Anchorvale TMC - 51st Chapter Meeting on 19th April 2014

Hey there folks!

It was a scorching hot afternoon as I made my way down to Anchorvale TMC’s 51^st Chapter Meeting. It was held at Sengkang West Zone 'D' RC Centre instead of the usual venue at Anchorvale CC, which was undergoing renovations. Being unfamiliar with the new venue, I made a few wrong turns before finally arriving at the RC Centre. My fellow club members were milling around outside, sweating in the sultry heat, as we eagerly awaited our turn to use the room.

Club President Roger, CC CL opened with an intriguing story of a boy who chose to feed imaginary fishes in a hotel’s swimming pool instead of feeding real koi in a pond outside the hotel. This was because his parents forbade him to venture too far, and so he decided to pretend there were fishes in the pool that he could feed. The next story was about a man who lost his phone in a dark field, but decided to search for it in the well-lit street next to the field. Roger then posed a stimulating question, “in our quest to improve ourselves, are we focusing on the right areas?”

With that in mind, it was time for the prepared speeches. As always, a wide range of topics were covered, showing the diversity of members’ backgrounds and interests. Ken spoke about the recent mystery of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 and the different ways we could contribute to disaster relief efforts. I spoke about the fear of public speaking and how it might be due to the imposter effect. Rizal discussed the idea of success and what it might mean. DD Daruvala DTM presented lessons we can learn from the fall of the once-mighty hand phone maker, Blackberry. Hareesh bravely described the differences between men and women.

After the refreshment break, our evaluators gave many insightful comments and useful tips on how to improve in public speaking and livening up a speech. We moved on to table topics, helmed by Saleena. To our surprise and excitement, instead of the usual “pick a topic and deliver a short speech” style of table topics, we had a “story-telling session”. Saleena started off with a scenario and each speaker was to continue the story. The last speaker was to end with, “and I was glad to finally be home.”

Despite the sometimes confusing twists and turns that the storyline took, most of the participants spiritedly volunteered and spoke enthusiastically. It was heart-warming to see everyone enjoying themselves, especially our youngest guest Likitesh, who made everyone roar with laughter when he endearingly declared himself "the CEO of Panasonic" during his turn. Well done for a refreshing form of Table Topics Saleena! We certainly look forward to seeing more creativity from our members.

Perhaps it is not surprising that Anchorvale did take home the Star Award for recruiting more than 20 new members in the 3rd quarter of the fiscal year, as announced by Roger in his closing address. As a first-time visitor commented, the club has a warm and welcoming vibe and it was easy for her to feel at ease. I have the same sentiments as a “three-month-old” member myself, which is why I signed up in the first place. 

Anchorvale CC Toastmasters Club is indeed focusing on the key aspect of what a toastmasters club should have; providing a supportive environment for its members to learn and grow together. 

But don’t simply take my word for it, come on down for our next chapter meeting on the 10^th of May 2014 and experience the hospitality yourself.

Thank you to all appointment holders and visitors! 

Congratulations to Award Winners!

Best Prepared Speech: Hareesh, TM

Best Project Evaluator: Jenny Au DTM

Best Table Topics Speaker: Likhitesh

Article contributed by: Rachel Heng, TM

Suresh the proud daddy watching his son claim yet another Best Table Topics Speaker Ribbon

Hareesh, as usual impressing us like a pro

DTM Jenny, our beloved Club Mentor never fails to impart priceless words of wisdom