Senja-Cashew TMC as Project Evaluator, 28th August 2019

On the 28^th August 2019, I was at Senja-Cashew Toastmasters Club, as project evaluator.  This was my 44^th club visit on the 59^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The Toastmaster of the Day was Aaron Khalid bin Azhari.  The language evaluator was Gerald Yong Kim Heong.  The timer was Toh Chee Seong.  The table topics master was Gerald Ong Wen Shun.

The president, Sivanesan K. Murugayan, gave an opening address, noting that there were half a dozen non-Toastmaster members, and how he hoped that they would be inspired to joining the club because of the quality of the speakers.

Bertram Yang Liang Yu gave me a speech, “Hear Me Out”, where he detailed the stages he used to prepare and motivate himself to speak publicly.  Although he is a talented public speaker, he emphasised the challenges he faced to have his voice heard, and taken with credibility.

Prajakta Wanjari gave a vivid retelling of a morality tale, about hope, and how we make these choices every single day.  She told of a man lost in the desert, until he came upon a hut, and the agonizing leap of faith he had to make to get water.  Her speech was full of emotional depth.

Jonathan Xian Zhe told of the first time he took part in a presentation contest at his university, and how he had an emotional meltdown because of his fear of public speaking.  This was why he joined Toastmasters.  He then brought us on his hero’s journey as he sought to redeem himself, by signing up for the same competition, two years later.  Despite the memory of his public humiliation, and the doubts of his friends and teachers, he took to the stage, and was placed.  This is a tale of courage, and overcoming failure.

Kendi Su gave a nervous speech introducing himself.  He spoke of his life, his family, his hopes, and dreams.

Saju John told us of the different ways to speak to different people.  He said we should speak with vision; that we should transform into inspiration; that we should turn negatives into positives; and that we should listen, listen, listen.  However, he did not allow this to devolve into a series of clichés, and spent considerable effort adding a layer of depth to each point.

Li Shan Shan regaled us with a story of the time she went to China on a school trip, and helped to build a wall at the village.  After some probing, I can ascertain, with disappointment, that she did not, in fact, build the Great Wall.  It was a funny story, how Chinese from different parts of the world may speak the same language, but misunderstand each other.

The evaluators were myself, Li Shan Shan, Gerald Ong Wen Shun, Bertram Yang Liang Yu, Jonathan Xian Zhe, and Samantha Kwan.

Best Speaker: Prajakta Wanjari; and

Best Evaluator: Myself.

Due to time constraints, the table topics section was cut.