The 5th Speech Did It!

It was a strange, surreal feeling almost. I had been in that same situation of being assessed for my speech, at least 10 times by now. However, every time it came to that instance when the Best Speaker was to be announced, I would freeze. My hands would freeze and my tongue would go limp. Yes, my tongue. So, don’t ask me any pertinent questions during this tiny but tensing window of time, and you will be spared my blank, doe-eyed stare.

So, when the Toast Master of the Evening (TME) who also happens to be the President of Bangsar TM announced my name, blood rushed to my palms – but my feet went numb. For a full 3 seconds that felt like an hour, I only imagined walking up to him to get the certificate with my name on it, rather than actually walking there. Of course, with all the smiles and gazes directed at me, I zapped out of the daydream soon enough, walked up to the rostrum and accepted my certificate from a smiling TME! I am not even sure if I smiled back, because I think my face was still frozen from the shock. It was only when I heard a click, did I realize that our VPM was diligently saving the moment for Bangsar TM’s records! I think I smiled, but a second too late. So if I seem dazed in the shot that shows me accepting my first ever Best Assignment Speaker Certificate, you know why!

So what was different about this speech that it catapulted me to first place after months and months of toastmaster speeches? Was it the fact that the topic was close to my heart? But so were the other ones! What did I do different? I could not say I sounded better at my 5th speech, compared to many of my impromptu table topic speeches made in the past. Some of those ranked high in applause units. So what was it?

Personally – and completely without reason, I think it was the Number 5. It’s lucky. (Not the Lucky we all know as Mr. President!)

F. I. V. E.
Something about the number 5. It often leads me to Happiness or a derivative thereof.

The number 1 usually is about a single shot. One-time-only “happenstances”. The number 2 usually has double-meaning to me – no pun intended. Well let me try again. Sigh. I rest my case.

3rd time lucky? Yeah, for the guy sitting three rows down and third from the left. He’s always the guy who gets picked during all lucky draws I’ve attended all my life. Never me. So the number three is out. The number 4 – hardly a source of pleasure. Have you ever had fourths at a buffet dinner and then left the room with a smile? I think not!

In any case, the 5th speech did it! I won my first certificate before these little beige declarations with embossed black letters got replaced by the newer, shinier pins that will adorn our clothes or bags in time! Like stripes on the shirt of an army officer!

Secretly of course, as smug as I may sound about the new pins sometimes, I am excited about them. They’re definitely sexier than our big beige sheets. Having said that, it felt like I was part of a legacy, being able to take home the certificate while it was still being awarded. A novelty. After all, the who’s who of Bangsar Toastmasters had all won these certificates all this time. And somehow being able to win one, suddenly felt special to me. Like how I felt when those smelly terrapins my brother reared in our room as children, died. They weren’t my favorite, but the fact that I couldn’t smell them anymore when they died, changed something - I couldn’t put my finger on it but it still bothered me.

Yeah, yeah, go ahead and call me a sentimental fool! Still, it is I who won a certificate for my 5th Speech, am I not?

I tell you, it’s the Number 5.


by Shobha
20th July 2010




















delivering my 5th... speech!


























my evaluator, Sham Sunder


















receiving my certificate - "BEST speaker"...

Meeting Review: # 02 - 20th July, 2010

Theme	:	GIVING YOUR BEST
Word of the Day	:	PERFORM (ANCE)

Attendees
Members (14)		ROLES
Aishah Ayub	CC	Grammarian/WM
Bryan Yong		INV / CM
Chandrasiri De Silva		ASA / AH
Chandran V	CC	GE
Dinesh Sai Menon
Huegesh Marimuthu
Joan-Lynn Chong		TTE
Lakhmichand	ATMB, ALS	TME / VC
Nicole Marife Helwig
Saranjit Singh		SAA
Sham Sunder Lakhiani	ACB
Shobha J
Uma Narayanan, K N	CC	TTM
Wai Leong Soon		Timer

Table Topics Speakers
Shobha J
Nicole Marife Helwig
Dinesh Sai Menon
Bryan Yong	BEST
Saranjit Singh
Speeches
Basic C&L Manual
# 3 - Nicole Marife Helwig
" The Benefits of Volunteerism "
# 3 - Saranjit Singh
" The Sikh Wedding Ceremony "
# 5 - Shobha J	BEST
Getting Back on the Exercise Saddle
Speech Evaluators
Uma Narayanan, K N, CC	BEST
Chandran V, CC
Sham Sunder Lakhiani, ACB

Heavy rain, traffic jam... all that didn’t stop 14 enthusiastic members from attending the 2nd meeting of the term. Full EXCO turned up and continued with the EXCO meeting after the regular session...

It was an excellent meeting, with interesting table topics, well responded to; 3 speeches from 3 new members committed to completing their CC manuals; with evaluations that would make even seasoned speakers cringe... The speakers took it all as part of growing...

Congratulations to the 3 speakers:
#3 - Nicole, Saranjit; #5 - Shobha


Bryan's invocation was very inspiring - he read a poem to give it a touch!

Giving Your Best

It's the hand we clasp with an honest grasp
That gives a hearty thrill;
It's the good we pour into others' lives
That comes back our own to fill.
It's the dregs we drain from another's cup
That makes our own seem sweet;
And the hours we give to another's need
That makes our life complete.

It's the burdens we help another bear
That makes our own seem light.
It's the anger seen for another's feet
That shows us the path to right.
It's the good we do each passing day,
With a heart sincere and true;
In giving the world your very best
It's best will return to you.
(Author Unknown)


Uma, a newly crowned CC, ran the Table Topics session with her usual colorful manner - the THEME of the topics was 'dances'. The speakers had to select an item that represented a dance type:

Shobha - Bharatanatyam
Nicole - Rock & Role
Dinesh - Belly dancing
Bryan - Fan Dancing
Saranjit - Bamboo Dancing

For Shobha it was a "breeze", for Nicole "quite at home"
Dinesh, Bryan & Saranjit are good at improvising!

It was a very entertaining session, thanks to Uma!

First timer, Joan, as TTE, delivered a very meaningful & constructive evaluation.

Chandran, a seasoned TM, ran the general evaluation session with ease.

The Grammarian, Ah-Counter & Timer were all thorough in their reports, indicating their commitment to their roles.


by Lucky

5 Club Officers Attended the First TLI

10th July, 2010 - 5 club officers -
(Treasurer, Secretary, VPPR, VPM & Prez),
attended the first TLI, organised by Division B.

Our FIRST for 2010 - 2011

6th July 2010

Meeting Review: # 01 - 06th July, 2010

Theme	:	WELCOME
Word of the Day	:	BRILLIANT

Attendees
Members (12)		ROLES
Aishah Ayub	CC	TTE
Bryan Yong		TME
Chandrasiri De Silva		ASA/VC
Chandran V	CC
Lakhmichand	ATMB, ALS	TTM
Lourdes Chandramohan	DTM	Invocation
Nicole Marife Helwig		Grammarian
Ranjani Visvanathan
Saranjit Singh		Timer
Sham Sunder Lakhiani	ACB
Uma Narayanan, K N		Clap Master
Wai Leong Soon		WM / AH
Guest(s) (2)
KL Loh (MM TM Club )	ATMG	GE
Lim Mooi Kheng (past)
Table Topics Speakers
Chandran V
Bryan Yong
Uma Narayanan, K N	BEST
Lim Mooi Kheng
Wai Leong Soon

Speeches

Basic C&L Manual

# 10 - Uma Narayanan, K N

" Inspired by the Nobility of Human Spirit "

Advanced Manual(s)

# 5 - Story Telling

" Marilyn Monroe "

Speech Evaluators

Chandran V, CC

Lourdes Chandramohan, DTM

The first meeting of the term kicked off BRILLIANTly with an attendance of 14 persons. We were graced by the presence of Toastmaster KL Loh, ATMG as our GE. We also have Mooi Kheng coming back to join us after being away for months. We are most delighted to welcome her back into this cozy family. Everyone was in cheerful mood despite the rainy season we have had in KL lately. And that’s just the beginning!

Chandrasiri called the meeting to order, leading us in the Toastmasters’ Promise (his first time), and he did a wonderful job. Next we had our dear President, Lucky, giving us a very warm welcome as well as a brief introduction of the club and the club officers.

Following that, the TME took control and introduced the role players. We had two new roles in the meeting, namely the Word Master and the Clap Master. The Word Master is charged with counting the usage of the Word of the Day (Brilliant), and the Clap Master is in charge of leading the claps. Our Clap Master Uma introduced the Rain Clap to us, just in time for the rainy season! The Invocation was done by Lourdes, DTM. It was his first meeting after a long time to speak not as the President; he is now the IPP. You couod almost hear the difference as he spoke!

Next was the most exciting and heart gripping session, the Table Topics session! Our TTM for the day was our President, Lucky! This session was direct and simple, with the topic of “What do we want to achieve in the club, by when do we want to achieve it, and how will achieving it benefit us?” This same topic applied to all table topic speakers. The speakers were chosen via a “Lucky” draw, and the first speaker draws the second, and so on. Chandran started the first speech with a disclaimer, which was very witty. The rest of the speakers were relieved from repeating the same disclaimer, which was a good thing. One amazing similarity among all the speakers was how everyone gave specific goals but stressed or hinted that the goals are not necessarily completed in the said manner. Overall, everyone gave a brilliant speech laden with threads of personal experience and a dash of humour. Our TTE, Aishah, gave a detailed evaluation of each speaker pointing out the strengths and room for improvement. It was a great insight filled with tips for others to take note as well.

For the refreshments session, we had delicious pizzas and a heavenly cheesecake with strawberries to boot! It was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our beloved Bangsar Toastmasters Club. With that spirit and atmosphere, the break was more of a feast than just a simple refreshment break. Everyone took their share and we gathered around for a group photo as well.

After the break, it was time for assignment speeches. We had Uma and Ranjani both completing the final speech in their manuals. For speech number 10, Inspire Your Audience, Uma brought us to a scene in Afghanistan where we are workers of an NGO who had lost our jobs over a temporary closure of the office. As a Regional Representative, she flew over and spoke to us, giving us hope and assurance that our needs are attended to as well as future employment opportunities. She brought herself down to empathize with the listeners and proceed to lift us all up with her assertive tone as she gave us hope. Truly an inspiring speech not to be missed! As tradition, we gave her a standing ovation in recognition of her completion of the CC manual.

Next up was Ranjani, completing her Story Telling manual with the assignment topic Bringing History to Life. She began with vivid descriptions and various adjectives of Marilyn Monroe. It was like listening to a documentary detailing the life and times of Marilyn Monroe from a personal perspective. Embedded within the speech itself were a few jokes such as the dumb blond joke, the healthy exercise joke, and even the cheap as a deck joke! Listening to the speech was like going on an emotional roller coaster. We sympathized with the circumstances Monroe has been through, but every once in a while we would laugh at the jokes. This was addressed specifically by Lourdes in his evaluation later on. Ranjani also received her round of applause for completing her advanced manual. Overall, we had two wonderful speeches in their own way, one an inspiration and the other an entertainment.

Evaluations for the speeches were no less entertaining than the speeches themselves. Chandran gave a very detailed evaluation for Uma’s speech, pointing out every good point as well as a few tips for improvement. It was an encouraging “job well done” evaluation with a dash of witty humour as typical of Chandran. Lourdes’ evaluation of Ranjani’s speech was much more entertaining in comparison, especially when he pointed out that when we make a speech as a tribute to a dead person, we do not by any means insult or humiliate the person. As he continued pointing out specific examples of that, the roars of laughter got louder and louder. Personally, that was one evaluation that will always be remembered.
The meeting was continued with reports by our role players, the Word Master – Wai Leong, the Grammarian - Nicole, Ah Counter – Shobha, and the Timekeeper - Saranjit. The reports were detailed and very concise indicating a job very well done. It’s not easy to listen attentively when you are enjoying the sessions so much, that I can attest to based on experience. Next was a very encouraging closing comment by our guest GE, Toastmaster KL Loh. It was a very positive feedback especially considering the amount of first-timers in this meeting.

Before we called it a night, we had the most exciting session of the meeting – the awards presentation! The best table topic speaker award went to Uma while the best speaker and evaluator award went to no one, because we had only two assignment speakers and evaluators. Apart from awards, our President also presented our guest GE with a token of appreciation for his visit to our club.

Last on the agenda were feedback and business sessions led by our President.

That concluded the first meeting of the term in Bangsar Toastmasters Club.



by Bryan Yong (TME)

In the New Term (2010-2011)...

wef 1st July 2010, BANGSAR TM Club is now in

Area :	G 1
Division :	G
District :	51	Peninsula Malaysia