Project 5: Your Body Speaks
Body language is an important part of speaking because it enhances your message and gives you more credibility. It also helps release any nervousness you may feel. Stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions, and eye ontact help communicate your message and achieve your speech’s purpose. Body language should be smooth, natural, and convey the same message that your listeners hear. Read: Gestures: Your Body Speaks (Catalog # 201), which you received in your New Member Kit.Objectives
- Use stance, movement, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact to express your message and achieve your speech’s purpose.
- Make your body language smooth and natural.
- Focus on methods of delivery, but do not overlook speech content.
Time: Five to seven minutes
The Priority Seat
I read in a book that some tribal communities in Africa take only 20 seconds to become "War Alert" from deep sleep. I think the author of the book would be surprised to know that some people traveling in Singapore Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) trains can even beat that record. A few seconds after occupying a Priority Seat, you can hear these people snoring. But within 5-seconds from their station, they become alert and vanish.
Honorable Club President, fellow Toastmasters and Guests .. a very Good Afternoon to you all.
Most of us know that MRTs have Priority Seats. There has been a huge public outcry on the issue of Priority Seats. It's said that needy people are not getting these seats. Assume that I am one of the culprits who does not give up a priority seat to needy people and all of you are judges. I want to support my case here.
My Lord! Earlier, the notice was too lengthy and far above the seat, and without any title. The notice read "Please give up this seat to those who need it more than you do". This was imported straight from England. I had seen it in London buses. Who had the time to read all this and interpret it? Moreover, the notice was far above the seat, and it wasn't clear which seat it was referring to. That is the reason why many people didn’t give up their seats.
Next, there were three pictures next to the notice, in a row. First one was that of an old man holding a walking stick. The picture only showed the upper half of his body. What he wanted wasn’t clear - whether he wanted to sit or stand? How can we tell with half a picture? So I didn’t give up my seat. Second picture was that of a pregnant woman holding the hand of a child. I was eagerly looking out for a pregnant woman holding the hand of a 3-4 years old child, but never found one. Sometimes, I did find pregnant women, but with a child in the arms. So I didn’t give up my seat. Last one was a full picture of blind man with a walking stick. Since the picture was in standing position, I thought he could stand and didn't need a seat.
SMRT discovered all these excuses, and on July 26th, last year, changed all those signs. Now there are 2 signs of "Priority Seat" – One on the top and one right above the seat. In the middle it says, "Be Considerate. Give up this seat to a passenger with special needs". Earlier, it was polite - starting with a "please", but now a little "rude". Anyway, it is better than the previous one. The 3 pictures are also more clear.
Even though I don’t know the meaning of "special needs", I decided to be considerate. First day when I became considerate, I saw an Indian woman boarding the train at Kranji. She looked "pregnant". So I took a few seconds to assess her situation. Finally, I stood up to offer the seat. She sneered at me and walked to the other side. I think I stared too much at her belly and she got angry. Next day, it was even more complicated. Two women boarded the train. One was slim but pregnant, and the other was plump, but not pregnant. I was in a dilemma - to whom should I offer my seat?
As you can see, irrespective of your best intentions and willingness to help, it's not easy to give up your seat. My observation is that most people are afraid of getting rejected. There is also a risk of offending others by offering your seat because they may feel that you think of them as old or weak. To overcome this dilemma, I referred to the Internet for some good suggestions. I'm glad that I found a very nice idea – SMRT should issue special badges to people with "special needs" that such people can wear while traveling in public transport buses and trains. This would help us identify people with those "special needs" and offer our seat to such people. I hope SMRT considers this suggestion seriously in order to make public transport a viable option for all.
Thank you, Toastmaster of the Day ...
