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.

Jurong Green English TMC as Project Evaluator & Ah Counter, 16th August 2019

On the 16^th August 2019, I visited Jurong Green English Toastmasters Club, as a project evaluator, and ah counter.  This was my 31^st club visit on the 47^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The Toastmaster of the Day was Oon Sim Sim.  This was also part of her project.  The table topics master was Sam Chou.  The timer was Gordon Liu.  The ah counter was myself.  I was doing this differently, explaining where the speakers made their pause fillers, instead of just listing the number of times they did it.

The president, Owen Ter’s, opening address was brief on account that there were seven project speakers, which is impressive.

The second speech was by Loh Ne Kyean.  He spoke about the time he was retrenched at age 40, and how it felt to lose his career in sales, his dignity and the financial struggles that ensued.  He then detailed how he finally went to the CDAC for help, and they gave him a job as a tuition teacher for underprivileged children.  It was there that he discovered his passion for teaching, and how it lead to a late switch to teaching in primary schools.

Siew Kueen spoke about her passion for travelling – alone.  Unlike most Singaporeans, who travel in tour groups and in packages, she loves to travel off the beaten path.  She spoke with passion of how she meticulously planned her trips, despite her self-professed inability to adequately read a map.

Praba gave a very short speech about Steve Jobs, and how he started Apple, was removed from the company, and how he came back in triumph.

Niranjan gave a humorous speech of his two fears: heights, and his wife.  He said that his wife is very kind – she always forgives him for her mistakes.  He told us how he worked to overcome his fear of heights because he wanted to bring his daughter on amusement park rides, and in the course of it, learned he enjoyed roller coasters as well.

Jason Seet C. M. told us about his first holiday in Phuket, back in 2004, and how he just missed getting caught by the tsunami.  He then told us how it took him years to contemplate going back to Phuket, and when he finally did, he had no regrets.

Yi Ling gave us a lecture on the meaning of grit, and how we need it to overcome challenges, and thrive.  She showed us a chart on how to calculate our grit factor, and advised us on how we can enhance it, and be mentally tougher.

The evaluators were Arun Prasanth, Thomas Chen Jun Ying, Chor Wui, myself, Sam Chou, Nicholas Tay, and Timothy Lin.

Best Speaker: Loh Ne Kyean;

Best Evaluator: Thomas Chen Jun Ying; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: Li Shan Shan.