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.

Senja Cashew TMC as Toastmaster of the Day, 25th September 2019

On the 25^th September 2019, I was at Senja Cashew Toastmasters Club, as Toastmaster of the Day.  This was my 68^th club visit, on the 87^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The table topics master was Sivanesan K. Murugayan.  The language evaluator was Angela Lansbury.  The timer was Kendi Su.

Laura Xue Rong spoke of her journey.  She grew up in China, and studied very hard to get out of her village in Guangzhou, moving to Shanghai, and from there, to Macau.  From Macau, her husband and her moved to Singapore.  There were tremendous challenges adjusting to Singapore, and she joined Toastmasters to improve her English.

Prajakta Wanjari gave a speech about laughter, and humour.  She spoke about how laughter is cleansing, and introduced us to laughter yoga.

Toh Chee Siong spoke about the steps required to create a learning organisation.  He said that we should not be afraid to make mistakes, since we learn from them.  It is unfortunate that for many of us, there is this culture of fear, this aversion to risk, that stymies our growth, and stigmatises failure.  He delved at length on the need to create a psychologically safe space for growth.

Jen Chen Ying Zhen gave a chemical engineer’s guide to buying skin care products.  She gave a very technical, and informative analysis, on how to choose skin care products, and what to look out for, in the ingredient list.

Gideon Chew told a story about his dream secondary school when he was a child, and how it turned out to be a disappointment.  However, he decided to adjust his attitude, to participate, and he gained much from the experience.  He learned, then, that attitude shaped everything.  He then told of the time he almost lost control of his rental care, and was very close to running down a pedestrian.  It was a lesson, and he learned to be very careful.  His talk was about turning negatives into positives.

Saju John said that society needs good stories to pass on its values and information, because that is how people absorb knowledge best.  He regaled us with the apocryphal tale of a moneylender who lusted after the daughter of his creditor, and how she managed to outsmart him.

The project evaluators were Alvin Ho, Bertram Yang Liang Yu, Jonathan Xian Zhe, Li Shan Shan, Ivan Lee Kuan Seng, and Jen Chen Ying Zhen.

Best Speaker: Gideon Chew;

Best Evaluator: Bertram Yang Liang Yu; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: Guest.

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.