Opening Address June 2009
Good evening, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to begin by asking you a question. If your answer is no, don’t say it out loud. But if your answer is ‘yes’, please say it out loud.
This is my question: “Do I look pretty tonight?” Thank you. Now I can go back and tell my Immediate Past President Justin that I have accomplished my objective because he told me that as a club President, all I have to do is to sit and look pretty.
But seriously, appearances aside, the more important thing for the President to do is to set a vision for the club and motivate the team to get the job done.
It has been said that some people make things happen, some people watch things happen, and some simply wonder, ‘What happened?’
Fellow club members, don’t be wonderers, don’t be watchers, be makers of happenings!
If you want to be an accomplished speaker, make that happen by preparing for each and every speaking assignment diligently.
If you want to be a contest champion, make that happen by taking part in contests and getting a mentor to guide you.
If we want Katong Toastmasters Club to be a distinguished club, let’s work together as a team to make that happen! I believe we can.
When I read about the World Champion of Public Speaking 2008, I was very excited and inspired because it was a woman! Do you have any idea how many woman has ever won this title? Since this contest began in 1938, only four women have ever won this title!
And LaShunda Rundles from Dallas, Texas is the first African-American woman ever to win this prestigious competition. Her contest speech, “Speak” encouraged people to use their voices to change the world. As a lupus survivor, she plans to become the national spokesperson for the Lupus Foundation of America.
In her own words, she said
“People who do not understand lupus do not have an idea of what I deal with each day. There are thousands of people living in pain daily.
I want to raise money, awareness, and understanding. I don’t want people to live with the shame that I did for many years wanting to hide it. My skin is not flawless, my scars are many, but my resolve is unbreakable. I want to bring hope to the lives of those that know what it is really like to have a “good” day. As the awareness grows the quality of life for many people will mean many more “good” days and better yet restful nights. In a world of limited resources we have to fight for our piece of the pie.
I lost a friend of mine who was 28 and died blind and in a wheelchair with lupus. If I can help prevent things like that through my voice, it would be a blessing and an honor.”
Wow, what an inspiration! To think that we can change our world through our voices. We can speak up for what’s right and what’s true. Whatever your goals in life, whatever your dreams, whatever your aspirations, make them happen.
May Toastmasters be the place and platform where you start to make things happen by honing your listening, thinking and speaking skills. I thank the outgoing EXCO for their dedication, commitment and contributions to the club and I congratulate the incoming EXCO for their courage to take up the challenge of running this club. Together, we will make things happen for Katong Toastmasters Club and bring it to the next level.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The basement brainstorm
Opening Address July 2009
When people hear the word “basement” they’re more likely to picture mould and spiders than the birth place of a global communication and leadership training organization. But a basement is exactly where the first toastmasters meeting was held.
Ralph Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters International, worked as director of education for a Young Men’s Christian Association or YMCA after he graduated from college. He observed that many of the young men needed “training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings”. So what did he do? Did he merely wish for them to become better? No, he made things happen. How?
First, he decided on a training format. He chose a format similar to a social club to attract people to join.
Second, he named his group “The Toastmasters Club” to suggest a pleasant, social atmosphere appealing to young men. During the early 1900s the word “toastmaster” referred to a person who proposed the toasts and introduced the speakers at a banquet.
Third, he got together a group of young men from YMCA in Santa Ana, California in 1924 and they met in a basement for their first meeting to practice speaking in a supportive, informal atmosphere.
The seedling club blossomed. Word spread about Smedley’s YMCA experiment and soon people in other communities and even other states began asking for permission and help to start their own Toastmasters meetings. Today, thanks to Ralph Smedley’s “basement brainstorm”, there are more than 12,000 Toastmasters clubs and more than 250,000 members in 106 countries. Thanks to Ralph Smedley, we are gathered here tonight to enjoy the benefits of Toastmasters.
Fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, is there something in your workplace or at home that needs improvement? Then don’t just wish for things to be better. Make things better.
For myself, I wanted to improve our club’s presence in cyberspace so I’ve updated our website and started a facebook account for our club. Your support and feedback will be greatly appreciated. Please look for Joni Siah in Facebook and add me as a friend. Then I will link you to our club page. This is where we can share photos and event information and hold animated discussions over issues pertaining to our club. Make your presence felt. Join me in FACEBOOK.
In conclusion,
Don’t watch things happen,
Don’t wonder what happen,
MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!
When people hear the word “basement” they’re more likely to picture mould and spiders than the birth place of a global communication and leadership training organization. But a basement is exactly where the first toastmasters meeting was held.
Ralph Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters International, worked as director of education for a Young Men’s Christian Association or YMCA after he graduated from college. He observed that many of the young men needed “training in the art of public speaking and in presiding over meetings”. So what did he do? Did he merely wish for them to become better? No, he made things happen. How?
First, he decided on a training format. He chose a format similar to a social club to attract people to join.
Second, he named his group “The Toastmasters Club” to suggest a pleasant, social atmosphere appealing to young men. During the early 1900s the word “toastmaster” referred to a person who proposed the toasts and introduced the speakers at a banquet.
Third, he got together a group of young men from YMCA in Santa Ana, California in 1924 and they met in a basement for their first meeting to practice speaking in a supportive, informal atmosphere.
The seedling club blossomed. Word spread about Smedley’s YMCA experiment and soon people in other communities and even other states began asking for permission and help to start their own Toastmasters meetings. Today, thanks to Ralph Smedley’s “basement brainstorm”, there are more than 12,000 Toastmasters clubs and more than 250,000 members in 106 countries. Thanks to Ralph Smedley, we are gathered here tonight to enjoy the benefits of Toastmasters.
Fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, is there something in your workplace or at home that needs improvement? Then don’t just wish for things to be better. Make things better.
For myself, I wanted to improve our club’s presence in cyberspace so I’ve updated our website and started a facebook account for our club. Your support and feedback will be greatly appreciated. Please look for Joni Siah in Facebook and add me as a friend. Then I will link you to our club page. This is where we can share photos and event information and hold animated discussions over issues pertaining to our club. Make your presence felt. Join me in FACEBOOK.
In conclusion,
Don’t watch things happen,
Don’t wonder what happen,
MAKE THINGS HAPPEN!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Opening Address November 2009
When I joined Toastmasters, it took me many years to pluck up the courage to take part in a humorous speech contest. I had limiting beliefs that I was not funny and I could not possibly make anyone laugh. Better not embarrass myself.
But recently at our club's humorous speech contest, two of our newer members took part in the contest although they had less than one year's experience in Toastmasters. Either they were very gullible to believe the VPE when he said it was compulsory for all members to take part in the contest, or they had the courage to TRY. I believe it was the latter.
During the contest, I happened to be seated next to a judge. One of the new members was the first contestant. When he opened his mouth to speak, the judge tactlessly commented to me, "Wah, like that also can take part in contest!" I was peeved but that was not a good time to give him a piece of my mind. If not for my self-control and self-restraint, the judge might have ended up on the floor with a bleeding nose. Thankfully I am a civilised person.
I did not get a chance to tell the judge what I thought that day, but this is what I would have said, "TO TRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE GOOD; BUT TO BE GOOD, YOU MUST TRY!"
The wonderful thing about Toastmasters is that it provides us with the opportunities to try out many different speaking roles, be it as a speaker, evaluator or TME and so on. If you were given the opportunity to be a project evaluator, a language evaluator or a contestant, what would your response be? Would you say YES enthusiastically? Or like most people, reject the offer with reasons like 'I'm not experienced enough', 'I don't know how to be an evaluator' etc.
True, for certain roles such as TME or project evaluator, some experience is required. But most of the time, it is our limiting beliefs that stops us from trying. If you feel you are inadequate to take on a role, do realise that there are many things you can do about it. You can attend workshops that teach you skills you need (such as LE workshops), you can observe more experienced toastmasters, you can read up on resources on the internet or get your mentor to share his/her experiences with you.
So the next time opportunity comes knocking on your door, what will your response be? When your beloved club President or VPE calls you and says, 'Nik, would you like to be the LE for our next chapter meeting?' or 'Tarwin, would you like to take part in the Table Topics Contest?', or 'Ben, would you like to serve in the EXCO next term?', don't say NO. Instead, embrace the opportunity and take actions to empower yourself to take on the role. And remember, "TO TRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE GOOD; BUT TO BE GOOD, YOU MUST TRY!"
But recently at our club's humorous speech contest, two of our newer members took part in the contest although they had less than one year's experience in Toastmasters. Either they were very gullible to believe the VPE when he said it was compulsory for all members to take part in the contest, or they had the courage to TRY. I believe it was the latter.
During the contest, I happened to be seated next to a judge. One of the new members was the first contestant. When he opened his mouth to speak, the judge tactlessly commented to me, "Wah, like that also can take part in contest!" I was peeved but that was not a good time to give him a piece of my mind. If not for my self-control and self-restraint, the judge might have ended up on the floor with a bleeding nose. Thankfully I am a civilised person.
I did not get a chance to tell the judge what I thought that day, but this is what I would have said, "TO TRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE GOOD; BUT TO BE GOOD, YOU MUST TRY!"
The wonderful thing about Toastmasters is that it provides us with the opportunities to try out many different speaking roles, be it as a speaker, evaluator or TME and so on. If you were given the opportunity to be a project evaluator, a language evaluator or a contestant, what would your response be? Would you say YES enthusiastically? Or like most people, reject the offer with reasons like 'I'm not experienced enough', 'I don't know how to be an evaluator' etc.
True, for certain roles such as TME or project evaluator, some experience is required. But most of the time, it is our limiting beliefs that stops us from trying. If you feel you are inadequate to take on a role, do realise that there are many things you can do about it. You can attend workshops that teach you skills you need (such as LE workshops), you can observe more experienced toastmasters, you can read up on resources on the internet or get your mentor to share his/her experiences with you.
So the next time opportunity comes knocking on your door, what will your response be? When your beloved club President or VPE calls you and says, 'Nik, would you like to be the LE for our next chapter meeting?' or 'Tarwin, would you like to take part in the Table Topics Contest?', or 'Ben, would you like to serve in the EXCO next term?', don't say NO. Instead, embrace the opportunity and take actions to empower yourself to take on the role. And remember, "TO TRY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE GOOD; BUT TO BE GOOD, YOU MUST TRY!"
Thursday, October 15, 2009
AREA Z3 HUMOROUS SPEECH & EVALUATION CONTEST - 1st October 2009
No pain, no gain. There is so much truth in this saying. Why? Because each time you go through the stress (read pain!) of organising a contest, you grow in your organisational and leadership skills. Delegating has always been one of my weaker areas. At the club contest in September, I ended up preparing a lot of the stuff myself. This time round for the area contest, I delegated as much work as I possibly could.
Still, I ended up with a lot of loose ends and details that I overlooked. Like not having an extra SD card to take videos of the contestants, not having blank paper for judges and contestants to take notes. Not only that, one of the air-cons in the room broke down (on a positive note, it gave us a warm audience) and there were not enough chairs - it was literally full-house. The food was also insufficient. Areas for improvement...
In my closing address, I was able to draw laughter from the audience by tapping on the contestants' earlier humorous speeches. But oops, I forgot to mention the chief judge and judges when thanking everyone for helping out in the contests. It will definitely help to write down the key points and run through them in my mind before I go up to speak.
Next assignment: contest chair for the Division Z contest on 10 October 2009.
Still, I ended up with a lot of loose ends and details that I overlooked. Like not having an extra SD card to take videos of the contestants, not having blank paper for judges and contestants to take notes. Not only that, one of the air-cons in the room broke down (on a positive note, it gave us a warm audience) and there were not enough chairs - it was literally full-house. The food was also insufficient. Areas for improvement...
In my closing address, I was able to draw laughter from the audience by tapping on the contestants' earlier humorous speeches. But oops, I forgot to mention the chief judge and judges when thanking everyone for helping out in the contests. It will definitely help to write down the key points and run through them in my mind before I go up to speak.
Next assignment: contest chair for the Division Z contest on 10 October 2009.
LANGUAGE EVALUATION @ ULU PANDAN TMC
LANGUAGE EVALUATION @ ULU PANDAN TMC on 6 OCTOBER 2009
Word of the day:
delirious (adjective): extremely excited and happy
She was delirious with joy when the compere announced that she was the winner.
deliriously (adverb): The crowds cheered deliriously when the home team scored a goal.
delirium (noun): Not able to think or speak in a rational way because of illness or fever.
I thought I was suffering from delirium.
BRICKBATS
VOCABULARY:
INCORRECT USAGE CORRECTION
1. Ms club president Madam President
2. maximum number of oxygen maximum amount of oxygen
3. all of us are guilty with.. all of us are guilty of
4. she did well by bringing up a visual aid she did well by displaying a visual aid
5. She would have improved better if.. she would have improved if …
6. What she could have do… what she could have done
7. Use the six steps to do a better project use the six steps to present a better project
8. Which I will come and address later which I will address later in my speech
9. What is the main message you want What is the main message you want to share with the audience?
to say?
10. It is very inspiration. It is very inspirational.
11. Persistency persistence (noun) or persistently (adverb)
SENTENCE STRUCTURE:
1. May be young, may be matured or any group of age..
Correction: may be young, may be old or any age…
2. It feels a sense of achievement.
Correction: I felt a sense of achievement.
3. … which I am completing in next year June.
Correction: …which I am completing in June next year.
4. I’m still in a shocked state.
Correction: I’m still in a state of shock.
BOUQUETS
ALLITERATION:
born and bred in Singapore
efforts and expertise
busy as a bee
POWER OF THREE:
I was shocked, embarrassed and angry.
Military training, thinking, tactics
upkeep, upgrade, update
physical, mental and social well-being
RHYME:
gabra like zebra
survive but to thrive
PARALLEL STRUCTURE:
What you want to do when you want to do it.
ACRONYM:
Use of acronym ARMY for evaluation points:
ARMY: ACES, REASONS, MY OPINIONS, YARDSTICK
I had failed to give credit to Seh Leng for the use of power of three in her Table Topic speech. She mentioned that there are three family members born in the years of the CHINESE zodiac sign of the TIGER. She ascribed each of them with a characteristic: Her grandmother is domineering, her father is chauvinistic and her brother is assertive, “a tiger in the making”. An excellent use of the power of three!
Word of the day:
delirious (adjective): extremely excited and happy
She was delirious with joy when the compere announced that she was the winner.
deliriously (adverb): The crowds cheered deliriously when the home team scored a goal.
delirium (noun): Not able to think or speak in a rational way because of illness or fever.
I thought I was suffering from delirium.
BRICKBATS
VOCABULARY:
INCORRECT USAGE CORRECTION
1. Ms club president Madam President
2. maximum number of oxygen maximum amount of oxygen
3. all of us are guilty with.. all of us are guilty of
4. she did well by bringing up a visual aid she did well by displaying a visual aid
5. She would have improved better if.. she would have improved if …
6. What she could have do… what she could have done
7. Use the six steps to do a better project use the six steps to present a better project
8. Which I will come and address later which I will address later in my speech
9. What is the main message you want What is the main message you want to share with the audience?
to say?
10. It is very inspiration. It is very inspirational.
11. Persistency persistence (noun) or persistently (adverb)
SENTENCE STRUCTURE:
1. May be young, may be matured or any group of age..
Correction: may be young, may be old or any age…
2. It feels a sense of achievement.
Correction: I felt a sense of achievement.
3. … which I am completing in next year June.
Correction: …which I am completing in June next year.
4. I’m still in a shocked state.
Correction: I’m still in a state of shock.
BOUQUETS
ALLITERATION:
born and bred in Singapore
efforts and expertise
busy as a bee
POWER OF THREE:
I was shocked, embarrassed and angry.
Military training, thinking, tactics
upkeep, upgrade, update
physical, mental and social well-being
RHYME:
gabra like zebra
survive but to thrive
PARALLEL STRUCTURE:
What you want to do when you want to do it.
ACRONYM:
Use of acronym ARMY for evaluation points:
ARMY: ACES, REASONS, MY OPINIONS, YARDSTICK
I had failed to give credit to Seh Leng for the use of power of three in her Table Topic speech. She mentioned that there are three family members born in the years of the CHINESE zodiac sign of the TIGER. She ascribed each of them with a characteristic: Her grandmother is domineering, her father is chauvinistic and her brother is assertive, “a tiger in the making”. An excellent use of the power of three!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Project Evaluation of P4
Last week, I had the joy of visiting NUS Alumni TMC to evaluate a Project 4 speech. The speech title was "There are no ugly women, only lazy ones". P4 focuses on use of words, rhetorical devices and proper grammar and pronunciation.
My evaluation points included two commendations (IR) and two recommendations (GP).
COMMENDATIONS:
I Introduction
The speaker uses questions in her introduction to engage the audience. The questions were direct and simple to understand, which allowed the audience to respond easily.
R Rhetorical devices
The speaker was able to use rhetorical devices such as alliteration (e.g. picture perfect, ladies are lovely, forefront of fashion) and metaphors (e.g. gentle bashful guys transform into women-hungry wolves, for every cloud there is a silver lining) to spice up her speech.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
G Grammar
Incorrect grammar was used in some instances. For example, in the sentence "I was expecting for more", for is redundant. The phrase "to bring around him and his friends from Germany" is better rephrased as "to bring him and his friends from Germany around Singapore". In the phrase "we went into great lengths", the correct preposition should be to, as in "we went to great lengths".
P Pronunciation
Pronunciation of some words were incorrect. For example, 'infamous', 'fizzled off' and 'gigantic'.
In conclusion, leverage on your strengths of using questions to engage the audience and rhetorical devices to emphasize your points. Work on your grammar and pronunciation and rehearse your speech to perfection. Then you will be able to dazzle your audience with speeches that exhibit greater finesse and pizzazz.
My evaluation points included two commendations (IR) and two recommendations (GP).
COMMENDATIONS:
I Introduction
The speaker uses questions in her introduction to engage the audience. The questions were direct and simple to understand, which allowed the audience to respond easily.
R Rhetorical devices
The speaker was able to use rhetorical devices such as alliteration (e.g. picture perfect, ladies are lovely, forefront of fashion) and metaphors (e.g. gentle bashful guys transform into women-hungry wolves, for every cloud there is a silver lining) to spice up her speech.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
G Grammar
Incorrect grammar was used in some instances. For example, in the sentence "I was expecting for more", for is redundant. The phrase "to bring around him and his friends from Germany" is better rephrased as "to bring him and his friends from Germany around Singapore". In the phrase "we went into great lengths", the correct preposition should be to, as in "we went to great lengths".
P Pronunciation
Pronunciation of some words were incorrect. For example, 'infamous', 'fizzled off' and 'gigantic'.
In conclusion, leverage on your strengths of using questions to engage the audience and rhetorical devices to emphasize your points. Work on your grammar and pronunciation and rehearse your speech to perfection. Then you will be able to dazzle your audience with speeches that exhibit greater finesse and pizzazz.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Is it original?
At a recent contest where I was the chief judge, one of the judges pointed out during the break that one of the speeches was not original. He had read it on the Internet before.
As it turned out, another judge had also read the account in the speech before and had marked the contestant down in view of that. In the end, a decision was made to question the contestant about the originality of his speech.
The contestant frankly admitted that only 50% of his speech was original. As the judges felt that it would not reflect well on the club to send a contestant with a speech that was not original to the area level contest, a vote was cast to decide if the speaker should be disqualified.
Majority won and the decision was passed to disqualify the contestant based on originality of speech.
There are no absolutes in this world. I believe many speeches borrow ideas from others and originality is not something many speakers adhere to. Most times they get away with it because many judges and others close an eye to it. Most speech topics are perennial favourites e.g. Never give up, BGR, gender differences... But how you put your spin to it through the selection of stories and personal anecdotes will make all the difference.
As it turned out, another judge had also read the account in the speech before and had marked the contestant down in view of that. In the end, a decision was made to question the contestant about the originality of his speech.
The contestant frankly admitted that only 50% of his speech was original. As the judges felt that it would not reflect well on the club to send a contestant with a speech that was not original to the area level contest, a vote was cast to decide if the speaker should be disqualified.
Majority won and the decision was passed to disqualify the contestant based on originality of speech.
There are no absolutes in this world. I believe many speeches borrow ideas from others and originality is not something many speakers adhere to. Most times they get away with it because many judges and others close an eye to it. Most speech topics are perennial favourites e.g. Never give up, BGR, gender differences... But how you put your spin to it through the selection of stories and personal anecdotes will make all the difference.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Chief Judge for NOL Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contests 2009
It's been a long time since I took on the role of chief judge. Having read the responsibilities of the chief judge on http://members.district15speaks.org/contests.php , there were still small details that I had overlooked.
(1) While briefing the tally counters, overlooked the need to specify a suitable area for collating the contest results and ended up in some corner doing it, while the audience were milling near us during the break.
(2) I forgot to announce if there was any time disqualification.
There were a few hiccups here and there and it would be good as chief judge to give gentle reminders to the appointment holders. For example,
(1) While briefing the tally counters, overlooked the need to specify a suitable area for collating the contest results and ended up in some corner doing it, while the audience were milling near us during the break.
(2) I forgot to announce if there was any time disqualification.
There were a few hiccups here and there and it would be good as chief judge to give gentle reminders to the appointment holders. For example,
- remind timers to time the one minute of silence and signal to Contest Chair when the one minute is up;
- remind tally counters to collect the timers' record from the timers in addition to judges' ballots;
- remind Contest Chair to invite tally counters to collect ballots at the end of each contest;
- remind Contest Chair to prepare something during the 5 minutes while the evaluation contestants prepare their evaluation speeches (e.g. give announcements, invite other toastmasters to give announcements or tell some jokes).
It's tough to give a humorous speech. Some of the contestants were giving informative speeches! At one point, one judge even came up to me to ask, "Do they know this is a humorous speech contest!!!" Each contest is a learning experience. May the speaker who garners the most laughter win!
Monday, August 17, 2009
AP3 The Monodrama
AP3 THE MONODRAMA
FROM INTERPRETIVE READING MANUAL
Time: 5-7 minutes
Objectives:
(1) To understand the concept and nature of the monodrama.
(2) To assume the identity of a character and to portray the physical and emotional aspects of this character to an audience.
Script read by toastmaster Constance Ng from Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club(reproduced with permission):
Title: Unrequited Love
"I have always wanted to believe everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by love’s sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for a moment, just for the night.
And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The kind that almost kills its victims. It is called unrequited love. Of that I am an unwilling victim. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other, who live happily ever after. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, what about those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a reserved parking space! Yes, I am one such individual. How pathetic! And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years! The absolute worst years of my life! The worst 3 Christmases, the worst 3 Birthdays, and the worst 3 New Years Eves, which were brought in by tears and followed by sedatives. Those years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who can not, does not, and will not love me back. Oh god, but I love him! Just the sight of him will render my heart pounding! My throat thickening! My knees weakening! I absolutely can't breathe! I absolutely cant’ move! And how such feelings can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. No matter how hard you try to escape, no matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night depressed and empty, going over every detail of your meeting with him. You keep on wondering what you did wrong, or what you did not do right. And you keep on wondering how, for those brief stolen moments of seeing him, you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll want to see you, and show up at your door. And of course you are disappointed!
And after all that, however deep the disappointment is, you'll somewhat recover. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And slowly, the little pieces of your disjointed soul will come back. And all the awful memories of those wasted years, all the painful memories of your unrequited love, will eventually begin to fade, before you then experience another round of unrequited love."
- a monologue by Iris Simpkins (portrayed by Kate Winslet) in the movie 'The Holiday' (2006)
FROM INTERPRETIVE READING MANUAL
Time: 5-7 minutes
Objectives:
(1) To understand the concept and nature of the monodrama.
(2) To assume the identity of a character and to portray the physical and emotional aspects of this character to an audience.
Script read by toastmaster Constance Ng from Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club(reproduced with permission):
Title: Unrequited Love
"I have always wanted to believe everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by love’s sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for a moment, just for the night.
And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The kind that almost kills its victims. It is called unrequited love. Of that I am an unwilling victim. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other, who live happily ever after. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, what about those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a reserved parking space! Yes, I am one such individual. How pathetic! And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years! The absolute worst years of my life! The worst 3 Christmases, the worst 3 Birthdays, and the worst 3 New Years Eves, which were brought in by tears and followed by sedatives. Those years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who can not, does not, and will not love me back. Oh god, but I love him! Just the sight of him will render my heart pounding! My throat thickening! My knees weakening! I absolutely can't breathe! I absolutely cant’ move! And how such feelings can actually ache in places you didn't know you had inside you. No matter how hard you try to escape, no matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night depressed and empty, going over every detail of your meeting with him. You keep on wondering what you did wrong, or what you did not do right. And you keep on wondering how, for those brief stolen moments of seeing him, you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll want to see you, and show up at your door. And of course you are disappointed!
And after all that, however deep the disappointment is, you'll somewhat recover. And you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And slowly, the little pieces of your disjointed soul will come back. And all the awful memories of those wasted years, all the painful memories of your unrequited love, will eventually begin to fade, before you then experience another round of unrequited love."
- a monologue by Iris Simpkins (portrayed by Kate Winslet) in the movie 'The Holiday' (2006)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Evaluation of AP3 The Monodrama
EVALUATION OF AP3 THE MONODRAMA
@ TAMPINES CHANGKAT TMC
ON THURSDAY 6 AUG 2009
Good evening fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, and especially toastmaster Constance. Thank you for your amazing rendition of ‘Unrequited Love’. How many of you here agree with Shakespeare that ‘love is blind’? It has been said that before marriage, you should close one eye, after marriage, close both eyes. That’s why love is blind. Thank you for sharing about “love’s sheer power to alter and define our lives”.
I would like to highlight your strengths and areas for improvement using two acronyms ACT and ACE. Let’s start with your strengths using the acronym ACT.
A Attention-grabbing and apt selection of music
It was an excellent move to use music to accompany your rendition as the piece of music you had selected really sets the mood for the prose on ‘unrequited love’.
C Choice of prose
The choice of your prose was relevant and something the audience can easily identify with as all of us need love and most of us have experienced rejection at some point in our lives. The prose is beautifully written and very moving. Listening to the words brought tears to my eyes.
T Timing
The timing for your speech was perfect. You ended your rendition just as the music ended. I believed you had achieved this perfection in timing due to the effort you’ve put into rehearsals.
What are some ways you can improve on your performance tonight? Let me share with you three recommendations using the acronym ACE.
A Avoid preamble
Preamble is what you say in the beginning that is irrelevant to your speech. Though amusing, I felt your introduction was not relevant. Let the TME do the job of explaining the nature of interpretive reading. In your 45-seconds introduction, focus solely on what your monodrama is about. Tell us that this prose was articulated by Kate Winslet’s character in the movie ‘The Holiday’ and explain a little about the character so that we understand the context of the prose.
C Clear presentation
Project your voice so that everyone can hear you clearly. At times I was straining to hear you even though I was seated in the first row.
E Express your emotions
This project requires you to use voice and body to convey the mental, emotional and physical characteristics of the person. The use of script greatly limited the use of your body. Either memorise the script or place it on the lectern to free your hands for gestures. There was some vocal variety but it could be greatly enhanced. Extend the range of your vocal variety so that you can fully capture the sadness, the desperation and hope expressed in the prose.
Thank you for an amazing ACT. For your next project, give an appropriate introduction, project your voice so that we can hear you loud and clear, and freely express your emotions using body language and vocal variety. Then you will be on your way to ACE your future project speeches.
@ TAMPINES CHANGKAT TMC
ON THURSDAY 6 AUG 2009
Good evening fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, and especially toastmaster Constance. Thank you for your amazing rendition of ‘Unrequited Love’. How many of you here agree with Shakespeare that ‘love is blind’? It has been said that before marriage, you should close one eye, after marriage, close both eyes. That’s why love is blind. Thank you for sharing about “love’s sheer power to alter and define our lives”.
I would like to highlight your strengths and areas for improvement using two acronyms ACT and ACE. Let’s start with your strengths using the acronym ACT.
A Attention-grabbing and apt selection of music
It was an excellent move to use music to accompany your rendition as the piece of music you had selected really sets the mood for the prose on ‘unrequited love’.
C Choice of prose
The choice of your prose was relevant and something the audience can easily identify with as all of us need love and most of us have experienced rejection at some point in our lives. The prose is beautifully written and very moving. Listening to the words brought tears to my eyes.
T Timing
The timing for your speech was perfect. You ended your rendition just as the music ended. I believed you had achieved this perfection in timing due to the effort you’ve put into rehearsals.
What are some ways you can improve on your performance tonight? Let me share with you three recommendations using the acronym ACE.
A Avoid preamble
Preamble is what you say in the beginning that is irrelevant to your speech. Though amusing, I felt your introduction was not relevant. Let the TME do the job of explaining the nature of interpretive reading. In your 45-seconds introduction, focus solely on what your monodrama is about. Tell us that this prose was articulated by Kate Winslet’s character in the movie ‘The Holiday’ and explain a little about the character so that we understand the context of the prose.
C Clear presentation
Project your voice so that everyone can hear you clearly. At times I was straining to hear you even though I was seated in the first row.
E Express your emotions
This project requires you to use voice and body to convey the mental, emotional and physical characteristics of the person. The use of script greatly limited the use of your body. Either memorise the script or place it on the lectern to free your hands for gestures. There was some vocal variety but it could be greatly enhanced. Extend the range of your vocal variety so that you can fully capture the sadness, the desperation and hope expressed in the prose.
Thank you for an amazing ACT. For your next project, give an appropriate introduction, project your voice so that we can hear you loud and clear, and freely express your emotions using body language and vocal variety. Then you will be on your way to ACE your future project speeches.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
MAKE ME BETTER!
- An evaluation workshop by JONI SIAH
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY EVALUATE?
- Encourage the speaker : commendations
- Empower the speaker : recommendations
WHAT TO EVALUATE?
(1) CONTENT
Relevant? Meaningful? Inspiring? Humorous? Well-crafted?
(2) ORGANISATION
- Is the speech well-organised with a clear intro, body & conclusion
- Are the points easy to follow?
- Are there clear transitions?
(3) DELIVERY
Was there effective use of body language? Vocal variety? Pauses?
Was the speaker confident? Fluent?
Was the articulation clear?
Was the stage well-utilized?
HOW TO EVALUATE?
1. Take notes
- Content: intro, main points, conclusion
- Body Language: facial expressions, gestures, stance, movement
- Vocal variety: speaking rate, volume, pitch, pauses
- Use of language: rhetorical devices, choice of words, pronunciation
2. Identify commendations
Select 2 – 3 commendations
Arrange in order of importance
3. Identify recommendations
Select 2 – 3 recommendations
Arrange in order of importance
4. Organise your points
- Use numbers
- Use alliterations
- Use acronyms or abbreviations
5. Prepare your evaluation speech
- Craft your introduction
- Craft your conclusion
- Write down main points and examples
- Timing recommended:
- Introduction 30s
- Commendations 1 min
- Recommendations 1.30 min
- Conclusion 30 s
3 don’ts…
Don’t forget the speaker’s name.
Don’t go on and on. Once you see the red light, wrap up your speech.
Don’t insult the speaker.
What your mind can conceive & believe, you can achieve!
Reach for your dreams!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY EVALUATE?
- Encourage the speaker : commendations
- Empower the speaker : recommendations
WHAT TO EVALUATE?
(1) CONTENT
Relevant? Meaningful? Inspiring? Humorous? Well-crafted?
(2) ORGANISATION
- Is the speech well-organised with a clear intro, body & conclusion
- Are the points easy to follow?
- Are there clear transitions?
(3) DELIVERY
Was there effective use of body language? Vocal variety? Pauses?
Was the speaker confident? Fluent?
Was the articulation clear?
Was the stage well-utilized?
HOW TO EVALUATE?
1. Take notes
- Content: intro, main points, conclusion
- Body Language: facial expressions, gestures, stance, movement
- Vocal variety: speaking rate, volume, pitch, pauses
- Use of language: rhetorical devices, choice of words, pronunciation
2. Identify commendations
Select 2 – 3 commendations
Arrange in order of importance
3. Identify recommendations
Select 2 – 3 recommendations
Arrange in order of importance
4. Organise your points
- Use numbers
- Use alliterations
- Use acronyms or abbreviations
5. Prepare your evaluation speech
- Craft your introduction
- Craft your conclusion
- Write down main points and examples
- Timing recommended:
- Introduction 30s
- Commendations 1 min
- Recommendations 1.30 min
- Conclusion 30 s
3 don’ts…
Don’t forget the speaker’s name.
Don’t go on and on. Once you see the red light, wrap up your speech.
Don’t insult the speaker.
What your mind can conceive & believe, you can achieve!
Reach for your dreams!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
MAKE ME LAUGH; MAKE ME BETTER
Today I conducted a double-bill workshop Make Me Laugh; Make Me Better with Wee Meng at Katong CC. He presented the first workshop on Humorous Speech Contest and I presented the second one on Evaluation Contest. There were around 40 participants.
What I learned from Wee Meng's workshop:
Craft for Power
Memorise for Confidence
Rehearse for Effect
I especially liked his suggestion to 'plant' friends among the audience and tell them when to laugh beforehand (what a cheat! but brilliant idea... haha!). This works on the premise that laughter is contagious. That's what they do on comedy shows too - canned laughter.
I felt he spent too much time on the segment about crafting. I would have liked him to give us a transcript of his humorous speech and dissect it for laughter points and different types of humour. Just listing types of humour without examples isn't very meaningful. Tying his humorous speech together with the types of humour would have been powerful.
For my presentation, I was rushing along like a bullet train and some people felt lost. Halfway through I was wondering if what I was sharing was too easy and causing people to get bored. During the hands-on segment, only a few participants were taking notes. I wondered why. Then they told me they did not know how to take notes so I took them through the points step by step.
When something comes naturally to you, you take for granted it's easy but for others, it may not be. I felt the winning formula I was sharing was straightforward and easy to apply but I overlooked the fact that some of the toastmasters are very new and hence inexperienced. They did not know what to look out for. As a presenter, I should have been more sensitive to their needs. Asking questions beforehand to ascertain their level of experience might have helped.
Unfortunately due to lack of time, we only had two volunteers to present their evaluation speeches, though I had planned for 4. After the workshop, two participants came up to tell me they have enjoyed and benefitted from the evaluation workshop. That made me very happy.
What I learned from Wee Meng's workshop:
Craft for Power
Memorise for Confidence
Rehearse for Effect
I especially liked his suggestion to 'plant' friends among the audience and tell them when to laugh beforehand (what a cheat! but brilliant idea... haha!). This works on the premise that laughter is contagious. That's what they do on comedy shows too - canned laughter.
I felt he spent too much time on the segment about crafting. I would have liked him to give us a transcript of his humorous speech and dissect it for laughter points and different types of humour. Just listing types of humour without examples isn't very meaningful. Tying his humorous speech together with the types of humour would have been powerful.
For my presentation, I was rushing along like a bullet train and some people felt lost. Halfway through I was wondering if what I was sharing was too easy and causing people to get bored. During the hands-on segment, only a few participants were taking notes. I wondered why. Then they told me they did not know how to take notes so I took them through the points step by step.
When something comes naturally to you, you take for granted it's easy but for others, it may not be. I felt the winning formula I was sharing was straightforward and easy to apply but I overlooked the fact that some of the toastmasters are very new and hence inexperienced. They did not know what to look out for. As a presenter, I should have been more sensitive to their needs. Asking questions beforehand to ascertain their level of experience might have helped.
Unfortunately due to lack of time, we only had two volunteers to present their evaluation speeches, though I had planned for 4. After the workshop, two participants came up to tell me they have enjoyed and benefitted from the evaluation workshop. That made me very happy.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Division Z Evaluation Contest 2008
DIVISION Z EVALUATION CONTEST 2008
EVALUATION OF HIJAZI’S SPEECH “THE ECONOMICS OF RELATIONSHIP”
This was the evaluation speech that helped me win the contest:
(Transcribed from video)
Good afternoon, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, and especially toastmaster Hijazi. I would like to commend you on giving us a fabulous speech today. And let me share with you why your speech was fabulous using the acronym FAB.
Firstly, you were funny. Everytime I hear you speak, you never fail to tickle my funny bones. I think you really gave the contestants a run for their money. Let me share with you in what way you were funny. You used exaggeration, you used meaningful stares, as well as a very interesting analogy comparing women to the stock market. I think the audience loved that.
A for audience participation. You made use of audience participation by asking them questions and getting them to raise their hands. You also gave them fill-in-the-blanks. And I think the audience enjoyed that as well. So audience participation was great.
And B for body language. You had effective use of body language. You were very animated. There were times when you did this (punch fist into other palm), or used your fingers to emphasize certain points. So well done on those 3 points.
Now I want to share with you 3 ways in which you can improve on your speech today. I want to give you recommendations on how you can improve on the content and organization of your speech. Let me run through the 3 points using OBC: Opening, body and conclusion, which is the basic structure of how we have all been advised to structure our speeches.
Opening. Opening is very important because that is where you grab the audience’s attention. Yes, you had the use of questioning techniques but were your questions relevant to your topic? No. Because your topic is The Economics of Relationship but instead you asked questions about the economy, which was not relevant. So when you want to use the questioning technique, choose your questions carefully. Make sure they are relevant to your topic.
Next, body of your speech. In the body of your speech, you have 3 tips. You spent a lot of time on the first tip ‘Act against normality’, you had anecdotes and you had advice. Your 2nd point ‘diversity’, you spent a moderate amount of time and then you just skim the last point. So your three tips were not well-balanced. So this is something you can look at. How can you manage your 3 tips so that you can spend equal amounts of time.
Last one, conclusion. There is a saying: “the audience remembers best what they hear last.” So conclude with a bang. And this is something you failed to do today because you were rushing for time. You saw the red light and you stopped. That detracted from the power of your speech. So what I want to say to you is: Craft a memorable ending because when you end with a bang, your audience will remember you for a long time to come.
So you are a talented speaker, humorous by nature. And in my humble opinion, if you are able to incorporate these advice by giving us a grand opening, a balanced body and a wonderful conclusion, then you will be able to give a speech with greater pizzazz and finesse.
Contest chair
(TIME TAKEN: 3 min 6 sec)
This was the first time I had won in a Division contest so it's a breakthrough for me, especially since I had strong competitiors in the likes of Wee Meng, Wekie Tay & Christine Lim.
It's also the first time I watched myself performing on video! The first time I watched it, I cringed, but after a while, I got used to it. Haha.. On reviewing my transcribed evaluation speech, I realised I used 'so' quite a lot. That's something to take note of and cut down on. Thankfully, I managed the points and timing quite well.
EVALUATION OF HIJAZI’S SPEECH “THE ECONOMICS OF RELATIONSHIP”
This was the evaluation speech that helped me win the contest:
(Transcribed from video)
Good afternoon, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, and especially toastmaster Hijazi. I would like to commend you on giving us a fabulous speech today. And let me share with you why your speech was fabulous using the acronym FAB.
Firstly, you were funny. Everytime I hear you speak, you never fail to tickle my funny bones. I think you really gave the contestants a run for their money. Let me share with you in what way you were funny. You used exaggeration, you used meaningful stares, as well as a very interesting analogy comparing women to the stock market. I think the audience loved that.
A for audience participation. You made use of audience participation by asking them questions and getting them to raise their hands. You also gave them fill-in-the-blanks. And I think the audience enjoyed that as well. So audience participation was great.
And B for body language. You had effective use of body language. You were very animated. There were times when you did this (punch fist into other palm), or used your fingers to emphasize certain points. So well done on those 3 points.
Now I want to share with you 3 ways in which you can improve on your speech today. I want to give you recommendations on how you can improve on the content and organization of your speech. Let me run through the 3 points using OBC: Opening, body and conclusion, which is the basic structure of how we have all been advised to structure our speeches.
Opening. Opening is very important because that is where you grab the audience’s attention. Yes, you had the use of questioning techniques but were your questions relevant to your topic? No. Because your topic is The Economics of Relationship but instead you asked questions about the economy, which was not relevant. So when you want to use the questioning technique, choose your questions carefully. Make sure they are relevant to your topic.
Next, body of your speech. In the body of your speech, you have 3 tips. You spent a lot of time on the first tip ‘Act against normality’, you had anecdotes and you had advice. Your 2nd point ‘diversity’, you spent a moderate amount of time and then you just skim the last point. So your three tips were not well-balanced. So this is something you can look at. How can you manage your 3 tips so that you can spend equal amounts of time.
Last one, conclusion. There is a saying: “the audience remembers best what they hear last.” So conclude with a bang. And this is something you failed to do today because you were rushing for time. You saw the red light and you stopped. That detracted from the power of your speech. So what I want to say to you is: Craft a memorable ending because when you end with a bang, your audience will remember you for a long time to come.
So you are a talented speaker, humorous by nature. And in my humble opinion, if you are able to incorporate these advice by giving us a grand opening, a balanced body and a wonderful conclusion, then you will be able to give a speech with greater pizzazz and finesse.
Contest chair
(TIME TAKEN: 3 min 6 sec)
This was the first time I had won in a Division contest so it's a breakthrough for me, especially since I had strong competitiors in the likes of Wee Meng, Wekie Tay & Christine Lim.
It's also the first time I watched myself performing on video! The first time I watched it, I cringed, but after a while, I got used to it. Haha.. On reviewing my transcribed evaluation speech, I realised I used 'so' quite a lot. That's something to take note of and cut down on. Thankfully, I managed the points and timing quite well.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Evaluation of AP5 Speech at AIA Changi
9 JULY 2009 THURSDAY
AIA CHANGI TMC
Project Evaluation for AP5 Speech
from The Entertaining Speaker manual
SPEAKER: Cheng Jia Yi
Introduction:
You are the very embodiment of your speech title, ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. Looking at your petite and demure appearance, who would have thought you could be so entertaining as well?
Strengths: (using the acronym AIA)
A ANTICIPATION
By telling the audience “The next thing I am going to show you will be a feast for your eyes!”, you used a teaser to create anticipation. That attracts the listeners’ attention and keeps them at the edge of their seats. An excellent move!
I IMPECCABLE USE OF LANGUAGE
I was immensely impressed by your impeccable use of the language. You incorporated various rhetorical devices such as metaphors, alliteration, triads and parallel structure. Examples included ‘tall and thin’, ‘slim, sleek and slender’, ‘emanate an aura of sophistication; exude an air of elegance’.
A AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
You asked the audience relevant questions such as “What do you think is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 ladies?” and “Why do ladies wear heels?” and gave them time to respond. In so doing, you keep the audience involved and interested and built rapport with them as well.
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym PIE)
P PRACTICE
As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect’. Rehearse your speech so well that you will not forget your lines. When you forget and freeze, it detracts from the power of your speech.
I IGNORE HECKLERS
Ignore hecklers who jive (talk rubbish). If you can give a comeback, great; if not, just ignore them and move on with your speech. Otherwise you may lose your train of thought or waste precious time.
E EXAGGERATE YOUR EXPRESSIONS
Exaggerate your expressions to up the entertainment value of the speech. You sounded quite serious at times so lighten up a bit more.
In conclusion, leverage on your strengths in AIA, and work on the areas represented by PIE, and you will be on the superhighway to success as an entertaining speaker.
Once again, acronyms saved the day. Voted Best Evaluator. Best advertisement for the upcoming Humorous Speech & Evaluation workshop which I will be presenting with Wee Meng.
GEMS:
Stretch out your wings and fly towards the dreams that await you.
(from Ma Luz's P1 speech)
P1 speaker Ma Luz Bondoc is a mother of seven (5 girls and 2 boys), aged 1 to 18, and she still looks slim, svelte and stunningly beautiful! Simply amazing!
AIA CHANGI TMC
Project Evaluation for AP5 Speech
from The Entertaining Speaker manual
SPEAKER: Cheng Jia Yi
Introduction:
You are the very embodiment of your speech title, ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. Looking at your petite and demure appearance, who would have thought you could be so entertaining as well?
Strengths: (using the acronym AIA)
A ANTICIPATION
By telling the audience “The next thing I am going to show you will be a feast for your eyes!”, you used a teaser to create anticipation. That attracts the listeners’ attention and keeps them at the edge of their seats. An excellent move!
I IMPECCABLE USE OF LANGUAGE
I was immensely impressed by your impeccable use of the language. You incorporated various rhetorical devices such as metaphors, alliteration, triads and parallel structure. Examples included ‘tall and thin’, ‘slim, sleek and slender’, ‘emanate an aura of sophistication; exude an air of elegance’.
A AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
You asked the audience relevant questions such as “What do you think is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 ladies?” and “Why do ladies wear heels?” and gave them time to respond. In so doing, you keep the audience involved and interested and built rapport with them as well.
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym PIE)
P PRACTICE
As the saying goes, ‘Practice makes perfect’. Rehearse your speech so well that you will not forget your lines. When you forget and freeze, it detracts from the power of your speech.
I IGNORE HECKLERS
Ignore hecklers who jive (talk rubbish). If you can give a comeback, great; if not, just ignore them and move on with your speech. Otherwise you may lose your train of thought or waste precious time.
E EXAGGERATE YOUR EXPRESSIONS
Exaggerate your expressions to up the entertainment value of the speech. You sounded quite serious at times so lighten up a bit more.
In conclusion, leverage on your strengths in AIA, and work on the areas represented by PIE, and you will be on the superhighway to success as an entertaining speaker.
Once again, acronyms saved the day. Voted Best Evaluator. Best advertisement for the upcoming Humorous Speech & Evaluation workshop which I will be presenting with Wee Meng.
GEMS:
Stretch out your wings and fly towards the dreams that await you.
(from Ma Luz's P1 speech)
P1 speaker Ma Luz Bondoc is a mother of seven (5 girls and 2 boys), aged 1 to 18, and she still looks slim, svelte and stunningly beautiful! Simply amazing!
Evaluation of P1 Speech at Marine Parade TMC
19 JUNE 2009 FRIDAY
MARINE PARADE TMC
Project Evaluation of P1 speech:
Strengths of the speaker:
(1) Fluency
(2) Good language use e.g. flamboyant, arduous
(3) Well-organised: speech followed chronological order of life events from birth, family, studies to marriage and toastmasters
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym ACE)
A Attention-grabbing speech title – keep it short and sweet
Avoid preamble – “This is my first project.. There is nothing special about me…” Launch straight into your speech and don’t put yourself down!
C Conclusion – End on a strong note, for example, use a quotation or share words of inspiration.
E Expression of emotions – only smiled twice during the speech, otherwise deadpan expression. Express anxiety when talking about ‘tough years’, express delight when talking about an ‘exhilirating experience’.
Voted Best Evaluator for the evening. I like the use of acronym for my points. Makes it easy for me to remember them. I believe the audience likes it too!
GEMS:
Speak clearly, correctly and creatively.
(alliteration, assonance and triad - a 3-in-1 rhetorical device. Powerful!)
Be insatiable in learning; be tireless in teaching.
(Use of parallel structure. Beautiful!)
From LE DTM Richard Sng
MARINE PARADE TMC
Project Evaluation of P1 speech:
Strengths of the speaker:
(1) Fluency
(2) Good language use e.g. flamboyant, arduous
(3) Well-organised: speech followed chronological order of life events from birth, family, studies to marriage and toastmasters
Areas for improvement: (using the acronym ACE)
A Attention-grabbing speech title – keep it short and sweet
Avoid preamble – “This is my first project.. There is nothing special about me…” Launch straight into your speech and don’t put yourself down!
C Conclusion – End on a strong note, for example, use a quotation or share words of inspiration.
E Expression of emotions – only smiled twice during the speech, otherwise deadpan expression. Express anxiety when talking about ‘tough years’, express delight when talking about an ‘exhilirating experience’.
Voted Best Evaluator for the evening. I like the use of acronym for my points. Makes it easy for me to remember them. I believe the audience likes it too!
GEMS:
Speak clearly, correctly and creatively.
(alliteration, assonance and triad - a 3-in-1 rhetorical device. Powerful!)
Be insatiable in learning; be tireless in teaching.
(Use of parallel structure. Beautiful!)
From LE DTM Richard Sng
LE @ NUSA
12 DEC 2008
LE @ NUSA TMC
Advice to the audience: Use the correct words, use words correctly.
A beautiful example of parallel structure presented by the club President in his opening address:
One brick at a time, a house is built;
One stroke at a time, a masterpiece is painted;
One speech at a time, a competent communicator is born.
LE @ NUSA TMC
Advice to the audience: Use the correct words, use words correctly.
A beautiful example of parallel structure presented by the club President in his opening address:
One brick at a time, a house is built;
One stroke at a time, a masterpiece is painted;
One speech at a time, a competent communicator is born.
The Power of Repetition
Speaking to Inform
Advanced Project 1: Speech to Inform
Presented at AIA Changi TMC on 11 December 2008
Time taken: 7 minutes and 32 seconds
Evaluator: Pradeep Kumar
"The Power of Repetition"
4th November 2008 was a historic moment for America when Barack Obama was voted in as the 1st black President of the United States of America. How many of you have heard or read Obama’s Acceptance Speech? What is the one phrase he repeated several times during his speech? YES WE CAN! And he repeated it not 3 times, not 5 times but 7 times!
Good evening, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, there is power in repetition when it comes to public speaking. When your mother repeats, it’s called nagging; when an orator repeats, it’s called impact. Famous orators such as Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill use repetition extensively in their speeches. Why? To create emphasis, beauty and impact.
Tonight, I will share with you 3 rhetorical devices on repetition that you can incorporate in your future speeches to create impact and help your audience remember your key message better. And I will also show you examples from famous speeches for each of the rhetorical device.
The first rhetorical device is anaphora, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences.
Let us look at this example from a speech by Sir Winston Churchill in his report to the House of Commons in 1940:
“..we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill
11 times, he repeated the phrase “we shall” to emphasis their commitment to win the war, no matter what. The repetition here has a rousing effect, which helps to instill confidence in his audience.
The second example is from the historic public speech by Martin Luther King Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, this speech is often considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “…that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice… will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."
King repeats the refrain “I have a dream” 8 times in his speech. This is not the only instance of anaphora in his speech. In fact he uses this device at least 8 times throughout his speech.
The second rhetorical device is epistrophe, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
Let's look at two examples. "With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” - Martin Luther King Jr
“… more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth.” - Obama
The third one is antimetabole (an-ti-me-ta-bo-le), which refers to reversing the order of repeated words or phrases in the form AB-BA.
Two famous examples come from John F Kennedy's Inaugural address:
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." and
“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”
Do you know you can even use antimetabole to create humour? I once heard someone say: "To be kissed by a fool is stupid; to be fooled by a kiss is worse."
Conclusion
Research has shown that when we don’t review what we have learned, we forget 50% of it by the next day. If you do not repeat your message to your audience, you can be sure they will forget 100% of it. So remember, use anaphora, epistrophe and antimetabole to repeat key phrases and most importantly, your key message to the audience. Repeat for emphasis, repeat for impact. Harness the power of repetition in your future speeches and you will be able to speak with greater impact!
Comments:
Went overtime by 2 minutes. Fumbled with the slide remote control for a few minutes because I forgot to switch the device on.
Next time I present a speech with powerpoint slides, I shall switch on the remote control and ensure the first slide is on the screen before I start speaking. Press B to blackout the image on the screen.
Advanced Project 1: Speech to Inform
Presented at AIA Changi TMC on 11 December 2008
Time taken: 7 minutes and 32 seconds
Evaluator: Pradeep Kumar
"The Power of Repetition"
4th November 2008 was a historic moment for America when Barack Obama was voted in as the 1st black President of the United States of America. How many of you have heard or read Obama’s Acceptance Speech? What is the one phrase he repeated several times during his speech? YES WE CAN! And he repeated it not 3 times, not 5 times but 7 times!
Good evening, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, there is power in repetition when it comes to public speaking. When your mother repeats, it’s called nagging; when an orator repeats, it’s called impact. Famous orators such as Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill use repetition extensively in their speeches. Why? To create emphasis, beauty and impact.
Tonight, I will share with you 3 rhetorical devices on repetition that you can incorporate in your future speeches to create impact and help your audience remember your key message better. And I will also show you examples from famous speeches for each of the rhetorical device.
The first rhetorical device is anaphora, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or sentences.
Let us look at this example from a speech by Sir Winston Churchill in his report to the House of Commons in 1940:
“..we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” Winston Churchill
11 times, he repeated the phrase “we shall” to emphasis their commitment to win the war, no matter what. The repetition here has a rousing effect, which helps to instill confidence in his audience.
The second example is from the historic public speech by Martin Luther King Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, this speech is often considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “…that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice… will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."
King repeats the refrain “I have a dream” 8 times in his speech. This is not the only instance of anaphora in his speech. In fact he uses this device at least 8 times throughout his speech.
The second rhetorical device is epistrophe, which refers to the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences.
Let's look at two examples. "With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” - Martin Luther King Jr
“… more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth.” - Obama
The third one is antimetabole (an-ti-me-ta-bo-le), which refers to reversing the order of repeated words or phrases in the form AB-BA.
Two famous examples come from John F Kennedy's Inaugural address:
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." and
“Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”
Do you know you can even use antimetabole to create humour? I once heard someone say: "To be kissed by a fool is stupid; to be fooled by a kiss is worse."
Conclusion
Research has shown that when we don’t review what we have learned, we forget 50% of it by the next day. If you do not repeat your message to your audience, you can be sure they will forget 100% of it. So remember, use anaphora, epistrophe and antimetabole to repeat key phrases and most importantly, your key message to the audience. Repeat for emphasis, repeat for impact. Harness the power of repetition in your future speeches and you will be able to speak with greater impact!
Comments:
Went overtime by 2 minutes. Fumbled with the slide remote control for a few minutes because I forgot to switch the device on.
Next time I present a speech with powerpoint slides, I shall switch on the remote control and ensure the first slide is on the screen before I start speaking. Press B to blackout the image on the screen.
Monday, July 27, 2009
SPEAK WITH IMPACT WORKSHOP ON 6 DEC 2008
jointly presented by Patrick Chang & Joni Siah
1. Dress to Impress
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 6 seconds even before you open your mouth. Therefore, dress to impress.
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 3 minutes after you open your mouth.
Therefore, have an attention-grabbing introduction.
2. Workshop notes
I did not give the audience any notes till after the presentation. Patrick says he's the kind of learner who will feel lost without notes. He suggests preparing notes for the audience with lots of blanks for them to fill in. That way they can follow what you're saying yet not pre-empt what you're going to say. What a brilliant idea! I shall try that for my next workshop.
jointly presented by Patrick Chang & Joni Siah
1. Dress to Impress
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 6 seconds even before you open your mouth. Therefore, dress to impress.
The audience forms an opinion of you within the first 3 minutes after you open your mouth.
Therefore, have an attention-grabbing introduction.
2. Workshop notes
I did not give the audience any notes till after the presentation. Patrick says he's the kind of learner who will feel lost without notes. He suggests preparing notes for the audience with lots of blanks for them to fill in. That way they can follow what you're saying yet not pre-empt what you're going to say. What a brilliant idea! I shall try that for my next workshop.
Monday, July 20, 2009
District 80 Evaluation Contest 2008
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. -- proverb.
The District 80 Evaluation Contest was held on Saturday, 22 Nov 2008, two days before my exams (I'm currently doing a part-time course in Traditional Chinese Medicine). I had considered not going to concentrate on my exams but this could be my only chance to take part in a district contest. In the end, I decided to gain some contest experience and learn from the other contestants.
There were 8 contestants, 4 males & 4 females. I was the first contestant, not very ideal as that meant I only had 5 minutes to prepare my evaluation speech. On the other hand, the plus point was I could get to hear all the other contestants.
The test speaker Poh Kim Siong is not only a Distinguished Toastmaster, but also the International Director, a well-known figure in the Toastmaster circle. He delivered a speech entitled "Courage to Conquer". Good start, I thought, alliterative title. Unfortunately, the rest of the speech did not match the quality of the title. The speech had no structure, no focus and no impact.
During the 5 minutes of preparation time, I frantically plotted my gameplan - 3 positives and 3 negatives. However I could not think of a suitable acronym for the 3 negatives so in the end I went for 4 negatives. Turned out to be a bad move because there was too much content and I probably went overtime.
The acronyms I used were ACE for Audience participation, Confidence and Energy; and ACME for Animated, Craft your speech, Memorable conclusion and Emotions. Once I stepped off the stage, I knew I had blown it. I had made two major mistakes: (1) I had too much content (& probably went overtime) and (2) I insulted the speaker. I said something like 'Your conclusion was so forgettable that I can't even remember what you said." I could hear the audience gasp at the sheer audacity of my statement.
The winner from Hong Kong kept her evaluation short and sweet with two plus points and two minus points. She also cleverly used abbreviations related to the speaker. She used ID (which stands for International Director) for commendations -- Interesting and Dynamic; and TI (which stands for Toastmasters International) for recommendations -- Timing & Itemize.
After thinking long and hard about my lacklustre performance, I thought of an alternative to the recommendations I could have used.
Use 3Ps instead of ACME:
1. Plan an attention-grabbing introduction
Use of the questioning technique when overdone loses its effectiveness.
Reduce the numerous questions in the introduction to just three.
Craft the questions so that they are relevant to the speech and easy for the audience to understand and respond to.
2. Polish your language
Craft your speech to avoid basic grammatical mistakes and awkward sentence structures.
Use rhetorical devices and vivid words that appeal to the senses of the audience.
Deliberate every word you use so that you can achieve the greatest impact with your words.
3. Present with Passion
As a leader, you are in the position to influence and inspire the people you lead.
If you want to persuade them to share your values, you must present with passion.
I want to see the fire in your eyes and hear the conviction in your voice.
You spoke with sincerity but sincerity alone is not enough.
To persuade with power, passion is a vital ingredient.
Now, isn't that better?
The District 80 Evaluation Contest was held on Saturday, 22 Nov 2008, two days before my exams (I'm currently doing a part-time course in Traditional Chinese Medicine). I had considered not going to concentrate on my exams but this could be my only chance to take part in a district contest. In the end, I decided to gain some contest experience and learn from the other contestants.
There were 8 contestants, 4 males & 4 females. I was the first contestant, not very ideal as that meant I only had 5 minutes to prepare my evaluation speech. On the other hand, the plus point was I could get to hear all the other contestants.
The test speaker Poh Kim Siong is not only a Distinguished Toastmaster, but also the International Director, a well-known figure in the Toastmaster circle. He delivered a speech entitled "Courage to Conquer". Good start, I thought, alliterative title. Unfortunately, the rest of the speech did not match the quality of the title. The speech had no structure, no focus and no impact.
During the 5 minutes of preparation time, I frantically plotted my gameplan - 3 positives and 3 negatives. However I could not think of a suitable acronym for the 3 negatives so in the end I went for 4 negatives. Turned out to be a bad move because there was too much content and I probably went overtime.
The acronyms I used were ACE for Audience participation, Confidence and Energy; and ACME for Animated, Craft your speech, Memorable conclusion and Emotions. Once I stepped off the stage, I knew I had blown it. I had made two major mistakes: (1) I had too much content (& probably went overtime) and (2) I insulted the speaker. I said something like 'Your conclusion was so forgettable that I can't even remember what you said." I could hear the audience gasp at the sheer audacity of my statement.
The winner from Hong Kong kept her evaluation short and sweet with two plus points and two minus points. She also cleverly used abbreviations related to the speaker. She used ID (which stands for International Director) for commendations -- Interesting and Dynamic; and TI (which stands for Toastmasters International) for recommendations -- Timing & Itemize.
After thinking long and hard about my lacklustre performance, I thought of an alternative to the recommendations I could have used.
Use 3Ps instead of ACME:
1. Plan an attention-grabbing introduction
Use of the questioning technique when overdone loses its effectiveness.
Reduce the numerous questions in the introduction to just three.
Craft the questions so that they are relevant to the speech and easy for the audience to understand and respond to.
2. Polish your language
Craft your speech to avoid basic grammatical mistakes and awkward sentence structures.
Use rhetorical devices and vivid words that appeal to the senses of the audience.
Deliberate every word you use so that you can achieve the greatest impact with your words.
3. Present with Passion
As a leader, you are in the position to influence and inspire the people you lead.
If you want to persuade them to share your values, you must present with passion.
I want to see the fire in your eyes and hear the conviction in your voice.
You spoke with sincerity but sincerity alone is not enough.
To persuade with power, passion is a vital ingredient.
Now, isn't that better?
My Toastmasters Journey
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -- Lao-tzu
My toastmasters journey began in April 1996 when I attended my first Toastmasters meeting at the NUS Alumni Toastmasters Club.
I met a speaker who changed my life forever. No, he wasn't tall, dark and handsome, but he was certainly confident, articulate and eloquent. I was so impressed, enthralled and mesmerised by his Project 6 (Work With Words) speech that I resolved to become a speaker like him. That speaker was Lau Kwong Fook. That very night, I signed up as a member of NUS Alumni Toastmasters Club and I've never looked back since.
Thirteen years and twenty-one trophies later, I'm still going strong in Toastmasters because this is the place where I've found my voice, my passion. I used to be so shy and reticent in school even till university level that I did not dare to voice my opinions. Did I even have an opinion?
Ever since joining Toastmasters, all that has changed. I became active during my stint in National Institute of Education as a trainee teacher and volunteered to be a class leader. As a teacher at Fairfield Methodist Secondary School, I volunteered for all kinds of speaking roles such as emcee or announcer for school functions, assignments which most teachers would shun. I even conducted workshops for students and other teachers.
While my aspiration to become a speech coach did not take off, I'm still happy for the platform in Toastmasters to share my experiences, voice my opinions, express my reflections. This is the place where I feel accepted, affirmed and adored.
Not only that, I've enjoyed the fellowship of so many fellow toastmasters in this fraternity and many have become firm friends. Special mention must be made of my two mentors Wee Meng and Kwong Fook -- I've learnt so much from them and they continue to inspire me with their talent, intelligence and passion for life.
my mentors Kwong Fook & Wee MengThis blog is a chronicle of my journey in Toastmasters - the lessons learnt and the insights gained - life lessons that I want to remember and pass on to fellow toastmasters and one day, to my children.
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