Toastmaster

My 1st speech as a Toast Master,
Time check;7:20
Venue:Parklands Sports Club
The atmosphere was tense,an ice breaker it is called,I felt like I was the one caught up in an ice block and I needed to be broken.Speaking has always and always will be a natural and reflexive way for me to create space between my upper and lower jaw and emit some sort of audible sound but this evening was like no other.I was just seconds away from delivering my first speech as a Toastmaster,surely I at least need a drink to calm my nerves before approaching the lectern not just because I felt a little nervous but because I hadn't prepared adequately.
Preparation is key and is lesson numero uno of the Speaking Manual.
How on earth did time pass me by? Blame it on work,I was overwhelmed by the conversation,sumptuous meals,resplendent ambience and the extravagant display of beauty at Tribe hotel last week as I tried to imagine a future for the 21st Century graduate.In a bid to seem composed,unfazed,unruffled and the least dignified,I wore my red tie(it has served me well)I had made various trips to the saloon to get rid of my overgrown beard so as to look prim,proper and well groomed as this would accentuate my articulation,you certainly can\t look like Wolverine and speak like Joel Osteen.
I heard my well constructed introduction barely mouthed inaudibly by the TM of the day and I knew I was off on a wrong a foot.
I stood up with all the courage I could master and walked gallantly to the lectern.
As I stood there head and shoulders upright clearing my throat,I could see straight into the eyes of my audience and could tell that they all had a ravenous hunger to hear and listen to exactly what I was about to say.They seemed glued to their seats and this is what I told them.....,