Presidential Speech: 10th July 2006
Good evening Immediate Past President, Felicia Low, fellow toastmasters, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first meeting for the new term.
Under the leadership of Felicia last year, I am pleased to announce that we had achieved Select Distinguished Club. We have achieved 7 out of 10 DCP goals. This is indeed an achievement so let us give ourselves a round of applause.
Now, this means that as your new President, I have to set a higher goal this year and steer the club to achieve President Distinguished Club by achieving 9 out of 10 DCP goals. We have to cruise ahead and not to remain on the shores of our comfort zone.
Members! CAN WE ACHIEVE IT?
Yes, we can!
We can achieve it for two good reasons.
Firstly, more than half of our members are doing P5 and above and they are on track to complete their 10 projects to achieve their CTM title. So, by the term ends in 30 June 2007 after about 22 meetings we will have at least 4 CTMs or even more. For myself I will be aiming for my ATM Bronze title and I am determined to finish my outstanding 8 projects. I also know Chee Kheong is equally determined to get his ATM title.
Secondly, we have a dynamic and capable EXCO this year. Most of the members of the EXCO have weathered through the financial and membership crisis last year and have emerged stronger, and even more dedicated to serve in the club.
With such a strong and supportive team, we cannot fail.
I am fully aware of the responsibilities as President and I pledge my best efforts to continue to uphold the good management and prestige of this club.
In addition, I owe fellow members an even more important duty and that is the duty to ensure the education progress of our members. Why is this important? It is important because, this is why the club exists. This is why, you pay $330 membership a year.
To fulfill that duty we must maintain and improve the quality of our speeches and to help us do that, I have proposed to the EXCO, to create an educational resource which will comprise the following:
a) An archive of good speeches by past and present members
b) Web articles and tips on public speaking
c) Scripts and MP3 recordings of famous speeches made by great speakers around the world.
This lectern had heard countless speeches which had won the hearts and minds of its audience since its existence, but we have not. I wish somewhere in this lectern there is a built-in recording device with a playback button for us to replay those wonderful speeches. Unfortunately, no such device exists. But those speeches were our heritage, our history but they had faded with time. So, I hope, we can archive good speeches starting this year.
During my free time, I surf the web for articles and scripts of great speeches. Now, I want to share them with you because what is the best way to learn than to learn from the best?
I will personally collate the materials and place them either on a website or a blog as suggested by Diana though I am totally new to blogging. We will build it up, day by day, week by week, month by month. I hope after we have established this resource, future presidents and members will build upon it and benefit members of the club. More details and initiatives will be announced later after I have discussed the details with the EXCO.
Dear members, it will be an exciting year, but there will be challenges ahead and we must be willing to participate, to help one another to achieve our common aim which is to sharpen our public speaking skills. With your support and commitment, I am confident that we can all work together for the greater prestige and success of Lion City Toastmasters Club.
Cliff making his Project 4 speech on '3 steps that one must possess to becoming a millionaire' - a hilarious twist to the usual get rich quickly guide!
Chern Chou's win for Best Table Topic
