Mastering Communication Skills with the Toastmasters Club
In August 2021, the Life Communication Skills (LCS) Toastmasters Club started running their sessions at the public libraries. With the aim to not only improve public speaking skills but to also impart life skills through prepared speeches, this educational LearnX Community Club has since attracted a fair share of new followers looking to advance their career and personal development.
We speak to four of its past presidents, who’ve been active core members for many years, to find out what the club is about and their experience putting the sessions together.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. What made you decide to work with the National Library Board (NLB)?
Jeremy: During the pandemic, our meetings went online via Zoom, but we knew that once things were back to normal, we wanted to collaborate with NLB to reach out to the wider community more effectively.
Celine: We knew that NLB’s vision is to foster a love for reading and learning among Singaporeans. It was a vision shared by the LCS Toastmasters Club as well. Both parties believed in providing a safe and conducive environment for learning, and working together meant that new and current members could practise their oral and communication skills without the fear of judgement or dealing with difficult comments from the audience.
Jane: It was also a golden opportunity to organise additional Communication and Leadership workshops to help the public gain access to the Toastmasters pathways and be engaged with one another.
The club has been around for almost 10 years, and you’ve also reached the one-year milestone working with NLB. It must have been quite the journey. Care to share some enjoyable moments?
Celine: A lot goes into the preparation for each meeting, so to see the programme run well and to receive positive feedback from participants is extremely rewarding to me.
Delton: I enjoy sharing my knowledge and helping others improve their oral skills. It’s satisfying to see their confidence increase when they apply the new techniques they’ve learnt.
Jeremy: My favourite moments are the looks of epiphany on the faces of my participants after learning how they can improve from the suggestions I give them.
Jane: Making more friends and building bonds while networking at all levels across the many sessions and at NLB!
It’s very crucial indeed to keep your community strong! Were there any memorable incidents that left an impact?
Delton: Recently, one participant informed me that after attending the workshop on ways to give impromptu speeches, he’s now able to use the skills he learnt in his daily work effectively. He’s keen to learn more and help his own colleagues improve their communication skills.
Jeremy: I awarded some vouchers in that same workshop to two participants even though they had “failed” while playing a game. There was quite a reaction from the rest of the participants, not because they thought it was unfair, but because they regretted not “failing”. Their reactions were comical and I found the experience enriching.
Jane: For me, it was our very first physical workshop after such a long break due to pandemic restrictions. All of us were still donning our masks to deliver speeches and even when taking group photographs. We told ourselves not to bother to smile and just to open our eyes wide! It was a small moment, but a funny one.
Celine: There was once I gave a speech based on a touching story as part of the Toastmaster’s programme. I described an accident that caused the left side of the victim’s nose to be torn away. I said, “his left nose was torn…”. We usually have someone to give feedback on our usage of English. That person pointed out that he thought this victim had two noses, of which the left one was torn. I was amused at my mistake, but thankful that the victim in question did recover.
As with everything in life, things aren’t always smooth-sailing. What are some challenges you face at the LCS Toastmasters meetings?
Celine: The tough part is inviting and liaising with the many different appointment holders and speakers. We aim to make every meeting interesting and beneficial. To do this we work with both our own and other Toastmasters Club members. Fortunately, all our members are very helpful and will not hesitate to help.
Delton: The challenges of managing family, work and volunteering.
Jeremy: Yeah, same for me!
Jane: Drawing people out of their comfort zones to venture and try something new. For example, instead of going home after work, to sacrifice some time to go for self-improvement activities on their own time.
Is there anything else you would like to explore doing with NLB in the future?
Celine: I would love to invite NLB staff to also join and benefit from our Toastmasters Club programme. We can learn from each other and share our passion together with the public.
Delton: Yes, to reach out to a wider audience from different age groups would be fantastic.
Jeremy: Personally, I’ve always wanted to share my experience in sales and the energy market with the public.
Jane: Given the opportunity and time, I would like to have some sessions about the rich resources available at the libraries, such as doing book reviews and relating the information in such resources to real-life experiences.
These are some great ideas for ways to contribute to the library! Before we go, how would you say volunteering has benefitted you, be it at LCS Toastmasters Club or elsewhere?
Celine: I enjoy the great teamwork and friendship from members of the LCS Toastmasters Club. Serving the community with these like-minded people, from all walks of life and age groups, has spurred me to improve myself further.
Delton: It has built my confidence to take on more roles and responsibilities to help more people. This volunteering mindset has given me the confidence to take on new, uncharted challenges in my workplace.
Jeremy: I realised I have learnt a great deal about human sentiments and the importance of sincerity.
Jane: I feel that I help myself by helping others. I’m actively engaged and enriched by the diversity of people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences. I feel so fulfilled and accomplished with each milestone in my volunteering journey.
Thank you all very much for the time and effort you’ve put into putting these programmes together, and for chatting with us!
The Life Communication Skills Toastmasters Club takes place at Toa Payoh Public Library and Bishan Public Library. You can follow the LCS TMC Facebook group for any updates.
To explore volunteering opportunities at our libraries, click here.
To start your own LearnX Community, click here.
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Text by
Reena Kandoth
National Library Board
