Monday, 20 August 2007

Club meeting - 18th of August

From the desk of the VPPR Tse Han:-

This review was written by Jason Moi, and just to let you know, the meeting was FULL HOUSE! Once again, another successful meeting with guests from 8 different clubs. I have to say that all the credits will have go to Dennis Wee who has done an excellent job on his Evaluation Workshop. Cheers to you, and thank you for your support.

------------ Read on !!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the blink of an eye, 12 days have passed as the sands of time blow me further into the future. Before I knew it, the 17th of August had already arrived; the second meeting of the HELP University College Toastmasters Club in the month. Once again, the seemingly dull DSA activity room will be filled with a band of merry toastmasters who have took the trouble to get up early in the morning to continue their journey of passion in the fine arts of effective speaking.

People started to gather in the DSA activity room at around 9:00, by 9:40 the meeting was called to order by Claudia, who was the Sergeant-At-Arms of the week. As soon as everybody was settled down, she began the club’s meeting by handling the Ice Breaker session in which the audience were supposed to introduced themselves by revealing their name and something funny about themselves, she then handed the stage to the president of the club, Loo Shu Wei, to give her welcome speech. Cheerful and jovial as always president Shu Wei delivered a warm welcome to the audience in her short and sweet speech.

After winning the hearts of the audience with her warm welcoming speech, she then proceeded to introduce the Toastmaster of the Morning, yours truly (Jason Moi). As a new member of the club and as a toastmaster emcee for the very first time, Jason tried his very best to chair the day’s meeting. Jason then requested the Word of the Day from the Language Evaluator, Su Jin. Having a happy-go-lucky personality Su Jin decided to pick an easy-going word which everyone could have fun using : hilarious.

Jason Moi (TOM)

Moving on, Jason then handed control to the Table Topics Master, Chee Hong, to head the table topics session. Fully prepared and well equipped with arsenal of seemingly simple yet deep questions, Chee Hong asked basic questions based on one’s way of life which require one to think carefully before he or she speaks.

First up was Ernest who calmly tells the audience about his favourite food.

Following up Ernest’s tempo was Suria who talked about his favourite place where he seeks peace and tranquility.

Next up was Ms.Komalah who explained her unique hobby of just sitting around in deep thought taking in the silence around her.

Before Chee Hong could select another participant, Marcus willingly volunteered to be the next table topic speaker, who talked about his favourite Television Programme.

Finally Chee Hong called upon Ashrel Goh to share his admiration of his favourite idol with the audience.

After an impressive show of courage by the table topics speaker who bravely stepped up to perform impromptu speeches, Chee Hong handed control back to Jason, who called upon the Table Topics Evaluator, Evelyn Aun, to give her verdict on this weeks’s table topics.


Evelyn Aun (TTE)

Later, Jason requested the audience to vote for the best table topic speaker. This week’s table topics session was so intense that the votes were so evenly spread that there was actually a tie for the best table topics position between Ashrel Goh and Ms. Komalah. Who will be the best table topics speaker? It was all in the hands of the audience as they vote for their best table topics speaker for the second time…

With the Table Topics session officially over, Jason moved on to invite the audience to be evaluators in conjunction with the evaluation workshop that will be held later, the audience were supposed to act as evaluators and to evaluate the first assignment speech of the day presented by Satchit with his 9th assignment speech entitled ‘Let’s Spread The Love, ’ a speech that touched the hearts of many when he commented on the lack of love in the hearts of men today as wars are created and his overwhelming flow of emotion and enthusiasm to encourage the audience to spread love amongst mankind by resorting to peace, not violence.

Satchit, in deep toughts...

The show begins, stage presence commanded!

Satchit’s speech was applauded by Dennis Wee, speaker for this week’s evaluation workshop, who praised Satchit for his wonderful speech. Nonetheless as no men is perfect Dennis Wee, like any true blue evaluator, had a few points of improvement for Satchit to further enhance his speech. He further related Satchit’s speech with the material he was about to present; on how to become a good evaluator.

Dennis Wee, listening closely to Satchit's speech

Dennis Wee first started off with the reason one should be a good evaluator, further elaborated on the advantages of becoming a good evaluator, introduced the ‘Sandwich’ method of evaluating where an individual has to perform the three Ks (kiss, kick, and then kiss again) to encourage and at the same time assist a speaker in his future speech without hurting his feelings.

Dennis with his workshop

Dennis wee’s enlightening evaluation workshop was halted for 10 minutes once he finished explaining the first part of his evaluation workshop. He soon continued on with the second part of his evaluation workshop by explaining the areas an individual must look out for during their evaluation and not to simply explain one’s points of improvements generally, the secret to an effective evaluation is to go straight into specific details.

After a very meaningful speech professionally presented by Dennis, it was time for the second assignment speaker of the day, John Lee, to present his 4th assignment speech entitled “trading flesh, trading lives” in which he questions mankind’s right to look down on prostitutes and other condemned individuals who sell their bodies to the industry of lust. Clearly John Lee has made his stand in making his speech as a serious matter as he reminded the audience that “there is nothing hilarious about it, there is nothing to laugh about.” John Lee was able to successfully wow the audience with his speech that left an impact in their lives the next time they plan to simply condemn any person in the sex industry without solid reasons.

The meeting was coming to an end when Jason called upon the general evaluator, Ewern, to give her thoughts on this week’s meeting. All in all Ewern was pretty happy with the whole meeting minus the 10 minutes late start (in which she was amongst the people who were late ><) and commented that it was indeed a successful meeting marvellously done right till the very end in which she thanked Jason for a fairly good job (thanks ^^).

The meeting was soon adjourned by a closing speech yet again magnificently done by president Shu Wei. All in all great success! Clearly from that meeting, things would only get better and better for the toastmasters of HELP University College with a bright future ahead and an abundance of fun filled meetings yet to be held!

More Random PIctures.













Till the next meeting then toastmasters! Cheers!


Wednesday, 15 August 2007

Upcoming Fun and Exciting Toastmasters Events

From the desk of our VPPR Tse Han :-


Fellow Toastmasters and Honored Guests!

HELP University College Toastmasters Club (HUCTC) is a Young and Vibrant Club! As past Division B Governor Sue Ding put it,

" If you want to feel young and vibrant, come and join toastmasters meetings every Saturday morning at Help University College! "

Now if you still need more proof, check out our post here and observe all the youthful faces. I can assure you that age becomes insignificant here at HUCTC.


Presenting to you 2 Fun and Exciting Toastmasters Events.

1.
EVALUATE others to ELEVATE yourself?

" I've been consistently making speeches, yet i don't seem to improve much? "
" Is there an alternative method to enhance my public speaking skills? "
" How do i evaluate my own strength and weaknesses? "

If you have been asking these questions above... think no further... the answers will be revealed in a workshop on 'Effective Evaluation' conducted by current Area B1 Governor, ACS, Dennis Wee.

I beg your pardon....Dennis Who?


Dennis is a regular at HELP University College Toastmasters Club and has won numerous speech contests at Club and Area levels. You will learn effective evaluation techniques with his own brand of witty humor.


"Everyone can evaluate, but, the real challenge is how do you weave constructive criticism with wit & humor , sounding tough yet motivating to help the speaker improve... "

- Quoted by Dennis Wee

Date : 18th of August, 2007
Venue :
DSA, HELP University College Campus, Jalan Johar, Pusat Bandar Damansara,
Time : 0930 - 1200 hours
Dress code : Casual
Door Fee : F.O.C.


2.
Know your competitors!

HUCTC has produced many champions in the area and division levels for the past 4 years. This time round, it's no difference from last time. If you're a guest, drop by and get your stomach aching from laughter; if you're a competitor, come and learn about your competition!

It's our annual Humorous speech and Evaluations Contest. Details are as follows :-

Date : 25th of August, 2007
Venue : DSA, Level 5,Wisma HELP,Jalan Dungun. (Place where TLI was conducted,parking is flat-rated at RM3 only)
Time : 0900 - 1400 hours (0900 - 0930 is registration)
Dress code : Casual
Door fee : RM 5 (only, no hidden costs!)


There is no reason for you to miss both these Fun and Exciting events! So mark your calenders now, and see you soon!

Cheers!


Yours Truly,

Tse Han, Tai
VPPR
012-2388 2711

Sunday, 12 August 2007

If you're thinking of visiting outside clubs...

Dear members,

Here's a link from the Toastmasters International website to find meeting details of any Toastmasters club, anywhere in the world:

FIND A CLUB

You just need to input the location you want (e.g: if you want to find a club near your house in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, then select the choice of location in the drop-down boxes)

You'll be able to find out their meeting days and times, and contact details too.

Shu Wei

Sunday, 5 August 2007

Regular Meeting, 4th of August

Hello everyone!


As promised in the previous post, you'll be featured in our blog should you participate in our club meetings. I have to say that this meeting was once again, VERY successful with the participation of members and GUESTS from various clubs including clubs from Division B, Division W, and Division P. I shall now leave you to explore the journey written by John Lee; and let the pictures do the talking!

-----VPPR Tse Han



It was Saturday morning. After a whole week of anticipation, the HELP University College Toastmasters Club was scheduled to meet once again. It was a gathering of vibrant enthusiastic individuals with colourful personalities. It was a gathering with only a single goal: to share the common interest, the common love for speaking.


The meeting commenced at 9.30 am (give or take 10 minutes) with the madam president Loo Shu Wei taking on the task of the Assistant Sargeant-At-Arms (SAA) herself. After calling the meeting to order, she proceeded to give a bright, cheerful Presidential Address to all who were present. She noted that along with the usual club members, the club was honoured with guests from other clubs, and guests from HELP University College in attendance. Shu Wei, as warm and approachable as always, extended a cordial welcome to all who were present in her brief but meaningful Presidential Address.


Wasting no time, she proceeded to introduce the Toastmaster of the Morning, our Vice President Public Relations (VPPR) Tai Tse Han. Meeting the challenge of playing the emcee role for the very first time after a long break; it was noted by everyone that Tse Han did a phenomenal job. Tse Han then proceeded to request the introduction of the Word of the Day from the Language Evaluator, John Lee. With the malevolent intent to put the fellow toastmasters to the task of applying the use of a fairly difficult (not to mention a mouthful!) word, John defined and provided and sample sentence for the word 'Malevolent'.



Toastmaster of the Morning, Tse Han


Word of the day revealed by John Lee


Tse Han then called on the Table Topics Master, Shu Wei (yet again) to conduct the table topics session. Shu Wei demonstrated her amazing ability to multi-task, and brought new meaning to the word of innovation through her methods in conducting the table topics session. Inviting speakers to come forward to face the daunting job of speaking on a particular topic at random, Shu Wei did not provide them with specific topics, but fashioned speech titles from the individual speakers' personal experiences.


Shu Wei : "hmm..let me see what have you done today! "
*casting spells on her palm*

First up was Suria (King of Table Topics), who gave an enlightening, almost 'spiritual' take on his 'Temple Experience'.


before table topics, Suria, leaning against the pillar


after table topics, Suria leaning against the pillar, once again =]

note to Suria : Sorry, the picture while you were giving your table topics was too blur! Hope you dont mind =D

Intending to include the active participation of the student visitors, Shu Wei proceeded to invite Jason to expound on his 'Reasons for Choosing to Join the Toastmasters'.


Jason, commanding his presence with his loud, audible voice! Dont prey prey!



Fan then volunteered to be the next table topics speaker. He then began to share his passionate interest in 'Travelling' with all the fellow Toastmasters who were present.




Fan, 12 years experienced Toastmaster! or is it 13?

Taking note of the fact that we had a long-lost Toastmasters Club member who just decided to return to the fold in our midst, Shu Wei invited Richard to speak next. She then directed him to elaborate on what he was up to in his absence, specifically the experience he had in China. Richard's piece was the closing item for the table topics session.


Richard Gan, back in action!


The time came for the table topics evaluator, Ernest, to pass his verdict. Ernest, in his positive and agreeable manner, gave his all in providing comments on the table topics speakers' performances. He sang praises where praises were due, and provided invaluable, constructive advice to each and every speaker.


Ernest, Table Topics Evaluator


With that, Tse Han returned to reprise his role as the Toastmaster of the Morning. He then brought everyone's attention to the assignment speeches, which were scheduled next.



GE Sue Ding reading notes to the evaluator


All who were present were looking forward to this segment of the meetin
g, as we were about to watch the presentation of two consecutive ice-breaking speeches. Sujin was the first to step up, with her speech entitled 'I am Standing at the Spring of My Life'. She drew lots of laughter with her fascinating take of her experiences in Malaysia. Her reference to Malaysia's oily Nasi Lemak, and our colossal cockroaches, Sujin gave us a taste of her unique brand of humour.


Sujin with her ice breaker speech



Paul continued where Sujin left off by expressing his infinite gratitude to God for the gift of life in his speech 'Thank Life'. The long list of achievements and abilities/talents he presented to the fellow Toastmasters left us all with dropping jaws, and gaping mouths. The question was, what were we doing with our life when Paul was going on about his overachieving ways?


Paul Aun, another ice breaker speaker

The 3rd speech was 'The Killer in Coffee' by John Lee. Spewing facts on how bad coffee was, he left a bad taste in the mouth of all the coffee-lovers among the club members. It was quite evident that everyone in the room would think twice before touching a cup of coffee in the near future.

John Lee with his 2nd speech


After a short break, we were thrown into the next half of the meeting, which comprised 2 more assignment speeches. Without further ado, Jean Ee began to deliver her 8 th speech on 'the OCEAN'. The twist to her topic was that the 'OCEAN' she was talking about was not about the huge mass of water that covers 75% of the world. Instead, she gave the audience an insight of how psychologists evaluate personalities. Introducing personality traits such as 'conscientiousness', 'extroversion', and even 'neurotic', and naming fellow club members as relevant examples, Jean Ee gave a riveting performance, despite her misbehaving visual aid that just could not stay put in its propped up position on the whiteboard.


Jean Ee with her 8th Speech


One of our guests attending the meeting then came forward to deliver her 10th and final speech from the CL manual. She inspired us with her touching speech 'Regrets and Forgiveness'. Weaving in a heart-warming story, Jean effectively brought the inspiration element to her speech. There was no doubt that we were all inspired to be forgiving beings with no or minimal regrets.


Jean inspiring the audience


Our General Evaluator for the morning, and also our honoured guest, Sue Ding proceeded to pass on her words of wisdom and advice to the HELP University College Toastmasters Club. However, before doing so, she called on all the assignment speakers' evaluators: Ernest, Ashrel, Hui Ven, Shu Wei and our Division Governor himself, Azrin Shahrin. They were more than happy to impart their advice and pointers to the speakers involved.


Azmi (left) contemplating on Coffee, while Sue Ding preparing notes for the General Evaluation session

Robert(left) paying FULL attention

Ernest with his jovial and positive feedbacks on Su Jin's Ice breaker
Ashrel's first evaluation on an Ice breaker speech
Shu Wei evaluating Jean Ee's Speech
Azmi evaluating Jean's Speech

Sue Ding then gave her two cents by sharing her thoughts and her opinion on how the meeting in general was run. It was an educational experience to assimilate all the information she provided in her evaluation. Everyone present could not help but notice how relevant and useful her suggestions were. It was the beauty of the Toastmasters community. It was a community where we are encouraged to learn and grow along with everyone else. It was certain that everyone felt it at that moment in time.


Sue Ding giving her honest and sincere evaluation


The time everyone was waiting for finally came to pass – the prize-giving session. The drumroll added a great deal of excitement to the occasion.


First up was the presentation of the Ice breaker awards to Su Jin and Paul to symbolise their brave move towards Public Speaking, and motivating them to achieve their educational goals.


Su Jin receiving her Ice Breaker Award


Paul receiving his Ice Breaker Award



A Competent Communicator Title Trophy was then presented to Jean.


Jean receiving her CC award


Next, our guest from HELP University College, Jason, was crowned the best Table Topics Speaker.




The Best Assignment Speech Speaker Award went to John Lee for the second time.




And Azmi was overjoyed to be named the Best Evaluator. (He insisted that this part be emphasized ;P )


All Smiles, Azmi

After presenting a small token of appreciation to Sue Ding and Azmi for taking the time to attend the meeting, Shu Wei ended the meeting with an edifying account of her Toastmasters journey. Describing how Toastmasters helped her develop and grow, not only as a speaker, but also as a person, she gave the audience reason to keep the spirit while walking our Toastmasters path to being a better individual as a whole.



The meeting was adjourned. It was fantastic, as always. It only leaves us wishing that the next meeting would not be such a long time from now. (2 weeks! what are we to do with the heaps of time in between?)


Till the next meeting, fellow Toastmasters!



















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