Superheroes-themed meeting 17 December 2020

Club President Swarna started her opening address with a rhetorical question: "Why are we so fascinated by superheroes? Because they stand for integrity, honour and everything else that we hope to embody everyday." She goes on to share personal anecdotes and a story about a brave mother who scaled the walls of an impenetrable fort to get to her son out of sheer desperation. Love helps us overcome our fears and when we are able to use love as the motivating force in our lives, we become superheroes in our own ways.

Club President Swarna giving her Opening Address

Chu Fook Tiang in his Icebreaker speech "Earth, Fire and Wind" entertained us with stories about his growing pains and aspirations in becoming a multi lingual tour guide during the current challenging pandemic situation. We were wowed by his animated visuals coupled with his flamboyant and dramatic style of presentation.

Yau Hong gave us an insight into what it's like to be wheelchair bound in his speech entitled "Moving chair man". He shared about the challenges he faces, as well as the privileges he enjoys as a handicap in a wheelchair. His wish for Christmas is to get a sports wheelchair that will allow him to zip around faster.

Marina shared about her direct communication style. However, she realised that it does not work in her favour in our Asian society, as it may be considered rude and offensive. So instead of saying, "You owe me money, please pay up!", she has to learn to make small talk and use indirect request such as "I've been informed you have some invoice outstanding. Can you advise when is a convenient payment schedule?"

Geri in her speech about building consensus opined that consensus building isn’t about endless talking. It’s about drawing on relationships you’ve nurtured, listening and understanding everyone’s motivations and needs, allaying concerns, and most of all- trust.

Our team of evaluators commended the speakers for their strengths. They also shared insightful feedback with the speakers and evaluator on areas for improvement.

We enjoyed a special Table Topics segment helmed by DTM Brahmakumar. He had pairs of speakers to debate on the topics given.

Table Topics Master DTM Brahmakumar

#1 You are in a boat that has capsized. Who will you save? Your mother or your spouse?

Malcolm (mother) vs Sherlyn (spouse)

#2 Men are a dying species.

Rachel (agree) vs Archana (disagree)

#3 I would rather spend more time with my spouse than my handphone.

Gowri (spouse) vs Jacky (handphone)

#4 The festive season is a boon, not a bane."

Adeline (boon) vs Rosalind (bane)

This was followed by a Table Topics Evaluation by DTM Anand, who gave an insightful analysis into the validity and effectiveness of the arguments and rebuttals.

Congrats to all the award winners!

                                                    Best Speaker: Marina

                                                    Best Evaluator: Harleen

                                        Best Table Topics Speaker: Sherlyn (guest)

Wishing all our members and friends a blessed Christmas season!