Senja Cashew TMC as Toastmaster of the Day, 18th December 2019

On the 18^th December 2019, I was at Senja-Cashew Toastmasters Club, as Toastmaster of the Day, and table topics master.  This was my 138^th club visit on the 170^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The sergeant-at-arms was Bertram Yang Liang Yu.  The timer was Laura Xue Rong.  The ah counter was Angela Lansbury.

Prajakta Wanjari gave us an understanding of her communications styles, which has evolved over the years, from analytical, to supportive, to direct, and initiating, depending on the circumstances.  She gave examples of the various styles.

Jen Chen Ying Zhen gave an account of her first job in a Japanese MNC, where she felt lonely, and left out, because she did not understand the main language of communication – Japanese.  She was not part of the social interaction.  Considering this was her very first job just out of school.  As such, she learned never to let others, especially minorities, feel left out.

Bertram Yang Liang Yu gave a presentation on a real project he is involved in, to raise the social media profile of a restaurant chain.  He explained the challenges, the methodology, and gave examples of issues and how they were addressed.

Saju John spoke about the need to manage difficult conversations, and avoiding unnecessary conflict.  He gave an example of how to manage such a conversation, in a hypothetical scenario.  The first step is to prepare the stage, and understand the potential direction of the conversation.  This involves understanding the perspective of the parties involved, and not taking things personally.  The next step is to clarify the contentions, come to a compromise, and tie people down to their commitments.

The evaluators were Bertram Yang Liang Yu, Saju John, Li Shan Shan, and Laura Xue Rong.

Best Speaker: Saju John;

Best Evaluator: Bertram Yang Liang Yu; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: Ivan Lee Kuan Seng.