Good afternoon my fellow toastmaster & guests, I am Nikita Gupta delivering my Project 1

level 2 speech, (pause) the topic for my speech is the “The butterfly effect” (Pause)

The term butterfly effect was coined by Edward Lorenz more than 45 years back, (small
pause) and the popular idea around the term explains us how small insignificant events can
lead to significant and at times catastrophic results over time.

Mirroring the same in terms of human behaviour there are various small actions we repeat
over and over which results or can result in severe consequences.

Something as simple like, how do we treat people on a regular basis? (Pause)

By people I don’t just mean, people you know or are associated with but people who work
for you, who you hire or for that matter even strangers.

Do we treat them well? (Pause)

Let me ask you something, you don’t have to answer out loud, you can just think of it in
your head for the benefit of this discussion.

Take a moment and recall have you ever shouted or been rude to your uber driver? (Pause)
At customer service executive? To a store owner? (Pause)

If that’s a yes? was the tone of voice and volume of your speech justified? would you be
willing to talk about it in group of people much as this one freely without amending the
situation for your benefit?

Just think about it. (Pause)

I am not suggesting that we as human beings are all bad, I know a lot of us do make a point
to offer water to the delivery person, we do we give our seat in a metro or bus to an elderly
person or a person in need and a mostly we are nice to our uber driver as well.

However the question still remains, do we also treat them equally? Are we making sure we
are not treating them as inferior? (Small pause)

See When we treat People equally the question of supressing and instances of us shouting
at our uber driver/ our maid do not come in the picture.

So, How are we doing this differently in that area? Or are we even try to do things
differently? (Pause)

My mother for instance with her small action has taught me how I can do things differently.
My mother has this rule in our house, the two maids who come to our house to help out
with cleaning, sit with us in the dining table and have tea or breakfast. Whereas in some
houses for them to even use same crockery as the house owners is considered a taboo.
So, whenever I go home I have habit of making breakfast, and I make for them as well and
we all sit together and eat.

For my mom this is as mundane as it can be, but how many of I personally believe it’s rare Is
it rare, or does this happen everywhere

Why is it that uncommon? (Pause)

Could it be that we are unable to come out of societal norms and restrictions that have been
going around since ages? Or are we choosing not question such norms?

When we say we treat people well, ask yourself do you treat them as equal as well? If you
can’t answer the latter honestly then maybe it is time you questioned the norms of society
and the unsaid rules which we blindly follow.

As easy it seems to ignore such small actions, a difference can result in how we look at the
whole community and how we treat each other.

As Edward Lorenz once said “A butterfly flapping it wings in brazil in the right place and
right time can a cause a tornado in Texas.” With our actions we should make sure to make a
ripple effect of positivity whenever we can.