By Fan Chen Keat, Center for American Education, INTI International College Subang
20 students from the Centre for American Education (CAE) at INTI International College Subang (IICS) attended an impromptu public speaking workshop on 15 March 2023. The workshop was jointly organized by the CAE and Toastmasters International. The attendees from the Toastmasters were Clement Chew, Woo Hui Qin, Muhammad Ali Imran, Ricky Soo, Shamalan and Natkuncaran.
At the start, Shamalan shared his experience as a Toastmaster during his student days. He then introduced Hui Qin, who is an alumni of INTI International University (IIU). Hui Qin provided useful tips to students on how to handle impromptu speaking with aplomb.
Clement then provided some questions for students to try out. He first invited Muhammad Ali, alumni of CAE at INTI Subang. Ali shared the reminiscences of his days as a student in Subang SS15, and also how he missed the place when he furthered his studies at the Pennsylvania State University.
The next four speakers proved that they were adept at answering questions, despite the short notice. Yash stated that he has tried drinking alcohol on the rock but wouldn’t repeat it due to a massive hangover! Mekan, if given a choice to go back to his childhood, said that he would be more active in sports. As for Arvind, in five years’ time, he would want to focus on his passions: playing billiards and video. editing. Ameera, using a storytelling mode, spoke about her hero, who is her father. Ameera’s father managed to bounce back despite encountering various setbacks, including fleeing Bosnia during the Bosnian War.
Ricky, the evaluator, provided encouraging feedback to the speakers. He highlighted the strengths of each speaker and suggested areas of improvement. The winner of the impromptu speaking session is (drumroll!) Ameera.
Toward the end of the workshop, Ashreen, the Program Coordinator of BCSNHU program gave away tokens of appreciation to each Toastmaster. The other INTI lecturers present for the event were Fan Chen Keat, Dr. Kew Wen Chang, Faizal Nafis, and Winston Lim. The workshop ended after a photo-taking session. The students left the workshop, armed with new knowledge of how to handle impromptu speaking with confidence and poise.