Chapter Meetings - NUS Toastmasters Club

Snippets: International Speech and Table Topics Contest (Finals)

March 5, 2017
by tsewei

February 28.

The very last day of the month marked NUS Toastmasters’ club finals for the International Speech and Table Topics contest.

The torrid downpour half an hour before left the air turgid.

But it did little to dampen the spirits and enthusiasm of the contest speakers, judges and fellow Toastmasters gathering.

At Faculty of Science, LT25 –

As the energy of the storm outside dissipated and subsided, its residual charge built up into a buzz of excitement and anticipation within the lecture theatre.

Finally, it broke, a crescendo of applause rising to greet the first words spoken by the very first speaker.

The contest began!

First, the prepared speeches.

Each speech a human story, waxing and waning between comedy and tragedy.

Each story, a sweeping vista filled with drama, wonder and laughter.

Next, the table topics.

Where rapier wit meets this enigma of a question: –

“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Each speaker, a matador skilfully skirting and steering the topic – sometimes taking it by its horn.

The crowd, enthralled, cheering and whistling.

In the end, three winners emerged from both international speeches and table topics, two of each category progressing to the area contest.

It was a night to remember, thanks to organising chair Kong Xing Le and contest chair Guo Wanqi.

Leaving all whetted and chomping at the bit for the next speech contest.

Another quality Snippet brought to you by the Media Team, and written by fellow Toastmaster Lim Tong Lee.

Snippets: Chinese New Year Themed Meeting

March 5, 2017July 6, 2017
by tsewei

The final day of Chinese New Year has come and gone, but our memories are here to stay. Here’s a recap on what happened at our Chinese New Year Themed Meeting in January!

The advent of the Year of the Rooster was celebrated with a bang at the NUS Toastmasters Club’s Chinese New Year-themed meeting held on Tuesday, the 24th of January. In line with the festive spirit, members turned up dressed in red, an auspicious colour in Chinese culture.

The celebration began with the mixing of the ingredients of Lo Hei, the prosperity salad which is traditionally eaten as an appetiser before the New Year meal. Members collectively mixed the Lo Hei ingredients together in a manner like that of a typical family on Chinese New Year, signifying the familial nature of NUS Toastmasters. Members enjoyed themselves as they vigorously tossed the Lo Hei seven times, the hall ringing out with energetic shouts of “Huat Ah!” with each toss. The members conversed and bonded as they munched on the Lo Hei as well as traditional Chinese snacks.

Having thus replenished themselves, members then split themselves into teams based on the traditional Chinese zodiac signs to get ready to play the game of the evening. The objective of the game was for each team to act out an impromptu skit based on a scenario given to them, with the members playing characters from well-known franchises, such as Harry Potter and Marvel. Hilarity ensued as the randomness of the lines thought up by the members combined with their attempts to act out the scenario in character gave rise to some funny exchanges.

The evening wound to a close with an address by the Club President Tan Yong Kee, and the members went back home, entertained and flush with the CNY spirit.

-Written by Kaushal Kaslikar and brought to you by the Media Team.

Snippets: Christmas Themed Chapter Meeting

December 28, 2016
by tsewei

Feeling the Christmas ‘withdrawal symptoms’? Fret not! Our very own Media Team is here to take you down memory lane…

On Tuesday last week (20th December), NUS Toastmasters Club held the annual, highly anticipated ‘Christmas Themed Chapter Meeting’. For some members it is the first of many more exciting themed meetings to come; for others it is an event that has found a special place in their hearts over the years. Regardless of which category you fall into, the Christmas Themed Meeting this year has been an evening of celebration and camaraderie.

The festive mood this year was nothing short of infectious, thanks in no small part to the Christmas decorations that were painstakingly put up by the event organisers (kudos to you, Chris, Kelly and Zhang Ying!). Deck the halls with boughs of holly, anyone?

But what is a themed meeting without themed snacks? The Christmas Themed Meeting also featured a spread of classic Christmas snacks such as cupcakes, brownies and even a log cake! (Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some turkey next year…)

After filling their bellies with sugary treats and drinks, our members adjourned to the meeting room to enjoy the games and activities planned by the organisers. With Chris’s charm and wit, it did not take long for them to snap out of their food-induced coma and into an enthusiastic mood. The main activity for the night was a game whereby members were split into groups, with each group having to act out (a la charades) a particularly Christmas-y sentence. For example, the sentence could be as follows: The children huddled around the fireplace with cookies and milk – anxiously waiting for Santa to appear. It was an activity that made for numerous moments which had the room filled with peals of laughter.

Special thanks once again to our members Chris, Kelly and Zhang Ying for selflessly shouldering the preparations. Without their efforts and foresight in planning, this unforgettable get-together session would not have been as successful as it was.

(credit to Cheng Hoo for his contribution to this NUSTMC Snippet on the Christmas Themed Meeting)

Snippets: Projects Night 2016

December 28, 2016December 28, 2016
by tsewei

Hello everyone!

On the 13th December 2016, NUS Toastmasters Club held our annual Projects Night.

The first highlight of the night sparked off with our fellow club members presenting to us a variety of speeches that spreads across the
Competent Communicator Manual to the Advanced Communicator Manual.

Our audiences were able to indulge in a world filled with ice-breaker, humorous, solemn, or inspiring speeches.

The second highlight of Projects Night encouraged everyone in the room to participate by providing constructive feedbacks for each speaker. It was heartening to witness how enthusiastic and generous the audiences were when providing their feedbacks!

At NUS toastmasters, we promise to provide a conducive platform for our fellow club members to learn. A place where we hone our speaking skills free from judgemental eyes.

* this is NUSTMC Snippet, brought to you by the Public Relations Subcommittee and written by subcommittee member, Jue Ni.

Snippets: Halloween 2016

October 28, 2016
by tsewei

On the stormy evening of 25^th October 2016, our club held the highly-anticipated Halloween themed chapter meeting…

The festive decorations were spectacularly done and our members turned up in a variety of creative and cute costumes! Our members came dressed as various iconic characters such as the Phantom of the Opera, Tony Stark, a Facebook icon and many more! (Can you guess who dressed as what?)

The food was not the usual fare of London Choco Rolls as well (not that they aren’t delicious!), our members got to enjoy cakes and other pastries from the cryptic ‘Tiong Bahru Bakery’…

The games and activities planned by the organisers (Jasyree, Rama and Yi Feng) were inventive and certainly roused our members to fever pitch. In particular, there was a segment where members broke up into groups to present a skit based on two randomly chosen words. For example, if a team drew the words ‘Unfaithful Princess’, then they would have to perform a skit based on these two words!

What was YOUR favourite part of the Halloween themed meeting? Leave a comment below! (Best answer gets a one-time only, FREE London Choco Roll next meeting)

The first of many NUSTMC Snippets, brought to you by the Public Relations Subcommitee.

Speechcraft Workshop – 14/10/2015

October 15, 2015
by tsewei

As some of you may already know, NUS Toastmasters club held a Speechcraft workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week! In brief, the Speechcraft workshop is mainly targeted at prospective Toastmasters and anyone who is interested in learning more about public speaking. It was heartening to see so many fresh faces at the workshop, which is clearly a testament to the “bench-marketing” skills of our Toastmasters!

The Speechcraft workshop was mainly centered around getting our guests to step out of their comfort zone and get a feel of the excitement and sense of accomplishment that public speaking can bring to an individual. As such a sizeable part of the workshop was dedicated to introducing our guests to the segment of every chapter meeting we all know and love, Table Topics – more on that later.

Firstly, we kicked off the workshop with an introduction by our Toastmaster-of-the-Evening, the articulate and very animated Michael. Following that, the Club President, Nathaddeus gave a rousing opening address to our dear guests to give them a proper welcome to the workshop. The first Educational Talk, Taking the Terror out of Talk of the evening was held by Wekie Tay, DTM. It is always a pleasure to be the audience when Wekie is speaking – there is never a dull moment. The main takeaway from the first Educational Talk was how to overcome your fear (of public speaking). Wekie shared with us many useful tips no doubt gained from his vast experiences in public speaking. Moving on to the next Educational Talk, How to Tackle Table Topics, we had Darryl Lee, ACB, ALB to share with us how to go about tackling table topics. He shared with us many useful tips and various methods on how to go about tackling table topics. Darryl’s charming demeanor and megawatt smile captured the attention of everyone in the room with ease.

After that we had some volunteers (some involuntarily so, thanks to Andrew!) from the audience to try out some Table Topics! There were definitely many talented individuals in the room that day, and it was interesting to hear what they had to say. The guests were then split into five groups for a “Breakout Session” whereby everyone got a chance to try out Table Topics within their groups! It was an encouraging sight to behold – individuals who only moments before had their own inhibitions about public speaking, picking up the courage to step out of their comfort zone. Is that not the whole point of being a Toastmaster

After a short refreshment break, we entered the final phase of the workshop which comprised of the last (but definitely not least) Educational Talk, How to Organize Your Speech by Chin Jun Han, CC. Jun Han delivered the talk flawlessly and with unwavering confidence. Organizing your speech is a skill that many spend years perfecting, and I am glad Jun Han was able to share his knowledge with our guests. Lastly, our beloved Wekie took the room by storm once more by conveying to us the importance of communication and leadership in the world of the present and future (How Communication and Leadership Can Help You Succeed). All in all, it was such a thoroughly convincing segment and I am sure many of the guests felt the same way too! Alas, all good things do come to an end (as it would seem for the workshop and this post – just kidding!), with that the workshop drew to a close.

It was a very informative and structured workshop, with plenty of opportunities for our guests to interact with each other and speak up if they have something to say. I do hope to see most, if not all of them joining NUS Toastmasters in the near future! As some of you may have noticed, I have carefully avoided going into the specifics of the material that was taught. Perhaps you wish to learn more about Toastmasters or to gain some more valuable public speaking skills? It’s easy!

NUS Toastmasters holds variety of workshops and events catering to various facets of public speaking all year-round. Our arms are wide open for our members, prospective members and guests!

Entry by: Ong Leon Jin (PR Subcomm)

How Scrupulous Could We Be in A Chapter Meeting?…

October 5, 2015October 5, 2015
by wenxi

As the word chosen as the Word of The Night, “Scrupulous” means “diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details”, and scrupulously and scrupulousness are two variations from this word.

On top of how I understood this word in the past, today my fellow Toastmaster upgraded my understanding about this word.

As the Toastmaster-of-the-Evening, Alicia had scrupulously prepared for her show tonight. She started off the chapter meeting by cracking a joke which she recently came up with, and defining a more lively way of handing over the stage: a hi-five, instead of a hand-shake. This creative opening instantly brought smiles across the audience. Then, she brought us into an entertaining learning journey of Toastmaster evening.
Her innovative linking between speeches, along with her enthusiasm and expressiveness had brought to the audiences a stupendous performance. She successfully lightened up and maintained the atmosphere each time she took over the stage.

Chinab, our table topic master, ventured into his creativity through his topic questions. He had scrupulously chosen 10 pictures to be displayed, and then tasked each table topics speaker to talk about anything related to the picture they choose to release.

Our Advanced Project 1 speaker, Andrew grabbed everyone’s attention through his storytelling project and left everyone in the room in awe. His scrupulousness was reflected through his great vocal variety, appropriate gestures and visual aid when delivering the Indonesian folktale, and he engaged the audience by asking questions at the end of his speech.

Not only Alicia, Chinab, and Andrew, but also everyone else had shown their scrupulousness in their preparation, be it as a speaker or an appointment holder. A scrupulous preparation by each person would make a chapter meeting a success.

This chapter meeting taught me the importance of everyone’s cooperation and preparation. I learnt how to create a comfortable ambience for everyone from our TME, Alicia, from the topic master, Chinab and from many others. Besides, I also learnt the importance of creativity for not only tabletopics questions but also speeches, for example, Andrew has taught me how to engage the audience. As a Language Evaluator of the evening, having listened scrupulously to all the uttered words throughout the meeting, I now truly understand the meaning of the word I proposed.

Written by:
Ardina, Su Yanping
Editted by:
Yu Wenxi
29th Sep, 2015

Fireworks, plastic bags and posters [22/09/2015]

September 27, 2015
by tsewei

The 3 things we most often forget in our life, fireworks, plastic bags and posters

In today’s meeting, there was a common thread I found within all the prepared speeches, which is the things that occasionally slip our minds during the busy schedules of our everyday life. Listing them in no particular order, they are our friends, family and the willingness to step out of our comfort zone.

Carolyn who was doing her Project 1: The Ice Breaker, gave an insightful account of her not too typical holiday in Daocheng/Yading, which she described as one of the most challenging encounters of her life. She had to cope with snow and hailstorms, physical exertions while at the same time getting use to the altitude sickness due to it being 4411m above sea level. To put this in perspective, she gave the example of Singapore’s highest point, Bukit Timah Hill, as being a mere 163m above sea level. What made this trip meaningful to her though, was her encounter with her tour guide, an elderly uncle with a horse that brought her around during her stay there. His sunny disposition, despite being located in such a harsh impoverished area, gave her strength to appreciate the journey and that the most difficult roads lead to the most beautiful sceneries, showing photographs of the amazing natural vistas. Ending off with a meaningful quote, “a ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what a ship is built for”, joining NUS Toastmasters to her is another step in being out of her comfort zone and I am sure this is a start of another meaningful journey.

Another Project 1 speaker, Sammel, had a similar theme as well. Starting off by giving a frank account of how a school presentation gone wrong (finishing his 50mins speech in 5mins) led to him being given the nickname “The Flash”, he chose to react positively to it by joining NUS toastmasters. He set a goal for himself to speak weekly as he believes that only through practice, can one develop the skills and confidence necessary to face such an encounter again. His sincerity can be seen in him volunteering for the table topics beforehand despite having his speech after and reflects his determination to become a better speaker and if this continues, perhaps his nickname would be a reflection of how he is super-hero like in the future, being able to think on his feet.

On the topic of family was Wang Jun where he explained the origin of the Mid-Autumn festival and the mooncake being a symbol of family togetherness. When he was young, he was mostly concerned with whether there was that tasty yolk in the center of the mooncake for him to enjoy and the sipping of tea while admiring the moon was lost to him. However when he grew older, he understood the real meaning of the festival, of spending time together and growing family bonds. This is reflected with everyone sharing a slice from the same mooncake, and it was an enlightening thought which I had not considered beforehand.

Last but not least was Ardina’s Project 9 on the importance of friends after going through high school/jc life. During her junior college years, she felt she was overly focused on achievements and did not take time to expand her social circle. This was felt keenly during her birthday and when she was sick, where she felt almost invisible with no one showing concern. Mindful of this, she begun to be more friendly and active in university and to her surprise, she easily found people who were of the same course and had shared interests with her. She thus exhorts us to step out of the small circle of our comfort zone to the large circle of the wider world, “where the magic happens” and hopes we would not make the similar mistake of thinking that achievements are everything.

Concluding, the lesson I took away from today was that sometimes it takes a mistake or negative experience to realize what we need to improve on and through NUS Toastmasters, we can hear from people who already made them and reflect on whether we are in the process of committing a similar one. The effort and sincerity of the speeches shone through and that’s what makes me come down for every chapter meeting.

To end off, I take Tse Wei’s half sung one-liner from Katy Perry, “do you ever feel, like a plastic bag?”. NUS Toastmasters is the place to step out of your comfort zone where everyone is welcome and together we aim to express ourselves better and be like fireworks in the sky. Happy recess week everyone!

(P.S: When you next meet Perry, our member and not the famous singer, commend the NUSTM poster for its stunning aesthetics as he designed it)

Contributed by: Ng Jian Yao (PR Subcom)

15th September 2015: Anyway X5

September 27, 2015September 27, 2015
by tsewei

Anyway x 5

I was pronounced guilty of 5 Anyways (amidst other “uhs” and a “basically”) by the Ah-Counter in my room. This somehow tickled me so much that I doodled it down on the Agenda paper. Isn’t it interesting how something like that slips past our ears as we speak? Especially how many times we repeat a word when we were certain the last time we said it was last speech, last week, last month, maybe last year. “Definitely didn’t use this in the last sentence, let’s naturally say it now!” I’m exaggerating but it is from these little things pointed out by the attentive Ah-Counters that we learn and notice our small quirks. Anyway, I for one seem to love the word ‘anyway’ so in a salute to that, here are 5 anyways from the night.

1. “Anyway, table topics aren’t meant to be serious.” I admit that as table topics master I might have pushed my questions a little further and some proved to be an unconventional challenge (sorry guys!) but the enthusiastic response certainly turned it around. Serious quotes were questioned (“The author says that dreams are a maze – I think he got confused in his own and wrote this quote!”), weird scenarios were realized (in response to being ruler of a new land – “Welcome to Pug Land!”) and direct questions were answered (“My dream holiday plan is to fly somewhere (anywhere) and communicate with people.”). We laughed, we talked and we listened. Table topics are something different and each speaker seized the chance to speak and have fun, “stressful” as it may appear.

2. “Who’s nervous anyway?” Our prepared speakers were simply natural on stage. They exuded confidence and divulged us in a wide range of topics – from Halloween to Nature, Friendship to Phone Culture. Needless to say, we left with a better understanding of each area, and each speaker.

3. “But anyway, do take note of this.” After a casual break, we returned to the room for Evaluation Reports. We heard concise and effective criticism from the evaluators, each providing feedback and advice for their respective speaker and collectively, for everyone. Strengths were recognized and suggestions were given. Like the Ah-Counter, the small things pointed out are helpful to any speaker and a step towards better communication and presentation.

4. “Here are the reports anyway.” Ah, the moment of truth. At the end of the meeting, the Timer and Ah-Counter are invited to report the timings of the speakers and the “counted-ahs”. As a senior mentioned, the timers keep us on track and the Ah-counters keep us aware. Yours truly was one of the “heavy offenders” whilst someone was reported to have the high score of “0” (something we all strive for, perhaps?)

5. And in closing, “Contribute in any way you want.” Educational Awards were presented and announcements of recruitment for each committee were made. This was a reminder of how each member can contribute to our community and club. Be it speeches, holding appointments or even just being present, everyone is integral to the club. Truly, we can all contribute in any way we want.

I have hereby brought my grand total of “Anyways” to 10 at this point but overall, the true 10 should be given to the chapter meeting for being another wonderful one. At every meeting, we leave with new discoveries and new ideas – this one was no exception.

Here’s to minimizing my “Anyways” and maybe writing less words but basically – be a Toastmaster anyway, any way and of course, your way.

Contributed by : Alicia Lim

8th September 2015: Why I choose to come down…

September 12, 2015September 12, 2015
by tsewei

Why I choose to come down to NUS Toastmasters.

Last Tuesday, the 8th of September, was my second day of work. However, I always remember that Tuesday nights are reserved for NUS Toastmasters. Despite living 20 MRT stations far away, I felt that I have to take this opportunity to go and learn more about my speaking skills. Late as I might be, I came just when it started.

It was there when I heard from our club treasurer, Perry Chia, opening the meeting saying that on this Tuesday night, we could choose to be at home, going out with friends, or maybe studying, but instead, we choose to come to NUS Toastmasters.

Although I just came in as a member without any appointment roles, I reflected on why I chose to come here, and I felt that I have to speak up. With that in mind, I volunteered myself for the Table Topics session. Turning the fear of speaking that builds up inside me into courage, I raised my hand, stepped to the front and did an impromptu speech. This is where I felt the magic of speaking. As I speak, it feels as if I am releasing all the fears of speaking. The warm atmosphere of NUS Toastmasters makes me to enjoy speaking on stage as well, spurring me to go on. Surely, that was the only chance for me to speak, but by listening to the prepared speeches and the evaluation, I definitely learned valuable speaking pointers as well.

As the meeting was concluded, everyone gathered to put their eyes together on members who achieved the educational milestones, and indeed I was convinced that NUS Toastmasters is indeed a good environment to learn speaking skills. Every journey begins with a single step, and the journey to become a better speaker begins with a speech. I truly am grateful that I have taken the step towards becoming a better speaker by doing a Table Topics speech today. I believe that I can still improve my speaking skills, and look forward to coming here again on Tuesdays.

Written by : Michael Yonathan

Reviewed by: Neoh Tse wei