On 28th September 2019, I
was at Braddell Heights II Toastmasters Club as Language Evaluator, my 73rd
club visit on the 90th day of the Toastmaster year. Lim Li Li served as Sergeant-at-Arms. Venkatesh Narayanan and Quek Li Lin served
jointly as Toastmasters of the Day.
Losheini Ravindran served as Table Topics Master. Simon Foo served as Timer. Boopathi Raj served as Ah Counter.
Servant
Leadership at 10,000 Metres
K. V. Kumar gave a hilarious speech
on the travails of working as a flight steward and in-flight supervisor,
recounting some ridiculous demands from unreasonable passengers, and how
servant leadership was key to setting an example and addressing these challenges. A meta-analysis of eighty-five studies
covering 16,803 participants has confirmed servant leadership carries
measurable positive links to satisfaction, commitment, and performance,
alongside a measurable reduction in turnover intentions. Kumar’s speech illustrated that research from
a less comfortable vantage point than any academic study ever measures it from:
a pressurised cabin at cruising altitude, with nowhere for either party to walk
away.
Hair Loss, with
a Product Attached
Linda Ong, DTM, gave a speech
on our crowning glory, hair, addressing hair loss and its remedy, proposing a
specific product alongside a liberal dose of follicle health education. The subject carries more weight than a light
speech topic usually suggests.
Androgenetic alopecia affects up to 80% of men and 50% of women at some
point in their lives, with 40% of men experiencing significant hair loss by age
35, and one British study found 85% of women affected reported measurably
reduced self-esteem as a direct result.
A speech tackling this openly, rather than treating it as an
embarrassing subject best avoided, does a genuine service to an audience larger
than the room itself suggests.
A Roleplay That
Predicted Its Own Punchline
Bharath Kumar role-played as the CEO
of Thomas Cook, telling staff that the company was in trouble, managing to fit
in a considerable number of nautical terms and phrases along the way. Thomas Cook, the 178-year-old travel firm,
filed for compulsory liquidation in the early hours of 23rd September
2019, five days before this meeting, stranding 150,000 travellers abroad in
what became the largest peacetime repatriation in British history. Kumar chose a company as his failing-business
example days after that company had collapsed.
Solar Power,
Properly Explained
Alfred Wong gave a technical speech
on solar power and the process by which it converts to electricity, supported
by a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation.
A technical subject delivered with visual rigour, rather than a vague
gesture at renewable energy buzzwords, is the kind of speech that separates a
Toastmaster who understands his material from one merely repeating headline.
The Evaluators
and Results
Megha Maheswari, Marco Pesce, S. S.
Cheng, Lorinne Yoong, and Joseph Soh served as Project Evaluators. Best Speaker went jointly to Siri Katuri and
K. V. Kumar. Best Evaluator went to
Joseph Soh. Best Table Topics Speaker
went to a guest. A meeting spanning
aviation customer service, dermatology, an accidentally prophetic corporate
roleplay, and applied physics, all within a single evening, is not a small
range for one club to cover, and this one covered it without a single speech
feeling out of its depth.
Terence Nunis, DTM | Division Advisor, District 80 Division M | Club Advisor, AIA Toastmasters | Past President & Founder, Awesome Toastmasters
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