318th Chapter Meeting President's Opening Address and Launch of the Inspirational Speeches Series

Every once in a while, everyone of us will come across an inspirational speech, a speech that might just change our lives.

When I was young, I knew who Martin Luther King Jr. was – the civil rights leader of America who was gunned down in 1968. I knew he delivered one of the greatest speech ever delivered in public – “I have a Dream”. It was a speech so moving and so motivating that it brought a country once divided by colour, unity.

But it was only 3 days ago when I finally saw Reverend King spoke, on the ever popular YouTube, an archive of his speech that day on 28 August 1963. And when I heard and when I saw, I wept. Yes, I cried. I cried because never did I know the power of people. Never did I understand the strength of us humans. Never did I once realise the priceless quality called freedom, that I possess, that so many of us in the world still do not have. I finally felt it.

What I also felt was that indeed the pen, or in this case, the voice, is more powerful than the sword. Without a single shred of doubt. That a single person, out of passion for his fellow people and the rights of others, could change the world. I bow to this man and would have gladly fight for his cause alongside him.

There was also another man who made me cry, someone from Toastmasters. It was May 2006 and the World Champion of Public Speaking, Jim Key, re-presented his winning speech to us delegates at the District 80 Annual Convention in Singapore. He spoke about how “It is never too late” to achieve what you want to achieve. I thought of myself and the little achievements that I had – and started crying. This man touched my heart too.

Being in Toastmasters and benefiting from the Toastmasters Program is one of the best things in life. While it never ceases to amaze me how powerful and motivating some of the speakers in our district and elsewhere can be, what is more satisfying, just like a parent looking at his/her child, is to watch how an awfully awkward speaker metamorphosed into the polished presenter he or she is now.

As President of the club, I have often encouraged you to learn and continue your journey of learning from the better speakers and from the Toastmasters Educational Program. It is with this education goal in mind for each of you that I’ve decided to launch a new series of educational resources to encourage, motivate and inspire you – the Inspirational Speeches Series.

This is a series of yes, inspirational speeches, found on the web and/or recorded by our club and others, complete with video/audio and text. Amongst them will be some of the greatest speeches made by Reverend Martin Luther King Junior, President Abraham Lincoln, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Malcolm X, Senator Barack Obama and many many more great speakers of our time. You, as members of our club and of Toastmasters, now have a valuable tool and resource to learn not just from our fellowship in Toastmasters, but from the best the world has to offer. Right at home.

As the saying goes, while we might not become giants, but if we stand on the shoulders of giants, we can see as far as they do. It is now your duty and mission to learn from these giants what you have always wanted to achieve. And we will always be beside you in this journey.