TLI2 – Behind the Scenes

Mon, 23 November 2009
Mail from OC of Division W TLI2 with the following request:
Each AG will prepare and deliver an inspiring speech (8-10 min) on “How I have personally benefited from the Toastmasters Educational program”. Please prepare the 8-10 min speech for our rehearsal on 29 Nov 2009.  

My question to OC:
About the standby AG role, would I be presenting the speech on 29 Nov  or just have it ready for 12 Dec in case it is needed ?

Reply from OC:
You would be presenting the speech on 29 Nov, so that you could also be ready if you need to replace any AG on 12 Dec 2009.

Wed, 25 November 2009
Received the daunting news that I am no longer a standby AG, it is quite confirmed that I will be one of the replacement AG for TLI2.

Fri, 27 November 2009
Having recovered slightly from the daunting news of Wednesday and today being a public holiday, I began writing the inspiring speech.

Sat, 28 November 2009
Finally completed the speech, but not too sure whether it has enough inspiring moments in it.

Sun, 29 November 2009
We arrived on time for the AG rehearsal session at Klang Bilingual TMC meeting venue. Seven of us presented our speeches. Everyone provided feedbacks. Division Governor explained what he wanted us to achieve during the 8-10 minutes speech. The objective is to inspire and motivate club Exco members to continue their hard work as club officers. We only have 6 more months to complete our responsibilities. 

Area Governor W4 Cheong Kuok Sum, delivering his inspiring speech. On his right is Assistant Division Governor in Education, Vincent Hor

Division Governor Soh Fong Wai listening intently to the feedbacks provided by the participants in the AG rehearsal session. Next to him is Area Governor W5 Christine Khoo

Area Governor W2 Mohd Hadzrin Shah (left) discussing with Vincent Hor regarding feedback for his AG speech. Looking on is Area Governor W8 Henry Fu

Afterwards, we were treated to seafood dinner, as a reward for our ‘hardship’. It had been a slightly stressful day for me. It always is when I have to deliver a speech but the good thing is I had the opportunity to know the Division Council members better.

Fri, 4 December 2009
As we did not have time to discuss this item during our 29 Nov AG Rehearsal session, we had a meeting today to discuss on the questions to be asked for the Q&A segment of the AG break-out session.

Sat, 5 December 2009
A few of us attended Division C TLI2. For me, I wanted to observe how the AG session would be conducted and also to have a preview of what we would be getting for our TLI2 session. LGET speech was definitely motivating. We had presentations on ‘Parliamentary Procedures’ and ‘Conflict Management’.

After the TLI2 session, while I was chatting with Lay Theng on our observations, DG Ritchie stopped by to have a very brief chat with us before rushing off to the airport to Penang for another TLI2 session the following day.

Thur, 10 December 2009
OC Lay Theng and Division Secretary Soo Pon were at Menara AIA for a final inspection of the venue and to check out the rooms allocated for the AG break-out sessions.

Fri, 11 December 2009
I did a final touch-up and practice session for the 8-10 minutes inspiring speech.

Sat, 12 December 2009
We arrived at Menara AIA at 8.30 AM as requested by our OC.

Part of the preparation work prior to start of TLI2 at 10.30 AM

As I walked into the auditorium after ending my duty at the registration counter, DG Ritchie was speaking on romance within the Toastmasters fraternity. Taken aback, I was wondering whether I was at TLI2 since I did not expect him to be speaking on this subject at all. In fact, I do not recall that this was part of his speech for Division C TLI2.

Our District Governor, Ritchie Chong.

Four days later, the mystery was solved. We found out that our Division Governor had jokingly told DG that his speech was always about statistics and facts. DG decided to accept the challenge of doing something different and presented an impromptu segment on Romance.

The Forum – Judging of International Speech Contest was not part of TLI2 mandatory training program. Our Division Governor had decided to have this item as part of Division W TLI2. It would be useful as we prepare for our International Speech Contest. It was a very educational session for me.

From left to right, facilitator Ramdas Nayar, Dr. Arulnathan, Stephen Fernando and Geoff Andrew

Lastly, my thoughts about TLI2
It has been a slightly stressful day for me. Being on duty meant missing out on certain parts of TLI2. However, my attendance at Division C TLI2 did help to close the gap. I have learned a lot from the judging forum and now feel more confident to take up a judging role if the opportunity presented itself in the future.


Contributed by Assistant Area Governor W7 for Marketing, Angeline Lee

Division W TLI2 at Menara AIA

After serving as club officers for five months, Toastmasters of Division W met in the second Toastmasters Leadership Institute training (TLI2) session at Menara AIA on 12 December 2009. As our reward, we found ourselves broadening our networks, exchanging knowledge with fellow Toastmasters and perking our ears listening intently at the wise words of our Toastmasters veterans.

Attendees to the TLI2.

Lieutenant Governor of Education & Training - Peninsula Thannimalai Letchumanan ACB, CL flew in from Penang despite the fact that Division S was having its TLI2 and his whole family had gathered at his Penang residence. He confidently spoke without visual aids and set the scene on the Importance of Club Success Plans.

LGET-P facilitating the sharing of the feedbacks from the Break-Out sessions by the respective Area Governors or representatives.

Then, all of us had an interactive Break-Out session with our respective Area W1 to W8 Governors or their representatives;

• W1: Assistant AG W7 in Marketing, Angeline Lee ACB on behalf of Area Governor W1 Syamala Murigiah CC
• W2: Area Governor W1 Mohd Hadzrin Shah ACB, CL
• W3: Assistant Division W Governor in Marketing Chan Guan Leong CTM, CL stood in for Area Governor W4, Loh Chia Hur ACB, CL
• W4: Area Governor W4 Cheong Kuok Sum CC,ALB
• W5: Area Governor W5 Christine Khoo ACB, CL
• W6: Area Governor W6 Ng Lay Choo ACB, CL
• W7: Area Governor W7 Tan Lay Theng CC, CL
• W8: Area Governor W8 Henry Fu ACB, CL

Area Governor W7 Tan Lay Theng with members of Area W7 during the AG Break -out Session

The overall consensus was that Toastmasters provides a conducive environment for members to improve their communication and leadership skills, learn new things and in return, achieve personal growth and improved self-confidence. Current practices and suggestions to retain existing members as well as recruit new ones include proper mentoring, organising mini workshops and invitation to external General Evaluators for their constructive feedbacks. 

Area Governor W2 Hadzrin presenting the result of Area W2 AG Break-out session

District Parliamentarian Dr. Arulnathan, DTM shared on the election and proxy processes of Area Governors and Club Officers. Now equipped with a better understanding, we are in a better position to handle the next election.

Toastmasters Leadership Institute Chairman R.S. Sandrasegaran, DTM touched on Conflict Management. In this interesting session, attendees were asked to complete several questions to check if their individual character personify a Collaborative Owl, Accommodating Teddy Bear, Compromising Fox, Competing Shark or Avoiding Turtle.

After that, in a reverse Table Topics session, the audience threw pressing district-related questions to our District officers, District Governor Richard Chong DTM, LGET-P Thannimalai Letchumanan ACB, CL and LGM-P Francis Ng, DTM and TLI Chairman R.S. Sandrasegaran, DTM.

The Il-Divo group aka District Officers addressing questions from the audience.

This was followed by the Half CC Award presentation ceremony which saw Division W Governor Soh Fong Wai DTM presenting ribbons to 9 Division W members who started their ice breaker speech on 1 July 2009 and completed five or more Competent Communicator manual projects by 30 November 2009.

Division W Governor Soh Fong Wai presenting the Half CC Awards.

In the Judging of International Speech Contest Forum facilitated by District Mentoring Chair Ramdas Nayar DTM, the limelight fell on Dr. Arulnathan DTM, past champion of District 51 Humorous Speech Contest Stephen Fernando and District Marketing Committee, Awards - P Geoff Andrew DTM. They divulged insights on the evaluation of speeches:

• 50% Content (speech development, effectiveness and speech value),
• 30% Delivery (physical, voice, manner); and
• 20% Language (appropriateness and correctness).

Those present had the privilege to see District 51 International Speech Champion 2009 Ong Swee Keat on DVD and hear the Judging Forum panel’s evaluation. This was an opportunity to learn tips on improving the preparation and presentation of a speech. Those who would like to learn more can register for the upcoming International Speech Contest - The Winning Speech Forum 2010 on 6 February 2010. You can find more info here.   

After presenting tokens of appreciation to the speakers and organisers of the event, Division W Governor Soh Fong Wai DTM wrapped up the day and acknowledged that it was a good sign that more than half the audience were still present after four hours.

Overall, TLI2 proved to be an enlightening, entertaining and educational experience for me. Kudos to Organising Chair Toastmaster Tan Lay Theng and her team for making this a successful event!


Contributed by Elaine Tan, Friendship TMC

Magical Evening at ING

The 11th meeting of the ING Leadership Toastmasters Club was held on the 2nd of December 2009. The meeting started out like any other Toastmasters meeting with the meeting being called to order by our ever faithful Assistant Sergeant at Arms, Gary Goh, who is always on top of his game when it comes to timing.  We then had a short opening address by our Acting President, James Lee.

Toastmaster of the Evening Tan Lay Theng introducing the role players

After the Toastmaster of the Evening, Area Governor W7 Tan Lay Theng introduced all the role players, the first highlight of the night, the Table Topics Session commenced. That session was anything but conventional as the Table Topic Master, Yazlin came up with a great idea to make a volunteer pick four random words/phrases and make a story out of those words. Can you imagine telling a story by using words like, “Fat Russian Lady, hot cakes, bespectacled girl and seafood buffet”? We had eight creative volunteers who were brave enough to make the audience laugh their guts out.

Table Topics Master Yazlin and Paul, doing his table topics speech

Table Topics Evaluator Joshua delivering his verdict on the table topics speakers. Looking on are (L-R) Table Topics Master Yazlin, General Evaluator Sabariah and TME Tan Lay Theng

The prepared speeches segment was next on the agenda with two guest speakers. They were Johnny Tai from Ambank Group Toastmasters Club and Angeline Lee from Friendship Toastmasters Club. Johnny delivered his 6th CC manual speech, entitled Black Magic which was very attention grabbing and entertaining. Angeline presented her 5th project for the Advanced Communication Manual with the speech title My Journey of Magical Transformation. It was very inspiring and motivating especially for the members of the ING Toastmasters Club who are still in our infancy stage of our Toastmasters career.

Right after the prepared speeches session, a special presentation session was conducted by Lee Soo Ling, Assistant Area Governor in Education and Training. She presented an informative and personal speech which gave the audience a better understanding on the benefits of the Competent Communicator and Competent Leadership manuals. She highlighted to us, how both manuals have helped her to be better speaker by just going through the projects. Angeline, Assistant Area Governor in Marketing, on the other hand, gave us an introduction to the Area W7 Connect blog.

Grammarian Lionel Loh delivering his report. On his left is Evaluator Gan Teong Hock

Timer Chan Sook Jen delivering her report. She is flanked by Ah-Counter Yeong Yoke Wan and Gary Goh

Subsequently, the speech evaluator for Johnny, none other than our Toastmasters of the Evening, Tan Lay Theng gave extremely constructive feedbacks to Johnny for improvement. Angeline’s evaluator, Advanced Communicator Bronze, Gan Teong Hock commended Angeline for her exemplary effort as well as ways for her to further improve her speech. The General Evaluator, Sabariah from UKAY Toastmasters Club, gave us a very comprehensive evaluation of the entire meeting which was constructive and not too overwhelming.

General Evaluator, Sabariah delivering her evaluation

Following the evaluation session James presented the award of best Table Topics Speaker of the evening. The award went to Tan Ai Hoong for her extremely humorous impromptu story which filled the room with laughter. The meeting was then wrapped up by James with yet another inspiring speech that was complemented by an equally inspiring video from Britain’s Got Talent. Do check it out if you are interested!

Acting President James delivering the closing address

Special thanks to all the guest speakers and role players, as well as all the members of the ING Toastmasters Club members who made this meeting a success.

Contributed by Lionel Loh, ING Toastmasters Club

From zero to ten in 1.4 years

Strangely enough, I was not as nervous as expected. Of course, this was my tenth speech and yes, yes, a thousand times yes, I’ve gained more confidence each and every time I delivered a previous project speech (or table topic or evaluation for that matter). However this time I should be more nervous. This time I was expected to inspire my audience, doing something I’ve tried to avoid so far: sharing personal opinions and inner thoughts.

All my nine previous speeches have been on - what I would consider - ‘safe’ topics such as sports, objects, events, situations or other non ‘inner space’- invading matters. But now, I have challenged myself to share bits and pieces of myself rather than generic and general information. And you know what? Not only did I conquer a deep, dark and lingering fear, I delivered my best speech ever!

My speech had zero speech crutches (whereas an average of 10+ would be my norm). The flow of words for the first time came from my heart and not from a sheet of paper. Speaking from my own beliefs was easier than I had ever imagined. And to top it off, all the accumulated feedbacks from the past 1.4 years since my 1st speech seemed to merge back into this one speech. Ah, the sweet taste of personal victory. Doing something outside of my comfort-zone and doing it with the best efforts and intentions paid off really well for me and inspired me to do this more often.

With the taste of victory fresh in my mind and heart, I realized that getting to this milestone had been a fun journey as well as the feeling of being surrounded by the terrific and great people of KPMG KL Toastmasters Club. I owe my gratitude to so many of them for their support, help, coaching and mentoring to get me to this point. It’s impossible to thank them all individually but special credits go out to our highly regarded President, VP Education, PR, Treasurer, Secretary and other super-active members, including our external guests and visitors.

Is this the end of my Toastmasters journey, I’ve been asked? At first I thought it would be: "Mission Accomplished". But having done the ‘unthinkable’, it feels only right to continue with the winning streak and elevate myself to new, greater heights.

Contributed by KPMG TMC VP Membership Ivo Ramon.

A Daring Adventure or Nothing

The meeting was like a ladies' night. First, we had two lady guests from Friendship Toastmasters Club, Assistant Area Governor in Marketing Angeline Lee and Area W7 Governor Tan Lay Theng. Second, there were only 3 gentlemen out of our cozy gathering of 13. Third, we indulged in cupcakes, cheesecakes and chocolates, instead of our usual nasi lemak dinner.

Note to self: Should host bona fide ladies' nights (free drinks, ladies?) if gentlemen don’t turn up in generous numbers.

The meeting was kicked off smoothly and promptly by Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Victoria and Vice President of Education and acting President Grace Loh. Then, controls were passed to Vice President of Membership Ivo Ramon. As the Toastmaster of the Evening and Grammarian, Ivo introduced our guests, role players, project speakers and the Word of the Day (“glitch”). Although this was only my 4th Toastmasters Club meeting, I have already heard of and personally witnessed his reputation as the ever calm and smiling speaker. Hence, despite having the guts to forget to introduce Angeline for her Special Session on Area W7 Connect and Table Topics Evaluator’s Report, he was quickly forgiven.

Note to self: Must master Ivo’s charm, so that I may escape scot free too.

TME Ivo who has a running bet that no one has won yet - to pronounce his full name correctly - Ivoramon Van der Kleij

Enjoying Ivo's TME mastery

Angeline’s talk on Area W7 Connect introduced a brilliant website (which is this particular one you are currently visiting) that collects and shares information among different clubs in Area W7, such as meeting details at various Toastmasters clubs and inter-club events. This educational talk was subsequently followed by a stimulating Table Topics Session held by Table Topics Master Andy Khoo. By throwing in surprise words that participants were expected to incorporate into their 2-minute speeches, Andy’s special twist made the speeches highly entertaining and unpredictable.

Note to self: Will try using suspense to prevent my colleagues from becoming bored of my fortnightly attempts at the Competent Communicator (CC) Project Speeches.

Jasmine listening intently to the question from Table Topics Master Andy

Tonight, three heroines delivered Project Speeches: I did my CC Speech 3, my same name friend Grace Lok performed CC Speech 6 and my first mentor (aka Speech 1 evaluator) Nik Joanita presented Advanced Speech 1. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement to talk about how to improve the way we make decisions in life. I spoke on living life like a daring adventure; Grace’s speech urged us to reevaluate ourselves in face of Armageddon; Joanita’s speech illuminated the mind-mapping techniques used to choose a suitable holiday destination.

Note to self: Could our unintended synchronisation support the theory that women have intuitive powers?

Grace Lee delivering her speech on "A Daring Adventure or Nothing"

Grace Lok asking an intense question - will you live your life differently ?

After a 10-minute break, we reconvened for the evaluation session led by Lay Theng, the General Evaluator for tonight. First, Grace Loh, Looi Ee Li and Angeline offered concise and helpful feedback to the Project Speech speakers. Second, Ivo, Tay Shin Ying and I gave our respective reports on English usage, unnecessary utterance and time performance. Third, Lay Theng shared a detailed evaluation on the overall running of tonight’s meeting. One of her many valuable recommendations that particularly impacted me was to create a reaction whenever the “Word of the Day” was used. Thus, I could not resist hitting my Time Keeper’s bell when she shortly mentioned “glitch.” Lastly, Grace Loh presented the Best Table Topic Speaker Award to Ivo, Best Project Speech Speaker Award to me and closing speech to bid everyone a good night and safe journey home.

Note: I was touched by the sincerity and encouragements of my colleagues once again. Thank you for your kind words and gestures. May we carry on the noble mission of our club to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth!

Our General Evaluator, Tan Lay Theng, giving us an elegant evaluation

Ah-Counter Shin Ying delivering her concise report

Grace Lee providing a Glitch-free Timer's report.

Join KPMG TMC's Meeting on 9 Dec 2009. Click for more info.

Contributed by Grace Lee, a new member of KPMG TMC

Ireka & Friendship Joint Meeting - 26 Nov 2009

The first joint meeting for the term 2009/2010 was held yesterday, 26 November 2009. This idea was mooted when Friendship Club members requested for speaking slots. Both Club Presidents agreed. Members of both clubs took up roles and it resulted in a fantabulous (Word of the Day) evening for all who attended.

We were honoured to have a very experienced Toastmaster DTM G Sivalingam to give a presentation on "How to Handle Table Topics". He said, every single moment of our lives is a table topic moment - every day in our conversation with relatives, friends, colleagues, anyone we meet, we do not prepare and plan what we are going to say. But why, when we are asked for our opinion about something in front of an audience, our minds go blank? He gave us valuable tips on how to react and respond in such situations. The trick is to first understand the question, pick up key words in the question and plan your answer around them.

DTM Siva also pointed out the different approaches in impromptu speaking in the Toastmasters arena that should/could not be applied in the corporate world. In Toastmasters, if we do not know about the topic thrown at us, we can avoid the questions and subtly speak about something else. Sometimes, the questions can be ridiculous or not even plausible.

After DTM Siva's educational presentation, Frances proceeded to chair the Table Topics Session. Her questions were all cleverly designed to fit into the theme of the evening, Thanksgiving. Her questions provided opportunity for volunteers to apply the skills mentioned by DTM Siva. After five courageous volunteers expressed their opinions, DTM Siva provided valuable feedback on how they fared. Congratulations to Dorcas for Best Table Topics Speaker!

Brave volunteer Victor answering the first question prepared by Table Topics Master Frances

A section of the audience enjoying the impromptu table topic answer that food is not a priority, when you are a vegetarian at a Thanksgiving dinner

Elaine of Friendship provided us with a vivid description on the attractions of Macau and had me wishing that I was in Macau. Apart from the gaming casinos that Macau is famous for, she gave an insight on the other tourist attractions - food, culture, architecture and people watching.

I expected a philosophical speech from KK Ann's "Living Life by the Day". Instead, he told us about his getaway to East Malaysia and even if things do not turned out as planned, there are pleasant surprises. Now we know, this quiet man partied and ate worms!

Want to know how to get that promotion that you think you deserved?
Take Dorcas' advice - be HEARD. Being able to communicate is definitely a great asset. Toastmasters meetings provide you with the conducive environment to practice this skill.

Next, we were entertained by Freddie of Friendship (Best Project Speaker) who related to us his relationship with a lady colleague. His great story telling skills led us to believe there was more to this relationship that at the end of the meeting, he had to clarify that his relationship with this fabulous colleague is purely platonic. Hmm, I wonder how many believed him!

I am sure many of us who have yet to attempt the projects above now have ideas on how to deliver them. Especially so after listening to the evaluators' feedback. Leonard, Lay Theng, Angeline and KL Fong praised the good skills displayed by the speakers and provided valuable
suggestions for improvement. And the Best Evaluator Award goes to KL Fong of Money & You TMC.

I would like to thank NJ Singam for accepting the GE role and for his feedback on my role as the Toastmaster of the Evening. Being one of the guardians who witnessed the "conception" of the Ireka TMC, his kind and generous comments certainly inspire us to do better in the future. I am glad, Ireka Toastmasters Club did not disappoint him.

A special mention also for Friendship TMC. This joint meeting gave our members an opportunity to witness and learn from them. I would like to thank them for their effort and contribution towards the success of this meeting. In fact, in his closing speech, President Ben Fong commented that both Elaine and Freddie performed much better in this joint meeting than in their club meetings. Did I detect a tinge of jealousy?

Thank you to all the other role players - Timer Alex, Grammarian Angeline, AH counter Syuen and ASAA Fang. Together with all who attended, you make this meeting a fantabulous evening for all!

Ah-counter Syuen Kiew presenting her report. On her left is Timer Alex and ASAA Fang Ai Choo

Hope to see all of you at our next meeting on 10 December 2009!

Best Table Topics Speaker, Dorcas receiving her certificate from Ben Fong (President of Friendship)

Best Project Speaker, Freddie with Ben Fong

DTM G Sivalingam (D'Utama) receiving certificate of appreciation from Ben Fong and Jani (President of Ireka), for his presentation on "How to Handle Table Topics". In the background is TME Soo Ling

Special thanks to General Evaluator NJ Singam (WIM) who provided us with an encouraging and constructive feedback session

Contributed by Lee Soo Ling, VPE of Ireka

Better Speaker Series Workshop - 14 Nov 2009

The expectant audience burst into laughter as DTM Dr. Arul explained that one of the techniques to take the fear out of public speaking is to visualize that it is a one-to-one conversation. Look at one member of the audience, talk to him or her for 30 seconds. Then repeat this process with another member of the audience. At the end of your speech, you will definitely get an evaluation regarding "Fantastic eye contact !"

DTM Dr. Arul sharing with us on how to take the fear out of public speaking

He also shared with us that we think too much of what the audience will think of us, especially if we have made a mistake. That in itself causes us to have an inordinate fear of public speaking when in reality, members of the audience just want us to do our best. So, cast away these thoughts and practise, practise, practise. Just before starting your speech, take a deep breath, exhale slowly, relax your muscles. Then let the show begin !

Division Governor DTM Soh Fong Wai and Area Governor W7 Tan Lay Theng in deep discussion during the break

DTM LeAnn Tang and DTM Ho Fong Ming having a quick run-through of microphone and pointer device during the break

From DTM Ho Fong Ming, we learnt that when creating an introduction, don’t upstage the speaker, don’t embarrass the speaker and don’t over praise. The speaker should not be left wondering was I being introduced or is the TME introducing someone else ?

Fong Ming also shared that on preparation and practice, she agrees with Dr. Arul that practise, practise and practise is very important, at least 300 times for a speech contest. Instead of memorizing the entire speech, we can store it using ideas and key words, to avoid a blank out during our speech. We should also work on bite sizes for maximum impact. This will provide the sizzling effect to a speech.

Her parting words to us were: LOOK YOUR BEST, DO YOUR BEST, BE YOUR BEST.

DTM Ho Fong Ming encouraging us to ask for feedback and work on improvements

Next in our line-up is DTM LeAnn Tang. In concluding our speech, we should achieve closure and make an impact. We may summarize the main points, taking 5 to 10% of the speech time.

For impromptu speaking, the main idea is to: Listen, Pause, Confirm, Speak Up and then Stop. We may express an opinion by agreeing, disagreeing or remain neutral on the topic. Do not apologize, do not ramble and do not invent.

DTM Loghandran had the audience in constant laughter with his skillful presentation on Body Language, Select Your Topics and Know Your Audience. I particularly like his explanation on inappropriate body movement such as Adam’s pose, roti canai, spider push up, and lion in a cage. Emotion is action, he says, and you should smile with your eyes.

DTM Loghandran explaining to us regarding Body Language

Members of the audience working on Body Language instructions from DTM Loghandran

Definitely a bunch of active participating audience!

In selecting your topics, he suggested to first find the theme, then fix the transition (from one main point to the next) and finally, decide on the speech title.

In knowing your audience, do note that the audience likes to be trained, entertained and persuaded. The art of persuasion is not forcing your idea on someone else but rather presenting the facts in a different way or providing new information to change the audience’s mind. He concluded by reminding us that in each one of us, there is a genius speaker.

The above was just a few of the priceless gems that we gathered from our four superstar DTM speakers. It has been a wonderful session of learning. Amazingly, although each speaker had a speaking slot of 30 or 45 minutes, it did not feel as if 30 minutes had gone by. One of the priceless gift of a great speaker is that he or she makes you feel that you are having such a fabulous learning experience that you don’t even want the session to end.

However, all good things must come to an end. We bid them farewell with heartfelt appreciation that these four speakers were willing to spend an afternoon with us, with no financial gain whatsoever, taking home with them the satisfaction that they have done their bit to help the rest of us to be Better Speakers.

DTM Dr. Arul receiving appreciation gift from LGM Francis Ng

DTM Ho Fong Ming receiving appreciation gift from LGM Francis Ng
DTM LeAnn Tang receiving appreciation gift from LGM Francis Ng

DTM Loghandran receiving appreciation gift from LGM Francis Ng

Contributed by Angeline Lee

The Half CC Ribbon Award

From The Desk of Division W Governor

For Division W members who started their ICE BREAKER speech on July 1, 2009 and completed 5 or more speeches on November 30, 2009

Please submit the members' name and club name to your AG on or before December 1, 2009 (Club President and VPE, you can submit the name in advanced if you know your members is going to complete assignment 5 before December 1, 2009)

Award will be presented During TLI2- December 12, 2009 Saturday at Menara AIA, Jalan Ampang

Area Governor...please submit the list to OC Tan Lay Theng by December 1, 2009.

More info about TLI 2 here.

Mentoring Talk-cum-meeting Invitation to Clubs

Dear AGs & Team,

Pleased to announce that the Mentoring Talk-cum-meeting will be held as follows:-

Date : 25 November 2009 Wednesday
Time : 6.30pm-8.30pm

Venue : Mantissa Toastmasters Club, Level 1, Bangunan AHP, No 2, Tun Mohd Fuad 3, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur.

Gate fee : It's free of charge !!

Please note that the Mentoring Talk will commence at 6.30pm sharp for 30mins, followed by Mantissa Toastmasters Club meeting. This Talk session will benefit all Club Excos and committees on how to set up and ensure the Mentoring Program reaches every Toastmaster member of any club. Leaders make things happen !

Stay tuned to watch how the eager-beavers-energetic-fantastic Mantissa students in action for their speeches. Come & support, bring your Club members and fellow Toasties.

All are welcome.

A note to take in the midst of the excitement - do drop me a line of how many Toasties are coming from your Clubs/Areas/Divisions/District. Email to horcorp@gmail.com. We would like to ensure that we can allocate the right room or hall to cater all present.

In management terms, it's Right-Sizing !

Mark this email and the details. Any Toasties who wish to volunteer as Speech Evaluators are most welcome. Drop a note to VPE Chua Shang Hui (hollandchua@yahoo.com / 012-979 7558).


From the desk of,
Vincent YF Hor
ADvGE
Division W 2009/2010
http://divisionw.blogspot.com/

Division W TLI 2

Exco Members of Friendship Toastmasters Club, Hasil Toastmasters Club, EXACT ADC Toastmasters Club, KPMG Toastmasters Club, IREKA Toastmasters Club and ING Leadership Toastmasters Club,

You have been serving as the club Exco for nearly 5 months - I hope it has been a fulfilling learning experience for all of you.

Toastmasters International provides two training sessions for club Exco every year. You have attended the first training session in June/July, and it is now time for us to refresh, recharge and rejuvenate. We will learn and get inspired by the District Leaders and experienced speakers in the upcoming Division W Toastmasters Leadership Institute 2, or TLI2.

The details of the TLI2 are as follows:-

Date: 12 Dec 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 10.30 am – 4.30 pm
Venue: Menara AIA, 99 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Key highlights

1. Parliamentary Procedures, focusing on election (by DTM Dr Arul)
2. Conflict Management (by TLI Chair)
3. Distinguished Club Program (DCP) - facilitated by respective Area Governors
4. Judging Forum (special session offered only by Division W)
   

• Designed based on TI manual on judging criteria for International Speech Contest
• An interactive session facilitated by 4 distinguished speakers:

DTM Ramdas Nayar (Moderator)

DTM Dr Arul

DTM Geoff Andrew

Toastmaster Stephen Fernando

Have a look at the TLI2 Flier here.

Registration
Please e-mail to me the names and positions of the attendees by 25 Nov 2009. You may include non-Exco members who are interested to learn. Acceptance is on first-come-first-served basis.

I encourage all of you to join me in this learning session.

By Tan Lay Theng
Area Governor 2009/2010

Magical Genting Convention

20 May 2009
Message from Club President:

Dear Angeline, Would you like to come? Grace, Zaiton and I will be attending the Convention. Come, join us! Please let me know your decision.

With such a pretty invitation, how could I possibly say no? I signed up for the Convention, with one question in mind.

What will I experience at the Toastmasters Convention?

16 Sept 2009
After the regular ING Leadership Club meeting, as I was talking to our Division Governor, DTM Soh Fong Wai, the subject of Genting Convention came up. I informed him that it would be my first Toastmasters Convention and I did not know what to expect. He assured me that it would be fun.

06 Oct 2009
After our regular Friendship Club meeting, as I was talking to our GE, DTM Ho Fong Ming, the subject of Genting Convention came up. I informed her it would be my first Toastmasters Convention and I did not know what to expect. She assured me that it will be fun.

… and fun it was.

Day 1 – 23 Oct 2009
We arrived at the Genting Convention Hall and were immediately roped in to help at the registration counter. Many new faces appeared at our table and we happily registered them, knowing that everyone was looking forward to a Magical Genting Experience.

Later in the day, I attended my first District Council meeting as a proxy for my club President, Ben Fong. The District Council members made their reports and handled questions from the floor with dignity and aplomb. My admiration and respect for this group of officers went up several notches.

During the awards presentation for President’s Distinguished Club, we went on stage to collect our trophy and had our photo taken with the Immediate Past District Governor Joseph Gomez. We had to wait quite a while before our turn as there were 100+ clubs in this awards presentation ceremony. I was lost in admiration. I was lost with words. District 51 is indeed a group of high-achievers!

Friendship TMC receiving the President's Distinguished Club Award from IP District Governor Joseph Gomez

We rushed for shower and a change of clothes in preparation for the Safari Night. Dinner was followed by a hilarious presentation by our talented bilingual TMEs. We were told that it was the first time that a Toastmasters Convention Dinner was held at a disco!

Organising Chair DTM Gerald Quinten (in his genie costume) surrounded by his angels and fairies.

Not only was LGET-R Mohd Ariff a debonair Dracula, he entertained us with his impromptu strip-tease show which won him the Best Dressed Male Costume of the evening. The last item he took off was … his socks. ;)

Amazing & Angelic Grace with Zaiton

Day 2 – 24 Oct 2009
We were in the Convention Hall early at 8 AM for the opening ceremony. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye who delivered his keynote address had all of us laughing with his statement that the Ah-Counter was busy counting his pause fillers and his belief that his speech was being evaluated by all 500 Toastmasters in the audience.

The laughter was followed by a feast of 3 speeches by guest speakers Wong Yoon Kiong, Roger Konopasek and Sarjit Singh. The first was motivating and uplifting. The next was thought-provoking, disrupting and challenging. The last put 3 members of the audience to sleep with the power of hypnosis!

After lunch, we witnessed Run-off A for the Humourous Speech and Evaluation Contest. Our Division W champions, Lee Xi Wen and Dr. Mary Barton, were in this Run-off. Many talented speakers went on stage. Unfortunately, only 3 could be selected for the Finals the next day. It was an entertaining afternoon, time well-spent as we witnessed fine speeches and interesting evaluations.

Next we attended a Pidato meeting. It was indeed an eye-opener. The Pidato clubs had to do their own Bahasa Malaysia translation from the CC and AC manuals. Kind to think of it, we certainly had it easy by being able to use our manuals directly from TI. I certainly wished that my Bahasa is more fluent so I can participate in a Pidato meeting in the near future.

Area Governor W5 Christine Khoo with Area Governor W7 Tan Lay Theng

During the Gala Night, everyone was magically transformed into elegantly dressed Toastmasters. I was seated at the same table as two Indonesian delegates, Erikson and Ayu. They were so friendly and enthusiastic, that I found myself looking forward to meeting up with them again at the next Convention, to be held in Miri.

Later that evening, Erickson was awarded the Toastmaster of the Year for Division J. We also witnessed a father and son team sweeping the Division Governor of the Year (Arlan Setiawan) and Area Governor of the Year (Johan Setiawan) awards. Of course, our very own Friendship member, Grace Tan, won the Toastmaster of the Year for Division W. I am indeed surrounded by numerous talented people in District 51.

Grace Tan, Toastmaster of the Year for Division W, with Area Governor W7 Tan Lay Theng and DTM Jessica Liew

Day 3 – 25 Oct 2009
There was nary a dull moment during the finals for the Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest. It was a splendid performance by all contestants. I was astounded when my IPP Lay Theng told me she could not wait for the day when I will be on stage, so that she could snap photos of a Friendship member at the District finals. It will probably take a long time before that happens, as I am nowhere close to the talented group that we witnessed on stage.

Forget about going to Hollywood to meet the stars! I am telling you that we have our very own stars in Toastmasters District 51 and I was able to talk to a few of them personally, without even buying an Air Asia ticket.

Unexpectedly, after the Convention, I found myself in the same group as our District Governor who was in the centre of attention. Many wanted to take pictures with him and he obligingly posed for the camera. As I was waiting to speak to him, I unexpectedly found myself face to face with DTM Adeline Leong, Past District Governor for 1998/1999. Omigosh! The District Governor who was praised by another Past DG, DTM Ho Fong Ming. I found out she is currently in KK and I can actually attend TM meetings with her when I am back in KK for the holidays. It was absolutely mind-boggling. I would definitely like her to be one of my CL manual evaluator. It would be like collecting her autograph.

Friendship members with DTM SKL Walia, our former Area Governor

Finally, I had a brief moment with our District Governor. While chatting with him, I found out that he is from KK as well. Omigosh! How could this be possible? It is a small world, after all. He encouraged me to attend KK TMC meetings whenever I am back there. How can one possibly say no to our distinguished DG?

On top of that, I managed to have a few words with LGET-P Thanni. I asked him whether he would consider visiting our club in one of his future KL visits. Although he has a busy schedule, he looked at me with a warm smile and replied that he will try to squeeze in a visit.

I was definitely seeing stars in my eyes as the third day drew to a close. Not only was it magical, I was absolutely convinced that I will continue my journey of Magical Transformation in Toastmasters! Perhaps one day I will to be on stage for the District’s finals.


Contributed by Angeline Lee