CLUB SPiRIT: TOASTMASTERS CLUB'S THREE EVENTS IN JUST HALF A YEAR

by Rohit Wad, TM

The SPi Toastmasters Club has long sought to impress upon the employees of SPi the value of public speaking. In 2007, three significant events in the club’s history have qualified as such: the BOOK TALKS Series, the Speech craft Program and the Ca-ching!: Lance Miller Visit to SPi.

BOOK TALKS, which was a coordinated effort between the SPi Writers Guild and SPi Toastmasters, sought to merge written English (from books) and spoken English (from speeches) together by having SPi employees share their insights and opinions on their favorite books, while on stage.

Snapshots of BOOK TALKS first run last February at the SPi Night Cafe.

Multiple challenges were encountered during the course of the event, which was held every Friday over the course of three months. One of them being is the less-than-expected number of attendees at each scheduled date and venue. The events took place nevertheless, and those who attended—mainly members and affiliates of Writers Guild and Toastmasters—witnessed the value of the insights discussed. The themes of the events included FAMILY, PEOPLE, and WOMEN, with various books from each of the themes forming the core of the discussions.

The Speechcraft Program, like BOOK TALKS, was also an effort of another partnership; this time, with SPi Foundation. The project aims to help public school teachers to hone their public speaking skills. This was done by the teachers attending Toastmasters meetings, with the teachers being the primary participants in those meetings. Their progress was well-noted and significant. According to TM Luz Desquitado, the one who spearheaded this project, the teachers progressed from being shy to “brimming with confidence” after they graduated from the program.

The Toastmasters behind this successful run of Speechcraft, a joint project of Tm with SPi Foundation.

Read CSR (or SPi Foundation) newsletter (June issue) about volunteerism. Toastmasters Club and the Writers Guild were featured. Download here.

The Lance Miller Visit to SPi proved to be worth its weight in gold as it drew in attendees from SPi’s various business units and departments. Lance Miller, a Distinguished Toastmaster and the 2005 World Public Speaking Champion, brought to light his various experiences in public speaking, with humorous speeches being his specialty. One of Lance’s techniques for humorous speaking included his ARC principle (Affinity, Reality, Communication), on which he bases all of his speeches on. It is through this principle that he delivered over 1,000 speeches all over the world, with his visit to SPi being his latest, as well as the first time he has delivered a speech to a Filipino audience.

Pictures of this event to follow.

There's more to come with Toastmasters. Watch for it!

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About the Correspondent

Rohit Wad, TM is currently the Vice-President for Public Relations of SPi Toastmasters Club. He's with Quality. Do you want to join Toastmasters? Feel free to ask him anytime!