• Use voice volume, pitch, rate and quality to reflect and add meaning and interest to your message
• Use pauses to enhance your message
• Use vocal variety smoothly and naturally.
Time: Five to seven minutes
References:
Baba's (Dr. Anil Awachat) Origami teachings
Valuable tips from my husband (Prashant Kulkarni)
National Geographic - Oct 2009
Here goes my written speech:
Introduction to Origami
So …Mr. Toastmaster, Fellow Toastmasters and Most Welcome Guests. As you must have guessed, today is going to be all about this wonderful art of folding paper. I will share with you today my experience with an Origami Artist, peoples’ perception about this art and what are the real world applications of this art.
Couple weeks ago I had an opportunity to meet an Origami Artist. [while saying all the following, go round the table keeping origami models] And yes, for the last 30 years he has been folding and creasing papers and creating amazing designs, animals and you name it! He told me that paper was first invented in China. The Chinese had developed few paper folding techniques. In those days, the rich and Royal people of Japan started using paper. As Japan started making their own paper, it became available to the common man in Japan. At this time, the art of folding blossomed. Thus Origami became part of the daily rituals in Japan. As he told us these stories, he created these designs. Look at this horse with the Rider – all from a single piece of paper. Check this out – a crab, insects are supposed to be the most complex to fold in origami. I was amazed just looking at him and at the rate he was folding the paper. The papers were different colors. Mostly everything started out with a piece of square paper. See this Santa Claus, this paper was red on one side and white on the other – see the expertise of folding that the white side of the paper appears in the relevant places on the beard etc. The most simplest was the propeller I showed you – [unfold and show how its done]. Everyone in my office liked this the best.
As I was showing off some of these toys in my office, mostly everyone around was truly enjoying my experience, having fun. There were also couple others who thought – as an art, it is good, sure you can impress people around. But they said, you could decorate and spend some constructive time by learning to do Origami. But what next? Where is it used? I did not have an answer that very moment.
What a coincidence! that same night, as I was browsing the National Geographic magazine for this month, I found an article about Origami. It was all about the applications of Origami. So to say, folding things is very common, I am sure you will agree that the most basic application is an Umbrella. But the world has gone much beyond that: An Origami Artist says that folding an airbag in the form of an insect is the most optimum way an airbag can be fitted into the dashboard or steering of the car. Japanese scientists hope to launch Origami planes made of sugarcane fiber paper from International space station. If the planes slow fall and protective coating keep them from burning up in the atmosphere, they might inspire new spacecraft designs! Plastic space telescopic lens – the size of a football field when unfolded. Careful creasing will allow it to be folded into the launch satellite. In the field of medicine, a new stent graft is designed that can be inserted into the artery using a catheter. Once inside the artery, it is unfolded so that the artery is unblocked (or expanded). They hope to use this on humans by the year 2012.
So friends, see how Origami started out simply as an act of folding plain piece of paper – mostly need based such as envelopes etc. Later it blossomed as an art in Japan. And now it has no more remained a mere art for entertaining and amusing people. The modern age has used extreme origami in the field of Automotive design, Space technologies and Medicine.
All said and done, I like this simple propeller [throw], see how it brings about a smile on someone’s face !!
:))
[Back to Mr. Toastmaster]
