Impromptu Speaking Skills Workshop (II)

As a conversation is a two way street, we should also be a good listener. When we compliment someone, be sincere and be friendly. As practice makes perfect, she then asked us to put into practice what we have just learnt in her interactive workshop session.

Practicing our social impromptu speaking skills

In his closing address, Division Governor Vincent gave us an analogy. Seven spoons of sugar will not make a cup of coffee sweet until we stir it. Similarly for us, no matter how many workshops we attend, if we do not take action with what we have learnt, we will remain where we are and will not improve.

DTM LeAnn in action

Short Q&A session with LeAnn

After the workshop, we were fortunate to be able to spend a few minutes with DTM LeAnn. We seized the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

Division W Secretary Marian, Division W PRO Kimmy, AG W3 Angeline, AG W1 Siew Fun, Division W Treasurer Christine, DTM LeAnn & Division W Governor DTM Vincent

Q: How did you transform from the wallpaper to the confident speaker that you are today?
A: Thru Toastmasters! In a Toastmasters meeting, even though you would rather not speak, there will be someone cajoling you to give it a try.

Q: Do you still get nervous each time before you give a speech ?
A: No, I don’t. I tell myself to just enjoy it.

Q: For the rest of us who may still feel nervous, what would you recommend ?
A: Your fears will be because you do not want to disappoint the audience, you do not want to let them down. There will be club meetings where you felt you did great. There will other meetings where you felt disappointed with your delivery. When that happens to me, I acknowledge it and then let go. Life is too short to be unhappy about it.

Thank you DTM LeAnn, for your sharing your insights with us !

Impromptu Speaking Skills Workshop (I)

Parking was perhaps the biggest challenge for attendees of Division W’s Impromptu Speaking Skills 101 Workshop on Sat 22 January 2011 at Tiffani Hall. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way, for 100 Toastmasters who attended this workshop.

Angeline, Joanne, Elaine, Andrew and Caroline from Friendship, Monash & Exact ADC Toastmasters Club

Division W Governor DTM Vincent started the workshop with his presentation on Impromptu Speaking Skills in the Corporate Environment.

DTM Vincent in action

When we communicate, do not complicate, said DTM Vincent. The 6 C’s to effective communication is clarity, conciseness, correctness, courtesy, completeness and consistency.

We create an impression when we create conversations. His tips to us include thinking fast but speaking slower. When we are selling a point or concept, it helps if we were to use powerful quotations.

MMU Cyberjaya member trying out Vincent’s tip to introduce your name, your profession and what you do best, in 20 seconds

DTM LeAnn started with a shocking revelation in her session on Impromptu Speaking Skills in a Social Environment. She used to be a wallflower. In fact, if there is such a thing as wallpaper that is able to drink, that was her, she told us. One would never have guessed that this confident and commanding speaker was once a wallflower.

Stressing on the importance of small talk, she told us that
· Small talk can lead to big talk
· Big talk can lead to big people
· Big people can lead you to big opportunities

The secret to be successful in small talk is to stretch ourselves by stepping out of our comfort zone and broadening our horizon. Start with a smile as it is the shortest distance between two people. Then explore by asking questions. It also helps if we are knowledgeable.

...to be continued

Division W TLI2 11.12.2010

With club officers arriving as early as 12.30 PM and eager to be trained, Division W TLI2 started on time at 1.30 PM. With TME Marian kicking off the show, we had speeches from Organizing Chair Angeline, Division W Governor Vincent and District 51 Governor Thanni.

For our Ice Breaker session, we had a Treasure Hunt for objects such as a Club Officer manual, an SAA, TI badge, TI name card and a Toastmaster pin. TLI Publicity Chair Kuok Sum summarized for us the learning points which are to hone our observation skills, to be resourceful and also to practice our communication skills.

In “Breaking the Vicious Cycle”, Lieutenant Governor Marketing DTM Ramdas spoke of the vicious cycle that all clubs have gone thru or are currently facing – low turn-out, poor quality meetings, low morale, resulting in fewer members. To overcome this vicious cycle, we have to identify the root cause. One way of doing so would be to answer the Moment of Truth (MOT) questionnaire which addresses the 6 dimensions of a club meeting.

Grace presenting KPMG’s Miracle Story

Miracle Story presented by President Grace from KPMG KL echoed what we had just learnt from the “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” presentation. From a roaring start of 70 members, membership dwindled down. Charter President Raja Ahmad did not give up and continued with club meetings even playing multiple roles at times. Meanwhile, talented club members have won speech contests at Area level, Division level and even became District contestants. With the perseverance and effort put in by the Charter President and the current President, membership number has increased, and the club is now aiming for President’s Distinguished Club status !

President Grace with her KPMG club officers Diyana & Yi Hoong

Just before the break, the “Wonder Boys” of District 51 lead us in the Stretching Session. We were dancing to the song “Nobody” sang by “Wonder Girls”, the popular Korean singing group. Who would have thought that our District leaders are good dancers too?

The Wonder Boys of District 51 in action

After our break, it was time for the Moments of Truth break-out session. It was indeed challenging covering all 6 dimensions of MOT within 45 minutes, with participation from all club officers.

One World and Ireka club officers at Area W5 MOT session

While the Area Governors were compiling the finding from the MOT session, club officers were treated to a special video presentation, “Magic Moments”. We learnt that there are many magical components to crafting and delivering a great speech.

In the MOT presentation of findings, Area Governors Siew Fun, Kang, Angeline, Janice and Soo Ling summarized the challenges and recommendations that were discussed during the break-out sessions.

In the Q&A session, there were several questions from the floor which our District Governor answered in his humble and simple manner. He reminded us that there many experienced Toastmasters willing to help. We just have to take the first step to invite them to our club meetings.

DG Thanni adroitly handling the Q&A session

In his closing address, Division Governor Vincent announced the attendance of all 7 club officers of One World Toastmasters Club, the newest club in Division W.

Caroline from Exact ADC shares with us her experience of attending her first TLI training:

It was my first time attending a TLI session and I can only think of one word to describe it – Inspiring! Speakers talking from experience and sharing from the videos were definitely beneficial. The group session, where club members shared their own stories and struggles, made me realize that we were not alone in our battle to keep our club members’ interests going. Grace from KPMG was so kind to offer her contact details and was open to share further what they have done at their in-house club. It evidently shows that Toastmasters is indeed a place where members are helping each other, not just in public speaking but also in leadership and organizational skills.

Club officers of Friendship & Exact ADC. Caroline is in the center

Thank you to our hard-working TLI Team who has made this first-timer experience a memorable one !

Photos contributed by TLI Publicity Chair Kuok Sum

TLI2 2010 – Behind The Scenes

Never in my wildest dream did I think I would be going on a road trip to Kulim with a team of dedicated Toastmasters, as part of our preparation for Division W TLI2 scheduled to be held on 11 December 2010. It all began with an announcement by TLI team that there will be two TTT (Train the Trainers) sessions to prepare all Area Governors for our respective Division’s TLI2.

Having missed the first TTT session on Sat 14 November due to an outstation work assignment, TLI Publicity Chair Kuok Sum suggested that I attend the second TTT to be held at Kulim on Sat 27 November. With TLI Chair Dennis offering his services (and car) to drive us to Kulim, we began our road trip at 8 AM that Saturday morning.

Someone should have warned me that TLI Chair would be subjecting me to a series of tough questions about my Area Governor duties during the road trip. Although brutal in his questioning session (he would not take “Not sure” for an answer), he was also very generous in his sharing about his Toastmasters journey.

TLI Chair Dennis and Co-Chair Pala

Arriving at Kulim in the nick of time, TLI Chair and Co-Chair, Dennis and Pala, started with what was the lessons learnt from TLI1. This was followed by tips and techniques for facilitating discussion which were useful for us, as all of us would be conducting the Moments of Truth (MOT) break-out sessions for our respective areas.

During the MOT mock runs

At 6 PM, the TTT session was over but it was not the end of the day for our intrepid TLI team. After a hearty dinner and having taken our shower, work continued for our team.

This was the scene that transpired. We were in a house, somewhere in Kulim. The time was 10 PM. All was silent in the house. TLI Chair was lying on the floor. He was not asleep. TLI Co-chair was rocking his son to sleep. TLI Registration Chair Choi San was beside me. The only sound to be heard was the voice of TLI Publicity Chair as he rehearsed his presentation for TLI2. He was the centre of our attention. TLI Chair had warned him, “I am going to be brutally honest with you in my evaluation. This is our last practice session, so I will have to be brutally honest.”

It was scene that you will never see in a Hollywood movie. We ended the session at 12 midnight. While we slept, TLI Publicity Chair continued working on his presentation up to 2 AM. TLI Co-chair was beside him, half asleep and continued to provide moral support up to 2 AM.

The next morning we were at Taiping, attending an Advanced Evaluation Workshop conducted by TLI Chair, at the invitation of Division H Governor, May Cheah.

By 7.30 PM, we were back in KL. It had been an eventful weekend. It was an eye-opener for me in terms of the amount of planning, preparation, time and effort that the TLI team had put in for our TLI2.

Back in KL, Division W TLI2 venue was still in doubt. We had made inquiries at 9 venues without success so far. By 30 November, when our ninth option was rejected, we decided to go for the only option left which was Uptown Conference Centre. Division W Governor Vincent requested for District Governor Thanni’s permission to proceed with this option, as it was beyond the TLI2 budget allocated for our Division. For this venue, we could only have 1 elective instead of 4 offered by TLI team. To have an additional elective meant renting another hall, which was beyond our budget.

TLI Co-Chair Pala at Division B TLI2

With permission granted from District on the venue selection and cost, we proceed with our final preparations. Three of us attended Division B TLI2 on 4 December to observe the proceedings as preparation for our event. Our Division Council team met up on 8 December to go thru one last time, the details of our event.

After all the preparation, it was finally SHOWTIME on Sat 11 December 2010 !

Photos contributed by TLI Publicity Chair Kuok Sum

March Club Meetings (Part II)

Friendship on Tue 15 March 2011

In our “Respect to the Individual” meeting, after giving us a brief introduction to the history of Toastmasters and revered (word of the day) founder Dr. Ralph C. Smedley, TME Alexandra passed control to VPM Chee Hoe to conduct the voting in of new members procedure. There were no objections from members of Friendship for our latest membership applications. Welcome to the club, Daphne and Phileo!

Timer Daphne, Abe, Ah Counter Ian, Project Speaker Andy, Phileo, VPM Chee Hoe & President Zaiton

In his “I am a Superman” speech, Andy made us laugh out loud twice. Not bad for someone who told us that his fear of public speaking held him back for 6 months before he decided to do his Ice Breaker speech. This 29 year old bachelor - single but not available, said that he was happy that he is part of Friendship family where we have given him a new nickname - Superman. This Superman promised that he will continue to practice and improve and will someday deliver a powerful speech like President Barack Obama!

KPMG KL – WIM Joint Meeting on Tue 22 March 2011


At this joint meeting, KPMG KL was host to visiting Toastmasters from WIM, MAICSA, Crystal and Friendship. We also celebrated Division W Governor DTM Vincent Hor’s birthday.

Happy birthday to Vincent

Emily Bong from Crystal Toastmasters Club writes:

Not only did we enjoyed ourselves, we have also learned so much from 3 DTMs - Dr. Sharon, NJ Singam and Vincent. We are in admiration of President Grace’s strong will power and the standard that KPMG KL has set. We totally agree with GE Dr. Sharon who said, "The meeting and meeting room don't come just like this. It was so well organized and KPMG members made us felt so welcome and so comfortable.” Well done President Grace and well said Dr. Sharon !


One World on Thur 24 March 2011

For the Ice Breaker speech from CK Ho, we heard why an engineer decided to be a real estate negotiator. For SAA Alex, his “F1” Ice Breaker speech was declared an “A1” by his speech evaluator, DTM Vincent Hor. President Jessica’s “Get to the Point” speech on the nuclear disaster in Japan sought to persuade us that Malaysia should consider alternative energy sources instead of building a nuclear plant.

President Jessica who is Best Project Speaker presenting the Best Table Topics Speaker award to SAA Alex

Hasil on Fri 25 March 2011

With Datin Josephine, Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia’s State Director for the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur in attendance, President Piras delivered his opening address with this message for us. “When we encounter drawbacks, don’t take it as the end of the world. Look at the big picture. By working on the problem, you will be better at solving future problems and bigger problems.”

Project Speaker Siva, President Piras, Grammarian Joriah & Table Topics Master Mazlin

Table Topics Master Mazlin’s questions about surviving on RM50 a week, mega sales and rising petrol prices elicited many eager volunteers. Not only did we enjoy this session where everyone can’t wait to express their opinions, we also heard from an eloquent speaker, Datin Josephine. She was impressed with this Toastmasters meeting and will be signing up as a member soon.

Humour Master Khif had us laughing at his jokes and our laughter continued during the Ice Breaker speech from Siva. Professing that he was very nervous as it was his first speech, he then presented a highly entertaining speech. It emcompassed his early childhood days and his job transfers to Melaka, Sandakan, Penang and KL as a Tax Assistant. We are certainly looking forward to the next speech from this humorous speaker!


Exact ADC on Tue 29 March 2011
By Andrew, Exact ADC

For our meeting, themed "Unknown", Soo Loon presented Project No. 7 from the Competent Communication manual. His speech titled "The Beast", came from the tribe called "Naisyalam Rac" which also reads “Malaysian Car” if read in reverse order. He told us how the car pollutes the environment and causes hazards to the human race.

After that, Brenda presented Project No. 3 from the Humorously Speaking manual. Her speech title was "World Class Training Ground". Her speech was hilarious throughout. The training ground that she meant was the Malaysian roads and drivers. She described how avoiding potholes on the road, efficient maneuvering of the car in situations of sudden brakes and crossing a busy roundabout has transformed her into a world class driver.

General Evaluator DTM Vincent Hor gave a few positive points of improvement for our club, such as wearing the Toastmasters Club pin and delivering a powerful message in the Presidential speech. We will take note of his advice and thank you DTM Vincent, for visiting our club.

Division W Governor DTM Vincent presenting the Best Table Topic Speaker certificate to VPE Chee Yoong