Supatra Lee as TME
Greetings fellow Toastmasters and friends.
Our beautiful Toastmaster of the Evening, Toastmaster Supatra Lee greeted everyone with her jubilant smile. In her thought of her day, she told us that no matter what obstacle we are facing, we should never give up and go with the flow.
Rano as Grammarian
Our Timer and Tip, Toastmaster Aziman Nasir, shared that pacing is very important when a person is speaking; we need to speak the right speed. Despite the change of our venue from SEAMEO VOCTECH to UBD Inspiring Hall, it was still a buzz worthy meeting and the attendances of guests were fantabulous. Buzz worthy means new and interesting in a way that attracts or deserves widespread talk or attention. Thank you, Toastmaster Rano Iskandar, for the word of the day.
Adah with her icebreaker ribbon
Toastmaster Ada Rani gave her first speech with the title ‘Traveler’. Ever since she had a job, travelling every two months is a norm. She feels that she cannot stay put at the same place for too long and her travelling principle is to ‘live like a local’. She has been to amazing places where not a lot of travelers have been to; sampled the best local dishes in town recommended by natives themselves; and engaged in authentic local activities. Well done Ada, for your ice-breaker speech.
Sharon delivering her CC2
Toastmaster Sharon Ong attempted her competent communication project number two titled “The Three Challenges of My Job”. In her speech, she debunked all the myths regarding most people’s perception of teachers. A lot of people thought teachers only work in the morning but however, teachers are struggling with their life-work balance because they also attend co-curricular activities, meetings and tedious administration work in the afternoon. Research has proven that with the advancement of technology, 40% to 70% of the children nowadays are chronically disengaged in studies, making a teacher’s work harder. In spite of the challenges, Sharon still chooses to be positive because even knowing that one student improved can make her happy from the bottom of her heart.
Heidi attempting her CC3 manual
Toastmaster Heidi Rahman attempted her competent communication project number 3 entitled “Tuition Obsession”. She shared that she was one of the 70% of parents who sent their children to tuition because she felt that the quality of the education in schools has dropped. Being a working parent, she also felt that it is best to send her children to tuition where experts are there to help. Good job Heidi, it was a very amazing speech from a parent’s perspective.
Memento for Elizabeth as BEST speaker
Every first week of the month, Brunei Speakers’ Club will host the monthly educational workshop – Brunei Educational Speakers for Toastmasters (BEST). This month, we had the privilege to invite Elizabeth Sim, ACB, ALB, from Brunei Advanced Speakers’ Club (BASC) to deliver an insightful talk on body language titled, ‘Your Body Your Stage’. Body language is a form of non verbal communication and it includes our posture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact and action movement. We learnt that body language helps us to express, engage and emphasize our feelings. We are always expressing ourselves, but the question is how effectively we are using our body language to emphasize what we want to say. According to a research, after a speech, people remember 55% of the body language, 38% of the voice tone and pauses, and 7% of the words. This has further proven that body language is indeed imperative.
Here are some tips:
1) Own the stage by moving around strategically.
2) Highlight keywords in the speech and practice.
3) Practice with a friend for feedback.
Last but not least, rehearse by recording yourself and then review it by replaying the video on mute. Thank you, Liz, for the highly entertaining and educational session.
Audience paying attention to General Evaluator
Guest Comments
In his closing remarks, our President, Chris woo, CC, commended Toastmaster Amran Jamaluddin. When he joined Toastmasters, he was really terrified of speaking and when he spoke, his sentences were disjointed. Today, he was a speech evaluator and he did a very good job. He has definitely come a long way and he is a great example of not giving up.
President delivering his closing remarks
Written by:
Chang Seng Yee, CC
Photography and Captions by:
TM Rano Iskandar