Breaking the Ice

Toastmaster of the day, fellow toastmasters and distinguished guest, my name is Priscilla Dias and I am here to deliver my icebreaker speech... This is how I would have introduced myself 7 years ago when i first joined Kuwait Challengers Club as a toastmaster.  I was naive. Besides I thought that was the only way to introduce ones self.

Let me try it again... "46 years ago a little girl was born, that was me". This was the opening statement of my second icebreaker speech. what?????.... back then I thought it was an innovative way to introduce myself. 

Years later delivering my 4th icebreaker speech. here we go.

When you talk, you are repeating what you know, but when you listen you may learn something new. Dalai Lama.

 

So I asked my daughter.  “Kookie who am I”  

Perplexed she replied “Mom. 

Let me tell she is a women of few words, and so I said,   

“Ok dear describe me”.   

“oh say so, hmmm you are social” 

Social??   

Mom, I mean you are friendly. 

Oh Ok, go on.   

“hmmm Confident” 

really??

“opinionated”       

Opinionated??? How is that??  

You stand for what you believe in.

Oh I see,, thanks baby”

 

Contest Master, Ladies & Gentlemen you see I am social, confident and an opinionated Mom, you just learnt something new about me.  

 

I did this exercise to script my icebreaker speech. Fascinated I asked my better half.  Love, who am I?  Hmmm… what kind of a question is that?  Suspicious of where I was heading. If he said something good I would backfire saying “oh you are simply saying it to make me happy, you don’t mean it.”  And if he says something unpleasant about me then, all hell will break loose…..

Just answer me…. Who am I?

With a smirky smile he said “you are my father’s half-sister’s granddaughter”. 

Note it down, He said, “you are my father’s half-sister’s granddaughter” Yes my husband is my dad’s cousin and our children are my second cousins.  Its complicated, but for now you just need to know that I am not just my husband’s wife but his niece too. A truly vivifying fact of my life.

 

Mother’s always speak the truth, agree? I called my mom and said; “Mom, I am going to ask you a question and I want a straight answer”. Mom who am I?.  Mom poor mom, said, Baby why are you asking this question? I hope all is ok, Did something happen between you and your husband? 

Mama… all is fine I just need your answer to put it in my speech.

I hear from the other end.  "you are your toastmaster speeches". Don’t you ever do that to me again. After composing herself, Mom answers, “You are my obedient daughter, thoughtful of others. Always putting others needs before your own.  And then giving credit to herself she said, “You are respectful, like me”.    

See I told you mother’s always speak the truth, they will never let you down.

Liked how this was going so I thought I would ask my mother in law.. But then you know mothers in law… they will not have anything nice so I let go... but I have heard my mother in law say that I am the best daughter in law, or may be I just think I am the best.  That made up for my icebreaker speech for which I won the best speaker award.

 

Ecstatic, I posted  this question on my Facebook page and voila the comments kept pouring in not just on Facebook but friends called to tell me who they thought I was, apart from being and opinionated mom, my husband’s niece, and my mom’s  respectful daughter, I was labelled, boring, bashful, boastful,  annoying, soft-spoken, warm hearted, gracious host, profound and beautiful, a good writer, a talented cake artist, a classmate, a stately lady, and no nonsense woman, living a double life.  

Ouch, I’m alive, that sounded like I was at my funeral? Nobody says such nice things when you are alive. But my friends and family did, I am glad I asked the question.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, don’t wait for friends and family to tell you who you were after you die, you will anyways not know. But, go out and ask this question “Who am I” and listen for you may learn something new about yourself.   Remember the question is “Who am I?”

Need I say more? If not for this first project/speech in Level 1 of  Pathways, the toastmasters education program,  that this project is repeated in all paths, I would not have had the opportunity to fine tune my introduction, my icebreaker speech.  Fellow toastmasters i know what you are saying, "there is still room for improvement". I am all ears, comment below your feedback on my icebreaker speech and I will take it up in my next speech. 

Fellow toastmasters and guest reading this post, this is my humble attempt blogging my toastmasters journey. In the months to come, i will share my experiences being a toastmaster and what toastmasters has to offer and how toastmasters can transform you. 

The next time you are asked, "tell us something about you" at an interview, or you simple walk into a room  and all eyes fixed on you are screaming Who are you?  you will think, "TOASTMASTERS".

Join me at Kuwait Challengers Club, a part of Toastmasters International, a non-profit organization that builds confidence and teaches public speaking skills through a worldwide network of clubs that meet online or in person. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month from 6 pm to 8 pm (GMT+3) in Kuwait City and online via zoom.