8/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Opportunity To Be Seen

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This is the final, 8^th of 8 sharings on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

I have asked around, among my fellow Toastmasters friends, and they shared the same observations.

“I feel more visible over social media after joining Toastmasters.”

“Well, I like it,” they added, when asked their opinions about the sudden activities on their social media page.

Don't worry. I have never had such intimidating numbers. :)

Being a member of Toastmasters International, attending the numerous meetings, workshops and trainings, it’s natural that photos will be taken and shared on social media. My social media was more about travel and some random thoughts. Ever since I joined TM, there was a spike of my presence online, being tagged whenever I’m in any of the Toastmasters, which in a way displays my activity aside from travel and random thoughts, something more professional.

It definitely feels good to belong to an international community engaging with Toastmasters from USA, Canada and Japan. So great!  Without traveling, we are connecting, interacting and listening to each other’s thoughts, across borders, across time zones, across cultures. Photos of us laughing and responding in our interactions alone speak so much.

 

I am glad to be part of this!  8 years and more to come.

 

Are you looking to have a livelier social media page that shares the professional side of you to future opportunities?

 

Want to check our next meeting out?

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‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’

This is my 8^th gain as a member of Toastmasters. If you missed the earlier 7, check them out here.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Mon/ Apr 12th, 2021

Home in KL

-Just like everyone else, A.S is wondering when she could get on a plane again. :)

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

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Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

7/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Opportunity to 'Get Local'

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This is the 7th of 8 posts on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).          

       

Are you a solo traveller like I am?

If yes, there are times when you want to get away from doing things touristy and get local.

 

To me, joining a local Toastmasters club gets me local. I always enjoy doing things local during my travels instead of striking off all the tourist attractions in a must-visit checklist. All I need to do is letting the club know that I’m interested to join its meeting and show up with enthusiasm, smile and the willingness to learn. Even if these clubs are far away from home, they all comprise of the same sessions - the table topics, prepared speech and evaluation sessions. Most corporate clubs may have shorter 1 hour meetings during lunch breaks. On the other hand, community clubs that have weekly meetings last for an hour and those held fortnightly last for 2.5 - 3 hours.

Being a Toastmaster, I feel a sense of belonging everywhere I go. Before the Covid-19 started, I have attended meetings in Auckland, Hamilton(the one in NZ), Dunedin, Melbourne, Sydney and Jaipur. The members always make me feel at home. I am always more than happy to assist with speech evaluations, as there is a high chance that I will not be picked on for Table Topics (Impromptu Speech). Unfortunately, it didn’t work out my way sometimes. I just got to push myself harder to go ahead and take on the Table Topics Challenge. In addition, I wouldn't  have had the chance to go up the Fonterra Office as well stepping into a chapel in Hamilton, the Department of Finance Building in Melbourne and the ANZ Office in Melbourne, had it not for Toastmasters.

During MCO - Movement Control Order, it made it easier to join overseas TM meetings right from my home. I visited clubs located in the USA, Canada, Peru, UK, Germany, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and enjoyed every single moment of them.

These sweet and memorable experiences wouldn’t be possible if not for my membership in Toastmasters. My overseas trips(pre-Covid) were made memorable because of time well spent with the locals, listening to their stories while enjoying special local hospitality. Therefore, if you’d like to take time off being another mainstream tourist, and do things locally and connecting with people where you travel to, this is your best opportunity. Being a Toastmaster means having an international passport to all TM clubs worldwide. You’re not limited to the boundary of the club you’re a member of. Yay!! ☺

One of the many times, I failed at avoiding Table Topics. :)

         

Visiting Leng Kee TMC in Singapore.

Visiting Astana TMC in Kazakhstan.

Visiting Capital City TMC in US.

Visiting Effective Communicators TMC in Germany.

Visiting Brunswick County TMC in US.

How cool is that!

Are you looking to connect with people beyond where you live?

Want to check our next meeting out?

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‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’

 

This is my 7^th gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine 1 more out. 

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Sun/ Mar 7th, 2021

Home in KL

-Just like everyone else, A.S is wondering when she could get on a plane again. :)

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

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Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

6/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Making A Difference in the Community

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This is the 6^th of 8 posts sharing on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

credit: Stonegatecenter.com

Related to my 3/8 gains, as a Toastmaster (TM), I feel that being a TM means we’re granted super powers. We can now go out to the community and give back. There are many people out there who have not known Toastmasters and they need to be introduced to it.

Not yet for me but I’ve seen seniors reaching out to the community. One of the regular workshops conducted by TM is Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) as well as Speechcraft. These workshops are opportunities to introduce a day’s or 2 days’ workshops on communications, leadership and speechcrafting to the community. Compared to private coachings, the costs are relatively minimal, just to cover the expenses including venue, refreshment and materials.

These seniors also charter new TM Clubs, from doing roadshows to keeping everyone aware of TM to demonstrating to a group of enthusiasts or an organization on how a TM meeting is conducted, and what benefits it brings to them. The growth of TM clubs largely depends on the active chartering of new clubs as well as  mentoring/coaching them. Eventually when these clubs are mature enough, they will be able to stand on their own and grow healthily.

 

Being a Toastmaster naturally opens up opportunities to be part of a workshop organizing team. In a way, one gets to play a part in making a difference in his/her community. As part of a community, our role is not limited to the boundaries of our families/workplaces but also the communities we live in. Similarly, we see more and more companies playing their part  via Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programmes. However, if you’d like to contribute to our community, as a member of the public, TM is an opportunity for you. The gains we get through our effort largely depend on how much we put our commitment and dedication into our TM membership.

 

Are you looking to be more involved in your community and be part of a global organization helping in personal development? 😊

Would you like to spend your free time more meaningfully?

Or you’d just want to check our next club’s meeting out?

Follow our Facebook page at 

‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’

 

 

This is my 6^th gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to find 2 more out.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date:Mon/ Feb 22nd, 2021

Home in KL>

-Just like everyone else, A.S is wondering when she could get on a plane again. 

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

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4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

5/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Connecting with Like-Minded Passionate Learners

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This is the 5^th of 8 posts sharing on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

 

Have you ever felt like you need to meet people outside your day-to-day circle?

You’ve come to the right place – Toastmasters!

A warm memory from 2017.

             

 

For myself, I came from an engineering background. Some people term engineers as being square. 😊 Half true! There are ‘squares’ in every profession.

 

I’m a sales engineer. Hence, I meet people from engineering/production/maintenance departments of a manufacturing company as well as contractors and operators. At times, I meet the R&D team, at times purchasers and at times, finance, if only it could be more often, which means I get more good old cheques to collect. 

 

At a Toastmasters (TM) meeting, I meet entrepreneurs, bankers, IT personnel, students, retirees, among others. Regardless, we were once terrible speakers and we all have the passion to learn and support each other in our TM tracks. Even if a member is based in the US, Europe, Asia or Oceania, we share the same passion and always greet international guests with warm welcomes.

 

At my club, Super Speakers Toastmasters Club in KL, Malaysia, we assign new members to mentors,  as their special guardian angels particularly in the first few years of being a Toastmaster. Back in 2012, I was assigned to a lady who looked like me, sounded like me but WWWAAAYYY more experienced, more lively more giving than me. There’s more. She’s more productive, more sassy and definitely has more memory cells than me. It’s superb for her age of 60+. She has consistently volunteered me into roles and applauding me as I delivered my speeches and participated in contests. At her age, she still works, and she’s a voluntary line dance teacher to her friends and neighbours. As a 2^nd term president of a local Lions Club as well as a past Toastmasters EXCO of a string of roles, she’s been a great role model to me, not just in my TM journey but as a person, leading a colourful life, while making a difference in the community.

 

Then, I’ve got a mentee who is an emcee herself with Astro, a local major broadcasting company. I’ve never come close to knowing someone from the showbiz until I joined Toastmasters. She’s a self-initiated and eloquent speaker, yet maintains her humble self.  If I’d like to improve my pitching and persuasive skills, I know where to go, as she demonstrates and sells on a TV shopping channel. As the saying goes, you are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with. I think I’m in good hands.

  

There are many ways we can meet people outside our working lives. TM is one of them. Members are people wanting to improve themselves regardless of age and background. While doing so, they help others to improve as well, as here in Toastmasters, we learn in moments of enjoyment.

Through my 3/8 gains posted earlier, you’ll learn more on why being a TM opens up an opportunity to give.  

 

Are you looking to meet people outside your circle too?

Want to check our next meeting out?

Follow our Facebook page at 

‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’

 

 

This is my 5^th gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine out 3 more.

 

 

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Sun/ Jan 17th, 2021

Home in KL

-Just like everyone else, A.S is wondering when she could get on a plane again. :)

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-

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4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

4/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Opportunities to Learn the Art of Leadership

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This is the 4^th of 8 posts sharing on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

 

Speaking of TM, many of us, myself included, associate it with speaking, especially in our earlier years of joining.  We did not join TM, aspiring to improve in our leadership skills.

 

Over the years, I’ve learnt that speaking and leadership comes hand in hand. Especially when I’m delivering a speech with a message to inspire others, it is only better received if I’m speaking from a position to service. For example, if I were the VPE and would like to inspire new members to start their Pathways’ project speeches, I’d tell them a story about how I first started and how anxious I was before I got over the fear. Compare this with if I were a member, showing up at meetings only when I am delivering a project speech, and delivering the same  speech telling juniors  “in order to improve, you should do this, and that” .

As the new member, which speech would have a better impact on you?

Every speaker's dream audience 

Personally, as someone from the sales engineering profession, I have been working independently most times. I guess it is the same with people who works in other sales profession, in the lab, as well as IT personnels, where one doesn’t collaborate much in a team in his/her day-to-day work.

 

As a TM member, I have been given ample opportunities to:-

a)   Mentor new members

b) Take up EXCO positions i.e Sargeant At Arms (SAA), Vice President Public Relations(VPPR), VicPresident of Education (VPE), President

c) Become an organizing chair and form my organizing team to put together successful contests

 

While I am not a born leader, these experiences of working with fellow members of diverse age group and backgrounds, are great practices to help me to collaborate better with my co-workers, and to inspire and motivate them towards accomplishing a common goal.

To many fellow members, these opportunities allow them to sharpen their leadership skills in-line with their aspirations to progress into managerial positions at their respective workplaces.

 

TM gives me the opportunity to take up leadership roles I would otherwise not have, had I not joined TM. These roles are essential experiences to build up my soft skills collaborating and motivating others towards accomplishing a common goal.

Many of us are not keen on leadership roles and often keep it on the side, but over the years, I’ve learnt that in order for my message to become more acceptable, I need to speak from a position of service, to help them achieve their goal, and help them see that their contribution is significant towards accomplishing the bigger vision.

 

Are you looking for opportunities to practise and sharpen your leadership skills?

 

Want to check out our next meeting?

Follow our Facebook page at ‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’

 

P/S: We have entered the year of 2021! Happy new beginning everyone. May this new year bring you joy, abundance and great health!

This is my 4^th gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine out 4 more.

 

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Sun/ Jan 3rd, 2021

Home in KL

-Just like everyone else, A.S is wondering when she could get on a plane again. :)

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-

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Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

3/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Opportunities to Give

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This is the 3^rd of 8 posts sharing on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

 

Have you ever said something and seen someone’s face just lit up?

The joy is contagious.

 Have you felt like you haven’t done enough to make someone’s day?

There’re lots of opportunities in Toastmasters.

In Toastmasters, we learn from each other. When one speaks, the other evaluates. I didn’t start of enjoying being an evaluator. In the past, I was so fearful of this role thinking it’s only for the professionals to evaluate.

“No, other roles.., please.. I don’t qualify. I am not even a great speaker myself.”

 I was totally nervous evaluating, and had no points of improvement when the speaker was definitely more eloquent and a better speaker than me. I refused to take up the evaluator’s role whenever called upon to do so.

 

 Over a year later, I became convinced that we could evaluate to help the speaker improve from the viewpoint of the listener. The listener could be anyone, even a non-speaker, non-Toastmaster. An evaluation can go as such.

  

“The speaker spoke with a clear pleasant voice and the pacing was easy to follow. This helped me to follow the delivery of her speech well. The speech had clear opening, body and closing and the speaker injected humour that lightened up the mood in the room.  The speaker used personal story of her own that made her message memorable and more impactful to me.”

  

Over a span of 8 years, evaluating has become enjoyable to me. I have learnt that it doesn’t take a great speaker to evaluate. I may be 8 years, but I could be assigned to evaluate a Distinguished Toastmaster (highest title in TM) or a veteran who has been a member for decades. Over the years, I realized that being an evaluator becomes an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to give someone a gift. a gift to affirm their strengths, a gift to help them improve, a gift to encourage them and last but not least, a gift to lend a listening ear to follow and connect with them through their stories and messages. In Toastmasters, we evaluate the sandwich method. First, we share what we like or what the speaker did well, and then we give one or two recommendations for improvement. Lastly, we wrap up with words of encouragements to keep their strengths and try out the recommendations in the next speech. In our evaluations, we acknowledge the content of the speech and shares what resonated with us and thank the speaker for helping us to learn something new.

 

For a TM meeting/contest/workshop to run smoothly, there is a committed team behind it that makes this possible. Often times, I’d have invitations to fill up roles from technical roles to evaluators. Many times I would not be able to assist and few times, I could. In the few times, I could see joy in the other’s text reply. The joy was contagious. I felt like I had not just made someone’s day, but my own. We are all busy people, and our time is precious. By giving our time helping others, we are giving something valuable, really, and it’s a joy.

 

Being a Toastmaster opens up opportunities to make someone else’s day. Have you ever heard that the best gift to give to someone else need not be monetary? It is by spreading positivity and lending a helping hand/listening ears. It’s a way of showing care, as we want to see someone grow. Everyone around the world wants to grow and it’s universal. If we’ve mastered encouraging evaluations, it will definitely help us not just to be a better Toastmaster but also a better person whether in our professional or personal life.  

 

Want to find out more?

Do drop us a visit at our next Zoom meeting.

Follow our Facebook page at ‘Super Speakers Toastmasters Club’ to receive regular updates.

P/S: It's Dec 25th today! MEEERRRYYY CHRISTMAS!! Wishing everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas with your loved ones! Enjoy a jolly good time and a relaxing year end holiday. 

This is my 3^rd gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine out 5 more.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Fri/ Dec 25th, 2020,   

Home in KL.

- Just like everyone else, AS is wondering when she could go on a plane again. :)

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

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Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)

2/8 Gains From Toastmasters: Listening to Inspirational Stories

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This is the 2^nd of 8 posts sharing on why I like being a member of Toastmasters(TM).

Everyone is listening intently.

It's not all serious talk.

Before we listen intently again.

   Of course, these are 3 different club meetings I
have been attending during the earlier months of
the pandemic lock down. 

                 

  

Do you know what your family member is now struggling with?

Do you know what your next cubicle colleague care about?

Unless you have coffee with them, to show them you care, that you are willing to lend your ears, you will not know.

It takes time and effort to show them that you sincerely care and not judge.

On another hand, what about people you have not known, that may have interesting stories to share. Someone you don’t know and through their stories, you discover that there is someone who thinks, feels and acts like you?

This, my friends, is made possible at a Toastmasters meeting. There are always new people to meet, whether a Toastmaster or non-Toastmaster guest joining our club’s meeting or I visit others. Even members within my club may open up and share something others have not known about them, of fear and failure, among others, and of how they bounced back against all odds and inspire me to also do the same against all adversities I am currently facing.

Isn’t this interesting?

I remember one time when I listened to an emcee member’s speech. She was a senior member in my club and she was always the eloquent speaker in meetings I looked up to, until one time, she shared about her struggles and fear of speaking just a couple of years back, before she joined Toastmasters. How she was lack of confidence and in a career she didn’t like. She was at a loss. She then quit her job, and started a business. Unfortunately, the business did not survive. The office was burgled, and the profit was not encouraging and she lost most of her capital and went into depression. That was a bit sad. She went on to share that soon after she joined Toastmasters, she discovered her passion in speaking and turned it onto her profession. When I knew her, she was already a much sought after professional emcee in town. That, was truly one inspiring story from someone around me, I would not have the chance to listen to, had I not join Toastmasters.

In a Toastmasters meeting, there are 3 sessions which are the:-

1.       Table Topics Session (Impromptu Speech)

2.       Prepared Speech Session 

3.       Evaluation Session

The first 2 sessions especially, give us the opportunity to get to know members and guests better. The Table Topics Session requires the speaker to speak off the cuff. Naturally, the speaker would say something that is on-going in his current life or something that has been impactful to him. The Prepared Speech Session as the name implies is a session where the speaker delivers a speech he has taken time to research and craft so as to share with the audience. This normally is a topic he deeply cares about and would like to influence the audience to have the same opinion or persuade them to take actions.

Therefore, being a member of Toastmasters International opens up opportunity to learn about others a little bit deeper from just a single meeting. Can you imagine, what comes out of it when it’s more than one meeting?

One thing for sure, we learn that 9 out of 10 people who join Toastmasters at one point in their life were struggling with communications and public speaking skills. This is something all Toastmasters members can relate to, and see this as an opportunity in this global organization to help each other grow, especially a senior towards a junior.

 

Toastmasters offers opportunities to not just busy professionals, but even homemakers and retirees,  to listen to deep stories they do not have much opportunities for otherwise, unless they are highly social. Stories people around us care about and are willing to share, in one meeting. It’s a community of people speaking and helping each other along the way, unlike when one engages a coach. Some members shared that they get energized even after a long day at work, as they join like-minded and high-spirited fellow Toastmasters as they engage and inspire others with their stories. This, my dear friends, make Toastmasters a community of connections and staying connected.

Want to check out our next meeting?

Follow our Facebook page at ‘Super Speakers ToastmastersClub’

 

This is my 2^nd gain as a member of Toastmasters. Stay tuned to fine out 6 more.

*A.S's current location*

Day/ Date: Sat/ Dec 12th, 2020

-Just like everyone, A.S is thinking when she could be on a plane again. :)

A.S appreciates you as an audience to her blog. She welcomes you to drop in more often, share your thoughts and interact with her here at cyberspace. The posts may be a little behind but she promises to close the gap as much as she can, as she gets limited internet access and the time to update.

Be a fan today to get instant updates the soonest the next post is published!

It's EASY. At the right-most column of this page, you may either choose to:-

1. Receive blog updates by mail

2. Read her up-to-date posts at your MyYahoo, Google, etc. homepage by subscribing thru the links.

3. Read her up-to-date posts on your Facebook wall by 'Like'-ing the fan page A.S created specially for this blog (Scroll down page to search right-most column)

4. If you are a fellow blogger, link to her blog with the HTML code provided.

Thank you very much and A.S hopes you enjoy your stay here. ;)