Toastmasters, Where Leaders are Made

In view of the ongoing Movement Control Order (MCO), I-Innovative Gavel Club, an affiliate of Ipoh Toastmasters Club had their first online meeting via video conference application, Zoom recently.

Under the guidance of Toastmasters International, Gavel Club members, also known as ‘Gaveliers’, were required to present on a topic handed to them within a time limit.

Topics presented were worth a ponder, such as “if we learn from mistakes, why are we always afraid to make mistakes?” and “if you were given RM1, 000 and you have to spend it by the day, what would you use the money on?”

Another interesting session, ‘Let’s Oink!’ saw Gaveliers replacing a word from their entire speech with animal sounds such as “meow”, “woof” or “oink”.

“Gavel Club follows in the footsteps of Toastmasters’ meeting agenda, so it also usually lasts two hours,” said Chloe Lee, president of Ipoh Toastmasters Club. “To ensure everything goes according to schedule, there is a timer role, such as colour cues that are provided to speakers to mark the duration of their speech.

“Toastmasters go beyond just improving members’ public speaking skills but also others such as listening, leadership and language proficiency,” she posited. “This is also to encourage members’ style of speech and sharing that they’re personally more receptive towards.”

Peter Bucher better known as Pak Peter among Ipohites, who is also a mentor of Gavel Club, stated, “To appeal to the youth, Toastmasters has several outreach community programmes such as the Gavel Club itself, interpersonal communication and Speechcraft.”

Speechcraft is a six-week course aimed at young adults where community members are introduced to Toastmasters and the fundamentals of public speaking. 

“Besides improving one’s language skills, it is also crucial that the youths today learn to be inclusive and diverse through Speechcraft,” Pak Peter expressed. “To improve oneself at various communication aspects, Toastmasters is a good place to start.”

Public speaking is no longer a soft skill; it is the key to success in any field.

For more information regarding Toastmasters and its programmes in Ipoh, log on to Facebook and visit their pages at www.facebook.com/Ipoh-Toastmasters-Club-222781051138684/ or www.facebook.com/i.innovative. Readers may also contact Ipoh Toastmasters Club Vice President of Education, Daniel Ng at 012 508 6338 or email danielngshusong@gmail.com.

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