We can be heroes, just for one night

19th November 2012

Do I hear you calling out for a hero?

Word of the Day: Valour, Valorous, Valorously

What qualities does a hero possess? Why do we admire our heroes so much? Courage, a hero has the ability to overcome fear and the unknown.  Heart, a hero does heroic deeds for the good of others, not thyself. Leadership, a hero leads by example and has his or her own set of rules. We often think of superheroes when we hear the word hero but any ordinary person has the ability to be heroic to someone else.

Our Toastmaster of the Evening is a heroine in her right, her courage to take the stage as much as she can, her heart and enthusiasm is contagious and her strive to build leadership skills is greatly admired. That heroine was Vanessa Lau who led our meeting.

Heroes are always prepared and so are our speakers. Showing valour each time he tackles a speech, Sergio Aguirre spoke about the changing population of America and the need to include Latino culture and values in American public policy especially during an election.  Next to take the stage was Philip Ngan who showed us that “Electronic Translation is not a must but a Necessity” where Sergio was used to demonstrate that body language alone cannot translate what you need to say so the way is through Google Translate. Saving us from not being heard is Andrew Yeung, who did a tutorial on voice projection. Here’s a tip: Speak to the back to speak forward. If you’re scratching your head about that one, you should’ve been at the meeting. Ben Fung never disappoints with his comedic performances and his speech about the “Power of Persuasion through Advertising” included a Brad Pitt impersonation.

Andrew Yeung- Best Prepared Speaker

Heroes have to be ready at a moment’s notice, ready to take on the challenge at the sound of a siren or cry for help. The cry was from our Table Topics Master- Aparna who threw out a topic and we answered. The first to answer the call of duty was Arthur. Always suave and never breaking a sweat, Arthur spoke about who is hero is but also how Hong Kong needs a hero at the moment to stop all the negativity and social problems. The president of the club took aim at the second question and spoke about the qualities of a hero. Alan Wong spoke next about a time to show heroism and how we can all be heroes by being eco-friendly. Who’s your favourite fiction hero- that would be Batman and Superman? If you’re Bobby who grew up admiring these comic superheroes.

Sandy Chan- Best Table Topics Speaker

Evaluators brave the reaction of our speakers and each eloquently gave their expert advice on how we can use clothing as a prop in our speeches, voice projection and variation among others. Another piece of advice for Table Topic speakers, it’s usually the speaker who shows the most confidence rather than having the best content.

Clement Wong- Best Evaluator

According to our TME, the true heroes of the meeting are our invaluable facilitators who run the show. Where would we be without our timekeeper- Ernest Mak, our Ah-Counter- Johnny Chiu, our Grammarian- Michael Boynton and our General Evaluator- Asta Lee.

Til our next meeting where we shall once again rise to the challenge of public speaking which will take place on the 3^rd of December with the theme- Toys. See you there!

Sandy Chan

President

Hong Kong Toastmasters Club