Monday, October 18, 2021
Halloween's Happy Prize-winning, Memorable Speech From Angela and Scary Stories from Others at Nee Soon South
Angela Lansbury in Halloween hat with black bats. Photo selfie by Angela Lansbury.
Halloween was the amusing subject of the questions in the table topics (impromptu speech) session at Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club online on Zoom. The President, Chan Ah Cheng had prepared interesting and challenging topics including: Share a scary incident; What would you offer as a healthy treat instead of sweets? What would you wear to a Halloween party. All three speakers were voted best speaker, the best evaluator was Isabella Tham and I won the vote for best table topics.
My questions was, What would you do with a pumpkin?
Pumpkins
I answered: '(1) I would cut off the top using a pumpkin cutting kit bought from the nearest supermarket. Scoop out the inside to make food and drinks.
(2) Cut holes for the eyes, nose and mouth and set up a light inside - a candle. (I should have suggested a safer electric torch.)
(3) Then I would make a pumpkin fruit drink, pumpkin hot soup, and pumpkin pie. I would invite all of you to a pumpkin party!
(4) If we can't meet because of Covid, we could all party online, wearing orange. And I would have a vote for the best costume, to add interest and attract people along to our Halloween theme meeting -
(5) And the following meeting.'
Jolly TMD
Toastmaster of the Day, Lim Tong Lee, beamed with his usual bonhommie. He managed to make the usually serious President laugh. I wish I could remember his quip.
Language - Alliteration
Although I was not the language evaluator I did record two of his alliterations: 'humorous and heart-warming', and 'enriching and empowering'.
During the evening I noted only one grammatical oddity, the use of starting a sentence, Anybody wants? Whilst other languages can frame a question by taking a statement and adding a question mark at the end,The usual way to phrase a question in English is like this: Does anybody want ...?
The meeting had support from stalwarts such as Hakim. He spoke about how to keep children happy: by helping them to Zoom to parents who are away working, or isolating because of Covid.
Scary Army Night Walks
He also revealed that in the army the Night Walks for recruits are occasionally used as an opportunity to test their resolve or build boldness and team spirit by pranking them with a challenge. For example, a scary ghost sound or sight.
The reverse can also happen. A suspected prank can turn out to be a real emergency.
The table topics questions and speeches from Hakim and others helped me to recall the winning story from another meeting. A recruit sent on a relay run through a cemetery heard suspicious moaning. Should he run on? Was it a ghost? Or a prank - an ambush. He nerved himself not to run on, but to be fearless and practical, to investigate the source of the sound. The groaning noise turned out to be the genuine moans and calls for help from another cadet. The injured person was not from his group, but from an earlier team relay. The unlucky cadet had fallen in the dark. (Into a newly-dug open grave.) The injured man was grateful to be rescued! By our courageous cadet.
Facing Fear - Bank Robbers On An Island
I now, in retrospect, remember another favourite story I read in Singapore's newspaper, The Straits Times. Bank robbers in Malaysia carried off the money and stole a boat. They arrived with their loot on what they thought was a deserted island.
They did not know the island was used as an army cadet training ground.
Cadets, sent out on games, had been told to camouflage themselves on the beach.
The three (armed, desperate and dangerous?) bank robbers landed their boat. The robbers were shocked to suddenly be surrounded by a group of lads with machine guns!
The three army cadets, still believing this was just an exercise, acted tough. Having secured the miscreants, they proudly marched the three 'captive bank robbers' back to their commander.
He was astonished. Mission accomplished. By the brace cadets. They had passeded the test, succeeded beyond the widest dreams of themselves - and their commander.
Moral: Do not land on unmarked apparently deserted islands. Especially not around Singapore. you never know when conscripted cadets are playing capture the enemy.
One day I shall win a table topic or contest with this story.
The Next Nee Soon South Speakers' Meeting
Come along to the Nee Soon South club's next meeting, as usual the third Monday in the month, on November 22nd - it will be their contest evening with prepared and impromptu speeches in three exciting contests.
Labels: army recruit, bank robbers, cadet training, cemetery, deserted island, Impromptu speeches, Malaysia, Nee Soon South speakers, prank, table topics, what you can do with a pumpkin
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Impromptu Table Topics in Singapore, England, the USA and worldwide
At Toastmasters International clubs worldwide visitors and those members not doing a prepared speech or other role are offered the opportunity to speak unplanned, for two minutes on a surprise topic. Past winners often visit clubs giving their tips for a successful table topic. (Table topics were, and still sometimes are, topics picked unseen from the table.)
In London, England, it is more common for the table topics master to read out the subject, allowing everybody in the room a chance to think about it and try to form a quick reply to every subject, then after a brief pause to pick on the person to speak.
The advantage is that not just one person is trained in speaking off the cuff, but as many as 20 to 40 in a room. If you are in the audience and can't think of an answer, you will feel even more admiration and gain extra pleasure from hearing an entertaining or informative answer, and seeing how the topic question could be answered.
If the topics master arrives early at a meeting, and the guests do likewise, the topics master has a chance to befriend the visitors, find out how quickly and easily they respond to questions, and ask if they would be happy to speak. The topics master can adapt the questions, or re-order the questions, giving the first question to a confident speaker, who demonstrates how it is done and sets up an atmosphere of enthusiasm.
Later questions can be given to guests and returning former members, VIP visitors such as the Area Governor who visits twice a year to give a report. (The number of questions can vary from three to ten depending on time, about five or six being more usual.)
In Singapore it is more usual to allow members of the audience to volunteer. The advantages are that you avoid the embarrassment of notebook coming forward - which is more likely in Singapore where greater numbers are shy, or speak English as a second language, than in the USA and UK those who want to speak can do so.
In some clubs the experienced topics masters know that many members speak Singlish and may be reluctant to volunteer. So the topics master encourages volunteers by offering a small gift.
The advantage is that not just one person is trained in speaking off the cuff, but as many as 20 to 40 in a room. If you are in the audience and can't think of an answer, you will feel even more admiration and gain extra pleasure from hearing an entertaining or informative answer, and seeing how the topic question could be answered.
If the topics master arrives early at a meeting, and the guests do likewise, the topics master has a chance to befriend the visitors, find out how quickly and easily they respond to questions, and ask if they would be happy to speak. The topics master can adapt the questions, or re-order the questions, giving the first question to a confident speaker, who demonstrates how it is done and sets up an atmosphere of enthusiasm.
Later questions can be given to guests and returning former members, VIP visitors such as the Area Governor who visits twice a year to give a report. (The number of questions can vary from three to ten depending on time, about five or six being more usual.)
In Singapore it is more usual to allow members of the audience to volunteer. The advantages are that you avoid the embarrassment of notebook coming forward - which is more likely in Singapore where greater numbers are shy, or speak English as a second language, than in the USA and UK those who want to speak can do so.
In some clubs the experienced topics masters know that many members speak Singlish and may be reluctant to volunteer. So the topics master encourages volunteers by offering a small gift.
GIFTS
For example, a table displays several small objects. The speaker can choose one and say why they want or need that item. Then they get to keep it. The first speakers have more choice. Alternatively, everybody can be given the same gift, not the subject of their talk, such as a pencil or chocolate bar.
It's easy and not too expensive to go into a pound shop or 99 c shop and buy a big bag of chocolates or stationery or children's toys or knick-knacks.
UK, Poundland. Japan's Daiso is also found in the USA, Korea, Singapore and elsewhere.
If the club is affluent, they might reimburse the purchaser. Either occasionally or every week. Another way of doing this on a budget would be to ask everybody to bring in a small unwanted item, such as gift from a cereal packet. This could easily be done before or after Xmas or Easter. A variation on Secret Santa when you might set a budget such as bring a gift costing 2 dollars or 5 dollars or more than five but under ten dollars. If the item is, say four dollars, a generous donor might put two in the pack.
Supermarkets often have multi-packs of sweets or pencils or plastic flowers or assortments of gifts.
As a visitor in Singapore, I often wait until after the VIPs such as the president are encouraged to speak first. I volunteer towards the end, especially if they topics master asks the toastmaster of the Evening, "Do we have time for one or two more topics?"
Then I am not pushing myself ahead of the two or three keenest people. But I am not missing out.
Also in a smaller group I may be asked to speak at this point after the other optional speakers have been eliminated. Some have spoken; others have declined to speak.
Next post: My Prize winning table topic on A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush.
In Singapore at Bukit Batok Toastmasters club, 2nd September 2015.
Angela Lansbury CC (Competent Communicator) ACG (Advanced Communicator Gold)
As a visitor in Singapore, I often wait until after the VIPs such as the president are encouraged to speak first. I volunteer towards the end, especially if they topics master asks the toastmaster of the Evening, "Do we have time for one or two more topics?"
Then I am not pushing myself ahead of the two or three keenest people. But I am not missing out.
Also in a smaller group I may be asked to speak at this point after the other optional speakers have been eliminated. Some have spoken; others have declined to speak.
Next post: My Prize winning table topic on A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush.
In Singapore at Bukit Batok Toastmasters club, 2nd September 2015.
Angela Lansbury CC (Competent Communicator) ACG (Advanced Communicator Gold)
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daiso
https://www.daisosingapore.com.sg/
Please share links to your favourite posts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daiso .)
Labels: 99c shop, budget, Christmas, Daiso, gift, Impromptu speeches, pound shop, Poundland, Singlish, table topics, toys, VIP, volunteering to speak
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Impromptu Speeches and Table Topics
You probably know that impromptu speeches are those which are not prepared but 'off the cuff'. In Toastmasters International, the worldwide organisation training speakers, most meetings include impromptu speeches called Table Topics. This is because the table topics were originally topics written down and placed on a table.
Labels: Impromptu speeches, table topics, Toastmasters International
