Speechcraft Program on 16 & 17 Apr 2011

Report by Angeline Lee, VPE cum Area W3 Governor

Angeline Lee

Speechcraft Program

Thanks to the hard work and committed effort of President Zaiton and VPPR Alexandra, Friendship Toastmasters Club successfully conducted its Speechcraft program on 16 and 17 April 2011.

Day 1 – 16 April 2011

We were at THIT, a cosy training centre located at Subang Square by 8.30 AM to set up the room and registration desk.

From left: Andy, Daphne, Susan & Grace at the registration desk

While waiting for all the participants to arrive, Organizing Chair Zaiton decided to reshuffle the morning agenda. We had our tea break of nasi lemak before TME Grace Tan kick-start the Speechcraft session.

With her trademark high energy, enthusiasm and spontaneity, it was a great start to a fun-filled, educational session. We had the opportunity to learn from 4 speakers.

Daniel Teh conducting the "Ice-Breaker" session

Daniel Teh (AFC Toastmasters Club) recommended using words to capture attention. Keep the sentences short with the speaking rate of not more than 140 words per minute to allow time for the audience to digest and think what we have just said.

Grace Tan conducting the "Introducing A Speaker" session

Using the Grace’s IOI (Impressive, Outstanding and Impactful) method, we will be able to introduce a speaker with flair. She also suggested walking to the emcee with energy after being introduced.

VPPR Alexandra conducting the session "Speak With Conviction."

Alexandra’s ingenious idea of asking our participants to explain why they should be given $1 million was the perfect assignment to learn how to speak with conviction.

President Zaiton presenting "From Hello To Goodbye"

Zaiton’s presented a beautiful analogy of speakers as sellers of ideas. To sell our ideas effectively, we must first identify the purpose of our speech. This will then determine the organization of our speech.

Evon, one of the participants, presenting her speech

Putting into practice what they have just been taught, participants presented a short 3 minutes speech to introduce themselves followed by the second assignment to introduce a speaker.

Day 2 – 17 April 2011

Alexandra, assistant organising chair, hard at work 

Susan (left) helping out with registration and video recording duties.
Daphne (right) helping out with registration and timer duties. 

VPM Chee Hoe shares his experiences with the participants on 17 April.

The second day of the Speechcraft started off with an energetic presentation by Hilson Yeap (AFC Toastmasters Club) on 'Show What You Mean'. He showed us how to master the effective body language during speech delivery. According to Hilson, body language together with our verbal words will help us to express, clarify, enhance and dramatize our message. It will also grab the audience’s interest and attention to focus on the speaker.

Chief facilitator Daniel Teh

Next, Daniel enlightened the participants on useful tips for 'Vocal Variety' and 'Work With Words'. Daniel also had an interactive session with the participants in the Effective ECS Presentation segment. He showed us how to keep the presentation short and sweet.

Lunch break

Instead of falling asleep after lunch, our participants were working on their assignment enthusiastically. They believed that the best way to improve is by practicing and doing the exercises provided. Their assignment presentation was evaluated by Grace and other facilitators. The constructive evaluation given by Grace was very helpful for them to hone their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.

Participants enjoying the games session

The speechcraft program was then uplifted by a fun and meaningful game session of "What's my name?" Every participant had a name tag on his/her back and he/she had to ask questions to find out "What's my name?" Some questions were prohibited, for instance, "Who am I?", "What's my name?" and "Who are my family members?" The aim of this game session was to demonstrate the art of asking questions. As we all know, we can't avoid asking question in any form of communication.

As the emcee, I learned how to coordinate with the facilitators of different sessions. The emcee is responsible for the energy level of the audience. It was a golden learning opportunity to work with and learn from experienced speakers such as Daniel Teh, Hilson Yeap and Grace Tan.

President Zaiton who is also the organising chair
presenting a certificate of appreciation to Grace Tan, one of the facilitators

This was Daphne’s first time joining a Speechcraft program. She shares her thoughts with us:

It is indeed a pleasure to have the opportunity to help out and at the same time observe a Speechcraft program. I find it fantastic and very inspiring. I love the distinguished and marvelous speakers, the training environment and the people who I have met. I will soon use the skills learned in my project speeches.

Group photo of participants and role-players