AIA TMC, NFNF, 25th July 2019

On the 25^th July 2019, AIA Toastmasters Club held its first NFNF meeting of the new term.  Since it was the first meeting of the new ExCo, we took the opportunity to gather feedback from members, and potential members on what they would like from the Toastmasters programme.  Prior to this, as Vice-President, Education, I reached out to every single member of the club, and past members to understand their needs, their expectations, and their challenges.  The breakout was a culmination of this.

The appointment role holders were as follows:

Language Evaluator: Margrette Lo Foong Quan;

Timer: Joy Chow Jie Lin;

Creative Director: David Seragih;

Ah Counter: Stephen Hoon Wee Jin;

Sergeant-at-Arms: Chermayne Tng; and

Toastmaster of the Day: Ivan Lee Kuan Seng.

Jack Sia Cheong Ghee, in his opening address, emphasised the need for member retention, and to build on all that we have achieved, as a club.  He also spoke about the Installation, and how we should strive for perfection, and improve.

We had three icebreakers, as is our practise for the NFNF.  We use the NFNF to give newer speakers a chance to improve themselves before they speak at the chapter meeting, which is open to visiting Toastmasters and guests.  We like to gently introduce them to public speaking.

Soh Yi Kai gave his inaugural speech.  He spoke about loss.  He told us about the loss of his mother, when he was one.  He was too young to feel it, but he saw its effects on his father, and spent years trying to feel that pain, and understand.  He spoke of being a young adult, wishing for his mother, when people celebrated Mother’s Day, for example.  He spoke about understanding the loss of his clients, since insurance is an industry where we deal with loss: death, disability, illness …  To him, he is a Financial Services Consultant to help others, and in the process, help him.

Gordon Yeo Xin Le gave his first speech.  His speech was titled, “Looking for Trouble”.  He gave a humorous account about how he liked looking for trouble when he was young.  It was not malicious or malevolent.  It was his curiosity, his need to know, to try, and to ultimately face the consequences of his actions.  However, as he grew, he learned, he matured, and he began to find his place.  Ultimately, this is where it lead in terms of his career choice.

Eric Tan Shi Wei gave his icebreaker on his new Pathway.  He has already completed two, becoming the first Toastmaster in District 80 to do so.  We had a speaker pull-out due to work considerations, and Eric Tan Shi Wei stepped in, and gave a rousing speech, off the cuff.  He began by introducing himself, and segued into the lessons we can all take from this, and improve ourselves.  If he were not a financial consultant, he could have been a natural preacher, with his skills.

After the evaluations, we had the planned break-out session.  The attendees formed groups to address three questions:

1. “Why did you join AIA Toastmasters?”

2. “What do you hope to achieve in this term?”

3. “How can we, as a club, help you achieve this?”

We gave the groups time to discuss, and then nominate one member to speak for each question.  The feedback was insightful, and we look to consider them, as we advance into the new term.

Best Speaker: Soh Yi Kai; and

Best Evaluator: Gerald Yong Kim Heong.

Icebreaker Speakers: Soh Yi Kai Soh, Gordon Yeo Xin Le, and Chermayne Tng.

There was no table topics segment.

The meeting then ended with a summary by the president, Jack Sia Cheong Ghee.  Immediately after, we had the After-Action Review of the Installation, which was chaired by Margrette Lo Foong Quan.