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Archives for June 2021

Be A Toastmaster and Improve Your Communication Skills!

June 27, 2021 by SUMMER LOTUS Leave a Comment

The proven way to excel and achieve personal happiness

Summer Lotus 27th June 5 min read

By Rosalind Ho (Canva.com)

We need the courage to live. Life is not straightforward. I remember all the times when I was cowered by fear. However, it’s all my perception.

Fear to fight back. Fear to face the consequences even when wronged. Fear to put things right and be justified. Fear to inspire others to have courage through one’s challenges.

One of my first fears was public speaking. Being pathologically shy and introverted had caused me to miss many opportunities in life.

I missed the meeting and interacting with inspiring people because of the lack of the art of conversation. Mostly due to the fear of not being able to converse well.

It was evident back in school. Students who were conversant and confident were also courageous. They get noticed, offered opportunities to develop and grow further.

That caused me to embark on a long journey to learn communication skills. Almost laughable thinking about it.

My first foray into public speaking was when I enrolled with the British Council for a public speaking course. On the day itself, they put us individually in front of a video camera and I freaked out. Talk about throwing one into the deep sea immediately.

The costly three-day course hardly moved my dial on personal confidence.

Next, I embarked on a Dale Carnegie course, another expensive workshop, all ten sessions of it. Dale Carnegie was an American writer and lecturer, and the developer of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.

He was the famous author of “ How to win friends and influence people” which is still widely read and practiced today.

My self-introduction on stage on the first day lasted 10 seconds. We could see that public speaking fear was real as, among the professionals, even high fliers like managing directors feared speaking in public.

Every session, we would listen to an inspiring speech by the instructor. Our homework was to go home and prepare a five-minute speech to perform at the next session.

All emotions were explored. If the project was about anger, each participant had to relate an angry incident and really feel angry about it to appear authentic. It was structured to appear more authentic and break the ice with the audience.

Subsequently, over the ten sessions, we had projects on sadness, fear, joy, embarrassment, shock, and a whole gamut of emotions.

We had great fun. Subtlely, participants started to drop their facade, their anxiety, and their fear and became comfortable in their own skin by the fifth project. On graduation day, some people have changed to become more confident.

It was very effective. I became more coherent in my presentation but it lacked structure. Moreover, the course had ended and we needed a new platform to hone our speaking skills.

I decided to expand on my communication skills and stumbled upon Toastmasters’ club meetings. It was an ongoing meeting and affordable.

The Toastmasters movement was started by Ralph Smedley in the US who started Toastmasters International in 1924 to help people spruce up their speaking skills.

Today, it has mushroomed into more than 14000 clubs in over 141 countries. Despite it being formed so long ago, it continues to be popular among organizations to assist people who want to develop their self-confidence, communication skills, and leadership skills.

I have stayed with the SIM2 Toastmasters club for over thirty years in Singapore. It is a very nurturing environment where people from all walks of life join to improve their communication skills. Formed in the late 80s, it has groomed many champions of public speaking contests at club level, division level as well as district level.

A Toastmasters club provides a platform to members to present their project speeches that are evaluated by experienced members. It is a safe place to practice as the environment is congenial and nurturing.

Besides this, the benefits of having a mentor, mentoring others, and assuming exco roles build leadership qualities. The networking is good due to the diversity of members’ backgrounds. Decision-making and delegation are also important skills learned.

The program was always comprehensive and structured. Today, Toastmasters training has moved online offering more challenges to improve communication skills. There are clearer instructions and demos for those embarking on their speech assignments.

Success really depends on the degree of preparation and participation by the member. Besides constant practice as a Toastmaster, listening to other members share their experiences makes one wiser.

I have stayed with the club for more than 30 years because it continues to improve my life in terms of career, relationships, and enlightenment. There is always growth and new knowledge. Every meeting is fulfilling and educational especially if one participates in it.

Besides speaking skills, we also develop listening and critical thinking skills. I see the benefits as I employ these skills in my daily practice as a dentist and as a family member and friend. You may say that good communication leads to a successful life.

My ability to succinctly put my points across reduces much misunderstanding, gets work done, and grasp the audience’s attention during speaking. It is due to the appropriate choice of words and phrases used and the succinct structure learned through Toastmastering.

In addition, the requirement to do speeches requires one to read widely as well as write knowledgeably. We have witnessed members who have excelled in their careers and rose in their ranks at work because of good public speaking skills. We had non-native speakers whose English language was not their primary language attained championship in club contests due to their own diligence and practice at Toastmasters meetings.

They became more popular and respected among their work peers. They also started to assume leadership roles at their workplace and at home. Some members have scored high on their career ladders and shared improved relationships with their family members and friends.

My point is;- If you feel that something is missing in your self-confidence, if you feel that people are not listening when you speak, if you feel stuck in your job, join the Toastmasters club of your choice.

Participate actively and watch yourself succeed happily in your career and your life.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Thinking Elvis

June 27, 2021 by SUMMER LOTUS Leave a Comment

Summer Lotus June 6 3 mins read

By Rosalind Ho (Canva.com)

I will always remember where I was when people talked about the day Elvis Presley died.

It was August 16, 1997. I was a flight crew with SQ then. It was early morning when I heard wailing outside my room of The Old Melbourne Hotel in Melbourne, Australia.

I opened the door to find the chambermaids gathered outside my room sobbing hysterically. It was unbelievable that Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll had died.

At 19, I had seen Elvis briefly on TV and glimpses of the screaming audiences. The voice and the songs of the handsome singer were indelible. I had no idea that the King had impacted people all over the world in such a great way that subsequently inspired Elvis look-alike events even to this day.

Last night I binged on Elvis’ videos about his life on Youtube and finally understood immensely about this amazing legend. Thanks to technology, we get to watch and learn and be inspired by extremely talented people.

His looks, his voice, and his inimitable style arrested my attention for the full two hours on the well-curated programs of his life. Elvis, being himself, loving what he did, immersed in his passion and bringing his God-given talents to entertain us all.

We could see why he moved people. He genuinely loved what he did and he gave it his all, and yet he seemed effortless in his singing and seamless in his moves. There will never be another human being like him. This legend will live on as the most original, authentic, and unique being God has ever made.

Every song that he belted out had a hold on the audience’s emotions but they were actually his own. We could all relate to them because they were about life, struggles, and dreams. Many of his great hits were reflective of his life experiences. His gospel music in particular moved the people’s souls.

His disarming smile and facial expressions nailed the performances and when he moved, heaven moved within us too. We could not get enough of this beautiful man.

Soft-spoken, his demeanor made him exceedingly attractive. What he said in those short conversational excerpts showed him to be a humble, charming and nice man despite his riches.

I am truly inspired by the man. His work ethic was phenomenal. He was known for his hard work and his good relationships with his colleagues.

He was an au naturale. Even with the simplest and mundane lyrics, he could croon it into a lovely, entertaining song. And to watch him smile and move was a treat. I think it was his ability to enter into a focused, flow, and uninhibited state putting his authenticity into action.

He was a loving son who took good care of his parents as he came from an impoverished background.

With more than 700 songs, and exceeding a thousand five hundred concerts, he achieved what was humanly impossible to most in life that is short. It shows grit and persistence and dedication to his craft.

Watch Elvis for true-life inspiration. Live your life with a passion for what you love to do and do it well. Do not fear even when challenged by new situations.

My husband said that Elvis died tragically in the last part of his life. I like to think that he lived spectacularly. He came, he lived, he loved, he inspired.

That one percent of his life where he deteriorated later was far surpassed by what he had achieved for himself and the joy that he gave to the world.

Long live the King!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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