How Toastmasters Club Improves One's Happiness Quotient

"Can money buy happiness?" This was one of the questions posed by the Table Topics Master at the last Toastmasters Club Meeting.

That sets me thinking. Money does not buy happiness. But we do need money to stay happy in a society. We need money to meet our basic needs, such as food and housing. Once those are met, higher incomes do little to boost happiness. Instead we will look for true rewarding relationships with friends and ourselves. Research shows that having a tight-knit circle of family and friends is a reliable indicator of happiness. 

Everyone wants to be happy. Today, I will like to share on how Toastmasters Club improves our level of happiness.

1. Providing a Supportive and Positive Environment. According to Dr Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, paying gratitude visit where one pens a letter of thanks and pays a visit to tell one's benefactor will greatly elevate one's happiness index. This is what we do at the Toastmasters meeting. As the Toastmaster of the Day, we thank the appointment holders and prepared speech speakers for making the meeting a success.

2. Providing Encouraging Feedback. As speech evaluators, we learn to listen carefully to identify strengths and areas for improvement. This helps to create a positive flow such that fellow members and guests enjoy the meeting so much that they lose track of time. At the same time, prepared speakers understand that the evaluations provided by the evaluators are based on the evaluators' personal opinions. 

3. Stop Incessant Comparison. Toastmasters Programme is a self-directed one. In this journey, we are our biggest competitor and our aim is to be better than we were yesterday.

Life is full of setbacks. We will all go through different feelings - anger, disappointment, grief, sadness. This is part and parcel of the journey called life. Strategies to be happy include distraction- doing something different; reappraisal- looking at things differently; and suppression- not to think about it.

Whatever strategy that one chooses, one should direct attention to people or things that brings one joy and gratitude. Toastmasters meeting offers that avenue for one to share happy memories.

Every time I attend the meeting, I always volunteer to help out wherever I can. It is akin to attending a motivational seminar, I feel great to contribute and never fail to emerge motivated. More than that, my speaking and leadership skills are also notching northwards in the process.

Toastmasters Club meets my social as well as self-esteemed needs. In short, it is an awesome organisation. What are you waiting for?

Oktoberfest Public Speaking Meeting

Do you have fear of speaking in the public? Most people are more fearful of speaking than death.

Join Toastmasters to conquer this fear and build your confidence. You will have fun while learning and make wonderful friends in the process. 

Here I am sharing a write-up of a Toastmasters' meeting.

To your speaking success.

Oktoberfest Public Speaking Meeting

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It was a lovely Wednesday evening. The setting sun was hiding behind the clouds and was preparing to give way to the evening moon.

Fellow toastmasters and guests started to stream in from 7.15 pm to attend the upcoming Toastmasters meeting. The atmosphere was comfortable and cordial. At 7.30 pm sharp, our Club President, RB called the meeting to order. 

He extended a very warm welcome to one and all before sharing on how Toastmasters Programme had made him stand out from the crowd. He was able to make an impactful presentation with the help of Toastmasters Programme. We were also treated with a short clip on the inspiring speech by Malala Yousafzai at the United Nations.

Thereafter, the meeting proceeded into the prepared speech segment. In this segment, fellow toastmasters who have prepared their speeches using the speaking manual provided by Toastmasters International, took the stage. The audience was enthralled by the folk tale, "Where is the Love", shared by R. We next, listened in rapt attention to G's speech entitled "The Fabulous Destiny of Amelia" as she brought us to a world of enchantment.

The second segment of the meeting was the Table Topics session. This segment was to allow members and guests to practice impromptu speaking. The theme of the night was money and this segment was helmed by T. 

Moving on to the third segment was evaluation time. This was where fellow toastmasters could improve under the tutelage of more experienced toastmasters. The latter gave their verbal evaluation in an encouraging manner. There was also a language evaluation by A, who pointed out the good usage and the inappropriate use of the English language. Not forgetting, the timer's and the Ah Counter's report, so that we would all make good use of precious time and reduce our pause fillers in our speeches.

As the night curtains drew down, our meeting too came to a close. Our Club President gave his closing address and wished us a safe journey home. 

Thank you, my fellow toastmasters and especially to our guests, for making the meeting a great success. 

Language Evaluation

First time being a language evaluator? This post is specially for you.

I have volunteered to be the language evaluator for a toastmaster meeting. My first attempt was more than a year ago. 

Today, I will like share a simple structure which has worked pretty well for me. I hope it will also get you started to be a language evaluator.  There is a saying by Patrick Chang, a fellow toastmaster, "To start, you don't have to be good. To be good, you have to start."

Here it goes.

1. Greetings.

2. Explain to guests on the role of the language evaluator. There are three. One is to commend on the good use of English. Two is to recommend on the inappropriate use. And three is to help expand our vocabulary, by having a word of the day.

3. As the language evaluator, we need to listen intently to capture and classify as follows:

a. Vivid use of language. 

E.g. The dark noodle was fried to perfection and oozing with fragrant garlic.  Good quality dark and light soy sauce accentuated the noodle dish.

b. Metaphors. 

 E.g. Life is a journey. 

The goalkeeper was a rock.

c. Similes e.g. The goalkeeper was as solid as rock. As right as rain. Good coffee is like friendship: rich, warm and strong.

d. Power of three. 

E.g. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people”

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen”

“Blood, sweat and tears”

“Location, location, location”

"Mind, body, spirit”

“Stop, Look and Listen”

"I came, I saw, I conquered”

e. Alliteration/assonance 

E.g. "She sells sea-shells down by the seashore."

"Hale and healthy"

"Wealth and health"

f. Personification - is when you assign the qualities of a person to something that isn't human or, in some cases, to something that isn't even alive.

4. Inappropriate use

a. Colloquialism e.g. "You want to eat?"

b. Grammar/ subject-verb agreement e.g. "Everyone can heard ..."

c. Pronunciation e.g. "Tree and three"

5. Comment on who use the word of the day. Thereafter, conclude the segment with an encouraging note.

All the best!