Gurney-Hydro Toastmasters Club

Hey everyone, we decided to have some fun in our last meeting and used Game of Thrones for our theme. For those of you who are obsessive fanatics of the TV series as some of our members are * cough Ms Secretary *, you will know that it combines stunning visuals and compelling story telling that kept fans glued to their TV screens every Monday night. In fact, the show has all the ingredients for a great speech, especially for projects that involve story telling. 1) Multi Dimensional Characters Characters that are multi-dimensional like Jaime Lannister, for example, keep the audience guessing on their next move.  Fans of the show loathed him for his "I don't give a f***," attitude in the beginning, especially when he nonchalantly pushed a 10 year old Bran Stark off the tower after the young boy witnessed something he shouldn't have. But as the show progressed, we see him displaying different sides of his character.  We realize that maybe he is not such a ba...

Let's face it...we public speakers are divas on the inside. Why else then do we want to be on stage? True we may have lofty goals such as wanting to share our wisdom as a way to add value to society. But deep down inside, we know we want to put ourselves out there and be heard because what we have to share with the world is something that we are so passionate about that we want to make sure we make a lasting impression. Like how this blog post is started - that first sentence certainly hooked you in, didn't it? You may protest vehemently or agree with it, but it got your attention enough to continue reading till here. The biggest mistake in public speaking is not starting out strong.  You want to get your audience's attention immediately.  Therefore you'll want to put your biggest bang at the beginning of your speech instead of somewhere in the middle where you may have lost some of them. So how do you make an entrance? You can say something that will m...

We all have dreams and goals and that includes the wonderful people who attended our meeting.  They shared their wisdom on what having dreams and goals mean to them. The key takeaway that we had was that there is a difference between a dream and a goal.  Dreams will remain dreams until we put in place a plan to achieve them.  Then they become goals that we work towards. Thought of the day: It always seems impossible until it's done. The thought of the day jives very well with our theme.  We may have big dreams that seem too impossible to achieve.  But hey, we don't have to achieve them TODAY AT THIS INSTANT. Set small, manageable goals that all go towards achieving that dream.  Then when we look back after some time and see how far we've come, hey, it doesn't seem that hard after all, does it? Some dreams are harder to achieve, but you can either live your life wishing you had done something to achieve it, or look back at your life and say,...

The above quote is so true but is something that 98% of the population don't realize.  Every time we open our mouths to speak, to communicate an idea, a feeling or a message, it is a form of public speaking, the only difference being the size of the audience. Mention "public speaking" to most people and they will balk at the idea.  Asked to send a representative from a group to speak for them and they will point to an unfortunate soul who will have no choice but bite the bullet and do it rather than volunteer. However, think back to the time when we were children, when we absolutely adore the opportunities to regale our parents and friends with stories spun from our imagination or what happened at school today.  When did we lose that enthusiasm?  When did we become so self conscious about what other people will think about us? So perhaps the trick is to pretend that you're talking to an old friend, rather than a room full of strangers. Have an importa...

A very special meeting was organized between Gurney-Hydro Toastmasters Club, Farlim Toastmasters Club and Northern Super Group Mandarin Club on Sunday, 17 July 2017. This is the first time in Penang that a Toastmasters Meeting was held in two languages - English and Mandarin - allowing members to break the language barrier, so to speak. In addition to the speeches there were games and of course, delicious FOOD! An impressive total of 60 people attended this event, representing 14 clubs and non members who are attending their virgin Toastmasters event. A very big congratulations to Ms Cindy Lim, the Organizing Chairman of this event and President of Farlim Toastmasters Club, as well as all others who have contributed their time for a job well done! If you would like the opportunity to hone your public speaking skills as well as learn leadership skills, join us for our bi-monthly meetings on every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.  Our meetings start at 8pm. ...

From L-R: Dennis De Vosse (President), Jeremy Soh (Vice President, Education), You Wan Xuan (Vice President, Membership), Samuel Ch'ng (Vice President, Public Relations), Sheryl Lee (Secretary), Lau Soon Fong (Treasurer), Bryant Oon (Sergeant at Arms), Dr Wong Lai Yong (Past President) Congratulations to our new Exco of Gurney-Hydro Toastmasters Club for 2017/2018!   The new lineup consists of 3 senior members and 4 new members who nevertheless bring fresh ideas and loads of enthusiasm to the table. We are confident that under their leadership the club will soar to greater heights. If you would like the opportunity to hone your public speaking skills as well as learn leadership skills, join us for our bi-monthly meetings on every 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month.  Our meetings start at 8pm.  For further information please contact us at  gurneyhydrotoastmastersclub@gmail.com  or refer to our  Next Meeting  page for information on our n...