Page 38 - June 2020

FIELD NOTES

Irish top hat off to all the teams that said “Yes friends are doing the same thing. We are also
We Can” in their stupendous effort in putting helping Mother Earth by vastly reducing our
everything together. I especially want to single carbon footprint as we travel.
out Master of Ceremonies Sonia Araujo, who not From the bottom of my heart, I thank

only introduced each segment of the Conference Florian Bay, DTM, and his team headed by
over the two days, she had to be her own Diana Robertson, with many other doers who
camerawoman, tech assistant, and sometimes worked so hard to allow over 800 attendees for

change the script on the fly because she was the low price of £10 pounds ($12.36 USD). It will
in lockdown. Sonja did her role masterfully cost you more than that to go to a movie and
from her own living room, or was that a virtual have buttered popcorn and a huge drink after
background? the Covid Crisis is over. Feel free to visit their
Just imagine over a hundred people working webpage where Florian Bay DTM and all the

together on a project where they could not get District 91 Toastmasters Team will be sharing
together to have in-person team meetings. their stories of this historic event.
Their choice of the Zoom platform showed its District 91 has set a high bar for any

power as a low budget production tool. It was organization on how to put on a 100% Online
managed by relative amateurs who showed Conference of over 500 people—all in their own
their professionalism in going live to hundreds homes and from around the world.
of cooped up people tuning in
from around the world.

I look forward to more 100%
Online events, as I have passed
another milestone in my life.

Travel becomes more arduous
for an octogenarian, not to
mention the high cost of travel
insurance. When life returns to
another normal my love of travel

will have to be in the cloud from
the comfort of my cushy office
chair.

And another beauty of Zoom
is using virtual green screens to
be in any place you want to be. I use my own Brian joined Toastmasters in 1995. He is an
pictures taken over the years, and can now share entrepreneur, author, public speaker, and innovative
the beaches, parks, and castles I have been to as thinker. Article originally published on LinkedIn.

my screen background. My new-found online Reprinted with permission.

38 ONE COMMUNITY