity to give a 2 minute impromptu speech about what ever the person wants you to speak on. They escort the contestants out of the room and each one is brought back in to answer the same question. The one who most effectively answers it is the winner and goes on to the next level. Sounds easy, right. After all it is a Humorous Speech contest, how hard can the Table Topic be. That's what I thought. Imagine my surprise when Ash presented me with the following table topic "You come face to face with a Suicide Bomber, what do you do or say to him."

Don't ask me what I said, it's all a blur. I know I breathed a lot, like Ed taught us. Before the night was over, I was surprised to find that I had won that portion of the event. I am always looking for ways to keep sharp and stay on top of my game. Who know when I might have to answer that question again, hopefully never.