TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL

NEWSLETTER District News And Events

Farewell Message from District Director 2016/2017

Dear Team After serving the district for the past 12 months, here comes the end of the 2016/2017 term. To all the district and club officers, I hope you have had the opportunity to develop your leadership skills within your leadership assignments. One of my key learning in this capacity was delegation. As you lead a large team, delegation is very important to empower the right people to do the right things. Delegation also comes with mentoring opportunity especially providing more guidance to those new in the roles. My fervent wish for all of you is to continue to experience success in your life. To all of the wonderful people whom I have had the opportunity to work with over the past 12 months - Thank You! It's been a pleasure working with you, especially the district senior leadership team. Each of you have contributed your best in your own responsibilities. My sincere thank you to International Director, Elisa Tay DTM; Region Advisor, L Thannimalai DTM; Immediate Past District Director, Sue Ding DTM; and Past District Director, Sue Chan DTM for your continuous guidance and support rendered to the district team. A warm welcome to the new term district leadership team lead by District Director-Elect Andrew Tan ACG, ALB. Though we are currently working on the transition plan with the incoming team, there are still many tasks we are working on simultaneously to close the term well. I wish all of you every success for the future. Cheers Johnson Tang DTM District Director District 51 Toastmasters International Where Leaders Are Made

Johnson Tang, DTM

District 51

Jan — Jun 2017

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Messages from District Leaders

Interviews with District 51

Champions

and many more …

Senior District

Officers 2016/2017 District Director

Johnson Tang, DTM

Program Quality Director

Andrew Tan, ACS, ALB

Club Growth Director

Yoon Peng Yew, DTM

Public Relations Manager

Muthukumaran Kodiappen,

DTM

Administration Manager

Phang Wai Kheong, DTM

Finance Manager

Pauline Ooi, DTM

Divisions in District 51

Division H

Division J

Division N

Division P

Division Q

Division R

Division S

Division W

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ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations MEF Toastmasters Club

for winning the Video Brand Contest!

Check out their video at https://www.facebook.com/

ToastmastersInternationalOfficialFanPage/videos/1228707950499569/

The Video Brand Contest runs now through December 31, 2017. For more details on how to

enter the contest click here, http://bit.ly/1TIi0XX

CLUB OFFICER TRAINING 2 (COT2)

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Division H

Division J

Division N

CLUB OFFICER TRAINING 2 (COT 2)

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Division P

Division R

Division S

RECOGNITION & APPRECIATION

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Did you know? Gerald A. Green (Papa Gerald) is the first Pan South East Asia Territorial

Council Chairman, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), and Accredited

Speaker (AS). He has been a professional speaker and speech coach with

a 35-year record. He is the author of three books: “The Magic of Public

Speaking”, “My Pocket Speakers Brief,” and “Speak Like A True Leader”.

He was the past President of the Penang Eurasian Association for eight

years. He was also instrumental in the formation of MAPS – The

Malaysian Association of Professional Speakers and was its second

President (2002-2003).

He is among a small number of Toastmasters to have received

accreditation by Toastmasters International for professional level

speaking skills. In 1994 in Kentucky, he became 37th in the world and the

first and is still the only Accredited Speaker outside the US and Canada.

This achievement is recorded in the Malaysian Book of Records.

Significantly in 1993 in Toronto, he was the first Asian to receive the Presidential Citation, presented with a

magnificent plaque at the Hall of Fame—for merging Toastmasters clubs from four countries– Malaysia, Singapore,

Indonesia, and Thailand to form the Pan South East Asia Territorial Council which marked ‘The Birth of District 51’.

Just over the last Chinese New Year, he was surprised to receive this letter from Toastmasters World Headquarters. It

reads…

Wish to know more about Papa Gerald? Visit: https://www.toastmasters.org/Resources/Member-Spotlight/gerald-

green

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Be the Change marked the first annual conference held after the reformation of District 51 on July 1, 2016, attended

by more than 150 delegates from eight Divisions. Interesting and eye-opening presentations and speeches by leading

speakers empowered delegates in learning best practices in communication and leadership, and celebrating the

achievements of clubs, and individuals. The two-and-half-day conference, held April 28 – 30 at the G Hotel in Penang,

included business meetings, education sessions, Welcome Night, Gala Night, and International Speech and Table Topics

Contests.

On Day One, as usual there were District Executive Meeting Committee Meeting and District Council Meeting for District

Officers and Club Officers. After a busy day, delegates put on their Conference polo shirt and jeans, and let their hair down

at the Welcome Night ceremony. Everyone was treated to energetic opening dances, mouth-watering buffet spread,

attractive games and contest prizes, and a memorable after-dinner-speech by 2015 World Champion of Public Speaking,

Mohammed Qahtani, DTM.

Day Two marked the Opening Ceremony day. Who knows more and is qualified to talk about change other than the

Transformation Agent, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal Abdin who was the Keynote Speaker. A special moment

followed afterwards, i.e. the Invocation session, delivered by Gerald A. Green, DTM, AS or affectionately known to

everyone as Papa Gerald, who is the 37th in the world and the first and the only Accredited Speaker outside the US and

Canada, and the first Asian to receive the Presidential Citation award from Toastmasters International in 1993 for his

tireless contributions in Toastmasters and public speaking. The day would be not be complete without the education

sessions. One of them was the “Amazing Toast,” a 3-in-1 workshop in communication, leadership, and branding that got

the delegates excited and raved about, before and after it ended. After a busy day, delegates got to unwind at the Gala

Night. Everyone was treated to a sumptuous 8-course dinner, performances, and many more. Also, there were

installations of future District and Area Officers; recognitions for clubs and individuals who achieved the President’s

Distinguished Club, and Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) Award respectively from Toastmasters International, for the

term 2016/2017.

On Day Three, it was the day that many delegates were waiting for, the International Speech and Table Topics Contests. It

was a close fight among contestants and each contestant gave it their best but there could only be one Champion in each

contest. The day ended with another sumptuous lunch served to delegates. Overall, the two-and-half-day annual

conference was a big success.

In Front Seated: 2nd from right AC Organizing Chair, Lim Seow Hoe, ACS, CL with his Organizing Committee

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Current and Past District Officers at District Executive

Meeting

Current District Officers, Division Directors, and Club

Officers at District Council Meeting

“Everyone, FREEZE!” - One of the best entries in the

“Be the Change” Instagram Contest

WE can dance and so can YOU! Come and join the fun,

folks

2015 World Champion of Public Speaking, Mohammed

Qahtani DTM inspired everyone with his after-dinner-

speech “Should I Quit?”

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Our emcees promoting the must-read-book “The Power

of Words,” authored by Mohammed Qahtani DTM

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Welcome Night with the Theme Denim Night

Day 1 — Apr 28, 2017

Business Meetings

Day 1 — Apr 28, 2017

Welcome Night with the Theme Denim Night

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Watch the hilarious

moments when our District

Leaders took part in game

“We Don’t Talk Anymore”

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Meet the three brave

“Chipmunks” who took part

in the “Hello” Table Topics

Contest

Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017

Opening Ceremony

It’s a tradition to have flag bearers marching in to mark

the commencement of the 24th Annual Conference

opening ceremony

It’s a proud moment when everyone sang the national

anthem “Negaraku” followed by the Penang State anthem

“Untuk Negeri Kita”

Opening ceremony speech by District 51 Director,

Johnson Tang DTM

The ribbon cutting ceremony inaugurated the opening

ceremony of District 51— 24th Annual Conference 2017

Papa Gerald Green DTM, AS received a Presidential

Citation lapel pin, one of Toastmasters International’s

highest honours

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Keynote speaker, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sri Syed Zainal

Abidin talked about “Change — why and how to manage

it”

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

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Dr. Wendy Liew’s “You are Your Brand to Build” exposed

delegates to the importance of professional image

development during the plenary session

At the Amazing Toast — Branding Track, Dr. Wendy Liew

provided more tips on image and brand development

At the Amazing Toast — Communication Track,

Mohammed Qahtani DTM introduced a game called

“Taboo” to let delegates learn the various ways to

communicate

Tina Wong, conducted “Way to Better Listener, Better

Thinker, and Better Speaker” (in Mandarin) during the

plenary session

At the Amazing Toast — Leadership Track, Tina Wong used

the fishing rod to show the importance of teamwork

An appreciation ceremony for our dedicated “Amazing

Toast” facilitators — Dr. Wendy Liew, Tina Wong, and

Mohammed Qahtani DTM

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017

Education Workshops

Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017

Gala Night with the Theme Shanghai Night

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The photo booth was the favourite place to say “Cheese” among Delegates and District Leaders

Our District Leaders showed their utmost support by showing up in Shanghai themed attires

We are a group of tough men who know how to groove!

A Shanghai night would be incomplete without the presence of traditional Chinese musical instrument performance

You can’t take your eyes off these graceful and beautiful dancers!

Meet the “AC Godfather” a.ka. Lim Seow Hoe ACS, CL, and his “loyal gang members”

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017

Gala Night with the Theme Shanghai Night

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All thumbs-up by delegates for excellent performances, good fellowship, and sumptuous food!

All the best to the new term 2017/2018 Officers!

The first address by District Director-Elect, Andrew Tan ACG, ALB after installation

Both District Director and District Director-Elect sang their hearts out, to entertain all the delegates

Regional 14 Advisor, Sue Chan DTM kicked-started the discharge and installation of term 2017/2018 Officers

District Director-Elect, Andrew Tan ACG, ALB saying “I WILL” and accepting the challenge as the new term District Director

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017 Gala Night with the Theme Shanghai Night

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Distinguished Toastmaster award medals from Toastmasters International

Medals and plaques awaited all high achievers at individual and club levels

Congratulations to All Distinguished Toastmasters (DTM) for Term 2016/2017!

Second from left: Victor Ong, Toh Hui Sung, Thiang Bee Nee, Punitavathy Sundram, Pauline Ooi, Charmaine Victoria Woodworth, Byrain Loh, Alex Lee Shee Siang, and Bernard Ewe

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

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Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017 Gala Night with the Theme Shanghai Night

1. Kuala Lumpur Advanced Toastmasters Club 2. Bayan Baru Toastmasters Club 3. Infineon Toastmasters Club 4. MIM Toastmasters Club of Kuala Lumpur 5. Liquid Gold Advanced Toastmasters Club 6. Penang Hokkien Association Toastmasters Club

7. Bayan Baru Mandarin Toastmasters Club 8. Subang Mandarin Toastmasters International Club 9. MAICSA Toastmasters Club 10. UNIRAZAK Toastmasters Club 11. INTEL Penang Toastmasters Club 12. TMIKL Toastmasters Club

Heartiest Congratulations to All the Early Achievers of the President’s Distinguished Club Award!

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Day 2 — Apr 29, 2017 Gala Night with the Theme Shanghai Night

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Heartiest Congratulations to All the Early Achievers of the President’s Distinguished Club Award!

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

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International Speech Contestants (Chinese) Table Topics Contestants (Chinese)

International Speech Contest Winners: — 3rd from Left: Yong Mun Ee (1st Runner-Up); and Jocelyn Lim (Champion)

Table Topics Contest Winners: — 3rd from Left: Jaeda Teoh (1st Runner-Up); and Jocelyn Lim (Champion)

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Day 3 — Apr 30, 2017

International Speech and Table Topics Contests

Day 3 — Apr 30, 2017

International Speech and Table Topics Contests

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International Speech Contestants (English) Table Topics Contestants (English)

International Speech Contest Winners: — 3rd from Left: Michael Xavier (1st runner-up), Gurmeet Singh (Champion), and Loghandran Krishnasamy (2nd Runner-Up)

Table Topics Contest Winners: — 3rd from Left: Michael Rajesh (2nd Runner-Up), Lee Chen Choon (Champion), and Tiggy Munnelly (1st Runner-Up)

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

Day 3 — Apr 30, 2017 Closing Ceremony

“Be the Change” 24th Annual Conference Organizing Chair, Lim Seow Hoe ACS, CL thanking all District Leaders and delegates in his closing ceremony speech

Congratulations to the “Be the Change” 24th Annual Conference Organizing Chair, Lim Seow Hoe ACS, CL and Co-Organizing Chairs, Kay Sock Phoh DTM and Ling Kwee Eng ACS, ALS!

The passing of the Toastmasters District 51 flag to the next Annual Conference Organizing Chair, Victor Ong DTM!

The 25th Annual Conference Organizing Chair, Victor Ong DTM delivered his acceptance speech and welcomed all delegates to join the next annual conference in Apr 2018

District 51 Toastmasters 24th ANNUAL CONFERENCE PENANG SUMMARY

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Quick Facts Full Name: Gurmeet Singh Gurcharan Singh ACG, ALB Club Name: Bukit Mertajam Bigfoot Toastmasters Club (00899323, District 51, Area H5); MEF Toastmasters Club (00620418, District 51, Area H3); and Penang Toastmasters Club (00000752, District 51, Area N1) Joining Date: Aug 2010

Reason for Joining Toastmasters: I joined Toastmasters in the year 2010. Unlike a lot of people who were looking to improve on their leadership and communication skills, I joined to socialize. I was lonely and I wanted to meet women and according to my brother, Jagdeep, Toastmasters was a good place to meet women and make friends. He was right because eventually I met Angelina. Profession: I am and I have been a lecturer for the past six years. Two years in a tuition center, three years at Olympia College Penang and one year at Livingston House of Learning. Interesting or little-known fact about Gurmeet: As for one little known fact about myself, a lot of people do not know that I used to work as a chef at a 4-Star hotel in Penang before. Hobbies and Interests Outside of Toastmasters: I love to cook. I find it therapeutic. I cook most of my dinner meals during the weekdays. I also love watching movies. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Mandarin movie, Cantonese movie, Japanese movie, Korean movie, Malay movie, Tamil movie, Hindi movie, Thai movie, or an English movie; I love watching any and every type of movie. The Most Useful Thing Gained from Toastmasters: Angelina, although she’s not a thing. Seriously though, I gained valuable stage time that I used to get better at my lectures.

CAMPAIGNS ==========================

Like District 51 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/D51Toastmasters for more district news and campaigns!

MEET 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CHAMPION, GURMEET SINGH

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MEET 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CHAMPION, GURMEET SINGH! 1. Congratulations on winning District 51 International Speech Contest 2017! How did it feel when you found out you had won? It still feels surreal to have won the contest. I feel like the disappointment of losing the contest two years ago at Langkawi has finally been erased. 2. Who, or what, inspired you to enter the International Speech contest? A good friend of mine once told me that I am only as good as my next speech. This makes a lot of sense to me and I compete to continually better myself in subsequent speeches. 3. For the benefit of our members who missed the contest, please share with them about your winning speech “Good News, Bad News” and the takeaway message. The takeaway message is simple – Bad things and bad situations happen constantly in our lives. We can either whine, cry, moan or get angry about it or we can choose to learn something from it. Basically, there is always a silver lining in any bad situation or bad event that happens. 4. Some contestants would deliver the same speech from club level to district level and some would deliver different speeches. What was your strategy, and why? I like to mix it up. I had a different speech at my club level and my area level contest. My Division H and District 51 speech was the same speech though. The reason why I do this is to make the contest interesting for me and to avoid getting bored of my own speeches by over rehearsing and by presenting it too often. On the other hand, some contestants have won by using the same speech the entire time so more power to them. 5. The International Speech contest is a challenging contest. If the audience is not constantly engaged with your speech, then it’s “bad news.” What challenges did you have to overcome to complete your speech (with the audience in mind), and still have time to rehearse? The biggest challenge I had to overcome was to decide if I would like to still use the “Good News Bad News” speech or not. Unlike the crowd at the District 51 contest, the crowd at my Division H contest were much harder to please. Basically, I had gotten almost zero laughs with this speech at the division contest and as a result doubts of the effectiveness of this speech started to creep in. 6. Were you happy with your final piece (speech) and what you would you have changed if you had more time? No, I was not entirely happy with the final piece. The conclusion could have been more effective and my mentor agrees. 7. What advice would you give to future International Speech contestants? Be original. A lot of new speakers tend to watch speeches of world champions or really good speakers on YouTube and directly or indirectly they will tend to copy their favorite speaker’s style of speaking. I fell into this trap once when I tried to be Jock Elliot, a former World Champion of Public Speaking. I ended up being a very poor version of Jock Elliot. 8. What are you hoping to achieve next? To be crowned the first World Champion of Public Speaking from Malaysia.

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MEET 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH CHAMPION, GURMEET SINGH!

Gurmeet Singh will be representing District 51 Toastmasters in the upcoming 2017 International Speech Contest at the Vancouver Convention Centre, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Watch him as he competes with semifinalists from around the world for a chance to become the 2017 World Champion of Public Speaking. For more information on the contest schedule, please go to https://www.toastmasters.org/Events/2017-International-Convention/Semifinals

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Quick Facts Full Name: Lee Chen Choon ACS Club Name: Elite Toastmasters Club (03793732, District 51, Area J3) Joining Date: Aug 2010 Reason for Joining Toastmasters: I am from Elite Toastmasters Club based in Kuala Lumpur. I first joined Toastmasters in 2010. I decided almost immediately when I attended the EY Toastmasters Club level Humorous Speech and

Evaluation Contest. That was my initial purpose. Over the years, it has changed and today I am proud to stay in Toastmasters for personal development and self-discovery. Profession: Outside of Toastmasters, I help MNCs, PLCs and GLCs to build a healthy leadership pipeline by conducting Leadership Development programs. Interesting or little-known fact about Chen Choon: The one interesting thing about how I do that is designing real life games that simulates an actual work environment. This way, they play and is able to connect the dots to their personal working environment. Hobbies and Interests Outside of Toastmasters: Outside of Toastmasters, I am fascinated with the art of showmanship. I am a magician and I entertain people in my leisure time. I also write and perform music. I personally see similarities between music, magic and public speaking. The Most Useful Thing Gained from Toastmasters: The one thing that I find the most useful thing is the ability to speak off the cuff. The table topics session and the various meeting roles requires me to speak without preparation. This skill has brought me many places inside and outside of Malaysia. Unfortunately, this skill is often underrated. For me, I gained the most in my personal and professional life by developing on this skill.

CAMPAIGNS

PATHWAYS

MEET 2017 TABLE TOPICS CHAMPION, LEE CHEN CHOON!

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MEET 2017 TABLE TOPICS CHAMPION, LEE CHEN CHOON! 1. Congratulations on winning the 2017 District 51 Table Topics Contest! How did it feel when you found out you had won? It has always been my 10 years goal to win the District. With the amount of effort and hard work I put into this, I couldn’t contain my tears when I won it. Only few people who are seated close to me saw that. Emotions got the best of me but it is all worth it. 2. Who, or what, inspired you to enter Table Topics contest? Every year, I set an educational goal for myself. In the past, it has always been writing speeches and delivery. Table topics was always secondary to the prepared speech contest. This year, I wanted to put in deliberate effort in the department of impromptu speaking particularly structuring of thoughts. Hence, this year I did not participate in the International Speech Contest so that allowed me to put my full focus on the Table Topics. 3. Your topic was “Change demands a temporary surrender of security.” What was your strategy, and why in answering the topic? The only thing that I always remind myself is that Table Topics is only two and half minutes. The more things you share, you can potentially confuse the audience and even yourself. For that reason, I focus more on substance over stage play, eloquence over theatrical performance, and persuasiveness over humour. While the latter is also important, it is only two and half minutes. My only objective on stage is to drive my message home early and fast with maximum clarity and conciseness. That is also the reason I avoided personal stories. There are too much time spent to communicate the context of personal stories. It is also opened to different interpretation by different audience. Rather, I used Martin Luther King Jr’s story because the audience can get it almost immediately. That saved me time from explaining the context. My other story which I used for the opening was the story of how little birds learn to fly. It has only 10 words (about 10 seconds) and the essence of the story is easily communicated. 4. The Table Topics contest is a challenging contest. You don’t know the topic upfront, and you have no time to prepare. What challenges did you have to overcome to get yourself ready to speak well? I did a lot of homework before going to the stage. I read a lot and that has helped me in having a variety of perspectives and stories. However, my biggest challenge was to empty my mind while on stage. Sometimes the more we know, the more rigid we become. We will fall into this trap of forcing good stories when it does not fit into the topic. This is where your response to the table topics becomes disjointed. How I overcome this is to learn mindfulness one month prior to the contest. It really works. 5. How do you make time for sharpening your impromptu speaking skill before contesting? I listen to many speeches mainly from “Toastmasters on Demand” while commuting. Listening to these speeches has allowed me have variety of style that I can use when the time requires. That is for the delivery aspect. As for structuring aspect, I study “how to write an argument” because in essence, table topics is proving a point of your premise with relevant and strong supporting. For that reason, there is a dedicated structure that we can follow to guide the audience’s reasoning process. 6. What advice would you give to future Table Topics contestants? My advice for future Table Topics contestants is to focus on structure. Build your content on a solid structure. A solid structure gives you the stability to your points and prevents you from speaking out of context. 7. What are you hoping to achieve next? I hope to build more brevity and conciseness in my speaking competency. I hope to speak with more impact with fewer words. I will still compete in future contests but my main focus has always been become a better self than the previous contests. Winning is definitely a great feeling but it can only be meaningful if you become a better speaker in the process of winning.

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Quick Facts Full Name: Jocelyn Lim Hym Voon ACS, ALB Club Name: Great Castle Mandarin Toastmasters Club (00009466, District 51, Area R2); Damansara Mandarin Toastmasters Club (04795666, District 51, Area R2); and PJ Toastmasters Club (01285147, District 102, Area D3). Joining Date: Apr 2010 Reason for Joining Toastmasters: I joined Toastmasters back in 2010. My first club was AFC Toastmasters Club, an English community Club. I am currently holding three club memberships, they are Great Castle

Mandarin Toastmasters Club, Damansara Mandarin Toastmasters Club and PJ Toastmasters Club. I have been actively taking part in stage performances ever since my primary school days, mainly as an emcee. After having graduated from USM Penang, I came back to my hometown in KL and I was looking for an organization for me to continue to polish my skills. Through my friend, I found Toastmasters International. Profession: I am a professional event emcee, mainly in wedding functions and company dinner and dance. Interesting or little-known fact about Jocelyn: I am a cheerful lady, full of passion and faith in my work and life. I love to learn new things and at the same thing keep improving myself. I take up vocal class and English class to ensure that I deliver consistent high quality job every time when I take on the stage. Through the mentoring system in Toastmasters, I learnt that the best way to learn is to teach, so I started my emcee training academy (MC JO Academy) in 2016. As of now, I have got more than 50 students. I have also formed my own wedding emcee team as a reliably strong force in the wedding industry. Hobbies and Interests Outside of Toastmasters: I love travelling. Unlike ordinary working people, in our industry, our working days are over the weekends. That requires big sacrifices especially quality reunion time with our family members. So when it comes to the low peak seasons, usually April every year, I will take this opportunity to bring my parents to travel around. I also like food hunting too; savoring nice food is one of the biggest satisfactions in my hustling and bustling life.

WELCOME NEW

CLUBS

MEET 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH & TABLE TOPICS CHAMPION (CHINESE), JOCELYN LIM HYM VOON

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MEET 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH & TABLE TOPICS CHAMPION (CHINESE), JOCELYN LIM HYM VOON The Most Useful Thing Gained from Toastmasters: “Never Give Up” - I love contesting and I hardly miss any chance to participate in a contest. Deep inside, I know that it’s only through taking part in contests that one will force their selves out of their comfort zone and improve constantly and tremendously. There’s only one winner for every contest, and only the winner can continue to the next level. I take every opportunity given as a learning lesson, it allows me to unlearn, learn and relearn, as the famous saying goes, “what does not kill you makes you stronger.” On top of that I believe in “Give and Take.” In Toastmasters, I learn selfless sharing. It’s only when we share selflessly and sincerely, we will gain what we want from others. Life is like a boomerang. What you send out, comes back to you. 1. Congratulations on winning the District 51 Mandarin International Speech and Table Topics Contests 2017! How did it feel when you found out you had won both contests? Thank you! I was surprised and flattered! I was very nervous and couldn’t sleep well the night before, and I found that I was the only one who took part in both contests. The stress was extreme. Moreover, the time gap between International Speech Contest and Table Topics Contest was too short, and I was the last contestant in International Speech Contest and the first contestant in Table Topics Contest. Everything happened so fast, it felt like the whole thing was over in a blink of an eye. Thank God, I won in both contests. 2. Who, or what, inspired you to enter both contests? My mentors, my friends, my family, and my loved ones. 3. For the benefit of our members who missed the contest, please share with them about your winning

speech “ 玉不琢不成器” (Discover and Polish the Diamond in You) and the takeaway message.

Nothing comes easy in life. Behind every successful man, there must be a painful and winding journey. Every winner comes a long way. “One must be shaped to succeed”, this quote tells us to never fear, neither challenges nor failures. They are the keys to success, accept them, embrace them, learn from them and let them be the stepping stones in our lives. When we have reached a high level in our lives, don’t forget our roots. Always be humble and remember where we came from. 4. Some contestants would deliver the same speech from club level to district level and some would deliver different speeches. What was your strategy, and why? I choose to deliver the same speech from club level to district level. Firstly it’s because of the limited time from contest to contest; secondly, it’s too risky to change the subject matter especially since I am unsure if it will be well accepted by the audience, as well as my previous speeches. It’s not a trial-error strategy in the contest; we must do things which we are confident and proficient in. Nevertheless, I would fine tune the speech and add new elements into the same speech. This is to keep the speech fresh and refreshing, at the same time impart some surprising elements to the same audience who has listened to it many times. 5. The Mandarin International Speech contest is a challenging contest. If the audience is not constantly engaged with your speech, then your message about turning a "stone” into a “jade” would not turn out well. You are right, that’s why I added “one must be shaped to succeed” to make sure everyone knows what I was talking about. I also paced and paused properly to make sure the audience followed my story well.

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MEET 2017 INTERNATIONAL SPEECH & TABLE TOPICS CHAMPION (CHINESE), JOCELYN LIM HYM VOON 6. At the same time, you had to sharpen your impromptu speaking skill for the Table Topics Contest. What challenges did you have and how did you overcome them? My challenge was the focus point. It was very challenging to take care of both contests at the same time. So, practicing in the regular club meetings is something important and beneficially which we cannot neglect. Table topics requires extensive experience and it’s not something you can prepare last minute and continuous practice is the key. My motto in my emcee job, public speaking, contest or even anything in life is 3Ps – Prepare, Practice, and Perform. Besides that, keep your mind clear and be cautious. Another factor which may be a tiny thing to some, but which is crucial for me – that is to have enough rest before the contest.

7. Your topic was “四海之内皆兄弟” (Everyone is Your Friend) What was your strategy, and why in

answering the topic? I thought a twist in answering the table topics could create a surprise element for the judges in order to impress them. I have had that idea in mind before taking the stage. So I started with the content which

goes with the flow of the topics and in the middle of it, I made a sudden and unexpected statement. 四海

之内皆兄弟 means one has many friends all over the world. With the help of technology especially social

media platform, this is not hard to achieve. But a friend in need is a friend indeed, although we could have huge number of friends in our social media account, but those among whom we can sit at the table and chat for hours, and those who always find time and make effort to lend a helping hand when we need, are the ones we should appreciate. When we have these friends and loved ones around us, we should spend quality time with them, and not get distracted with minor details nor divert our attention to our mobile phones. 8. What advice would you give to future Mandarin International Speech and Table Topics contestants? Practice (the right thing and right way) makes perfect, don’t only practice giving a speech, but always volunteer to be the first speaker, as it takes extra courage to do this, which will go a long way to shape up your entire package – your skill set, fighting attitude, and robust mettle. 9. What are you hoping to achieve next?

I wish to represent Malaysia in the next 华夏风情冠中冠 (HuaXiaFengQing Public Speaking) contest.

For our Mandarin speaking Toastmasters, check out our Mandarin written interview with Jocelyn Lim Hym Voon in the Mandarin Corner at http://www.tmdistrict51.org/category/district-editorial/mandarin-corner/

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UPCOMING EVENTS

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https://www.facebook.com/Sacpg2017

http://www.d51annualconference2018.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/d51ac2018

https://www.toastmasters.org/events/2017-international-convention

DISTRICT 51 PUBLIC RELATIONS TEAM (2016/2017)

Farewell Message from District 51 Public Relations Manager

Dear members

It is often said that time flies when you are having fun. I never fully appreciated those words until today, at the end of the 2016/2017 term, penning this farewell message. Without a doubt it has a been a fun, non-stop ride leading my beloved District 51 Public Relations team!

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to District 51 Director Johnson Tang DTM, District Officers, and members for giving such a platform to endeavor our ability to perform in higher level Leadership roles in Toastmasters program.

My steadfast team which consists of my right hand lady Deputy Public Relations Manager, Ng Poh Lin ACB, ALB, my Webmaster Lim Khian Kwong ACB, CL who can give Spiderman a run for his webs, and last but not least the in-house grammarian, my Editor Colin Nathan CC, CL. However, my thanks would be remiss if I did not extend my utmost gratitude to District 51 Immediate Past Public Relations Manager, Koay Ee San ACS, ALB for being always supportive while passing over the reins.

Well the time has come for this team to head to the exit and make space for the incoming District 51 Public Relations team for the 2017/2018 term. All the best to them and I am certain they can improve on our success even further. Here's to a great new term!

Sincerely Muthukumaran Kodiappen DTM Public Relations Manager District 51 Toastmasters International Where Leaders Are Made

From Left: Colin Nathan CC, CL (Editor); Lim Khian Kwong ACB, CL (Webmaster); Ng Poh Lin ACB, ALB (Deputy PR Manager); Koay Ee San ACS, ALB (Immediate Past PR Manager); and Muthukumaran Kodiappen DTM (PR Manager)