During the month of February 2021, Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club had its speech contest while The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club assisted in the running of the contest. This was our second Combined Chapter Meeting of The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club and Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club for the year 2021, held on 18 March 2021.
The President’s Opening Address was given by Bizon Pesi Marfatia, CC, MS3, the President of Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club while the President’s Closing Address was given by Triggi Chan, CC, the President of The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club.
Table of Contents
President’s Opening Address
Bizon, President of Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club, started the meeting with his opening address sharing with us a story of how a professor played a game with his students. The professor gave his students 5 minutes to find the balloon with each individual name written on it.
At the end of 5 minutes, nobody succeeded. They were only concerned with finding their own balloons and as a result, they could not succeed. However, if they had helped each other find each other’s balloon, they would all have succeeded.
Bizon concluded his opening address telling us that as toastmasters, we should all help out each other, participating in other clubs’ meetings, taking up appointments and help each toastmaster succeed. In that way, we would all succeed together in our toastmasters journey.
Table Topics
The chapter meeting proceeded on with our Table Topics session. Elaine Tan, ACB, CL, DL2, our Table Topics Master gave us a list of quotes she had selected as our table topics of the evening. We had 5 volunteers for the following topics.
- Sadness Flies Away On The Wings Of Time. (Speaker – Jane Pang, CC, CL, VC2)
- When you learn to accept instead of expect. You’ll have few disappointments (Speaker – Krishnand Nadig, LD1)
- I’m not saying I’m perfect. In fact .. I’m far from it … I’m just saying I’m worth it. (Speaker – Kelvin Koh, ACB, ALB)
- Before you ask why someone hates you, ask yourself why you even care. (Speaker – Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, EC3)
- If being happy is important to you, try this: instead of regretting all you lack, celebrate all you’ve got. (Speaker – Kyle Chen, PM2)
Sadness Flies Away On The Wings Of Time
Speaker: Jane Pang, CC, CL, VC2
Jane brought to our memories the gloom and doom outlook in the year 2020 when not just only we in Singapore, but the whole world were hit by COVID-19. After a whole year of sadness, we are now looking forward to the year 2021, a new year, to be a better year. She concluded by singing to us the song, “Que Sera Sera”.
When you learn to accept instead of expect. You’ll have few disappointments.
Speaker: Krishnand Nadig, LD1
Krishnand shared about how there are things that we have control over and do not have control over. However, most of the times, things are out of our control. So if things do not go the way we want and the way we expect them to be, we get driven crazy and feel awful.
Krishnand advised us that for things that are not within our control, we should not develop any expectation and accept whatever that could possibly happen. That way we can keep cool, hang loose, and not be disappointed.
I’m not saying I’m perfect. In fact .. I’m far from it … I’m just saying I’m worth it.
Speaker: Kelvin Koh, ACB, ALB
Kelvin tried to contrast between perfection and worthiness. If you think that you are perfect, then you are unworthy. Perfection cannot be attained. The more you strive for perfection, your expectations are elevated even higher. Since nothing can be perfect, you will be greatly disappointed.
As a result, you feel worthless instead. Kelvin suggested that we should instead embrace our imperfection and think how we could be better than before. Following that, we will treasure ourselves more.
Before you ask why someone hates you, ask yourself why you even care.
Speaker: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, EC3
Dawn shared with us a challenging experience she had with a student. The student refused to follow the procedures of submitting receipts. Dawn did not exactly tell us whether the student hated her but she elaborated more on how and why she cared to sit down and explained to the student the importance of following procedures because she wanted the student to change and to grow so this student can adapt to the society in future.
If being happy is important to you, try this: instead of regretting all you lack, celebrate all you’ve got.
Speaker: Kyle Chen, PM2
Kyle affirmed that there is a parallel between the previous table topics that had been discussed, in that nothing is perfect and the more you expect, the more disappointed you will get. So instead of focusing on what he is lacking, he learns to appreciate what he has. Kyle shared that currently he has been trying to juggle with his part-time Master course and having just gotten married. Having his newly-wed wife now staying with him, he appreciated very much that she is taking care of him, cooking his dinner and he is coming home daily after work for a home cooked dinner.
Prepared Speeches
1st Speaker: Ann Luo
Pathway Project: Leadership Development Level 1 Project 2 (2nd Speech) Evaluation & Feedback
Title: Building on Self-Confidence
Ann shared in her speech on her background as an introvert who kept to herself and avoided socialising with others. She has decided to begin on a new journey in her life to build up her confidence by embarking on the toastmasters journey. She has laid out a 4-step strategy in building up on her self-confidence.
- Deliver all her leadership project on time.
- Believe in herself and love herself more despite her weaknesses.
- Working on things she can manage and control.
- Learning new knowledge and skills to boost self confidence.
- Helping others to build self-confidence.
2nd Speaker: Kyle Chen, PM2
Pathway Project: Presentation Mastery Level 3 Project 1 Persuasive Speaking
Title: The Danger of Vaccine Nationalism
Kyle used the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) definition of Vaccine Nationalism as “Me First Approach”. Kyle highlighted the danger of how the richer nations have hoarded the vaccines for themselves while poorer nations have no access to vaccines. WHO has initiated COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) to enable the equitable access of COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments, and COVID-19 vaccines. To date, US and Russia have refused to join COVAX. Kyle advocated that US and Europe should be called upon to share their vaccines with the poorer nations. We either win it together or lose it together.
3rd Speaker: Bizon Pesi Marfatia, CC, MS3
Pathway Project: Motivational Strategies Level 4 Project 1 Motivate Others
Title: Expectations
Bizon began his speech by telling us that It is good to have expectation. On one hand, expectations can be too high while on the other, expectations can be too low. The good thing about having expectation is that they make us want to be better when we set high expectation of ourselves.
Bizon took on a turn in a different direction by sharing with us a story of how a father shouted at his son for how the son had behaved. In return, the son retorted his father and said, “Dad, I know that you have expectation of me but what I did was right in my eyes.” Bizon injected to us the thought that while we may have expectation of others, the expectations may not sit well with them while they have their own expectations.
Bizon questioned us if we have ever loved someone unconditionally. He further questioned us whether we expected anything in return from those whom we love unconditionally. He answered his own question by saying that we do not expect anything in return from those whom we love unconditionally.
Bizon concluded his speech by saying that when you expect nothing from others, you will not be disappointed.
4th Speaker: Elaine Tan, ACB, CL, DL2
Pathway Project: Dynamic Leadership Level 4, Project 2, Create a Podcast
Title: Overcoming The Fear Of Public Speaking
This is a Pathway Level 4 Project that requires Elaine to create a podcast. During the chapter meeting, Elaine is required to give a 2 to 3 minutes introductory speech to her podcast and playback a segment of her podcast for a duration not exceeding 10 minutes.
In the introductory speech, Elaine told us that her podcast is an hour long but she will only playback 7 minutes of the first segment of her podcast.
Her podcast consists of 3 segments:
- Identify why do we fear public speaking.
- Identify what causes these fears – unrealistic expectation of ourselves.
- Vaccinating ourselves against these fears.
At the end of each segment, she has also prepared an activity for the audience to get involved and put into practice what they have listened to.
At the end of the 3 segments, Elaine has included an interview with Annabelle Yong, DTM, on how Annabelle overcome her fear of public speaking at the beginning of her toastmasters journey.
5th Speaker: Avinash Narashimhah, PM1
Pathway Project: Presentation Mastery Level 2, Project 1, Understanding Your Communication Style
Title: In Search of My Communication Style
Avinash began his speech by telling us that we always need to communicate with another person in order to keep ourselves alive. Good communication also creates good relationships. He then went on to tell us about 4 different styles of communication people have:
- Direct (focus on the task)
- Enthusiastic (focus on the task later)
- Gentle and sincere
- Analytical (precise and accurate, perfectionist)
He eventually concluded by quoting what Bruce Lee said in a video during Bruce Lee’s interview: “Be like water my friend. When you pour water into a cup, it takes the form of a cup.
As a side note, although “Be like water” has been popularised by late Bruce Lee. This is originally a Taoist philosophy by Lao Tzu (Hanyu Pinyin: Laozi) in Tao Te Ching (道得經).
老子《道德经》第八章：“水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶，故几于道。”
Best Speakers
Best Table Topic Speakers
Jane Pang, CC, CL, VC2 & Kelvin Koh, ACB, ALB
Best Evaluator
Wekie Tay, DTM
Best Speaker (Prepared Speech)
Elaine Tan, ACB, CL, DL3
President’s Closing Address
Triggi Chan, CC, President of The Opening Alumni Toastmasters Club, explained to us how muscle memory works. In engaging our brain repeatedly on an activity, the action or behaviour will become permanent. She extends the concept beyond muscle memory to every other human behaviour and activity such as speaking a language, say for example, our mother tongue.
She then ask us to constantly step out of our comfort zone repeatedly by speaking at Toastmasters activities and events, and thereby we can become incrementally better although we are perfectly imperfect. She urged us to keep challenging yourselves.
The next combined Chapter Meeting of The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club and Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club will be held on 15 April 2021, the 3rd Thursday of the month of April 2021.
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