Thoughts about ECKO TIME Toastmasters Promotion at NCKU

National Cheng Kung University has largely advanced its network of communication since the new leadership came to the school several months ago. The new school president Michael Lai, a world class Academician, together with the Founder of Chi Mei Group ,許文龍 designed a weekly coffee time for people with different disciplines in NCKU and its community to sit together, exchange ideas, talking about arts, humanity, and different aspects of life in line with(based on) weekly topics introduced and initiated by professors and experts with 40 % discounted yet well cooked coffee. It offers a wonderful space for people in the historical and artistic city of Tainan to enjoy the feast of knowledge, art , culture ,history, and new ideas.

   On 9/28, the Teachers’ Day, senior Toastmasters of Division D checked in the coffee time at NCKU and brought them a teachers’ day gift, guess what? We brought Toastmasters Experiences into the Weekly community wide Coffee Time!! A gift that even gifted people have to experience to get it ! It was a beautiful afternoon, cloudy shy with tender sunshine, former District Governor Dick Fu, former District Secretary Grace Shih, Senior Toastmaster Mark Huang, Former president of CKTC Zilvia Hsu, Current President of CKTC Rachael Wu, Area D2 Governor Benjamin Lin and his officers, former Area D2 Governors Renee, Homer, and me as well as some other passionate toastmasters all showed up for this event. We met over 1oo participants from NCKU at that Mid-Size Chi Mei coffee shop. We talked about the Art of Public Speaking and its relationships with Communication & Leadership, we talked about how we lead a better life with Toastmasters, we talked about how Toastmasters programs are influencing Taiwan’s education all the way from high school to graduate study, we talked about how public speaking is changing our lives, and we even talked about cost friendly to practice English in Toastmasters community. It was a terrific afternoon with contact wide applause and nodding from the audiences, it’s even more perfect that it ended with many questions and queries about Toastmasters International.

   The organizing administration , the NCKU Art Center, told us that this is the most crowded afternoon they have experienced since the ECKO TIME started to roll. We were also invited to come back again for the hungry audience. See, how nice it is!!! Months ago, I was talked to the organizer right after I joined one of its events, they said ok to me even I am not a professor( They only invite professors to be speakers), then I double checked it , I found that organizer has a friend in Toastmasters , though it tells me that I am not that famous to be invited , how sad !! However, it clearly tells us that we need to be confident enough to promote Toastmasters, it is just universal human need. We shall be back !!

Warmest,

Mike Lee

Founder of CKTC, 2004 (NCKU)

Area D2 Governor , 2006 ~ 2007

Division Assistant Governor of Education, 2007 ~ 2008