Immediately after I completed Advanced Toastmaster Bronze (ATM-B) qualification, then VP Education Simon Low told me that it was time for me to start taking up roles in the meeting especially as speech evaluator. I have been enjoying delivering prepared speeches for the past ten months and I agreed that it was pay-back time. I did not know that I would be gaining much more by participating as appointment holder in meetings. After attending the evaluation workshop conducted by Albert Chan, I started my debut as evaluator. It was fun as I learnt different aspects of communication including the listening, observation and delivering impromptu speech skills. The first evalution I did was very challenging and fearful. I worried about many things, about offending the speaker, accuracy of evaluation, not having things to say, and many others. As usual, the butterflies came back and challenge my decision. More and more I got used to the feeling and I improved my evaluation skill.
On the second year in the club, I took up the challenge to be VP Education. Even before the term commenced, I started club visiting just to get to know other Toasmasters. With evaluation skill, my visit was welcomed everywhere. I got to know many new friends. I learnt to give favour so that I could get favour back from those people to visit our club as evaluators. When I became President, I shared the visitation routine with Seow Hwee Ling as VP Education. I felt so proud when I announced that I came from Cheng San.
In April, then Area Governor (AG) S1 DTM Stanley Goh asked me if I was interested in serving as AG. At that time, I was also serving as Assistant Area Z1 Governor when Marshall Lee was serving as Area Z1 Governor. I thought I wanted to focus on attaining my Advanced Toastmaster Silver (ATM-S) the next that I rejected the offer. I thought my live had been so busy with Cheng San TMC that I wanted to slow down and to spend more time with family. I thought that was all there was to Toastmasters. Little did I know that more challenges and discoveries awaited me few months after that.
Just before the new term started for me to become the Immediate Past President (IPP), DTM Patricia Lum (the newly elected Division S Governor then) called me to serve as her AG. She told me she needed my help to cover Area S5. With much hesitation as Cheng San TMC was not in S5, I accepted the challenge and I became Area S5 Governor. The reason was also that I completed my ATM-S just enough time to contribute another point to Cheng San TMC.
I started the area with 4 clubs. With the help of then Division Advisor DTM Kan Kin Fung, we managed to charter a new club, Woodlands TMC few months later. Being involved in division provided me with more activities and definitely more fun in Toastmasters education and leadership journey. I was involved in various Area, Division and District activities as organisers, supporters and participants. Having had to visit more clubs than ever, it opened up my horizon even wider on how our people were running their clubs. Those were really different experiences than what we could gain from our own club alone.
While serving as AG, I managed to put in time to complete my Advanced Toastmaster Gold (ATM-G) qualification. Along the way, I obtained my Competent Leader (CL) qualification after serving the VP Education term. I also completed the Advanced Leader (AL) qualification after completing my AG term and High Performance Leadership program. It means that I was eligible to apply to become Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) just three years after I became a Toastmaster.
Along the way, I was actively involved in setting up of various clubs in different locations. I took part in various speech contests and delivered speeches in various occasions as District Official (Area Governor). I think I have grown up quite considerably in those three years. After my AG term, I took on the appointment as Assistant Division S Governor when DTM Stanley Goh served as Division S Governor 2004/2005.
Involving and participating fully in the Toastmasters in both the communication and leadership tracks were the best way to get the most from my membership as a Toastmaster. I thanked all members and mentors for providing me the chance to learn and grow.
Sincerely,
Sugeng Sanusi (Shi Song Jun), DTM
Past Area S5 Governor 2003/2004
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