HAPPY NEW YEAR from Area S7 !!!

Dear fellow Toastmasters and club officers of Area S7,

As Year 2009 is coming to an end, I believe most of you (if not all) must have put yourselves in a mood of reflection and setting resolutions for the new year.

It has been an eventful 6 months for us in Toastmasters.

To some, it has been an all-new exciting and wonderful learning experience for being involved in serving your club members in the spirit of volunteerism, something which you might have not done in the past.

Wheareas, to some others, it has been a challenging and stressful experience having been entrusted with the responsibility to revive, maintain, or upgrade your respective clubs.

Regardless of which category you fall into, I believe the same rule applies -- where you give, is where you get.

In Toastmasters terms, the coming of Year 2010 signals our entering into the 2nd half of our office term. After attending the TLI Round 2 earlier this month, I believe all of you would have been reminded of the "unfinished business" (a.k.a. club DCP goals) which you will have to face in the next 6 months. Regardless of how you perceive these "unfinished business", let us strive our best to deliver the tasks which had been entrusted to us by the members. Volunteer or being volunteered, I believe when all of us took up the challenge back in June-July this year, we definitely had hopes of achieving success for our clubs.

Personally, this is the motto that has driven me thus far -- "Accomplish, or do not begin." I hope it will give you the same impact.

Lastly, I would like to wish all of you the best of luck in whatever you do for the new year - Year 2010! May all of you hit the new year with renewed zest and enthusiasm.

Happy New Year!


Regards,
Lee Yew Jin
Area S7 Governor
"Always at your service"

Toastmasters International Ribbons and Division S Pins Up for Grabs!!!

Dear Area S7 folks, here's an exciting announcement to all of you, especially to those who are in the midst of accomplishing your educational goals!

Take a closer look at the following photos...


From left: Best Table Topics ribbon, Best Speaker ribbon, Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB) ribbon, Competent Leader (CL) ribbon, Division S Gold Pin, Competent Communicator (CC) ribbon, Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB) ribbon, Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS) ribbon.


Impressive collection...


The shiny-looking Division S Gold Pin...


Yes, these ribbons from Toastmasters International and Division S Gold Pins are up for grabs!!!

Here's what you need to do to get them:

Division S Gold Pin

One Division S Gold Pin will be awarded to the individual for every successful achievement of the following:

Communication Track - CC, ACB, ACS, ACG

Leadership Track - CL, ALB, ALS

Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM)

CC/ACB/ACS/CL/ALB Ribbons

One ribbon will be awarded to the individual for each completion of his/her CC/ACB/ACS/CL/ALB within this term (2009/2010).


Best Speaker Ribbon

During the Area Governor's official visit to the club, the best assignment speaker for that meeting will be awarded with this ribbon.


Best Table Topics Ribbon

During the Area Governor's official visit to the club, the best table topics speaker for that meeting will be awarded with this ribbon.


Note: These are LIMITED EDITION ribbons and gold pins, i.e. WHILE STOCK LASTS.


Imagine yourselves receiving these ribbons and gold pins...


Margaret Stanley (Asst Area Governor of Education and Training) receiving her CC ribbon and Division S Gold Pin.


Alex Li (President of Motorola Penang (II) Cyber-Speakers TMC) receiving the CC ribbons and Division S Gold Pins on behalf of his members - CM Khong and Fernando Paz.


Andrea Liew (Area Secretary) receiving her CL ribbon and Division S Gold Pin.


What are you still waiting for? :)


Posted by:
Lee Yew Jin
Area S7 Governor

Area S7 Summary Report : Humourous Speech and Evaluation Contest

The months of August-October, as usual, were the months of contests. In Area S7, except for the newly-born Amphenol Toastmasters Club, all clubs had organized their very own club level Humourous Speech and Evaluation Contest to unearth their respective club champions for the term 2009/2010. And here are the champions for the club level contests:

Motorola Penang Toastmasters Club

Chua Hui Boon, CC (Humourous Speech)

Ooi Pey Hann (Evaluation)

Motorola Penang (II) Cyber-speakers Toastmasters Club

Loh Beng Teong, ACB, CL (Humourous Speech)

Irene Wong (Evaluation)

BM Bigfoot Toastmasters Club

Ong Hooi Chin (Humourous Speech)

Ong Hooi Chin (Evaluation)

Bagan Ajam Toastmasters Club

Nishaline Priya Pubalan, CC (Humourous Speech)

Nishaline Priya Pubalan, CC (Evaluation)

Next came the area level contests. Having 2 - 4 weeks' time to sharpen their skills by doing trial speeches and attending workshop to get more tips on doing evaluation, these club champions/representatives had come together under one roof in the arena of champions on 13 September 2009, competing against one another to see who would be the best of the best in Area S7 for term 2009/2010. Here are the winners:

Area S7 Humourous Speech Contest

Nishaline Priya Pubalan, CC (Champion)

Ong Hooi Chin (1st Runner-up)

From left: Hock Chye (Contest Chairperson), Hooi Chin, Nishal, Yew Jin (Area S7 Governor)


Area S7 Evaluation Contest

Ong Hooi Chin (Champion)

Loh Beng Teong, ACB, CL (1st Runner-up)

From left: Michelle Goh (Contest Chairperson), BT Loh, Hooi Chin, Jessica Ho (Area S6 Governor)



Guess what's next? The Division S Contest of course! On 4 October 2009, our area champions, Nishal and Hooi Chin, put up their bravest front ever and gave their best shot competing against all the champions/representatives from 7 other areas in Division S. Despite our area and clubs being quite "inexperience" in terms of years of existance, I'm glad to announce to you that...Area S7 did not return empty-handed!

Our Area S7 humourous speech champion, Nishaline Priya Pubalan, had finished as the 1st Runner-up of the Division S Humourous Speech Contest!

All in all, congratulations to all the winners of the club, area and division contests!

There are 3 things which I had learned from my observation throughout these contests:

• You do not have to be an experienced Toastmaster with colourful titles under your belt in order to be a winner in the division level Humourous Speech Contest. Nishal had practically just completed her CC earlier this year.


• You do not have to be an experienced Toastmaster with many years of evaluation experience in order to be a winner in the area level Evaluation Contest. Hooi Chin had practically just done her Assignment Speech #1 and had ZERO experience in evaluation when she won her club level contest.


• Support from club members is extremely important in boosting one's confidence and performance. And when I say support, I really mean PHYSICAL support!

Bagan Ajam Toastmasters Club members in support of Nishal -- "Nishal! You are hot!"


The International Speech and Table Topics Contest will be coming soon in February 2010. I hope this article would serve as a motivation to those who aspire to emulate the success of these winners.

Start your hard work now :)


Posted by:
Lee Yew Jin
Area S7 Governor

How to be a good evaluator?

Fellow Toastmasters, two years ago when I was visiting the St. Nicholas Toastmasters Club, I had the opportunity to listen to one good piece of sharing delivered by a seasoned Toastmaster, titled "How to be a good evaluator?".

The following are 6 simple steps which the speaker had shared with the audience:

How to be a good evaluator?

• Step 1 - Be yourself
  Whether you're a humourous/nurturing/meticulous type of evaluator, just stick with it, be yourself. Be a part of the diversity in Toastmasters.



• Step 2 - Do not be afraid to speak out and give extensive details
  Apart from being analytical, always strive to give SUGGESTIONS. This is what the Toastmasters programme has alwyas been stressing on -- giving CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK.



• Step 3 - Go for the non-obvious
  Look for the underlying messages in the speech. Being a good evaluator, you should possess the capability of providing a much deeper insight into the speech's values than normal audience.



• Step 4 - Evaluate outside the speech
  Look at the big picture, take note of verbal and non-verbal things that happened in the room, and how the speaker has blended into the audience and environment.



• Step 5 - Evaluation is also a speech
  Do not be too held up with details (opening, body, closing) that you've forgotten about eye contact, gestures, etc.



• Step 6 - Visualize how the evaluatee would feel as he/she is listening to your evaluation
  At the end of the day, it is your evaluatee who has to benefit the most from your evaluation, not just for the sake of pleasing yourself or the audience.

Apart from the above sharing, you may also find useful tips on doing evaluation at the following link:
http://www.tmdistrict51.org/material/Speech_Contest/Evaluate_With_Aplomb.pdf

If you want some hands-on experience on how to improve your evaluation skills, register yourselves for any available evaluation workshops that you can find. (Click here for details on the upcoming Division S Evaluation Workshop)

I hope all of you would benefit from these sharings. Good luck to those who are participating in the on-going evaluation contests :)


Posted by:
Lee Yew Jin
Area S7 Governor

Humourous Speech and Evaluation Contest Information

Hello everyone. As we know that the upcoming Humourous Speech and Evaluation Contest is just around the corner. With that I want to share some information regarding this contest that will benefit all.

Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contest Rules

Eligibility

1. All Toastmasters who are members in good standing, in a Club in good standing, are eligible to compete.
2. The following are ineligible to compete in any con test:
¨ Governor, any Lieutenant Governor, Division Governor, Area Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, or Public Relations Officer) whose terms expire June 30;
¨ International Officer and Director candidates;
¨ Immediate Past District Governors;
¨ District Officers or announced candidates for the term beginning the upcoming July 1.
¨ The immediate past winner of the Regional Humorous Speech Contest is not eligible to compete at any level in the current year's Humorous Speech Contest.
3. Toastmasters who are members in more than one Club and who meet all other eligibility requirements may compete in each Club Humorous Speech Contest in which membership in good standing is held. However, should they win more than one Club Humorous Speech Contest, they can represent only one of the Clubs at the Area level.

General Procedure

1. 
   A contest chairman, chief judge, at least five judges, two counters, and two timers are appointed. These appointments will be as far as is practical at Club levels.
2. 
   Before the contest, contestants are briefed on the rules by the contest chairman. Judges, counters, and timers are briefed on their duties by the chief judge. Contestants will then draw for their speaking position with the contest chairman.
3. 
   If a contestant is absent from the briefing, the alternate speaker; if present, may be included in place of the primary contestant. When the contest Toastmaster is introduced, if not present, the primary contestant is disqualified and the alternate officially becomes the contestant. Where the primary contestant arrives and makes this known to the contest chairman and has all required paperwork in good order prior to the introduction, and missed the briefing, disqualification shall not occur and the primary contestant may speak in the drawn order, but waives the opportunity of a briefing.
4. 
   All contestants will speak from the same platform or area designated by the contest chairman with prior knowledge of all the judges and all the contestants. The contestants may speak from any position within the designated area and are not limited to standing at the lectern/podium.
   A lectern/podium will be available. However, the use of the lectern/podium is optional.
   If amplification is necessary, a lectern/podium fixed-mounted microphone and a portable microphone should be made available, if possible. It is suggested that the fixed-mounted microphone be nondirectional. The selection and use of a microphone is optional for each contestant.
5. 
   All equipment will be available for contestants to practice prior to the contest. Contestants are responsible for arranging their preferred setup of the lectern/podium microphone and other equipment in a quiet manner before being introduced by the Toastmaster.
   Introduce each contestant by announcing the contestant's name, speech title, speech title, and contestant's name.
6. 
   There will be one minute of silence between contestants, during which the judges will mark their ballots.
7. 
   Contestants may remain throughout the duration of the contest, in the same room.
   Announcement of contest winners is final.

Evaluation Contest (page 15 – Speech Contest Rulebook)
→ Test speaker presents a 5-7 minute speech.
→ All contestants hear the speech and are then escorted by the Sergeant at Arms to a separate
room for 5 minutes to prepare their evaluation.
→ At the end of 5 minutes, the Sergeant at Arms takes every contestant’s notes (except the
first contestant). Notes are handed back to the contestants as they are introduced to present
their evaluation.
→ Evaluations will be 2 to 3 minutes. Contestants who speak less than 1 minute 30 seconds or
more than 3 minutes 30 seconds will be disqualified.

Humorous Contest (page 20 – Speech Contest Rulebook)
→ Speech prepared by presenter must be substantially original. Speech must be thematic in
nature, and not a monologue (series of one-liners).
→ Speeches will be 5 to 7 minutes. Contestants who speak less than 4 minutes 30 seconds or
more than 7 minutes 30 seconds will be disqualified.

Timing for Humourist Speech Contest

1. 
   Speeches shall be from five to seven minutes. Contestants who speak less than four minutes 30 seconds or more than seven minutes 30 seconds will be disqualified.
2. 
   Time will begin with the first word uttered by the contestant. However, should the contestant engage in definite verbal or nonverbal communication with the audience (including the playing of music or other sound effects, a staged act by another person, etc.) prior to reaching the speaking position and uttering the first word of the speech, the timer shall activate the timing device at that point. If this results in the contestant going overtime, the contestant will be disqualified.
3. The green light will be turned on at five minutes and remain on for one minute. The amber light will be turned on at six minutes and remain on for one minute. The red light will be turned on at seven minutes and remain on until the speech is concluded. No audible device, such as a buzzer, shall be used for the over-time period.
4. 
   Any sightless contestant may request and must be granted a form of warning signal of his or her own choosing, which may be an audible device. The contestant must provide any special device required for such signal.
5. 
   In the event of technical failure of the signal, a speaker is allowed 30 seconds extra overtime before being disqualified.
6. 
   Disqualifications for reason of time may be announced, at the discretion of the contest chairman, although it is not recommended.

Timing for Evaluation Speech Contest

1. Evaluations shall be from two to three minutes. Contestants who speak less than one minute 30 seconds or more than three minutes 30 seconds will be disqualified.
2. 
   Timing will begin with the contestant’s first definite verbal or non-verbal communication with the audience. This usually will be the first word uttered by the contestant, but would include any other communication such as sound effects, a staged act by another person, etc.
3. No audible device, such as a buzzer, shall be used for the overtime period.
   Green
   2:00 minutes
   Amber
   2:30 minutes
   Red
   3:00 minutes

Contest Checklist

• Determine the budget for contest
• Select place and time for contest
• Determine contest agenda
• Arrange supplies and services (e.g. timing lights, forms, refreshments, etc.)
• Select Chief Judge and other officials
→ Judges (5 to 8 – depending on level of contest )
→ Timers (2)
→ Ballot Counters (2)
→ Sergeant at Arms (1 or more depending on the contest)
• Notify all contest officials and contestants of time and place of the contest
• Publicize the contest in your community
• Ensure all contestants are eligible to compete

Keys to a Successful Contest

• Don’t go it alone or reinvent the wheel! Talk to the former Area/Division Governor – Contest
Chair – to find out what worked and what didn’t at the previous contests.
• Start planning and promoting in advance.
• Select the contest officials well in advance, make sure they know the rules and judges have had
training.
• Keep it simple.
• Be flexible.
• READ the official rulebook !!!!

Posted by:
Margaret Stanley
Area S7 Assistant Governor (Education and Training)