Jurong Green English TMC as Project Evaluator, 23rd August 2019

On the 23^rd August 2019, I was at Jurong Green English Toastmasters Club, as project evaluator.  This was my 41^st club visit on the 54^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The Toastmaster of the Day was Tan Chor Wui.  The timer was Suganyabarani Napoleon.  The ah counter was Ong Yi Ling.  The table topics master was Tan Jia Yi.

In his opening address, the president, Owen Ter, emphasised the need to have a compelling narrative when giving a speech, because people remember stories, not data.

Gordon Liu spoke about growing up in Chongqing, China, which is sometimes called the spicy food capital of China, but he does not eat spicy food.  He told us about how he came to Singapore, and the challenges he had adapting to the culture, and learning English.

Chin Kok Leong gave a speech, detailing his take on the art of selling one’s ideas, and why it is important to be able to convince others.  This is why he joined Toastmasters, so that he could put these ideas into practice, and refine them.

Arun Prasanth spoke about the history of Indians in Singapore, from the pre-colonial period, the colonial period, the post-colonial period, and after independence.  He gave a tour de force of some Indian pioneers, and their contribution to Singapore, such as Narayana Pillai.  It was a comprehensive speech, well thought out, and with great depth.  Despite growing up in India, Arun Prasanth professed his desire to settle down here, and his admiration for what Singapore has achieved.

Sam Chou spoke about telling the truth.  He has an animated style of speaking that enlivens the audience, and brings the story to life.  He also has an understated sense of humour, that print does not do justice to.

Oon Sim Sim did an advanced project, on how to be a successful negotiator.  This is a difficult project, since it involves both explaining the concept and techniques of successful negotiation, and role playing it to demonstrate how it works.  It was a credible effort, and a learning experience for all concerned.

The evaluators were Jason Seet, Pei Yi Heng, Praba Vathi, Jacqueline Ng, myself, and Anand Ariyarathinam.

Best Speaker: Arun Prasath;

Best Evaluator: Jacqueline Ng; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: James Pang Jing Perng.