Feedback Form For Visitors - My Comments

The YMCA in Singapore sent me a feedback form. That's a very good idea. it gives visitors a chance to give feedback.

You do wonder whether it helps the membership secretary work out who is a potential member. If so, why not.

It needs more room for a fourth reply 'other ...'.

I had to stop because the form was too long and it was bedtime.

However, when I came back to it I found I had lots to say which applied to this meeting and others.

LOCATION & MRT EXITS
MRT exit is vital. I went to three meeting this month, YMCA in the evening and Julius Baer at lunch time, and Nee Soon East. At all three I had difficulty finding the exit and despite checking early and setting off allowing extra time I was still late. I nearly didn't attend the YMCA and made an alternative group my first priority because
a) Previously YMCA makes a change for meetings, as does the Sheraton Towers hotel group. It's not a lot, but if you went to two YMCA meetings and three Sheraton hotel meetings that would add up.
b) Taking a taxi and not knowing the correct location is even more of a problem and waste of time and cost.

With two clubs, Nee Soon South and Nee Soon East, I have several times gone to the wrong Community centre. It's tempting to give up and go home when you arrive at the wrong station or wrong CC and realise you will now be 15 minutes late.

I once went to a club which has no sign on the door. Even if you push the door open, you see another shut door and think you are in the wrong place. I stood outside. Eventually, a latecomer arrived and told me I was in the right place.

When I told the committee that they needed a sign on the door, they replied, "We don't bother because we never get any visitors." I was so shocked I was speechless. Later, recounting to my family, I had my retort, "You don't get any visitors because even when they reach the door they can't find you!"

When I first arrived in Singapore I wanted to learn Mandarin. My husband's employers discouraged me, saying, "Everybody speaks English".

This is not entirely true. Furthermore, if you don't speak Mandarin, any business or building with a Chinese name is a discouragement. It's hard to remember. Hard to find on a map. Hard to type into google. hard to ask the way. Easy to confuse two similar names (Nee Soon South, Nee Soon East, endless Jurongs, central and east, and Toa Payoh, Central and another). You also wonder whether the club is Mandarin speaking, or if the people at reception will be speakers of Mandarin or other Chinese dialects, and if all the passers-by who might point you to the venue will be speakers of Hokkien.

Author
Angela Lansbury, ALB, ACG

How To Buy Wine, Mentoring and Newbies' Life Stories

VIP visitor Trevor Sharot and other visitors were welcomed by Toastmaster of the Evening Jesús Parada-Rivero. I knew that Jesús was pronounced 'hay-zoo-ss' with emphasis on the second syllable.

How do I know? Because whilst I had been discussing Spanish with Trevor earlier, Trevor had pointed out that in Spanish the accent is not about pronunciation but tells you on which syllable to lay the emphasis. I was delighted that learning Spanish had helped me immediately, at Toastmasters International Clubs, long before a trip to Spain or any Spanish-speaking country, such as South America and Mediterranean islands.

We did not have a Grammarian and usually I volunteer if none is around. However, with me being on the programme as a speaker, and my husband as another speaker, although I have to miss the rest of the month's meetings, I thought that I and my family should not be dominating the meeting.  I made notes about Grammar on the back of the meeting agenda in case the meeting finished early.

Harrovians' Meeting on Monday 9th April 2018 at St Lawrence's Church Halls

Food on Display
Amparo had been generous with both time and money, providing the bread and cheese which she put out on the side of the room instead of hidden in the kitchen which is our usual system. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages.

How To Remember Gifts Of Food And Flowers
I was at two meetings. At the first lunchtime meeting I planned to give flowers to the person who gave me a lift, and the hostell who provided us lunch. I forgot. At the second meeting in the evening, Amparo told me she had planned to bring cake as well as the break and cheese, but forgot.

This must be happeneing everywhere, to people of all ages, not just the young ans inexperienced, not just the old with age forgetfulness. It's part of 'you don't plan to fail, you fail to plan'.

Reminder Notes
What can you do? Put the items such as flowers and food out ready, inside your bags, or on the floor by the front door, or in the boot of the car? But the flowers will wilt without water. The food might go stale or dry or attract insects. You might travel in a different car, or cancel the meeting. Weeks later I have found wilted flowers and ruined, unsafe to eat food, wasting money and time.

Put it on the passenger seat and you will remember to take it into the meeting. But on the front seat you are obstructing passengers.

Maybe write a note on top of the items you are taking to the meeting, such as a briefcase, rucksack or handbag. Maybe a checklist for the meeting which you read before you go. Mayve a reminded on the inside of your front door.

All these thoughts had raced through my mind earlier in the day. However, one of these solutions has to be chosen, because the system of leaving it until the last minute had not achieved the objective. At least I now have a checklist of options for attempting to remember.

Author
Angela Lansbury
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