Today is September the 14th. Yesterday was the third Toastmasters Champion Speechcraft Workshop we hosted. We invited Yogesh Kapoor to Hangzhou to share with us.
It turned out to be a packed day for me. I had to go to the office and wrap up work first, then headed out in the afternoon to help run and join the workshop. It was such a rewarding experience. Yogesh shared plenty of precious insights.
What impressed me most was his emphasis on mindset — it was the keyword he brought up repeatedly. The core theme of his sharing was how to engage your audience. There are many practical methods: raise rhetorical questions, quote lines, use props, or insert strategic pauses. He pointed out that the heart of audience engagement is to make your audience think. That is when real engagement happens.
He also drew a clear line between engagement and connection. Engagement motivates listeners to think, while connection runs far deeper. I only caught part of his sharing, yet his sincerity and reminder about consistent practice really struck me. We all know practice matters, but keeping it steady is never easy.
He said if you truly desire something, you have to devote enough effort to it. If you want to improve your English, spend more time listening and speaking. If you aim to compete in speech contests, invest time studying world champions’ speeches. This resonates deeply with me.
I have quite a few goals, including better performance in Toastmasters and promising results in speech contests. But after draining workdays, all I feel like doing at home is unwind by scrolling short videos or watching shows, rather than watching speech clips or practicing.
Maybe I need to set bigger goals and visualize them — for instance, becoming a district-level champion. I know the challenge is growing tougher, with native speakers joining the competition, which puts us at a disadvantage. Still, who can tell? With sufficient effort, we might turn impossibility into reality.
Today will also be busy. My mission for the whole September is simply to get through each day. Meanwhile, I need to rethink my workflow. As my husband suggested, if I keep working overtime deep into the night every day, I should examine whether my working approach works.
I plan to adjust my method starting tomorrow. Instead of reviewing materials and writing feedback one by one, I will hold a short group meeting to deliver feedback collectively, clarifying the standards for printable materials. Optimizing work efficiency is essential.
Rest, exercise and family time are priorities in life. However, when work piles up, I struggle to carve out time for these meaningful things. Starting in October, my DSW program will begin, bringing extra workload and learning tasks. I must manage my time better.
Hopefully I can get through each day steadily, and make my life better soon.
