First Rotary Speech (and in Spanish!)

I gave my first Rotary speech today to my host club, Club Cuscatlán, my first ever public speech done entirely in Spanish.  Unfortunately I neglected to ask anyone to take pictures during my speech and PowerPoint presentation, but I can report that it went well.  The approximately 40 minutes of speaking and questions went smoothly and won praise from the (albeit unconditionally supportive) audience of about 20 members.  I focused my speech on four topics: a brief history of Connecticut, Hamden and New Haven; an introduction to the Hamden Rotary Club and their projects in Hamden, CT and around the world; an overview of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Program, accompanied by a strong pitch for the Cuscatlán Club to sponsor local students; and finally an overview of social entrepreneurship and the impact organizations like VisionSpring are having in El Salvador and around the world.  


There were some times when I found myself reading my notes a bit – something I try hard to avoid when public speaking – but overall I was pleased with the performance.  I am already working on revisions and improvements before my second speech next week.  I have already scheduled five more speeches to other Rotary clubs in San Salvador and Santa Ana, and am in the process of scheduling speeches at local universities in order to promote the Rotary Scholarship Programs.