Now is the time

Now is the Time !
We often speak of big plans. New year resolutions……Mow the garden grass…..Prepare the next Toastmasters assignment……
Very often these plans do not turn into actions. Resolutions were not worked upon….the garden is turning into a secondary jungle and you are still stagnant at the same assignment .
We all have wish list.
We want to be a better communicator. When that is not achieved.. ….. we add that in next year’s wish list.
We want to be a distinguished Toastmaster. When that is not achieved…. We add to the list again.
We want this, we want that. Eventually our list become that long….
Have we ever pause for a moment and take actions on those nice plans we have made.
Now is the time, we all take stock of what we are passionate about and make things happen.
Why is it so difficult for us to put our feet down and say the magic words NOW IS THE TIME, NOW IS THE TIME to get things done?
How often do you tell yourself that : “I want to be a good speaker” So when will you be a one?
Now is the time! Now is the time you make you plans come true.
How many time you told yourself : “ I want to be a Distinguished Toastmaster ! ”
Now is the time! Now is the time you should start working on the manuals, fulfill all the criteria for certification as a Distinguished Toastmaster.
By starting to work on it I mean get on with your next planned step .
So when is the right time to get on with your next project? Next meeting? Tomorrow? After this contest?
Now is the time! Now is the time you are youngest in your entire life. Yesterday is a goner. Tomorrow may not come. Or tomorrow the same circumstances may not exist. So now is the time you are youngest , strongest, healthiest and most passionate about what you want get done.
You probably think: we have a lot things to do. We cannot simply say NOW IS THE TIME to everything that come across our mind ? I agree that we will go berserk trying do everything at the same time.
I would like to leave you with a simple test to guide you on what you should do next.
Are you passionate about that item on your wish list ?
If the answer is yes, Now is the time to get on it.
Ladies and gentlemen…….when is the right time to do something you passionate about ?
Now is the time!

E T Lee without his internet connections

I was experiencing intermittent interuptions to my internet connections since Xmas eve.
It was like Santa suddenly get bored and decided to play the magician on me--- now you are connected.....then you are not....then you are on again.......
If you are wondering why E T Lee, the guy who is always electronically connected suddenly ignore your Xmas greetings, miss the New Year skype " Year End " conference etc, be assured that nothing happened to me. Nothing happened to my mother as well. My mother is actually recuperating well.
To all of you who have spent part of the happy hours during the festive season trying to contact me, I say thank you. I feel honoured to have a friend like you. Your SMS messages warmed my heart.
I have started the year 2009 well, with so many warm messages from good friends. I wish you too, will have a great year ahead.
E T Lee

Is attendance important ?

Is attendance important ?

Yes , of course attendance is important.

On the other hand, the importance of attendence should not be over emphasised.

Some clubs give special awards to individuals who have achieved 100 % attendence.

Lets examine what are we recognising these individuals for.

• Dedication ? These individuals may be coming for meetings but never wanted to attempt any speeches or always ask for the same simple roles .
• Diligence ? In respect of making themselves physically present , yes. What about actively working to achive their educational roles, participating in meeting roles etc ?

So the next time you want to give regcognition to someone for 100 % attendence, do consider whether the award will send the wrong signals to the rest of the club members.

Single driver bull dozer

Toastmasters is not only a public speaking club. It is a communication club. After joining the Toastmastes program for a while, you will come to realize this.

There are many things we can get done alone ourselves. We are not learning such skill in Toastmasters.

We are also not trying to get things done alone in the Toastmasters either.

We have actually come to Toastmasters to learn how to work as a team. We are here to pick up the communication skills necessary to motivate a team of co workers to work for a common goal.

So even when we can perform the job alone , we involve the other members......so that together we achieve more.

There is no place for a "Single Driver Bull Dozer " in Toastmasters.

I miss Bali Convention

36 hours before I was due to leave for Bali, my 84 years old mother fell and crushed her 3rd and 5th lumba vertebrae. I spent the next 6 days rushing to the hospital, rushing to business appointments , rushing here ,rushing there.

During this tireing week , I was swamped with SMSs from concerned Toastmasters who asked " Are you in Bali yet?" . " Which flight are you on? " And when they learned that my mother fell again , there was another round of SMSs to wish my mother speedy recovery.

I must thank the Toastmasters for their friendship. My own home club , the Johor Bahru Toastmasters Club, sent flowers to the specialist hospital. Thank you members.

My mother is now at home and recovering. With the grace of god , she has a slim chance of being able to walk again. Howerver I am thankful that she will at least be able to sit on a wheel chair.

I have always wanted to go to Bali. Not so much because I am receiving the President's Distinguised Division Award for the second time this Convention .

I like Bali, I used to go there to do consulting work on fish farms, mainly in fish farm design and nutritional regimes. Oh , I like the beaches and the temples. Well, I missed this chance this time. Looks like I have to take a holiday there on the next opportunity.

Vision 2020

After we have achieved full division status at the end of my term as Division A Governor, I have a vision. I called it Vision 2020.

Vision 2020 simply means aim for 20 clubs and each club having a minimum membership strength of 20.

When a club's membership falls below charter strength of 20

• meeting quality deteriorates
• club does not enough members to play even the basic meeting roles
• guests who visit the club do not have a good impression of the club and so normally do not even consider joining
• the finacial status of the club is challenged. The membership collections simply cannot cope with venue and meeitng expenses.

When no action is taken , most clubs like this drift into oblivion. There are many examples of such clubs even within our own Division.

After we have attained the minimum requirement of 12 clubs to claim full Division status, it is logical to launch vision 20 20.

More clubs and more members means we have a larger pool of talents to ensure varied and stimulating meetings.

And should you sit back and reflect at this moment, you will realize that the primary objective of you joining the Toastmasters movement is to tap that intelledctual stimulus to spur you towards improvements in leadership and communication skills.

When we have the critical mass, meaning enough clubs and enough members,

• meetings become interesting
• clubs have enough participants and financial strength to organize bigger events
• guests are impressed, and ready to consider joining the club

And all the clubs in the Division is poised for many years of fulfilling and rewarding Toastmasters programs.

Drama

The idea of having a drama or sketch session as a time filler came to me sometime last year while talking to some members. They thought we "must " have "interview " as part of a speech contest.

We interview participants after the speech contest at club level. At the Area level we do the same. Then at the Division level we found ourselves interviewing almost the same few people again. Although we do try to vary the questions, interviews at division level often go without attracting any applause. Interviews become a mundane part of the event.

To fill up the lull between the completion of a speech contest and the time when the results are announced, we can be actually be more creative eg. have a humour session, someone do an advanced project like " talk show" , interview .....or do a sketch, as long as it falls within the objectives of Toastmasters


Well, I am happy that we had two sketches in a recent Division event. The results were astounding. The participants enjoyed it and the audience loved it.

It served two objectives:

1. show our members that we can do more than just "interviews" at speech contests.
2. As true Asians, we tend to be monotonous in the way we speak. We thought by having some drama in our programs, we help bring awareness to this probelm and probably also help to change that tendency in due time. We achieved a certain degree of success at this first trial. The participants were clearly seen trying their best to incorporate vocal variety.

We actually had two groups:

1. The first group had the scripts days before hand. They did well.
2. The second group were given the scripts on the spot but allowed to hold the scripts as they perform. They were asked to concentrate on vocals, like doing a radio show, except that it was almost impromptu.

Both groups did well, and the audience responded with thunderous applause.