The demo meeting at Foreign Service Institute of Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was a success. I was the happiest Toastmaster on stage,
because I was lucky to have the wonderful and precious opportunity to serve as
the Toastmaster of the Evening.
It was rainy and chilly Tuesday evening, but as soon as I
walked into the meeting room of 100 people, I was impressed with the warm
atmosphere of members and guests and the state-of-the-art meeting equipment and
facilities. There are three booths above for simultaneous interpreters to
overlook the speakers with the best view. It is a dream meeting room, on the
second floor of a brand new build of the Foreign Service Institute at the
Dunhua-Renai Traffic circle. The institute is responsible for providing
educational and training programs for Foreign Service personnel of
MOFA.
Before the Chinese New Year, Division H Governor Y.S Liao
called me to invite me to be the Toastmaster of Evening at MOFA’s demo meeting.
I was so thrilled that Grand Toastmasters Club could be chosen to host the demo
meeting. It would be a meaningful training opportunity for Grand’s members to
hone the communication and leadership skills at a formal and important occasion
in front of our future diplomats. It also would be the best chance to build the
solidarity and team spirit among members.
The night before the demo meeting, I felt insomnia. I am sure
I was not alone. Many members also felt the formidable challenge in front of us.
As citizens of Taiwan, we can’t find better way to serve our country, to show
our love for TAIWAN by conducting a standard benchmark Toastmaster meeting. How
honored we are to be able to support our future Ambassadors of MOFA to fight an
unbeatable war in the international arena by providing our helping hands and
warm hearts.
During the meeting, Timothy Chin-tien Yang, Director General
of Foreign Service Institute thanked Division H and Grand Toastmasters club to
help MOFA with the demo meeting. Samuel S.K.Wu, Deputy Director General, was
with us during the entire meeting. Vincent Jing-Yen Liu, Chief of First Section,
NGO Affairs Committee, pointed at the Big T on Toastmasters banner, and
encouraged the young diplomats to put Taiwan on the stage of the world. Vincent
is the responsible head to run Toastmasters program at MOFA.
The demo meeting was a success. I am sure Dr. Ralph C. Smedley
would be pleased with our performance. He would be happy to see our government
take the initiatives to train the future diplomats, young men and women, to
learn the communication and leadership skills. If all world leaders are
toastmasters, we would have an earth in peace. We can extend our hands to the
extraterrestrial in the universe, fly to the Mars to have a Toastmasters
meeting.
Dr. Smedley, thank you for laying a solid foundation for us to
develop ourselves in a mutually supportive and positive learning environment, to
make our world a better place. I am sure that one day Toastmasters International
will win the Nobel Peace Award for our contribution to the humanity by
developing each individual person on earth.
It was still rainy and chilly when I left the Foreign Service
Institute. I felt like a rising star after the successful demo meeting on stage.
I put on my red cape with a red cap to cover myself to avoid the public eyes.
What should I do if I am getting famous?
