The Speech on the Boat. 26 June 2011

              Dear Ladies and Gentlemen
When Jarda Sladek announced a tall tale speech contest on the boat I was not sure if I would like to participate. I said to myself:  ”You are sixty, a serious man, a newly elected VPPR and exaggerating and fantasizing, making up stories, no.”
 And then I heard: ”Successful people do what unsuccessful won’t do…” So I decided:”I must speak!”

           Hi I’m George Rusky and here’s my true story.
Last Wednesday evening I was on my way to Deivicka by metro to take part in our regular toastmasters meeting.
I changed the line on Mustek and waited for the train when I saw an unusually strange group of men and women wearing one stile t-shirts and all carrying identical bags. On both shirts and bags I read: “Toastmasters International.”
They were eating toastmasters sandwiches of Commendation, recommendation and encouragement and practicing toasts having glasses in their hands
“Oh, oh,…”
        The train arrived and not wanting to stay off-board I went with the flow. In 10 minutes I heard this announcement: “Dear Ladies and gentlemen, you have arrived at the final station Deivicka. Please exit the train. Attention for the contestants of Prague speakers TM club. You ‘ll be met at the upper platform by DTM Mr Ruzicka”
“What the heck is going n?” I kept on asking myself. A young man with a smile of the size I have never seen before or after was dancing next to me. I immediately recognized him as my compatriot.
“What’s going on here?,” I asked.
“You don’t know brother, read ziz” He gave me yesterday’s Lidove Noviny where I read:
”One Membership seat at Prague Toastmasters. Run!”
“You see, brother, I want to win this membershit”
        I was just about to correct his mistake, when he went on: ”I hired one of the best Prague speakers DTM jarda Sladec who mentored me for one month. They have no chances because I have ziz powerful ice breaking visual aids: Russian vodka, Kalashnikov and Balalaika! Wiz zis I will break any ice!”  
        I felt like perhaps Alice felt in the Wonderland.
But most exciting was the podium,the stage prepared for the contest on the square next to the station: a huge table on which were sitting DTM Sarma Gintere, the author of the project, DTM Hana Masoupostova, an Ah-oh Expert and the veteran of the club DTM Piter Pelchip.
All was ready for the contest.
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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen
very often we take all modern wonders of human progress around us for granted, forgetting that once they all were born in somebody’s mind and imagination.It’s our time to imagine, that one day people will queue and fight for the membership of our TM clubs more fiercely than for the appointments with local dentists.”
Imagine also that we live in the society where all grow in supportive and positive living environment”
Now, let me ask you a question: “Do you want it to happen?”???  Do you really believe it?”
Napoleon Hill once wrote: “Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”
 “Achieving the greatness together, fulfilling your dreams!” is the motto of District 59.

Dear fellow toastmasters,
Let’s turn tall tales into real stories!