Ginza! May 27, 2018

1. Introduction Ginza Toastmasters meeting was held was on Sunday,27th May at Daiba Civic Center. We heard two wonderful speeches, enjoyed hilarious table topic session and learned practical skill at special workshops from the regular member with the guests.

2. Roles Drian Von-Golden, President of the Club, welcomed everyone to the meeting then led guest introduction. There were two guests, Brian and Shiro. He then took it over to Toastmasters Bin who explained the running order of the meeting. Toastmasters Bin, then, called up Yuko, who announced the Word of the Day, “esoteric”, whose synonyms are “difficult, hard or puzzling”.

3. Song of the Day Yuki shared “Ob-La-Di Odaiba”, which is a parody of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" released by the Beatles in 1968. We sang ”Ob-la-di, Odaiba, life goes on, bra La-la, how the life goes on, Ob-la-di, Odaiba,life goes on, bra La-la, how the life goes on. “Odaiba” harmony added another element to the original song, helping to create a catchy, memorable refrain.

4. Table Topic Session Table Topics Master Yossy then organized great promptu session, which Drian, Yuko, Shiro and Gakky discussed the topic of the SDGs; 17 Global Goals, a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Highlights included genetically modified organisms in Drian, pasta-straw in Yuko, partnership contribution approach in Shiro, and contamination battles in Gakky.

5. Prepared speeches Then, the first speaker was Andy, was full of big laughter with his entertaining speech. Andy talked us through very funny approaches to fight against a train in Tokyo. He seriously urged us to wear a helmet when getting on a jam-packed train. Another approach is to act as we play rugby when we get off a train. One of the most unexpected approach is to have a Japanese manner book and show it to a molester, stating “Read this Book!” if you run into it.

Next speaker Masayo wondered the audience with her Storytelling #5 titled “TKTKTKTK”. She took us another world, where she reported the life of guitarist who is too mysterious for us. He is buzzing, shrilling and making noise TKTKTKTK and turned out “cicada” at the closing. Her story was well thought-out and enticing, adding the enormous drama of cicade.

6. New members induction ceremony An induction ceremony is a wonderful step in Toastmasters relationship. Our Officer Yuki welcomed 2 inductees, Kenny and Gakky, into Ginza and they stated the Ginza’s expectations of them and the Ginza's memberships' responsibility to them. Both of regular members and new members promise to contribute to the other's success.

7. Workshops Then Kenny led the speech workshop. He helped us to develop how to make a symbol story. He carefully creates a symbol story by using three key elements: Visual, Audio and Feeling. Having a mastery of visual storytelling skills has become more vital than ever. Use images that help the story to flow. Stories with sounds, for example dialogue, have a leg up on those that are just talking heads. Think creatively about what audio elements we can use. The story will be driven by our best sound. He encourages us to use feeling heartbroken messages that inspire the audience. Practical training was followed after Kenny’s demonstration.

Next presenter was Drian. In the session, he wondered how to make slides that communicate our idea. In his opinion, it is important to use slides that helps us focus on what’s actually being said. One of his tips is to use photos that speak strongly to the concept we're talking about. One thing is to avoid slides with a lot of text, if it’s a repeat of what we’re saying out loud. Less text is almost always more.

After the workshops, General Evaluator Yuko invited two beautiful evaluators – Kenny for Andy and Drian for Masayo. Finally, Yuko evaluated our meeting.

8. Awards Best Speaker Award Andy Best Table Topics Award Drian, Gakky, Yuko Best Evaluator Award Drian

9. Next meeting The next meeting will take place at Kyobashi-Kuminkaikan, on Sunday, 24th June, at 14:00. Our New Officer Tomomi will do Toastmaster. Come over to practice your public speaking!