Area Director Message: Be Your Best Self

Yang berusaha Puan Pengelola Majlis, selaku Presiden Kelab Pidato EPF, Diana Md Ashar; Puan Pengerusi Majlis Hana Shazwin, Yang berbahagia En. Iwan Azlan Mokhtar, selaku Ketua Pegawai Sumber Manusia, Tuan Teoh Chun Ming selaku Pegarah Daerah Kelab Pidato 102, Tuan Srinivas selaku mantan Pegarah Daerah, pegawai-pegawai kanan Kelab Pidato Daerah 102, ahli-ahli Exco, Tan Sri, Puan Sri, Dato, Datin yang akan datang, tuan-tuan, puan-puan dan para hadirin sekalian. Assalammualaikum dan salam sejahtera. 

Ingin merasa kuah berkari,

Datang ke majlis malam ini;

Rasaku riang tidak terperi,

Bersua muka dengan rakan di sini.

I still remember it was sometime around August when my “beloved” Division D Director called me: “Alan, I am going to park EPF TMC club under you.” “So, is it considered a new club?” I asked, thinking that I could have a new club chartered under me. “Nope. It will be considered as base club.” I thought I could get a free meal. 

Throughout these period of time, the meetings were conducted online. The timing was intended to give convenience for the members. The challenge is to get external role players. We understand the challenges of corporate clubs. Nevertheless, the officers in District 102 gave the support to the very best of our ability.

As your Area Director, it is very heartening to witness tremendous growth among the club members. Yasmin Zeker, during the club contest, told me: “Alan, I feel anxious lahhh… I'm not humorous”. And she won second place in the Area level humorous speech contest. Come on, Yasmin, give yourself more credit. To add feather to the club achievement, Hana Shazwin, won the third place in recent Area level speech evaluation contest. Mind you, she was rubbing shoulders with past District finalists! Very strong contenders! I was deeply touched by Mdm President Diana’s speech. I heard it twice. Madam President, your courage won my deepest admiration. It was not easy to stand in front of public and share some of your deepest pain in life.  How can I forget BK! Just one whatsapp, he took up the role as SAA for Area contest in less than 24 hour notice. All these, showed the passion of EPF TMC members to their personal growth, taking responsibilities and most important of all, discover and nurture their innate talents. 

Our motto in Toastmasters is “Where Leaders are Made.” The key word: “Leaders, Made”. It is often thought Toastmasters is a place to practice public speaking. It is more than that.  In business, it is often thought that cost of goods sold, salaries, wages and benefits are the highest cost recorded in financial statements. However, if we were to think deeper, the most expensive costs are not these. It is cost of decision-making, learning and communication. Allow me to explain. 

We make hundreds of conscious decisions each day. As an entrepreneur, often, I have to make decisions that could impact survivability of my business. One right decision, our business shall thrive. One wrong decision, we die. Thus, making right decision is a critical skill as a leader. 

Imagine this. Your boss given you a task. Upon completion of this task one of you will be promoted. But it is the first time that you are doing the task. What if you have some relatable experience before? What if you know how to learn effectively? You will stand a better chance, don’t you? The skill to learn is one of the most valuable skills today. 

Communication. You saw the man or lady that you want to date. If you talk…. Hel.....looo…. My....name is Clement Chew. Do you think you stand a chance to get a date? Or if your boss asked: “Why should I promote you?” And you answered: “Because I am the best in the whole wide world.” Do you think you stand a chance to get the promotion? 

This is what I see the real value of Toastmasters. We learn all these skills in a safe community environment. We learn how to deliver projects so that we can make better decisions.  We learn how to learn, so that we can add value to the people around us, faster. We learn how to communicate, so that whatever we ask, we desire, can be given to us. In short, in Toastmasters, we are preparing ourselves so that when the opportunities arise, we can shoulder challenges, becoming a better person, eventually enjoying better quality of life. Therefore we are in Toastmasters.

Thus, to the Chief Human Resource Officer, Tuan Iwan, I implore you, to consider seriously and include Toastmasters community as one part of your strategic pillar to develop outstanding human capital to EPF, eventually our beloved country Malaysia. In the presence of senior District Officers of D102 Toastmasters, we are committed to give our full support to grow the club. To the EPF TMC Exco members, keep your fire burning. Have faith that this community of Toastmasters will help you to grow. To the future members, experiencing is believing. Join our meeting. My words are not doing justice to the benefits I received from Toastmasters.

It is my utmost privilege to be here in this blessed meeting tonight. By the authority of Toastmasters International vested in me, mandate given by Area D5 Council as Area Director, guided by values of Toastmasters International of Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence, I look forward to grow together with EPF TMC members to become their very best self. 

Area Director Speech 02: Decide

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, for they are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. – Marcel Proust”

 

Our club motto is very simple: Friends helping friends to succeed. It is our aspiration that our Family Members attained success in life with strong interpersonal and leadership skills. We are committed, dedicated and pledged to support our Family Members through meaningful, extraordinary friendship throughout their Toastmasters journey.  

 

We all know, the definition of success varies from each individual to another. As I continued in my Toastmasters journey, I experienced many failures. I witnessed friendships faded. Worse, I gone through the pain of failing relationships.

 

The truth is, we can’t help everyone to be successful, but we can decide to be successful. Indeed, many of my friends came in aid of my success in life. For that, I am very thankful. At the same time, I am fully aware that my Family Members here could not help me, unless I decided to receive help. Vice versa, I can only help my Family Members here, if only you, decided to receive help.

 

Decide – To make up one’s mind. To make a judgement or determine a preference. To come to conclusion. The root word “decide” have Latin origin. “De” means is to cut off, whereas the “cide” have root meaning of “to strike”.  Thus, in order for us to make decision, there are two parts: Cut-off unnecessary options, act upon the choice we make. If we are not making any decision, that a decision itself - no cut-off, no action. 

 

I think Toastmasters is a great platform for us to practice making decisions. We can decide the content of speech we deliver. We can decide on the positions we want to take. We can decide on the relationships we want to invest. To members, your utmost priority in Toastmasters journey is not meetings you attended, people you know. It is DECISION on what you want throughout Toastmasters journey. Once the decision is made, let us know, so that we, as Family Members of Friendship TMC can help you.

 

To the Exco team, decide on how you want to support the members and how members can support you. After 4 years of ups and downs in Toastmasters, I came to a simple 3 questions to decide on investment into any relationship, be it romantic, professional or personal. The 3 questions are:

1.        Can I add value to our relationship?
2.         Can he/she add value to our relationship?
3.         If yes to both, how can we work together?

By asking these 3 questions, it gave me immense clarity on how I can proceed with any relationship. For the Exco, make a collective decision for the benefit of yourself and Friendship family whole. Remember, tell us how we can support, so that you could be supported to be successful in your tasks.

 

To our beloved Mr President, under Toastmasters leadership handbook, there is a list of tasks that you need to perform. But the most important responsibility of you, as Club President, as spiritual leader and as CEO of this family, is to make quality decision for your personal growth, so that you can serve better as Club President.  Make every single President speech count. Gain personal clarity, skills and emotional fitness. Inspire others to work with you. Strive to create impact by making decision. You are given that authority and mandate to live this life, thus, don’t go through life…. But DECIDE to grow through life. Quoting Tony Robbins – “Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent and committed decision.”

 

There is a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book. As for me, I made the decision to continue my life journey with Friendship TMC. I look forward to opening up a new chapter of as your Insanely Handsome Area Director. Let us continue to “Friends helping friends to succeed.”

Photo by m0851 on Unsplash

 

Maiden Speech as Area Director: Priorities in Toastmasters Journey

The Invisible Hand Theory by Adam Smith, Wealth of Nation, 1776. “People who intend only to seek their own benefit are led by Invisible Hand to serve public interest which was no part of their intention.”

I come into business of market research with the intention of making more money for myself and family. I was not so much about growing the industry. But my research work led to better practice among my clients to better serve the public. That’s a classic example of Invisible Hand theory in action.

   

When we ask our members, why you join Toastmasters, the typical answers are “I want to be a better leader” and “I want to learn to speak better.” My question is: For who? For what purpose? What do you gain out of by being better leader and public speaker?

In Toastmasters, we are guided by the motto “Where leaders are made”. Our values are Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence. Why do we uphold the motto and the values of Toastmasters? For who? For what purpose?

As I continue in my Toastmasters journey, I realized that I join this community for the purpose of having a better life. Because I experienced progress in life through Toastmasters, thus, I stay. I stay because I see the value of Toastmasters in my life.

Isn’t that the same for everyone? Some of us believe that by becoming a better leader in Toastmasters, we can get promotion in our job and, have a better life. Those who under our leadership benefited from our effectiveness. By becoming a better orator, we can communicate better to achieve our life objectives. People whom we communicated to can understand our message and acted for common benefits. Again, this is a classic example of Invisible Hand theory in action. We are driven by our self-interests when we join Toastmasters, yet people around us benefited from our growth.

I had the privilege of knowing a very successful businessman from Rotary Club. He is very passionate in Rotary activities, and he shared with me how he prioritises activities in his life:

• First: Self
• Second: Family
• Third: Business/Career
•  Fourth: Rotary

I think it is the same for our Toastmasters journey. Our personal well-being should be top priority, so that we can function effectively as individual. Family is the one who will accompany us in our life journey, they should be well taken care of. Our business/career is the one that affirms our value in society and providing for ourselves and family. 

Our participation in Toastmasters should support our personal growth, family well being and improve our livelihood in business/career.  It should not jeopardize our well-being, family relationship and development of our business/career. Remember, our ultimate purpose of joining Toastmasters is to towards betterment of our life.

I would like to end my speech with a specific message to Mr President. Under leadership handbook, there is a list of tasks that you need to perform. But the most important responsibility is to make quality decision for your personal growth so that you can serve better as Club President.  Make every single President speech count. Gain personal clarity, skills and emotional fitness. Inspire others to work with you. Adapting words of Apostle Paul to Timothy: "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example as Leader in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in character." 1 Timothy 4:12

I look forward to opening up a new chapter of my Toastmasters journey with PJTMC. May we become light and blessing for others.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash