1. Introduction Rainy season has started, and personally I have been much afraid of heavy rain since I witnessed neighboring cities got ravaged by torrential rains for the 2nd consecutive year. But I was relived to attend our Diversity meeting because it had stopped raining by the starting time. And the meeting theme was Start!
2. Our meeting helpers Toastmaster: Yukimasa-san Timer: Hideki-san, Grammarian: Our new president Midori-san, Ah-counter: Hideo-san Word of the Day: Yuki-san She introduced the word “anticipate”. It means to foresee, expect, realize beforehand, make a prediction, be excited or anxious about, & act in advance. Then she gave us some examples: we anticipate economic benefits from the Tokyo Olympics; I greatly anticipate your attendance; we anticipate a heavy rain tomorrow (Oh, no!) Now let’s start out meeting with 14 members and a wonderful guest!
3. Regular Speech Sessions 1)Prepared Speech Session The first prepared speaker was LanAnh-san! Her speech title was “Me and the door”from Competent Communication Manual. Her speech objectives were to select visual aids that are appropriate for the message and the audience. She used gestures effectively during her speech to attract the audience attention. By stating her experiences from her school days to a current event, she emphasized that we should open the door for others to make a connection and care for them. Thanks a lot for sharing your insights, LanAnh-san!
The 2nd speaker was Yumi-san! Her speech title was from Presentaion Mastery. Her speech objectives were to present either a new speech or the same speech that incorporates some or all of the feedback received from the presentation of the first speech. She shared her personal experience with her Australian friend in Thailand, where she is living. She described how important it is not to categorize people based on your own “formula” but to get out of your stereotype. Thanks a lot for the thought-provoking speech, Yumi-san!
The 3rd speaker was me. My speech title was “Kudos to Diversity TMC!” from The Entertaining Speaker. My speech objectives were to deliver an entertaining after-dinner talk on a specific theme; to deliver the talk using the skills developed in the preceding objects. Though my speech evaluator kindly pointed out some improvement of using humor in the evaluation session later, not only she but also other members voluntarily gave me words of encouragement via Chat function. (We are asked to write a comment within 1 minute after each speech is over.) I was not satisfied with my speech at all, but their warm comments made me move forward. Let me share all the comments I got.
①Thank you for reminding our history. I appreciate your dedication to launch our club. ②Thank you for your nice speech. I am your fan. ③Congratulations to completing your project 5! Good pause, good facial expressions and you looked enjoying your speech delivery that was good for all. ④I really like the way you ask people questions at the end because it encourages people to get involved with your presentation. Thank you. ⑤Another wonderful speech! ⑥Thank you very much for you heart-warming speech. Your speech certainly helped unite us as the fellow members of the club. Good job! ⑦That's a charming speech! I love your smile and your beautiful voice. Your comment after interaction session is smart. ⑧Thank you for your great work. Asami san, your smile made me relax. ⑨Your voice is very gentle and attractive from the beginning to the end. I could listen to your speech relaxingly! Thank you! I could feel the passion to Diversity as a founder.
Thank YOU, everyone. I’m proud of myself to be a member of Diversity TMC. Now it’s your turn, readers. Why don’t you take a look at our next meeting first and feel our friendly atomosphere? You won’t regret it😉
2)Table Topic Session with well-crafted questions conducted by Paul-san!
#1 When people start a new job, they often face lots of challenges. How do you deal with them? Fukuji-san has been an experienced teacher and had a lot of challenges. He has coped with them by letting them happen with a motto: Let it be and let it go.
#2 Nowadays, people make plans to study or work abroad. How do you start a new life overseas? Mikiko-san has never studied abroad, but if she has a chance, the first thing would be to figure out how to get to destinations because she has no sense of direction. Then she would like to try what she is interested in such as shopping and visiting museums.
#3 Starting a new business needs a lot of money. What are some ways to get money? Yuki-san has never thought about it, but she would first negotiate with a bank and make some investment. Also, she is going to use the internet and contact business consultant.
#4 Starting a new business can be stressful. How do people usually cope with such stress? Yumi-san would start 2 business. One is related to what she is into like sewing, and the other is for a backup business. By doing so, she can enjoy at least 1 business and doesn’t have to be anxious about her businesses too much.
#5 If you were to start a new business, what would it be? Since Kazuko-san is a dog person, she would set up a dog rescue center for the abandoned dog, and try to find a new family to take care of them.
#6 If you have a lot of money, will you start your own business? Yukimasa-san said yes. He has been serving for his companies for many years and he would try a business leader in the future. His ultimate goal would be to keep a honeybee farm traveling north to south all over Japan.
All the impromptu answers were quite intriguing for me. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
3)Evaluation Session As always, all the evaluators did a great job, which has been surprising and superb! I wonder why every evaluator can evaluate effectively on the spot. Among them, Kazuko-san was the best evaluator. And…what is more surprising, she got the best table topic speaker award! Wow!! Congratulations!! We finished our meeting with a great start. I really appreciate your dedication, everyone!