The International President of Toastmasters, Richard Peck, DTM, commended Toastmasters in Malawi and across the globe for their resilience against the Covid-19 attack by embracing the power of virtual meetings. Peck observed that Toastmasters around the world are impacting lives by focusing on the opportunities of staying connected to one another virtually rather than being overwhelmed by challenges brought about by the virus.

“At a time we needed to be apart, it was never a greater time we needed to be together. How many of you would have thought that you could change the world in a matter of hours? None of us! However, having this type of communication – this two by 1 inch box we are living, we are sharing cultures with people we would have never ever had the opportunity to experience them with,” he said.

Peck was speaking at meeting number 302 of Eloquent Toastmasters Club in Malawi held through Zoom on Thursday, 21st January, 2021. Over 90 participants attended the meeting which was held under the theme “Malawi: The Warm Heart of Africa”.

While appreciating the warm heartedness of Malawi as displayed through the meeting, Peck called for Toastmasters to change the world. “As Toastmasters we change the world every time we give a speech but its not the world at large we change. It’s a world of one member at a time and that member goes to change someone else’s life,” he said while calling for more understanding and co-existence in the world.

“The world has got smaller not physically but the distance between us has got smaller, the difference between us has gotten less. The more we interact and the more we learn about each other, the more time we share with each other, the more likely we are to understand and get along with each other,” he said.

Peck’s attendance to Eloquent Toastmasters meeting is part of the 2020-2021 International President Virtual World Tour to personally connect with as many members throughout the organization as possible.

Eloquent Toastmasters Club is one of the four clubs in Malawi based in the commercial city of Blantyre and meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 18:00 hours.

Steven Kapoloma

President Eloquent Club, Malawi

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