TLCS Bilingual TMC as Project Speaker & General Evaluator, 18th August 2019

On the 18^th August 2019, I was at TLCS Bilingual Toastmasters Club, as project speaker, and general evaluator.  This was my 33^rd club visit on the 49^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The Toastmaster of the Day was Tejasvene Ramesh.  The language evaluator, and ah counter was Tony Lim Tong Lee.  The timer was Katja Knecht.  The table topics master was Thomas Chen Jun Ying.

I gave the first speech, which was about leadership styles.  I contend that the project manuals are wrong.  What we have is management training, not leadership training, and they are distinct from each other.  At every level, we manage the process, and the resources, including human resource, to achieve specific measurable and consistent goals.  Leadership is what we exercise when there is a crisis, a challenge, or an unusual situation.

Nalini gave her icebreaker.  She spoke of her desire to be an effective communicator because her lack of facility with English made it difficult for her to pass job interviews.  She said that where she was from, in Malaysia, the system failed them.  They graduated being unable to speak any language well, and the struggles they undergo to find jobs.  It makes us appreciate what we have in Singapore.

Benjamin Manickam gave a hilarious account of the military precision he planned his daughter in Tamil Nadu.  This was an international effort.  The bride, the groom and Benjamin himself, were in different countries.  People came back to the hometown for the celebration.  And then, amidst all that preparations, it seemed the universe conspired against them. First, there was the sudden change of the Indian currency.  This meant that all the currency he had was now worthless, and he had to line up at the bank to change them.  Then, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayaram Jayalalithaa, passed away.  This meant that the state shut down for three days of mourning, and the wedding planners could not get anything done.  And finally, there was a Cyclone Nada, which hit Tamil Nadu.  It was an eventful wedding.

Kannuswamy Rajamohan told a story of Glenn Vernice Cunningham.  Cunningham overcame a childhood explosion that almost cost him his legs, to being an Olympian, and a world record holder.  He was a humble man, who was popular with everybody.  He credited his deeply held Christian faith with his determination.  He is recognised as one of the greatest amateur athletes of the 20^th century.  After his retirement from sports, he went on to get his PhD.  When he finally retired, he opened a ranch for the rehabilitation of abused and needy children.  He helped over a thousand children in his time.

Tony Lim Tong Lee attempted a project from the old Advanced Communication Manual.  He spoke about the four steps of conversation, and how it does not really work – which was why he was single for a while.  He is not any longer.  There was also a humorous demonstration with Julia Chen Ting on techniques of small talk.

The evaluators were Naveen Giri, Kris Frank Martis, Thomas Chen Jun Ying, Tejasvene Ramesh, and Willie Loh Chung Wei.

Best Speaker: Myself;

Best Evaluator: Thomas Chen Jun Ying; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: Guest.