Time flew. My club has recently held its 100th chapter meeting! And me? I delivered my P7 Research Your Topic. Just three more to go before I am conferred "Competent Communicator" under the Toastmaster's ambit. At the meeting, I have made some mistakes by trying too hard to recall from memory. No thanks to the insufficient practice. This was one learning point.
Besides learning from my own mistake, I have also learnt a lot from my fellow toastmasters, especially from a visiting toastmaster, ACG/CL Kam Choo Choo. Choo Choo was our language evaluator for the night. I have tried very hard to capture what she has commented (on the speeches made by toastmasters from my club and other visiting toastmasters) as follows:
- It is to reproach...
- He was smitten by the charm of ...
- ... transcended all...
- ... refreshed my memory
- ... atmosphere of ...
- ... elicit ....
- ... logical tells, emotion sells
- ... success will not elude you...
- Some rhythm in English language - wishy-washy, topsy-turvy, knick-knack
- Some root words in English - bio___ (life), sym__ (similar), a___ (opposite)
- Have fun learning English - to remember how to spell/pronounce words like gargantuan (note the similarity to "orangutan"), ameliorate ("emily")
She has also shared with us the website www.dictionary.com for us to check on words which we are not sure with pronunciation thrown in. All these for free. Another tip - get a little notebook to jot down difficult words and find time - eg. when waiting for the bus/MRT to read.
Life is wonderful because wonderful people like her exist. They are so generous to share their knowledge - for free. I am very lucky to encounter them and I think subconsciously I am also trying in my own way to be nice. Guess that is why I earnt the nickname "kind soul". For those who are inspired, read her blog www.ganchau.blogspot.com.
I also like her favorite quote "Life is not about falling down; it's about getting up again" by Vince Lombardi. Now, it's time for me to spend more time and effort to focus on my next project.
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