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 Meng

This 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.