TU Toastmasters Club wins Evaluation Contest

By Geraldine Tan

 

SUBANG JAYA – Taylor’s University’s (TU) Toastmasters club had the honour of hosting the annual “Area B2 and B4 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest” here on 13 Sept where members of various Toastmasters clubs showcased their public speaking skills to a supportive audience of 50 people.

 

Vice president of public relations for TU’s Toastmasters club Ashikin Aidura, said “This was two contests in one; first is where contestants had to deliver a humorous speech and the second is to provide positive and encouraging feedback to a test speaker.”

 

Aidura added that TU was the only university club competing among corporate Toastmasters clubs such as Service Rocket and CIMA this round. TU’s Toastmasters club members took this contest as a platform to challenge them into tailoring their speeches and evaluations to meet certain criteria.

 

“Since Toastmasters International is an organization focusing on self-improvement,” Aidura said, “It’s also a rare opportunity for competitive Toastmasters to see how they rank among other speakers.

 

“We’re not like a debate club where it’s all about winning, but more on ‘how can you do better?’”

 

TU’s Toastmasters representative and winner of Evaluation Contest, Lalitha Muthathal said, “I used to have stage fright and one day I decided to do something about it.

 

“I saw an opportunity to face my fears through Toastmasters and it has become a platform for everyone to be better at their speech.

 

“A lot of people do not realize how important it is to communicate a message clearly.”

 

Muthathal added that the people in Toastmasters are closely knitted and are always there to support one another.

 

“Should anyone make mistakes,” Muthathal said, “they won’t be criticized because it’s all part of learning.”

 

At the end of the event, contestants and participants were awarded a certificate of appreciation each and prizes for good effort. Members of corporate Toastmasters clubs too, cheered on TU’s Toastmasters, thanking the team and TU for hosting the event.