21 JULY 2016 SYNOPSIS

21 July 2016 chapter meeting marks the beginning of the new term 2016-2017. We were delighted to welcome three new members Yau Hong, Tracey and Charles. VP Membership Malcolm conducted the New Members Induction to officially welcome them.

New Members Induction for new members Yau Hong, Tracey and Charles,
joined by mentor Vera.

We had the honour of having Area Z3 Director Chen Huangzhi to conduct the EXCO Installation for the incoming EXCO team for the term 2016-2017. All EXCO members were represented except for Ida (Secretary) and Aarti (Treasurer).  The team pledged to serve the club to the best of their ability.

EXCO Installation by Area Z3 Director Chen Huangzhi

Following the EXCO Installation, incoming President Raj addressed the audience with his inaugural speech. He shared about his journey in Toastmasters and how it has helped him become a 3C speaker - clear, confident and competent. (Read the entire speech here.)

The highlight of the meeting was an hour-long workshop Express to Impress by District 80 Champion Darren Tay.  He shared with us 4 Delivery Strategies (hand gestures, eye contact, vocal variety, facial expressions), 4 Content Strategies and 4 Core Preparation Strategies. He ended with a Q&A session where he deftly handled all the questions posed by audience members.

Darren Tay sharing tips on how to express to impress.

PREPARED SPEECHES

After a short break, we were treated to 3 Icebreaker speeches by our new members. First speaker Yau Hong, in his speech "I bike I pain", shared about his passion for cycling. Despite the many accidents he had while cycling (including a broken collar bone), he continues to enjoy cycling as it allows him to move around freely and easily.  

Second speaker Tracey Yuen spoke about "Exploring life in my own time". He shared childhood memories with us of staying in San Francisco and how he experienced an earthquake when he was 8. He enjoyed learning information from the encyclopedia, even though it was sometimes overwhelming. The proudest moment for him was learning different states of US in song.  He hopes to share his adventures with his daughter one day.

Third speaker Charles, in his speech "Overcoming social anxiety", bravely shared about the social anxiety he suffered from since young and how it affected him adversely. It was only when he sought help from a counselor and went through cognitive behavioural therapy that he saw some improvement. Going to Australia for university studies and discovering a love for alcohol gave him liquid courage. He hopes the Toastmaster platform will help him to have a breakthrough.

Final speaker was Darren Tay who treated us to a rendition of his contest speech "I See Red" which helped him clinch the title of District 80 International Speech Champion recently. He gave out feedback forms to all audience members to garner feedback to help him further enhance his speech. He will be representing District 80 in the World Champion of Public Speaking semi-finals in the US in August and we wish him all the best!!  

EVALUATIONS

First evaluator Eliz Wong commended Yau Hong on dressing up in cycling gear to match the content of his speech. She also liked his use of vivid descriptions. She recommended that he project his voice so audience at the back of the room can hear him clearly and to inject drama when telling a story.

Second evaluator Huangzhi pointed out Tracey's use of hand gestures and a coherent speech structure as strengths he already has.  He suggested using stage positions to relay different points of the speech and to set up for a punch word.

Final evaluator Peter Lee applauded Charles for coming early to prepare and make mental rehearsal. His use of pause before speaking shows he is not in a hurry to speak. He had a conversational style and even generated humour.  One recommendation is to sweep the room to make better eye contact with the audience.

Our team of evaluators Eliz, Huangzhi and Peter
giving feedback to our new members

The voting results are as follows:

Best Speaker: Charles Cheng 

Best Evaluator: Peter Lee

Best Speaker Charles Cheng

Best Evaluator Peter Lee

Another fruitful and fabulous meeting at Katong TMC!

To view more photos taken during the meeting, visit our Facebook page here