Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Toastmasters and distinguished guests, I want to take you on a journey to Uppsala, Sweden—a place known neither for its sandy beaches or being a sun destination. So why did I choose to venture there during my summer holidays? The answer lies in my pursuit of personal and professional growth.

You see, I traveled to Uppsala to attend a European Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, which took place at the renowned university. While I had been to conventions before, this time I had the opportunity to be a programme participant—a role that would enrich my Toastmasters journey.

Allow me to share with you some of the remarkable experiences and insights I gained during this convention.

At the convention I had the privilege to be a moderator for the captivating topic of magical traditions around the world. As the moderator, I prepared by conducting research on the subject and reaching out to the panelists beforehand to establish a connection and understand their perspectives.

The day- arrived—Friday, the 9th of July—the day I would moderate for the first time. The anticipation of meeting the panelists in the Green Room was exhilarating, as it allowed me to put faces to the names and provide them with a glimpse of what I intended to discuss during the panel. Sitting in a lecture-style room within the university, we donned our headsets, ensuring clear communication with the audience. Glancing around the room, a hint of apprehension tinged my excitement.

Taking a deep breath, I introduced myself, the topic, and the esteemed panelists. A subject as expansive as magical traditions in the world required careful selection, so I decided to focus the conversation on the represented countries: Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, and Ghana. Engaging the panelists, I posed questions about the differences and similarities they had encountered within their respective cultures. At times, my words faltered, but a single response from a panelist would reignite my thoughts and propel the conversation forward, delving into the enchanting realms of fairy tales, myths, and folklore. As the panel progressed, I seized the opportunity to involve the audience, whose participation added depth to the discussion. Surprisingly, time slipped away, and before I knew it, our session had come to a close. Expressing my gratitude, I thanked everyone for their involvement.

The feedback I received afterward was encouraging. Colleagues and attendees congratulated me on successfully moderating my first panel. Taking note of their suggestions, I welcomed their advice for future improvement—a testament to my commitment to growth.

Beyond moderating, I also participated as a panelist in another engaging session: “Cats in Literature.” It became evident that approximately 90% of science fiction fans are cat people, as evidenced by the larger audience size. Guided by a moderator from Greece, who generously volunteers at a cat shelter, I found myself alongside two fellow panelists. One hailed from Iceland and ingeniously incorporated cats as characters in her stories (though they have yet to be translated into English), while the other, a knowledgeable individual from Sweden, worked in a library—a fount of wisdom on all things feline.

Compared to my earlier moderation role, I felt more at ease during this panel. Adjusting to speaking into a microphone, rather than wearing a headset, took some getting used to. We began by sharing our encounters with memorable literary cats, such as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, Greebo from Terry Pratchett’s books, and feline figures from works by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Jim Butcher. The consensus among the panelists was that cats serve as versatile tools for authors, aiding the progression of stories—be it through their magic, mystique, cunning, or sheer malevolence. Their presence can become integral to the tales we read, I’m sure that if you think about it some more you will think of other cats in stories.

Participating in the convention’s programme filled me with newfound confidence, enabling me to engage actively and enjoy the weekend’s festivities. I anticipate such opportunities becoming a regular occurrence, providing me with the confidence to take on various roles within Toastmasters. As a moderator, I sharpen my skills as an active listener—a valuable asset for roles like the grammarian or ah-counter. The process of researching topics and crafting questions will also lend itself well to the role of topicmaster. With this harmonious convergence of my Toastmasters journey and convention experiences, I envision a promising path ahead, brimming with personal growth and fulfillment.

In conclusion, dear Toastmasters and guests, being a programme participant at the convention served as a catalyst for my personal and professional development. It bestowed upon me the courage to seize opportunities, expand my skill set, and relish the joy of both learning and sharing. I look forward to continuing this enriching journey, embracing Toastmasters’ transformative potential while cherishing the excitement and camaraderie that conventions like these offer.

Good evening fellow toastmasters & guests. 

For 16 years I was an Irish Girl Guide Leader and over that time I have run a lot of campfire sessions with Brownies, Guides, Senior Branch and Leaders.  We all know that campfires are an essential part of camping trips. They are a place where we can gather around, enjoy the warmth of the fire, and tell stories. But, what many people don’t realize is that campfires are also the perfect place to sing songs.

Singing around a campfire is not only fun, but it also has many benefits. Singing together can bring people closer together, create a sense of community, and provide a sense of relaxation and stress relief.

Tonight I am going to give you a small introduction on some ideal campfire songs. This is an Audience participation session and I encourage everyone to take part. It is not hard and you won’t need handouts as the songs are ‘‘repeat after me’ songs. This means I will sing a line and you repeat it. 

Once you have your group settled It is time to start your singing, it is important to pick a fun song that the group will enjoy and also an easy one to follow.  Listen to me sing a line and then repeat. 

(start singing)

I said Boom

I said Boom chicka Boom

I said Boom chicka rocka chicka rocka chicka boom

Woah 

Yeah

One more time now, this time a little quieter

(repeat with a whisper)

…

One more time now this time a little louder

(repeat Louder)

End no more times now.

That is a nice warm up song, to keep your group entertained, introduce an Action Song

For this song I will sing a line with actions, please repeat and do your best with the action

We are going to sing the same verse twice, once with the repeat after me and the second time all together 

(singing) 

Swimming, swimming, in a swimming pool

Some days are hot, some days are cold

In a swimming pool.

Breaststroke, sidestroke, fancy diving too

Don’t you wish that you had nothing else to do, but

(repeat once more)

After you have gone through one or two more action or lively songs your group needs to start winding down and getting a little calmer for heading off to bed. 

For the end of a campfire it is nice to select a Quiet song , I have selected one of my favourites to teach you. 

Norwegian Echo

We have campfired here

By the deep blue sea

And the slender trees

On a lonesome isle

All that we hold dear

In the north and south

Can be seen so clear

in the golden glow

As the sun goes down

Everything is still

Then our camp-fire song

Echoes o’er the hill.

We have campfired here,

By the deep deep fjord.

And the slender trees,

On Norwegian soil.

This is only a small idea of different songs that can be sung at a campfire, the format is always start off with a fun song that is easy to do, then there would be 2 or more action songs and then about 1 or 2 quiet songs depending on the group size and time of the night. It is important to prep before hosting a campfire and have a running order of what songs you will do. 

Our Campfire has come to an end,  thank you for your time and participation. If anyone is interested in the songs we just learned I do have printouts. If you want to take one, please ask me at the break.

One of my many hobbies is traveling. My recent travels brought me to the windy city of Chicago.

Dear Mr/ Madam Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters and welcomed Guests, the reason for traveling to this city was to attend the 80th World Science Fiction Convention also known as Worldcon.

Worldcon is an annual international gathering of Science fiction and fantasy fans, it was first held in New York in 1939 with roughly 200 attendees. It is the longest running Science fiction convention in the world. Over the span of 80 years some of the guests of honors have included Ursula Le Guin, Issac Asimov & Terry Pratchett to name but a few.

You don’t just buy a ticket to Worldcon, you buy a membership to attend or support a Worldcon. The membership gives you voting rights in the Hugo Awards and also to select the City that will host the convention in two years.

The Hugo Awards are nominations for Science Fiction & Fantasy books and a long list of other categories that you can vote in when you are a member. There is normally a Hugo voters packet that is sent out to members, the voters packet can contain books, artwork or samples from the Authors who are nominated.

In 2014 the Hugo Voters Packet I received had the full set of the Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan as the whole series was nominated. Unfortunately it was not successful in winning the award that year but I got to keep the books. Another big part of worldcon is hosting a Hugo Awards Ceremony which is a fancy event for all involved and is streamed on youtube. The winners collect a rocket shaped award which is designed locally each year.

Worldcon visits a new city around the globe each year and is organized by a different group of dedicated volunteers who participate in a bidding process to bring Worldcon to their city. This year’s Worldcon was in Chicago, the name of the convention was called Chicon 8 as it was their 8th time to host Worldcon.

On my first day at Chicon 8, I headed to the Registration Desk to pick up my badge. All members get a badge which makes it easy to remember people’s names. I volunteered at this year’s convention. I found my way to the Operations office to introduce myself and find my schedule and what exactly I will be doing. This role involved strolling around the convention with a high -vis jacket on and a radio to help out members especially with directions as the hotel was a bit of a maze. I like volunteering with the conventions as it’s a lot of fun and a good way of meeting new people.

Worldcon is run by fans for fans, it is solely run by volunteers from all over the world. I was part of the group that brought Worldcon to Dublin in 2019. It was held in the convention Center in Dublin city. It was a big deal for the group as it was the very first time it was held in Ireland. One of the Guests of Honor was Nobel Prize Winner & Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

I got to meet Irish Writer John Connolly at the convention, I’m a big fan and had a bit of a starstruck moment. He was very nice about it and gave me some postcards for his new book.

It is a tradition to pick up Ribbons from fan tables, some people get very competitive on their ribbon collection to see who can make the longest trail, as you can see from my badges I only like a small amount. But they are colorful, funny and they help to keep your badge from turning around. I love traveling to other countries for conventions for all of these reasons and more. It is a great way to visit a country, do some sightseeing and meet lots of Authors that I admire. I always come back with good memories and a long list of book recommendations.

I have attended Worldcon in London in 2014, Helsinki in 2017 but when the pandemic hit it scuppered my plans to Travel to New Zealand in 2020. Thankfully the organizers pulled together and held the very first Virtual Worldcon called Conzealand. In December 2021 the Washington DC Worldcon had their first hybrid convention, where a member could attend virtually or in person.

Going forward all the committees that are in the bidding process have started adding virtual items to their program to allow members to join from their own home. This is a new change for the science fiction community and will bring more fans together. It is very exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing what the group for Worldcon in Glasgow 2024 do for their hybrid programme.

There is so much more to a worldcon than the small amount that I have touched on , I would encourage anyone to consider attending one in the future, maybe in Glasgow 2024 or even Dublin in 2029. If you would like to learn more about Worldcon please see me at the break and we can chat some more.

Completed in May 2022

Good evening fellow toastmasters and guests, the title of my speech is 

Icebreaker or monologue?

The definition for Icebreaker is 

1. a ship designed for breaking a channel through ice 

2. Something that serves to relieve inhibitions or tension between people.

The definition for Monologue is a long, tedious speech by one person .

For this evening my speech is definitely the second definition of an icebreaker and whether it is a monologue can be decided at the end.

I have taken part in different types of icebreakers at company training days, they are used as a way to get the employees into a good mood ahead of whatever training session is being done.

I have also used icebreaker games myself as a guide leader to help new girls that have joined to help them feel less self-conscious and also to have a bit of fun.  The best one was to say one word to describe yourself using the letter of your name. For example, I would be Gracious Gwen.

A lot of Science fiction conventions I attend have an icebreaker session for new members who have no idea what is going on and might be nervous, shy or just enjoy meeting new people. I have taken part and it usually involves having a sticky note on your forehead with a famous name and playing the game, who am I, where the other players try to describe the person on the sticky note and you guess who it is.

For this particular icebreaker I have decided to tell you a bit about myself and why my accent can cause confusion about what county I’m from. I’m going to use these lovely coloured socks to help me as a visual aid. 

To start off I have blue & navy socks to represent Dublin as I was born in Dublin and I lived there for the majority of my youth. I think the confusion started early as my mother is a dub but my father is a limerick man and we spent a lot of time going to limerick to visit family and i was raised on Limerick Hurling.

The kids in school would be confused about where I spent my summers as I was in Hospital with my grandparents and I didn’t know why they were confused because that’s where they lived in a small town called hospital. We spent a lot of time in the car driving through small towns to get to Hospital . I loved it and enjoyed seeing all the different places especially at xmas time. 

When I was 18 I stayed in Cork with my sister and I met a nice fella , we dated for a while and when we were 21 we moved to Limerick city.  (hold the green & white socks) Living in Limerick city is very different from the small towns of Limerick so we didn’t stay there that long, a year at most. 

Myself and the Cork fella decided to move to Cobh Co Cork. It’s a beautiful town by the sea  made famous by some large ship that docked there once. (hold the red & white socks)

I spent all of my twenties there having a bit of craic and enjoying it immensely. I learnt to drive on the lovely hills and began my own adventures of driving to Dublin & Galway to visit family, something I definitely inherited from my dad. During that time myself and the cork fella went our separate ways, it’s just how it goes sometimes. 

When I was 30 I went to Galway to visit my other Sister and I met a nice Galway fella. After a year of dating I decided to chance it all and I moved to the nice town of Athenry. (maroon & white socks). Myself and the nice Galway fella are married twelve years now. 

I started working in Chanelle in Loughrea, not a bad town to work in and commute to daily.  It was where I learnt about the toastmasters club when it first opened. I came as a guest once and then I got a job in Galway city and lots of stuff stopped me from getting to a second meeting.. Finally a good while later I managed to come back as a guest for my second meeting and then made a great decision to join up.

As for the county socks I’m not planning on picking up anymore. I think I have enough to try and keep paired. Maroon is definitely my favorite colour. 

I will end my speech there and let you decide if it was a monologue or an icebreaker?

Thank you