My First Prepared Speech at Essential Toastmaster.

Finally, I make a decision to register my membership in Essential Toastmaster Club. I do really believe that Toastmaster is the right community for me to help me improving myself to be a better person, a great leader and outstanding public speaker. The climate in this club makes it happen, they are very positive and supportive and I am very lucky to be a part of this club.

I deliver my First Prepared Speech “Ice breaking” in Essential at November,6^th2015. The Theme of my ice breaking speech is “I start it with a dream”.

At first, I feel very nervous because I need to deliver my speech in English. Even though I often stand in front of people as a speaker, but I usually use Indonesian not English. And can you believe it? English is my weakness, but tonight I need to use it. I should perform as a speaker in front of many people using English. I said to my self that “I must take control not my inferiority“. I realize that my English is not good enough, but I don’t want to let it become barrier for me to be a better person. I need to face it…and here I am…I can make it…

When I deliver my speech, I look at the audience’s eyes and I see that they can gather my message.They look excited to hear my speech. And I am happy for that. At the moment they gave applause for me, I realized that I already face my inferiority with very nice. And I said to my self “look, if you want to face it, you can make it“.

After my speech finished, The Evaluator  provided some feedback  about my performance (positive side and area improvement) during the speech. This is her evalution report:

Beside the evaluator, the audience (another toastmasters) also can give some feedback  to the speaker. And this is what I got from Them:

At the End, I wanna say that I am very lucky to be a part of them. I am lucky to meet this community. And I hope I can deliver my speech better and better….

Here Is my draft speeches (my first prepared speech):

Good Evening everyone, fellow toastmasters,

I will deliver my first speech, ”I start from a dream”. My name is Tina Melinda. You can call me Tina. Don’t get wrong for my name because I don’t have any relation with Tina Toon neither Vena Melinda.

 When we meet someone, we greet them with “hai, how are you” or “how do you do”. But, in my hometown we greet people with “hai lae, bia do kabari lae?” or “hai ito, madung lolot na tarida, bia kabar?”. Do you familiar with this greeting? Or Anyone know where this accent coming from? If you don’t know, I will let you know. This greeting usually used by People from North sumatera, Batakness. And I also using this greeting when I meet Batak’s person.

I came from small town, Padangsidempuan. I love my hometown because the air is very fresh, the weather is cold, the food is fresh and delicious, the people is very humble and the most important is there are no traffic at all. I always visit my hometown minimal once in a year. The moment when I visited my hometown always remarkable and always make me happy because I can meet my big family and enjoy all the happiness that my hometown offer.

I left my hometown since I finished my junior high school, because I should go for my study at Matauli Senior High School, the semi military education concept. In my school, the teacher and the mentor always encourage us to continue our study at undergraduate program. And one day, I write at my diary that I want to have undergraduate level majoring psychology. When my parents know about my goal, my parents didn’t agree and they asked me to take short course that can guarantee me a good job. They don’t think that psychology is a good choice because they never hear any people took that major, and this is the first time for them to hear that major. No one at my family knew what psychology is, and what kind of job that psychology can offer for me. I try to convince them and lucky me, they allow me with one condition “I must take my undergraduate program at sumatera”. So, I continue my study at north sumatera university majoring psychology. I have a favorite lecturer there, and she graduated from university of Indonesia. I tell her that I want to be a lecturer and also want to continue my study at university of Indonesia. She gave me a little smile and said “you can do it”.

One semester before my graduation, my lecturer came to me and offered me a job to be an assistant lecturer in north sumatera university. Without further consideration, I said Yes…This is the one that I really want. I think that Allah is very kind to me. I finished my study on time, I got a job as an assistant lecturer, I pass an exam to be civil government. Everything that I want, one by one come true. But, since I have so many goals, I can’t stop in this step. So, I asked my parents if they will help me to pay my master degree and they said yes, but in one condition, in Sumatera. I am very sad, because I don’t want to continue my study in sumatera, I want to go to Jakarta. I want to see Jakarta and study in Jakarta also. For people like me, who came from Small Town, Jakarta is something that very awesome, fancy, something that very luxurious.

One day, my friend came to me and asked me to come to Jakarta together with her because she want to register her master degree. I think this is a great opportunity for me, so I agree to go together with her. I sell all my thing in dormitory, my furniture, my bike, and also my books in order to collect some money. After all sold out, both of us buy a ticket to Jakarta. I am very excited but at the same I feel scare to die, because this is my first time to have a flight. I am very uncivilized..hahhaha…

Finally, we landed in Jakarta, my mouth can’t even close because I was amazed about jakarta. The building, the traffic, the style of person, the crowd and the price are awesome for me. I talk to myself, welcome Tina. You’ll be treated so well by Jakarta. J

I came to Jakarta without my parent’s acknowledged. I will tell them if I pass an examination for my magister at University of Indonesia. So, I Keep silent and try to find some money until the announcement came out. So, I apply for a job to one consulting in Kemang which name is HMC. I am very grateful because they accept me as staff with a proper payment. I just need a week to find a job since my arrival in Jakarta. I became more confidence that Jakarta is a nice place. A month later, an announcement come out and I pass an exam. I am very happy, so..I call my parents and inform them about this good news. But, my mom was shock. She said “what? You are in Jakarta? Where? With whom? Do you have money? Why you don’t tell us? Why? Why? And she cry louder. And I am sorry for that. I tell my mom, that this is my dreams. I want to continue my study in Java. I want to know world. And suddenly, my papa take the phone and said “so, what should we do?” and then I said “We need to pay registration fee, and the limit only a week”. Then…everything go smooth. One thing I always remember, I said to them “ I will be nice in Jakarta, I will pass my master degree with cumlaude predicate, I will make you proud of me”. And, Alhamdulillah..I can fulfill it.

I think, All good thing happened in my life because all people surround me always support me. When I forget about my dream, they came and knock my door to wake up and catch the stars. If I need them to company me, they will company me.

I remember, one day in the corner of classroom, I write my dream at a piece of paper “I will go to Europe for traveling. I will visit Roma and Paris”. My friend asking me, “ hei tina, why you want to go there?” and I tell her, “ I want to Study abroad and I want to explore the world by visiting them”. By the time, I forget about it. I do my daily activity, work have fun and work again and have fun again.

At 2009, I meet a great and an awesome guy. We flirting each other and two months later we commit to live together as a husband and wife. Life is full of surprise. My husband got a scholarship to Netherland, for him, it will be very hard because he need to study and make sure that he can finish his study on time. But for me, it will be very light and easy, because I just need to visit him, give a big smile and enjoy Netherland. Heheh…

At 2010, I came to Netherland visiting him. He prepared and arranged everything for my coming. He made a plan and itinerary to visit some places in Europe. And I was very surprised, because the places that he want us to visit is a place that I really want to see. We visited Paris, Italy, Budapest, Amsterdam, Leiden, The Hague.

An at the end, I want to say that I believe in “Dream”. The dream is a frame for the future and sets the stage for the rest of the words. I start everything by writing and saying my dreams louder. The Future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream. So… “Go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is. All our dreams can come true, if we have courage to pursue them.