Gurney-Hydro Toastmasters Club

Every once in a while we come across a situation where we are given the opportunity to become more than what we thought we can be. It’s the time when we get to up our game, take bigger risks, fill bigger shoes, do more than we would normally do – it’s when we STEP UP and take ownership of things, be it personal and professional. Probably the most famous example of stepping up in history was during World War II.   At that time, most of the men in the US were drafted into the army.   In order to ensure that the economy continues to function at home, the women went out to work.   They built airplanes and weapons, they filled up the factory lines and the services industry previously solely dominated by the men. For the first time, women proved that they can be equal partners with the men. In our lives we have opportunities to step up all the time.   It’s a matter of doing what needs to be done to get things done.   It doesn’t matter if it is not...

Body language plays an important role in your speech.   They help to drive home a point in a way that is more impactful than mere words can do. However, while your body is very useful as a visual tool , it can be a double edged sword because if your body language contradicts what you are saying, then your message will be lost in translation. This does not only apply for public speaking, but also in smaller scale interactions.   If you say something you don’t mean, there will be small telltale signs that give you away.   People who don’t know you that well may not be able to see it, but those who are observant or who have known you for a long time will pick it up. In fact, the science of interpreting body language is so important that even people in Human Resource have been encouraged to learn something about it so that they can weed out the competent candidates from those not suitable for the job. That’s why there is an assignment speech in the Compet...

In our last meeting we decided to talk about everyone’s favorite topic: FOOD! Living in Penang, which by popular consensus is the food paradise of South East Asia (although our close neighbors may disagree), there is no shortage of food available in all hours of the day.   There is no shortage in terms of variety too. Therefore it’s no wonder that a whopping majority of attendees claim that they live to eat, with char koay teow and belacan chicken wings topping the charts as their favorite food. Our table topics also focused on food.   Amongst questions asked were the memories that their favorite food evoked, healthy eating, date meals and sustainable eating (sorry, Chulan). For the assignment speeches, the following were the members who did their speeches: Speaker #1: Jonan Congratulations to Jonan for finally doing his Ice Breaker speech.   Jonan talked about his childhood attending various schools, including one overseas and his interests pla...

Every Toastmasters club is required to organize 2 speech contests per year.  This will give members a chance to take point in the organization process and sharpen various skills needed to make the event a a success such as interpersonal communication skills, leadership skills, organization skills and project management skills. Regardless of what type of contest you are organizing, here is our foolproof plan to help keep you on point if you decide to take up the daunting role of Organizing Chair. 1) Have a Checklist Go through the Speech Contest Rulebook and extract the important points pertaining to the logistics involved in organizing a contest.  This will include details like: - By when your club needs to organize your contest in order to qualify for the next level - How many role players are required - Who to appoint as the Chief Judge who will then appoint the other judges - The kind of help you may need from your club members - Minimum requirements for con...

It's contest season in Toastmasters again and this time, we are honored to team up with Great2B Toastmasters Club to pool our resources and jointly organize our International Speech & Table Topics Contests. The night certainly was exciting with so many talented contestants, both seasoned and new. - 2 contestants from Great2B for the International Speech & Table Topics Contest - 9 contestants from Gurney-Hydro for the International Speech & Table Topics Contest We were certainly very impressed with the level of talent that were showcased that night.  Every contestant shone brightly and we were sure the judges had a difficult time choosing the winners.  We also saw marked improvements in some contestants, a testament to how joining contests has helped them polish their public speaking skills more than ever. The event wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of the organizing committee and the help of role players from other clubs.  Thank you ...