International Speech and Table Topics Contest! - 5th February 2015

As usual, it was a night of exciting speeches and inspiring anecdotes. If you were there, you would have been like all of us, clinging on to the side of the chairs while being on edge, eagerly anticipating the contest results!

This year, Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club, one of Singapore's top toastmasters clubs, saw an interesting mix of powerhouses and fresh blood in the contest. And boy, what a night!

Wesley, coupled with his trademark charm and boyish smile, shared with us his journey of finding his voice. That inner spark in him ignited his drive and strengthened the person he is.

What is your voice? 

Stephen Covey once said in his 8th habit, that finding your voice is the path from effectiveness to greatness.

What an amazing message! Wesley definitely set the bar really high for the first speech.

Do you want a heaven in hell, or a hell in heaven?

You might take a while to wrap your heads around these deep words, but Shaun got us thinking -- what is the world we create with our words?

A simple framing with a few world fundamentally changes our psyche, our perspective and our world-view. 

Next time, before you lament about a failure, pause and think -- how do I create a heaven out of this? This failure could simply be the obstacle to YOUR NEXT BIG SUCCESS!

Success begins with showing up.

How do we succeed?

Many people often think it's all about being smart, intelligent and having strong EQ. Yes, those are necessary, but how do you even do all that if you don't show up?

In this illuminating speech, Joe shared how the act of showing up was a game-changer in his relationships, career and success. He managed to say his last goodbyes to his grandmother and therefore having no regrets when she sadly passed on. 

When you are feeling lazy and are thinking of backing out of a Toastmaster's appointment role, just remember: Success begins with showing up!

IKEGAI.

Living your life's purpose. 

What is your life purpose? What is your belief? What are your dreams?

In his thought-provoking speech, Michael pushed and pounded us to really pause and ponder.

We often live life getting past each day, but have we thought about the bigger reason we are doing this for?

IKEGAI -- live your life with purpose. Are you where you want to be today?

What is your COE?

Huh? What COE?

In his clever twist of words and charismatic use of language, Coen shared about his chase of certificates -- using the metaphor of our common understanding of COE (Certificate of Entitlement).

But what if we have more empowering definitions of COE for our lives?

Certificate of Empathy for yourself
Certificate of Excellence
Certificate of Extraordinary

Yes, there is something more in life than just plain certificates of paper which hold significance. Can we give ourself these new definitions of certificates which we rightfully deserve?

What is your identity?

Have we been letting past incidents shape our future identity? What is the identity you want to take on? Are these identities empowering?

Yes, big and deep questions! Kin shared how a paradigm shift in his thinking fundamentally altered his identity -- from a quiet and shy boy shunning from responsibility to a confident, responsible manager and current President of Tampines Changkat Toastmasters.

What is the identity you want to take on today?

Have you been holding yourself hostage?

Have you truly released yourself from the burden you have been placing on yourself?

In this heart-stirring speech, Shuzhen got everyone clinging on to her every word as they travelled with her back to her past where she held herself hostage. 

Emerging from those memories of pain and pressure, Shuzhen is now strong, positive and cheerful. To forgive yourself, break the chains we have put on ourselves and enjoy whatever life is. You will discover the love for yourself once again.

It was a great learning moment for the audience -- Have you been holding yourself hostage? Have you truly let it go?

At least I have health! At least I have a roof over my head! At least..!

In a revelational speech about his recent health scare, Ted shared about how we often get bogged down by problems which seem minuscule when you step back and have a greater perspective.

Think of things in ..."at least" and your world view will fundamentally change!

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What amazing speeches!

Our winners for the international speech contest:

Champion: Michael Wee

1st Runner-Up: Ng Kin Foong

2nd Runner-up: Zhuo Shuzhen

Table topic for table topics contest:

Oprah Winfrey -- You get in Life what you have the courage to ask for.

Here are snapshots for the Table Topics Contest!

 Kapil Jin Hwui

 Arjun

Our winners for the table topics contest:

Champion: Michael Wee

1st Runner-Up: Arjun Chakrabarti

2nd Runner-up: Lee Jin Hwui

Hopefully this post have given you a glimpse of how illuminating and inspiring the night was.

For more information on the international speech and table topics contest, click on this link!

As you can probably tell, our club nurtures amazing speakers with high-quality content in their speeches! Join us on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays and it would be the highlight of your week. I promise.

For even more details, here is what you can do:

Either:

1. 

2. Contact our Vice-President of Public Relations, Christina Ho through her email  

3. Enter your details on the Contact Form on the right and your queries will be replied promptly! 

Tampines Changkat always welcomes guests because we believe in sharing and inspiring. Really, don't hesitate to connect with us!

Lots of Love,

Christina Ho 

Vice-President of Public Relations

Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club