The Courage to Conquer ” - | Where Leaders Are · PDF fileDistrict 51 - "The Courage to...

Hi Friends in Toastmasters,As I pen down a few words on our first issue of newsletter "Courage 51", I have 2 kinds of feeling with me:-

1) A feeling of satisfaction, because the month of July was a month full of activity and excitement. Toastmasters Leadership Institute training was conducted throughout the 14 divisions in District 51, a good amount of administrative matters with Toastmasters World Headquarters was done and I have met many friends in Toastmasters.

2) And a feeling of worry and the need to get "the courage to conquer" this worry. Worried because one month has passed and I have 11 months more to be a good District Governor to all our 7037 members.

Something new, is cooking in District 511) We have created a new portfolio in our district, the new club mentors chairman. We have spoken to DTM Ramdas

Nayar to head this new portfolio. His immediate task will be to ensure that all new clubs chartered are well taken care of by their respective mentors.

2) We have almost completed the rewards listing for all our members. You will see some new awards in order to motivate and encourage our members more. You will notice that we will recognize the club coach for all the weak clubs in our district. We currently have 59 clubs in the club coach category and we have taken immediate steps to improve this situation.

3) As for Toastmasters Leadership Training (TLI), we managed to get a good number of the new area governors to conduct this training for the club officers. Many new area governors did extremely well and we were very proud of them. In implementing this new way of training, we got the area governors more equipped in the club matters.

District 51 - "The Courage to Conquer" - 2 challenges

1) MEMBERSHIP RENEWALSAs our October dues will be due soon, you might notice that some of our fellow friends in Toastmasters will not renew their Toastmasters membership for various reasons. Please convince these members who want to leave our organization, to maintain their membership and enjoy the benefits of this fantastic program. We assure you that everyone will be in for a good and enjoyable term.

2) DISTRICT WEBSITE AND DIRECTORYThe district team is working very hard to update the district website and the district directory. We are trying our best to complete the district directory and to further improve the website. We want these two resources to be useful for our members. You will see a good and complete job at the end of this month. The District 51 team will conquer these 2 challenges

We would like to wish all of you an enjoyable and informative time reading this newsletter. The District Public Relations team will be overjoyed to receive feedback from all of you. We are here to learn from each other and continuously improve ourselves, in a happy environment. The courage to conquer!

Joseph Gomez, DTMDistrict 51 Governor

District Governor's Message

Table of Contents Message from District Governor …………………......1Note from editorial team …………………………....... 2New clubs on board .………..................................... 2Message from Lieutenant Governor Educationand Training ……………………………………….........3Message from Lieutenant Governor Marketing ……..3Achievers for the term 2007-2008 ………………….4-7Introducing Senior District Officers for 2008-2009 .....8Know our District 51 leaders for 2008-2009 ………....9

Exclusive story about Loghandran K …………......….. 10Exclusive interview with Chris Ford, DTM ……........….11How to succeed as humorous speaker ………....…….12How to deliver impactful evaluations?…………….........13Empowering member's inner force using A-B-C .....14-15Coming soon: District 51 Speakers Bureau ………......16District 51 public relations awards …………………........17Upcoming events: Bali and Kuching Convention ......…17

“ The Courage to Conquer ”

COURAGE 51District 51 Newsletter – Connecting Toastmasters in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei

Website: http://www.tmdistrict51.org • Issue 1 • August 2008 • For Toastmasters only

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District 51 proudly welcomes the following new clubs:

Club # 1211889 Chartered Date: 1st July 2008Club Sponsors: Ganesh Sangaran & Ong Shiow Yee Club Mentors: Dr Wan Mohd Zin Wan Yunus & Nirmala Shanmugam

Club # 1211904 Chartered Date: 1st July 2008Club Sponsors: Khong Chooi Peng, DTM Club Mentors: Khong Chooi Peng, DTM

Club # 1222700 Chartered Date: 13th August 2008 Club Sponsors: Khalid Jamil Hashmi & Azizah Abu-Hassan Club Mentors: Kamala Devi Nair & Lee Kah Tor

Club # 1222775 Chartered Date: 18th August 2008Club Sponsors: Sharon Tong & Azmi Shahrin, DTM Club Mentors: Francis Ng, DTM & Chong Huey Yee

MELIA KL Toastmasters Club – Division P

HICT Toastmasters Club – Division C

Alam Toastmasters Club – Division A

AFC Toastmasters Club – Division W

Note: New club sponsor and mentor data is pulled from TI website as of Aug 25th 2008

Note from the editorial teamI would like to thank all of you for taking your time to read the first issue of Toastmasters International District 51 newsletter “Courage 51”. As the official publication of District 51, we hope to deliver quality articles to keep our members informed as well as to capture their aspiration as they strive to find their courage to conquer.

Yes! The courage to conquer is certainly strong in District 51. Since we are into the contests season, we feature an exclusive story about Loghandran K conquering feat in World Championship of Public Speaking and also 2 articles from past district champions in humorous and evaluation contests. All of them personify the theme “The Courage to Conquer” superbly. Loghandran did District 51 proud by becoming the first person to qualify for the final of World Championship of Public Speaking and he went all the way to become the first runner-up. Michael Rajesh was relatively unknown in District 51 but he shot to fame as District 51 Humorous Speech Contest Champion 2007 in his first attempt. Shankar K well known for his humor, decided to find a new terrain to conquer. Armed with the courage to conquer, he bulldozed his way through to become District 51 EvaluationSpeech Contest Champion in 2006.

On the club scene, we also share with you the success formula on how one club overcame the odds and emerged as a President's Distinguished Club for the first time.

In this edition, you will read about the exclusive interview with international president 2007-2008 Chris Ford, DTM who made a brief stop to our District during District 51 annual convention in Penang back in April 2008. We also introduce the district officers for this term and celebrate the success of last term achievers who collectively made our district proud by emerging as a President's Distinguished District and finishing sixth in the world out of 79 competing districts.

Also read about the exciting things we have in store for you from the district public relations team – the upcoming district speaker bureau and the public relations contests.

As in the words of the late Sir Edmund Hillary when he became the first man to conquer Mount Everest “It's not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves”. With that I wish all Toastmasters in District 51, happy conquering in your Toastmasters endeavors.

Note from the editorial team

District Website:

http://www.tmdistrict51.org Publisher District Governor Joseph Gomez, DTM 17th Floor, Bangunan Angkasa Raya, Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Telephone Email: [email protected]

Editor District Public Relations Officer (DPRO) Clement Pang, DTM 118-B5-5-7 Putra Place Condo, Persiaran Bayan Indah, 11900 Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia Telephone: 012-4022358 Email: [email protected]

Sub-Editor Parthiban Vijayaraghavan Email: [email protected]

To find out more about how to charter a club, browse to District website,

under the Resources link.http://www.tmdistrict51.org

ON THE WEB

New clubs on board

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District 51 Hall Of Fame 2007-2008 President's Distinguished Club

DIVISION K

DIVISION M

DIVISION N

DIVISION P

DIVISION S

DIVISION W

2574 Kota Kinabalu Club3277 Kota Kinabalu Advanced Club5573 Kota Kinabalu Mandarin Club6365 Sandakan Pidato Toastmasters Club7465 Sandakan Toastmasters Club8651 Sandakan Mandarin Club880939 OTTERS TMC

1538 Johor Bahru Mandarin Toastmasters Club 7050 Bayan Baru Mandarin Toastmasters Club

3819 Silterra Toastmasters Club5955 Y.M.C.A. Toastmasters Club6843 Penang Seagate Toastmasters7211 Kulim Toastmasters Club7371 PDC Toastmasters Club7764 Bayan Baru Toastmasters Club9699 Intel Penang Toastmasters Club693542 Renesas Semiconductor Kedah Club693567 Institut Perkim-Goon 1 Club693895 Mavericks694333 Penang Muslim League Tamil Club1066107 Intel Kulim Toastmasters Club

1915 I T C Bintang Club6697 MIM Toastmasters Club of Kuala Lumpur627611 Maxis Club954221 Premier Advanced Toastmasters Club

2583 Renesas Semiconductor Club4595 YMCA of Ipoh Toastmasters5325 Voices Toastmasters Club7675 Vista Penang Club9372 Seberang Jaya Toastmasters Club620418 MEF Club805217 Motorola Penang Club811512 Farlim Toastmasters Club811596 Dell Penang Club893157 Ipoh Toastmasters Club931485 Bagan Ajam Toastmasters Club992567 PAH Toastmasters1060829 Renesas Success Penang

220 Speakers' Dream Toastmasters5039 Ernst & Young's Toastmasters Club5111 TTDI Toastmasters Club5380 Friendship Club6895 Maicsa Toastmasters Club8141 Money Mastery-KL Toastmasters Club8495 Malaysian Insurance Institute Club8773 Bangsar Club590971 UEM Academy TM Club599567 HELP University College Club654898 Kelab Pidato Perdana850514 HSBC KL Toastmasters Club1024907 Sai Masters Toastmasters Club

DISTRICT 512007-2008

DIVISION A

DIVISION B

DIVISION C

DIVISION D

DIVISION E

DIVISION H

DIVISION I

DIVISION J

1888 MIM Club of Johor Bahru7315 Malacca Toastmasters Club7669 JB City Club9449 Sacred Heart Club

1404 Deloitte KassimChan Toastmasters Club5044 WDM Club5895 Taman Indrahana Toastmasters Club5912 D'Utama Toastmasters Club9150 Crystal Club

5058 Summit Club7086 Sunway Toastmasters Club9004 MIM Club of Petaling Jaya849962 Klang Bilingual Toastmasters Club922435 IEM Toastmasters Club

2936 Kuching Club3949 Twintech Club4904 AZAM Toastmasters Club6231 Hornbill City Toastmasters Club6622 Mandarin Toastmasters Club616254 X-Fab Sarawak Toastmasters Club654457 IEM Sarawak Club708110 Connections Toastmasters Club1059572 INTI Toastmasters Club

2385 Bintulu Toastmasters Club6832 Miri Club8205 Swan City Toastmasters Club8632 Pidato Miri Club663442 Miri City Toastmasters Club1051402 Alpha Diamond Excel Miri

2968 Polonia Toastmasters Club 5404 Medan First Club 6313 Deli Toastmasters Club

834840 Riau Toastmasters Club

4067 Jakarta Club 8039 Jakarta Motivators Club 9747 Metropolitan Club 692744 Surabaya Toastmasters Club

1472 Kebayoran Club 7853 The Catalyst Toastmasters Club

8694 Bank of America Jakarta Toastmaster Club596885 Maranatha Club

Congratulations !!!Congratulations !!!

Congratulations !!!

Congratulations !!!Congratulations !!!Congratulations !!!

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Select Distinguished

DIVISION A2196 Johor Jaya Toastmasters Club8406 Johor Bahru Club

DIVISION B3983 Cima Malaysia Club735474 Lafarge Malayan Cement Toastmasters Club

DIVISION C288 Port Dickson Toastmasters Club4391 Shaklee Dynamic Family International Club4934 Extol Toastmasters Club6157 MIHRM Club8598 Cyberjaya Toastmasters Club828612 DHL Cyberjaya Toastmasters Club843147 SJMC Toastmasters Club850955 Stamford College Toastmasters Club898095 Surian Club

DIVISION D828920 ABC Toastmasters Club

DIVISION E992 Miri Mandarin Club973836 Bintulu Hakka Toastmasters Club1055824 Bintulu SUPP

DIVISION I3520 ConocoPhillips Indonesia Club1107056 I.E.U Toastmasters Club

DIVISION J7888 Allianz Life Club

DIVISION K3357 Tawau Club6376 Brunei Speakers' Club7415 University Club912815 Politeknik Kota Kinabalu Club

DIVISION M7054 Penang Hokkien Association Club7798 Historical City Toastmasters Club9126 Mandarin Club

DIVISION N4388 Butterworth Club

DIVISION S4620 Penang MCA Club931425 MCA Bukit Gelugor Toastmasters Club989349 Gurney Toastmasters Club

DIVISION W3705 MIA Toastmasters Club4751 Speecom Toastmasters Club6472 UEM Group Club585859 Mid Valley Club789320 WIM Toastmasters Club950005 Great Eastern Toastmasters Club984614 Hasil Toastmasters Club1024975 HP Malaysia Toastmasters Club

1028031 Toastmasters International Club of University Malaya

1033508 EXACT ADC 1 Toastmasters Club1052344 KPMG KL Toastmasters Club

Distinguished

DIVISION A7389 Kluang Toastmasters Club798899 CIMA Johor Branch Toastmasters Club

DIVISION B1296 Vistana Toastmasters Club5611 MAS Mawar Toastmasters Club5656 Malaysia Airlines Melor Toastmasters7564 D'Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club989051 Phoenix Toastmasters Club1054927 LEKOR

DIVISION C7296 Subang Club688021 IJM Toastmaster International Club799292 Ansell Toastmasters Club963517 Pan Pacific KLIA

DIVISION D829023 INTI College Sarawak Toastmasters Club1042020 Chief Minister's Department (HR)

DIVISION E7550 Mandarin Bintulu Club828783 Dynasty Hotel Club1058165 Sarawak Pan-Chen Laus'

DIVISION H654744 Friendship Mandarin Club

DIVISION I754 Essential Club590499 Sorowako Toastmasters Club

DIVISION J763437 Bali Toastmasters Club

DIVISION K1304 SWEPA Club4336 Keningau Mandarin Club6192 Tawau Mandarin Club660196 HSBC Brunei Speakers Group807605 Semporna Mandarin Toastmasters Club931426 MCA Kota Kinabalu

DIVISION M3015 Chung Hwa Alumni Assoc Club5236 Charismatic Leader Toastmasters Club8377 Subang Mandarin Club

DIVISION N4171 Langkawi Toastmasters Club

DIVISION P1997 TMIKL Toastmasters7245 Pricewaterhouse Coopers Toastmasters Club8052 Telekom Malaysia Toastmasters Club865527 AmBank Group Toastmasters Club

DIVISION S552 Taiping Club7071 Penang Advanced7393 Teluk Intan Toastmasters Club

DIVISION W 4964 Money & You-Kuala Lumpur Toastmasters Club740708 Securities Commission Toastmasters Club913363 DHL KL Toastmasters Club


Congratulations !!!


Select Distinguished Club and Distinguished Club

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Division AET Lee, DTM

Division B

Ariaratnam Sharmini Helen

Division H

DTM Catherine Setiono,

Division NPalaniappa

Subramaniam

Division PGanesh Sangaran

Division SYoon Peng Yew

Division WAzmi Shahrin, DTM

AG A2Liza Alip

AG B1

Sung Ken Dennis Wee

AG B2

DTM Soh Fong Wai,

AG B3Andy ChingKian Hoe

AG C3Dr. Alvin Teoh

Kim Meng

AG C4Bruce ChanSiew Keat

AG C5Gina Chan Choo Suan

AG D1Albert George

AG D2Anthony

Sebastian

AG E1John TiongYong Liu

AG E2Liew Hui

Peng

AG H1SukimanSaragih

AG H2Nugroho

AG H3Indriani Asfa

AG I2Wivina

Tampusari

AG I4Arlan Setiawan,

DTM

AG M4Nelsoh Yeoh

Chin Chai

AG N1Andrew Low

Eu Hin

AG N2Koay Kah Hin

AG N3Eddy Chew

AG A3Bernard Wong


Congratulations !!!


District 51 Hall Of Fame 2007-2008President's Distinguished Division

Division C

Ramanathan, DTM Parames

DivisioMohamad AriffAzahari, DTM

n D

Division E

Siong Richard Wong Joon

District 51 Hall Of Fame 2007-2008President's Distinguished DivisionDistrict 51 Hall Of Fame 2007-2008President's Distinguished Division

President's Distinguished AreaPresident's Distinguished AreaPresident's Distinguished Area

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AG N4

Charm Sutharat Nai

AG P2Grace Goh

AG P3

Wan Yunus Dr. Wan Md Zin

AG S1 N Ramakershinan

AG S4 Heah Theng

Chye

AG S5Lim Seow Hoe

AG S6

Choong Christopher

AG W1Lakhmichand MA

AG W4N J Singam

AG W5Christine Ong

May Ee

AG DJames Pang

Kia Huat

3 AG E3

Hung Kong Hieng

AG N1Harry Nizam

AG K1Dora Danny

AG S3Jessica Chan

AG W2Muhamad Mustafa Said

AG W3Lim Hin Chong

AG A1SukumaranVisvanathan

AG B4Jayam

Pnanapragasam

AG C1Barry Ong Yeang

Kwang

AG C2Michael PangSoon Chuan

AG D4Liu San Liang

AG I3Carlo Carmen

AG Pricillia Marta

J3 AG K3Lee Fook Lee

AG K4Stanley Joibi

AG M1Ho Chee Hong

AG P1Yim Kea Fei

AG S2Rubiah Ahmad(Ruby Deva)


Congratulations !!!


Congratulations !!!


Congratulations !!!



Congratulations !!!


Select Distinguished Area

Distinguished Area

President's Distinguished AreaPresident's Distinguished AreaPresident's Distinguished Area

Select Select Distinguished AreaDistinguished Area

Distinguished AreaDistinguished Area

AG W6Paul Tan

AG K2Elizabeth Goh

AG K5Lai Fui Ming

AG K6Ridwan Siddiq

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Loghandran (left most) posing with the world champion and also the second runner-up

Loghandran (3rd from left), posing with District 51 senior district officers

Loghandran is a member of Speakers Dream Toastmasters Club (220-51). He has been a Toastmaster for 15 years. He is currently a training consultant with Star Training Centre. He also cited acting as one of his passions besides Toastmasters. He has strong credentials in speech contests. His past successes include 1993 PAN SEA Speech Contest Champion, 1993 World Taped Speech Contest Champion, 1998 and 2007 District International Speech Contest Champion. He can be reached at [email protected]

My Destiny With Success – Loghandran Krishnasamy, DTM first runner-up in 2008 World Championship of Public Speaking

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I feel that I was guided by spirit to go to the finals. When I opened the Toastmasters manual in Dec 2007, I read that the convention would be held in Calgary, Canada. Strangely, my son an IT consultant said that he might look at IT opportunities in Calgary as it is booming due to an oil find. I paused and found that there is a message here for me. I did not hesitate to sign up.

What's more, I have been coaching my members in the speech contest all these years and the new members have not heard me speak in a contest.

On my way to the district finals in Penang I was stopped by a traffic policeman for crossing a double line. After I said I was a lawyer (lie) he let me off for free. This is a second signal that indicated I will do well in the district finals.I also missed my flight to Calgary but managed to get another flight to catch the same connecting flight. Another signal that things will go on fine.

When I reached Calgary accommodation was provided by the District Governor in his room. This saved me on accommodation. The entire team of Joe Gomez, Ritchie Chong and Thanimalai were very supportive of me throughout the 9 days stay.

At the InterDistrict run-off B, I felt that I won due to humour and also I made the audience cry with a heart rendering story. My crisp clear words stood out against all the contestants including contestants from Ireland, England and Australia who were speaking in their accent. Former world champions David Brookes and Mark Brown requested me and Jock Elliot, the winners in the InterDistrict run-offs to deliver the same speech to the Calgary residents the next day.

At the finals, it was humour and freshness in presentation that engaged the audience. Many congratulated me and said that they had placed me first in their scoring. I asked them what did they like .They replied “Your smile, humour and the brilliance in connecting the subject”. They also told me that I came close in the scores for the first place. Cest la vie (Life is like that).

What inspired me to use “Rhythm of Life” as my speech subject was because there are many people who have everything but are not happy. This includes a lot of old people that make up the bulk of the audience.

My tips for winning are:

• Engage the audience for one minute with humour.• Then hammer in the message in a serious tone• Focus on the opening and closing part of the speech• Entertain the audience but set up signposts for the judges to pick up your message.

Where do I get my materials? Speakers Dream Toastmasters Club. How? Stage time. Members of Speakers Dream appear in many platforms (stage time) for example we are in acting , filming, karaoke, training and doing dinner shows that we have to develop many story lines. My family life is also a good source.

Clement and Parthiban (C&P):

C&P:

C&P:

C&P:

C&P:

C&P:

Hi Chris, can you tell us more about how do you relax, away from your busy schedule as International President?

I try to carve out time for myself once or twice every week and time for Carole and myself. Running, skiing, cycling, sailing are all things I love to do, and I think it's important to maintain balance by pursuing some physical activity on a regular basis. This is part of "shaping ourselves"!

What are the objects/things you cannot do without? Carole! (but she's not an object or thing!). Probably my

laptop and my blackberry. Take either one of these away and it's like cutting off my connection to the rest of the world. But I do know how to turn them off, so I can pursue my relaxing activities as above!

We are pleased to have you gracing our district convention this year. Based on your observation, what are the things you would tell the folks back in World HQ about District 51 convention?

I'd tell them the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth! Great convention, members full of energy and enthusiasm, wonderful entertainment, some really polished speakers, a fun-loving bunch, it's really hot and humid in Malaysia, and even the octopus was a real taste treat!

During your visit to Malaysia this time, you have the opportunity to visit a few corporate clubs. Please share with us your observation.

I was impressed with the willingness of many corporations, especially in the hi-tech sector, to embrace Toastmasters as the preferred means of providing communications and leadership training for their employees. This tells me that saying "our employees are our number one asset" is not just just talk ... it's action! When a corporation invests in employee development, you know it's a great place to work!

Are we looking at changes in the Toastmasters materials to include latest techniques of effective communication and leadership?

Yes we are. We have a lot on our plate right now, but it is vitally important that we stay on the leading edge of change to ensure relevance of our products and services in a rapidly changing world. As an indicator of the type of changes we need to embrace, take a look at the upcoming June editions of The Toastmaster, where you will see an article on: "Podcasting, web conferencing, and webcasting". This is the world of today, and we must actively pursue innovative approaches to the communications experience if we are to stay relevant

People are the cornerstone of the Toastmasters program. We need new members to rejuvenate the clubs. Any suggestion on how we can further grow the clubs?

Sure. Get more members! In fact, this is what a church leader once told us in a workshop many years ago. The focus ofthe workshop was on increasing the size of congregations. And his secret to success was: get more members! Two suggestions: first, remember why you joined Toastmasters, and then go and invite someone who is just like you. Second, every club should encourage each member to bring at least two guestsper year. With a club membership of 20, that's 40 guests per year, and if only one in five join, that's eight new members.... goals 7 and 8 in the DCP!

Chris Ford (CF):

CF:

CF:

CF:

CF:

CF:

C&P:

C&P:

C&P:

C&P:

You have completed two third of your term as International President. Can you share with us your journey so far as International President?

It's been a fascinating ride! The Board is grappling with much needed changes to our governance system. We're reaching out to the youth market. We're exploring partnerships with corporations to produce mutual advantage. Carole and I have had the opportunity to travel extensively in the USA and Canada, and more recently Australia and now here in Malaysia. Wherever we go, we're impressed with the caliber of our members, the dedication of our leaders, and also the vast potential for continued growth. It's also been a lot of work, short nights, many challenges, and it's all good. It's an honor and a privilege to serve this fine organization as president

Your theme this year is "Shaping Ourselves, Shaping Our World”. What is the progress that TI made this year in shaping the world?

That's really hard to measure. I'd say the best and most accurate measures would be for Toastmasters at the local level to reflect on how their own skills in leadership and communication have enabled them to make a difference in their worlds, e.g., the world of work, the world of community, the world of family.

Chris, during the TV talk show on Malaysia TV2, you mentioned that you have been active Toastmasters for over 25 years. That is an amazing milestone. What motivated you to be around for this long?

I forgot to quit!! Seriously, I have never ever thought of leaving Toastmasters, because it continues to both challenge me and reward me at every turn. I find it exciting to be part of a club in which new members learn and grow. It's immensely rewarding to have had leadership opportunities at all levels of the organization, and now to have world-wide responsibilities, not to mention friends all around the world. I will be a Toastmaster for life!

You have scaled the pinnacle of Toastmasters International leadership path by becoming the International President. If you could offer some words of wisdom to any aspiring Toastmasters who want to take on leadership position in the future, what would that be?

Just do it!!!

CF:

CF:

CF:

CF:

Chris Ford, DTM in action during the recent District 51 15th annual convention in Penang, Malaysia (Photo courtesy of Neoh Soon Hueng)

Exclusive interview with International President 2007-2008, Chris Ford, DTM

District 51 is proud to host International President 2007- 2008 Chris Ford, DTM during the recent District 51 15th annual convention in Penang. During his visit, he visited a few corporations and conducted live interview with a TV station. In between his hectic schedule, the District newsletter team (Clement and Parthiban) managed to hook up with Chris for a quick interview session. We were mesmerized as we learned more about this great gentleman and his thoughts on Toastmasters.

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How to succeed as a humorous speaker? – Michael Rajesh

There you go. Up on stage. You've gone over the anecdote in your mind a dozen times. It can't miss. It's your big opening and you deliver it exactly as you imagined, ready to be greeted by laughter and applause…But a silent audience stares back at you instead

It doesn't have to be this way. In fact it usually isn't. But the thought still keeps many from attempting to even insert a joke in their speech, let alone participating in a humor contest. You may think you're saving yourself an unnecessarily embarrassing situation. However, I must say that the exhilaration that I've felt in seeing an audience reaction grow from faint grins, to a short chuckle and finally a bellowing laugh, far outweighs any of the missteps I had. The connection you get with an audience is justpure magic!

I hope that I've at least convinced you that it's worth a shot. Now how should you begin? Here are some tips that you may finduseful:

• First up, know yourself. No, this is not a Zen thing. It's actually the best advice I have. Those jokes you downloaded from the internet or heard on a comedy show may seem funny, but rarely would you get the same impact by repeating it to an audience. And the reason is that it may simply not be you. Instead, think of a theme you are very familiar with; for example, your family, work, relationships, etc. Then recall personal experiences that fit the theme. You may think you have an unfunny life, but you'd be surprised how well an audience reacts to an amusing personal experience told with the right delivery. And here's a side tip: It's usually those stories that tease or make fun of yourself that get the best laughs. It's good not to take yourself too seriously sometimes!

• Now start drafting your speech. Remember that standard rules of including an opening, body and conclusion still apply. Use short sentences and don't be too worried if you don't have a joke built into every sentence. This is a speech not a comedy act. So how do you inject humor? The trick is instead of just describing a funny incident, try re-creating it for your audience. Use more dialog and don't be afraid of playing the role of various characters. And while your speech is best to be

based on actual events, feel free to exaggerate. I'd usually always ask myself what would make this situation funnier and go w i th the most h i la r ious vers ion ins tead .

• Next is your delivery. A funny story minus the right timing, facial expression, voice or gesture leaves little humor. Your voice is your best weapon. Go ahead to voice out different characters in your story with different volumes and accents. An angry girlfriend or a merciless boss should sound different. Vary your expressions, your body stance and posture to create different moods. Again the idea is to show your audience what happened, not tell them. And finally give enough time for your audience to appreciate your humor. Don't talk over their laughter or they may miss an importantpoint.

• Also don't just rattle joke after joke. Build up your speech gradually so that when you do spring that punch line or big twist at the end, you get a huge laughter in response.

• Lastly, make revisions. As you practice your speech, take note of the response that you get. Sometimes the audience just might not get it. Don't lose heart and don't let it show. Keep going to the end and then sit down and go over those portions yourself or with a mentor. Decide if you want to drop it or make some adjustments. Every failed response is actually a wealth of opportunity for you to learn something new on finetuning your speech.

There are many more things to consider when crafting and delivering a humorous speech. But above all else, just have fun doing it! If you want an audience to enjoy your speech, be sure that you're enjoying it too right? Believe me, its contagious. So off you go now and all the best in becoming the next humorousspeech contest champion.

Michael Rajesh was District 51 humorous speech contest champion in 2007. He emerged as district champion in his first attempt at humorous speech contest. He is a member of Intel Kulim Toastmasters Club since 2005. His success exemplified the fact that we can succeed if we put in the right amount of effort and use the right technique.

Michael Rajesh (2nd from right) celebrated his triumph as District 51 humorous speech contest champion in Medan 2007

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Shankar K, DTM holding the District 51 evaluation contest champion trophy for the year 2006 from District Governor, Sivanganam, DTM.

You can also find great tips on evaluations from Toastmaster magazine. Refer to Feb 2007 and N o v 2 0 0 7 i s s u e s o n l i n e a thttp://www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive.aspx

ON THE WEB

Evaluation is the cornerstone of the Toastmasters program. Evaluation is an art, once perfected, can be a very rewarding task as we help to groom a speaker. Do you want to deliver an evaluation that is impactful to the speaker, the audience and also the judges (especially when it's a contest)? The district newsletter sub-editor Parthiban conducted an exclusive interview with 2006 District 51 evaluation champion Shankar K, DTM to find out more.

Parthiban V (PV):

PV:

PV:

PV:

PV:

Shankar, when did you join Toastmasters and roughly how many evaluations have you given to date?

I joined in 1998 (this is my 10th year) and I done too many evaluations to remember! But I have always done evaluations whenever the opportunity arise. Many members shy away from this area because they feel that they must say all the n i c e s t t h i n g s a b o u t t h e s p e a k e r a n d i f t h e y have to say something negative ... better stay out.

From your perspective how important is a good evaluation as compared to manuals and how important it is f o r t h e c l u b t o h a v e g o o d e v a l u a t o r s ?

In my opinion, the only way members can improve is if they have good evaluators. As the speaker improves, the club improves. And even the evaluator improves in the process. The very purpose of anyone joining Toastmasters is for self improvement. And that is why fair and constructive evaluation isa necessity

At times you would have come across a speaker who would have not met the speak objectives. How do you deal with such situation and put the message across without de-motivating the speaker?

To be honest, there is always room for improvement. Even world class speakers, for that matter. It is said that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement! So if you find a speaker who has not met the speech objectives, first of all, do not jump right into his improvement areas. Look at what he has done well in. Every person must have some strength in some areas. Commend him on these to boost his morale and self-confidence. Then only point out areas for growth. There are many techniques on how to deliver a good evaluation. One effective way is to observe some of the more senior Toastmasters. In fact, I learnt much myself by watching IPDG, DTM KK Chee!

Let's talk about the evaluation contest. Is there any preparation one has to do before the event? If yes can youplease share?

Preparation is a MUST. You must have a blue print on how you plan to structure and deliver the evaluation. There is no right way. But never talk down the speaker. Always leave him on a pedestal. Strategize the areas you wish to cover (both for strengths and improvements). Cover the areas that need most attention. Always compliment the speaker on his strengths. Always finish strong and with confidence. Also study the judges' ballot to see what weightage is given to which areas.

Can you give us the tips on evaluation from the contestperspective?

I thought I just did! Anyway, like any competition, watch recordings of past contests. You will learn good techniques and delivery - even from those who did not reach the podium. Do as many evaluations as you can. Go around clubs and areas. Get feedback from others on how well you did your evaluation. We all want to evaluate the speaker. But who evaluates the evaluator? Doesn't the evaluator have a right to improve too?

Shankar K (SK):

SK:

SK:

SK:

SK:

PV: It is said every speech should have good opening, body and conclusion. Does this apply when we deliver an evaluation? If yes, can you give us some examples?

This is a fundamental of any speech. There must be a distinct opening, body and conclusion. The biggest enemy is time - 2 to 3 minutes so you have to decide quickly how you plan to structure the evaluation. My rule of thumb, opening and closing- 30 seconds maximum. In between, decide on how you wish approach the speaker's delivery in terms of content, impact, communications tools used, what he did well and exceptionally well. And of course the areas he needs to look into. Always encourage the speaker to go to the next level. And always do something before you head for any contest - look at the judges' score sheet! Build your strategy based on the weightage given to specific areas. Add in some humor too, it will definitely help! Thenleave it … to the judges!

SK:

How to deliver impactful evaluations – Shankar K, DTMHow to deliver impactful evaluations – Shankar K, DTM

Shankar K, DTM was District 51 evaluation contest winner in 2006. Recently, he was the organizing chairperson for District 51

15th annual convention. He has participated in numerous speech contests and represented District 51 in the Inter District

speech contest in Phoenix, Arizona in 2007 after winning District 51 international speech contest.

13

ElemntsElemntsof Goalof Goal

Lead by Lead by exampleexample

Time Time bufferbuffer

Well Well announcedannounced

Excitement Excitement drive drive






Empowering Member’s

Inner Force Using A-B-C

IntroductionJust slightly over a year and 9 months ago, our membership fell below charter strength and we were on the brink of deciding whether to return this club to its former glory or let it crush into oblivion …..

Once the decision was made by members to revive the club, we scrapped through 9 months, breaking the vicious cycle of low members’ turnout. We achieved more in just one year, than we had in the past

since our club was chartered!!

Our club accomplished 10/10 DCP goals, attaining the President’s Distinguished Club status for the very

How does a club which was in such severe recession swing itself upwards to such great heights in just a short period of one year? A Chinese proverb goes like this “Success is when opportunity meets preparation”

We analyzed and discovered certain strategies that were in place that contributed to the boom of our club. We summarized and

simply named it ideas. These are no more than simple,

practical, easy to follow tools, which aim to aid members, clubs, divisions or districts to succeed in achieving their goals.

At the very beginning of the term, we set a precise goal and developed a comprehensive action plan. Our goal back then was to achieve 10/10 DCP goals by 30 June 2008.

We thought then it was already an impressive goal until our Area Governor, ACS Dennis Wee, called, “Hey, what if your club could achieve 10/10 DCP goals by 31 December 2007 and be the first club in District 51 to achieve it?”

That idea blew our minds OFF and it got us all excited and we set to achieve our goals by 31 December 2007. That was the starting point that empowered the members to such miraculous results today.

7 years

1st time in our club’s history.

A-B-C

We also did something different that we announced our club goals loud and clear in our installation dinner to all members and guests. Psychologically, this helped to hold the exco members accountable to the goals.

Then to keep the momentum, we must first lead by example. A leader walks his talk. A leader can’t motivate the members to progress if the leader themselves did not progress. Action speaks louder than words. Therefore, to live up to the standard we set, few of the “hardcore” members (Meyyappa, Derek, Kheng Chuan and myself) achieved their goals in the first 6 months. Their relentless efforts had unconsciously set the momentum for the club!!

Here are the elements we think are essential to formulate a club goal:

The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably, thought and act.ORISON SWETT MARDEN

Prior to the use of currencies as we all know, in the past goods were exchanged on a one-on-one basis with the intent that the value was of relative equal hence the birth of Barter Trade.

One of our main challenges was to get the members to progress on their basic communication manual. To overcome this we simply barter traded with them!!

I remembered when one of my fellow members asked me before I went on a vacation, “Can you send me a postcard for my personal collection during your vacation overseas?”

AAim For The Stars

1

BBarter Trade Concepts

2Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.ALLAN LAKEIN

(The simple and proven to make more progress in your club’s DCP goals in less time)

ABC ideas






Elemntsof Goal





14

I responded, “Certainly, but….. can you do a speech on either Jan 9 or Jan 23?” Whichever options she chose, she committed herself to a speech slot.

I’ve also barter traded in these for speech slots:

1. A drive home after TM meeting2. Time spent on mentoring a mentee3. An opportunity to attend semi annual TLI training 4. Helping a member to take up a pre-assigned role play (eg. Substituting as TME, Ah Counter etc) 5. Information or news sent to members

Currently, only few members in our club have discovered this powerful concept and it had already brought us astonishingresults. What if ALL MEMBERS acquire this as a habit? The effect would probably spiral up to other clubs, divisions and even districts.

Other crucial factors when encouraging members to do their speeches are:

i. TimingAsk at the correct time. We encourage member to take up a speech slot usually after our TM meeting, club visits, contests or after the members completed their speeches, as these are the times when they are “H-O-T, High on Toastmasters”.

ii. Put them on a ferries wheelsSchedule members for speeches early (a month in advance), to minimise the “last minute pulled-out syndrome”. The key is to communicate with mentor to do the follow up and remind the member again 2 weeks before the schedule date. In that case, the club will get its speech slots filled continuously.

True success comes only when every generation continues todevelop the next generation.JOHN C. MAXWELL

Mentor-mentee system was established in our club to provide coaching for members. Our motto is all members are keen to present their speeches until proven otherwise. All they need is guidance, like a toddler learning how to walk.

If members are prepared, they are more confident, and when they are confident, they are more willing to present their speeches, and this massively increases the likelihood of giving a speech.

But……. Will mentor be regarded as “pushy” if he keeps asking the mentee to do speeches again and again, one after another?

Possibly, and as such, we sourcedand spread the mentor’s responsibility to others. For example, instead of encouraging the mentee directly, the mentor could indirectly encourage the mentee by asking the AG, Assistant AG, President, VPE or even ask TMs from other clubs to invite mentee to do speeches in or outside of the club!!

This may come as a surprise to you, but we found that many members are much more inspired and motivated when invited by TMs from other club!! This also opens up the networking door for our members to flourish outside our home ground.

Conclusion

On its surface, the ideas shared here may appear

simple and provide a mere subtle effects, but if these ideas were put into practice it will yield astounding results as they did

for us. Through the ideas, we recruited new

members, achieved CC’s, AC’s, CL’s and crowned

President’s Distinguished Club, for the first time since this club

was chartered in Sep 2001, years ago.

On behalf of the club, I wish to express our gratitude to my exco’s and all the amazing individuals that have contributed to this success namely Sue Ding, Dennis Wee, Meyya, Stephen Fernando, Vincent Hor, Bill Sim, Parames, Daniel Teh, Sheila Wong, Dominic Joseph, Ramdas Nayar and Ron Lau.

Alas.. I’m proud to say I belong to a

By ACB, Tan Kian YoongPresident of Deloitte KassimChan Toastmasters Club 2007/2008

A-B-C

A-B-C 13

6 2 2

7

President’ Distinguished Club

CCoaching and Connections

3

15

District 51 Public Relations Awards 2008-2009Qualifying Period: July 1, 2008 - March 31, 2009 (awards to be given during 2009 annual convention)

Objective:To encourage and to recognize clubs/areas/divisions which utilize newsletter and website as public relations tools to promote the Toastmasters program to members and public. Newsletter and website are two very powerful tools recommended by Toastmasters International.

Eligibility:Any club in District 51 which is in good standing, during the entire qualifying period, can participate

1) For club newsletter contest, the newsletter editor and the club will each receive a prize.

2) For area/division newsletter contest, the newsletter editor and the area/division will each receive a prize.

3) For club website contest, the webmaster and the club will each receive a prize

Best Club Newsletter Award Platinum Page - Best club newsletterGolden Page - First runner-up for club newsletterSilver Page - Second runner-up for club newsletter

AWARDS

Best Area/Division Newsletter AwardPlatinum Scroll - Best area/division newsletterGolden Scroll - First runner-up for area/division newsletter

Best Club Website AwardPlatinum Web - Best club websiteGolden Web - First runner-up for club websiteSilver Web - Second runner-up for club website

How to participate? 1) To participate, send an email to the district public relations officer (DPRO) at

on your intention.

2) All entries must reach the DPRO by 31st March 2009. Late entries will not be entertained.

3) If you are participating in the website categorya. Please send in the URL (address) of the website, to be included as a link from the

district website, to the DPRO's email starting from now. To encourage early submission, bonus points (10%) will be given to clubs for early submission of the website URL by Oct 31st 2008.

4) If you are participating in the newsletter categorya. Please send in the newsletter in softcopy format to the DPRO's email.b. You are required to send in a minimum of 2 editions/issues during the qualifying

period. The more editions/issues you submit the higher the chances of winning as we will select the best of all the editions/issues you submitted. However each club can only win one prize.

[email protected]

DISTRICT 51 COMING EVENTS:

District 51 Annual ConventionDate: 17 – 19 April 2009Venue: Crowne Plaza Riverside Hotel, Kuching, SarawakWebsite: http://www.kuching2009.com

District 51 Semi Annual ConventionDate: 13 – 16 November 2008Venue: Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Bali, IndonesiaWebsite: http://www.tmbali2008.com

KUCHING SPECIAL OFFER:

Sign up before December for

special convention rate of RM450.

Normal rate is RM500

EXCITING PRIZES TO BE WON FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FOR CLUBS!

To see the district PR awards judging criteria and list of prizes to be won, surf to the award section of the distr ict website at http://www.tmdistrict51.org

ON THE WEB

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