Synopsis for Chapter Meeting on 20 Jan 2011

We were delighted to welcome 3 visiting toastmasters - Yen from Ulu Pandan TMC, Manoj and Agree Ferrer from Marine Parade TMC and 7 guests - siblings Zhuang Yuan and Keyi who are living in our neighbourhood, Merry, Zhang Jun, Amy, Daijian and Linda.

Club President Nik Chua shared an inspiring story with the message: Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. To read the entire speech, go to http://katongtoastmasters.blogspot.com/2011/01/presidents-opening-address-20-jan-2011.html

Our in-house Language Evaluator Benjamin Gan gave us the Word of the day catharsis (noun) andcathartic (adjective) - which means the elimination or purification of a strong emotion through the process of writing, talking or acting. For example, "Music is a means of catharsis for me." or "Speaking about her parents' death was a cathartic experience for her."

Leena Santore presented P2 Organize Your Speech on Conquering Clutter. She explains that clutter is anything that becomes untidy and disorganised. Technical problems like organising flaws can be overcome by designating space for them. The rule of thumb is: A place for everything and everything in its place.

Agree Ferrer presented P5 Body Language with the speech title 2012 - Scare or share? He started with a joke about how very often people mispronounce his name and it becomes Aglee Feller (Ugly fellow). He delineates the factors causing destruction to earth: Internal issues, external issues, and those which are beyond our imagination.

Ben Xu in his P9 Persuade with Power "I love You Pasir Ris" shares the three reasons he loves living there: sea, sports and simple life. Pasir Ris Park is natural and tranquil, perfect for walks along the seaside and beach activities like kite-flying. The area is also excellent for indulging in sports like walking, running, fishing.

Evaluator Manoj Vasudevan commended Leena's clear opening and use of rhetorical devices. He recommended that the body of the speech be better organised by avoiding overlapping of subject matter and by giving specific examples. He highlighted Leena's ingenious suggestion of taking photos of items with emotional attachment and then junking them; and commented: "Don't let my wife hear this or she will take a photo of me and throw me away!"

Evaluator Cynthia Koh demonstrated how well Agree used hand gestures, eye contact and stance with confidence. She suggested using more facial gestures to convey different emotions.

Evaluator Ho Yen Yuen used the acronyms RIS - Roof over our heads, Interesting tidbits of information e.g.Pasir Ris means white sands, Supporting points to illustrate the areas Ben did well. Areas for improvement include enlarging the chart and using more visible colours, adequate preparation and rehearsal to avoid using notes.

Joni in her role as TME was working on AP5 Introducing the Speaker from the Specialty Speeches manual. Evaluator Nik Chua recommended Joni for her organisation and leaving the name of the speaker till the end of the introduction. Suggestions for improvement include (1)interacting with the speakers before the meeting to find out more about their speeches to add more colour to the introductions and (2) injecting more wit and humour to the introductions.

Table Topics Master Ida Lee gave us a variety of topics. Manoj shared that the best advice he ever got was to keep his mouth shut, which got everyone in stitches. Zhang Jun shared about a story from the Holy Bible and how it was important to be confident and to treasure our family. Yen told us that the best thing she did for her friend was to lend her listening ears instead of giving advice. Guest Keyi commented on insurance and how the best insurance we can give our family is our love, care and concern. Elaine shared how the most enriching experience in Toastmasters is learning to deal with club problems with equanimity. Zhuang Yuan's dream is to travel and believes English will take him to places.

Our LE Benjamin Gan commended the use of alliteration such as "refreshing, revitalising break", "exciting and exhilirating" and triads such as "hand, palm and arm". Brickbats included "it really is a kind of joy", "located extremely north-eastern part of Singapore", "night-fishing with your fishing rod", "some kind of injection of feelings" and "how are you like living in Pasir Ris?". Mispronunications of words 'simple', 'dual', 'purchase' and 'competent' were highlighted.

There were two ties for the voting of Best speakers. Both Leena and Agree with voted Best Speakers. Both Manoj and Cynthia were voted Best Evaluators. District 80 Humorous Speech Contest champion Manoj was also award Best Table Topics Speaker ribbon.

3 of our guests signed up as members at the end of the meeting. We welcome Zhang Jun, Merry and Zhuang Yuan into our Katong family!

To view photos taken at the meeting, go to our FACEBOOK page

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=318131&id=119437361797&saved

Comments are welcome!