Blog for the meeting on January 9th.
Fuchu TMC held the 242nd regular meeting on January 9th (Sun).
Perfect set up of the meeting room as well as Zoom thanks to our Sergeant at Arms, TM T. 12 members attended, out of which 7 attended on-site and 5 on-line. In addition, we had a special guest, the founder of Fuchu TMC.
A new member, TM A was brought on board with a unanimous vote in favor. He shared his past struggles in English communication with his overseas customers, and said that the lack of progress from past English training courses was a driver behind joining Fuchu TMC. He went on to express his goals of enhancing fluency and messaging precision in English. Welcome aboard!
Then the TMOD, TM T, opened today’s session presenting his new year resolutions that included his “determination” to be more health-conscious as he turned 50 years old, to deliver more speeches, and to drink even more wine for psychological well-being.
■ Today’s word： “determination”
Today’s word was “determination”, a very timely word for the new year and was indeed spoken widely during the session by many members (except the blog writer, sorry…).
■ Prepared Speeches
[1st Speaker: Guest K, the founder of Fuchu TMC] Speech Title: From January 15, 2012
The timing couldn’t have been better for the founder to be invited for a speech, as this month marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Fuchu TMC. The guest also thanked TM T for invitation at an exquisite timing. However, much to our dismay (lol), later there was a revelation from TM T that he wasn’t aware of the anniversary! In his speech, the founder looked back on the development of the club with some reminiscent photos. He went on to share how TMC experiences helped him improve his communication styles and grow as a leader. He closed his speech wishing the club further development.
[2nd Speaker: TM N] Speech Title: Horrible autumn night
TM N presented his horror stories involving insects in a comical and dramatic manner. His depictions of “disasters” were so vivid that it was not only funny but must have made some members feel goose-bumps. Thank you for the very well articulated speech!
[3rd Speaker: TM S] Speech Title: Everybody wins if people love their job
TM S delivered a touching speech out of his work experiences. His earlier struggles between sales targets and real contributions to the team must have struck home for many members. He then went on to share his more fulfilling experiences in his current environment, connecting it to the speech title “everybody wins if people love their jobs”.
■ Table Topics Session (Impromptu speeches)
Today’s Table Topic Master was TM Mi, who came up with three topics related to the new year. TM Ma elaborated on the excellency of her mother’s Osechi dishes. TM L talked about Hatsu-moude which reminded her of Taiwanese equivalent that also featured night markets Asked about major activities during the new year holidays, TM T seemed a bit embarrassed for the lack of notable activities. I sympathize with you. TM T. Thanks God I wasn’t picked!
■ Evaluation session
The Toastmaster club doesn’t have any coach or trainer, but we have a good learning environment to teach mutually: TM Ma ran the session as the General Evaluator. First, TM T delivered his evaluation of speech #1 addressing impressive parts of the speech. Being so impressed and passionate, he ended up exceeding the allocated time limit. TM D (me) then delivered the evaluation of speech #2, where he yet again revealed his blatant ignorance of the time limit. When will he get to learn it? But finally, TM L delivered a very well-organized evaluation of the third speech, observing the time limit. The session ended with TM Ma, the General Evaluator, making extensive and concrete feedback on each evaluation.
■ Award session
The best speech award went to the guest K for the prepared speech, and TM L for the table topic speech. Best evaluator was awarded to TM L as the rest exceeded the time limit. Congratulations to all award winners!
