Division P TLI COT(2)

What is Toastmasters all about? Why should everybody be encouraged to join Toastmasters? How shall a newly setup club ensure its continuous sustainability? How can an ailing club be revived to its previous glory? These were the key issues addressed at the Toastmasters Leaders Institute on the 10th of January, 2008.

Organized by Division P Area 51 Toastmasters Club at Universiti Putra Malaysia, the objective of this 2nd Club Officer Training were to remind office bearers of their duties and responsibilities, the functionality of existing diagnostic tools, networking and acknowledgements of past year’s achievements.

The programme began by TM Yip Ken Fei (ACB, CL), the MC of the day, calling the training to order at 2.30 pm. This was followed by an opening address by Datuk Prof. Dr. Wan Md. Zin, Advanced (TMS), CL, and LGET Richard Chong (ACS, ALB).

A briefing on the Diagnostic Tool, appropriately named Moment of Truth, was then led by Dennis Wee, (ACS, CL), to assess every aspect of the image portrayed by the club and its office bearers to the guests and its members. From first impressions, orientation of new members, importance of fellowship and communication, planning and recognition, we were taught the ‘do-s’ and ‘don’t-s’ before, after and during a
Toastmasters meeting.

Results of this reality self check revealed that 90% of the clubs present were excellent at recognizing accomplishments achieved by its members. Stunningly, an equally high percentage faced various challenges in maintaining their members’ interests and encouraging active participation in the clubs’ activities.

LGM Thanimalai (CC, CL) then provided several possible solutions in addressing these issues, including introducing variety in bi-monthly meetings, making it unpredictable and thus interesting. Another practical solution was to plan a meeting beforehand to avoid hiccups, anticipating the worst situations and brainstorming for back-up plans.

Dominic Joseph, ATMG, then stressed on the importance of mentoring within a club. Citing from experience, “Just by warmly greeting and taking a personal interest in newcomers, a hostile atmosphere can be altered into a positive, friendly and inviting environment,” he stated enthusiastically.

This was then followed by a presentation by Past District 51 Governor, DTM Low Yat Seow on the importance of speechcraft, a course which focused on the main areas of consideration when giving a public speech.

Awards and certificates were then presented to high achievers, which consisted of clubs and members, in the Division’s Hall of Fame ceremony.

The training session was then ended by a closing speech from District 51 Governor, DTM Joseph Gomez. Peppered with lively anecdotes and interesting punch lines, the audience was certainly enraptured by his enthusiasm for life and the global outlook of the future economy in years to come.

Stressing that the numbers on the charts were not mere statistics, DTM Joseph Gomez said, “The moment a person joins Toastmasters, a person is presented with an opportunity; The moment a person achieves a milestone, a person has once again been changed for the better. (sic).” Thus, reminding us, as office bearers, the importance of carrying out our duties earnestly and with a clear conscience.

All in all, this club officer training has been a very educational session. Time and time again, we were reminded of the true meaning of a Toastmasters club, which is to develop excellent communication and leadership skills in our members and the public. At the end of the day, we departed from the meeting with a renewed spirit in our hearts. Our desire to serve the nation and Toastmasters Club has been rekindled; once again bringing back our focus in steering the organization towards its commitment to bringing out the best in every one of us.

DDYPC TMC Installation Event

On the 8th of January, 2009, the Development Division Young Professional’s Toastmasters Club launched its first ever Installation Ceremony on the 40th floor of PETRONAS Twin Towers 1. To showcase the achievements of its current members and normal flow of events of a typical toastmaster session to the higher management and guests, a demo meeting was held prior to the ceremony to demonstrate.

Gracing the event with their distinguished presence were En. Azhar Noordin, Senior Manager of Development Division, En. Kamal Bahrin Ahmad, upcoming Senior General Manager of Development Division and several members of DD Management Committee. We also had the privilege of receiving other external guests such as Datuk Dr. Prof. Wan Zin, Toastmaster International (TMI) Division P Governer, TM Hakim Hamzah, mentors of DDYPC TMC from MCOBA Toastmaster Club (TMC), as well as toastmasters from surrounding areas such as MIM KL TMC, TMIKL TMC, Semarak TMC, Bintang ITC TMC and the first Malay Toastmasters Club from Pidato Perdana.

Representatives from various PETRONAS Operating Unit (OPU)’s Young Professional Club such as HYPE from Group Human Resource, NEXC from Exploration Division PCSB, EXCITE from PMU as well as its very own members from DDYPC PCSB were also present to show support for the first Installation event.

At 12.15pm, Toastmaster of the day, Tunku Indra, called the meeting to order, thanking all who were present for their generosity in accommodating this ceremony in their hectic schedules to attend this event.

Mas Rizal, Table Topics Master of the day, then gave everyone present a taste of giving a spontaneous speech, testing the wits and integrity of those who were brave enough to volunteer for a 2-minute speech on a topic disclosed only on the spot. The audience was entertained by Khairul Fadhli’s recollection and elaboration on the causes of road accidents, impressed by Nurashida’s opinions on the importance of words instead of actions, and sharing Farid Wahid’s strong support for the Manchester United team.

Siti Aishah, from Petroleum Engineering Department, a loyal member of DDYPC TMC, then gave her 2nd project speech entitled “Chocolate Heaven”. This confident engineer not only educated all present on the health benefits of chocolate consumption but also surprised some lucky souls with several bars of Cadbury chocolates.

Suhana Sidik, Competent Communicator (CC),

the 1st runner up for Area P4
Humorous Speech Contest in November 2008, then gave a demo speech entitled “Thank You”. Her aptly opening remarks, by firing up our pride in the achievements and success stories of our nation certainly caught the attention of everyone present. Gently steering into the topic of Malaysian courtesy, conducting a short self-evaluation, she ended her speech by reminding us to be true to our roots by practicing common courtesy at all times, just by a simple word of ‘thank you’.

TM Ahmad Salahuddin, champion of the Area P4 Humorous Speech Contest in November 2008, then embarked on this demonstration speech on 3 tips to keeping a marriage alive. Successfully injecting anecdotes, analogies and jokes in unexpected areas of his speech won him a strong round of applause from the floor whose funny bones were tickled ‘til no end from the moment he began, at the same time absorbing what he imparted with knowing smiles.

The demonstration session was then ended by TM Ahmad Fakhri, who gave an evaluation on TM Siti Aishah’s speech and commended her on her excellent element of surprise, which surpassed her speech objective, indicating her enthusiasm to excel in the area of public speaking.

The airing of a documentary video on the role play of a normal Toastmasters meeting and the major breakthrough one undergoes upon becoming a member then preceded the Installation Ceremony of the year 2008/2009 Office Bearers of DDYPC Toastmasters Club.

As Datuk Prof. Dr. Wan Zin officiated the installation of the officers by stating the duties and responsibilities of each office bearer, the incumbents proudly declared ‘I will’ and passed on the gavel from the Sergeant-at-Arms , Vice-Presidents and finally to the President. En. Azlan Mohaideen, President of DDYPC TMC thanked all present and stated his action plan and mission for the club. Tokens of appreciation were subsequently presented to the club mentors, sponsors and high achievers of the club.

At the end of the ceremony, En. Azhar Noordin, gave a closing speech and strongly reiterated his vision to see this club growing into a strong organization, which would build up the courage and spontaneity of PETRONAS employees, indirectly fulfilling the organization’s business needs and the individuals’, especially during negotiation with local hosts government internationally on all business dealings.

At 2.00pm, all present were then invited for a photo session at the hanging bridge of Level 42 to mark the beginning of the development of prominent individuals and a reminder of the strong community of support for this young club within the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur.

With continuous support from all levels, DDYPC TMC will strive to bring out the best in its members, spark enthusiasm in improving public speaking skills and take charge in inspiring desires to change for the better to face the challenging times ahead.

Therefore, let us all join a Toastmasters Club today. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. You have nothing lose, but everything to gain. Come and experience it for yourself and you will see the difference!

More Pictures are available at: http://photo.ddypc.org/installation_ddypctmc/