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“Think and Grow Rich”
Opening address - 28 June 2008 chapter meeting

A very good afternoon to you all!
Welcome to Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club.

I can’t believe it is June already. Today is the last chapter meeting in this term.
Next month, we will start the new term. So it’s the time to think and grow rich. What do I mean?

I mean to think what your expectations are for joining toastmasters. And then aspire to grow your public speaking skills by doing your projects. Eventually your hard work will pay off in rich dividends.

Make a commitment to yourself to be a better speaker, and you will be a better speaker.  Also, you are welcome to bring friends to our chapter meetings.  Do you know lots of people out there want to join a toastmasters club, but have never heard of toastmasters before?

As you may know, the toastmasters movement has had a great impact on many people.
So, your friends may thank you one day for your invitation that may well have changed their lives.

What have we achieved as a toastmaster club during the term?

First, we have launched a new website and a blog for our club.  The main purpose is to attract more visitors and to share resources on public speaking. I think our main objectives have been fulfilled. We have had more visitors at our club meetings and positive feedback has been received from the blog and the website.

Actually I hadn’t expected to receive comments from readers outside Singapore. But I have received appreciative comments from toastmasters living in US, the Netherlands or even Oman.  I think it is the beauty of the internet.

This year, our club organized a Speaking Skills Workshop. The response to the workshop was overwhelming. In today’s meeting, most of our prepared speech speakers have come from the Speaking Skills Workshop.

Edward is unable to be with us together as he has to attend a 5-day workshop. But, I still want to take this opportunity to thank him again as he did most of the hard work for organizing the speaking skills workshop.

Next term, Edward will be the Club President. He is a very experienced toastmaster, and has been a member of Kowloon-Singapore TMC since its inception. He has served in every position on the Exco, and we are privileged to benefit from his expertise.

In addition, Edward has had a high profile as a District Officer. Next term, he will be the District 80 Secretary.  Kowloon-Singapore TMC is well-known because of his contribution.

Whenever our club faces a challenge, Edward is the one that we would go to for advice.  And he always gives helpful suggestions to the team. 

Under his leadership, I am sure our club will climb to a greater height.
Back to you, toastmaster of the day.

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

“Commitment”
Opening Address -  27 May 2008 chapter meeting

Good Evening!
Fellow Toastmasters and Friends!
Welcome to Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club!

Do you remember Edward used the word “commitment” as the word of the day at the last chapter meeting?  The word “commitment” means “something that you have promised you will do or that you have to do.”

Do you sometimes find that no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, nothing really changes?  Whether it’s losing weight, earning more money, breaking a bad habit or improving your social life?

Quite often you think it’s the right time to make the change. You make another New Year Resolution.  For instance, you want to lose weight and so you join the gym and buy the latest diet book. You know that’s good for you. But a few days later you may slip right back to square one again!

What’s wrong? It’s because we have missed out a vital step in the process. We are not committed to making the change. We are not willing to give our time and our energy to do something that we believe in.

Commitment helps us sustain the decision to make changes in our life. Read more »

“Become a Leader”
Opening address - 26 April 2008 chapter meeting

Good Evening!
Fellow Toastmasters and Friends!
Welcome to Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club!

Time flies. We have already passed nearly 10 months of our term of office. Excluding tonight’s meeting; we still only have 2 more chapter meetings to go before the start of the new term.

How many speeches have you done?
Are you satisfied with your progress as a public speaker?

If you are, I’d like to congratulate you on your hard work.
If not, then you will need to practise more. Do your project, do your project and do your project.

Remember, you are very welcome to do your prepared speeches here. We all support you. And so don’t worry…don’t be shy!

If you would like to see greater improvement, let me give you a suggestion.
Be the next President of our toastmasters club….

Why? It is because as a Club President, you have to make an opening speech at every chapter meeting. The opening address is another stage time for you. You can share your point of view in the president’s opening address. What to say? How to strike a chord with your audience? It requires skill. You have 12 extra speaking time slots to practise your public speaking skills, to persuade your members, and to inspire your audience.

Why not take up this golden opportunity?
Be the next club president.

Being a club president means you are the CEO of the club, and therefore you have the chance to practise your leadership skills too. You have the chance to build your team. It is useful for your career advancement.

If you think you are not ready to be a club president yet, take up other roles in the exco.
Edward cannot run the club himself. Yetti cannot run the club herself.
We need fresh ideas. We need the energy that comes from new members!

The Vice President of Education (VPE) is responsible for planning successful club meetings so that each member has the opportunity to achieve his or her educational goals. Personally, I have been the VPE of our club for 3 years. I can tell you that it is a very challenging job!

The VPE has to invite toastmasters from other clubs to be the evaluators. A good VPE normally visits other toastmasters clubs quite often and makes friends with other toastmasters. Then he or she has a greater chance to invite competent speakers as our evaluators. To add more spice to our chapter meetings, VPE can invite speakers to present special talks too. I have made a lot of friends for being the VPE of our club.

The Vice President of Membership (VPM) follows up on guests, promotes the membership and recruits new members. If you’d like to practise your persuasive power, take up this role.

The Vice President of Public Relations (VPPR) produces and disturbs club newsletters. The Secretary handles general club correspondences and records minutes for exco meetings. If you’d like to improve your written English, take up the role of VPPR or be our club secretary.

If you are good at figures, volunteer yourself as our club treasurer. If you are really new, just volunteer yourself as the Sergeant At Arms (SAA).
Our club will hold the elections for next term’s exco at the May chapter meeting.

So why not volunteer yourself as the next club president or for other positions in the leader team. You could be a better speaker, a better listener, and a better leader!

Toastmaster of the evening!

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

“The History of Toastmasters”
Opening address - 25 March 2008 chapter meeting

Good Evening!
Fellow Toastmasters and Friends!
Welcome to Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club!

Tonight we have a few guests attending our chapter meeting for the first time.
Let’s give them a round of applause.

Our guests may not know what toastmasters are all about.
A toastmaster is not a toast or a toaster.

Let me give you some background information.

The first toastmasters’ club was formed in Oct 1924, when a group of young men assembled by  Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met in the basement of the Santa Ana, California YMCA.

Dr Smedley began working as a director of education for a local YMCA after graduating from college. He realized that the older boys who visited the YMCA needed training in the art of public speaking. He wanted to help them, and so he began a public speaking club.
 
He decided the training format would be similar to a social club. During the early 1900s the word “toastmaster” referred to a person who proposed the toast and introduced speakers at a banquet. Smedley named his group “The Toastmasters Club” because he thought it suggested a pleasant, social atmosphere which appealed to young men.

Growth was slow during the early years, but the number of clubs increased steadily.  Membership in Toastmasters International increased rapidly after the end of World War II, and by 1954 the number of Toastmasters clubs had approached 1,500.

Dr Smedley’s legacy has continued to flourish. Throughout the ’80s, Toastmasters International established itself as the world leader in the training of public speaking. Today, there are more than 220,000 members in 113,000 clubs spread over in 90 countries.

Speaking with confidence is really useful.  However, not everyone can do it.

You may have read books on how to conquer the fear of public speaking.
You may have attended courses or workshops on how to improve your communication skills.

However, you lack a platform for practice.
Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking.

The purpose of KSTMC is to provide opportunities for our members to practise and improve their communication skills, using the methodology of “learning by doing”.

Through educational workshops, prepared speeches and impromptu speeches, our members can learn from the feedback given by more experienced speakers.

If you want to overcome stage fright and learn to speak with confidence, join Kowloon-Singapore toastmasters club.

Toastmaster of the evening!

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

On behalf of our Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club (KSTMC), I wish you have a fun-packed Merry X’mas and a Happy 2008!

——
Opening Address - 22 Dec 07 chapter meeting cum Christmas Party

Good Evening!
Fellow Toastmasters and Friends!
Welcome to Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club!

I’d like to keep my opening address short and sweet.
It is because we will only have one hour and thirty minutes for this meeting. After that, we will hold our Christmas Party.

Today is a special chapter meeting. Why?
This time we do not conduct our meeting at Kowloon Club.
Instead, we hold our chapter meeting cum Christmas Party at Mak’s home.
Mak, thank you for your everything! Aspen Heights is such a nice place!

Five of our members including myself are going to deliver their prepared speeches.
This is a very special event! Why? We have family members here to support us as we give our speeches, including my husband Alex.

Among all the festivals, I like Christmas the most!
How about you?
I think Christmas is a time for joy, a time for sharing and a time for gathering!
Christmas is a special occasion for fun and fellowship!

I hope we all have fun today, giving speeches, listening to presentations and making new friends!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You!
May All Your Dreams Come True!

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

P.S.
Click here to view photos taken at the meeting cum X’mas Party.

Good evening! Fellow Toastmasters and Friends!
Welcome to our chapter meeting!

Let me ask you a question.
What are your dreams? Your Big Dreams?

To Earn More, Work Less and Enjoy Life!
To be famous!
To save the world!

Whatever your dreams may be, I think you do have a desire to be a better speaker.
 That’s why we are here tonight to practise our public speaking skills. Right?

Ask yourself why you join toastmasters.

To overcome your fear of public speaking?
To speak well at work for better chance of advancement in your career?
To make more friends?
Or just to be a better speaker.

To what extent would you like to your achievements in toastmasters?

Do you still remember the time when you did your Project 1 Ice Breaker?
How much have your speaking skills improved?

Do you want to win the next speech contest?
How would you like to be a professional speaker and get paid to speak?

It is not a dream! It is achievable!
I know some toastmasters can achieve their dreams as professional speakers or trainers.

The key is that you need to have a target. You need to take action. You need to work hard!

Practice is the key to helping you improve in public speaking.

On your way home, think about your expectations on joining toastmasters.
Then take the next step to being a better speaker!

If you are not a toastmaster yet, I would like to show you a video “Welcome to Toastmasters!”

Let us experience Eduardo’s story. Watch how he evolves from nervous novice to dynamic presenter with the help of some friends in Toastmasters. Discover how the Toastmasters Program can help everyone to become better communicators.
Enjoy!

—————-
Next time, please bring your friends or colleagues to visit your next chapter meeting.
Then, they have a chance to learn how they can be benefited from the Toastmasters Program!

Yetti
Club President 2007-2008
Kowloon-Singapore Toastmasters Club

“Helping You To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Speak With Confidence!”
Website:  http://public-speaking-singapore.com
Blog:  http://blog.public-speaking-singapore.com  

Good Evening!

Fellow Club Members

Ladies and Gentlemen

Thank you for your continued support to our club!

I have to tell you that I feel proud to be the President of Kowloon-Singapore Toastmaster Club. Thank you for being with us at our installation ceremony!

I’d like to begin by reading for you a paragraph from Michael Stout’s article in the June 2006 issue of the Toastmaster.