Recap: 141th Chapter meeting by Norman Tan

Despite not having attending Toastmasters in a long time, I was exhilarated to be attending Anchorvale Toastmasters 141th Chapter meeting, as this would mean seeing old friends, making new friends all the while bonding over sumptuous food.

As predicted, the moment I entered I was greeted by the ever-friendly Jenny, our Club Mentor as she treated us to spring rolls, carrot cake and chee cheong fun. What would we do without our beloved mentor Jenny and without the delicacies that she always prepares? J

With that, the meeting got off to an energetic start, with Hilda breaking the ice by asking everyone what their passions was. Next, Club President Chee Sian delivered a rousing opening address, with a call to new members to take up roles in the new exco term.

Next I sauntered onstage to explain the Word of the day, “Endeavour”, which connotes an attempt, to aim or to try to achieve. Its always encouraging to see members endeavouring to stretch their vocabulary and challenge themselves to use the WOTD in creative ways.

Next up, it was Toastmaster-of-the-day Valli, Timer Cheok Pui and Ah-Counter Hilda turn to shine as they readied themselves for the start of the meeting proper. Cheok Pui in particular, was raring to go :P

For the Prepared Speeches, Claire demystified and distilled the mental condition of Dementia using an analogy of a shifting bookcase which I can’t quite forget. Next, Audrey posed us a question “How Lucky are You?” and peeked a little deeper at the very habits that makes us successful. Thereafter, Bharathi shared about the most important 4Gs in her life. Lastly, Jeff espoused about Steven Bannon, Donald Trump and their profound impact on the world.

As with all Toastmasters speeches, our project evaluators came next to assess our speakers on whether they had met their respective project objectives. For that, we had Helena Lim, Muthu Ganesh, Rusman and Jenny to share on their acute observations. Its always useful to hear an independent assessment of your speech to identify new areas for improvements.

Last but not the least was our Table Topics session, where our Table Topics Master Joseph quizzed the crowd on beautiful quotes from famous movies such as Mulan, and Forrest Gump. While the participants sweated, the audiences were enthralled. Kudos to all (Margaret, Andy, Souvile, Kar Keng, Wilson, Samuel, Clara, Cheok Pui, Marcus) who bravely attempted the topics!

With that, it sums up our 141th Chapter Meeting. Till the next meeting (hint: Chalet) for more exciting and fun adventures!

Best Speaker: Audrey, PM1

Best Table Topics: Margaret