Toastmaster's Speech #5 Internal Weather Forecast

Toastmaster’s Speech #5 – Internal Weather Forecast
Your Body Speaks (Objectives: use stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact to express your message and achieve speech’s purpose.)


Thank you Kary. Fellow Toastmasters and guests.

I’ve been told that I am a pessimist. One definition of pessimist is a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy. I definitely see myself in the first part of the definition: I do typically see the worst case scenario for most situations. EXAMPLE: My department is developing a new document management system. I immediately think: “What if this new system is slower than the previous one? What if the data gets corrupted during conversion?”

I rationalize this approach to life by saying I have to be able to anticipate the worst in order to prepare for it. EXAMPLE: Helps to proactively identify ways to ensure speed of the new system and prevent data loss. I think of myself as a problem solver, and the first step in problem solving is to be able to see problems. I guess I’m constantly in search of a problem that needs fixing. So in that regard I convince myself that being a pessimist – anticipating the worst – is quite useful!

But what about that second part of the definition: the tendency to be gloomy. The word gloomy reminds me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Being gloomy seems droopy, quite ho-hum, with a dark rain cloud overhead all day. Whoa! I don’t want to be like that!! I can’t think of a way to rationalize “gloomy” as a useful trait at all. I don’t want to spend the day under a rain cloud; I want to bask in the sunshine!

I want to have and project a positive attitude. Each morning I have the option to choose my own internal weather: Cloudy or Sunny. Let’s use Eeyore and Pooh as an example: Pooh approaches Eeyore with a cheerful, “good morning!” Eeyore replies, “Good morning, Pooh Bear. If it is a good morning, which I doubt.” A variation that I catch myself saying in response to “Good morning” is “Yeah, it’s alright for a Monday.” If I choose sunny attitude, I can respond very simply “Good morning, Anna.” And the dark clouds begin to lighten up.

Gloomy people often distrust others. Here’s another Eeyore quote: “Nobody tells me. Nobody keeps me informed.” I hear this one a lot, how about you? I may even say this from time to time. I’d rather give people a chance. If I choose to trust people, instead of assuming they are withholding information, I may find that they are just very busy. I can reach out and become informed. Give information and ask questions. When I am proactive and trusting a few more clouds drift away.

It takes effort to choose a positive attitude and refrain from complaining, but it is worth the effort. As Eeyore also said: “A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.”

Can I retain the ability to identify potential problems and still maintain a positive attitude? I say YES. I will embrace the ability to see problems clearly, and choose not to be gloomy. So am I really a pessimist then if I choose sunshine over rain clouds? Nope. I think my internal weather forecast is “Mostly Sunny” with slight chance of isolated showers.