Archives for June 2022

A writer on medium saved me.

Jun 21st 2022 2 min read

I was trying to get back to picking up my Jap language which I have left on the back burner for almost 5 years.

The language has never left me but the standard that I have built myself to when I last studied it has slid.

I turned to medium and found the article “To succeed at anything, make it insanely easy to take action almost every day” by Thomas Oppong.

I harbored the ambition of joining the Japanese speech contest for the open category which includes seniors like me. It is on my bucket list.

I have been to Japan countless times but I covert the prize of that. free air ticket that would come with a homestay. But flipping through the Japanese magazine by literary Writers, I was exasperated to be checking almost every other word and whole sentence’s meaning.

After reading Thomas’ article, it dawned on me that I have aimed too high. I should just focus on the simple textbooks that were taught in classes years ago. To retrieve some of the basic sentence structures that have eluded my memory.

To put Thomas’ suggestions into practice, I try to make them simple and actionable, every day.

I put the easiest textbook that I could cope with on the table and marked the article that I know would jerk my memory and start my learning.

I have also allotted time each day to pursue each lesson. Until they become second nature and the words come flooding back.

My Japanese-English app is already on my mobile. My workbook is ready for sentence construction. I will be ready to pen a short article.

Tomorrow and the days ahead will be profitable.

I believe with my daily small actions, will blossom into a meaningful speech.

That is the wonderful thing about medium. The choice and chance to read articles by authors can empower one to carry on pursuing one’s dreams.

It is what I turn to often for motivation and inspiration and I hope to be a contributor too.

Jun 19th 2022 2 min read

Why does some speaker arrests your attention, holds you spellbound, hanging on to their every word like cascading gems? There is really no secret. It boils down to being authentic.

Among Toastmasters who are specially trained through the Toastmasters Pathway designed by Toastmasters International, there would be members who have honed themselves to the point that they become interesting speakers. Such is the value of Toastmasters training but it requires the member to participate earnestly, correct himself with the feedback he has received during each evaluation, and practice fervently.

Recently, we were enlightened much by a veteran Toastmaster who evaluated the meeting where many of the members spoke. He interested us in his evaluation which I feel will bring much progress in our next meeting.

Effective speakers (including evaluators) have the following traits;

Sincerity — A sincere speaker is not pretentious. He states facts that may be backed by evidence. He does not mince his words but there is no malicious attempt to hurt anyone. The words ring true and find approval by the audience as they are rational, reasonable, and real. A sincere evaluator has the courage to put forth his evaluations in a motivating and non-threatening manner to spur more progress in the speaker’s future attempts.

He offers positive feedback with no whitewashing of a fellow speaker’s performance and speech content. That is how the speaker who is being evaluated will improve if he or she does not take it personally.

Discerning — The evaluator has an outstanding judgement ability. This comes with good listening skills which is a focused activity. He will pick up the nuances of the language spoken, highlighting the good use as well as the mistakes made.

As a general evaluator that evening, his comments and recommendations for the speakers and the night’s proceedings were relevant and valuable to future meetings’ outcomes.

Compelling — -Our evaluator made a compelling speech as his speech delivery was smooth and succinct. It helped that he has a good command of the English language.

One need not have complex expressions but he fascinated us with his choice of appropriate choice of words and phrases that painted the scenario for us. In short, he has a fascinating way of speaking without offending yet entertaining and enlightening us.

It takes years of honing one’s speeches involving content, delivery, and language use to reach a level that is seen in an effective speaker.

SIM II Toastmasters Club is one such club that a good speaker wannabe may want to get involved in for a start.