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Wednesday 30 November 2011

Message from our Club President- May Lee


What is communication? Most dictionaries define it along the lines of 
"imparting and exchanging of information", which is essentially what 
humankind has had to do since the dawn of civilisation. It is so much 
a part of the universal psyche and social dynamic that we seldom pause 
to ponder the effectiveness and elegance of our speech. What thus 
results is often a crude and slipshod assembly of imprecise words 
delivered with the enthusiasm of a root canal patient. Many of you 
may argue that that's the Singaporean predisposition towards brevity 
and efficiency, but that is hardly any excuse.



Our world famous local cuisines leave a lingering impression long 
after the initial explosion of flavours in the mouth. Anyone who has 
sampled our proud culinary delights, such as laksa, rojak, chicken 
rice and chilli crab, can attest to our proud and pampered palates, 
finicky taste buds and overindulged olfactory organ that constantly 
crave for multi-sensory stimulation. We, as a nation of exacting 
eaters, demand substance and quality in the stuff we selectively pop 
into our mouths. 


Isn't it time that we apply such exacting standards to the string of  words that tumble out of this same oral cavity? Why settle for only  functionality without form, flavour or finesse? Make it fun!  Incorporate all four elements to impress your audience and deliver  your message with style.
But as with all new challenges, it takes time and loads of practice to 
make a positive change. My belief is that you can never truly undo an 
old habit without creating a new habit in its place. So if you're 
determined and motivated to improve your communication skills, you 
have to seriously arm yourself with an arsenal of language and 
presentation tools, and immerse yourself in a conducive environment 
that encourages flair in communication.
If that is your personal quest, you've stumbled upon the right place! 
Anchorvale CC Toastmasters Club offers friendly and supportive 
companionship in your journey towards better listening, better 
thinking and better speaking. This three-pronged approach is 
precisely what is needed to improve your communication skills. We 
employ a multitude of proven strategies researched, developed and 
continually fine-tuned by esteemed orators and professional trainers 
within the vast Toastmasters community. We meet regularly to sharpen 
our skills, with special attention paid to the use of vivid 
vocabulary, idea structure, accompanying body gestures, eye contact, 
and vocal variety. Our enthusiastic fellow members and expressive 
evaluators offer essential encouragement to transform you into a 
mesmerising, confident and influential speaker.
The sweetest thing of all is the fact that you don't need to pay an 
arm or a leg to receive the tremendous benefits that I've just 
described. The Toastmasters step-by-step programme is simply the best 
value-for-money communication course available to the general 
populace. There are close to 200 registered Toastmasters clubs in our 
tiny island nation and probably one within a stone's throw of your 
residence or workplace. You may contact any of the community-based 
clubs to arrange for a first-hand glimpse of a regular chapter meeting 
in progress. However, as the current president of Anchorvale CC 
Toastmasters Club, I hope that you will choose to visit and eventually 
join me at this newly chartered club. We are looking to boost our 
membership with gregarious, like-minded people who can fit into our 
close-knit community. Residents of Sengkang, Punggol, Jalan Kayu 
vicinity and their vicinity will especially find it convenient 
attending our regular meetings scheduled on 4th Saturday afternoons.
If you're convinced to check us out, please contact any representative 
of our friendly executive committee for more information on how you 
can join us. Together, we'll spur one another towards greater heights 
in both communication and leadership. I am looking forward to your 
participation in our club activities. See you soon!

Yours truly,
May Lee - Competent Communicator 
President of Anchorvale Toastmasters Club

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Speech Craft for Anchorvale Toastmasters Club- 3 Dec & 10 Dec


The first part of our club's SpeechCraft program had a kick-start at 9.30am on Saturday, 10 November 2011. We have invited Sanjeev Gathani to help spearhead the 2 parts course. 

Sanjeev is an experienced public speaker and trainer. He has been conducting workshops across Asia and always delivers them with great pride, passion, energy and dynamism. Throughout more than 10 years of active involvement in the Toastmasters movement, Sanjeev has participated and won many speech contests in both the International Prepared Speech and Impromptu Speech categories.
A brilliant communicator with a heart of gold, Sanjeev volunteers his time at schools and religious organisations. He believes in the power of effective communication and seeks to empower more people to speak better.  


As a community effort in engaging the residents of our neighborhood, we have decided to absorb all costs and offer the workshop to our participants on a complimentary basis.  


Here are some feedback we received from the randomly chosen participants; 
Merlin Su, Sanjeev's colleague,  "I never knew Sanjeev is so talented. His toastmaster's journey must have helped him leaps and bounds."   (Merlin joined us as member shortly afterwards. Bravo!)
Yvonne Ang (our new member), "I like it here, the club can help me to improve on my communication skill."  
Jason Chung, an expatriate from Hong Kong, "I really enjoyed myself.  The training program is so well-planned and executed, it surprised me that it wasn't charged at market rate."  
Wee Kiat, a resident from Pasir Ris, "The learning opportunity here is unlimited, I will join Anchorvale Toastmasters Club as a member after my work schedule let-up a little, in January."  
We are glad to announce that 2 more members had hopped on our club's bandwagon;  Tan Leng Leng and Sanjay Das.   A warm welcome to all our new members!  Lets look forward to having lots of fun and friendships ahead! 


May Lee (Club President) awarding a certificate of appreciation to our 
Speech Craft trainer, Sanjeev Gathani


Roger Yap
VPPR

18th Chapter Meeting- 26th November 2011


On Saturday 26 November, it is our 18th chapter meeting for Anchorvale Toastmaster Club.
We had the pleasure to have the company of several visitors with us; Mike Woon (Cairnhill TMC), Chee Yong Wei (Hong Kah TMC), Jean Ng (Eloquentia TMC) and Yan Lin (ACE TMC)

The winner for the Table topic segment is Chee Yong Wei.  He shared with us his experience as the first ever coupier with the Marina Bay Sand's casino, and won the support of his listeners.

The best evaluator ribbon went to Jean Ng, and the blue ribbon for best prepared speech was won by Venkatachalam Ekambaram.