Reflections on the speaking life and human interaction
Go directly to this website and view the video. it’s four minutes and 28 seconds long and you will not be able to view it only once
This is the antidote to all bad news. It trumps the economic debacle. It will make your heart sing. thanks to Matthew Harding (and a cast of thousands) who took 14 months and visited 42 countries to create this simple masterpiece. It is exactly what the world needs now.
Go here and rejoice!! http://vimeo.com/1211060?pg=embed&sec=1211060
Last night at First Oakville Toastmasters, the chair who is a very competent Toastmasters one of my best friends in this international speaking organization, totally lost control of the business meeting.
How so? As the business meeting was coming to a close, the chair decided to end the debate. I challenged the decision of the chair but the chair pushed forward with his agenda.
And that’s when all heck broke loose.
Myself and several senior members demonstrated our displeasure by banging on the tables. The chair called for his parliamentarian’s report and I rose again to challenge the decision and I urged my fellow members to also resist this attempt to control the agenda. A demonstration broke out.
Finally the chair asked his parliamentarian for his advice on what to do. The parliamentarian laid out the chair’s options but did not put the dots quite close enough and the chair attempted to proceed. Again voices were raised in protest. It was at that moment that the parliamentarian suggested that the chair deal with my objection to the decision of the chair.
While the senior members of the club agreed with me, the less seasoned Toastmasters out voted us and the business session was concluded with no further outbursts.
So what’s my point?
It’s this: parliamentary procedure goes back to the days of King John and his rebellious barons who forced the king to agree to many of the democratic processes we use today to run meetings, councils and governments.
If any assemble allows one member to control its agenda then democracy will fall to power of the tyrant. (Not that I’m calling the chair’s behaviour tyrannical but it serves to illustrate my point.)
It was both our right and obligation to resist the chair’s attempt to exercise control over the assembly. This is at the heart of democratic process. And, yes it’s messy and yes it’s loud but the alternative is rule by kings and shook that off in this country many years ago.
All in all, it was a great night. Oh yes, the three speeches were equally wonderful.
